Editor's note: Here are some of the e-mails you sent when we solicited your thoughts about former Gov. George Ryan's decision to commute all death row sentences. They have been edited for space and clarity.

Monday was a great day for the state of Illinois, as we finally rid ourselves of the most arrogant, two-faced, corrupt and unfeeling public official in the state's history. The blanket clemency was truly the last card in His Arrogance's deck, for there are none left to save him from what is certain to be a long and well-deserved prison term.

He has not only fleeced this state's taxpayers countless times with pork-filled tax-increase bills and late-term appointments that reek of cronyism but has also wasted everyone's time (and lots of money) with the ill-advised clemency hearings, which were rendered moot even before they began. I was certain that he had already made up his mind, and his horrible decision clearly shows that he focused most of his attention on only five or six cases and ignored the rest.

This whole charade succeeded in putting victims' families through agony twice more, for they now know that the perpetrators of these horrible crimes will continue to live off the fat of the state for the rest of their, and our, lives. Jail cells cannot possibly be as cold as His Arrogance is. The state's death penalty would work just fine if it was used when necessary where there is absolutely no question of guilt, which fits many of these cases in which fine work was done by our state's attorneys, prosecutors, judges and juries.

There is no such thing as "innocent even after proven guilty," although I'm sure that's the defense he'll use when he and his minions of deceit and fraud are finally brought down. I look forward to that day with great anticipation.

Ed Barczak Jr.

Elgin

Former Gov. Ryan was correct in abolishing capital punishment for those on Illinois' death row. Since it has been proven that many innocent men have spent much time on death row and then were exonerated, the only way to go is to do away with the death penalty. European countries do not have it; Israel does not have it. If people in the United States had always been accustomed to a life-in-prison sentence, there would not be all of this negative thinking about the men and women having their sentences changed.

Do most people know what life is in prison? No! Then we have to look at this: When a person is sentenced for murder in this country the sentence may be for five years, eight years, 20 years, life or the death penalty. I always wondered why the discrepancy. Also the state's attorneys' philosophy is not innocent until proven guilty; their job, they believe, is to convict. I feel compassion for the victims' families but they are aware that innocent men probably already have been put to death and it could occur again. This way if evidence is discovered that someone else did the crime than the one convicted, there would be justice.

Mary Morello

Libertyville

Though it sickens me, it comes as no surprise to me that former Gov. Ryan issued blanket clemency to the most vicious and evil criminals apprehended by the justice system. It is indicative of the growing trend to favor, excuse and absolve the criminal while negating the value, justice and rights of the victim. Politicians see it as expedient. It has nothing to do with what is morally right.

Everything that made this nation great is being eroded by a false sense of compassion, political correctness and a political climate that embraces situation ethics. The label "illegal" no longer applies and has lost its meaning. Worst of all, the public has become so apathetic and malleable that it would rather willingly accept the concept of right and wrong subscribed to by an ever vacillating political system than expend the energy to think for themselves. George Orwell was just a few decades off.

Elsie B. Zelms

Bartlett

Former Gov. Ryan once again is not a man of his word. Power is more important to him. He turned his back on the victims' families and said he was going to consider each case individually. This turn of events, however, is not unusual, considering his prior association with the license-for-bribe scandal.

The people of Illinois are all praying and, supporting our prosecutors to do their best in overturning Ryan's insane move.

Joyce V. Tucker

Addison

I am appalled that the governor gave blanket commutation to all death row inmates. I was involved in a violent crime myself and I know the terror of these criminals. Ryan did not seem to think about the victims or their loved ones. I also feel Ryan is guilty of a cover-up crime and he should be brought to justice.

Paul J. Knigge Sr.

Naperville

George Ryan, shame on you! Your decision sickened and disheartened me.

If he (I refuse to call him Mr.) had reviewed each case individually and made decisions based on the facts, taking into consideration eye witnesses, DNA, etc., and he commuted only those whose convictions were truly in doubt, I would have agreed with that decision. But blanket clemency to cold-blooded murderers who would just as soon put a knife in his, his wife's or his children's backs, was shocking to say the least. But then what can you expect from George Ryan? I can hardly wait for his indictment, and I hope they put him in a cell with one of the murderers.

What a blow for our judicial system. One man having the power to tear apart a decision that 12 men and women along with judges and lawyers had decided in the system we call due process. This needs to be reformed and the power taken away.

