Saturday, January 12, 2013
My client in The Nation...
One of my projects for this year has been preparing and submitting a commutation petition for Weldon Angelos. His case just got a great write-up in The Nation-- you can see it here.
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'The Nation' is one of the magazines I most enjoy having a subscription to - Although being the 'devil's advocate', that I have been since childhood, has me immersed in hot-water (drowning threatened) or (cast into your now familiar ‘lake of sulfur’), by my progressive (liberal?) friends, tears at my insides as to why many of the ‘minimum sentencing’ guidelines you have mentioned are not considered to evolve and be more fluid.
I am soooo out of my element in matters like these (anything law). Though, I believe there are ‘Clemency Projects, or other projects or organizations doing wonderful work. . .
My heart tells me that there would be enough individuals, myself included (in what ever manner a ‘lay’ person could help), to perform some of the research to present a commutation petition, like you are now doing, once a semester. We have ‘brothers and sisters’ incarcerated and removed from God’s, family’s and community’s love, support, encouragement, comfort and challenges (of renewal and giving of self to others). . .
A year or so ago, I recall you and Jeanne Bishop spending a few moments with Julie Nelson of Kare 11 and discussing ending juvenile life imprisonment without parole. You presented a very compelling (and inflexible) position to end the process, while Jeanne [having lived through her sister’s (I believe) violent murder] being against your position – However, she seemed open to a case-by-case review to consider some to be eligible for parole. . .
To me, it seems ‘Un-Christian’ in our ‘Christian’ nation to not work diligently on a case-by-case basis to give a second chance (hopefully sooner than) to – say the ‘50-year old’ you referenced that could possibly have become a different person than the young teenager who was previously involved (in what ever manner) in a violent crime.
I pray you are successful with your current commutation petition – Can your ‘project’ become the beginning of something bigger – that ultimately may lead to ‘deserved’ second chances to those penitent and deserving?
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I am soooo out of my element in matters like these (anything law). Though, I believe there are ‘Clemency Projects, or other projects or organizations doing wonderful work. . .
My heart tells me that there would be enough individuals, myself included (in what ever manner a ‘lay’ person could help), to perform some of the research to present a commutation petition, like you are now doing, once a semester. We have ‘brothers and sisters’ incarcerated and removed from God’s, family’s and community’s love, support, encouragement, comfort and challenges (of renewal and giving of self to others). . .
A year or so ago, I recall you and Jeanne Bishop spending a few moments with Julie Nelson of Kare 11 and discussing ending juvenile life imprisonment without parole. You presented a very compelling (and inflexible) position to end the process, while Jeanne [having lived through her sister’s (I believe) violent murder] being against your position – However, she seemed open to a case-by-case review to consider some to be eligible for parole. . .
To me, it seems ‘Un-Christian’ in our ‘Christian’ nation to not work diligently on a case-by-case basis to give a second chance (hopefully sooner than) to – say the ‘50-year old’ you referenced that could possibly have become a different person than the young teenager who was previously involved (in what ever manner) in a violent crime.
I pray you are successful with your current commutation petition – Can your ‘project’ become the beginning of something bigger – that ultimately may lead to ‘deserved’ second chances to those penitent and deserving?
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