A Clean Jim Morrison?

Florida Governor Charlie Crist is trying to give something to The Doors frontman Jim Morrison that he rarely experienced in is life as a rockstar-- a clean slate.

Crist has made a public statement of his intention to "submit Morrison’s name to a state clemency board next month."

He is trying to clear Morrison's name for the infamous incident in 1969 when Morrison allegedly exposed himself to a concert crowd in Miami during a particularly "raucus" performance. He was issued five one felony and misdemeanor charges. Morrison "was fined $500 and sentenced to six months in jail but never served the time; he was appealing the conviction when he died in Paris in 1971 at 27. "

The New York Times offers great insight into what the governor intends to do, how the people who worked with the case when it initially happened are reacting to the news and what the DA's office plans to do with if the clemency board looks into the matter.

While Crist, an Independent and former Republican, explained that he wants to clear Morrison's record because he feels "that maybe an injustice has been done here."

"Claude R. Kirk Jr., who was Florida’s governor from 1967 to 1971, seemed annoyed to be asked about the Morrison case by telephone this week. "

He felt that the right that had been done when the case came before the state and Morrison was found guilty. He also had quite an opinion of Morrison's manner of death.

"Morrison died in the condition he elected to die," Kirk said.

The district attorney of Miami-Dade County, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, said that if the case were brought to her office, she would not "waste [her] lawyers’ time in an effort to fight an attempted pardon."

_______________________________________________

Many Doors fans are elated at the news of a possible new record for Morrison. Many people are not so happy to see it happen, posthumously or not. However, in a society where an heiress can cry her way out of a drug sentence, an actor can murder his wife and get away with it, and large businesses can take millions of dollars from investors and tax payers alike and not face any liability, I personally see no reason to not give Morrison a pardon. After all, there was actually no tangible evidence in his case, and he did not get his fair appeal that was rightfully his.