Barbour defends controversial pardons as based on the Christian belief in forgiveness

Fox News ^ | January 13th, 2012 | AP

[KantianBurke]

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Friday he's "very comfortable" with his decision to grant pardons or other clemency to more than 200 people, including convicted killers, in his last days in office, telling Fox News that Mississippi is predominantly Christian and believes in forgiveness.

The pardons have set off outrage among some victims' families and prompted a judge to block the release of some of the pardoned inmates out of concern that proper notification rules were not followed.

Barbour told Fox News that any problem with paperwork was an accident on the part of corrections officials, who needed to send the notices out earlier to get them published in newspapers on time. But he defended the pardons.

"I understand and recognize that these families had love ones who were the victims of terrible crimes ... and I sympathize with the fact that this hurts them, that they lost somebody like that and that they're not going to forget it and they want vengance," Barbour said on Fox News' "Special Report."

"But what the state does and has done ... most people in Mississippi are Christians or profess to be Christians, and we believe in forgiveness and we believe in second chances," he said.

Barbour told the Associated Press in an earlier interview that it's a tradition in Mississippi for governors to free the trusties who worked at the Governor's Mansion. Four inmates freed this past weekend are convicted killers who worked as trusties.

And the former governor said he's not concerned that the freed trusties might harm anyone. "I have absolute confidence, so much confidence, that I'd let my grandchildren play with these five men," the Republican said.

[map]

Your theory was expressed on Fox tonight by a man whose sister was killed by a drunk-driving socialite (Justice with Judge Jean).

He stated that Gov. Barbour used the pardoned murderers to cover the pardoning of a favored, connected constituent.

[af_vet_rr]

He stated that Gov. Barbour used the pardoned murderers to cover the pardoning of a favored, connected constituent.

I looked up the case you're talking about. Heavily drunk socialite doing 70 in a 40, kills two people, only given 18 years, Barbour pardons her. What a real winner, the woman's rich husband was stalking a 17 year old girl.

Really does make you wonder what other pardons were hidden in the bunch.

If Barbour was smart, he pardoned quite a few minorities as well so he could play the race card and claim people were racist for criticizing him.

[Vigilanteman]

For all the dumb statements George Bush ever made, one of the best I give him credit for is when he refused to sign a reprieve for that woman who had bashed another woman's head in during a drug-crazed robbery.

The petition for clemency pointed out that she had found Jesus. In denying the request, Bush remarked something to the effect that he was glad she found Jesus. It would serve her well in the next world. But as a representative of the state, he had taken an oath to administer the justice which the law demanded in this world. Petition denied.