Oh No, You Wouldn't!

Dear President Obama,

I saw in the Chicago Tribune today that George Ryan's crew is asking you to release him from jail.  I'm begging you to ignore these pleas and make him finish out his sentence.

Look, I understand he's ill.  I get that his wife is sick.  But is that any reason to commute a sentence?  Would you do that for just any random criminal?  Just because George Ryan served as the governor of Illinois shouldn't grant him any special treatment--especially when he used his office as a means to gain an advantage in election fundraising....and those actions led to the the horrific deaths of the six Willis children.

Sure, George Ryan is a decent guy.  Dude attended my church whenever he was in Chicago on a Sunday. But even nice guys do dumb, stupid, awful things that are against the law, and our judicial system is set up to enforce that.  I'm sure our prisons are stocked with people that were fine, upstanding citizens until Oops!  Killed a guy!  or Oops!  Bilked people out of billions of dollars!  Are their pleas for clemency seriously considered?  If they were, would we have overcrowded prisons?

As a voter (which technically makes me one of your bosses), I kindly request that you nip these Ryan clemency requests in the bud and get back to getting this country changed.

Many thanks.
Your pal,
Jill

[sent via e-mail through whitehouse.gov]