If not for Huckabee's religious faith, Clemmons would never have been freed. If Clemmons had not claimed conversion, it wouldn't even have been considered. Because Huckabee was quite happy to free anyone who claimed they had found Jesus, even if they raped children. In fact, all you really had to do was a good job raking his leaves. Four policemen are dead now because Huckabee thinks of himself as a broker of Jesus' forgiveness. That's not even counting the children Clemmons molested, which was what got him arrested here to begin with.

And Clemmons is far from the only honoree of Huckabee's Christian forgiveness. But Huckabee's fixation on the next life has resulted in death, and pain, in this one, which is the only one we know for sure exists. If not for that, none of this might have happened. Four police now have family that will cry for them this Christmas, because Huckabee thought Jesus wanted him to free this man. Two children are permanently psychologically scarred. Jesus wanted that? Who is Huckabee to think he knows that in any event?

I don't know why the Washington state authorities let him out recently, but it would never have been an issue had Huckabee not been there first.

Why is embracing Jesus considered a get out of jail free card? Is it not the height of stupid, selfish irresponsibility to gamble the lives of innocents on your religious faith? Isn't this one reason religion and government should never come anywhere near one another?

I have no problem with anyone's personal faith. Whatever absurdity I believe religion is, it doesn't really matter--whatever makes people happy, whatever helps them get through this life. But the instant it has real, negative consequences for people other than the believer, it's stopped being cute or touching, and has crossed into a dangerous societal psychosis. Of all the reasons a person could be randomly killed in this life, a belief in something that cannot be proven or disproven is the vilest, most needless, and most childish. (Particularly when all the inmates knew this was a way to kiss up to the governor) Religion, to me, is only to be tolerated until it costs lives. Then it's time to grow the fuck up.

We have a restraining order against religion. It's called the Constitution. Perhaps we should use it. And I am overjoyed that this will keep Huckabee the Smiling Theocrat well away from the presidency.