I have been sort of quiet lately. Not because I am not engaged, but because I have been doing back-to-back jury trials, trying to help keep our community safe from criminals. Working as a Deputy District Attorney has given me a tremendous appreciation for the absolute dedication of law enforcement officers every. They work tirelessly to try and protect innocent people from harm. Mainly, the work they do is to prevent future crimes from occurring when an individual has proven themselves to be too great a risk for our society to bear.

I want to make a plea to all Republicans who care about law enforcement. Whatever you do, please do not vote for Huckabee to be the Republican Presidential Nominee.

Huckabee Cares More About Criminals than Public Safety:
Mike Huckabee has proven that he cannot be trusted when it comes to protecting out community from criminals. While law enforcement officers worked hard to keep Arkansas safe, Huckabee worked hard against them.

"As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee had a hand in twice as many pardons and commutations as his three predecessors combined. … Huckabee granted 1,033 pardons and commutations in his 10 1/2 years as governor of Arkansas. The acts of clemency benefited the stepson of a staff member, murderers who worked at the governor's mansion, a rock star and inmates who received good words from their pastors. … During his years as governor, Huckabee granted clemency an average of about once every four days. Huckabee's successor, Mike Beebe, has issued 40 so far this year, fewer than one a week. Bill Clinton, Frank White and Tucker granted 507 clemencies in the 17 1/2 years they served as governor."

Simply put, as Governor, Huckabee didn't seem to mind substituting his judgment for the judgment of a jury of the defendant's peers, the judgment of the sentencing judge, and the judgment of the legislature. He basically told the jurors, judge, and legislature that murderers deserve a second chance.

Romney Pardoned Zero Criminals:
Contrast Huckabee's record with Mitt Romney's as Governor. Mitt Romney has been accused of being too tough on crime. Why? because Romney did not pardon any criminals in his four years in office. That's right. Zero. "Governor Romney's view is that it would take a compelling set of circumstances to set aside the punishment and guilt resulting from a criminal trial," one of Romney's aides is quoted as saying. Romney can be trusted to keep our country safe.

So, my question for all Americans is this, who do you want protecting you? The guy whose heart is bleeding so bad that he will let convicted murderers walk free? Or the guy who won't pardon anyone because he doesn't want to take a risk with your safety? The answer is clear, Mitt Romney should be President of the United States.

Note: The views expressed in this blog post are a matter of personal opinion from a private citizen and should not be taken as representing an official position of any entity or individual.