With Justice for Some.
A country of laws or a country of men? I found this excerpt of an interview given by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to be quite fascinating. When asked about Ted Stevens and whether he ought to go to jail, here’s what he had to say:
“My personal feeling, you guys, I don’t know what good that [would do]… He was a real war hero too, you know. He’s been punished enough.”
Members of Congress, he added, had long been used to not disclosing gifts until the rules had been tightened. And he said the 85-year-old Stevens simply did not adapt to those changing rules.
“It’s a different world we live in, and Stevens did not understand that,” Reid said.
It seems that one of our leading lawmakers, who took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, has revealed himself as having a “law optional” attitude.
First, let me say that I am not a person without compassion. There are many people who commit crimes of one form or another for whom I feel pity when it comes time to serve their sentence. In matters of the human heart, I’m all for mercy. Forgiveness is a gift not only for the person who receives it, but for the person who grants it. I’ve even felt compassion for Ted Stevens a time or two myself, if the truth be told. But in matters of the law, justice must trump mercy, or we no longer have a country of laws. And we’re in especially deep trouble if mercy, at the expense of justice, falls only upon the rich and powerful.
And then there’s Reid citing Stevens’ military record. Let me preface this by saying that my father fought in a war. He spent his 21st birthday in a prison camp. He got a purple heart. He was a pacifist at heart, deaf in one ear, and completely flat-footed, but volunteered to serve his country when it needed him, and he paid a heavy price for that service. So, I get it. But regardless of this, the laws still apply. Nobody intended for military service to be a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. Members of the military are still human beings, just like the rest of us, and some of them screw up. And there are plenty of veterans in jail.
“He has been punished enough,” says Reid. Yes, Ted Stevens has been through a painful ordeal. He has undoubtedly been through a tremendous amount of stress, and his family has suffered right along with him. He has endured embarrassment, dishonor, and lived in fear of the consequences of his actions. Nobody said standing trial for seven felony counts was going to be a picnic. But if, as Reid says, that he has suffered enough, then the law needs to be changed. The punishment for felony non-disclosure of gifts on one’s senate financial disclosure form should be to stand trial. End of story. No verdict, no punishment, no consequences beyond that. Endure the ordeal in the public spotlight, and then go home. Because the minute we start bending, ignoring, or corrupting the spirit of the law, is the minute we lose our democracy.
And the fact that Stevens just couldn’t keep up with the changing laws? Sorry my friend, but try using that excuse with the IRS.
You know that statue of Justice? The one where she holds the scales aloft, while blindfolded? There’s a reason for that blindfold. That’s so justice doesn’t look at poor old Ted Stevens or my Dad, and think to herself, “Gee…he doesn’t look like a bad guy. And he served his country. Maybe he isn’t current with all these new fangled laws. Let’s just send him home.” It’s to make sure that Ted Stevens, my Dad, and every other citizen not only has the same rights, but the same obligation to follow the law. It’s to remind us all that without a blindfold, and without the scales of equal treatment, there is no justice at all.
Excellent commentary. Well said.
I used to really like Harry Reid.
It was a few years ago the polish wore off.
Jerk. (IMHO)
You hit the nail on the head. That is a fault of our current dispensing of justice. Too many excuses. You can’t change the law to suit yourself and if you can’t follow the law then you have to take the consequences. Period. This is just ridiculous giving all these excuses for Stevens. He should be treated like any other criminal and sorry, but time off for previous service doesn’t count. What is wrong with people? That is what this form of government is about, equal treatment under the law. I suppose it is naive to think this actually happens, but that is the principle. Let’s observe it.
WCBG
“He was a real war hero too, you know. He’s been punished enough.”
Members of Congress, he added, had long been used to not disclosing gifts until the rules had been tightened. And he said the 85-year-old Stevens simply did not adapt to those changing rules.
“It’s a different world we live in, and Stevens did not understand that,”
I would suggest that far too many veterans have also been “punished enough”.
I would also suggest those who have lost HOMES jobs retirement/pension accounts stocks medical coverage…did “not adapt to those changing rules”
which Wall Street failed to even mention to them, let alone RULES Stevens HAD knowledge of and chose to ignore.
Why are we expected to pay for and continue to forgive blatant acts of corruption?
…that if ‘we’ did them ‘we’ would surely end up in JAIL.
btw….I should have put a LINE between the quoted text and what I wrote.
…duh.
Today Reid said “I do not work for Obama”……..the way he has let Bush run amok has been a crock. I would love to hear the conversation when Rahm gives Reid his first “tune-up”!!
For the little people, jail.
For the people who write laws, they suffered enough?
I had a chiropractor who fixed my constant neck pain problem and changed my life. He was a helicoptor pilot in VietNam and still suffers nightmares from all the medical evacuations he did. He’s 65 now and still tormented, didn’t become an alcoholic or turn to drugs, has two well-raised, educated daughters. I think that many years of nightmares-terrors is suffering enough, but what help does he get?
Citing of one’s war record…hmm, reminds me of a presidential race not too long, ago.
Certainly may not have been lost on SP. Did I hear Track opted for the get out of jail free card by joining the military?
It’s a shame societies glorify military duty as wars ravage the globe and our societies and undoubtedly will be the end of our race.
Ah, but I digress
Well said AKM!
I agree with everything you said.
But having said that I am afraid I am also in the camp of people who do not want Ted Stevens to go to jail. Not that I think he doesn’t deserve it, just that I don’t want to feel sorry for somebody that I have been working to unseat for four years.
(And by the way I must confess a little blogger jealousy at that GREAT picture of lady justice. You always find the best illustrations.)
Will they let us throw Sarah Plain in jail for what Ted Stevens did? That’s a fair trade.
Corrected: Will they let us throw Sarah (Palin) in jail for what Ted Stevens did? That’s a fair trade.
It’s time to bounce Harry Reid, regardless of the fact that he is a Democrat. He’s become nothing but a joke, and a bad one at that.
Hot Rod from Ill. sho’ nuff spanked Reid !!!
“Society is like a stew. If you don’t keep it stirred up you get a lot of scum on the top.” -Edward Abbey, naturalist and author (1927-1989)
hope
Good thing Obama, Biden, Begich, and mudpuppies are out there stirring it up, eh?
