Equal justice under the law?

[Octafish]

by H. Brandt Ayers
The Anniston Star, Sunday, March 1, 2015

If there is such a concept as the words written on the pediment of the U.S. Supreme Court building, it is hard to discern in the dramatic difference in the sentences awarded in four high-profile cases.

Last Friday, former Virginia First Lady Maureen McDonnell was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison on corruption charges. Earlier her husband, former Gov. Bob McDonnell got two years on the same charge.

In February 1994, Alabama Gov. Guy Hunt began serving a five-year probation for illegally pocketing $200,000. The parole board later pardoned Hunt, but no judge would sign the required document.

In 2006, Gov. Don Siegelman was convicted on a charge of corruption and sentenced to seven years in federal prison. He is still in prison.

Two years, a year and a day, probation and…seven years! Who can explain such drastic differences in punishment for alleged misuse of office?

Three who received relatively light sentences each benefitted personally from their acts, and each was a Republican. The only Democrat, Siegelman, didn’t make a nickel from his office but got the harshest sentence.

CONTINUED...

http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/article_d6a93f26-bed9-11e4-bd8e-2f5752747fe1.html

Now THAT is a newspaperman.

[mother earth]

1. Funny how we are led to believe lady justice is blind...she sure as hell knows the difference btwn

an R & a D.

K & R, & TY, Octafish

[Octafish]

2. Daniel Ellsberg noticed the effect in the National Security Department of Whistleblowers...

The ones with War Inc. get off lightly, compared to the ones who noticed the War Crimes.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026326150



You are most welcome, mother earth. Thank you for standing up with Justice -- and its offspring, Democracy.

[mother earth]

3. TY for that link, Ellsberg is right, the corrupt entities absolutely know they are above

the law, while whistleblowers are shaped as public enemy number one. Yet somehow we think we can solve what ails us by celebrating a first black president, or celebrating the possibility of a first woman as president.

Wish it were so easy, I wish we could see business as usual is our own blindness. If we could, we might actually be on our way to finding working solutions.

[Overseas]

4. Sad K&R.

[Octafish]

5. Thank you, Overseas. It IS sad -- for the United States of America, for Justice and for Democracy.

DU's been one of the few bright spots, shining light on these turds:



Know your BFEE: Bush and His Crooks with Badges Sent an Innocent Man to Jail

The author of that editorial in the OP is a real newspaperman. Ah, to be young again...