Posted on 01/14/2012 3:27:06 AM PST by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
It’s NOT EASY to be a conservative. You have to be able to recognize EVIL and understand that the justice system (even in states like New York, much less Mississippi, is FAR MORE capable of dealing with evil than any single person, be it Huckabee, or Barber. You simply MUST defer to the collective wisdom of thousands of people over hundreds of years...or you WILL be directly response for the deaths of many people.
We’ll just see how these little angels of Mississippi now behave...
“It is nobody’s right to forgive offenses that didn’t happen to them. If you punched my brother, I don’t have the right to forgive you outside of the actual offense to me.”
Someone pointed that out once. It was after a shooting in a Christian school, in Tennessee, I think. The uninjured survivors immediately ‘forgave’ the killers. A columnist then wrote the same thing and essentially asked what right the survivors at the school had to forgive...relative to families of those killed (who were not in any mood to forgive at that time). It seems that the concept of forgiveness got a bit muddled.
“I have never understood the logic of giving governors the right to pardon criminals. Unless new evidence emerges casting doubt on their conviction there should be no pardons by anyone!!”
It actually traces back to a compromise from our founding days. Back then the ‘king’ could order executions at will. Well, we didn’t like that, but wanted some power for executives, so we gave them the pardon.
Same crap Huckabee pulled as Arkansas governor!
Many Christians have that mentality, unfortunately.
Kind of sad, wasn’t it. Bet they didn’t say that when Clinton was passing out pardons right before he left office.
Even when it was explained that Barbour didn’t follow the law about the 30 day notices, they still defended it.
I would never forgive someone who murdered a family member of mine. Want forgiveness: contact God, that is his game. I am NOT in the forgiveness business.
He had the audacity to say the families just want vengence. OUTRAGEOUS!
I wont under any circumstance be voting for Santorum either. He’s another one that teamed up with John Kerry with that Workplace Religious Freedom Act created major burdens to employers.
Which is why I am so-what scared of Rick Santorum. The God squad has done so much damage as you have noted, that it makes me pause to vote for another one. And that is not an attack on God or Christians. I am one, but these political Christians scare me now.
Bunch of RNC nutjobs.
Thank You for your affirmation, Dear FRiend. I feel Very strongly about people who use my Christian Faith to justify bad acts.
“God said to send back to Him those that commit homicide”
Where? THat is a perfect Biblican citation I could use if I ever have to defend the death penalty.
Well for starters, Exodus 21:12 He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
Notice there need be 'intent' to commit premeditated homicide.. as verse 13 And if a man lie NOT in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint thee a place whiter he shall flee.
BUT verse 14 But IF a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
I won't type the rest of the 'conditions' wherein the death penalty was set in motion after the Ten Commandments were given us. But keep reading... Leviticus goes into more specifics what the 'set' penalty was for specific 'criminal' acts. Premeditated murder still is a crime/sin that requires the criminal to be return to the Maker, along with a few other criminal acts. Reason is to set the example so the rest may/might be deterred and a 'civil' society is maintained. And that soul/spirit that was murdered is waiting for a face to face and the resolution of 'forgiveness' for the act of criminal homicide can only be resolved by the Heavenly Father.
Too bad for society as a whole too many Christians think they are in charge and are required to make 'forgiveness' a cheek turning ritual. AND no I am NOT saying it is NOT Biblical to 'forgive', but there are some acts we have NO authority to stamp as forgiven from the Heavenly Father.
Some of these evangelical governors think they are god with their pardon power. They seem to forget only God can forgive sin. These 4 pardoned men were cold blooded murderers. The same thing goes for vengence. The Bible teaches that God says “vengence is Mine”. Being a Christian, I definitely believe in forgiving one another but not in pardoning mortal sin against another. That kind of sin can only be pardoned by God Himself. Pardoning sin was the one thing that really bothered the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. They realized He was saying that He was God when He forgave the sins of others.
Santorum is not a “political” Christian. He is the real deal Christian. There is nothing to be scared of. On the other hand, Ron Paul’s political ideas scare the heck out of me.
A very good point. Of course US governors, along with US presidents, have traditonally had pardon power. Seems that most of them have exercised that power responsibly. Three that haven’t are Clinton (released Puerto Rican terrorists), Onada (released GITMO terrorists) and Barbour.
Barbour ias keeping good company.
There is an ocean of difference between “pardoning” and “forgiving”. One wonders how bright Barbour is and how he finagled his way into a governorship.
What a perfect response. I was screaming at the tv when HB said it was about forgiveness. OKAY. But as you said...forgive them...but leave them in prison.
I doubt that pardons and your attributing it to their God delusions,has anything to do with whether they attend an Evangelical church, or whatever church you would not call Evangelical.
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