"The quality of mercy is not strain'd," particularly when it doesn't have to do any heavy lifting

Shakespeare wrote that "Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge," and that "The quality of mercy is not strain'd ... it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown." But I'm not sure the Bard would have reacted with such noble sentiments upon seeing the handful of lightweight holiday-season clemencies offered up by Gov. Perry last week, mostly for penny ante offenses from decades past:

· Jerry Wayne Crownover of Arlington, 54, was convicted in 1997 of making a terroristic threat during an altercation with his brother, a Class B misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail. He is granted a full pardon.

· Wesley Baker Davis of Amarillo, 79, was convicted in 1947 of knowingly passing a forged check at the age of 18. He was sentenced to five years of probation. He is granted a full pardon and restoration of firearm rights.

· Marlyn Ann Linguist of Cedar Hill, 52, was convicted in 1976 of unlawful carrying of a weapon and theft at the age of 21. She was sentenced to three days in jail for both charges. She is granted a full pardon.

· Nicholas Villa Marquez of Comanche, 39, was convicted in 1989 of a misdemeanor at the age of 20. He was sentenced to six months’ probation and paid $725 restitution. He is granted a full pardon.

· Ruben Eduardo Ramirez of Galveston, 32, was convicted in 1996 of possession of less than two ounces of marijuana. He paid a $500 fine. He is granted a full pardon.

· Thomas Clyde Reedy of Denton, 59, was convicted of burglary in 1971 at the age of 22. He was sentenced to five years’ probation. He is granted a full pardon.

· Ronald John Ursin of San Antonio, 78, was convicted of indecent contact with a child. He was sentenced to 10 years probation. He is granted a full pardon. His pardon was granted after the victim and the woman who accused him both said the complaint had been fabricated during a child custody battle.

One feels particularly sorry for the 79-year old Amarillo man who only now had his firearm rights restored for the offense of passing a bad check in 1947 - there's a collateral consequence that hardly seems to fit the crime. Similarly, heaven only knows what injustices Mr. Ursin had to endure as a result of his false conviction for "indecent contact with a child" - a pardon at age 78 hardly makes up for years spent on the sex offender registry because of fabricated allegations.

Another that stands out to me is the pardon of Ruben Ramirez for a 1996 B-misdemeanor pot possession charge. It's not that I don't think it's merited, but it's hard to understand why the Board of Pardons and Parole would pick out one low-level pot offender to pardon when thousands of others are similarly situated.