In 2012, Jerry Brown pardoned over 100 people in California prisons. These were mostly minor drug offenses.
But then again, there was this Liberal jewel:
A former deputy Los Angeles city attorney, convicted of soliciting sexual favors from an 18-year-old defendant in exchange for promising to help her avoid jail time, was among 128 people pardoned by Gov. Jerry Brown last year.
That said, I believe sentencing guidelines should be looked at, and Conservatives should be leading the charge; not Democrats. This would avoid Liberal hypocrisies, like when Governor Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown decided to pardon a super star actor, while others continue to languish behind bars for far less.
According to this report, almost half of the inmates in California are there for drug crimes. And then there are the truly petty crimes, in some cases crimes of necessity. So how many more of these cases were ahead of the pardon of super star, Robert Downey, Jr?
I’m a big Robert Downey, Jr. fan. I like his acting, and I also like that he appears to have turned his life around. I’m not sure of his politics, but I suspect that he’s more Conservative than most Hollyweirdos. That said, his pardon looks suspiciously like star privilege…ok, white privilege.
According to the LA Times,
The actor was one of 91 people to whom the governor granted clemency for past crimes, most of them minor drug offenses that are no longer felonies under California law. It has become an annual Christmas Eve tradition: official proclamations for men and women who previously served time for mostly nonviolent crimes.
Downey had a long history of problems with drugs and the law, including repeated arrests in 1996. In total, the actor served two years, eight months, and in 2002 he completed his parole.
Downey got a lot of breaks because he was an actor; a good actor. But there does seem to be a bit of hypocrisy here.
As for the reason Downey was pardoned, the story continues,
In October, Downey, perhaps best known for his role as Iron Man in a series of Marvel films, obtained an order from a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, finding that he has since “lived an honest and upright life, exhibited good moral character, and conducted himself as a law-abiding citizen.”
The pardon reads, “By completion of his sentence and good conduct in the community of his residence since his release, Robert John Downey, Jr. has paid his debt to society and earned a full and unconditional pardon.”
So I guess it’s like it never happened? Downey might now be able to get a GOOD job, and not worry about having to file for government assistance. Let’s hope he doesn’t end up in dire straits, and end up back on skid row.
Don’t think the Republicans will get my sarcasm, and pounce on Gov. Brown for showcase “white privilege” in the most obvious way. Sure, Brown sprinkled a few black and brown people in the latest round of pardons to make this amenable to the racist Left. So, the Republicans should certainly be able to find a few hundred (ok, thousands) of people who deserved to be ahead of Downey?
