Mike Pence - almost scarier than Trump

[RavenSky]

Mike Pence Won't Pardon an Innocent Man

In 1997, Keith Cooper was arrested and convicted for an armed robbery in Elkhart, Indiana. After serving 10 years for the conviction, DNA evidence pointed to another man, already in custody for a similar crime. Every eyewitness account also recanted their testimony that led to Mr. Cooper’s conviction, as the witnesses were denied a police line up they requested before the trial. Cooper’s retrial was ordered, but the new prosecutor, Curtis Hill, offered Keith a plea deal which would give him an immediate release, rather than waiting months or years for the retrial. All Keith had to do was admit his guilt for a crime he didn’t commit. Keith’s wife and children were about to become homeless, so what else could Keith do? What would you do? Keith has been living with the stigma and real limitations of being a convicted felon ever since.

And now, Governor Mike Pence, Trump’s Vice-Presidential running mate, refuses to provide justice to Keith Cooper, even after admitting Cooper’s innocence. In an ongoing battle to remove his felony status, Mr. Pence finally responded...by delaying a decision. His reasoning?

“Although the judicial system may not be perfect, given the extraordinary nature of Mr. Cooper’s request, we need to be certain the judicial process is complete and has been given every opportunity to address any error that may have occurred."

In other words, he basically doesn’t want to, and goes on to make the absurd argument that no governor has ever pardoned an innocent man. Yes, you read that correctly.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/10/1/1576693/-Mike-Pence-Won-t-Pardon-an-Innocent-Man

 

[RavenSky]

Pence Signed a Law Requiring Burial or Cremation for Aborted Fetuses: The measure was part of a controversial abortion bill that Trump's vice presidential pick signed this past March.

There are several parts of the unsettlingly comprehensive bill that different outlets have singled out: It requires women to pay for funeral services for their fetuses after getting an abortion or miscarrying. It forces women who want to get an abortion due to lethal fetal abnormalities to undergo counseling that encourages them to carry the doomed and potentially dangerous pregnancy to term. It forbids women from getting an abortion based on fetal disability.

https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/arti...on-law-forces-women-to-pay-for-fetus-funerals

"By enacting this legislation, we take an important step in protecting the unborn, while still providing an exception for the life of the mother," Pence said in a statement when he signed the bill. "I sign this legislation with a prayer that God would continue to bless these precious children, mothers, and families."

http://www.motherjones.com/politics...passed-law-requiring-funerals-aborted-fetuses

 

[Terrell]

Almost scarier? #periodsforpence, military intervention in Syria?

 

[whichphilosophy]

Pence Signed a Law Requiring Burial or Cremation for Aborted Fetuses: The measure was part of a controversial abortion bill that Trump's vice presidential pick signed this past March.

https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/arti...on-law-forces-women-to-pay-for-fetus-funerals

"By enacting this legislation, we take an important step in protecting the unborn, while still providing an exception for the life of the mother," Pence said in a statement when he signed the bill. "I sign this legislation with a prayer that God would continue to bless these precious children, mothers, and families."

http://www.motherjones.com/politics...passed-law-requiring-funerals-aborted-fetuses

This should be a matter of choice of course. This hardly fixes the economy or defeats global terrorism.

 

[whichphilosophy]

Mike Pence Won't Pardon an Innocent Man

In 1997, Keith Cooper was arrested and convicted for an armed robbery in Elkhart, Indiana. After serving 10 years for the conviction, DNA evidence pointed to another man, already in custody for a similar crime. Every eyewitness account also recanted their testimony that led to Mr. Cooper’s conviction, as the witnesses were denied a police line up they requested before the trial. Cooper’s retrial was ordered, but the new prosecutor, Curtis Hill, offered Keith a plea deal which would give him an immediate release, rather than waiting months or years for the retrial. All Keith had to do was admit his guilt for a crime he didn’t commit. Keith’s wife and children were about to become homeless, so what else could Keith do? What would you do? Keith has been living with the stigma and real limitations of being a convicted felon ever since.

And now, Governor Mike Pence, Trump’s Vice-Presidential running mate, refuses to provide justice to Keith Cooper, even after admitting Cooper’s innocence. In an ongoing battle to remove his felony status, Mr. Pence finally responded...by delaying a decision. His reasoning?

“Although the judicial system may not be perfect, given the extraordinary nature of Mr. Cooper’s request, we need to be certain the judicial process is complete and has been given every opportunity to address any error that may have occurred."

In other words, he basically doesn’t want to, and goes on to make the absurd argument that no governor has ever pardoned an innocent man. Yes, you read that correctly.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/10/1/1576693/-Mike-Pence-Won-t-Pardon-an-Innocent-Man

In my own view based on the different reports, instead of reviewing the evidence in an adult manner, the prosecution compromised the individuals civil rights.

Sometimes there is still enough evidence without DNA or witness testimony but I think this is not the case. In fact the former deputy prosecutor Michael Christofeno recently wrote asking for a pardon.

Plea bargain is somewhat of a controversy in that it is likely that an innocent person may well be forced to accept guilt for something they did not do thus threatening the correct legal income. I believe prosecutors in the US are rated on their ability to achieve convictions to career build, rather than participate in the administration of justice, thus this is a conflict of interest that needs to be addressed.

http://www.ibtimes.com/who-keith-co...-man-overturned-indiana-criminal-case-2426102

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence will likely face some tough questions Tuesday night at the vice presidential debate over his refusal to clear the criminal record of a man who was sentenced to 40 years in prison before being freed for a crime he did not commit. The Republican nominee has thus far refused to grant Keith Cooper a formal pardon, the Indiana Star reported.

Cooper, who was sentenced in 1997 for a robbery committed in Elkhart, Indiana, still has a felony on his record despite being a free man. He served 10 years in prison before his conviction was overturned.

"Dear Governor Pence," prosecutor Michael Christofeno wrote last month. "I am the former Deputy Prosecuting Attorney that prosecuted Keith Cooper in the Elkhart County Circuit Court. I am writing to you in support of Mr. Cooper's Petition for a pardon.


Finally

In 2014, Indiana's parole board and the prosecutor of the case unanimously recommended that Pence pardon Cooper. Pence refused. Instead, the governor told Cooper he should request a new trial and exhaust all of his legal options before requesting a pardon, according to Indiana's Fox29.