Publicity seeking politicians on their way out of office should stop pardoning our favorite anti-heroes.
First, the Lizard King gets officially forgiven for an indecent exposure conviction in 1969.
And now New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is considering a pardon for Billy the Kid, who was shot down in 1881.
Jim Morrison enjoyed pushing society’s buttons and watching everyone squirm. He was a great American anti-hero.
Sure, he fought his convictions back then because he didn’t want to go to jail. But he wouldn’t want a pardon now. If Morrison were alive, he’d probably do something comically rebellious like blow his nose on that pardon and send it back to outgoing Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and say, “Sorry, s’not interested.”
As for Billy the Kid, he sought a pardon during his violent lifetime because it would make it easier to roam the territory and continue stealing and killing.
But I doubt he’d want a pardon now, 130 years after he died and became famous for being an outlaw.
As Morrison famously said, “You cannot petition the lord with prayer.”
Jeff, this is without a doubt one of the stupidest colums you’ve ever written. Your ignorance for the pardon protocols and the people who do the work to help make it happen really reflect your own apathetic & selfish buffoonery. How the hell would YOU know what Morrison would do 41 years after his death? Fantasies and image are cool when you 15. How old are you now, late 40s/early 50s? Grow up and write about something else!
I’ll write about whatever I want…nah nah nah!
http://www.cjfishlegacy.com/morrisonvsmiami.html This site has a number of DIRECT quotes from JM as to his desire to clear his name and his record of this charge. Not being in close and direct communication w/ the dead (as, apparently…you are? How else would you know what JM would “really” want or do now?) those who sought th epardon did so out of respect for the man’s own words….
Please give our regards to Jim, next time you two have a chat…Lol!
A pardon insinuates forgiveness for a crime. Morrison maintained his innocence all along.
By the way, I spoke to Morrison from the hereafter a few minutes ago and gave him your regards as you requested.
He said, “Tell those guys to get a life.”
MarkF, you should not take life so seriously. Grow up…laugh…and go read something else. You are the type of people that make open comments suck for the rest of us. Unplug your computer for a week or so. With thanks.
A pardon insinuates forgiveness for a crime. Morrison maintained his innocence all along.
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Wrong Jeff. A pardon reverses the verdicts of the jury, which found him guilty of 2 crimes. It doesn’t matter if Morrison maintained his innocence or not. The pardon forgives the crimes on paper and not the man himself. Morrison never got to appeal from what I’ve read and his case was never abated. With the facts presented this way, the clemency board made the right ruling.
Jim and the Kid were both railroaded for political reasons, and convicted more for who and what they were than for anything they may or may not have done. (Billy, for instance, was not even close to being the psychokiller of legend; he killed in self defense or in wartime–the Lincoln County War–only.)
Incidentally, Jim’s family lived in New Mexico for about five years “on and off” and he was a great admirer of the Kid, so I like to think that somewhere in the Universe the two of them are celebrating Jim’s pardon and hoping that Richardson comes through for Billy.
I love how you have to do a math problem before posting! Hilarious! I voted for Rubio, but I don’t have a problem with what Crist did regarding this case. All politicians issue pardons and not everyone is satisfied with them. But, I don’t blame people who lobby for pardons. I mean hell, look at Dick Cheney trying to get Libby pardoned and he did far worse than Morrison or Billy The Kid! Pardoning Morrison doesn’t hurt anyone and besides, I read Morrison’s father supported all this, too.
Think of the family and not yourselves, people! They’re the ones that had to live with this! I mean, seriously people! The Doors are in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and they continue to sell millions every year. What is the pardon going to hurt? To me, it’s much ado about nothing. Thanks, Governor Crist, and BYE Governor Crist!
You got that right, Jeff, you can write about whatever you want, because we know it’s not journalism! I might as well have read missive in The Onion! I wouldn’t print up the Fort Worth Weekly and line my neighbor’s parakeet cage with it, out of respect for the parakeet droppings! I agree with not pardoning Billy. I totally support the clemency board’s decision in this matter. Justice was very slow in this case, but it did prevail, finally.