Bleeding Hearts
Nov 30th, 2009 by The Outsider
Maurice Clemmons, the suspect in the killing of four police officers in a coffee shop in Lakewood Washington, had a long rap sheet. One of those officers was a native from Bethlehem Pa before he moved to Washington State. Clemmons was convicted of aggravated robbery, assault on a police officer, raping a child and other offenses which had him in prison for 95 years until Governor Mike Huckabee commuted his sentence in 2000. Here is a statement released by Mike Huckabee in response to the killings.
“The senseless and savage execution of police officers in Washington State has saddened the nation, and early reports indicate that a person of interest is a repeat offender who once lived in Arkansas and was wanted on outstanding warrants here and Washington State. The murder of any individual is a profound tragedy, but the murder of a police officer is the worst of all murders in that it is an assault on every citizen and the laws we live within.
Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. He was recommended for and received a commutation of his original sentence from 1990. This commutation making him parole eligible and was paroled by the parole board once they determined he met the conditions at that time. He was arrested later for parole violation and taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him. It appears that he has continued to have a string of criminal and psychotic behavior but was not kept incarcerated by either state. This is a horrible and tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Our thoughts and prayers are and should be with the families of those honorable, brave, and heroic police officers.”
A long statement to be sure but that won’t make the loved ones of the slain police officers feel any better. All I can say is that this is the end of Huckabee’s political future if he had any. Too much compassion for the wrong people can get us killed. Will our politicians and others involved with protecting us ever learn?
Read story here.