Comments on: Can’t We Get This Guy Pardoned?

By: Genarlow Wilson… | Peach Pundit

Genarlow Wilson… | Peach Pundit — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 02:21:51 +0000

[...] Today was the 13th day of the session and this kid is still sitting behind bars. As Erick has previously said, “Can’t we get this guy pardoned?” [...]

By: Burdell

Burdell — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:33:52 +0000

Emanuel Jones has introduced Senate Bill 37, that would allow this problem to be fixed.

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2007_08/fulltext/sb37.htm

By: Burdell

Burdell — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:30:24 +0000

I wonder if his mother, who thinks God is punishing here now, thought God was rewarding her before all this went down. You know, a pot-smoking, alcoholic, sexually active son is a blessing from above.

I don’t think she’s a terrible person. But she didn’t raise a pillar of the community, either.

But later on it at least seems that a couple of years in prison have reformed this kid.

“He doesn’t like the person he was back then, the cocky star athlete with the world as his yo-yo. When he thinks about the kid on that videotape, with a Pittsburgh Pirates hat cocked just so, he cringes.”

What a rarity. This shows that 1-2 years would have been plenty. Will he still feel this way after 10, or will those additional years just make him decline?

He did the crime, he did the (reasonable) time–now let him go.

By: CTM

CTM — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 03:20:51 +0000

Did anyone catch what the mother said:

“You think, what in the world could I have done to God to make him punish me like this?” she says. “Am I that terrible a person?”

Your son is in jail for getting a blow job and you think it’s about you? Give me a break.

This case screams for a pardon.

By: DMZDave

DMZDave — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 23:16:54 +0000

The irony is that if the 15 year old girl had shot him instead of blowing him the prosecutor wouldn’t have thought twice about trying her as an adult.

By: SpaceyG

SpaceyG — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 23:16:00 +0000

Sounds like Jane is making an excellent case for more, not less, ORAL sex. No babies were made in this situation, unless The Liberal Sports Media Bias “prevented the real truth”, or something thereabouts from “getting out.”

There’s an online petition to help Wilson here:

http://www.wilsonappeal.com

By: Jane

Jane — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:39:49 +0000

Idiots making babies is a real problem that costs the state a lot on money in terms of tax payer funded programs like Foster Care, Peach Care, and other aid to poor unwed mothers. I have no problem with a 10 yr sentence and having him register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

By: chrisishardcore

chrisishardcore — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 21:46:20 +0000

The legislature needs like a bipartisan amnesty day where everyone agrees to fix hot button laws and vote unanimously or something like that.

By: memberg

memberg — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 21:44:47 +0000

I’m a big proponent of the do-the-crime, do-the-time theory, especially with stuff like this. But realistically, while the circumstances of this case hardly leave the kid (or the “victim”) with clean hands, the jail time is far too long.

The kid basically should’ve been required to go to college in-state and volunteer 10 hours a week at some sort of sexual abuse prevention program.

On another note, I’m disgusted whenever people cry about how a promising young athlete has lost his chance to excel in sports because he got into trouble with the law. Boo-frickin-hoo.

By: Erick

Erick — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 21:38:19 +0000

Adam, I think you are emphasizing the wrong part:

But because of an archaic Georgia law, it was a misdemeanor for teenagers less than three years apart to have sexual intercourse, but a felony for the same kids to have oral sex.

By: Adam Fogle

Adam Fogle — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 21:35:11 +0000

What I don’t understand is this:

But because of an archaic Georgia law, it was a misdemeanor for teenagers less than three years apart to have sexual intercourse, but a felony for the same kids to have oral sex.

So what if they are more than three years apart? What if he was 17 and she was 12? Then it would be legal? Sounds more backward than the case itself.

I’m assuming it’s the way the ESPN writer worded it, but who knows.

By: HeartofGa

HeartofGa — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 20:37:16 +0000

Are you suggesting that some of our sex offender laws are flawed and/or unduly burdonsome? Our ‘sound-bite world’ does not allow politicians to thoughtfully consider such legislation and rid it of provisions that create situations like this. This is certainly an unjust outcome for this person. I wish that it were the only example, but it’s not. A agree with Chris. Let ‘s see is Gov. Perdue has the brass to issue a pradon here. It’s the right thing to do, but I’m not betting on it. I would, however, be pleasantly surprised.

By: chrisishardcore

chrisishardcore — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 20:09:00 +0000

I breathlessly await a pardon from the same governor that is too afraid to let us buy beer on Sunday.

By: Burdell

Burdell — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:59:22 +0000

And please don’t get me wrong here. That 10-year minimum is ridiculously stupid. Shame on the legislature for not making the repeal retroactive, and shame on the DA for not working harder to reduce the sentence.

By: Burdell

Burdell — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:47:40 +0000

I agree, there seem to be some problems here. maybe a pardon would be the best solution.

BUT…

The article does have some interesting bits that make you wonder. Take the following two:

“Wilson should be held up as an example of a kid who was making it.”

“He drank. He smoked pot. He’d been sexually active since he was 13.”

Now, should he be in prison for a felony? Heck no. But this isn’t the “good kid hit by a bad law” story we keep hearing. More like “bad law enforced on a bad kid.”

By: ColinATL

ColinATL — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:24:34 +0000

I agree, a pardon is the appropriate step here.

By: griftdrift

griftdrift — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:14:27 +0000

Its mostly about someone having the balls to suggest reform of our overly vague sexual offender laws (although to be fair the law that tagged this guy has been changed). But most don’t have the stones for fear a future opponent will paint them as being soft on pedophiles.