Hope
Excellent article…and the comments are outstanding, also.
While it is indeed “a different world we live in, and Stevens did not understand that”, that must also be said of the 1960s, when to be black, Mexican or Asian in America was institionalized third-world living conditions.
The good ole boys club…slap on the back, another who doesn’t want to “go by the book” (heard that just yesterday from Levi’s Dad)
Excellent Blog AKM. Great pic too.
But fricken unbelievable…..I’m at a loss for words here?
Here you are, I have been looking for you all over the place. I have the RSS/Comment hooked, so I can get it easier now, thanks.
I was wanting to pass something on to you. Laura Bush is writing a new book. The Best for Last — Laura Bush to publish a memoir
First Lady Laura Bush has just signed with Scribner Books to write her memoir. A 2010 release date is expected, no word on how much she is being paid. I would more than likely venture that her book will be vastly better than Sarah Palin’s or Joe the Plumber. I can just see it there in my minds eye —
“Chapter Two, it is late at night, the White House is eerily quiet, I look at George asleep in the bed, his head is on the pillow, he looks so at peace with the world. The fruit jar full of gasoline is in my left hand, and the BIC lighter in my right, I tell myself over and over … trying to convince myself … It is for the good of the country, it is for the good of the country.”
I can’t wait.
BCO
Reid is a weasel. I’m more offended sometimes by weasel dems than the repugs, because they really should be the good guys. But many of them are just big ego small brain jerks. Reid and his ilk are acting like a bunch of spoiled children. Obama should ground them and make them do chores.
AKM stated: “But in matters of the law, justice must trump mercy, or we no longer have a country of laws.”
Are justice and mercy unrelated? Per a 4-panel Doonesbury strip I saw more than thirty years ago…
First panel: Professor at podium asks class: “What is justice?”
Second panel: Class response: silence
Third panel: Professor: “A knowledge of the law, tempered with mercy.”
Fourth panel: Unseen voice: “Will this be on the test?”
I may not be recalling it exactly (hey, it’s been a LONG time!), but that was the gist of the strip, and I found that sentiment of the interlinking of justice and mercy so memorable that, well, I’ve remembered it ever since.
And, no, it won’t be on the test.
If Stevens is so incompetent, why was he encouraged to use the Senate as a nursing home?
This isn’t about changes in rules. This is about getting caught.
womanwithsardinecan – Rahm will have Reid marching in line in very short order.Just like Reid said Burris “will not be seated”………Reid has an alligator mouth and a hummingbird ass………look how many times Reid rolled over for Bush !! He is a pathetic wuss !!
Reid needs to be put in a corner by all the worriors who are running amok now aware they need not follow the laws.
But Obama will quietly and gently get Reid.
There was no room at the inn for the Obama family, Obama acted like a gentle soul and went to the Hays, and now what a roar we hear. The inn with more than 130 rooms has only one resident, a politician who lost his seat and who was an Obama bad mouther….
The unseated politican will, naturally, soon receive a bush award, along with two or three others. Question, why are the others not staying at the inn?
da da da.
Watch Keith and Rachel tonight….
Well said, AKM. And….
I, too, believe that justice should be blind. However, I do think justice should serve the greater good. In my view, sending Stevens to federal prison, will not serve the greater good.
He’s an 85 year old nonviolent offender. What good will come of putting him in the federal prison (possibly) here is Jesup, GA? JMO, nothing positive ever comes of imprisoning nonviolent offenders. They’re not rehabilitated, they’re constantly exposed to some truly serious offenders, and they’re a drain on taxpayers (Federal prison $25,000. per year per inmate period ending September, 2007).
To me, a better punishment would be for him to have to visit his probation officer weekly, allow his (and his families’) finances to be scrutinized regularly, pay a very large fine to the AFN (no tax deduction for him) plus work many hours of community service using his (now defunct) law degree to help (pro bono) the AFN folks get heat and help, until the day he dies.
I’m all for Ted being punished for his transgressions, and no, I don’t think he’s been punished enough. I just think his punishment should seriously pinch his pocketbook and require a large investment of his time to do good for Alaskans, while being unable to line his own pockets (he’s been there, done that).
This country has the largest prison population in the world. There is something wrong with that.
Regina NYC – the award that you speak of used to mean something before Bush started handing ‘em out to every blind follower…….now the award means less than a squirrel turd on a string .
@ AKM & Lance (16:22:38) : Well said. I too believe the man should face punishment, which does not necessarily mean prison. He owns a million plus house in Washington DC, and a modest home in Girdwood (the site of the crime). He rarely spends any time in Girdwood, but it would make a nice house arrest w/ bracelet spot. Currently, temps have averaged for several weeks now, waaay below zero in that prime spot. Time away for Community service, in the public’s eye sounds ’bout right. He will probably lose his law license, so that is not an avenue for service….hmmm, serving lunch at Bean’s Cafe?
The problem is that Steven’s is unrepentant….And the attitude of these leg. that think nothing wrong happened…just like Doogan/Dyson A$$es about troopergate. They have been trained to just “look the other way” and people are damn tired of a double standard, those who play by the book and those (privileged) ones that don’t! Steven’s wants a retrial, or at least drop 6 of the felonies b/c the others were all the same??? Hmmm maybe Sherry can use that excuse,too? There’s house arrest, no internet, no phone, and yes making him do free legal work for needy people. And make him admit publicly he BROKE the LAW! I think that would kill him, right there.
I hope Senator Reid is replaced with someone with a backbone.
Hey, how ’bout making him live in Freezing Alaska? Maybe in a Native Village that can’t afford heat. Maybe he could help them legally make Barbie help them…? Yes House arrest in the coldest spot in Alaska, the State he was elected to represent instead of rip-off.
OT: saw msnbc vid with Ann C and she was bitching about…get this, Queen conservative…single and unwed mothers…! Do ya think she didn’t get the news about Bristol yet? Or are they not BFF’s? Anyone know? I was kinda…shocked
Gryphen (14:53:36) :
Well said AKM!
I agree with everything you said.
