I was disappointed when I heard on inauguration day that President Biden had issued a number of pardons just a few minutes before leaving office. This seemed to me to be bad timing and likely a bad idea.. When he pardoned Hunter I stated that I thought it was a mistake and that he shouldn’t have done it. But I also said that speaking from a human and humane point of view I understood his motivation–or words to that effect. I just thought that another bunch of pardons did not seem quite right and I disliked the idea of the political boost it might give to the new Administration.

I was right to an extent, but look what we have to compare it to. Trump pardoned somewhere between 1250(CNN) and 1500(Trump)people later in the day. A comparison of the two actions, both in numbers and legal factors, may be enlightening.

First, it was not immediately clear to me that Biden’s pardons came in two groups, one early in the day, the other within the last 20 minutes or thereabouts of Trump’s taking over. I thought they all came in the later group. Maybe the media were at fault here or maybe I just didn’t pay close enough attention, because that is not how it happened.

The first group of Biden pardons was a small one-actually both were small compared to what I had expected from some of the reporting. In the first group he protected Dr Anthony Fauci, Gen Mark Milley and the House of Representatives committee which investigated the Jan 6 issue. This included, of course Liz Cheney who was vice-chair of the committee and Mississippi Rep Benny Thompson who was the chair. Obviously, Liz did the greater part of the work, or at least did more to publicize the committee and the evens of Jan 6.

In addition to that he pardoned black leader Marcus Garvey, who died more than 80 years ago, as an historical correction of an old injustice. And he pardoned four other people, all found guilty of NON-VIOLENT crimes. To some people, most significantly he commuted the sentence of Native American activist Leonard Peletier, who was serving a life sentence for killing two FBI agents about a half a century ago. He is now 80 and in poor health in prison.

The most significant of these in current impact are of course Fauci and Milley. Dr Fauci was the voice of science and rationality during the covid crisis. He had been a doctor and a public servant for years, and already around 80 when this began, he played his largest role advising Americans about the covid and trying to help find a protection against it.

Dr Fauci also challenged Trump in ways that won him the (former)President’s hostility. Now I think first, to be fair, I should concede that Trump had one real victory with the covid. He began and pushed for the effort to develop a vaccine. This was Operation Warp Speed, a combined government-private company effort, and it produced a useful vaccine in less than year. Many lives were saved and many people prevented from illness by this. It worked much faster than most anticipated.

This was, however, about the end of the Administration’s successes. Trump will always be the guy who suggested shooting disinfectant into one’s body to fight the virus, an incredibly stupid idea opposed by Dr Fauci and many others. He also offered the opinon that covid would disappear with warmer weather. It didn’t.

Through all of this Dr Fauci was a rock, dispensing knowledge, explanations and encouragement to one and all. But his refusal to let political circumstances affect his science irritated Trump who turned hostile and made vague threats toward him.

Gen Milley, a distinguished commander, was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He seemed traditionally non-political, for the most part, but did express an opinion now and then including some supporting Biden policies. He particularly drew attention during the campaign when he told an interviewer he thought Trump was a fascist–likely the highest ranking American to say it that openly. He also attracted threats from Trump–a sort of reverse retirement present about the time he left the service. After his retirement he was on the National Infrastructure Advisory Committee and he was removed by Trump from that position about as soon as Trump took office.

Trump also threatened Liz Cheney whom he accused of treason. In his book, I guess so–she disagreed with him. In any event, such a threat indicates a high degree of hostility and, as Trump has foolishly decided to prove early in his second Administration, he is determined to make good on many–perhaps most–of his threats.

This being the case I think that it is entirely reasonable that Biden issued early pardons to these three remarkable and patriotic people who have served the US and its citizens so long and so well. It would have been chancy and irresponsible not to have protected them, not only leaving them in danger, but risking further national division if serious measures were taken by the Trump Administration against any of them.

As for the last minute pardons, Biden was protecting his family. Protective pardons went to his brother, Francis, his brother James and wife Sara, and his sister Valerie and husband, John Owens. The timing on this was pretty bad and one wonders why he didn’t do it earlier. Still, given the nature of Trump’s personality and taste for revenge, it was not a foolish idea to take these people out of his reach. While I think this will have at least a temporary effect on Biden’s reputation, I don’t think it will be a big one.

Trump has issued around 1200 pardons, maybe as many as 1500(including commutations, which means your legal record is not completely cleared as it is with pardons, but that you get out of jail immediately). These have not, mostly anyway, gone to people whom most would find deserving. They have gone to, among others, thousands of the maniacal mob that stormed the Capitol Building on Jan 6. People(on both sides)died as a result. Many were injured. The US appeared to be teetering on the edge of political instability.

Many Republicans were forced to say they disagreed with Trump because the national outcry against the mob was so lound. Later on a lot of the leaders of the Party backed down on that and became Trump lap dogs again. The political atmosphere, already soured by the election, was made worse.

Now most of the people who were imprisoned for Jan 6–nearly all of them, I believe–are free. They will be free to make whatever trouble they like, at least for awhile, One of them has already stated he intends to buy guns. What do you suppose he thinks he might use them for?

Although I am all for human freedom, including freedom of speech, these people, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers or whoever, are not just ordinary citizens. They are dangerous criminals and a lot of them are willing to perform illegal acts again, possibly violent ones. How they act may even give second thoughts to Trump and his people. But by the time they decide to act(whatever that action might be)the boys may be back in the streets, or even worse, hiding in the woods, polishing their guns and their egos and waiting.

That this is the case is clearly Trump’s fault. I have nothing further to say on this, except that I hope you consider the two sets of pardons and make your choice.