George Ryan, former Governor of Illinois was idicted yesterday on 19 Federal Charges LINK ranging from lying to Federal Officers to tax fraud to steering contracts to his cronies.
The trial has been going on for 6 months and it's been controversial the entire time, ranging from gag orders by the Judge because Ryan's wife decided to give an "interview" to one of the TV stations to replacing Juror's on the jury because of past affiliations that weren't brought out during jury questioning.
But the way you can really tell you live in Chicago.....the first thing the former Gov said was "I'm disappointed in the verdict, but we're working on an appeal." Well hello, of course you're disappointed in the verdict because that means you're going to go to jail.....but an appeal.
Why is it that if you're not happy with the verdict there's got to be an appeal. Why go through the whole farce of a Jury Trial if at the end, if you're not happy with the verdict you appeal it. I guess I don't understand our entire judicial system, I thought that a trial by a jury of your peers was supposed to be the fair, was supposed to be the right way to go....but if you're not happy with it, let's just appeal it.
I'm afraid that Mr. Ryan is concerned he's going to be meeting some of his former co-horts in jail....of 79 people who have been included in this Federal Probe, 76 have been indicted...why did Mr. Ryan think he was going to be different?
He's corrupt and he knows it. And I don't need an appeal to change my mind.
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even as a member of the "judicial system" I can agree that a lot about our legal system is screwed up, for numerous reasons. But I PROMISE you that if you ever watched a jury deliberate on your fate you would want to make sure you had the right to appeal the conviction as well. Having seen many real and mock juries deliberate, I know that a lot of jurors just don't grasp the law and don't take their duty seriously. I've seen jurors give up their positions simply because they wanted to go home or wanted to break for lunch. I know that I would want to know that there was some safeguard on the system if my freedom was on the line.
Of course he know he's corrupt. Maybe now he has a chance to blackmail a few more before his appeal. Belch! Dirty scumbag, he is! Unfortuntaly, to many still around.
I do understand ads' point of view, though.
ADS - You're totally correct, I was actually on a Federal Jury last year for a bank robber and I ended up being the Foreperson.
But hey, who said our peers were smart : -)
I think that he actually has to have grounds for a new trial doesn't he? An appeal is just an application of sorts. A bunch of paperwork to delay the inevitable unless they actually find a problem with the original trial. I think.
hmmm...all those reruns of law and order came in handy after all! :P
AMEN Michael!
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