To even mention him for the Nobel Peace Prize is a joke. I wonder if the Willises would vote for him. I wonder if their six children would. Or little Joshua Evans who, after having witnessed his mother's and sister's murders, was forced to drink cleaning fluid and when that didn't kill him, had his throat cut and was thrown out in an alley to die alone.

What a sad day for the people of Illinois. Was this noble? Sas this brave? Or was he still trying to buy something - like a nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize? He is George Ryan, as we all know.

By the grace of God, I am not a member of any victim's family, nor did I know any of them, but my heart aches for them. They now have to live with the fact that their (and my) tax dollars will feed, clothe, provide medical care, entertainment and even an education to the criminals who murdered their loved ones.

George Ryan, I hope one day you have to look little Joshua Evans, his mother and his sister in the faces and explain yourself. I hope you hear their cries each and every night along with all the victims and their families who, with your decision, made them victims all over again.

Jackie Glover

Palatine

That Ryan's decision on 167 commuted death sentences was wrong only restates the obvious.

My motivation in writing this has more to do with reversing the decision. Before you say it can't be done, consider the history of his administration.

I think everyone would agree George Ryan is not stupid. You can't survive in politics as long as he has and be stupid.

His comments on television that he personally reviewed every case and could not decide on guilt or innocence, raise the first lie. He did decide on four others and freed them. Yet on the others, according to him, he couldn't decide. Anyone who looked at five cases I personally am aware of, could not come to any decision but guilty. But taking him at his word, which is a stretch, he had to have more than reasonable doubt about every case. If that is the case he should have freed all 167 people. Why not?

I was a juror on one of these murder cases. It involved a policeman. Bad as that was, the individual had been convicted of a prior murder as well.

Corruption has reined supreme within Ryan's administration, and he had absolute power on these clemency proceedings.

Now let's put it together. A smart, lying, corrupt politician provides clemency to 167 convicted murderers. The expression is "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

I would recommend our attorneys general, both state and federal, begin to follow the money trail for the past six years. These decisions can be overturned by the Supreme Court, if corruption in the process, can be proven.

Richard Francke

Bartlett

Ryan says he represents all of the people of Illinois. He is wrong! He sure doesn't represent any of the innocent victims of the violent crimes that were committed nor their families.

I am ashamed to think he was representing me. He has definitely disgraced Illinois. If he wins a Nobel Peace Prize it will be a sad day in Illinois history.

Patricia Caballero

Glendale Heights

Like most of the people I talked to, I was in total shock after former Gov. Ryan granted blanket clemency.

Now that the dust has settled, I am just angry.

I agreed with the Governor when he put a halt to executions to "fix the system." When he pardoned the four inmates I was suspicious of his intentions but was willing to give him the benefit of my doubt.

When he granted blanket clemency, Ryan went over the top.

I am now convinced that this action is an effort to secure his legacy. Regardless of the state of our legal system, the people who killed the mother and cut out her unborn baby do not deserve clemency.

My heart goes out to the victims' families and friends.

I am ashamed to say that I voted for Ryan.

Dan Clark

Des Plaines

I was once a huge proponent of the death penalty. I'm not sure if I am now.

I would like to see our death penalty laws revisited to determine what changes should be made or if maybe it should be abolished.

I believe that the blanket clemency that former Gov. Ryan granted to the death row inmates was completely careless. There were people on death row who were put there legally and were deserving of the death penalty under the current law. They should have had to serve the penalty that was given to them. There may have been others who were innocent. I hope that we, as a society, would have given some more serious consideration to them in light of the problems that were uncovered by Ryan.

Ed Orlowski

West Chicago

From the start of the moratorium of capital punishment on Jan. 31, 2000, until the pardon and clemency announcements were made on Jan. 10 and 11, Gov. Ryan had 1,064 days in which to review the 167 death row cases. To aid in his review were recommendations from the Prisoner Review Board, based on testimony from prosecutors, defendants and/or their attorneys and the victims' family members.

With time and information at his disposal if Gov. Ryan couldn't base his decision on a case-by-case basis, then I believe he should have done nothing. Leaving office with the moratorium in place with no further decision on his part was an option.

Just because he had the "power" to pardon/commute sentences, the law doesn't state the power must be used.

