Calling out Repubs and Dems in this piece. I love it.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucac/20070307/cm_u...phantsinabarrel

 

 

SHOOTING ELEPHANTS IN A BARRELWed Mar 7, 6:41 PM ET

 

 

Lewis Libby has now been found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice for lies that had absolutely no legal consequence.

 

It was not a crime to reveal Valerie Plame's name because she was not a covert agent. If it had been a crime, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald could have wrapped up his investigation with an indictment of the State Department's Richard Armitage on the first day of his investigation since it was Armitage who revealed her name and Fitzgerald knew it.

 

With no crime to investigate, Fitzgerald pursued a pointless investigation into nothing, getting a lot of White House officials to make statements under oath and hoping some of their recollections would end up conflicting with other witness recollections, so he could charge some Republican with "perjury" and enjoy the fawning media attention.

 

As a result, Libby is now a convicted felon for having a faulty memory of the person who first told him that Joe Wilson (news, bio, voting record) was a delusional boob who lied about his wife sending him to Niger.

 

This makes it official: It's illegal to be Republican.

 

Since Teddy Kennedy walked away from a dead girl with only a wrist slap (which was knocked down to a mild talking-to, plus time served: zero), Democrats have apparently become a protected class in America, immune from criminal prosecution no matter what they do.

 

As a result, Democrats have run wild, accepting bribes, destroying classified information, lying under oath, molesting interns, driving under the influence, obstructing justice and engaging in sex with underage girls, among other things.

 

Meanwhile, conservatives of any importance constantly have to spend millions of dollars defending themselves from utterly frivolous criminal prosecutions. Everything is illegal, but only Republicans get prosecuted.

 

Conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh was subjected to a three-year criminal investigation for allegedly buying prescription drugs illegally to treat chronic back pain. Despite the witch-hunt, Democrat prosecutor Barry E. Krischer never turned up a crime.

 

Even if he had, to quote liberal Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz: "Generally, people who illegally buy prescription drugs are not prosecuted." Unless they're Republicans.

 

The vindictive prosecution of Limbaugh finally ended last year with a plea bargain in which Limbaugh did not admit guilt. Gosh, don't you feel safer now? I know I do.

 

In another prescription drug case with a different result, last year, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) (Democrat), apparently high as a kite on prescription drugs, crashed a car on Capitol Hill at 3 a.m. That's abuse of prescription drugs (BEGIN ITAS)plus a DUI offense. Result: no charges whatsoever and one day of press on Fox News Channel.

 

I suppose one could argue those were different jurisdictions. How about the same jurisdiction?

 

In 2006, Democrat and major Clinton contributor Jeffrey Epstein was nabbed in Palm Beach in a massive police investigation into his hiring of local underage schoolgirls for sex, which I'm told used to be a violation of some kind of statute in the Palm Beach area.

 

The police presented Limbaugh prosecutor Krischer with boatloads of evidence, including the videotaped statements of five of Epstein's alleged victims, the procurer of the girls for Epstein and 16 other witnesses.

 

But the same prosecutor who spent three years maniacally investigating Limbaugh's alleged misuse of back-pain pills refused to bring statutory rape charges against a Clinton contributor. Enraging the police, who had spent months on the investigation, Krischer let Epstein off after a few hours on a single count of solicitation of prostitution. The Clinton supporter walked, and his victims were branded as whores.

 

The Republican former House Whip Tom DeLay is currently under indictment for a minor campaign finance violation. Democratic prosecutor Ronnie Earle had to empanel six grand juries before he could find one to indict DeLay on these pathetic charges -- and this is in Austin, Texas (the Upper West Side with better-looking people).

 

That final grand jury was so eager to indict DeLay that it indicted him on one charge that was not even a crime -- and which has since been tossed out by the courts.

 

After winning his primary despite the indictment, DeLay decided to withdraw from the race rather than campaign under a cloud of suspicion, and Republicans lost one of their strongest champions in Congress.

 

Compare DeLay's case with that of Rep. William "The Refrigerator" Jefferson, Democrat. Two years ago, an FBI investigation caught Jefferson on videotape taking $100,000 in bribe money. When the FBI searched Jefferson's house, they found $90,000 in cash stuffed in his freezer. Two people have already pleaded guilty to paying Jefferson the bribe money.

 

Two years later, Bush's Justice Department still has taken no action against Jefferson. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) recently put Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) on the Homeland Security Committee.

 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), Democrat, engaged in a complicated land swindle, buying a parcel of land for $400,000 and selling it for over $1 million a few years later. (At least it wasn't cattle futures!)

 

Reid also received more than four times as much money from Jack Abramoff (nearly $70,000) as Tom DeLay ($15,000). DeLay returned the money; Reid refuses to do so. Why should he? He's a Democrat.

 

Former Clinton national security adviser Sandy Berger literally received a sentence of community service for stuffing classified national security documents in his pants and then destroying them -- big, fat federal felonies.

 

But Scooter Libby is facing real prison time for forgetting who told him about some bozo's wife.

 

Bill Clinton was not even prosecuted for obstruction of justice offenses so egregious that the entire Supreme Court staged a historic boycott of his State of the Union address in 2000.

 

By contrast, Linda Tripp, whose only mistake was befriending the office hosebag and then declining to perjure herself, spent millions on lawyers to defend a harassment prosecution based on far-fetched interpretations of state wiretapping laws.

