Category: Legal

Illinois’ National Disgrace Almost At At End: Blago Case Finally To Go To Jury

Posted on by TL

Our national disgrace is almost over, Chicagoland. Illinois. Blago’s case is finally going to the jury.

From the Sun-Times:

The prosecution finishes its rebuttal and Judge Zagel adjourns court for the day.

‘Members of the jury, you’ve heard all the evidence and the arguments,” he tells them.

He tells the jury it is especially important now that they avoid news reports and not talk about the case, and asks them to return in the morning for jury instructions.

The Sun-Times’ Blago Blog is really spectacular, providing the best coverage of the trial.

Except for my friend Cait, who actually went to the court today, and said Rod “had the most miserable depressed look ever on his face” when she saw him in the cafeteria.

Yes, Cait and a friend went to Chicago today to see Blago. And the Sox.

Enjoyed the Sox more.

Sorry, Rod.

Rod “The Mouth” Blagojevich Decides Again To Not Testify When It Matters Most: At Trial (With Video)

Posted on by TL

Governor Rod Blagojevich did not testify in his own defense when the Illinois Senate put him on trial and eventually threw him out of office. The man who never passed up a camera or microphone while in office decided to refrain from testifying before the Illinois Senate, and then showed up to speak before that same Illinois Senate just before they tossed him out.

Now, after his lawyers promised he would testify and would set the record straight, Blago has decided to snub the court once again.

Rod Blagojevich, now former governor, will not testify in his own defense.

Why? The best we can gather comes from the Chicago Tribune:

A defiant Rod Blagojevich defended his decision Wednesday not to take the witness stand at his corruption trial by declaring the government had not only failed to present a strong case against him, but actually proved his innocence.

But like many things the former governor has said over the years, the choice was more complicated.

While his lawyers publicly backed Blagojevich’s view that he didn’t need to respond to the government’s case, sources said the defense team was worried the former governor could be headed toward a beating on the stand that would only undermine his case and weaken his standing with the jury.

I’m going with the beating-on-the-stand-would-undermine-his-case explanation. This is my favorite:

The sources said the former governor had difficulty wrapping words around the concepts he wanted to use to defend himself.

After all this time, the former governor was at a loss for words? After showing up on The View?

I don’t think so.

Mad Tea Party Kicks Out Mark Williams (Video and Commentary)

Posted on by TL

I was so disgusted by this I just wanted to stay away. Plus, I don’t trust early news reports that attempt to sensationalize stories. Then, I read more, and finally forced myself to read Mark Williams’ letter to Abraham Lincoln, where he reveals his incredible lack of depth on race in America. To say the least.

I didn’t want to give Williams at press. He sounded juvenile, and, to tell the truth, this is the first I’ve heard of him, although apparently he has been riding the Tea Party tidal wave for a while, even perceived by some as a leader in the movement.

But all waves, tidal or otherwise, come to an end. And, while many in the Tea Party may in fact laugh secretly at his callow contribution to the national dialogue on race, they must disown Williams as the new face of the G.O.P. slouches forward with ever-vanishing credibility.

So, for posterity, here is Mark Williams’ attempt to enter the national debate on race in America, a letter to Abraham Lincoln:

Dear Mr. Lincoln

We Coloreds have taken a vote and decided that we don’t cotton to that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards. That is just far too much to ask of us Colored People and we demand that it stop!

In fact we held a big meeting and took a vote in Kansas City this week. We voted to condemn a political revival of that old abolitionist spirit called the ‘tea party movement’.

The tea party position to “end the bailouts” for example is just silly. Bailouts are just big money welfare and isn’t that what we want all Coloreds to strive for? What kind of racist would want to end big money welfare? What they need to do is start handing the bail outs directly to us coloreds! Of course, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the only responsible party that should be granted the right to disperse the funds.

And the ridiculous idea of “reduce[ing] the size and intrusiveness of government.” What kind of massa would ever not want to control my life? As Coloreds we must have somebody care for us otherwise we would be on our own, have to think for ourselves and make decisions!

The racist tea parties also demand that the government “stop the out of control spending.” Again, they directly target coloreds. That means we Coloreds would have to compete for jobs like everybody else and that is just not right.

