Who is Don Siegelman? And, why should we care? (60 Minutes Story Background)

[Junkdrawer]

Just doing some belated homework on the Siegelman case. I found a great blog entry that brings together much of the research from the big hitters on the story:

http://tpzoo.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/who-is-don-siegleman-and-why-should-we-care/

The first two subsections:

This first part is from Mark Crispin Miller’s Blog:

Here is some amazing video: a very candid interview with Don Siegelman, who spoke to Julie Sigwart of Take Back the Media on Sept. 13, 2004–months before the Governor was finally put away on trumped-up charges by the Alabama GOP.

As he himself makes clear, Siegelman’s ordeal began back in 2000, when he came out early on, and publicly, against the presidential bid of his fellow governor, George W. Bush, and backed Al Gore instead. It was a move that Karl Rove never did forget, and never would forgive, says Siegelman.

Rove’s long drive to destroy the Alabama governor resulted in the theft of the 2002 election for Republican Bob Riley. Here Siegelman describes that theft–which took place primarily in Baldwin County–and also talks about his handling of that matter.

So far, the mainstream press coverage of Don Siegelman’s ordeal has pointedly ignored the theft of the 2002 election. Clearly, Siegelman himself does not regard that theft as a side issue, but as a major crime, and one that is quite relevant to his whole story.

Today, the Alabama governor is not allowed to speak up on his own behalf. He’s locked away inside a federal prison cell, and, for good measure, has been silenced by the Alabama courts. As Scott Horton has so aptly put it, Don Siegelman is the Man in the Iron Mask.

So let’s do everything we can to get this interview played far and wide, so that his fellow citizens can finally hear him, and see him, talk about the criminal campaign against him.

Video Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymqcU5zOPSg

Video Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUYOSruz4dw

On Harpers’ Magazine website, Scott Horton has done a series of 41 blog posts on Don Siegelman and what has happened to him, and why. This takes a while to get through them, but they are VERY worth the read. Scott started writing on this story June 1, 2007.

http://www.harpers.org/subjects/DonSiegelman/SubjectOf/BlogEntry

Much, Much more here:
http://tpzoo.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/who-is-don-siegleman-and-why-should-we-care/

[Junkdrawer]

1. Links to the some of the RawStory series:

Part 1:
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/The_Permanent_Republican_Majority_1125.html

Part 2:
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/The_permanent_Republican_majority_Daughter_of_1127.html

Timeline:
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/timeline_don_siegelman_1126.htm

[mac2]

2. Rove should be in jail.

Instead he just left office like the rest of the Bush politicians when the kitchen got too hot. Change of face law is not acceptable. He outta a CIA agent why not a governor who is a threat to him? Rove wasn't a "brain" but a criminal and propagandist.

Is this justice in America? We are now old Russia? There is punishment for stealing elections yet the government doesn't investigate it? If we can't have that we don't have fair elections or a democracy do we? That includes both parties (although the stealing has been mainly Republican). Ohio and Florida are still traumatized by it.

President GW Bush has downsized, under funded and moved the agency "boxes" around so that there is no government over sight. He laid off and "privatized" Civil Service employees who had years of experience regardless of administrations. Teddy Roosevelt (a Progressive Republican) would have said that not having Civil Service leads to cronyism and corruption. We see it today.

Spieglman is just another political prisoner like Trafactant (D-IL). Tom DeLay, Newt Gingrich, Bob Dole, Trent Lott, and Dennis Hastert never went to jail for their criminal actions. Change of face law was punishment enough for them?

They never just leave office for private life either...they get appointments and chairmanships which behind the scenes controls and destroys our country (join secret organizations such as the CFR, Bilderberg Group, etc.). They just can't give up power once they are in DC and leave. The same crowd has been in (crime) power since Reagan.

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's
character, give him power." -Abraham Lincoln

[Junkdrawer]

3. Rove and gang spit in the face of justice:

They openly shred the evidence and laugh at congressional subpoenas...

[mac2]

5. Congress has the duty of oversight and could send police

to bring them to court or arrest them. The will is not there. Doesn't anyone in DC have a good lawyer?

[L. Coyote]

4. Recent Compilation Thread + ***** Happy Birthday Gov. Don Siegelman *****

***** Happy Birthday Gov. Don Siegelman ***** Official SHOUT OUT Support Thread *****
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2915968

Political Prisoner Don Siegelman: Will the 60 Minutes Spotlight Make a Difference?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2909551

[Junkdrawer]

6. Great Dan Abrams’ Bush League Justice Overview Video:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/12/14/bush-league-justice-using-the-doj-to-disappear-your-rivals/

[Junkdrawer]

7. Afternoon Kick

:kick:

[Junkdrawer]

8. 60 Minutes completely skipped the 2002 Election Theft...

Other than that, a good story...

[salin]

9. I thought it was a very good story

and while giving the republicans and DOJ lines (none of them would speak directly to 60 Minutes) it made their actions sound pretty indefensible.

Especially powerful was the republican former state attorney general who spoke at several times describing how this should not have happened, should never happen, and is dangerous (okay the last was my read on the implication of his statements).

I hope this guy is ready for the hatemongers coming after him - I am sure his info (on how to harass him) will be up on places like Freeperville within the hour (if it isn't already circulating.)

[Junkdrawer]

10. As I said, I thought it was a good treatment of the story...

I guess either they felt they didn't have the time to do the election theft aspect of the story, or they knew that if they put that in, the story would stay spiked.

[salin]

11. I would guess both the latter and, sadly

that if it didn't stay spiked for that, a fear that touching that issue would marginalize the story, as sadly the whole issue of election theft and election fraud is treated as marginal conspiracy stuff (despite documentation to demonstrate the reality.)

[KharmaTrain]

12. Kudos For Those Who've Stayed On This Story

I remember the bare threads here while the Siegelman trial was going on, but what was being expressed by the folks at Raw Story and other sites were putting some doubts...then Dana Simpson spoke out and there was some real fire to the smoke. It's still a long haul to get Gov. Siegelman freed and the real crooks put in his place, but this was a big, important step.

It's starting to feel good to see stories driven by the Progressive blogosphere get some corporate media attention. They're not doing it as a favor...they're forced and embarassed to...and it's our responsibility to keep demanding them to be fair and accountable.

:toast: