Merry Christmas from the White House

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Bush Grants First Pardons of Presidency

Mon Dec 23, 4:26 PM ET Add White House - AP to My Yahoo!

 

 

By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer

 

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) has pardoned seven Americans for an array of mostly minor offenses, from a Mississippi man who tampered with a car odometer to a postal employee who stole $10.90 from the mail, the White House announced Monday.

 

 

 

The seven were the first pardons of his administration.

 

 

Bush also pardoned a Tennessee man sentenced in 1962 for making untaxed whiskey; an Oregon man convicted in 1966 in a grain-theft conspiracy; an Iowa man sentenced in 1989 for lying to the Social Security Administration (news - web sites); a Washington state man sentenced in 1972 for stealing $38,000 worth of copper wire; and a Wisconsin minister who refused to be inducted into the military, sentenced in 1957.

 

 

Bush granted the pardons on Friday, but the White House announced his pardons on Monday with little fanfare. Bush maintained a long-standing tradition by doing it near the holidays.

 

 

While he personally approved the pardons, the announcement was made by the Department of Justice (news - web sites), with the White House quietly signing off. Bush is spending part of the Christmas week at Camp David.

 

 

"What all these cases have in common is that each pardon recipient committed a relatively minor offense many years ago, completed his prison sentence or probation and paid any fine, and has gone on to live an exemplary life and to be a positive force in his community," said Ashley Snee, a White House spokeswoman.

 

 

Pardons have become a politically delicate presidential prerogative in recent years.

 

 

President Clinton (news - web sites) left office two years ago touched by scandal after a spree of controversial last-minute pardons, including one for fugitive financier Marc Rich (news - web sites), the ex-husband of Democratic financial contributor Denise Rich.

 

 

The first President Bush ignited a firestorm at the end of his presidency by pardoning former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger.

 

 

The seven people Bush pardoned:

 

 

_Kenneth Franklin Copley of Lyles, Tenn. Sentenced to two years probation in 1962 for manufacturing untaxed whiskey.

 

 

_Harlan Paul Dobas of Portland, Ore. Sentenced to three months in jail in 1966 for conspiracy involving the sale of grain stolen from his employer.

 

 

_Stephen James Jackson of Picayune, Miss. Sentenced to three years probation and fined $500 in 1993 for altering an odometer.

 

 

_Douglas Harley Rogers of Brookfield, Wis. A Jehovah's Witnesses minister sentenced to two years in jail in 1957 for failing to report for military induction.

 

 

_Walter F. Schuerer of Amana, Iowa. Fined $15,000 in 1989 for making a false statement to the Social Security Administration regarding his employment.

 

 

_Paul Herman Wieser of Tacoma, Wash. Sentenced to 18 months probation in 1972 for stealing $38,000 worth of copper wire.

 

 

_Olgen Williams of Indianapolis. A postal worker sentenced to one year in jail in 1971 for stealing $10.90 from the mail.

 

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I'm guessing the President had somebody read off random pardons and the ones that made him laugh the most got the pardons..

 

$38,000 of Copper Wire?

 

altering an odometer?

 

It's nice to know the President is one of those leaders who clears the name of guys who got put on probation over 20 years ago for random crimes.

 

I guess that this will be the trend of Bush pardons. Next year.. Bush pardons a man who got a speeding ticket in 1971.

 

Meanwhile.. non-violent people who committed trivial drug offenses don't get anything from Mr. President this year. It's a shame they didn't steal any copper wire, or else could be pardoned

[Guest The Czech Republic]

What the fuck do you do with $38,000 of copper wire? Was he trying to bump AT&T out of the market by creating a tin-can telephone network throughout Seattle?

[Guest NoCalMike]

Anyone in jail/prison for possesion of marijuana should have been pardoned as well.