Let me be clear: I don't agree with former presidential aspirant Mike Huckabee's decision, in 2000, to free Clemmons from an Arkansaw jail. I think he made the wrong decision, and I'm especially disturbed by the claim (made here) that Huckabee swung open the prison door as a show of faith in a fellow Christian. But I'm also certain that, going forward, legitimately innocent, and honestly rehabilitated convicts will be denied the generosity Clemmons received.
In our contaminated culture, no governor with presidential ambitions can afford to be characterized as soft on crime. Practically, that means more executions, and fewer commutations and pardons. It means that people much more deserving of a break then Clemmons, will not receive one. This preference for "toughness", which is really a preference for obtuseness and rigidness, represents a hardening of the American heart, and an elbowing out of values like mercy and compassion. Why don't we instead favor governors who show good judgement, and a willingness to consider new evidence, and to reward good behavior. What does this preference for inflexibility say about our national values?
Nothing good, I'm afraid. And after Clemmons it will only get worse.
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