Wednesday Open Thread
It’s time again for your Wednesday open thread. Can you believe it’s Wednesday already? The weeks keep getting faster
Oh goody. We can spend more money prosecuting Rod Blagojevich. He was found guilty on just 1 of 24 charges – lying to investigators.
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been found guilty of only one of the 24 counts in his corruption trial. After deliberating for 14 days, the jury found him guilty only of making false statements to the FBI. The jury is deadlocked on the other 23 counts.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Blagojevich faces up to five years in prison. Judge James B. Zagel intends to declare a mistrial on the other counts.
The verdict is a huge defeat for U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, but the Associated Press reports that prosecutors said they plan to retry the case as soon as possible, and that Zagel set a hearing for August 26 to decide on the manner and timing.
Apparently the jury vote was 11-1 in favor of conviction. I’m sure the government will want to retry him but I really think it works in Blagojevich’s favor to look at plea deal.
You know who the real victim is? Dr. Laura, 1st amendment martyr:
She said on “Larry King Live” Tuesday night she won’t re-up when her contract runs out at the end of the year.
While Schlessinger told King she was still “regretful” over the incident, she said she feels her freedom of speech rights “have been usurped by angry, hateful groups who don’t want to debate – they want to eliminate.”
“I want to be able to say what’s on my mind and in my heart and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry, some special interest group deciding this is the time to silence a voice of dissent and attack affiliates, attack sponsors,” she said. “I’m sort of done with that.”
Schlessinger adamantly denied she was retiring, saying “I’m too young for that. I will be stronger and freer to say my mind through my books, my YouTube Channel, my blog and my website. And I’ll be on TV more, because I’ll have the freedom to speak my mind.”
“I decided it was time to move on to other venues where I could say my peace and not have to live in fear anymore,” she said.
I didn’t realize the 1st amendment contained a clause that you shouldn’t face consequences for your free speech if people don’t like what you say. Obviously I need to study the Constitution more because apparently there’s a bunch of modifying clauses I never noticed before.
Tags: Open Thread
Nixon got off for Watergate, Reagan got off for Iran-Contra, Clinton got off for getting off with a consenting adult, Bush got off his entire life.
So Blagojovic is getting off, but at least he went to trial.
Frankly, I’m surprised that you folks are not discussing this story? Is there a reason that you are hiding from it?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1303963/Obamas-War-Same-number-US-troops-die-Afghanistan-Bush-years.html
I bring this to your attention not to disparage Barack Obama’s policies,, nor to endorse them, but merely to note that this is a big story that no one seems particularly interested in talking about. After all, daily body counts were de rigeur during the Bush years.
I’ll talk about it. It is a sin. What are we trying to accomplish there? MacDonalds and Lowes on every street corner? Admit defeat (or declare victory)and get out.
On the other hand, the wars are keeping the unemployment numbers down.
Observer,
I raised the story on the Monday Open Thread @ 3:12 PM
Didn’t get much response then either.
Obomba questioned the wars execution, but he never opposed the Afghanistan (or Iraq) war on principle. So it goes … on and on.
IOKIODI ya know.
aww delcrat…..the last troops are leaving iraq… How is Israel gonna be wrong on THIS one… i cant wait!!
Interesting that Velda Jones Potter’s campaign finance reports aren’t yet on the DOE website.
But Chip Flowers’ are, showing that he loaned his campaign more than $200,000. Donors include Northington, Charlie Oberley and former Sussex Dem Chair Tim Willard.
Also that Protack – who actually got $8,965 in donations, though the bulk of it was in sub-$100 chunks and non-disclosable, of course – paid lots of cash to Pure Post Cards of Clearwater, Fla. Wonder if they were pink? He also loaned himself five grand.
IN addition to the loan, Flowers has raised $27,000, from what I can tell almost all from Delawareans, many of them lawyers, which is a heckuva lot more than most right-wing nutcase candidates ever raise. Other interesting names include Ted Blunt; uber-lobbyist Bobby Byrd, who contributed the maximum; and Henry Topel, a reliable Democratic money source with ties to Tom Carper.
… though the bulk of it was in sub-$100 chunks …
You can never argue his consistency, that is for sure.
…IN addition to the loan, Flowers has raised $27,000, from what I can tell almost all from Delawareans…
That is quite impressive for a primary fund-raising period, especially when picking one over the other for most of the reliable donors is not so much a slam dunk. I’ll say it again, that’s impressive for this moment in time.
I doubt he intends to spend $200,000 on the primary alone.
Oh, I agree. I meant being able to raise $27,000 in a primary mode where the bigger donors aren’t necessarily taking sides is impressive. I’m never impressed with the money loaned to a campaign as it isn’t a barometer of support.
This is incredible. Reports were due at 4:30 yesterday. It’s now past noon, and they’re not all posted yet. Is this a training day for DOE employees or something?
I’m eager & interested to see both Velda’s and Fatso’s. Neither are online at the moment, four hours after the DOE opened for business.
Am I impatient? Yes. Is it justified? Well, considering other states that are actually committed to transparency manage to post things online almost instantaneously, yeah, it is.