First I want to start out by saying I am not a racist.
Is this happening because the man was black and now we have a black President . I'm sure that if we truly begin to research the past, regarding the laws that were put in place by ignorant, scared "so called law makers ", we would find injust to all Races and Color of people.
We all as a society must keep a opened mind and work on the injust , hate and despair that is happening in the current time than waste our valuable time , energy and money on the past.

Justice is never a waste of our valuable time, no matter when it comes

i agree with Joey...what a waste of time and money. like congress aint got to many other things to make right. shame JJ was mistreated. but you cant right all the past wrongs. learn from them so as not to repeat them

when it comes to justice.....no matter in what time period.....it's who you know. A cop pulls you over for speeding, you know him from high school, you get no ticket....you are arressted for suspicion of a b&e, you contributed to a politicians campaign, he is friendly with the D.A. because they went to the same law school together and are from the same neighborhood....you do not get prosecuted. If Jack Johnson gave money to the right person.....he would not have been prosecuted. Different time and different laws...but, same old story.

I am sure that if there was a law preventing black person from marrying a white, that law does not exist anymore or that law should have been revised many years ago. Mr Jack Jackson should have been released and have been pardoned many years ago so that he can still enjoy his youthful years. Does anybody from the legal system review cases that can be overturned as soon as that particular case does not exist anymore in the present legal system? Too late and too many years wasted for Mr Jackson, God Bless you and I pray that the media will give you the attention that you deserve.

Jack Johnson could have been pardoned by many past presidents. Why now?, just because we have a black president? The man is dead leave it at that. The president has more important things to be concerned about than this. McCain needs to find more productive things to do than to play some kind of political mind game that has the stench of bias and racism trailing along behind. People are out here suffering without jobs and McCain is worried about this. Good thing he didn't get elected. I didn't even vote for Obama.
He is in there let him do his job and stop trying to distract him and the course he is on.

hey anonymous! is ain't a word? pardon mr johnson!!!! hey hernandez it's johnson not jackson!!!!!!!!!

hey anonymous! is ain't a word? pardon mr johnson!!!! hey hernandez it's johnson not jackson!!!!!!!!!

I'm not familiar with all the details but it appears obvious that if he deserves a pardon he should receive one. A pardon at this time is an apology to Mr Johnson, his family and the countless other African-Americans who were targeted,criminalized and punished do to their race.

An apology for such blatant racism is necessary in promoting the healing of racial tensions in America. Congress and others have wasted far more time on much less important issues than race relations.

Are you people kidding me WHO CARES with all the problems in this world this is hoow are tax dollars are spent. People need to worry about today.Grow This country has no money and this is how we spend what we dont have GRow the f up and worry about now.

Are you people kidding me WHO CARES with all the problems in this world this is hoow are tax dollars are spent. People need to worry about today.Grow Up This country has no money and this is how we spend what we dont have GRow the f up and worry about now.

John McCain, seems to as usual, have his priorities mixed up. We have a country that has been left on a feeding tube with his help, and he is concerned about an injustice that happened decades ago? Why isn't he focused on the injustices happening right now to President Obama? Why isn't he speaking out against Rush Limbaugh, and others of his ilk, who's racist behavior is not only disrespectful to the Black civilian population, but to those Blacks serving in Iraq and Afghanistan risking their lives and limbs, in defense of a country that disrespects who they are? Any man who does less, when he can do more, is less of a man.

Somebody must have shown McCain a poll indicating he didn't do well with black voters on the last election. This little burst of tokenism ought to solve that; or at least he no doubt hopes. This lunacy about rewriting history in this country has gotten absurd. But then, McCain is and always has been an idiot. Small wonder he can think of nothing better to do as a Senator while he continues nursing the government nipple. Must be nice, to get paid the money he does for being a worthless drone.

