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Mr. President, ignore Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). Do NOT commute George Ryan’s sentence.

He is fine where he is.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  December 1st, 2008 at 09:16 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Note: “former Governor” is a title of trust and respect, and Ryan has forfeited both. Please refresh your memory of the details of his criminal activities before you read on: it’s necessary to understand Senator Dick Durbin’s (D-IL)… well, “failure” is a nice, non-judgmental word, I suppose. John Kass likes “foolish”:

Just before Thanksgiving, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) moistened his finger and, as he has done so many times in his career, held the digit aloft to check the prevailing winds.

This time, when he figured the winds were just right, Durbin lofted his trial balloon that carried with it the hopes and dreams of the corrupt bipartisan Combine that runs this state.

Durbin said he was considering writing a letter asking Republican President Bush to commute the prison sentence of the corrupt and unrepentant former Republican Gov. George Ryan.

Because, hey, what does Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) care about dead kids, anyway?

That’s what Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) wants Bush to do: commute the sentence of a man indirectly responsible for the death of six kids. And one who still hasn’t shown any repentance for his crimes. But then again, as Kass noted, that’s just business as usual in the Illinois Combine:

From Chicago’s City Hall to Springfield, our politicians continually offer their testament, not by words, but by their deeds. They install their children or the idiot offspring of allies into public office. They endorse or enable corrupt colleagues. Their sons and nephews get the city sewer contracts, and other friends get the state casino deals. Others ride the white unicorn and talk reform and get the dream house with the help of the influence peddler who’ll soon be waiting for his own presidential pardon.

And many of us look the other way, because after such constant assault, we’ve become desperate for the comforts of myth.

I’ve long disagreed with Durbin on policy, but respect him. I don’t think he’s corrupt. Yet what he did here was profoundly foolish, and even if he panics and changes his tune tomorrow, he let Illinois know where we stand: in the back of the line, where the political class figures we belong, our necks craning upward, watching his balloon float above us, with all Ryan’s hopes inside.

So don’t commute Ryan’s sentence, President Bush. Leave him to rot in a federal pen. He deserves nothing but our contempt.

Moe Lane

PS: Anyone who is still undecided on this issue should consider: the call for commutation is being echoed by Rod Blagojevich, a man on track for his own set of indictments on corruption charges (assuming that they can be made prior to January 20th, at least). You’d have to be either a rampaging idiot or the ultimate in cynical weasels to let him make any sort of political decision.

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COMMENTS

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  • Warner_Todd_Huston

    I am an unfortunate Illinoisan. During the Civil War era Illinoisans had the nickname “suckers” because of the ever present sucker fish in its streams and rivers. But NOW it means sucker because EVERY politician here is a crook through and through. There are no Democrats and Republicans here. There are just crooks. They are to a man all the same.

    And Lyin’ Ryan was the biggest crook of them all. He does not deserve to get a pardon. Not only does this scumbag deserve to fulfill his FULL sentence, he deserves double the term handed him.

    George Ryan marks as the ONLY Republican I could not vote for for a higher office in this state. (Well, until McCain came around. But, up to McLame, Ryan was my only one.)

    I actually voted for the Democrat that went against Ryan because HE was more conservative and traditional than the crook Lyin’ Ryan.

    (Just to be clear, I did NOT vote for the Dem that faced McLame)

  • NightTwister

    And yeah, that’s still disrespectful to a sitting Senator that has served our nation his entire life with honor and distinction.

    Disagree with him, sure. But please don’t disrespect him.

  • JSobieski

    it is not inherently disrespectful.

    I respect Senator McCain as a man and a public servant.

    However, the term “McLame” is both funny and useful in characterizing McCain’s views.

    It is a perfect description of McCain’s political instincts and approach to policy.

  • NightTwister

    And during the campaign, these derogatory terms weren’t allowed here. I for one hope that hasn’t changed.

    Satire is one thing, but I don’t see how the comment above could be classified as such.

  • JSobieski

    At some point, nicknames can be “derogatory” but is any nickname with a negative implication derogatory?

    Do you think referring to President Clinton as “Bubba” should be off limits?

    I agree that using the Mc—- term was not productive during the campaign, but I was definitely looking forward to using it after November 4th–no matter how the election ended up.

  • liandro

    and as a resident of IL already contacted Sen. Durbin to let him know how I felt about it, and why. Illinois needs to nail it’s bevy of corrupt politicians as hard and as often as possible.

    The local papers and IL blogs have been mentioning this for a couple weeks. Sen. Durbin is “close” to Mrs. Ryan, and apparently (supposedly?) he is sending the request on her behalf (her health is not doing so well reportedly).

    Ryan should have thought about that while he was being a corrupt bastard.

  • NightTwister

    Our arguments are better received when we don’t throw names around like that off-the-cuff because it makes us feel better.

    I do agree there are times that it can be appropriate. I don’t agree that the comment above was one of those times.

  • Incredible

    Let him rot. The only injustice of having an 80 year old man in jail is that he should have been there 30 years ago. Illinois is the most corrupt political system in the country. It needs more politicians in jail, not less.

