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Show HN: Pardonned.com – A searchable database of US Pardons

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Re: Show HN: Pardonned.com – A searchable database of US Pardons

#261

Post by platz »

gbacon wrote: post #248
senderista wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The USA is a representative democracy, also known as a republic.

This claim is ahistoric. The ancient Athenians, the inventors of democracy, would reject it because they used popular elections in only a limited number of cases. Their suspicion was that popular elections were tools of oligarchy. Instead they preferred sortition, selection at random, to give rule of the people. They punished abuse of public power severely. In the context of American thought, Federalist No. 10 goes i…

A democracy means political authority ultimately comes from the people.

Re: Show HN: Pardonned.com – A searchable database of US Pardons

#264

Post by KingOfCoders »

Democrats in the US ignore the destruction of democracy by their own presidents, Clinton only came into the office to grift, no interest in the gravitas at all, and Obama, OMG 1904 pardons. Trump is an extension of what Clinton and Obama did, more extreme, more grift, more corruption, more executive powers, no guardrails, but not new.

Re: Show HN: Pardonned.com – A searchable database of US Pardons

#265

Post by smackeyacky »

ceejayoz wrote: post #220
raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s in the Constitution. There isn’t that much anyone can do.

The pardon power is. Presidential immunity for, say, selling a pardon is very new.

Hmm. I feel like it isn’t over the history of the US and there was a period where US governance tended toward an ideal but the last 50 years have reverted to the norm. E.g Oliver North

Re: Show HN: Pardonned.com – A searchable database of US Pardons

#266

Post by huhkerrf »

dabinat wrote: post #135
salawat wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Pardon is a structural check on the legislative and judiciary. It cannot be done away with safely without causing massive problems down the road. If anything, this should be a learning experience for the country not to put criminally inclined presidents in office.

The pardon has been abused by almost every president in recent history to pardon their family or associates (as far as I’m aware, Obama is the only one who didn’t, but please correct me if I’m wrong). It’s in dire need of reform or replacement.

GW Bush also probably matches with Obama for your description, though he did commute (but not pardon) Cheney's Chief of Staff, which caused a permanent rift between Bush and Cheney.

He also revoked a pardon when he discovered that one had his father donate large sums to the RNC.

Re: Show HN: Pardonned.com – A searchable database of US Pardons

#269

Post by cjbgkagh »

Terr_ wrote: post #258
cjbgkagh wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or concretely, would the Israeli wars end sooner if Netanyahu was pardoned of all crimes? Would Kim Jong Un consider giving up his position if he could be pardoned, or at least credibly believe that he could live a life in luxurious exile? I don’t know the answer to either of those questions, but I do think letting some people get away with crimes with witness immunity can make it much more difficult for criminals to…

> Would Kim Jong Un consider giving up his position if he could be pardoned, or at least credibly believe that he could live a life in luxurious exile? The kind of despot that sends assassins against people in exile is unlikely to choose it themselves.

Hense the credible belief. The Russians did manage to step down from violence so it is possible.

Re: Show HN: Pardonned.com – A searchable database of US Pardons

#270

Post by raw_anon_1111 »

smackeyacky wrote: post #265
ceejayoz wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The pardon power is. Presidential immunity for, say, selling a pardon is very new.

Hmm. I feel like it isn’t over the history of the US and there was a period where US governance tended toward an ideal but the last 50 years have reverted to the norm. E.g Oliver North

So exactly when was that? Before 50 years ago, “Separate but Equal” was the law of the land as decided by the Supreme Court, laws against interracial marriage and laws against “sodomy” (homosexuality) were also upheld by the Supreme Court.

There is absolutely no point in US history that the US was “ideal”.

My still living parents grew up in the segregated south.

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