Ex-Ill. Gov. Goes on Trial for Corruption

[Rose Siding]

CHICAGO - Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan won accolades for clearing the state's death row, but a scandal that destroyed his popularity and made him unelectable in 2002 has now brought him to a critical confrontation.

Accused of doling out big-money state contracts and leases to political insiders, the 71-year-old veteran politician is scheduled to go to trial Monday, charged in a 22-count indictment with racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud, lying to the FBI and tax fraud.
.....
Ryan and his co-defendant, lobbyist Larry Warner, are due in court Monday for jury selection.

The charges grew out of the federal government's Operation Safe Road, which initially focused on bribes exchanged for drivers licenses but over seven years expanded into a full-blown investigation of political corruption when Ryan was secretary of state and later governor.

Seventy-nine people — including many state employees — have been charged, 73 convicted and none acquitted.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050918/ap_on_re_us/governor_trial;_ylt=AggcfVq.YFzcpxp8OxKvRAFvzwcF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[seemslikeadream]

1. A friend of mine had to quit her job because of this

rather than "go along"

AND

While driving through southern Wisconsin, the driver, Ricardo Guzman, had a tail light assembly that was about to fall off of the truck. Several other truckers attempted to contact him by radio and by sight, but because of the language barrier, Guzman didn't notice. The assembly fell off, and the debris hit the Willis family minivan which burst into flames killing their six children and badly burning the parents Scott and Janet. Three others died in accidents with truck drivers who had illegally obtained Illinois CDLs

[jamesinca]

2. Another corrupt Repug

"They haven't got one witness that said they gave me a corrupt dollar or they paid me off in any fashion with money," the husky-voiced Republican said in a July interview with Chicago's WGN-TV.

[madrchsod]

3. fitzgerald cleaned up this mess

now he`s after daley and he`s still after the plame crimnals. this is the last guy on earth you would ever want to have on your tail

[madrchsod]

4. remember it`s illinois

if the democrats aren`t indicted the republicans are. yet we somehow elect some finest senators from both parties.....

[MADem]

5. One powerful thing that I remember about Ryan

...was that speech he gave when he cleared death row. He may be a corrupt son of a bitch, but that was ONE GOOD THING he did. And it took guts to do it.

[nevergiveup]

6. I totally agree

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. Wow! Another cellmate for the ExGov. Rowland of Connecticut. How touching

[ShockediSay]

8. Maybe they'll start a Republican Club in Jail.

Seriously though, this is what happened to Rowland, and to democracy in these United States - - "big-money state contracts and leases to political insiders," and throw in some corrupt lobbyists (Is there any other kind of lobbyist, I wonder.)

This is the cancer on our so-called democracy, and not a few others in this world. This is the reason it would be more economical for the populace as a whole to eliminate private contractor and lobbyists' money from political campaigns, even bearing the expense of public campaign financing (and putting a crimp into MSM media revenues and the corruption that goes along with them.) If we had an independent competitive and uncorrupted MSM, we would not be in Iraq, we would not have Bush for a President.

Freedom of speech? Offering a bribe is speech. Murder for hire involves speech. Selling government secrets is speech. Solicitation of prostitution is speech. When the capacity for harm far outweighs the desirability for free speech, the harm trumps free speech.

[brentspeak]

9. Governors and corruption

There's been quite a few governors - from both parties - who've been indicted, convicted, or otherwise have faced very serious corruption charges. Ryan of Illinois is the most recent. Arkansas Jim Guy Tucker, a Democrat, was convicted of fraud charges. Rowland, the Republican from Connecticut, who's now in the pen. Jim McGovern from my state of NJ almost certainly would be facing serious charges if he hadn't resigned from office. Now, of course, there's super corrupt Republican, Tenn.Governor Ernie Fletcher and casually corrupt Republican Ohio Gov.Bob Taft. Fletcher, in particular, deserves to have a SWAT team of federal prosecutors to examine his activities.

Then there's teflon corrupt Republican governors Jeb and Arnie...