Obama, would rather pardon a USA military person who gave away 1,000's of top secret documents, military people who lie in cyber security cases, a person who wanted independence from the USA ( Puerto Rico is not a state, only a territory ), and a person who committed murder and trafficked drugs. Kind of shows you where his heart is, does it not. Johnson for all his sins doesn't compare. High-profile names on the list include Army leaker Chelsea Manning and the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Gen. James Cartwright. The majority of commutations focused on nonviolent drug offenders. Some of the notable individuals on the list: ___ CHELSEA MANNING Manning is more than six years into a 35-year sentence for leaking classified government and military documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. Her sentence is now set to expire May 17. She was known as Bradley Manning at the time of her 2010 arrest and she attempted suicide twice last year. Her sentence was shortened. ___ RETIRED GEN. JAMES CARTWRIGHT The former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff pleaded guilty in October to making false statements during an investigation into a leak of classified information about a covert cyberattack on Iran's nuclear facilities. His plea ended a Justice Department investigation into a leak regarding a computer virus called Stuxnet that disabled equipment the Iranians were using to enrich uranium. Cartwright, 67, falsely told investigators that he did not provide or confirm classified information contained in a news article and in a book by New York Times journalist David Sanger, according to charging documents unsealed by prosecutors. He was pardoned. ___ OSCAR LOPEZ RIVERA The Puerto Rican nationalist was sentenced to 55 years in prison for his role in the struggle for independence for the U.S. island territory. Puerto Ricans have long called for Lopez's release, a move that has been opposed by a national police organization, among others. Lopez belonged to the ultranationalist Armed Forces of National Liberation. The group has claimed responsibility for more than 100 bombings at public and commercial buildings in U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago and Washington, during the 1970s and '80s. Obama commuted the sentence of the 74-year-old. ___ ARBOLEDA A. ORTIZ In a Missouri court in 2000 he was sentenced to die for his role in a murder and in drug trafficking. He maintained that officers who questioned him never told him he had a right to an attorney or a right to remain silent. His attorneys said he never learned to read or write in any language. Obama commuted the death penalty punishment to life imprisonment. Anti-death penalty advocates hailed the decision, saying he was intellectually disabled and his execution would therefore have been unconstitutional. Bureau of Prisons records show Ortiz has been serving his sentence at a high-security penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. A co-owner of the New York City nightclub Studio 54, he was convicted of tax evasion. After serving time in a jail, Schrager became a well-known hotelier. Obama pardoned Schrager.
I'd rather see Johnson then these " traitors " pardoned. Honest. Pardoning a person ( Manning ) for leaking classified government and military documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks Pardoning a person ( Retired general Cartwright ) who pleaded guilty in October to making false statements during an investigation into a leak of classified information about a covert cyberattack on Iran's nuclear facilities. And finally pardoning a person ( Oscar Rivera ) who tried unsuccessfully to take away a USA territory in Puerto Rico, and also belonged to a group that claimed responsibility for more than 100 bombings at public and commercial buildings in U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, and Washington, during the 1970s and '80s. What type of message does this send? I thought a President's primary duty is to protect his nation, not pardon those who damaged it.
What do you expect? In spite of his obvious love of most sports,Obama does not seem to have any interest whatsoever in boxing.
Not only what Uf and Mcgrain said, but usually when this happens, the conviction sounds worse than what the individual actually did. Or the punishment is too excessive. And sometimes the individual is innocent altogether. Hence the pardons...
He is a huge Ali fan, has a pair of his gloves in his office, and politically speaking was very for his stance. I would say he is a fan of boxing, partially those who fought against the establishment as Johnson, and both Ali did.
Relative to the Iran deal, the lowest labor rate in decades, and more debt than all other presidents combined, you are 100% correct. But such things can be reversed. A pardon is absolute unchecked power.
Ali transcended boxing. But, I appreciate the heads up since I did not know that Obama had a pic of Ali. I am actually staring at a large pic of Ali in my own office right now. But, I much prefer the signed Julian Jackson and Roberto Duran pictures flanking it, as well as the signed Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas gloves resting below it.
No only does Obama has a picture, he speaks of the Liston fight with a good historical understanding pointing out Ali's relation to Malcolm X. Ali himself had tremendous respect for Jack Johnson, calling him a bad man, as he did what he did long before there was a NAACP like group. There are films of Ali watching Jack Johnson, and he's glowing as if he was in the fighting with him, complete with shadow punching.
The Iran deal was actually one of the smartest and most necessary preventive measures in diplomatic history in the usa. Debt is bad, hopefully fiscally focused Trump can help. Obama did get us out of recession, cut job loss in half, restored our image globally, got Bin Laden, saved the car industry, and much more. And also, he was/is a great human being. Someone we could all learn from. Class, common sense, a true leader. History will treat him well.