Mike Moser "I Say" Published Jan. 31, 2003

Pardon me if I
don't like the pardons

In the waning months of the Sundquist administration and with little warning or fanfare the out-going Tennessee governor granted clemency to seven and commuted the sentences of two others, angering victims of crimes who were caught off guard by the action.

That added up to 16 pardons and 17 commutations in the eight years that Sundquist served as governor of the Volunteer State. This compares to no commutations or pardons handed down by Alabama Gov. Don Seigleman who also left office in January.

I don't know the crimes of all the convicted felons involved, but of the ones I do know, they were serving or had served sentences for crimes ranging from burglary, grand larceny, sexual battery, possession of marijuana for resale, first-degree murder, robbery and second-degree murder.

They were early Christmas presents for seven people with the pardons legally erasing convictions, including that of an airline attendant who was facing the loss of her job because of the 1999 marijuana conviction. Under new post-9/11 aviation rules, persons with felony convictions cannot serve as airline attendants.

When a reporter from The Knoxville News-Sentinel asked spokeswoman Kriste Goad why so many orders had been issued in December, she responded that Sundquist "may not sit down every week and go over what comes through the (parole) board. In the past six months, particularly the past three months, the governor has just been trying to take care of unfinished business, knowing he is leaving office."

It was noted that all but the one of the actions taken were based on the recommendations of the state Board of Paroles. The one exception was the flight attendant. In all, seven of Sundquist's actions were taken in absence of the board's recommendations.

Another recipient had been sentenced to life plus 10 years after being ruled a habitual offender. He had also escaped from prison and remained on the lam for four years.

One person caught off guard by the commutations was Richard Watson, who lost his leg when he was shot after he walked into a pharmacy during a 1980 robbery in Lewisburg. Watson's wife was also shot.

The woman was with two armed men who held up the drug store and served as a lookout while the holdup was taking place. She warned her accomplices the Watsons were entering the store, resulting in Watson being shot in the knees, and his wife being shot in the legs when she ran to her fallen husband.

"Our judicial system does not work for victims," Watson told the Knoxville newspaper. Watson wanted to talk to Sundquist before the commutation was ordered, but was only allowed to talk to a member of the governor's staff.

My problem with all this is really quite simple. Folks, ya gotta be really bad to be sentenced to prison to begin with. Only defendants whose crimes involve the death of another, or persons who are repeat offenders, are sentenced to prison in Tennessee or any other state. One just has to be pretty bad or unable to follow the rules of probation to go to the big house.

It might be time to consider something different when one remembers Tennessee's problems with clemency orders dating back to the ousting of Gov. Ray Blanton three days early in 1979 after he issued a rash of pardons. It might be time for the General Assembly to take a strong look at guidelines that allow these actions to take place.

In not one of the Sundquist actions was it noted that there was ever a question of guilt of the persons receiving the commutations and pardons. What do you think?

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Mike Moser is the editor of the Crossville Chronicle. His column is published periodically on Fridays.