Pardon

The state of Maryland owes Kirk Bloodsworth an apology -- and a full pardon from the governor. He spent nine years in jail (two of them on Death Row) for a murder he didn't commit. A DNA test proved his innocence and he was released last June. But five months later, Gov. William Donald Schaefer has not issued a pardon.Let's chalk it up to the blizzard of paperwork that crosses the governor's desk. Mr. Bloodsworth deserves a pardon. Traditionally, such a proclamation includes monetary compensation for the state's error.

I agree with Kenneth Lasson's article "Obama should free Pollard" (Feb. 27). Mr. Lasson made a good point in comparing the president's very low record of clemency grants to that of past Presidents like Lincoln, Wilson, Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower and Bush. Meanwhile, numerous illegal immigrants, drug pushers, and other more hardcore criminals have been released from our prisons as part of the president's recent sequester cuts. Also, in Israel there have been thousands of terrorists released from prisons (some with blood on their hands)

Gov. William Donald Schaefer may have seen his posthumous pardon of Jerome S. Cardin, convicted of stealing $385,000 from Old Court Savings and Loan, as a small gesture intended to rehabilitate the reputation of an old political ally. But restoring Cardin's civil liberties speaks volumes about the governor's misguided loyalties.Since Cardin's death last December, his family has been trying to revise history. They would like us to believe he was unwittingly entangled in the criminal acts at Old Court, whose collapse nine years ago precipitated a major financial crisis.

One of the under-reported promises made by Congressman Ehrlich in the gubernatorial campaign of 2002 was to re-energize the pardon power in Maryland. My advisers thought it a bit loony to make the pledge, since the race promised to be close and there was little political advantage to be gained. After all, Gov. Parris Glendening had framed his clemency strategy with one brief line - "life means life" - to minimal criticism from his liberal base. Still, I thought it an essential element of the job description to "do justice" through the exercise of this extraordinary power.

Former Baltimore County State's Attorney Samuel A. Green Jr. has been pardoned by the governor for his 1974 conviction for conspiracy, misconduct in office, obstruction of justice and inducing perjury, a gubernatorial spokesman said yesterday.Mr. Green's conviction on corruption charges involved a scheme to cover up an illegal $750 payment from a man who wanted an arrest record destroyed.But the scope of his trial broadened to include tales of his sexual exploits, often involving members of his staff who testified in court before overflow crowds.

GEORGE Bush has at last freed himself from the great illusio that marred his presidency -- that of bipartisanship. By pardoning the Iran/contra defendants, an act of courage, Mr. Bush demonstrated that he now understands the raw political motives at work in Washington.It may perhaps seem odd to accuse the president of misunderstanding the political nature of this most political city, but it is true. He began his administration begging for an end to "bickering." On issue after issue, from the civil rights bill to the budget deal, he could not see that the Democrats were motivated by a desire to make him look bad. (Republicans do the same thing.

NOT EVERYONE who requested a Clinton pardon received word from the White House about the status of their request. My grandfather, former U.S. Sen. Harrison A. "Pete" Williams Jr. of New Jersey, submitted a pardon application, having gone through all the appropriate legal steps. He was promised a call and never got one, even after the Inauguration Day deadline passed. My grandfather had been denied a pardon. He had been a popular and influential Democrat. Having served from 1958 to 1980, when he resigned, he authored the nation's first assistance program for urban mass transportation, created the first Senate panel to investigate the plight of migrant workers and, as chair of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, fought for equal opportunity legislation.

Gov. William Donald Schaefer said yesterday that he pardoned former Baltimore County State's Attorney Samuel A. Green Jr. so the disgraced prosecutor could clear his name and save his children further embarrassment.But the pardon of Mr. Green, 20 years after his conviction on corruption charges, has stirred memories that some former associates said were too painful to discuss.It also provided recollections of a sensational trial filled with lurid testimony about Mr. Green's sexual escapades.

WASHINGTON -- Flyer and Fryer might be America's luckiest turkeys. Thanks to an official presidential pardon, neither is in danger of being jabbed in the thigh with a meat thermometer today. "Flyer is probably wondering where he's going to wind up tomorrow. He's probably thinking he's going to end up on somebody's table," President Bush said during a ceremony yesterday morning in the White House Rose Garden. "Well, I'm happy to report that he and Fryer both have many tomorrows ahead of them."

