In and of itself, I'm not opposed to the pardon of Scooter Libby. It's the context that such a proposal is in.
There are MILLIONS of Americans with criminal records at the Federal and State levels who have been convicted of minor felonies that are still considered felons, still blocked from viable employment and the possibility of viable employment because of their prior record. I'm talking about folks whose offenses were over ten (10) years ago, and who have not offended since.
And yet, the GOP routinely, at all levels, wished to make it tough for these folks to receive pardons. Mitt Romney is one of the biggest pukes of all on this issue. I remember in 2008, Sanctimonious Mitt was very much against felons receiving restoration of their voting rights, but he was OK with Bush 43 dropping everything to smooth Scooter's path.
The REAL criminal justice issue in America is NOT police brutality. It is NOT racial profiling. It is NOT inequality in sentencing. It is the lingering and devastating effect a criminal conviction has on employment and employability; it is the barrier to entry into the middle class that such a record causes millions of Americans who have paid their debts to society, and who have not reoffended. And this has been made worse by OVERCRIMINALIZATION (the conversion of what were once misdemeanor offenses into felonies by state legislatures who want to "get tough").
When America is willing to address THIS issue to where those who have paid their debts, then I'll be OK with dropping everything for Scooter Libby. Meanwhile, let him suffer like millions of others who still have to explain their mistake of decades ago.
I agree with this post almost one hundred percent and the hypocrisy displayed by Donald Trump and Mitt Romney is disgusting.
