Before leaving for the holidays, President Bush on Tuesday commuted one prison sentence and granted 19 pardons, including one to a man who helped the Jewish resistance in the 1940s.
With this latest batch, which includes forgiveness for convictions ranging from gun and drug violations to bank and mail fraud, Bush has granted a total of 191 pardons and nine commutations. That's fewer than half as many as Presidents Clinton or Reagan issued during their two terms.
Included in the latest list is Charles Winters, who died in the 1980s in Florida. Winters helped ship arms and aircraft to Jews trying to found their own state in the Middle East. He was convicted of violating the Neutrality Act and served 18 months in prison. Two others, Herman Greenspun and Al Schwimmer, also were convicted but did not serve time. They were later granted presidential pardons.
The only other presidential pardon granted posthumously in recent times was given to Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Flipper was drummed out of the Army after white officers mistakenly accused him of embezzling about $3,800 from commissary funds.
In addition to Winters, others granted pardons were:
--William Alvis III, of Flushing, Ohio.
--John Allen Aregood of Riviera, Texas.
--Eric Charles Blanke of Parker, Colo.
--Steve Doyle Cavender of The Villages, Fla.
--Marie Elena Eppens of Lynden, Wash.
--Lydia Lee Ferguson of Sun City, Ariz.
--Eduviges Duvi Gonzalez-Matsumura of Clovis, Calif.
--George Clarence Greene Jr. of Gray, Ga.
--James Won Hee Kang of South Barrington, Ill.
--Alan Stephen Maiss of Reno, Nev.
--Richard Harold Miller of Tallahassee, Fla.
--Delano Abraham Nixon of Neosho Rapids, Kan.
--John H. Overholt of Black Hawk, S.D.
--Morris Keith Parker of Georgetown, S.C.
--Robert Truman Reece of Redondo Beach, Calif.
--Donald Edward Roessler of Harrison, Ohio.
--Issac Robert Toussie of Brooklyn, N.Y.
--David Lane Woolsey of St. George, Utah.
Bush also commuted the prison sentence of Reed Raymond Prior of Des Moines, Iowa.
EDITORS NOTE: Behind the scenes, askonim from all walks of communal life have been diligently working together in unprecedented cooperation - and using every available�angle to free Jonathan Pollard. Now is your chance to stand up for the silent suffering and�make a difference!!
A nationwide grass roots effort on behalf of Jonathan Pollard was officially launched one month ago.� People are encouraged to click freepollardnow.com�to join the effort to help set Jonathan Pollard free.
With less than two months until President George Bush leaves office, this grass roots effort is intended to remind the White House of Jonathan Pollard�s plight and to push for a commutation of his prison sentence.
Because it is critical that the White House hear from as many people as possible in the next several weeks, visitors to freepollardnow.com�are urged to call, fax, and send letters to President Bush on a daily basis.� The website provides contact information for the White House, a sample letter that people can fax or mail, and an online petition that will be sent to President Bush.� Visitors to freepollardnow.com are reminded that just 60 seconds a day can help Jonathan Pollard go free.
(Associated Press / Dov Gordon - YWN)
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=27588
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