What was former Governor Haley Barbour thinking? I met Haley at a boxing match down in Biloxi, MS last year. I voted for him twice, and all in all I think he was a good Governor. He got us through one of the worst Hurricane's ever to strike the United States in Hurricane Katrina.
Barbour just completed two terms as our state's Governor. His last executive decision was his worst. Barbour literally let convicted murderers and sex offenders free. The good ole Gov issued over 150 pardons, from murderers, rapists, violent offenders, you name it.
Today, our state AG Jim Hood went on CNN and told the country that Mississippi may have to issue a national man hunt for 4 murderers that Haley Barbour let free.
The state constitution says that anyone who requests a pardon must file the appropriate paperwork 30 days prior to the release.
They have to publish publicly that they seek clemency. This according to the Attorney General was not done in several of these cases.
I have a bigger issue than the constitutional aspect. My issue is a moral aspect. Is it moral to let some killer free? Would Mr Barbour let a killer free if that killer killed his wife, or daughter? I doubt it.
What about the families of the victims? Did Gov Barbour even think about how they would feel? How would he feel if his wife's murderer was running around on the streets? What in the world was this man thinking?
As the Nephew of a fallen Mississippi Highway Patrol Officer, Billy Langham, I take this very personal. My Uncle was shot and killed back in 1980, and it makes me sick to my stomach to think that people such as the persons that killed my Uncle are running free today because one person over-turned a Jury's decision.
This is not a political thing. It has nothing to do with party lines, Republican, Democrat, Independent. This is a moral issue, and whether or not the right decision was made. This decision by Governor Barbour is disgusting. It's stinks like rotten fish, and he owes the people an explanation followed by a sincere apology.
I hope that the state government takes a new look at pardons and how they are issued from here going forward. This is a disgrace.
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