But having said that I am afraid I am also in the camp of people who do not want Ted Stevens to go to jail. Not that I think he doesn’t deserve it, just that I don’t want to feel sorry for somebody that I have been working to unseat for four years.
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Even if his conviction is upheld, Stevens will not be put in prison. He has a good record- no other convictions (was never caught), plus his age…he would be placed on probation, maybe required to do public service. I hope his conviction is upheld because he is the poster boy of graft and greed (Is he related to Blago? Cousins?), and other wanna bees need to see “you do the crime, you do the time”.
Reid needed to think before he spoke- he could say Stevens is guilty, but the stuff about punished enough is so much moose pucky (sorry, Brian)…
Okay, now that really frosts me. He couldn’t keep up with the times? He’s suffered enough? The Senate has an enormous amount of power and influence and every single one of them needs to be mentally sharp, alert, and up-to-date with the “times”. Our very lives depend on the job they do. And they get paid a hell of a lot more than I ever did!
I mean, good grief! Your doctor is required by law to inform the DMV if he prescribes certain medication for you…and it may mean your driver’s license gets pulled. Every member of Congress should be required by law to take some sort of intelligence/personality test on a yearly or bi-yearly schedule and their doctors should be required to report all medications they are on. And the results of the test and medications may mean it’s time they retire from Congress!
Fer cryin’ out loud…the law has tougher standards for a driver’s license than it does for the people who control our lives?? And Reid tries to excuse it??
The pendulum of gratitude for military service has swung to an extreme. My dad served his country and without a signing bonus or other inducements. It was a war that really threatened freedom.
Now, the military offers large signing bonuses to get additional people to enlist. Who is persuaded by them? Who are the soldiers in Iraq that -would-not-have-signed-up-without-inducements?
Are we supposed to parrot the slogan that they’re in Iraq bravely serving OUR country and protecting OUR freedom, and -they- are the quintessential Patriots?
How long are we supposed to give special dispensation to them, and for what?
If volunteers patriotically serve our country, then we owe them gratitude, and compensation for any real loss. Medical benefits should be one obvious thing at the top of the list.
But if they are real patriots defending and supporting American freedom and American values, then they would be the very people who know and have shown by their own commitment and dedication to serving our country, that equal protection under the law means equal obligation under the law.
True patriots should be offended at the thought of and the irony of ‘paying’ for a ‘different’ justice with patriotic service to our country.
austintx (16:30:44) :
heh heh…very funny.
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crystalwolf a.k.a. caligrl (17:07:40) :
OT: saw msnbc vid with Ann C and she was bitching about…get this, Queen conservative…single and unwed mothers…! Do ya think she didn’t get the news about Bristol yet? Or are they not BFF’s? Anyone know? I was kinda…shocked
I saw her interview with Matt Lauer on NBC this morning- she was trying to promote her book; it’s premise is almost all problems in the US today are due to single mothers. Matt was not a happy camper (She trashed NBC yesterday because they cancelled the Monday interview), and he laid into her about her outrageous statements and lack of documentation in her book- didn’t let her interrupt as much as she usually does (tossing long blond hair, crossing legs in gogo boots so skirt hikes up on thighs). Lauer is normally a marshmellow interviewer- not this time
Isn’t time for Ann’s jaw to get broken again ??
austintxNo Gravatar (17:23:50) :
Isn’t time for Ann’s jaw to get broken again ??
And ya know it gave her time to write another (Moose Nugget) book 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HaHa, well that would mean lightning striking twice
RM has a really good show tonight, she was just talking to a NYT reporter who interviewed PEO today (and he looked ‘Awestruck’) and there was some news clips with PEO. Really good.
RM is talking about Reid/Stevens right now, talking about Stevens admitting guilt on a phone call….She’s outraged!
If it’s a “different world” and he didn’t understand it, he had no business trying to legislate it. And Reid’s comment about Ted not adapting to the “new” way of having to report graft makes it sound as if he just started accepting graft last year! He’s known it was wrong, and thought it was his due.
Harry Reid is my Senator. I’ve met him, and he’s far more forceful in person than he appears on TV. Of course he was speaking to US, a bunch of volunteers for Obama’s Campaign for Change, so he was preaching to the choir. Still and all, he’s basically past his expiration date. But as long as he’s the Democrat running for that seat, I’ll vote for him. As much as I hate partisan politics, it’s the way it is. The last 8 years (15 years, if you go back to Gingrich’s “Contract on America”) have taught me one thing, and that is that I can NOT vote for a Republican candidate, not even for dog catcher, until they can prove to me they can play well with others.
Good Job AKM. You are right.
The law is the law, and should be applied equally to all.
Ah, wish it were so.
AKM, great post!
lance, jim . . . great comments!
Sadly, Harry Reid is a magnificent idiot.
I am tiring of him and his very annoying jibes,
threats, excuse making and ineffectual leadership.
(And what’s with the crack about Obama overstepping and
him not supporting him if he does–which should of course
be a given)–But what’s with the stupid bravado and bitch slapping
the incoming Prez. Wow–very cannibalistic and unfortunately one of our
ugly Democratic traits; so it doesn’t surprise me that he stupidly excused
Stevens. Reid basically licked W shoes in the end.
Other than that, I like his glasses.
Again,,,well said AKM.
OT but good news….The Colony High School marching band from the Mat-Su Valley raised enough $$ from donations and fundraising to march for Obama’s Inaugural!! After those scrooges at Mat-Su Council denied them funds, the common folk kicked in–$80,000.
“The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. ”
The Merchant of Venice
That said, there remains the question of justice.
In the first place, Stevens has already recieved a considerable amount of mercy. Unlike the vast majority of citizens lanquishing in prisons for “victimless crimes” he has had the benefit of comptent and well funded legal defense and it is highly doubtful that he will do any serious time in any federal prison. Unlike Stevens millions of citizens have had their lives ruined and been divested of all their property for so-called drug crimes. What mercy have they recieved? Is the selling of an ounce of cannabis so much more heinious that it merits 7 years of incarceration with violent criminals and no protection from their coercion and exploitation? Do we even have a hint of what the consequences of Stevens’ corruption really were? Has he owned up to his offence? No, he still protests that he is innocent of all charges. Perhaps he is, but he failed to dissuade the jury. And as a Senator he represented all the people of Alaska. Just some more than the rest perhaps. But those few, what onerous burdens have they in turn been able to impose on other citizens that garnered them the largess which they saw fit in part to share with the honorable Senator? What were the effects on all Alaska citizens of the advantages the Senator’s “kindness” towards his “patrons” imposed? Higher fuel expenses perhaps?
