Will Texas Governor Rick Perry run for President in 2012?

Several members of Newt Gingrich’s Presidential campaign have quit…at the same time. A few of these individuals have links to Texas Governor Rick Perry. Perry was mentioned as a possible candidate, but said he wouldn’t run…then said he might be considering it.

Who knows what Rick Perry will do, but it seems really coincidental that while he is thinking about a run (again), some former staffers suddenly quit the Gingrich campaign en masse. My guess? Rick Perry will announce his candidacy by the 4th of July, and many of those former Gingrich campaign employees will find their way onto his team.

On a more general note, can’t these people make decisions? Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, Mitch Daniels, and several others seemed to waffle on the question. Make a decision, stick to it, and call it quits. For man of these people, you would think that they would have made a decision over the past 31 months since the last election. If they’re that indecisive, would we really want them running the country?

“One of the things that concerns me is that in the United States there is real talk of maybe we need to have this big tent and accommodate every view,” Huckabee said. “That will kill the conservative movement.”

I’m not sure if Mike Huckabee realizes it or not, but the United States only has two major parties. When you have only two parties, you should have a “big tent” to accomodate a broad cross section of the country. If not, your party will get decimated in elections. Of course, if Mike Huckabee really believes in having total agreement on a wide variety of social and fiscal issues, it might lead the GOP to become a powerhouse…among second tier parties. That’s right, it will probably be able to dominate the Libertarian, Green, and Socialist parties in elections. Sure, the Democratic Party will continue to pick up seats at a rapid pace, but at least the dwindling membership of the GOP will be homogenous and won’t have to put up with dissenting voices. You know, those pesky people who contribute to a lively debate.

What I don’t quite understand is the inconsistency displayed by “conservatives” like Mike Huckabee. Here’s an example:

“There are some things I believe true, genuine conservatives believe are essential to the liberty of each individual, and those are not negotiable,” he added.

Mike Huckabee talks a good game. He throws the word “liberty” around and pretends to be conservative, but his claim is hollow. Many people would characterize me as a moderate, yet I consider myself a conservative. People like Mike Huckabee claim to favor small government, less spending, lower taxes, and state’s rights, which I agree with, but then they contradict themselves on social issues. They want to work through the government to make abortions illegal, tell people who they can or can’t marry, and throw people in jail for victimless crimes, such as marijuana possession. Basically, they are creating more government rules, which are then used to interfere with the individual’s right to make a personal decision. How can you reconcile that with being a small-government, liberty-loving conservative? In my opinion, you can’t.

Many people are confused by the idea of a conservative who truly values liberty and individual rights. What happens is that there is a disconnect between wanting liberty and respecting others personal decisions. Just because I don’t agree with a behavior doesn’t mean it should be made illegal. There’s no reason why we can’t all have have our own set of morals and acceptable behaviors, yet live in a society where a wide range of lifestyles and behaviors are allowed. If you don’t agree with this, then you probably don’t value individual liberty as much as you thought.

Clemmons went on a crime spree while in his teens and was sentenced to 48 years in prison. Despite this, he was released, sentenced to another 60 years for additional crimes, and allowed to go free by Mike Huckabee. Soon after moving to Washington, he committed more crimes. He was recently released on bail for child rape, assaulting a police officer, and seven other felonies.

Mike Huckabee granted Maurice Clemmons clemency over the objections of prosecutors and did so because paper work allegedly wasn’t filed on time. It’s unconscionable that two combined sentences of 108 years were thrown out due to a clerical error. It’s a slap in the face to all of his victims in Arkansas.

As for Maurice Clemmons’ Washington victims, their blood is on Mr. Huckabee’s hands. If he remained in prison, an officer wouldn’t have been assaulted, a child wouldn’t have been raped, and four police officers wouldn’t have been murdered. It’s a poor decision, and the out come of that decision shouldn’t shock anyone.

I read recently that Mike Huckabee isn’t going to run for President in 2012. If he changes his mind, he certainly wouldn’t get my vote. Someone who shows such poor judgement doesn’t belong in the White House.

When violent crimes of this nature occur locally, I normally check out the suspect’s criminal record. More often than not, there is a list of previous offenses with lengthy sentences that were never served. Unfortunately, this case is no different. Clemmons has a long criminal history in both Arkansas and Washington. Clemmons was recently released on bail for a pending charge of child rape, and he is also facing another 7 felony accounts. In addition to these charges, he had a lengthy criminal history in Arkansas. Here’s a summary:

In 1990, Clemmons, then 18, was sentenced in Arkansas to 60 years in prison for burglary and theft of property, according to a news account in Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Newspaper stories describe a series of disturbing incidents involving Clemmons while he was being tried in Arkansas on various charges.

During one trial, Clemmons was shackled in leg irons and seated next to a uniformed officer. The presiding judge ordered the extra security because he felt Clemmons had threatened him, court records show.

Another time, Clemmons hid a hinge in his sock, and was accused of intending to use it as a weapon. Yet another time, Clemmons took a lock from a holding cell, and threw it toward the bailiff. He missed and instead hit Clemmons’ mother, who had come to bring him street clothes, according to records and published reports.

On another occasion, Clemmons had reached for a guard’s pistol during transport to the courtroom.

When Clemmons received the 60-year sentence, he was already serving 48 years on five felony convictions and facing up to 95 more years on charges of robbery, theft of property and possessing a handgun on school property. Records from Clemmons’ sentencing described him as 5-foot-7 and 108 pounds. The crimes were committed when he was 17.

Clemmons served 11 years before being released.

Maurice Clemmons was sentenced to 48 years in prison, was released, then committed more crimes, which brought and additional 60 year sentence. That adds up to 108 years, but former Arkansas Governor and Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee granted him clemency after just 11 years. If this isn’t enough, he allegedly rapes a child and assaults a police officer in Washington and is let out of jail. What’s wrong with the criminal justice system?

If Maurice Clemmons’ original sentence had been honored, countless people wouldn’t have been victimized. Those judges, parole boards, and officials failed miserably and ignored behavior which should have been obvious. This case is currently in the spotlight, but similar travesties are happening in every state. When will the justice system start placing more value on the lives of innocent citizens than the second chances of criminals?