I Beg Your Pardon, Again

Well I just might make Thursdays "Pardon Day" for this blog. Last Thursday I blogged about a witch that was pardoned in Virginia last week, 300 years after being found guilty. Today, I came across another story about a pardon that was again granted in the South.

This time it was legendary Rolling Stones guitarist and soon to be movie pirate, Keith Richards. He was charged for reckless driving in Arkansas in 1975. When the officer that stopped Richards and his travel companions on that day smelled marijuana, they were all jailed but later released.

It seems a few months back Arkansas Governor Huckabee, a musician in his own right, got to meet the Stones backstage. While talking with Keith Richards, he found out about the reckless driving. It was the Governor himself that gave Richards the idea to seek the pardon so that Keith would have a better impression of Arkansas.

The question is, how do you get everyone else’s impression of Arkansas to improve? Remember the Clintons? Ok, I apologize, that last comment was just an inside joke for a few of this blog’s faithful readers. Disclaimer: I have no problem with the state of Arkansas; just don’t ask me to comment about Mr. and Mrs. Clinton.

Now back to Mr. Richards. It’s been quite a lucky year for him. First he falls out of a tree collecting coconuts (or something like that), gets to play Jack Sparrow’s dad in the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie and then receives a pardon for a 31-year-old misdemeanor. When he is officially pardoned, I wonder if Keith will get the $162 fine back? Just think what the interest would be!