Reviewing a few Fourth of July postings (while awaiting Prez Biden clemency action to enhance liberty)

I have not always done special posts to celebrate Independence Day over the last 18 years of blogging.  But, looking back at my archives this morning, I realized I have done enough notable July 4 posts to justify a bit of a celebratory review:

From 2005: Celebrating liberty, Blakely-style

From 2008: Celebrating liberty in the country leading the world in incarceration rates

From 2009: What to the American imprisoned is the Fourth of July?

From 2010: Celebrating our declaration of rights to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"

From 2017: "Everyone should go to jail, say, once every ten years"

From 2018:  Hey Prez Trump, how about honoring Independence Day by using your clemency power to give some more Americans more liberty?

From 2019: Imagining an Independence Day in which Governors and the President compete to use their clemency powers to enhance liberty and freedom

These last two postings serve as a timely reminder that, so far, Prez Joe Biden is yet to live up to his campaign promise to "broadly use his clemency power" in order "to secure the release of individuals facing unduly long sentences for certain non-violent and drug crimes."  Commuting the sentences of persons serving undue time in federal prison or on home confinement could and would be, of course, one way to enhance liberty on this special day for celebrating freedoms; granting pardons in order to free persons from burdensome collateral consequences could and would also enhance "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" for deserving recipients.

I am quite fearful that Prez Biden is in no rush to use his clemency authority to enhance liberty.  But, as 2021 marches forward, I am likely to keep highlighting the reality that every 20th Century president, except for Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, granted some clemencies during his first year in office.  Of course, the 21st Century record is much uglier, with a lone pardon by Prez Trump in 2017 as the only first-year clemency grant by a president in the current century.  I will keep rooting for Prez Biden to return to the 20th Century norms rather than continue the ugly 21st Century record, but I am not holding my breath.