Rick Bottles writes:

President Barack Obama has granted the first pardons of his presidency, to nine people convicted of crimes including possessing drugs, counterfeiting and even mutilating coins.

No one well-known was on the list, and some of the crimes dated back decades or had drawn little more than a slap on the wrist in the first place � such as the Pennsylvania man sentenced in 1963 to probation and a $20 fine for mutilating coins. The White House didn't explain the charge, but tampering with federal currency is a crime.

The White House declined to give details on the cases or comment on why these particular people were selected by a president who previously had only pardoned Thanksgiving turkeys.

To read the complete article, see:Obama pardons 9 convicted of drug, other offenses(news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101203/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_pardons)

Dick Johnson writes:

To read the complete article, see:Obama pardons 9 people(www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/
ALeqM5juCUJ6mPbj8_p9jKSGetnpNYH8dA?docId=2ee4f5ad11da4081ba817db297e38887)