Burnt Orange Report

Perry Pardons A-Go-Go

By Jim Dallas

The Austin American Statesman is reporting that Gov. Perry has pardoned 35 people from Tulia who were wrongfully accused of pushing dope.

Calling the Texas justice system "tough but fair," Perry wipes clean the slate for these folks. Unfortunately, most of them already spent their time in jail. Thirteen others were released from prison earlier this year.

Tough, yes. Fair... well we'll get to that.

The other 25 pardoned were mostly older folks who committed minor crimes in their teenage years, and have long since paid their debts to society.

In any case, the Tulia debacle is now basically over, removing a big ugly stain from our state's integrity. Thank goodness for that.

Update: Sigh... a review of the facts indicates that pardon forms for the Tulia 35 have been sitting on Gov. Perry's desk for nearly a month, despite unanimous recommendations from the Pardons board and the consensus of just about every thinking person on the planet.

I want my three-and-a-half weeks back.

And now, back to non-stop coverage of the Texas 11...