Jonathan P. Baird lives in Wilmot. With all the stories about Joe Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter, I think the main story has been lost.
Biden still has time to use his pardon power to good purpose and he has started. He had used the pardon power less generously than all recent presidents but on Dec. 12, he commuted 1,500 prison sentences, which is a good first step.
I would submit his until-now sparing use of the pardon power, granted by the Constitution, reflects a too optimistic view of our justice system because it ignores so many injustices. President Biden has been hyper-cautious in the typically chicken Democratic Party fashion. Say what you will about Republicans, they are not afraid to pardon the biggest scoundrels whether they are super-rich fraudsters, racist cops, or slimy political operatives.
Feckless Democrats want to take a poll first to see what voters think. Instead of being known for something he repeatedly promised he would not do (and that is the definition of personal self-interest), Biden could go out with a bang by pardoning America’s longest-serving political prisoner, American Indian Movement activist Leonard Peltier. Words against injustice are cheap.
Clemency for Peltier would be meaningful. Peltier, now 80, has been in jail for 48 years. He is currently incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary in Coleman, Florida.
Pardoning Peltier and granting parole or compassionate release would be an important step in the healing direction Biden has.