This draws into focus a broad and compelling issue of which we should not loose sight. Corruption is like an endemic disease. It is always present, and it always has the potential to become epidemic. Laws of prohibition for drugs breed corruption within law enforcement, the state’s judiciary system and the courts. Spend a week or two in Columbia if you think otherwise, or take a vacation in Mexico. As the system is currently implemented, the corrupt suffer little if any disruption of their exploitation of this absurd inversion of justice, they reside near the top of the pyramid and as such are rarely caught, more rarely convicted, and virtually never suffer any consequences. Those they exploit and off whom they grow rich, may die or be imprisoned for years, because they are defenseless.
Mrs. Johnston’s case is an apt counterpoint to this travesty, she appeared before the bar of justice alone, without even an attorney. Her erstwhile family by potential marriage has an army of attorneys, yet they were so Christian as to utterly ignore her. Palin will flip which ever way the wind seems to be blowing respecting the status of Stevens. But Mrs. Johnston might as well be considered dropped on the frozen tundra 100 miles from the nearest road to shift for herself.
So justice, and mercy are not equivalent, nor do they share much in common. And justice is not blind, at least not in these United States. Its glare is harsh and piercing on the weak and impoverished, it only glances at the gross transgressions of its moneyed friends.
Prison is too good for Stevens. We, the people, should expropriate all his assetts, and install him in an hovel in Barrow. Let him figure out on his own how to survive, at no expense to the state. Such a gesture might give other politicians pause as well, the so-called doctrine of deterrence.
“My tables, meet it as I set it down
that one may smile, and smile, and be
a villian. ”
Hamlet
Cheers,
If Ted Stevens woulda just got on the ‘bunch of tubes’ and looked up the–ah, forget it. He knew. He just didn’t care. I don’t want him to go to jail, either, but I am for community work (i.e., giving money to the poor people in Alaska) and house arrest. As for Harry Reid, he can kiss my yellow butt.
CRFlats, that is, indeed, good news. I also love your Al Franken avatar, or should I say, :Senator Al Franken? I love saying that, especially since Normie probably has to grind his impossibly white and prominent teeth every time he hears it.
Off topic: Joe the Plumber is now Joe the war correspondent. Pajama media is sending him to Israel. Thanks, Sarah, for yet another episode of Joe-the-idiot.
Ted Stevens is/was a lawyer.
He also hired, I presume, office staff who should know the requirements of the Senate. If Stevens didn’t know and his staff didn’t know what was required by law, then they don’t belong in the Senate.
The same goes for the Palin staff. Although that whole crew needs ethics training.
NO MORE EXCUSES FOR ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR!!!!!
You or I would be in jail or fined
WHy should there be a two tiered legal system?
asiangrrrrrrrllll… where have you been? Haven’t seen you in like… forever.
back on topic… Reid is showing himself to be quite the whimp. He needs to toe the line on any Blago appointment to the Senate. And he needs to shut up until the Senate gets a signed certificate from the IL SOS. Period.
Harry Reid is an idiot and Nancy Pelosi is his clone. It’s probably impossible to ever unseat either of them from their prominent posts, but I hope the posters who say that Obama and Rahm will rein them in are right. Lance, I like your style; make Stevens pay out of his own pocket and put in community service time. The State has carried him long enough (and will continue to on his enormous Senate pension that they refused to strip from him).
sauerkraut, political burn out. I had to take a break, but I still read ‘the flats.
Reid, Feinstein, Pelosi, and the bunch need to go. They aided Bush and his regime in perpetrating war crimes. That may be why Reid feels the need to say Stevens shouldn’t go to jail.
Re: Reid. You can’t be a “real” democrat and be a Mormon. Likewise you can’t be a “real” Morman and be a democrat. How did he ever get his position anyway? That could be an interesting book somebody could write.
I also feel Stevens should do the house arrest in AK and help with community service to find a way to help the rural areas pay for fuel cost. This is a huge need.
Harry Reid has got to go. I really don’t care if a Rep replaces him in the next election. The Dems have got to figure that he is an idiot. He botched the whole Burris fiscao showed he has no brains. It’s all ego/power play and he lost – completely made a fool out of himself.
This old boys club has got to stop.
I’m watching RM again and just now noticed the same Harry Reid who is practically pardoning/condoning Stevens(a Rub), is giving a really good person (albeit appointed by Blago) but a honest man…Grief! He made him wait in the rain claiming a certain form wasn’t filled and is generally being a MF’er to Burris!!! This white cracker POS is judging this honest person because Blago recommended him?
Blago aside, somehow Blago found a honest Blk American to fill PEO Sen seat. He would still be hassling if PEO didn’t put his foot down and say get it done now!
I don’t like this POS Reid, Dem or not.
Hi folks. I’ve been reading when I can, but haven’t commented for a while. Hope everybody had a nice holiday, and is looking forward to New Year’s Eve on January 19.
Stevens and jail: It is almost unheard of for an 84-year-old non-violent felon to be sent to prison, and I certainly don’t expect this to be the exception. I hope there is the possibility of a hefty fine, and I must admit that the idea of electronically-monitored house arrest in Girdwood for a few winters sort of tickles me. Community service? Maybe he can give Mark tutorials on how to procure pork.
I would like to see the judge insist (by threatening prison) that Stevens publicly admit to wrongdoing. I may not seem bloodthirsty enough, but please realize the context — Stevens’s felonies are what you would call “administrative”. For comparison, if Sarah Palin really did fire Walt Monegan because he wouldn’t fire Wooten, that in my mind would be a far worse offense than Ted’s. Now, I realize that for many Alaskans (well, and for me too), the crimes of which Ted was convicted probably suggest that there were forty years of undetected corruption in advance. But, in a nation of laws, we’re not supposed to punish someone for being probably an offender.
