Es la Ley!

[mrdankelly]

Burris and his supporters are starting to sound like kids negotiating with a teacher over every question on an exam they've failed, applying literalism and creative definition wherever it suits them. "Here, you said that George Washington was the Father of Our Country, not Ben Franklin, which is what I said. Well, since Ben Franklin was also a

Comments

[ayun]

Laws: Not Always Fair Or Just
Ex-Post Facto Laws: Pretty Much Never Fair Or Just

I had to be reminded of Burris' role in the Rolando Cruz case. I wonder what a guy who served 14 years on death row to advance someone's political grandstanding would say about manufactured outrage.

[mrdankelly]

From another perspective, Blago, Attorney General Burris, and supporters: please don't piss on my leg and then tell me it's raining. I'm not asking for a new law. I'm asking for people to stop presuming laws supersede ethics. Ethics should beget laws, not vice versa. "Oh, Dan, you nutty crazy dreamer you!"

Rep. Danny Davis acted properly. Seems no one wants to talk about that anymore though. It's too amorphous and uncertain and requires a bit of intelligence and introspection. Much more than what's required to say, "Oh, just give it to him. What the worst that could happen?"

[semibold]

Exactly. The fact that Burris is willing to accept an appointment from Blago and then act all outraged when anyone might suggest there's a bit of a stench about it, well. That should tell anyone everything they need to know.

It might be legal to act like a giant tool, but your mom probably wouldn't like it.

[ayun]

I would have been impressed as hell if every post-indictment candidate went the Davis route. But, given that Blago found someone who wanted a senate seat bad enough to crawl through his taint to get it (wow, that came out grosser than I thought it would), what do you want to see happen now?

Seriously, I don't know what would be ethical to do in this exact situation, I only know what's legal. Acknowledging that what's been done is legal is not the same thing as saying I'm cool with it.

I thought this article was interesting:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-norman/harry-reid-the-most-corru_b_155024.html

[mrdankelly]

Acknowledging that what's been done is legal is not the same thing as saying I'm cool with it.

I never thought you were, but a whole lot of people out there are saying, "Well, it's the law. What are you gonna do?" Only a few of them seem to mean it with any real respect for the rule of law. Most either seem bored with the proceedings or have some ulterior motive. Not letting Blago pick will hardly stir up chaos. We got into a similar mess in an election a few years back. "Well, let's just stop recounting these ballots. What's the worst that could happen?"

As for what I'd like to see happen, I'd like mass protests outside Burris' office telling him to show some guts and resign. Then I'd like another election. But that's not what's going to happen, so what's on TV?