Boss Hawg rides again. In what can only be described as an inexplicable act, Haley Barbour granted unconditional pardons to 214 prisoners just before leaving office on Tuesday. Included in that motley group? Brett Favre's brother, a few prison trustees who worked in his office, 14 murderers, and others who just happen to be violent criminals.
As you might imagine, the victims' families are outraged by this. It's one thing to give full pardons to people who might have been wrongly convicted, and another entirely just to use the sweep of a pen to release people who present a danger to their victims and victims' families.
Recognizing this, a judge has blocked the release of a few of the prisoners, stating that Barbour violated the Mississippi State Constitution by not publishing their release date 30 days in advance. While that release may stop a few for a short time, it's doubtful that they will be able to defend keeping them in prison if the pardon holds.
According to this report on Megyn Kelly's show (yes, I know, but it's what I was recording), Mississippi Attorney General is attending to the victims' families' complaints. Well, maybe. Honestly, I was a bit chilled to hear him say this:
So I think, they're gonna be fine. Just be careful.
Ya think? I'm not sure what possessed Haley Barbour to grant these pardons, to be honest. It strikes me as a cynical and self-serving move. Maybe he wanted his own posse?
