Hmmm. I had a feeling he was a guy who would never be taken alive...

Add one more person to that very small cell: The preening, pious asshat ex-governor of Arkansas who helped put Clemmons back on the street.

To be fair to Huckabee, he had a lot of help in the form of the parole board in letting Clemmons go. And IIRC, Clemmons was just guilty of robbery at the time, not any murders. Who knew he'd go off and do this? As opposed to just more robberies, which I think, was a given.

There have been a spate of cop killings in Philadelphia over the last couple of years, and now such suspects tend not to make it to arraignment.

But one thing I notice is that the suspects families always try to help them. Is that good or bad?

My concern? The cop who shot this animal is going to be raked over the coals for shooting a fleeing suspect. This is Washington State, after all, where "all the cops are criminals, and all the sinners, saints."

Well, Clemmons was facing a 99-year term in Arkansas; it seems as though we're not looking at "just" a robbery.

The question also has to be asked: Why was he out on bail from Pierce County when he was known to be antagonistic to cops and was charged with rape of a child and with hitting an officer, among other charges?

And the Seattle cop who did him in? A hero.

Oh, and:
Contributions to the families of the slain officers may be made to LPIG (Lakewood Police Independent Guild) at PO Box 99579 Lakewood, WA 98499.

Good riddance and thank God the officer "felt a presence behind him".

Let's face it, people -- Huckabee's action in pardoning this guy points to a BIG conflict in conservatism: we demand justice...and yet professed Christians swell our ranks, and the Christian religion requires mercy and forgiveness.

Justice vs. Forgiveness: the two principles conflict, utterly.

I don't doubt for a minute that Huckabee has made his pardons out of true Christian mercy.

That fact leads me to conclude that the only conservatives I will truly trust are rational atheists, like myself.

"That fact leads me to conclude that the only conservatives I will truly trust are rational atheists, like myself."

This is sad but true, Gerard. I concur.

Christianity does not confer blanket mercy on evil doers. They may find personal forgiveness , but still must pay the piper. The Old Testament makes clear distinction between accidental manslaughter and murder. Thou shalt not kill is really thou shalt not murder. The eye for an eye punishment against those who shed innocent blood flows from this.
Huckabee's Christianity seems to be more of the Bill Moyers/ Jimmie Carter brand of moral nuance and relativism. Put the fork in Huck. He's done.

Christianity is not the problem, its the people who confuse it. We humans supply the justice on earth as best we can and must leave the forgiveness and ultimate justice to God. Forgiving someone's trespasses does not mean withholding justice where justice must be served. I'm very sad this animal was allowed to do this vile deed but I'm happy that Huckabee is off the table.

Christianity does not "require" mercy and forgiveness.It does, however, require confession and repentance before God, the result of which may be mercy and forgiveness. I say "may" because only God knows if one is sincere when they come before him. Only God can grant true forgiveness. Only God can forgive any sin, no matter how wicked or heinous, if he so chooses, in his mercy and grace. Only God knows if Huckabee is truly a Christian, or a wannabe, or using the appearance of faith to further his personal goals. Perhaps he was not a man of faith when he pardoned Clemmons - it was a long time ago. No matter - God's ways are not our ways, and he uses all things to his purpose. Do you not think that Huckabee learned something about the consequences of his actions? We cannot know the number of people who have been affected by a man of such evil as Clemmons, but we can probably safely say that there are at least a few who have learned what evil looks like, and have turned toward the light because of it. Are you aware that in the aftermath of broad tragedy and disaster, the number of people attending church swells dramatically? God gathers in his chosen, his lost lambs, his adopted sons.

It's difficult not to be angry with God, or to deny his existence, in the wake of horrible crimes, but when you do that, the evil has won. You have chosen the dark, when the light was beckoning to you.

Soli Deo gloria

I'm not particularly religious, so I won't attempt to argue theology with anybody.

But the way I look at it, only the people who have been wronged are in a position to forgive the wrongdoer.

I cannot "forgive" someone who has wronged you. Only you can do that.

Having lived in Seattle, of course I recognize that corner. More than one criminal has been apprehended there, and more than one fatal shooting has happened there too. At least this time, the deserving person was at the pointed end of the bullet.

1. Notice how there is no coverage of the slimey "NO Snitch" campaign promoted by certain rap music labels and Black Entertainment Television (BET) over the past couple years. This is an orchestrated campaign to get black youth not to cooperate with the police in murder and other cases. This has stalled many a police investigation into a number of Seattle gang murders. Why is this irresponsible campaign allowed to flourish in this atmosphere of neighborhood warfare? Free speech anyone...?

2. Gerard, how can you be an atheist? Your writings have been like sermons over the past few years. I'm shocked and disillusioned by this confession of yours. I thought you were on a great God-quest...what happened?

I'm not an atheist. That's just somebody signing in as moi. I'll fix it.