More Bad News For Don Siegelman

[red dog 1]

October 16, 2014

Today I received this e-mail from Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, who is still in prison for a crime he did not commit, a victim of Karl Rove's machinations.


Dear Friends:

I'm sorry to tell you that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has postponed my oral argument yet again...Now it will be "after January"
My lawyers responded to this news with a motion to have me released on bond because if we win our appeal, I will have spent time in prison for charges that will have been reversed.

I regret to hear, as I know you do, that my trial judge has got himself into some trouble.
He was arrested when his wife, Kelli, told the police who were responding to her 911 call that she was beaten, kicked, and dragged around by her hair in their ritzy Atlanta hotel room.
(His first wife, Lisa, made such allegations in her complaint for divorce)

The accusations of substance abuse, domestic abuse, and promiscuous behavior in his courtroom do not give me pleasure..This is something no one should take pleasure from.
Especially the reports of Domestic Violence...DV hurts and it kills.
My concern with the issue of Domestic Violence is not new.
Because Domestic Violence is so destructive, I did a lot as Attorney General, Lt. Governor, and Governor, to prevent domestic violence and to punish those who commit such acts.
I would like to tell you a frustrating and painful story about a domestic violence victim,
Rhonda Hutto, that illustrates how dangerous DV can be.

I first met Rhonda when I was having a hearing on Victims' Rights in Huntsville, Alabama.
Mrs. Hutto came to my hearing and bravely stood and told her story.
She was scared and there were tears...She had done everything right, seeking protective orders, divorcing her abusive husband, moving out of state, changing her name.
To everyone's horror, about a month after Rhonda gave her testimony, Rhonda's ex-husband found her and killed her.
When I appointed a Commission on Victims' Rights, I devoted it to the frustrating and painful memory of Rhonda Hutto.

We should all pray for peace and justice, pray for victims and bullies, and demand appropriate punishment for those who commit these cowardly acts.
Despite my focus and all my efforts on Domestic Violence in my political career, clearly, there is still a lot more work to do.

With deep appreciation, I am, your friend, and so glad you're mine.

Don

Governor of Alabama, 1999-2003
Elected Twice, Inaugurated Once
Lt. Governor, 1995-1999
Secretary of State, 1979-1987
Federal Prisoner 'till June, 2018...Final discharge, 2021 (With your help, this will not stand)

Prisoner # 24775-001
FPC PO Box 5010
Oakdale, LA. 71463

For more information on the Don Siegelman Case,
or to sign the Change.org Petition To President Obama To Pardon Don Siegelman:
http://free-don.org

[arthritisR_US]

1. Do you think he will be released in January? Gawd i hope so!

[red dog 1]

2. No, he won't be released in January.

His oral argument has been postponed until "after January"

The only way that he could possibly be released that soon is if President Obama pardons him.

[arthritisR_US]

4. I guess what I meant to ask is do you think he will be

successful in his oral arguments and released?

Obama really fecking pisses me off in this. The minute he won his first term, right after signing the ACA into law, Siegelman should have been pardoned and released!!!

[Oilwellian]

10. Instead, he pardoned

Ted Stevens.

[former9thward]

17. Wrong.

Stevens was never pardoned. Holder dismissed the charges due to gross prosecution misconduct.

[arthritisR_US]

19. What misconduct? nt

[former9thward]

25. They withheld evidence showing Stevens was not guilty.

The judge held them all in contempt and Holder fired them along with the top people in their division.

[arthritisR_US]

44. Wow, pretty low of them. nt

[OnyxCollie]

11. Instead he nominated to the SCOTUS

Last edited Sat Oct 18, 2014, 12:41 AM - Edit history (1)

the Solicitor General (Elena Kagan) who argued that Siegelman should spend 20 years in prison.

[arthritisR_US]

16. Both of these posts disgust me. I didn't know that about EK and all I can say is

[OnyxCollie]

42. Kagan was rewarded for her part

in the conspiracy against Don Siegelman.

Let Cass Sunstein explain it:

2. Rumors and speculation. Of course it is necessary to specify how, exactly,
conspiracy theories begin.. Some such theories seem to bubble up spontaneously,
appearing roughly simultaneously in many different social networks; others are initiated
and spread, quite intentionally, by conspiracy entrepreneurs who profit directly or
indirectly from propagating their theories. An example in the latter category is the
French author Thierry Meyssan, whose book “9/11: The Big Lie” became a bestseller and
a sensation for its claims that the Pentagon explosion on 9/11 was caused by a missile,
fired as the opening salvo of a coup d’etat by the military-industrial complex, rather than
by American Airlines Flight 77. Some conspiracy entrepreneurs are entirely sincere;
others are interested in money or power, or in achieving some general social goal. Still,
even for conspiracy theories put about by conspiracy entrepreneurs, the key question is
why some theories take hold while many more do not, and vanish into obscurity.

