08-26-2017, 12:44 PM
(08-26-2017, 03:12 AM)Vas Deferens Wrote: Arapio is an unrepentant terrorist in his own right. I believe that is what people are upset about. It seems fairly clear he pardoned this POS at this time to limit exposure.
But whatever. Not going to change anyone's mind at this juncture.
Yeah, this kind of post really bothers me. Using the word terrorist is inane. I'm mortally sick of people misusing words like terrorist, nazi and racist. There's certainly an argument against pardoning Arpaio, his being a "terrorist" is not one of them.
(08-26-2017, 07:33 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: Commutation for a crime saying "you did wrong, but you have suffered enough for it" is, to me, different than saying "you get a clean slate" to someone found guilty of violating a court order telling him to stop violating the 4th Amendment.
Absolutely, a pardon is much different than clemency. An argument could also be made that a man who served his nation in various capacities for over fifty years is different from an unrepentant terrorist or a service member who dumps hundreds of thousands of classified documents on the internet because feelings.
Quote:I thought about this a good bit while in the shower this morning (best thinking done in the shower and on the shitter), and I would be with you had Obama granted a pardon to Manning.
It's not just Manning, although I have a strong suspicion that if Manning was a regular dude and not a trans woman he wouldn't have gotten clemency. He also released convicted criminals with felony convictions and a complete piece of shit in Oscar Lopez Rivera. Left wing celebrities ate that one up. I mean he was only a leader in an active terrorist organization that killed people. Not only that, he has never shown any remorse and maintains his cause is just.
Quote:Even then, though, it would be a tough comparison because Arpaio was such a vocal political ally for Trump. This pardon tells us that Trump has no problems with violating the civil liberties of minorities, even the legal ones, and that he is deep into cronyism.
You could interpret it that way if you desire to. You could also see it as pardoning the actions of an 85 year old man with a long history of public service. At the end of the day we're talking about a misdemeanor he wouldn't have served a day of custody time over. Be for the pardon or against it, the pardon, in essence, just clears Arpaio of having a criminal record and having to do some community service. Yes, I get your point about the precedent and the message it sends. That's why I counter with Obama granting clemency to far more suspect people.
