By Bob Walsh
California’s Governor Moonbeam (AKA Jerry Brown) has recently had another brilliantly bad idea. He now thinks that more dangerous felons on the street is a good thing. He is moving to ensure that happens.
His latest proposal, which is in the process of gathering signatures for a ballot initiative for November, would allow prisoners to parole after serving 50% of their base sentence, regardless of any enhancements. Over the years California has added about a gazillion sentencing enhancements for things like gang membership,carrying a gun during the commission of a crime and previous violent felony convictions. It would essentially invalidate California’s 3-Strikes law, which has already been substantially weakened by changing the definition of what is and what is not a violent felony.
The matter is still under review by the California Supreme Court. The lifting of a temporary injunction allowed the initiative process to move forward, there are still serious legal issues to be resolved on its procedural questions. The court could still put the kibosh to it, at least for the current election cycle.
I am starting to believe that either Moonbeam has lost it completely, is getting truly senile, or is heading back to his roots as a Jesuit seminarian who worked diligently to get his father, Governor Pat Brown, to let the notorious red-light bandit Caryl Chessman off the hook. Chessman was eventually executed, back when California actually did that sort of thing, despite young Jerry’s desires.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Speaking of Caryl Chessman, most people nowadays have never heard of him, and most of those who have, don’t know that he was not executed for murder. Chessman was gassed to death for kidnapping.
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