[arthritisR_US]

47. Well getting to sing with the Supremes could be seen as a reward. Is he not a

Democrat? Why would she want to participate in such a vile injustice?

[OnyxCollie]

49. If you believe Democrats are incorruptible

then you are starting from a false premise, thus explaining your confusion with the results.

Why do most people do what they do?

Answer: objective monetary incentives. They want to get paid.

[arthritisR_US]

51. Greed is easy to understand but her being a Democrat I would have thought she

would fight for a fellow Democrat

[OnyxCollie]

52. For rational actors, survival is the most important preference.

However, as you have noticed, there are times when actors within the party seem not to care about the survival of the party.

Like, why do Democrats seem uninterested in electronic voting, when every time something unusual happens it benefits Republicans?

Or, why does Obama keep people like John Brennan, James Comey, Robert Gates, and Chuck Hagel around?

When all these WTF moments become predictable, look for another explanatory variable.

[arthritisR_US]

53. All of what you've said I cannot disagree with but at the same time it

baffles me and has me shaking my head or

[OnyxCollie]

56. When it all begins to unfold, it's soul-crushing.

I was happier before I knew what I know now. A warning would have been nice.

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more. -The Matrix

[red dog 1]

35. + 1000

[truedelphi]

58. But you fail to mention the many virtues of Ms Kagan,

who is a big fan of Monsanto.

Name me one single time when Seigalman ever praised Monsanto...

[Recursion]

59. I will catch hell for this, but is there any evidence Scrushy *didn't* pay him off?

Seriously. Siegelman took money from CEO of HealthSouth who was then appointed to the hospital regulatory board, which approved of HealthSouth's payment schedules.

Is it absolutely impossible to concede that this was wrong?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

26. Only if Obama issues Executive Clemency.

[catrose]

3. K&R

I've no idea why Democrats won't help him.

[rhett o rick]

5. Seems there are some very powerful people that don't like Gov Siegelman

otherwise why won't the President pardon him?

[n2doc]

6. I'm sure Obama is worried that a pardon would hurt Democratic Chances in Alabama

[rhett o rick]

9. But, but isn't Seigelman popular in Alabama? They elected him governor twice.

I think that the President will pardon the Gov when he pardons Cheney. Make everyone happy.

[n2doc]

12. Cheney doesn't need a pardon

He will never be charged with anything. He admitted that he co-opted the entire Democratic leadership in his torture scheme, and they can't charge him without admitting they were complicit.

He is evil, but not stupid.

[rhett o rick]

14. Both parties might not be the same, but they sure look out for each other.

I just thought it would be a nice gesture to put all that behind us.

[Dustlawyer]

18. Owned by the same people.

[woo me with science]

50. In a nutshell. nt

[Doctor_J]

38. no, it's because pardoning siegelman would make Obama seem like an

"angry black man". That was actually posted on du once.c

[arthritisR_US]

45. That's the stupidest thing I've read in a long time. Glad I wasn't involved

in that thread. To me Obama pardoning DS would make him look like someone who believes in righting injustice.

[Unknown Beatle]

7. I honestly thought that

during his first year as president in 2009, Obama was going to pardon Don Siegelman. Man oh man, was I wrong about Barack "Jamie Dimon is my golfing buddy" Obama.

[arthritisR_US]

20. I thought the same thing. He is such a disappointment. nt

[mtasselin]

8. Obama

President Obama could make this whole thing go away if he wanted to, President Obama I have supported you twice and you have disappointed me in so many ways. Please President Obama do the right thing and get Don Siegelman out now, and don't wait until you are leaving office.

[arthritisR_US]

21. I wish there was a massive email/fax campaign to the WH regarding this! nt

[LoisB]

23. I think Change.org has one. I signed one a while back.

[arthritisR_US]

43. Good to know, thanks! nt

[Hissyspit]

24. There has been.

Depending on your definition of massive.

[red dog 1]

37. Excellent idea!....Do you think we could start an e-mail/fax campaign right here on DU?

I mean..how, exactly would we go about starting such a campaign?

[arthritisR_US]

46. I wish I knew how Move On does it but I'm a true techy idiot.

I sign petitions fro the Humane Society and I wish I knew the ins and outs of setting up links and such. I'm hoping someone will come along who knows how it's done and take the reins. Sorry mate, full of ideas here with no abilities to execute.

[OnyxCollie]

13. K&R. nt

[Blue Owl]

15. As long as he remains in prison...

Rove remains on some bizarro-world moral high ground which is completely sickening. Justice is being raped and pillaged.

