Ugly for Huckabee: His released rapist rapes again

[Taco John]

As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee aggressively pushed for the early release of a convicted rapist despite being warned by numerous women that the convict had sexually assaulted them or their family members, and would likely strike again. The convict went on to rape and murder at least one other woman.

...

According to the report, "Wayne stated that he went upstairs to the bedroom, and that the woman was asleep when he went into the room. Wayne stated the woman woke up, and he held a knife on her while he committed the rape, and that the woman's baby was in the bed with her."

...

Dumond raped Ashley Stevens, Clinton's distant cousin, in 1984 when she was a 17-year-old high school student in Forest City, Arkansas.

He was convicted in 1985 and sentenced to life in prison, plus 20 years. In 1992, Jim Guy Tucker, who became governor of Arkansas after Clinton left office, reduced Dumond's sentence to 39.5 years.

Shortly after taking office in 1996, Huckabee announced his intention to commute Dumond's sentence to time served. A public outcry ensued.

...

What was left unsaid in her letter to Huckabee was that she was three years old when, in the 1970s, Dumond raped her mother. The girl was in her mother's bed asleep when the rape occurred. Dumond held a butcher's knife to her mother's throat during the assault.

In an interview, her mother told the Huffington Post how she fought with Dumond to wrestle the knife away from him, willing to risk her own life rather than suffer at Dumond's hands.

But Dumond overcame her resistance. He pointed to her daughter sleeping next to her and threatened: "If you don't cooperate with me, she'll be next."

The woman did as she was told. As Dumond continued to violently rape her, the woman recalled, she lay consciously and deliberately silent. Even as she was being assaulted, she gently stroked her daughter's hair, praying she would not wake up.

When the assault was over, the woman said, Dumond threatened to come back and rape and kill her daughter if she told anyone.

Twenty-three years after the rape, the girl who had been protected by her mother's silence attempted to persuade Huckabee to keep Dumond behind bars.

When he was governor of Arkansas, Huckabee similarly attempted to deflect Dumond-related criticism by claiming that those raising the issue -- among them, members of the state's parole board, women state legislators, journalists, and even one of Dumond's victims -- were doing so for partisan political purposes.

"If he makes it about politics, he doesn't answer the hard questions about why he did what he did," says Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas' sixth judicial district. Jegley is a Democrat who campaigned against Huckabee when he ran for re-election because of Huckabee's actions on the Dumond case, as well as his commutation of the sentences of other convicts who went on to commit additional crimes.

Although Huckabee has yet to give a detailed account as to why he pushed to free Dumond, he provided his fullest explanation to date in his published campaign manifesto "From Hope to Higher Ground." In the book, he wrote that he was moved to act on Dumond's behalf because he believed Dumond might have been wrongly convicted. Ashley Stevens and Fletcher Long confirmed in interviews for this story that when they met with then-Gov. Huckabee, he insisted to them that Dumond might be innocent.

Huckabee also wrote in "From Hope to Higher Ground" that he moved to act on Dumond's behalf out of compassion... Huckabee also wrote in his campaign book that his intervention on Dumond's behalf reflected his broad philosophy that the criminal justice system is too harsh, and that his religious faith requires him to take chances to act with compassion towards the accused.



Much more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/1...e_n_75362.html

[Taco John]

This is a guy with pardoning power if he becomes president. I would think that this issue would be fair game...

[cutthemdown]

Taco why did the gov and then huckabee feel the need to commute this sentence? People who do violence to other people are what infringes on the American dream and this country has a crazy amount. I'm sick of the govt giving people 3rd and 4th chances when it comes to crimes like rape or assault.

Huckabee although I don't know much about him seems to be a little too soft to be president.

[Taco John]

I'd like to see Huckabee answer your question cmd... Apparently, he must have been convinced that the guy wasn't a threat to society and his crimes weren't heinous enough to merit the jail sentance that the courts gave him. I'd like to see him address this situation though. The President has pardoning power, and I think it's important that Americans get the chance to examine his decision.

As a small government conservative myself, I have to admit that his answer isn't going to satisfy me, because I see him as a domestic policy disaster waiting to happen. He's a big government spender in the role of George Bush and as far as I can tell, he didn't adopt a "talk about reducing taxes" strategy until he saw the success that Ron Paul was having with this message.

His record certainly doesn't speak towards reducing taxes:
http://www.taxhikemike.org

[spdirty]

Originally Posted by Taco John

As a small government conservative myself, I have to admit that his answer isn't going to satisfy me, because I see him as a domestic policy disaster waiting to happen. He's a big government spender in the role of George Bush and as far as I can tell, he didn't adopt a "talk about reducing taxes" strategy until he saw the success that Ron Paul was having with this message.

His record certainly doesn't speak towards reducing taxes:
http://www.taxhikemike.org

Exactly. His stance on immigration, his "compassion" (which equals bigger and more bloated gov't programs) and his willingness to sign tax hikes is why he won't win and i won't vote for him. Hell, he will probably adopt Hillarycare when its all said and done.

[defenseman]

Originally Posted by spdirty

Exactly. His stance on immigration, his "compassion" (which equals bigger and more bloated gov't programs) and his willingness to sign tax hikes is why he won't win and i won't vote for him. Hell, he will probably adopt Hillarycare when its all said and done.