Perhaps the most racist point of all in the tea parties is their demand that government “stop raising our taxes.” That is outrageous! How will we coloreds ever get a wide screen TV in every room if non-coloreds get to keep what they earn? Totally racist! The tea party expects coloreds to be productive members of society?

Mr. Lincoln, you were the greatest racist ever. We had a great gig. Three squares, room and board, all our decisions made by the massa in the house. Please repeal the 13th and 14th Amendments and let us get back to where we belong.

Sincerely

Precious Ben Jealous, Tom’s Nephew NAACP Head Colored Person

The Tea Party, the group that purports to finally represent all Americans, finally expelled Williams, if that means anything.

Nowhere to go but up for Williams now, if that’s possible.

‘Barefoot Bandit’ Lucky He Was Caught Alive

Posted on by TL

Yes, the dude is young, and cute.

But he’s lucky to be alive. The games he was playing were all-too-real.

And cute doesn’t make a difference, at all.

From AOL News, Mom speaks:

More than two years on the run, Colton Harris-Moore, aka the "Barefoot Bandit," was finally captured in the Bahamas, taken into custody after a high-speed boat chase. The 19-year-old suspect with a huge Internet fan club was led away — shackled and shoeless.

"I’m glad it’s over and they brought him in safe," Harris-Moore’s mother, Pam Kohler, told AOL News following his arrest. "I was afraid he would get shot if it kept going."

Harris-Moore’s arrest came just before dawn in northern Eleuthera, The Associated Press reported.

Apparently, a boat captain realized something was wrong when he saw a boat take off at 2 a.m. Sunday with no lights. He and another resident alerted the Bahamian Police, and a chase ensued.

"As we approached him, he started saying things like, ‘I’m not going back to jail; I’m going to kill myself," Jordan Sackett, a Harbour Island resident who witnessed the ordeal, told WPTV News Channel 5.

Dude, you don’t need to do that. Serve your time. Life is wonderful. It’s all we have.

You’ll probably be out sooner than you think.

You’re lucky you were caught. Life is wonderful. It’s all we have.

Juror’s Hear Patti Blagojevich’s Potty Mouth

Posted on by TL
Blago

Patti On Tape: "Tell Them To Hold Up That F***ing Cubs S***. F*** them."

I don’t have a picture of Patti Blagojevich. Never met her.

Met the former Gov. several times. This picture comes from one of those meetings, taken in Matteson’s Lincoln Mall so many lifetimes ago, it seems now.

Actually believed in him once.

Yes, I was had, as were the many who voted for him.

In spite of the huge numbers who voted for him in Chicago’s South Suburbs, Blago the Press Guy only visited our area a few times.

This week, the jury hearing the trial of His Hairness got to hear Mrs. Blago talk smack, now on the record.

From Chicago’s CBS:

While Bob Greenlee, a onetime deputy governor for Rod Blagojevich, was on the stand Thursday, prosecutors played a tape of a phone conversation Greenlee had with Rod and Patti Blagojevich.

In that conversation, the three of them are discussing Chicago Tribune articles and editorials that had been critical of the governor and the Tribune Company’s attempts to sell Wrigley Field to the state as part of a pending sale of the Chicago Cubs.

Patti is heard saying, "Tell them to hold up that f***ing Cubs s***. F*** them, f*** them. Why should you do anything for those a**holes? Sam Zell. What kind of bulls*** is that."

Later, Patti is heard complaining about the Tribune’s editorial board.
"Just fire ’em … What would … William Randolph Hearst do, say, oh, I can’t interfere with my editorial board? … They’re hurting (the Tribune Company’s) business," Patti Blagojevich says.

Greenlee adds, "They’ve lost all impartiality."

Later, Rod is heard talking about asking his chief of staff, John Harris, to approach Tribune owner Sam Zell and tell him to "fire those f***ers."

Throughout the call, Greenlee repeatedly warns Blagojevich to be careful about how to approach the Tribune about the negative editorials about the governor, telling him it would be a "sensitive" issue to even just imply the editorial board should be fired.

At one point, Blagojevich asks, "What’s so sensitive about it?"

On the stand, Greenlee testified that he knew "it’s wrong to try to fire people over an editorial opinion."

I have no idea where this trial is going. It’s hard to keep up. The press is focusing on the profanity, sometimes over substance, I think. I hope the jury is hearing the substance. In spite of all the allegations, and some of our personal feelings, His Hairness deserves a fair trial. If convicted, it should be solid.

