Beaker wrote: 
ha! good advice, Beak.

 NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote: 
Well, he has kept his campaign promises.  He has been a trailblazer in health care issues — Illinois was the first state to guarantee health care for children.  Etc. etc. etc.

Before Blagojevich, Illinois state income taxes were actually higher than federal income taxes.  That practice stopped under Blagojevich.

This whole affair reminds me of "The Caine Mutiny".  Certainly the testimony of Governor Blagojevich at his (mock) trial bore an uncomfortable to Captain Queeg's testimony scene.

The moral of "The Caine Mutiny" was that maybe Queeg became unbalanced, but he was pushed; he didn't jump.

 hippiechick wrote: 
fair enough I'll go with that.
just don't put me on the jury cos I'm kind of 2 dimensional in these things.

 NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote: 
Whether or not he is or not, he deserves his day in court, and to be innocent until proven guilty.

 Servo wrote: 
Just a minute, What makes you think he is not a bad apple?

 dionysius wrote: 
No, that is not a foregone conclusion.  In fact, the underwhelming content of the tapes revealed once again that Patrick Fitzgerald lied to us.  It's looking more and more like Fitzgerald knew from the beginning that there isn't enough evidence to secure an indictment, much less a conviction.


Oh yes I can!  There is NOTHING in the Constitution of the United States of America or the Illinois constitution that says that it's an inalienable right of legislatures to do whatever they please.  If anything, it's the other way around!

It's NOT a right.  It's not even a privilege!  It is an absence of prohibition.  And in my opinion, the absence of prohibition is not a tacit power.


The problem with that is that the firing was not done by his bosses, namely me and the other people of Illinois who hired him.  Being "fired" by his political inferiors has a name: mutiny.

 hippiechick wrote: 
Did you see the unmarked state Crown Vic at the corner leave (without using a turn signal ), and a marked Chicago Police Crown Vic swoop in to take its place?

 Servo wrote: 

You're right, Rod Blagojevich has not yet been convicted of any of these crimes in a court of law. That is yet to come, and it will come. Meanwhile, the Legislature of the State of Illinois, quite appropriately in my opinion, has exercised it's (state) constitutional right in impeaching Blagojevich. You, of course, cannot argue that the legislature did not have the right to do so. It can do so for any reason it pleases, at any time. This is not a criminal trial. This is a "possibly" dishonest employee being fired.

 hippiechick wrote: 
Well, he got his political trial.  But to call that anything but a kangaroo court would be a lie.

If they deny his pensions, this will deny him his civil right to a fair trial, since he will not be able to pay for defense counsel that's comparable to the DOJ onslaught.

All security detail for the gov are getting in their cars and splitting. One of them took a car seat out of the back of the security van, and put it in his garage.

 Welly wrote: 
Well, I did see that, but really, what was the evidence? Besides his crazy phone call, we haven't seen any other proof of wrong doing.

 aflanigan wrote: 
It's always good when we practice what the Constitution demands.  Rod Balgojevich is still innocent as far as the law is concerned.  Those who heard the tapes were not convinced that they contained indicting evidence.

Those who are so quick to call others nasty things are the first to object when the tables are turned.  And when that happens, they deserve no sympathy.

 hippiechick wrote: 

Have you been watching Gerlado Rivera?

 dionysius wrote: 
I personally think that he screwed over, despite his cocky attitude. No real evidence, no trial.

They just voted to prevent him from holding any state office.

 dionysius wrote: 



We got rid of one of our own Corrupt Democratic Regime Leaders here in Massachusetts this past week:


Soon to be Felon Massachusetts House of Representatives Speaker Sal Di Masi resigns, only to be replaced as Speaker by equally ethically challenged Democrat DeLeo.

It's always good when we can promptly rid ourselves of corrupt, incompetent, and/or lawbreaking politicians.

And frustrating when we can't.

One down, way too many to go.

Here I'm going to agree with Beaker, and wave a happy buh-bye to Blago. He is/was a corrupt politician, blatantly guilty of simony.  He had extreme balls in trying to brazen his way through this, and you've almost got to admire that, up to a point. But he is a criminal, and deserves to go away. To a PRISON.

I am not happy that he insisted on making a senatorial appointment even after he was unmasked. Burris may or may not be a good choice, but Blagojevich forfeited his right, really, to make that choice for the people of Illinois once his corruption was made known. Blagojevich is a demagogic hack, a hideously corrupt official, a shame to the Democratic Party, a fool in denial, and a personal sleazebag.

Good, good riddance. Good job, Illinois, in impeaching him. Thankfully we can get on with more important things than this petty soap opera.

 rachlan wrote: 
He knew there was a D in there somewhere!

 Painted_Turtle wrote: 
I heard one of the CNN talking heads say that the water was 20°.  Sometimes...sheez...

The plane had quite a load of  jet fuel.  That might be one thing.