Governor Paterson's Pardons

Outgoing New York Governor David Paterson issued an interesting round of pardons this week.  What is particularly interesting is the in-depth, heartfelt reasons the Governor released along with the grants, describing why he thought these were cases that deserved a second chance and a clean slate.  Namely, Governor Paterson granted the pardons to help people avoid deportation -- one of the more onerous (and sometimes downright devastating) collateral consequences of a conviction.

You be the judge:  What do you think of Governor Paterson's pardons?