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| RYAN: He's free!!! |
And
I have no doubt that there are certain people in our society for whom those
realities are causing them to have a miserable Independence Day.
EXCUSE
ME FOR not being sympathetic to those people whose attitudes toward the two men
extend far beyond any belief in the criminal justice system. It borders on the
people who want their political partisanship to be reflected in the law – or more
likely, for their political opponents to be incarcerated for having the nerve
to disagree with them.
Just
as far as the facts go, the former Illinois governor who did a nearly six-year
prison term has officially completed his sentence. Released from the work camp
at the federal correction center near Terre Haute, Ind., earlier this year, the
time in which he must keep in touch with a halfway house on the West Side and be confined to his home in Kankakee came
to an end Wednesday.
His
sentence officially was to end Thursday. But it being a federal holiday,
officials decided to let him go a day early – rather than have to work on Independence
Day.
There
are those who will want Ryan to endure the equivalent of a life sentence. They’re
going to be the ones who will screech and scream that he’s somehow being given
sympathetic treatment – even though he did his time (so don’t go quoting that
silly line from the old “Baretta” television show theme).
EVEN
THOUGH YOU could argue that at 5 ½ years of actual prison time, Ryan wound up
serving more incarceration than the typical 18 months that many political corruption
cases wind up getting.
And
at age 79, who’s to say how much time Ryan has left in life.
It
will be intriguing to see how he rebuilds his reputation. Is he destined to
become the Republican take on Dan Rostenkowski – who in his life after prison
wound up becoming a consultant, Election Night commentator AND even college
lecturer.
 |
| JACKSON: Six weeks to go |
As
for Jackson, his fall will come soon enough – even though he doesn’t get to
contemplate his incarceration on Thursday as deeply as his political critics
want him to.
IN
THEIR VISION of the way things should be, Jackson was sentenced to a four-year
prison term (they want more, but that’s what the prosecutors are recommending)
on Wednesday. Which means his holiday would be spent trying to work out the
details of when he has to surrender himself to federal custody.
But
that dream of theirs fell through when U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson
(based in the District of Columbia, not Chicago) said earlier this week she
wanted more time to consider their case.
Also,
she says she has a crowded caseload. So now, the former Congressman from the Far
South Side and surrounding suburbs will face sentencing Aug. 14.
Which,
as far as I’m concerned, means his time will come. He will wind up facing the
prospect of prison for federal charges that amount to using his campaign funds
to buy all kinds of tacky items (how else to describe Michael Jackson
memorabilia?) with which to decorate his campaign office.
IT
OUGHT TO be no secret to anyone who has read any of the commentary I have
published at this weblog that I think the people who are all worked up over the
Ryan and Jackson criminal cases are a little too outraged.
The
people who are bothered by the delay are the ones who probably most need a day
off from the routines of life. They need to relax. Or perhaps they need to be
reminded to worry about the problems that fill their own lives – rather than
the concerns of others.
-30-
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