Coke dealers, Heroin pushers, Crack sellers...the Bush pardons...

I am not sure how Bush (more likely his handlers) selected the following people for the rare Bush pardon, but I find the crimes of those selected most interesting. My comments about each person are pure speculation, but something to consider nevertheless:

William Marcus McDonald Wetumpka, Alabama
Offense: Distribution of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, use of cocaine, possession of cocaine, use of marijuana; Article 134, U.C.M.J.

Sentence: May 2, 1984; U.S. Air Force general court-martial convened at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia; four years confinement at hard labor, forfeiture of $300 pay per month for four years, reduction in rank to basic airman, and a bad conduct discharge.

So, an Air Force officer is running coke, during the period of Iran- Contra (not saying as part of Iran Contra, just the time-frame). I cannot find much on McDonald. Was he wrongly convicted? What is the reason for the pardon? He only got four years for distributing coke? Wow, assuming this guy was rightly convicted, seems to me that he got off rather light to begin with.

Robert Michael Milroy  Cinnaminson, New Jersey
Offense: Importation of heroin; 21 U.S.C. §§ 960(a)(1), 952(a), and 843(b).
Sentence: April 2, 1975; Eastern District of Virginia; seven and one-half years imprisonment, six years special parole, and three years probation.

Again, the time-frame of the sentence is most intriguing. Again, the same questions apply with regard to why this man was pardoned.

William L. Baker  Spokane, Washington            
Offense: Distribution of a controlled substance, 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(2); falsifying records, 21 U.S.C. §§ 827(a)(3), 843(a)(4).
Sentence: July 15, 1980; District of Wyoming; 24 months imprisonment, one year special parole.

Not a clue what this guy is about or why someone who served a two year sentence 28 years ago needs a pardon now. Was he wrongly convicted?

William Bruce Butt  London, Kentucky
Offense: Bank embezzlement; 18 U.S.C. § 656.
Sentence:  June 20, 1990; Eastern District of Kentucky; three years probation.

Okay, this guy never put a foot in jail. He got probation almost 20 years ago. But the time-frame would place this guy in the period of the S&L scandals. I am of course speculating, but since we are not yet given the reason for this and the other pardons, speculation will have to do for now - and a bit of Google-digging I think.

Mariano Garza Caballero  Brownsville, Texas
Offense: Dealing in firearms without a federal firearms license; 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(a)(1) and (2).
Sentence: November 1, 1984; Southern District of Texas; 34 days imprisonment, four years probation, and a $1,000 fine.

This guy spent 34 days in jail over 20 years ago. Again, I have to ask why this man needs a pardon. Was he wrongly convicted?

Anthony C. Foglio, Santee, California aka Tony Foley
Offense: Distribution of marijuana; 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). Sentence:
October 15, 1996; Northern District of West Virginia; three years probation.

Yet another guy who appears to have served no jail time.  Does anyone find this odd?

Carl Harry Hachmeister  Denton, Texas
Offense: Conspiracy (to commit wire and mail fraud); 18 U.S.C. § 371.
Sentence: January 22, 1985; District of Utah; three years probation and $39,330 restitution.

And again another person who serves no jail time over 20 years ago.

Among all of the more pressing cases of people sitting on death row, our president pardons mostly drug dealers, an arms dealer, and an embezzler and fraudster, all of whom spent little to no time in prison to begin with, 20+ years ago at that. What, there were no better and more urgent candidates to pardon?

On a side note, two guys selling bird parts were pardoned as well. I think we need to do some digging into these people.  Who suggested them and why? Consider the countless cases of wrongful conviction, or civil liberties violations, or an extreme sentence for a non-violent crime. Surely there are plenty of people who would be better served by a pardon, as would justice, no?

Comments

[Anonymous]

In regards to Karla Faye Tucker, making equivalent an axe murderer and some ex-drug dealer is quite a stretch, wouldn't you say? Once someone crosses the line of killing another innocent human being, they have lost the privilege of living among civilized society. One can do and sell drugs, and then stop doing and selling drugs, and then become a productive person in society. One cannot un-kill another human being. Most reasonable people can understand this important and distinct difference.

And, the only "fool's version of reason" is a version that holds higher personal bias and conspiracy theories than actual known facts. A lack of facts isn't your opportunity to create them.

[Steven Sullivan]

And you can! They're just pardoning those because they already have the contacts.

[A1phaGeek]

Security Clearance will probably surface as the main reasons for these pardons.

The question is should these criminals be cleared? Clearing up things so cronies can be employed, seems to be the norm for this administration.

But... I would guess that it is more the norm for most politicians, regardless of party. This administration, just seem to be less competent and more blatant about it that others in recent history.

[sly]

They were all register Republicans no doubt. Pardoning them with their offenses will make pardoning the crooks in the shrub administration seem like pardons for jaywalking. Monkeyboy knows what he's doing,he only plays at being stupid.

[Anonymous]

There couldn't be rational explanations for these, could there? Just because you can't make sense of things on their face doesn't mean whatever conspiracy theory you can conjure is the most likely or even possible reason. Just because you admit you are "speculating," doesn't make your speculation any more fair.

After a quick search, I found the reason for at least one of the pardons. Apparently, Robert Milroy admits the error in his ways, has served his time, and is now doing defense work for Lockheed Martin. He needed the pardon in order to get a security clearance.

