Governor to pardon own son's drug conviction

[DrLeftover]

Gov. Beebe to pardon son over marijuana conviction

Nov 13
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Outgoing Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe said Wednesday he plans to pardon his son's felony marijuana conviction, arguing he deserves the same second chance as hundreds of other nonviolent offenders.

Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said the two-term Democratic governor would pardon Kyle Beebe, 34, who was convicted in 2003 of felony marijuana possession with intent to deliver. DeCample said the governor planned to formally announce his intent to pardon his son in early December.

Beebe is leaving office in January due to term limits, and is being succeeded by Republican Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson. DeCample said Beebe has issued more than 700 pardons since taking office in 2007.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BEEBE_PARDONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-11-13-06-45-25

 

[+paradox]

it's not like other politics have pardoned people they know...

very sad and sickening if you ask me!

 

[Payton]

I am all for the son being pardoned because I don't feel like anyone should be imprisoned for such a non-issue as just possessing marijuana. However, I am not too sure about this Jackson character... I think that pardoning someone who could potentially hurt children is a completely different ballgame.

 

[Jazzy]

it's not like other politics have pardoned people they know...

very sad and sickening if you ask me!

You're under the assumption that it's only his son that will be pardoned. That's not an accurate assumption. This is directly from the article:

Beebe is leaving office in January due to term limits, and is being succeeded by Republican Gov.-elect Asa Hutchinson. DeCample said Beebe has issued more than 700 pardons since taking office in 2007.

"A significant number of those have been young first time drug offenders because he believes that if you make a mistake especially with nonviolent crime and you straighten your life out, you deserve a second chance," DeCample said.

With that said, I agree with the pardon of his son and all the other young first time offenders he has pardoned. They all deserve a second chance. Don't you agree?

 

[+paradox]

or what about the others that might needed the pardon or deserved it?

even though i agree that a charge of weed is stupid...

 

[Webster]

I'm of two minds here...on the one hand, this has bad optics written all over it; what do you want to think that the first thing people will say over this is 'well, he only pardoned him 'cause it was his son." On the other hand, as long as all the i's are dotted, the t's are crossed and everything's on the up-and-up, we should treat this pardon as most any other pardon.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

What a surprise a democrat that thinks his son and hundreds of others should not be responsible for there own actions they freely took and knew the consequences for. There second chance is walking among us in society.

 

[Webster]

The judge is right in this case.  His boy wasn't out there killing children or throwing puppies into blenders; he does deserve the 2nd chance that others have gotten; others who have done way worse than this boy has.

I agree; if this were over a violent crime the man committed, odds are we wouldn't even having this debate over the pardon.

 

[+paradox]

What a surprise a democrat that thinks his son and hundreds of others should not be responsible for there own actions they freely took and knew the consequences for. There second chance is walking among us in society.

i some-what agree that pardons is not really a good thing because of favoritism, and i'm not a big fan of favoritism coming from politicians to their friends or family... with that said, liberty, not just democrats pardons people, so your point is null and void...

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

What a surprise a democrat that thinks his son and hundreds of others should not be responsible for there own actions they freely took and knew the consequences for. There second chance is walking among us in society.

i some-what agree that pardons is not really a good thing because of favoritism, and i'm not a big fan of favoritism coming from politicians to their friends or family... with that said, liberty, not just democrats pardons people, so your point is null and void...

No not really. Leftists think feelings and good intentions justify anything all the time. Conservatives do not. Not to say bad apples do not exist within us but that is not our core principle.