I’ve disliked Ted Stevens for decades, but now he’s out of office, and what I mostly want to see is his reputation permanently tarnished. Putting him in the slammer at his age would just engender sympathy.
We need to do something about Ted Stevens International Airport (?) It just shows to go you shouldn’t name a public facility after someone until at least ten years after that person is dead. I am so tired of being embarrassed to be from Alaska (much less Wasilla). But maybe nobody cares as I haven’t been outside since the whole Palin fiasco. Hopefully it is old news by now.
asiangrrlMN (19:37:51) :
sauerkraut, political burn out. I had to take a break, but I still read ‘the flats.
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Hey- great to hear your voice:-)
The Burris fiasco is due to being outwitted by Blago: selecting a black Dem, who beat Obama in a primary long ago (and no love for Obama), but has run for governor two or three times and lost- hard to deny seating someone who will be the only black Senator, but has a history of losing, so will lose the seat if he runs in two years- screw the Democrats. Diabolical.
Regarding Harry Reid: Harry is, in fact, a Mormon, and not surprisingly a pretty conservative Democrat. He also does not seem to have a very good seven-second-delay between his brain and his mouth (a problem with which I am personally very familiar). This is really only a social inconvenience for the average person, but it is a big problem when you are Senate Majority Leader.
It might make sense for the Democrats to replace Reid, because of his communication problems; on the other hand, it would be yet another distraction. I’d say mid-term — after all, he may not get re-elected.
I also have to say that I think Harry has received a substantial amount of undeserved abuse from my fellow liberals. I believe this is because some folks had the impression that the 2006 elections caused a sea change in the Congressional political alignment. Indeed, the Democrats made major gains, but in the Senate the result was a one vote majority, and (think now about Iraq-related legislation) that one vote was Joe Lieberman. And, of course, the President was of the opposing party. Bloody LBJ couldn’t have gotten a war appropriation with a timetable passed under those circumstances. Criticizing Reid because he couldn’t either is pointless.
Don’t misunderstand me — I do think that Reid has been too conciliatory. I would have enjoyed seeing the Repos have to physically filibuster, if only for the entertainment value. But the thing is, ultimately, the outcome would likely have been the same. Remember, during a filibuster, all other business is suspended. If you recall the Clinton impeachment fiasco, you’ll recall that the rest of the government of the US basically went to hell while it was in progress. Myself, I don’t consider that to be a good thing.
Now, this most recent Blago/Burris flap. You may recall that when all 50 Demo senators signed the letter to Blago saying that they would deny seating to anyone he appointed, PE Obama said “good job, I agree”. So Blago appointed Burris anyhow, and Reid, as ML, led the way in opposing his seating — like all the Democratic Senators, and the President-Elect, said they would do.
Parenthetically, I believe that the Senate had a plausible legal argument, despite Powell, because this was an appointment, not an election; but I suspect they would have lost at SCOTUS because Blago is only accused, not convicted.
But, in any event, the Senate’s legal theory was far from a slam-dunk, and now we have PE Obama weighing in that Burris doesn’t seem to be such a bad fellow so why not seat him? So it looks like Reid and the Senate will go for it (thankfully eliminating one distraction). Why is this charade Reid’s fault, exactly?
If Burris had any moral muscles, he wouldn’t have taken the position. Others didn’t. Therefore, on the face of it he hasn’t much of a position to stand on. Blago did outwit the dems, but he was too clever by half. Paybacks are hell.
Actually I’d rather have Reid out bumbling occasionally than have the likes of Tom DeLay and all his secrecy and corruption. I am also tired of hearing Nancy Pelosi being trashed by the white boys club and their Chistianoid female affliates. She must scare to crap out of a lot of people.
Finally, Congress is the congress and the presidency is the presidency and it is not the job of the president to humiliate the guys who hold the purse strings. Separation of powers?????? Anyone??????? I think Harry Reid will be the majority Leader for awhile and no one from Obama’s administration is in a position to tell him how to do it. Isn’t that what we all complained about the Republicans doing for 8 years?
BS – Thank you. I scrolled through all the comments thinking, Reid is a Mormon. That’s all that needs to be said. Mormonism is a dangerous, whack-job cult, and no one in politics who is a member of that cult can be trusted. period.
Asiangrrrl– welcome back!! And congratulations on your new senator!
Hick Town in W PA (21:08:43) :
———————————————————
Personally, I don’t mind Pelosi being trashed by the white boys’ club, et al, but it does bother me when liberals get up her nose because Jan 2007 didn’t mark the instant and total overthrow of the Bush Administration.
Nancy is not my Rep, but I live close enough to SF to pay a little attention. She is a quite liberal Democrat who also happens to be a very capable politician. Despite having a caucus where her whole majority was “Blue Dogs”, she managed to get out a fair amount of progressive bills. People seem to forget that the HOUSE did pass Iraq appropriation bills with timetables — that’s how they got as far as the Senate to die.
It seems like a lot of people cannot forgive her for saying impeachment was “off the table” in the run-up to the 2006 elections. Oh well. I said that she’s a politician — I have no doubt that she took that position specifically to encourage swing voters, and I suspect several Blue Dogs owe their election to it. The thing is, though, she was also acknowledging political reality — if the Democrats had been willing to devote the entire 110th Congress to the impeachment of Bush and/or Cheney, it’s possible that they might have accomplished it. But the odds of the Senate voting to convict were zero. I could write a list of 34 Republican Senators who would have voted no if there were video of Cheney shooting detainees in the head, but so could anyone.
Anyway, with a decent majority in both houses, and a President of the same party, I predict that in a year or so we’ll see comments about how Pelosi seems to have changed for the better. Probably it will be attributed to Obama’s influence. ;->
I’m glad that Burris can only serve 2 years until he has to stand for re-election which I hope he loses. I’m an Obama supporter, but the more I read about Burris, I do not think he is a good and just man. I think he is ego driven. He has built his own crypt in Chicage listing his accomplishments. Like George Foreman, he also named both his children after himself – Rolanda and Roland III.