Of course, he only has himself to blame for the sideshow.

Federal Law Against Same-Sex Couples Ruled Unconstitutional

Posted on by TL

From our friends at the ACLU via ENEWSPF:

In two related cases, a federal district court in Massachusetts has ruled that critical portions of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violate the federal Constitution. In striking down the section of the statute that bars federal legal protections to legally married same-sex couples, Judge Joseph Tauro found that the law violates states’ rights to define marriage and violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause by treating married same-sex couples differently from married different-sex couples. Prior to the passage of DOMA, the federal government always recognized the states’ right to define marriage. The cases were brought by the Massachusetts attorney general and Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD).

A bill is currently pending in the House of Representatives that would repeal DOMA and respect state marriages by providing federal protections for married same-sex couples. The Respect for Marriage Act would ensure that, once the federal government recognizes the marriage of a same-sex couple, it would continue to recognize that marriage even if the couple moved to another state that would not have allowed the couple to marry in the first place.

The following can be attributed to James Esseks, Director of the ACLU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project:

"Today’s decision is an important step forward for marriage for same-sex couples. There are thousands of same-sex couples lawfully married in the five states and Washington, DC that currently allow them the freedom to marry. Today’s ruling recognizes that the federal government has literally no justification for refusing to respect those marriages.

"To finish the job, Congress should pass the Respect for Marriage Act, which is pending in Congress and would completely repeal DOMA. We applaud this decision and congratulate GLAD and the Massachusetts attorney general for their work in bringing the cases."

This is good news for all of us who hope for true equality in this country. We are very happy for all of our GLBT friends.

One day, this will all seem oh-so-silly.

DOMA has got to go.

Chicago Approves Tough New Gun Restrictions

Posted on by TL

From the Sun-Times:

Grumbling about a U.S. Supreme Court they say is out of touch with America’s cities, Chicago aldermen voted 45-0 today to approve a rushed-through compromise gun ban.

The law, weaker than the gun ban tossed out Monday but with some even stronger new provisions, allows adults in Chicago to buy one gun a month, 12 a year, but they must pay registration and permit fees and take five hours of training.

Within 100 days, anyone who wants to keep a gun in the city will have to register, get their training and pay the fees. Also within 100 days, any of the estimated 10,000 Chicagoans convicted of a gun offense will have to register at their local police station like sex offenders.

That last bit took me by surprise.

It better hold up in court. I like it.

Study: Marijuana Smoking Associated With Minimal Changes In Driving Performance

Posted on by TL

Marijuana may not impact driving, according to a new study.

From ENEWSPF:

Subjects exhibit virtually identical psychomotor skills on a battery of driving simulator tests prior to and shortly after smoking marijuana, according to clinical trial data published in the March issue of the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

Investigators from Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine assessed the simulated driving performance of 85 subjects in a double-blind, placebo controlled trial. Volunteers responded to various simulated events associated with automobile crash risk — such as avoiding a driver who was entering an intersection illegally, deciding to stop or go through a changing traffic light, responding to the presence of emergency vehicles, avoiding colliding with a dog who entered into traffic, and maintaining safe driving during a secondary (in-the-car) auditory distraction. Subjects performed the tests sober and then again 30 minutes after smoking a single marijuana cigarette containing either 2.9 percent THC or zero THC (placebo).

Investigators reported that volunteers performed virtually the same after smoking cannabis as they did sober and/or after consuming a placebo. "No differences were found during the baseline driving segment (and the) collision avoidance scenarios," authors reported.

Let the discussion begin.

More here.

Best Unintentionally Sexual Right-Wing Headline Evah: ‘Congress bows to gay agenda…’

Posted on by TL

Kudos to Eric Smith for catching this headline from the American Family Association:

Congress bows to gay agenda, repeals ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’

Congress has given in to pressure from gay activists and the White House and voted to repeal the "don’t ask, don’t tell" ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military…

And I’m just amazed the variety of categories I was able apply to put this tiny blog post.

Yup.

Politics, Petroleum and Pollution: Olbermann Analyzes the President’s Mea Culpa (Video)

Posted on by TL

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Olbermann analyzes the Gulf oil-spill catastrophe, including the President’s mea culpa.

Enjoy the vid.