 

Liberal law professors currently warning about the "high price" of pursuing terrorists under the Patriot Act had nothing but blood lust for Tripp one year after Clinton was impeached (Steven Lubet, "Linda Tripp Deserves to be Prosecuted," New York Times, 8/25/99).

 

Criminal prosecution is a surrogate for political warfare, but in this war, Republicans are gutless appeasers.

 

Bush has got to pardon Libby.

Every time I try to read one of her articles, I just shake my head and I end up going to something else.

 

I just don't get her

I would expect that the next time Dick Durbin calls our troops Nazi's (and he will, he's already done it more than once), you'll be posting that too. These (and this) are non stories by idiots that should be ignored.

Every time I try to read one of her articles, I just shake my head and I end up going to something else.

 

I just don't get her

 

Even more than I don't get her, is I don't get people who care what she thinks.

Even more than I don't get her, is I don't get people who care what she thinks.

 

She's the late Molly Ivans of the right. I'm as Conservative as they come and I do nothing but roll my eyes at her.

She's the late Molly Ivans of the right. I'm as Conservative as they come and I do nothing but roll my eyes at her.

 

A very good comparision indeed, if you ask me.

Even if he had(bought illegal drugs), to quote liberal Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz: "Generally, people who illegally buy prescription drugs are not prosecuted." Unless they're Republicans.

 

Ha, she must not be watching the steroid scandal unfold in the MLB. What a crock, perscription shoppers have been cracked down on everywhere, it has nothing to do with political motivation.

Ha, she must not be watching the steroid scandal unfold in the MLB. What a crock, perscription shoppers have been cracked down on everywhere, it has nothing to do with political motivation.

 

Actually that would only reenforce the point... How many pro athletes have been brought before a real judge, or even lost their jobs because of steroids, or any other drugs? Not too many.

Actually that would only reenforce the point... How many pro athletes have been brought before a real judge, or even lost their jobs because of steroids, or any other drugs? Not too many.

 

The investigation isnt over yet, there are definitely going to be more people brought before a judge. Did Jason Grimsley avoid it by selling out a list of people when he was busted? Does Victor Conte count as someone busted since he was selling the prescription drugs?

The investigation isnt over yet, there are definitely going to be more people brought before a judge. Did Jason Grimsley avoid it by selling out a list of people when he was busted? Does Victor Conte count as someone busted since he was selling the prescription drugs?

 

Somewhere close to 10% of players tested positive for something the first year that they had testing. That is something like 70-80 players. That doesn't even include the guys who were on something undetectable such as HGH. Heck you have had players and former players admit to using, and nothing has happened to them. The couple of players who have actually been involved are a very small percentage of players who have actually been tested positive or connected to anything.

Somewhere close to 10% of players tested positive for something the first year that they had testing. That is something like 70-80 players. That doesn't even include the guys who were on something undetectable such as HGH. Heck you have had players and former players admit to using, and nothing has happened to them. The couple of players who have actually been involved are a very small percentage of players who have actually been tested positive or connected to anything.

 

Yeah, I guess you are right. Not that it makes me happy that prescription shopping is viewed only as a politically motivated witchhunt, but I guess there isnt alot of people out there actually getting busted for it.

Yeah, I guess you are right. Not that it makes me happy that prescription shopping is viewed only as a politically motivated witchhunt, but I guess there isnt alot of people out there actually getting busted for it.

 

One thing I do want to say is that I don't think it is a "republician" witch hunt, but there is definately some motivation in who gets targeted, and when. I think it is more of a high profile thing versus anything else.

A very good comparision indeed, if you ask me.

Molly Ivins was never that coarse.

Molly Ivins was never that coarse.

 

I sure thought that she was. About the only difference I saw was that she didn't use any slurs. She was every bit as derogatory and bitter everytime I read her stuff. She had the nasty little nicknames for everyone she didn't like, etc. I didn't really see too much difference between the two, and as far I felt, their techniques were pretty much identical.

at an airport, waiting for my plane, I read the introduction to her book Godless - I got so mad, I really wanted to punch her in the face right then & there. She, quite simply, is an asshole.

About the only difference I saw was that she didn't use any slurs.

 

That's a big difference IMO. Compare Coulter to anyone - and there are people like Ted Rall that are worth the comparison... but Molly Ivins might have been bitter or aggravated, but she seemed much more like a crank, and less like Ann Coulter.

That's a big difference IMO. Compare Coulter to anyone - and there are people like Ted Rall that are worth the comparison... but Molly Ivins might have been bitter or aggravated, but she seemed much more like a crank, and less like Ann Coulter.

God I can't stand Ted Rall.

God I can't stand Ted Rall.

Ted Rall and Ann Coulter should go off in a room and out snarky each other - maybe then we would never hear from either of them again.

Ted Rall and Ann Coulter should go off in a room and out snarky each other - maybe then we would never hear from either of them again.

I would hate to imagine that child...

I would hate to imagine that child...

Oh good God, I didn't say they should procreate. BLAH!!!!!!!!!

Oh good God, I didn't say they should procreate. BLAH!!!!!!!!!

I just figured, enough hours in a room together with them "Snarky"-ing each other, and well, you know.

at an airport, waiting for my plane, I read the introduction to her book Godless - I got so mad, I really wanted to punch her in the face right then & there.