But the worst thing he did (in my opinion), was to seek the death penalty for a man that he knew was innocent(Cruz). Some assistant AGs resigned over this case. They pleaded with him to drop the case, he refused, was running for Gov and didn’t want to appear weak on crime. Man was sentenced in 1983, in 1992 someone else confessed and the DNA confirmed the other man’s guilt. After serving 11 yrs on death row, Cruz was released after being granted a new trial. I don’t want a Senator from any state who let an innocent man spend 1 minute on death row much less 11 yrs.
pearl89 (21:57:07) :
Yikes. I knew he was arrogant, but this is terrible. I hope they assign him to do-nothing subcommittees, so he can rot in the Senatorial hinterlands (sorry, IL)
Regina NYC (16:18:25) :
There was no room at the inn for the Obama family, Obama acted like a gentle soul and went to the Hays, and now what a roar we hear. The inn with more than 130 rooms has only one resident, a politician who lost his seat and who was an Obama bad mouther….
The unseated politican will, naturally, soon receive a bush award, along with two or three others. Question, why are the others not staying at the inn?
————————————————————
One commentator has posited that the installation of the Little Aussie Weasel at Blair is just a cover-up – a last-minute excuse – and that until just recently there was no plan for anyone to be there.
Clearly, the only plan was to make life difficult for the Obamas.
strangeletNo (21:33:40) :
I agree totally with you. There is no way impeachment was possible. They couldn’t even outlaw waterboarding. A 2/3 majority is difficult with a one vote majority and that was in the hands of that Brutus Leiberman who seems to love all things Republican these days.
What can you say when the Gov of SC had to be shamed into asking for unemployment extensions for his state? Easy for him not to believe in it. Duh. So let him give up his salary. Live on food stamps. I say this because I am interested to see who the neoHooverites will be in the Senate.
Stevens will probably never spend a night in Jail. But he should spend the remainder of his days working at homeless shelters/food banks/ writing grants or whatever for heat assistance and forfeit his Senate retirement.
For someone “with so much” to greedily take more – should work for the people he should have been working toward helping in the first place.
** and a new nickname for the airport….. “Felony”
Sorry – couldn’t resist
Love the writing AKM – I read your work every day
wired dif – Yes, whack jobs. I’ll have to ask my Mormon relatives if they think Reid is a “spy” or a “traitor.” Of course if they thought he was a spy, they wouldn’t tell me. WTF – too weird.
If Ted Stevens is vigorous enough for another term in the Senate, he’s vigorous enough to go to prison for his felony (multiple) convictions.
Prison time may convince him and any other politicians considering dipping into the slop trough that they are not above the law…..they are (gasp) just like everyone else.
Justice sometimes has to be poetic, not just merciful…….such as, sharing a cell with Bill Allen or incarceration in a prison that his earmarks or kick-backs helped to build.
Good commentary, AKM, however I am not sure if Stevens can’t be pitied somewhat. Didn’t he do good things in his life? Didn’t what he brought to Alaska in pork over his tenure in the Senate help all Alaskans.? Yes, he in the end thought he was above the law but I can see that after all the good he did do that he in his old age may have thought that he deserved it. I have an 85 year old Aunt that is always telling me that “this is my damned house and I’ll do what I damned well please…” Now truly that is not an excuse but I do have a bit of compassion for the old goat. I hug trees, also.
As for my fellow Mudflatters comments about Reid regarding Burris: I believe after watching and listening and reading news for the past two days that my beloved Democrats did not think this one through. They were so incensed over the idea that B-Rod (innocent until proven guilty) would arrogantly go ahead and appoint someone that they said things that they simply couldn’t back up. No one in the Senate has the power to keep Burris out constitutionally or legally or otherwise. That was apparent yesterday. While I must say that I find Burris a bit odd that does not mean he can be kept from his Senate seat. I am student of the law and what Reid and the Democrats were trying to do is not moral nor legal. After taking a day from the drama of Tuesday to find their footing, you will note that Reid and the others are toeing the legal line. That is all they can do. I wish they had kept their yaps shut regarding the matter until the legal aspects were defined but *sigh* they did not.
Gail Collins covers the Burris issue quite well and with humor. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/opinion/08collins.html?ref=opinion
OT, but, asiangrrlMN, Nice to see you back and kicking in your 2+ cents! Figured you were lurking around, but it’s good to know you’re here so we can say congrats on your new Senator! (Why won’t Coleman just go away?!?) Did you see the footage of ours (AK’s) with his son going gaga over PEO two days ago?
Last night KO reported that Reid plans on staying the leader until 2015………HUH?? I think we need to remember why Obama hired Rahm…………even his worst critics RESPECT him….he gets the job DONE !! Reid is on record saying a lot of dumb shit – but I believe “I don’t work for Obama” is gonna be the cherry on his cupcake………Harry – make an appointment with your proctoligist for a foot removal……Rahm-bo is coming to see you ………
There should be an age limit… Too many times on C-Span we see drooling old men at the podium…. Strom Thurmond comes to mind and most recently Robert Byrd. Why these men not only repeatedly ran for their Senate seat and were re-elected I don’t know……… Ted Stevens clearly lives in his own bubble…
White collar crime and being sentenced to a cushy federal prison isn’t exactly hard time but a reality check. Stevens is old enough to know better…..
My opinion:
There is not more than 1 or 2 government officials who have not stolen or lied or done worse and they are afraid to take action because dirty little secrets will start flying around on those who took action. Our government is a joke!!
Asian!!!!!
Where the heck have you been? I’ve missed your posts and thought you were gone. My chest got tight, I couldn’t breathe and I was downright bummed out.
Nice to see you are back even though I choked on a little bit of my coffee when I gasped because I saw your post!
OK OK I know off topic, but at least I wasn’t territorially peeing all over AKM’s blog!
Speaking of OLD men who need to depart from the Senate, this column in the Denver Post yesterday hit the mark:
http://www.denverpost.com/harsanyi/ci_11388160
I usually disagree with David Harsanyi, but not in this case; Reid, Byrd et al, are you listening?
Thank you AKM for your writing. I love coming here every day to see what crazy new things are going on in AK and the rest of the country. This is a great news source!!
