Caution! A fool is treading!

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” --- a line from Alexander Pope's 1709 poem An Essay on Criticism. 

Those who have appreciated my editorial writing since the 1950s, as well as those who are disgusted by what I have to say, have often considered the above quote. Yet, here I am at age 88, still rushing in! 

On his first day in the White House, President Donald Trump issued formal pardons to more than 1,550 rioters charged with a wide range of crimes in the January 6 uprising, and commuted the sentences of 14 members of far-right groups. 

Before we continue, let me give you a quick explanation of the word “pardon.” When a president or a governor grants a pardon, that simply means that a previously convicted person is relieved of guilt and punishment. 

Now let’s take a moment to talk about exactly what happened on that day in 2021, a date that our new President has called “A day of love.” More than 140 police officers were assaulted, the Capitol was damaged, some government property was destroyed, some was stolen. In that 36-hour period, 5 people died, 1 was shot by police, 1 died of a drug overdose, and 3 died of natural causes. Many were injured, including 175 police officers. Day of Love? 

Theses pardons have now legitimized the rioters...this after the FBI and other federal agencies spent tens of millions of dollars hunting them down and prosecuting them for their attempts to stop Congress from confirming the results of the 2020 presidential election. 

For the record, the pardons come from the same “tough on crime” president who refused to accept the wrongful conviction ruling against 5 Black and Latino boys, accused of raping a New York jogger in 1989. That time, he signed full-page newspaper advertisements implicitly calling for the boys to die! 

Why is this writer so interested? Because I have devoted my life trying to help incarcerated people who do not know where to turn. The United States locks up far too many people, for far too long---sometimes for crimes that are no longer even illegal.

Unlike the January 6 gang, there are way too many people languishing in federal prisons who pose little threat to public safety—not to mention tens of thousands with cannabis-related convictions, hundreds of thousands of older adults, and thousands more awaiting execution dates in state prisons. Right here in Michigan we have more than 1,000 inmates who have been wrongly convicted and who cannot even get a pardon, let alone an exoneration! Some 100 Michigan prisoners are 80 years of age and over! 

Meanwhile, every day, formerly incarcerated people are proving that, when given second chances, they can rebuild their lives—finding work, reconnecting with their families, and contributing to their communities. Many more people deserve a second chance. 

A pastor/friend who knows about our work admits, confidentially, “It’s hard for me to see Oath Keepers and Proud Boys go free while innocent or harmless people languish in prison!” 

In his inauguration address our new president promised to “reshape America.” If this is the shape it will be taking, I find the dimensions questionable. 

Fool I may be, but this is where I tread.