Trump pardons late black boxing champion Jack Johnson

a reply to: underpass61

Didn't think Obama was the greatest

You are being exceptionally kind.

originally posted by: loam

originally posted by: underwerks
...the OP instantly politicizes it by using it to bash another bad politician, Obama. So I question it.

Actually the OP said: "I cannot believe Obama didn't do it, nor anyone before him."

So out of the 17 presidents who could have done it, you took offense to mention of the last one who was actually petitioned by congress to do it and didn't?

Odd.

The word for today is , inane.
Brought to you by the entire truth and the letter "i"

originally posted by: Chadwickus
a reply to: GuidedKill

Well, if you’re going to sling mud and dig up negative stuff about someone who got pardoned, then you should also dig up the negative side of Jack Johnson as well.

He was no angel, and that played a part in why Obama never pardoned him.

Yet , Obama pardoned a lot worse...repeatedly
With a phone and a pen
Not to mention being BFF with Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn
Weather Underground

It is great that the guy who died back in 1946 was pardoned, but was it necessary to call in the press to get a photo op to do it?

originally posted by: Grimpachi
It is great that the guy who died back in 1946 was pardoned, but was it necessary to call in the press to get a photo op to do it?

Yes it was since it was Sylvester Stallone that was pushing the president to pardon him. He called the president and told him the story which lead to the pardon. This was stallone's cause so of course he wanted the publicity.

originally posted by: Grimpachi
It is great that the guy who died back in 1946 was pardoned, but was it necessary to call in the press to get a photo op to do it?

Necessary, no, can you show me any evidence Trump refused to do it unless it was a photo op moment? The press goes nuts when Trump tweets, you expect them to not cover this? Actually .. this is something positive, I bet the press didn't want to cover it.

a reply to: underwerks

"Why do you want to live in an echo chamber and only hear opinions you agree with?"

An echo chamber???? I try not to have anything to do with US politics, it has zero to do with me and doesn`t affect my life at all. Am not one of them 'trendy' Brits who like to get down with our American cousins and keep repeatedly trying to bash on the president of the US. So no, no echo chamber.

I saw that Jack Johnson had been pardoned which I think is a brilliant thing so I read the thread and then I saw that the same predictable, boring Trump haters come out with their own 'slant' on why it was done and to use an expression I first heard on ATS it just gave me a micro depression. I think it had more to do with Slyvester Stallone bringing it to the attention of Trump and Trump doing the right thing rather than some kind of devious deep planned stunt Trump just came up with to look cool.

And wasn`t so much telling you to get lost as in maybe if there is no negative or hate in a thread about a politician you don`t like, just move on instead of creating your own echo chamber by repeating your own negative and predictable rhetoric.

You really don`t have to comment on every Trump thread with the same stuff, it isn`t healthy and there is a lot of variety still here on ATS if you look around the site.

The question I ask myself about this topic is this:

If Trump HAD NOT pardoned him, what would the opposition say?

Seeing as how many in this thread are bashing him for pardoning him, my guess is you would also jump on the bandwagon for bashing him if he DID NOT pardon him.

You can't have both sides of the argument.

originally posted by: Blueracer
a reply to: underwerks

So you disagree with the pardon. Do you think that Johnson was rightfully arrested for violating the Mann act?

LOL how the # did you come up with that out of what they typed?


NO one said that bro...maybe you are projecting some inner thoughts?

Why is it that you believe that he believed to be charged with the Mann act???

a reply to: JosephKnecht

They are saying there is no reason to do it. What else can you surmise from their post?

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: underpass61

originally posted by: loam
a reply to: projectvxn

So both chambers of Congress petition for a pardon several times in recent years...Trump complies...and now that's bad?

Because he's damned if he does and damned if he don't. Standard lib M.O. when it comes to Trump.

"Here's your mirror"

Problem is, Trump is all about what's good for Trump.

Why did he become President then? Must be the most thankless job on the planet, that's at the best of times....

From a British point of view, it looks like Trump does what's good for America. I wish our leaders would take a leaf out of his book.

originally posted by: underwerks

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: underwerks

I’m not sure how you can question this action with a straight face. You would have to be a heartless jerk to not appreciate this pardon even if it is posthumous.

I don’t believe this takes away any of the very wrong wrong that Jack Johnson had to experience.

I mean, it’s good on the surface, but the OP instantly politicizes it by using it to bash another bad politician, Obama. So I question it.

A thread that is about Jack Johnson and this pardon that didn’t try to use him to slander someone else politically would have had a very different response from me.

So in future, we need to sanitise our OP's for your delicate tendencies.

"A man of unidentified racial background with a name who used to be in a sport who was wrongly convicted of some crime has been pardoned by a man who has a position in an American government agency of some description."

"Vagueries to follow!"

originally posted by: dragonridr

originally posted by: Grimpachi
It is great that the guy who died back in 1946 was pardoned, but was it necessary to call in the press to get a photo op to do it?

Yes it was since it was Sylvester Stallone that was pushing the president to pardon him. He called the president and told him the story which lead to the pardon. This was stallone's cause so of course he wanted the publicity.

To be clear, John McCain has been championing this effort since 2004. It's unfortunate he isn't getting his due accolades in this pardon. I really hope he was not in attendance due to his health.

Do any of you have any conception of what Jack Johnson was in his heyday?

He was Micheal Jordan. He was Micheal Jackson. All rolled into one. Not sure he was the reason the term "Great White Hope" was coined, but he was surely part of the reason... Think Babe Ruth, and you won't be far off the mark. He helped set the stage for other black athletes to come.

Joe Louise. Jesse Owens. Jackie Robinson. ...a host of others, who helped smash the color barrier. But he was the first, along with Jim Thorpe, to reach beyond into the mainstream.

His conviction under the Mann Act was a political contrivance to put an uppity (you know the word) in his place. Nothing more, nothing less.

This pardon, at least partially, rectifies that shame. It was long, long overdue.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: Blueracer

Let's be honest, how many of them even knew about this case? The only reason Trump knew about it is because he was petitioned by Sylvester Stallone. And as someone that has hosted some of the biggest boxing matches in history you would think he would have more knowledge of the sport than any other President.

Guess what? The President doesn't have an encyclopedic knowledge of every case in US history. They pardon people that have petitioned them to be pardoned. For all we know no one ever petitioned to have Johnson's "crime" pardoned.

Wrong. Bush AND Obama both declined to pardon Johnson.

Use Google it helps.