This is a bit off topic but, I thought after everything W has done over the course of the past 8 years I couldn’t be surprised by his actions any longer. The whole deal with not letting the Obamas stay at Blair House (classy move) and now $485,000 for new china – 2 weeks before leaving office! No shame whatsoever! I know that these are small things relative to the grand scheme of his tenure, but it’s like it’s just doesn’t end. What will they do on the 19th!?!
I really can’t wait for the 20th – it will be so nice to have an itelligent, rational human being for president of our United States.
OT
Anybody watched this?
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=254953
BSNo Gravatar (19:45:10) :
Re: Reid. You can’t be a “real” democrat and be a Mormon.
______________________________________
I find your comment to be incorrect to the point of being offensive.
I know quite a number of Mormons, most of whom live their lives under Democratic ideals. With the exception of abortion.
avahomeNo Gravatar (04:01:32) :
There should be an age limit
______________________________
Agreed. At the state level, mandatory retirement comes at 70. While I believe 70 is too young for many, 80 isn’t. Let’s set 80 as the mandatory retirement age across the federal board – president, legislature and SCOTUS. If 80 comes during the elected term, then you are not eligible to run for that office.
Yes, Uncle Ted did wrong. Yes, he should be punished. But should he go to jail, and to what ends? Several have suggested apt punishments for him, fines, house arrest and community service. He is arrogant, ignorant and greedy and knew he was doing wrong. He should not get away with it. As long as he is convicted of one felony, I will be happy. After watching news clips and reading transcripts of his trial, the jury made the right call. I just don’t think jail time for an 85 year old would make him a better person. I’m not sure anything would.
Hick Town in W PA:
That was a good article re: Burris. Well, he does appear to be very ego driven, but maybe since he has BIG SHOES to fill…? No one, I mean no one, will be a Senator like Barack!
And if proves not…he can be voted out in 2010! HeHe, that’s pretty bad ole Rush called Reid a Racist….
sauerkrautNo Gravatar (06:49:26) :
avahomeNo Gravatar (04:01:32) :
There should be an age limit
______________________________
Agreed. At the state level, mandatory retirement comes at 70. While I believe 70 is too young for many, 80 isn’t. Let’s set 80 as the mandatory retirement age across the federal board – president, legislature and SCOTUS. If 80 comes during the elected term, then you are not eligible to run for that office.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I agree, especially after reading the article from above. And to say Stevens shouldn’t be in prison, because of advanced age, well he was in the Senate….! I guess the issue is, white collar crime vs. crime! Martha Stewart went to the “Big house” for what she did. Stealing is stealing, whether you misappropriate funds by paper shuffling or go into a bank with a note…! It is what is…stealing!
Jane Hamsher wants to play poker with Reid !!! …….read her at firedoglake.com……..her take on the Burris saga is too funny !!
Thanks for the link to:
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=254953
Poor deluded Sarah, who takes no responsibility for anything — and thinks that nobody should ask any questions, or they should be limited to what she wants to tell you, and she shouldn’t have to answer or give substance to what she says and does — we are all just supposed to believe whatever comes out of her mouth, even if what she says conflicts with what she does or says in other settings, and there is no proof backing her up, and especially when looking at what she says and this does not make sense to what our own experience tells us. Poor Sarah who blames the media for “gotcha” but doesn’t take any responsibility for her any of her hateful statements about Obama….. She apparently has no idea that the questions regarding Bristol and Levi are aimed at what she thinks and her actions and her truthfulness, rather than with malevolance towards these particular teens — She parades them at the convention and then thinks their behavior/actions are off-limits. And we are out here shaking our heads, thinking to ourselves “None of this makes any sense!” I started looking for information when she was named as the VP choice by McCain — I had no prior knowledge of her and no pre-conceived impressions, and everything I came up with told me “None of this is believable!” and none of the common-sense questions have been answered by the campaign, what she says, or anything out there “on the record.” And yet she thinks that if she had been picked as Obama’s running mate, the press would have been kinder? Whaaaat???
That’s a little convoluted, but Sarah gives me a headache when she talks…..
HAs anyone seen the new interview Sp has done?
It is incredible to me that she is still blaming others for her own lack of abilities.
She wants people in the lower 48 to examine her record and see all she and her administration has accomplished.
WHen she was first selected as a VP candidate, I was impressed that mcCain even chose a women. I am a Democrat and decided to take a look at SP and her record from Mayor till present day.
I read the newspaper articles from ALASKA not the MSM. I read back issues to see exactly who this women was. I read what Alaskans thought.
It did not take me long to figure out that, she is either a liar and/or delusional and she was totally, totally unprepared to be a VP candidate.
I am sorry she is even your Gov.
Sarah Palin is a dangerous person to have in government. She is another GW Bush, without the support of people who who know how to govern.
And the lying about her record is disturbing because it can easily be verified.
But she never has had to be accountable for her actions she even was able to get another opinion on troopergate.
She reminds me of a female Tom Delay, not because she is as nasty as he was but because he got away with so much until he fell.
Lets not let her get too far into it, so the cleanup will not be so bad. Or the damage.
Small doses as needed for humor………
*HORK*
did you all see where SWWNBN is complaining STILL about the Couric interviews? She’s accusing Ms. Kennedy of using her “class status” to advance her agenda in the Senate.
Uhhh… Grifter Spice…. you wouldn’t know class if it hit you between the eyes! Caroline has more class in her little finger than you will ever have or ever wish to have.
Man, I just cannot STAND that woman. Alaskans, please get rid of her for us all. She gives me a headache.
LOL I had not read the prior posts! LOL @ Grandma Nancy “but Sarah gives me a headache when she talks…..”
Great minds and all that…
check out this red hot tidbit!!!
http://www.andrewhalcro.com/healy_clean_coal_rewarding_cheats_and_con_men
Justice? I’m still pissed about Scooter Libby. Bush commuted his 30 month prison sentence since Libby still had that huge $250,000 penalty to pay. Which Libby paid by check the same day. If you have a quarter million dollars in your checking account, then it’s not a severe penalty.
