IN OUR VIEW: HAVE MERCY?

Clemency For Meth Manufacturer Sends Wrong Message

Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has decided to grant executive clemency to
Larry Sadler, a Little River County man who is serving 15 years for
making methamphetamine.

Sadler, 58, was arrested in December 2000 after eluding authorities
since a raid on his house in June of that year.

Authorities say Sadler ran a lab capable of producing 20 pounds of
meth, a fairly good-sized operation.

Now, after serving a few years of his sentence, Sadler wants out. And
apparently the state parole board and the governor are, for some
reason, willing to go along.

Leniency, or mercy, should be a consideration in some criminal cases.
And state law includes a provision for executive clemency for a reason.

But should such consideration be granted to someone whose crime showed
such an incredible indifference to the pain and suffering of those
addicted to meth, as well as their families?

While no one is forced to become a meth user, that is no defense for
those who would manufacture the drug and make it available. Meth
destroys lives, destroys families and affects whole communities. The
makers and dealers are the foundation of that misery.

Apparently the major justification for Sadler's clemency is that he
claims to be rehabilitated and that he behaved himself in prison.

We hope Sadler has indeed been rehabilitated. As for the good conduct
behind bars, well, that's only what he is supposed to do. But there
are a couple of other components to prison. One is punishment. He is
also supposed to do the time.

And prison is supposed to deter others from committing the same
crimes.

Methamphetamine is easily the most pervasive and most dangerous drug
problem this area faces. It's also the most lucrative opportunity for
drug dealers. The drug is easy to make, easy to transport, easy to
sell.

The last thing we need is the governor telling those who would profit
from meth's misery that it is also easy to get away with. Drug
traffickers have little regard for the damage they do to society, and
society should have little mercy for them.