Posted on 12/19/2013 2:06:20 PM PST by Zakeet
President Obama on Thursday commuted the prison sentences for eight people convicted of crack cocaine offenses and pardoned 13 others, surpassing in the fifth year of his presidency all the acts of clemency from his entire first term.
“I am commuting the prison terms of eight men and women who were sentenced under an unfair system,” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “Commuting the sentences of these eight Americans is an important step toward restoring fundamental ideals of justice and fairness.”
[Snip]
“We are excited for the families of those who were granted commutations today, and we are glad that President Obama recognized that these individuals were serving unnecessarily lengthy sentences,” said FAMM [Families Against Mandatory Minimums] President Julie Stewart. “The bottom line, however, is that there are several thousand more where they came from.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
He has that power. That doesn’t mean we have to agree with it.
No, there is no remedy. Mandatory minimum sentence. Life without parole. End of story. Prosecutors, jurors and judges have no say when it comes to sentencing.
No one was arguing that the guy was innocent. The argument was that life without parole was overly harsh for a small time drug dealer.
“Raciss evil white people” have nothing to do with it. And why do you want to drag race into this?
So you think life in prison without parole is a fair sentence for small time drug dealing? You know how much it costs to keep those guys locked up?
Hey look, there are crappy laws. Example number one — Obamacare. And the Republicans tried to “undercut” it by not funding it. Your outrage is very selective.
Well if you feel that way, then to Hell with the chemistry or logic. Your subjective feelings are what’s important here.
Good. Even a broken clock is right once in a while.
The War on Drugs is the epitome of Constitution-shredding, nanny-state Tyranny. Always has been. Always will be.
Prohibitionist authoritarians delude themselves when they say they believe in Liberty. They make a mockery of the word...
Small time drug dealing?
First it was users and then dealers, whats next their hit men?
If I “feel” that way?
Surely you know that crack is addictive and destructive. It is very much like meth.
He was convicted in federal court, not state court, so none of those things could have happened-- a federal judge can only reduce a sentence within 14 days after it was imposed, or if the prosecutor requests it on grounds of the defendants' cooperation with other prosecutions; there is no such thing as parole in federal cases; and state governors cannot pardon federal convicts. For federal prisoners, it's a presidential pardon or nothing.
But you want to base sentences on ephemeral things like "surely you know."
Like I said, who needs science and logic when people like you can tell us "surely you know."
There is foundation for anyone to be outraged at members of the legislature who are doing their job. That’s why we elect representatives — to represent us.
We do not elect ANY President so that person can make public statements which undermine the justice system.
Ah, I see.
You don’t know.
Surely you know.
I wonder if a President can pardon people for non-federal convictions. Can a state, Texas for instance, ignore his orders concerning their prisoners?
Thanks Zakeet.
You didn’t answer the question. Do you think selling crack should result in life without parole?
The illegal drug business is run by new world order.
Afghanistan was turned into an opium factory the minute the Taliban were kicked out.
There’s a reason why George Soros invests millions in promoting drug legalization.
New world order has been running the drug trade for centuries.
Somehow US public schools don’t include a truthful account of the Opium Wars in their classes.
They’d have to include Herbert Hoover, Warren Delano, etc. It would open too many eyes, so the facts remain buried.
Opium is the path to slavery.
The “stock in trade” for new world order: slaves, drugs, finance, espionage. They want everybody to either work for them or be enslaved to them.
You seem surprised. He was convicted. There were no errors of law or procedure. Exactly what recourse do you imagine he had?
No.
Make Liquor illegal and do the same thing.
have at it.
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