I hear this is another of gov Palins accomplishments that may shortly blow up in her face…….gosh so much drama and entertainment.
http://askeptics.blogspot.com/2008/09/palin-wrong-for-alaska-wrong-for.html
Perhaps a bit OT… Or perhaps related to this: http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=254953 (don’t know, because I can’t access it from this computer), but here’s poor, pitiful Grifter Spice whining about the coverage of Caroline Kennedy vs Ms. All-About-Me…
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090108/pl_politico/17217
She also whines about the McCain campaign, as well as Tina Fey’s and Katie Couric’s success based on – you guessed it! – her!!! The punch line is priceless:
“After being shown a clip of Couric complaining to David Letterman that
no post-election interviewer has asked Palin why she would not tell the
CBS anchor what newspapers she reads, the Alaska governor
responded: “Because, Katie, you’re not the center of everybody’s universe.”
*satisfied sigh!*
“Sarah Palin – the gift that just keeps on giving!!”
Happy New Year, Mudpups!
One thing I agree on, is I did vote for Obama, because McCain selected SP as her running mate, or his. I did base this based on her performance. Obama/Biden, answered all my questions and, not only that, they spoke the truth. If you go to ADN they have a link, its funny how she says everyone became famous from…her.
UGH! It will be so nice to see the inauguration take place in a few more days.
Ripley in CTNo Gravatar (10:02:45) :
*HORK*
did you all see where SWWNBN is complaining STILL about the Couric interviews? She’s accusing Ms. Kennedy of using her “class status” to advance her agenda in the Senate.
Uhhh… Grifter Spice…. you wouldn’t know class if it hit you between the eyes! Caroline has more class in her little finger than you will ever have or ever wish to have.
Man, I just cannot STAND that woman. Alaskans, please get rid of her for us all. She gives me a headache.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOL! {SMACK} there I did it! Caroline grew up with one of the most classy Mother’s in history! She is educated and well written. I have seen idiots comparing her to Palin (b/c she is a woman?) But I can see no reason why some idiot would compare the two, b/c really, there is no comparison. Grifter spice can whine all she wants, anonymous bloggers’, gotcha media, blah, blah, blah, Oh Tina Fey “exploiting her” Got news for you Barbie…TINA FEY made you look GOOD! Tina Fey didn’t show us the evil venomous b*tch up there calling BO a terrorist and asking “Who really is Barrack Obama”?
Alaska, Please, Please GET RID OF HER!
Say No TO Palin In Politics (10:04:52) :
check out this red hot tidbit!!!
http://www.andrewhalcro.com/healy_clean_coal_rewarding_cheats_and_con_men
_________________________________________________________________________
Thanks for the link; I shook my head when I read it. I could be mistaken, but I don’t think there is a successful, commercial clean coal plant running yet; from what I’ve read, I think it will be about a decade before the technology is perfected. I emailed Andrew Halcrow that question; does any mudpup know if this plant has run successfully- pollution/emissions measured?
First the Palin Pipeline, now this…I hope Alaskans start screeching about misuse of tax dollars-
Susan(10:07:04) :
Justice? I’m still pissed about Scooter Libby. Bush commuted his 30 month prison sentence since Libby still had that huge $250,000 penalty to pay. Which Libby paid by check the same day. If you have a quarter million dollars in your checking account, then it’s not a severe penalty.
______________________________________________________________________
I doubt Scooter paid this out of his own pocket; probably some Republicans, who did not want the truth to eventually come out, coughed up the dollars- preserving Libby’s silence.
ADN has the story about the vid. naming CD…anyway the vid. maker at his website says he arrived at the palin home in Wasilla on monday ( gee wonder if she collected a per deim for this day while giving interviews?)
…. Bristol Palin, eight days removed from giving birth, politely answered the door and Governor Palin, not yet fully put together, rushed out to tell me and our crew to make ourselves at home.”
A Bristol sighting!
Oh boy, here is the interview from the guy Zeigler, he & she really playing the sympathy card here….let me get my violin out…people trying to “take her down”….Puuulllsee! Have Barf bag, handy…!
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jziegler/2009/01/07/my-interview-with-sarah-palin/#more-10885
@CO almost native (10:33:39) :
It operated for ~90 days about 9 or 10 years ago in test mode, but was never run as a fully operating plant, because, I believe, they discovered that it wasn’t actually effective as a clean coal plant.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC-tOzXQOsk
HA! she keeps putting herself in our lives.
The laws are supposed to apply to all Americans equally. This is a fundamental basis for our country’s judicial system. Shame on Harry Reid for implying that because someone served in the military he/she is exempt from our laws. I respect Ted Stevens for what he brought to Alaska, but am embarassed for how he ended his career.
senate legislative panel in Illinois concludes:
The committee found that “the totality of the evidence warrants the impeachment of the governor for cause.”
My New Year’s wish is that at some point before 2012 “Alaska” can be substituted for Illinois.
And Uncle Ted should do time, cranky old douche bag.
I’m stomach-punched at the Halcrow article! Is there anything to be done?! Is it really a done deal? What can we do?!!
HOPE!
I love lurking and reading the posts, particulary Krubozumo Nyankoye @ 18:57:56 and Strangelet @ 20:24:47 – thoughtful, well-written.
In my HO, Stevens should admit guilt, be denied his pension and placed on house arrest. Nothing would be gained by a prison term – he’s not dangerous, and without the power of a senior U.S. Senator, it’s unlikely he’ll be bribed again. Off topic, perhaps the Senate could devise a suitability test for each Congress – a quiz on ethics policy for each new and returning Senator. If they don’t pass, they take a remedial ethics course – then have no excuse to flout the law.
new thread!
Yeah, right. I’m really not used to following all these stupid laws either, so I guess I should be immune from prosecution…… let’s say…… if I break one of them? I can see why the Congress GAVE AWAY billions of dollars to a bunch of thieves without prosecution. They should be excused because they are not used to following the laws and have no ethical consideration for anyone but their greedy selves. Here are some of the consequences….. the poor are going to pay for this again — i.e. higher college student expenses, less resources for disabled individuals, or the sick and needy. These are all the people who have no money, and it must be all their fault. Talk about the strong preying on the weak. We have a government who condones a country of vultures. Off my soapbox now.