Reply #105: Author Thanks & Comment on Siegelman Replies

[EagleViewDC]

As author of the Siegelman article, I want to thank everyone
for such a great discussion -- far exceeding that anywhere
else. A few more thoughts: Siegelman and his co-defendant
deserve a hearing with right to cross-examine witnesses and a
new judge. That would then mean a new trial. Then let the
chips fall where they may. But there's almost no chance that
Siegelman and his co-defendant would be convicted again in a
fair trial in my view. So the remedy is obvious.  By contrast,
a pardon would be a controversial political intervention in
the justice system, and also unfair to Siegelman's
co-defendant (who is serving a 7-year term). Those seeking
more documentation about any of the underlying scandals can
find much of it on my site (www.eagleviewdc.com) although the
continuing revelations now make a site a bit out of date.
Thanks again for this great discussion on Democratic
Underground! Please consider prompting it elsewhere to alert
new audiences, including the comments section of local
newspapers that largely ignore the story of selective
prosecutions like Siegelman and the parallels in other cases
around the U.S. I'll be among those documenting the other
cases in future reports shortly about the impact of the
"loyal Bushies" on lives and families around the
U.S. As Paul Krugman wrote when the U.S. attorney scandal
broke in early 2007, the issue isn't about nine mid-term
firings -- but about what the other 84 were doing to keep
their jobs.