I'm not sure about his tax position, I am sure about his immigration position. In addition, when queried about Romney's religion, he took the cowards way out and in a very subtle way made his opponents religion a negative through omission. He will not get my vote...dman

[spdirty]

Originally Posted by defenseman

I'm not sure about his tax position, I am sure about his immigration position. In addition, when queried about Romney's religion, he took the cowards way out and in a very subtle way made his opponents religion a negative through omission. He will not get my vote...dman

Yep. We absolutely have to get a candidate who at least has a finger on the pulse of America when it comes to immigration. That I think would tip the balance towards the Republican, cuz the Democrat, no matter who that is, is very weak there.

[Rohirrim]

The guy is a fundy minister. That's the last philosophy I want in someone in the oval office.

[defenseman]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

The guy is a fundy minister. That's the last philosophy I want in someone in the oval office.

One's religion for the most part has no bearing from where I sit with one exception. I will admit if a muslim candidate were to appear on the landscape, I'd be very weary. then again, I'm thinking the majority of americans would feel the same seeing as radical islam caused the death of 3K of our countrymen on 9/11...dman

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by defenseman

One's religion for the most part has no bearing from where I sit with one exception. I will admit if a muslim candidate were to appear on the landscape, I'd be very weary. then again, I'm thinking the majority of americans would feel the same seeing as radical islam caused the death of 3K of our countrymen on 9/11...dman

You must not be watching the GOP debates. Hell, they've basically instituted a religious test for office (expressly forbidden by the Constitution, BTW). Too bad that many Americans are not educated well enough to see the danger in that.

[defenseman]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

You must not be watching the GOP debates. Hell, they've basically instituted a religious test for office (expressly forbidden by the Constitution, BTW). Too bad that many Americans are not educated well enough to see the danger in that.

Who has done this? I haven't heard of this. Provide a link if you would or some other bit. I personally could care less what religion they are, except as I said before, a muslim would make me weary simply because I believe the moderate muslims don't have the "sack" to stand against the methods of the extremists as they kill in the name of allah and their religion....dman

[snowspot66]

Originally Posted by defenseman

Who has done this? I haven't heard of this. Provide a link if you would or some other bit. I personally could care less what religion they are, except as I said before, a muslim would make me weary simply because I believe the moderate muslims don't have the "sack" to stand against the methods of the extremists as they kill in the name of allah and their religion....dman

It's not a test like a written exam. It's the countless questions in debates regarding personal faith and belief in God. As a candidate your ****ed, It's a question of so little importance it's almost irrelevant and yet at the same time you have to waste your speaking time to address it. If you don't answer or answer poorly half the country will instantly dislike you and your campaign is done. Romney is having a bit of a rough spot to say the least due to the religion question at the last "debate".

[defenseman]

Originally Posted by snowspot66

It's not a test like a written exam. It's the countless questions in debates regarding personal faith and belief in God. As a candidate your ****ed, It's a question of so little importance it's almost irrelevant and yet at the same time you have to waste your speaking time to address it. If you don't answer or answer poorly half the country will instantly dislike you and your campaign is done. Romney is having a bit of a rough spot to say the least due to the religion question at the last "debate".

Okay, now, WHO asked those questions in the last debate, and WHO moderated and selected those questions? It WAS NOT the republicans I can tell you that...dman

*IF what you say is true, I would have to say it's derived from the other side of the aisle, the democrats. When you have known democratic operatives setting up the republicans with CNN's assistance, you have a problem. That said, the republicans need to fix that prior to the next debate so they can discuss issues which play to some of their strengths wrt where they see the country headed. The dems probably need to engage CNN and their cohorts in the same manner.

[Taco John]

Originally Posted by defenseman

Who has done this? I haven't heard of this.

It's true though... There have been an overwhelming amount of religious questions in the debates.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by defenseman

Okay, now, WHO asked those questions in the last debate, and WHO moderated and selected those questions? It WAS NOT the republicans I can tell you that...dman

*IF what you say is true, I would have to say it's derived from the other side of the aisle, the democrats. When you have known democratic operatives setting up the republicans with CNN's assistance, you have a problem. That said, the republicans need to fix that prior to the next debate so they can discuss issues which play to some of their strengths wrt where they see the country headed. The dems probably need to engage CNN and their cohorts in the same manner.

[Taco John]

Originally Posted by defenseman

*IF what you say is true, I would have to say it's derived from the other side of the aisle, the democrats. When you have known democratic operatives setting up the republicans with CNN's assistance, you have a problem. That said, the republicans need to fix that prior to the next debate so they can discuss issues which play to some of their strengths wrt where they see the country headed. The dems probably need to engage CNN and their cohorts in the same manner.

This is definitely the case. There have been more policy questions at the Fox forum, and more religious questions at the CNN forum.

[defenseman]

Originally Posted by Taco John

It's true though... There have been an overwhelming amount of religious questions in the debates.

Floored by WHOM during the last debate?...dman

[defenseman]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

What you aren't going to post a link to refute the claim? why not? Because you cannot of course. Ergo, your feeble attempt at deflecting the obvious, they were set up during the last debate, planted operatives, with CNN's assistance. Fortunately, most americans understand what occurred..dman