This story and act to pardon him are irreverent. The only people that should pushing for the pardon are Jack and Mrs. Johnson families. Sure this is a great gesture, but the politicians need to get back to fixing the country. I do know he was the first person convicted under the Mann act. Maybe they were trying to punish him for being openly arrogant and then have the nerve to date white women! The Mann act was suppose to help punish people who had sex with children and prostitutes or "immoral" sexual acts. I am sure it was used to punish Gays also. But the reason I say maybe it was not just racism is the fact that his wife was a prostitute, and he admitted he married her so she did not have to testify against him. He was latter convicted of taking another(white) prostitute across state lines. Sure he was one of the most hated black man in that era, but he was convicted exactly as the law was written. This law was used to try to convict several high profile whites also, including Charlie Chapman. And it is still used to prosecute polygamist groups. Did they go after him because he refused to kiss a$$, I am sure they did. But he was also convicted as the law was written. If you are going to sleep with prostitutes you have to be willing to suffer the consequences and not pull the race card.

qwp...no white candidate would have done well with black voters in the last election. But he is starting to seem desperate. First Palin and now Jack Johnson.

It's a Dam Shame that the President b-4-Obama which was R.Reagan or the Bushes's didn't pardon Mr.Jack Johnson when they was in term.That just show me that i was and still right about America.
That it is still 2day like yesterday full and i mean Full of Racist Acts toward a BLACK MAN.It's a DAM SHAME.We come so far but still have along way 2go.Come on man, a 100years in JAIL.That Shit is ridiculous. But,he's a BLACK MAN.

I'm OUT GANGSTA

Seriously...John McCain, one of the few lawmakers who voted against the Martin L. King Holiday now wants to make up for it by championing the cause of justice on behalf of now deceased Jack Johnson, 100 years after the fact. I'm not buying it. And I primarily agree that we need to focus on the matters at hand (jobs, economy, etc), but we can't entirely forget the past, particularly when so many seem to be stuck in it. Remember those men who bombed that black church in Birmingham Alabama over 45 YEARS AGO, they were only recently brought to justice, oh wait...we had to do that because of the 9/11...right. We could not claim the moral high ground if we did not punish our own haters. And just because JJ was punished "as the law was written", according to one of the comments (as if every law is just), this particular law was written in a way that allowed law enforcement officials to pick out the "undesirables" they wanted to prosecute. BTW Charlie Chaplin did not do any time although he was charged with the same crime. And as far as polygamist groups go, they are alive and well in Utah Seldom are any charges brought against these groups (Bid Love is not just an HBO mini-series, it's real life in SLC Utah).

Oh speaking of racism, just yesterday 10-17-09 there was a report about some judge in Louisiana who refused to marry a couple because one was black and the other was white. He claims that he is thinking of their children who suffer undue hardship when they are bi-racial. After thinking about it, he does have a point... I mean they could grow up and be President or something.

Does this mean if I go to jail for a crime I commited in 1998, then in 2009 the law is changed and it's no longer a crime to do what ever it was I did,do I get a pardon? I think not!

ummm why even go through all this who cares if hes pardoned he arledy served his time u cant give it back to him

I get sick to my stomach every time I hear a white person say " that was he past, get over it". It's easy to say when your ancestors weren't persecuted for thier race. You have no idea what that feels like and the sad part, it's still happening today. So until you've been lynched, killed, had fire hoses and german shepards let loose on you, please shut up and let politicians right some wrongs no matter how long ago they were!

How far do we have to go back to make it right? How about lets give all christians special treatment, they were put into slavery, beat sold and killed. My ancestors are american indian,they were mistreated and lied to, killed and worked without pay. It's my belief that a lot of the special treatment given to many people such as the american indian, the african americans and such has hurt the race more than it's helped it.

Jay you sound like you were a slave, lynched,and chewed up by the big dog. A wrong was done, however, I think a small number of black people go around expecting and looking for a white to do them wrong.Go to the UK, the black people that live there do not get any special treatment, and they don't expect any.They are very well eccepted and are treated as equels.