I know of at least two other individuals who almost certainly qualify as political prisoners. I'm talking about former Alabama Representative Sue Schmitz and former Jefferson County Commissioner Gary White. I include the "almost certainly" qualifier for them only because I have not studied the facts and the law in their cases to the extent that I have on the Siegelman and Minor prosecutions.
Aside from the facts in the Schmitz and White cases, there is almost no doubt that their prosecutions were driven by political considerations that are impermissible under the law. That alone means their convictions are unlawful, and they should not be in prison.
An eighth person from my neck of the woods, Huntsville defense contractor Alex Latifi, almost certainly would be a political prisoner right now. But he had the good fortune to have his case assigned to a competent federal judge, Clinton appointee Inge Johnson, and she kicked the bogus charges against him out of court before trial.
Political prosecutions no longer can be associated only with the Bush administration. As I write this, 11 individuals in my state are under indictment in connection with a federal investigation of actions surrounding gambling-related bills in the Alabama Legislature. The charges appear to be driven by outgoing GOP governor Bob Riley and his anti-gambling crusade, and they were brought under the direction of U.S. Attorney Leura Canary, a Riley ally and Bush appointee who inexplicably has remained in office under Obama.
Why would Riley be pushing such a federal probe? It's probably because he has received millions of dollars worth of support, laundered through GOP felon Jack Abramoff, from Mississippi Choctaw gaming interests. Riley appears to be protecting his benefactors' market share against possible competition from a neighboring state.
At some point in 2011, we could have 11 more political prisoners here in the Deep South--on Obama's watch. And the president is concerned about Michael Vick?
I voted for Obama largely because I considered him a person of intelligence and integrity. I still believe the president holds those attributes. His real problem, I suspect, is a lack of political spine. He simply does not have the guts to go after the Bush criminals.
Is that because the president fears his life, or the lives of his family members, would be in danger if he were to give the go-ahead for a genuine investigation of Bush officials? I would not be surprised.
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