Seems like a just and fair pardon to me. This is in stark contrast to the pardon given to Marc Rich by Clinton on his last day in office. Rich fled the country and didn't serve any jail time for his crimes which include tax evasion, fraud, and trading with the enemy, but he and his wife donated over $1 million to the Democrat Party as well as direct donations to Clinton himself. Now there's a pardon worth your "speculation."

RESPONSE FROM LARISA ALEXANDROVNA
Don't take it so personally. I am no fan of Marc Rich or his pardon. I am no fan of the Elliott Abrams, et al pardons either. And the point of my saying several times that I am speculating is because that is exactly what I am doing, as I have every right to do so for lack of any information from this White House.

As for your claims that one of these folks has now changed his life, what about the woman in Texas - Karla Faye Tucker, who became a born again Christian and had nearly the entire right-wing religious base backing her? Did then-Gov George Bush take into consideration that a woman who has repented and turned toward god should not get the death sentence? No, in fact, he considered her long enough to make fun of her. Does that strike you as a man who takes into account people changing their ways? Nope. But try again. I always love the reverse and far more popular of the conspiracy theory: the fool's version of reason.

[Steven Sullivan]

Isn't your economy failing over there?

Let out the drug dealers and firearm importers to help the American economy!

RESPONSE FROM LARISA ALEXANDROVNA
Well then the whole of society must be allowed to partake of this money stream, no?

[M]

It's not who you are, or what you've done, but who you know.

[William]

Wait a few months then write about the Bush pardons. I'm betting the American people will get a big shock when the blanket pardons for all Bush administration members come and everyone realizes just how crooked he and his administration were. Thank God he can't extend his pardons beyond our countries borders. Once the extend of the administrations crimes come to knowledge I suspect quite a few countries will be willing to try administration officials for war crimes. Hopefully, our next president won't stand in the way and we'll see some justice done.

[Danny]

Why offer a pardon for something that happened 20 years ago or was a minor offense?

Maybe they would like to vote.

RESPONSE FROM LARISA ALEXANDROVNA
Okay, then why not offer it in 2004 or 2006 for that matter?

[Mubin]

Probably getting them ready to run for office.

RESPONSE FROM LARISA ALEXANDROVNA
Or maybe getting them jobs at Fox Noise, right next to Oliver North and G. Gordon Liddy.

[Jamess O'Neill]

Read Daniel Hopsicker "Barry and the Boys" et al, and Peter Dale Scott for details of the tie in between the CIA and major drug dealing, importing etc.
I don't know the men mentioned in your item but the tie-in with the Iran-contra era suggests a belated payoff for services rendered.

[R.H. Kroell]

You may want to correct a typo in your title to this blog: "heorin."

RESPONSE FROM LARISA ALEXANDROVNA
Done. Thanks for pointing it out:)

[mlooney]

And while you are googling Kentucky, check out the story of Chalmer Hayes, aka Chuck Hayes, aka Charles Hayes. He was supposed to be released from prison in November 2005, and he was.

Then there was a short "blip" on TV that he'd been marched right back in, accused of more of the same, this time instead of targeting his own son he was said to have "attempted the contract murder of a federal judge from inside prison." Now, he's not in custody of the prisons. Some say he's crazy and always was.

Most conspiracy scholars believe he was a victim, and many believe Hayes is a true hero, an honest guy victimized like Ray Lemme and Danny Casolaro and probably many others less known.

So, like former poker-playing, resigned CIA Director Porter Goss would say, "it's just another one of those mysteries."

The interesting part of it is an FBI Special Agent named Brannan, was involved with both, Chuck Hayes' initial imprisonment, and the vanpac bombing investigations, which according to most informed students of "conspiracy," were never really solved. Most believe they used "just another patsy" to hang with the guilty vanpac verdict.

It's all very interesting southern history, much like the JFK murder, but so you get the right "Hayes," here's one of several links.
http://protovision.textfiles.com/conspiracy/CN/cn10-05.txt

And another interesting bit of information, the Bush Family is originally from Connecticut. They're Texas transplants, and picked up the "white" cowboy hats and two-dollar pistols somewhere along the way.

[mlooney]

It isn't just Bush. Clinton pardoned a passel of criminals, including Marc Rich. I'm convinced they make friends on the "darker side" in case they need favors, like collecting information or destroying a foe.

(Remember, Jill Simpson was run off the road? Who do you think did it? Surely not the President, governor or his "secret service.")

More than one person has said the "Dixie Mafia" is a team of ex-cons, so if "Southern" trigger-happy cowboy Presidents are granting them pardons, who are the criminals working for? The darker world works on favors, and always has.

And think if they would legalize marijuana alone, it would free $30 BILLION dollars worth of criminals, and $30 BILLION would be taxable and would not be building an underground criminal black market, and imprisoning innocent users. But, they won't.

Ever wondered why?

There are stories about Governors granting pardons in return for protection. And they're not always rumors, neither was it a rumor that Oliver North and some very "respectable people" were involved in cocaine, or that Mena, Arkansas was a landing spot for it.

One thing is for sure, you won't gain any popularity awards for being honest in this country. Try getting the truth out of Alabama right now.

Like MSM everywhere else, they're probably afraid to tell it.