  • cookcountyconservative

    “I’ve long disagreed with Durbin on policy, but respect him. I don’t think he’s corrupt. Yet what he did here was profoundly foolish…”

    I haven’t had a chance to read Kass yet today or all the comments here, but foolish doesn’t even begin to describe this moron!! I don’t want to have to start wondering about John Kass now – he respects him???? Please! I’d almost rather have blatant corruption than the profound idiocy we get from this guy – why he’s right up there with (or even one better than) Stuart Smalley! Plus – I can’t believe he isn’t just as corrupt as every other self-dealer currently holding public office in the Land of Lincoln! He just hasn’t been caught yet.

    I have so much more to say on this nonsense… but I’m tired right now and this, well…. sigh! It wears me down. I was a fan of Ryan’s way back when – then, well again…sigh.

    Maybe later, I have to fix dinner for the hubby now. Poor thing has a cold and I came home from the office to find our living room looking like an intensive care unit – - death could be near if I don’t get some nourishment to him asap.

  • mbecker908

    Durbin wants Ryan out of prison, I’m 100% fine with that. Let Big Dick serve the remainder of Ryan’s sentence, no time off for anything.

  • kowalski

    Really. I have to laugh or I’d have to take a long walk into the ocean.

    Now that Rod Blagojevich is under intense scrutiny for his involvement with Antonin Rezko and Barack Obama is the President Elect, Durbin wants to pardon Ryan.

    Durbin would have seen Ryan hung by a noose until he was deader than dead at the corner of State Street and Clark in Chicago back when Obama was in embryo. In fact, that’s a large part of how Obama got to be where he is today.

    Now that Blagojevich is getting close to being put in the clink and Obama is the President, Dick Durbin wants to pardon Ryan.

    Heh. Just say no. The Democrats in Illinois wanted Ryan to fry and they should get their original wish.

    And Blagojevich should be next.

    Great diary, Moe.

  • JSobieski

    nt

  • mbecker908

    He doesn’t deserve ribbing.

    He deserves to be ignored.

  • cookcountyconservative

    Hubby fed and put to bed. I read the whole Kass article and it’s good except that last – *I respect him – foolish *line. Way to easy coming from Kass – come on!

    Ryan should ROT! ROT! ROT!

    Not only for whatever the measly little charges he was sentenced for and those poor Willis children’s deaths – but his whole “Death Penalty” charade. I remember vividly the Prisoner Review Board hearings and all the suffering all the victims families had do go through reliving their nightmares! And then in the ultimate act of classic IL self-dealing (trying to save his future hide – thankfully to no end), he not only commutes all their sentences, he actually releases some of them! Stone cold murderers – some of whom have already “re-offended” and are back in prison – for some solace to these poor families, alas none to the their latest victoms.

    Again – ROT! ROT! ROT!

    As far as Durbin goes – well, he is Durbin. A moron on a Biden scale or better. And for those of you sensitive about name calling our “public servants” – I can cite numerous examples that defy any description of him other than a flat out MORON! (I’m not big on name calling either – or even a big fan of the death penalty – but we’re deservedly more than a little outraged and angry in IL.)

    I also heard Big Jim Thompson is making a big push on this to “W” as well – yea, he’s his lawyer, but as the saying goes the Combine is fast at work here, to be sure.

    Blago – I heard Rezko has clammed up since the election. Is that true? I haven’t had time to dig into that. We’ve been waiting way to long for Public Official A (or is B, C or D – I can’t remember anymore) to get his due – will it ever happen?

    Honestly, we just need an armed revolution in Illinois at all levels. It’s the only way to clean up the stinking cesspool that it is. Elections obviously are not doing the trick. I’m so tired of it – I love my city and my state and I don’t want to leave it – but GOD! this crap is so old – and I hate how angry it makes me. I’m usually a pleasant and happy person. Maybe just a sandy beach somewhere for a few days will do the trick….

  • JSobieski

    especially when he pushes for immigration reform, cap & trade, and otherwise singlehandedly splits the Republican caucus.

  • Warner_Todd_Huston

    Needless to say, I completely disagree with you. Further, I don’t have to “respect” McCain at all. I do respect his service (as I do for anyone that wasn’t a Benedict Arnold in American service), but his decisions over the last decade do NOT deserve my respect. Not at all.

    I did refrain from beating on McLame much during the election for the good of the party. I did not campaign for him or write laudatory pieces, but I didn’t attack him after he won the nomination.

    So, it’s McLame for me regardless of your delicate feelings.

  • NightTwister

    I just have more respect than you.

  • Redman_Blueworld

    McCain was a terrible candidate and a terrible idea. We tried to out anti-Republican the illuminati Democrats. This just wasn’t going to happen. Even if McCain had won, would it have been a real victory? Running an anti-Republican on the Republican ticket was a desperate strategy to turn a nation that was and is against the Red to back home. Maybe he’ll just go away, but honestly, this election has elevated him and his “maverick” status far to high for that to realistically happen.

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