Improbable as it may sound, there is still something President Bush can do to help get this country moving again -- and thus get history to take a kinder, gentler view of him during his final weeks in office.That is, he can follow the advice of GOP compatriots like Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole and get busy issuing presidential pardons for former Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger and any other officials who may yet face prosecution related to the Iran-contra scandal.True, such a move might conceivably allow some guilty parties to escape the punishment they deserve.

After reading Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s commentary on gubernatorial pardons, I'd like some follow-up information about those who were pardoned or had their sentences commuted ("Pardons: A power to be taken seriously," Nov. 22). In a previous letter to The Sun I noted that Dan Rodricks ' column on the topic failed to be convincing because it lacked any information about the result of such pardons. Knowing that a significant number of released prisoners have made contributions to their families, communities and employers would certainly support his the arguments in favor or pardons.

This Thanksgiving, President Barack Obama will follow a long-standing presidential tradition of pardoning a pair of turkeys. Unfortunately, he has largely neglected another presidential tradition: pardoning human beings. Our Founding Fathers entrusted the president with an extraordinary power - the ability to grant clemency in the form of pardons (which restore civil rights) and commutations (which reduce unjust or excessive sentences) to federal offenders. In almost every state, the governor is given the power to pardon or commute the sentences of those who have broken state laws.

It is a very serious matter to sit on a jury or as a judge in our court system. The executive office's power to commute sentences is meant to check and balance the judiciary, and it is an overwhelming responsibility. If columnist Dan Rodricks had informed the readers of the subsequent paths of the 249 inmates who were pardoned or had their sentences commuted by former Gov. Robert Ehrlich, he might have made a convincing argument ("Death of a lifer," Oct. 9). As it stands, it is another emotional piece.

Former Maryland women's basketball star Kristi Toliver made it on to "Pardon the Interruption" last week, but it wasn't for the kind of sharp shooting or the slick passing she showed while leading the Terps to the national title in 2006. It was for an elbow Toliver, now with theLos Angeles Sparks, delivered in a WNBA game. Last Tuesday, Toliver hit Mercury guard Ketia Swanier in the eye with her elbow, causing blood to squirt from Swanier’s eye. Swainer hasn’t played since the incident, which came in a Phoenix victory . Toliver was given a flagrant foul, but was not suspended.

Municipal parking meters have gotten a bum rap over the years. Since the first one was installed in Oklahoma City 76 years ago, their chief purpose has been to limit the amount of time any one vehicle can occupy a parking space. As any urban business owner knows, this is a vital task. Customers can't reach stores if parking spaces are never vacated. But alas — as any driver can tell you — the parking regulatory function of the meter has gradually been superseded over time by its moneymaking abilities.

The July 31 deadline for making trades without sending players through waivers is approaching fast, but you can forgive me if I'm having trouble getting terribly excited about all the attractive possibilities that await the Orioles. That's because the in-season trading cutoffs — both the waiver deadline and Aug. 31 deadline for traded players to be eligible for the postseason — have mostly been used in recent years to dispatch useful players to contending teams that are willing to pick up their salaries and send back a medium prospect or two. This year figures to be no exception.

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, whose presidential-candidate days are probably but not necessarily behind him, says President Bush ought to consider pardoning not only indicted former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger but all other Reagan-Bush era figures implicated in the Iran-contra scandal."

JERALD TERHORST, 87 Ford aide resigned over Nixon pardon Jerald F. terHorst, a newspaperman who resigned after one month as White House press secretary over his disagreement with President Gerald R. Ford's pardon of Richard M. Nixon, died Wednesday of congestive heart failure at his home in Asheville, N.C. Mr. terHorst, Washington bureau chief for the Detroit News, was Mr. Ford's first appointment in...

• SOCCER: U.S. forward Landon Donovan is in talks about a loan move to Everton that would give him experience in the English Premier League in the run up to the World Cup. The loan would put the Galaxy star on the same team as U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard and allow him to play against many of the England players he will face in South Africa next June. ... AC Milan's Ronaldinho has been selected soccer player of the decade by World Soccer magazine. Ronaldinho finished ahead of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo in the voting.