If Gov. Ryan was so sure of his decision, why did he make the announcements in front of groups of supporters instead of a room full of the victim's families? Gov. Ryan chose to pardon four death row inmates, and he chose to grant clemency to all of the remaining death row inmates. My cousin Dan and the rest of the victims did not choose to die.

Karen Richardson

Palatine

What I question is the statements being made about cost saving. These people were scheduled to die, and eventually they would have. End of tax money as each one died. Now we will keep them alive for years and maybe have a few more deaths as they are released into the general prison population. Or will they be treated to special considerations (more money)?

Jeanne Matsukis

Elgin

I believe the ex-governor did not have the intestinal fortitude to make the needed choices between proper and improper convictions, so he took the easy way out. Illinois will be much better off without his kind in elected office.

Lyle Miller

Libertyville

Gov. Ryan, like a demented emperor of Rome, cursed the legislature and, in his final hours, took the law into his own hands, thereby setting another poor example.

In so doing, he violated the due process owed to the families of the victims and the honorable members of the justice system of this state.

Had a competent board of inquiry established, in a case-by-case investigation as thoughtful and thorough and as time-consuming as the one which landed these 167 murderers on death row, that 167 egregious miscarriages of justice had placed them there, who would complain if the governor commuted or pardoned such murderous victims?

But he did not do that. He did not attempt to do that. In his haste to make himself famous, he did what was easy, baseless and wrong. Dead wrong.

John R. Swift

Arlington Heights

Just ask Gov. Ryan one question: Was there at least one case out of the 167 death row cases where his biased "investigations" found that the person was absolutely guilty?

I would venture to guess, even using his criteria, that there was at least one and probably numerous cases. How could anyone justify applying "blanket" clemency? The real "blanket" in this fiasco was used to cover up four years of lies, corruption and mismanagement.

I am an Illinois Republican who voted for George Ryan. The only silver lining in this for me is that I must become a better voter by looking closer at the candidate and not just his party's affiliation. The only silver lining that I see for the citizens of Illinois is that Ryan may spend the rest of his life in jail - a sentence worst than death!

Bill Koller

Des Plaines

I think that George Ryan has redeemed himself from the shadows of scandal in a lot of people's eyes. He has in mine.

I think it was a very courageous act on his part to pick his conscience and living with the decision and the consequences of that decision, which I'm sure he knew there would be plenty, over politics and maybe putting to death an innocent person.

I don't think the government or any man has the right to kill another; even in the name of justice. I think that living in jail the rest of someone's natural life without the freedoms that most people can enjoy can be worse than being put to death.

I say bravo to George Ryan and bravo for "putting to death" the death sentence!

Kathy Czach

Hoffman Estates

At the beginning of this whole clemency issue, I was outraged. I couldn't believe that Ryan was dragging up the horror of these crimes with the victims and the hearings. What a louse I thought he was. I was sure he was using it to cover up something. After listening to his speech on Saturday and rereading it in your paper today, I know what he is standing up for and I feel as though he did the right thing.

Instead of looking the other way, he took the unpopular course. He had to do it just before leaving office.

You can hear the outrage on the radio talk shows, in the newspaper and on TV. Those people did not tune in to listen to his speech. He and all those other politicians know that the system needs change.

This was the right thing to do. Let's now stop the spending on these criminals and help out the victims! Let's also make sure our local police do the right moral things.

Dolores Samp

Elk Grove Village

I am not in favor of the death penalty in all cases ... only extreme cases where we know no errors have been made. Mass clemency is insane, and I'm afraid a sign of the times. No one man should be able to usurp the findings of so many juries throughout the years.

Our prisons are being emptied now due to lack of funds. Maybe George and his cronies should donate their raises and some of their huge pensions to feed these murderers for the balance of their incarceration.

Mary Pomplun

Palatine

I applaud George Ryan's decision to commute all death row inmates' sentences. The death penalty needs to be abolished completely, nationwide, and this is a great first step.

I would ask all death penalty supporters this question: Why is it that the United States is one of the only countries in the civilized world that utilizes the death penalty?

Jeff Gardner

Palatine

I had a tough time eating breakfast Sunday morning after reading the Herald article about ex-Gov. Ryan.

I do not understand how anyone as stupid as he is got into the office in the first place. Hundreds of people from judges to jurors were all wrong. Yet he, with his bull-headed righteousness, plays God and wipes all the hard work away.

Ralph Webb

Elk Grove Village