[arthritisR_US]

22. Couldn't have said it better, TY! nt

[MontyPow]

28. Political prisoners in the US. Will he be pardoned at the end of President Obama's term?

[SidDithers]

31. Wow. Seriously?...nt

Sid

[rhett o rick]

32. Yes seriously! Gov Don Siegelman is a political prisoner. Someone with a lot of power

wants him to remain in prison. Maybe the Bush Crime Family has more power than most think. As far as whether the President will pardon him at the end of his term is doubtful. We know of no reason not to pardon him now. The President seems to have a reason.

[YOHABLO]

34. Obama is too afraid of the Right Wing backlash from the likes of Rove and co.

[rhett o rick]

54. I don't think he is afraid of the right-wing at all. The right-wing idiots are tools of the

American Oligarchs. The Republican leaders are fools and are puppets of the American Oligarchy. The President is most likely afraid of the ruling Oligarchs. They control the NSA/CIA and the economy. They can make the President look very bad.

[summerschild]

40. It's hard to imagine how powerful the unkown players are.

Fuller's dirty history goes all the way back to the Reagan White House and the Iran Contra shennanigins. We'll never know how much Oliver North and his merry band of thieves were able to steal above and beyond what went to the California drug cartels.

[MontyPow]

55. Absolutely. My understanding of the Governor's

"crimes" is that he did exactly what previous governors had done. The prosecutor is a friend of Carl Rove.

If a Republican is elected President 2016 there is no way he receives a pardon. I'm hoping that President Obama will pardon him, but I don't know that he will.

[DeeDeeNY]

29. Petition to sign -

http://free-don.org

[TheNutcracker]

30. Cliff Arnebeck and John Caylor have been helping him, and something's gotta give here.

This is judicial corruption at it's worst when you look at this case!


Don...I'm rooting for Y O U !

[KoKo]

33. Recommend....It's sad news. He deserves a Presidential Pardon

for all he has gone through...

Thanks for posting and those other DU'ers who are keeping on top of Sieglman's unfair incarceration.

[red dog 1]

41. I'll bet Senator Warren is for a Presidential pardon of Don Siegelman.

She is probably one of the few Senate Democrats courageous enough to ask President Obama why he hasn't pardoned Don Siegelman yet.

[kelliekat44]

36. Why the hell doesn't Obama just pardon the man Do it now, while focus is all over the place on ISIS

Ebola, and Beyonce?

[Doctor_J]

39. because he's a coward

Worst disappointment in my lifetime

[woo me with science]

48. K&R

[99th_Monkey]

57. Why the fuck is Siegelman still in prison???????????????????

When we have a supposedly "liberal" Democratic POTUS in the White House????

[Recursion]

60. Because he took half a million dollars from a hospital lobbyist and appointed him to the board

that approved of state payments to hospitals.

At least that's what a jury found.

[99th_Monkey]

61. Was Siegelman not a victim of Rovian Machinations

a railroad job if ever there was one.

Do you not agree?

[Recursion]

62. I don't care. He took money from a lobbyist and appointed him to the board

that regulated his own industry.

How is that OK?

[red dog 1]

63. "Because he took half a million dollars from a hospital lobbyist and appointed him to the board

that approved of state payments to hospitals...At least that's what a jury found."???

No, that's NOT "what a jury found."


(From transcript of September 11, 2012 Democracy Now interview with Don Siegelman):

AMY GOODMAN:

"Explain..what exactly happened to you."

SIEGELMAN:

"Well, I was raising money to get a state referendum passed that would establish a lottery so Alabama's less fortunate kids would have a chance to go to college for free.
Jack Abramoff, in his book, admits that he put $20 million of Indian casino money in Alabama,
first to defeat me in 1998, and to defeat the lottery campaign in 1999, and then to defeat me again in 2002.
There was a confluence of both the casino interests to get rid of me, to target me, and to stop me, as well as Karl Rove and his best friend and his best friend's wife, who was the U.S. Attorney
(who prosecuted the Siegelman case), as well as Karl Rove's client, who was the state Attorney General.

I was raising money (for the lottery referendum) and I had asked a gentleman to raise money for this state referendum...He did, and later I appointed him to the same board on which he had served through three previous governors. (An unpaid position)
And it's interesting to note that all three of these previous governors had received contributions from this CEO.
I received a contribution, but it went to a referendum campaign, yet I was targeted, and convicted..for bribery.

The other interesting note here is that the judge lowered the standard by which juries can convict to not an expressed 'quid pro quo' or an explicitly asserted 'quid pro quo', but, in my case, an implied 'quid pro quo'.
So, now we have a standard in Alabama where people can be convicted not on evidence that they actually got together and decided to swap money for favors, but to allow the jury to assume or to imply that there was such a deal."

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/9/11/former_alabama_gov_don_siegelman_speaks#transcript