Journal mcgrew's Journal: Governor Blogabitch 10
I woke up feeling like warmed over dogshit Saturday morning, and as I'd had a couple of beers at Alan's the night before I thought I probably had a hangover. I didn't remember drinking a lot, but maybe I'd gotten carried away?
By Sunday morning I knew it wasn't a hangover because I didn't touch a drop on Saturday but I felt even worse. I suspect it was a peanut better on crackers you get pre-packaged and convenience stores that was to blame.
A peanut plant in Georgia identified as the source of an outbreak of salmonella shipped out products that managers knew might have been tainted, U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said on Tuesday.
Monday the clock went off and I got up, still feeling like I'd been run over by a semi. I got ready for work... and called in. There was no way I could function. So I turned on the TV.
Illinois Governor Rod Blogabitch was on every news program, doing a TV video blog with all the talk show hosts and news reporters instead of being in Springfield for his Senate trial. He has been impeached by the Illinois House of Representatives, every Representative except a relative of his voting for impeachment. The Illinois Senate started hearings to remove him from office Monday. He didn't bother to show up, flying to New York with a cadre of Illinois State Police, who are paid by Illinois taxpayers.
I think the man has lost his mind. Maybe he's setting the stage for when his criminal case comes to trial and is planning on pleading insanity. Because he sure sounded crazy as hell.
He kept talking about "innocent until proven guilty", but this isn't a criminal trial, which starts in April. This is about firing him. One of the shows had a woman who works for the state call in and point out that that it's no different than if she was accused of violating ethics rules she'd be fired in a heartbeat.
"The state hired her," Blogabitch said, "but the people of Illinois hired me."
The people of the state of Illinois hired their Representatives and Senators, too. The representatives of the people of Illinois are the ones firing him. The woman who called in was hired by the state's Human Resources department, but if she were fired it would not be the same people who hired her - it would be her supervisor.
I wondered if I knew the woman. Living in Springfield, I know a lot of state workers, many of whom haunt the same bars as me and usually drink me under the table. With a Governor like Blogabitch I don't blame them.
I think she said something about ethics and having to take an ethics test, but remember I wasn't completely with it, as I was sick as two dogs. The impeached Goverornor proudly pointed out that he was that Governor who instituted said ethics test in his first year in office "and I passed with 100%" he said. As Bugsy is famous for saying, "what a maroon!" First, every state worker I talk to says the test is a joke. "You would have to be almost brain dead to flunk it", they say. Indeed, there was an item in the news last year about some people who failed the test because they completed it too quickly! I guess slashdot isn't the only place that punishes you for reading and typing too fast.
And if he passed the test with flying colors, he's admitted that he knows what ethics he's supposed to follow.
He didn't mention "pay to play", where if a contractor didn't pony up campaign cash he'd veto legislation favorable to that contractor. The Illinois Senate heard testamony about a hospital wing that was supposed to be built, but wasn't because the proper "campaign contributions" weren't made.
Leila called later as I was watching an old Star Trek episode on tape.
"Hi Dad, you took the afternoon off?"
"No, I called in, I feel like crap."
"Have you been watching the news? We're a laughingstock!"
Of course we are. What do you expect from the cartoon governor whose capitol is in a cartoon city?
I'm still waiting for him... (Score:2)
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It's rhetoric and nothing more. Not just rhetoric, but complete and utter bullshit. The Democrats aren't about to raise taxes during a recession (let alone a depression) because they know the Republicans would eat them alive at the polls next election, and Blago knows it.
It's just FUD.
interview (Score:2)
i saw an interview with him on ABC a few nights ago that surprised me. he basically said that he wants ALL of the tapes in their entirety to be released, not just the damning soundbites. i have no idea if the guy is innocent or guilty, but it made me wonder if he might be innocent. guilty people dont typically want all of the evidence out there for everyone to see.
the media has already hung him and so has anyone thats been watching it (i'll admit guilt here too, its a bad time to try and watch tv news again
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Honestly, at this point, I think he's just waiting to sell the book rights.
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He'll do it from prison. Or his wife will.
OT, your sig: I had one [wikipedia.org], but I burned it out while diagnosing a faulty guitar amplifier (it pays to be careful!)
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I googled to see if Illinois had such a law, and what I found dosn't exactly match what wikipedia says. drafted to address the public outrage that resulted when offenders were seen to profit from the notoriety resulting from their crimes [ncvc.org].
It is illegal to profit from a crime or the crime's notoriety, but as Governor of Illinois that doesn't apply. Were he to write a book about his political career, it would also not apply, especially if he made no mention of his arrest or impeachment.
Son of Sam would have b
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he basically said that he wants ALL of the tapes in their entirety to be released, not just the damning soundbites. i have no idea if the guy is innocent or guilty, but it made me wonder if he might be innocent.
That's why he said it. He knows that saying that would make you wonder if he were innocent. But the fact is, the Feds have the tapes, not the Illinois Senate, and when his criminal case comes to trial ALL the tapes will be available to him.
When he was on The View Monday, he refused to say "I am not a
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he was rather dodgy after the interesting part of the interview, but i dont know to chalk that up to him being a politician (masters of not answering questions or providing details) or a lieing criminal.
i aspire to one day be involved in politics at a state or higher level, so i try to convince myself that there really are politicians that arent full of shit all the time, dont make promises they know they cant keep, and actually answer questions in stead of skirting around them.
is it really impossible to b