Judge to Kilpatrick: "To Jail with your dumb ass!"
10:46 a.m. | An audible gasp erupted in the courtroom as Judge David Groner sentenced former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to 18 months to five years in state prison for probation violation.
Deputies rushed up to a row where Kilpatrick friends and relatives are sitting. They escorted one unidentified woman out.
“Your testimony in this court amounted to perjury,” the judge told Kilpatrick. “Most compelling is that you lied to this court, continue to lie, after you pleaded guilty to lying….
“The initial 120 days incarceration did nothing to rehabilitate you.”
After the gasp from the audience, Kilpatrick was ordered to sign papers. Some reporters saw his hands shaking. Groner asked Kilpatrick’s lawyer, Schwartz, to assist the former mayor.
As the courtroom began to buzz, Groner raised his voice and ordered Kilpatrick to be swift.
“Sergeant could you secure the defendant please and put him in the back?” Groner said. A deputy then handcuffed Kilpatrick behind his back and led him to a side room. The former mayor kept looking over his shoulder, mouthing words toward his sister.
His attorneys vowed an immediate appeal of Groner’s sentence.
Comment from Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Athina Siringas: “We always felt a department of corrections sentence was appropriate. We are pleased.”
The judge’s order also raises questions about whether Kilpatrick will continue to have a job with a Compuware subsidiary in Texas. Compuware chief Peter Karmanos had given Kilpatrick a six-figure sales job with Covisint in an office just outside Dallas after the ex-mayor’s release from jail in February of last year. But Karmanos said at the time that Kilpatrick’s continued employment was contingent upon Kilpatrick staying out of further trouble.
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was fired from his job today after being sentenced to prison for probation violation.
“Kwame Kilpatrick will be off the Compuware Corporation payroll at the end of the month,” said a company statement. “We don’t have any choices. It’s an unfortunate situation, and we feel bad for his family, but our hands are tied.”
Compuware CEO Peter Karmanos Jr. hired Kilpatrick for his Detroit-based company the day after the former mayor was freed from jail in February 2009. The job paid a base salary of $120,000 with potential for bonuses.
Rep. Shanelle Jackson, D-Detroit, today criticized former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s sentence as too harsh for a nonviolent parole violation.
She said it would be better to have Kilpatrick repay the city and require him to do community service than sit in a costly prison cell.
“This sentence shows there is no mercy in society and no grace in the judicial system,” Jackson said. “We are looking at ways to reduce the prison population because of a lack of revenue, yet we’re giving this to someone who could ideally have more to contribute to society if we looked at restorative justice.”
She goes on:
Womack said the sentence perpetuates a common public perception that politicians are crooked.
Um, Mrs. Jackson? That because Kilpatrick WAS a damned crook and he is getting just what is coming to him. It is about damned time, that this idiotic thug was put right where he belongs. The video is priceless and is one that should be shown to anybody thinking of running for Mayor of Detroit or any other city. You decide to lie, cheat or steal and you get caught; your ass is going to jail. Here is hoping that he will get the FULL 5 years in jail, as that is just what this goldbricking jack ass needs.
Update #4: …and if anyone really cares, I made this myself about a year ago…:
Update #5: Not to sound like a rip off of this guy, But….. HIT THE FREAKIN’ TIP JAR! It’s been a slow month for the blog revenue and I could really use the help. I am in Michigan and the job market is well, um, you know — bad? Thanks! If you cannot, there is ZERO pressure. But those of you who can…. *Please?* (Puppy Dog eyes here…)
Update #8: Thanks to Hugh in MA for the Donation! (I’ll list all donations here!)
Update #6: The Freepers Link in, Thanks Guys, you’re awesome! 😀
Update #7: 3,292 hits this morning BEFORE 8:00 AM EST…4,010 blog hits as of 8:20AM EST 6,508 as of 1:42 P.M. 7,078 hits on this Blog Entry alone Yesterday. Amazing. 🙂
At a ceremony honoring veterans and senior citizens who sent presents to soldiers overseas, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut rose and spoke of an earlier time in his life.
“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. “And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it — Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.”
There was one problem: Mr. Blumenthal, a Democrat now running for the United States Senate, never served in Vietnam. He obtained at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and took repeated steps that enabled him to avoid going to war, according to records.
The deferments allowed Mr. Blumenthal to complete his studies at Harvard; pursue a graduate fellowship in England; serve as a special assistant to The Washington Post’s publisher, Katharine Graham; and ultimately take a job in the Nixon White House.
In 1970, with his last deferment in jeopardy, he landed a coveted spot in the Marine Reserve, which virtually guaranteed that he would not be sent to Vietnam. He joined a unit in Washington that conducted drills and other exercises and focused on local projects, like fixing a campground and organizing a Toys for Tots drive.
Many politicians have faced questions over their decisions during the Vietnam War, and Mr. Blumenthal, who is seeking the seat being vacated by Senator Christopher J. Dodd, is not alone in staying out of the war.
But what is striking about Mr. Blumenthal’s record is the contrast between the many steps he took that allowed him to avoid Vietnam, and the misleading way he often speaks about that period of his life now, especially when he is speaking at veterans’ ceremonies or other patriotic events.
Sometimes his remarks have been plainly untrue, as in his speech to the group in Norwalk. At other times, he has used more ambiguous language, but the impression left on audiences can be similar.
In an interview on Monday, the attorney general said that he had misspoken about his service during the Norwalk event and might have misspoken on other occasions. “My intention has always been to be completely clear and accurate and straightforward, out of respect to the veterans who served in Vietnam,” he said.
But an examination of his remarks at the ceremonies shows that he does not volunteer that his service never took him overseas. And he describes the hostile reaction directed at veterans coming back from Vietnam, intimating that he was among them.
What this man needs to do, is resign. There is no greater shame, no greater crime —- outside of martial infidelity, than stealing the honor of those who did serve in our armed forces. Besides all of that; who in their right mind would straight up lie about theur Military Service? Are these people that damned short sighted that they do not realize that sooner or later, this sort of thing would catch up with them?
"You see these parts? They're as big and heavy as my wife's butt cheeks, which is why I am screwing my staffer instead..."
Souder, a Republican, will will step down on Friday. He said in remarks obtained by Fox News that he “sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff.”
“I wish I could have been a better example,” he said. “In this poisonous environment of Washington, D.C., any personal failing is seized upon, often twisted, for political gain. I am resigning rather than to put my family through that painful, drawn-out process. … We are a committed family, but the error is mine and I should bear the responsibility. Not only am I thankful for a loving family but for a loving God.”
Multiple senior House sources indicated that the extent of Souder’s affair with the staffer would have landed him before the House Ethics Committee. Sources told Fox News that the aide, identified as Tracy Jackson, a woman in her mid-40s, would accompany the congressman to events and to record ads at a Christian radio broadcast station.
Elected as a family values conservative as part of the Republican revolution in 1994, Souder survived a tough re-election challenge in 2008 and survived a contested primary two weeks ago.
Here is the video of the woman he was oinking, instead of his wife: (Via TPM)
Thankfully, this guy is doing the right thing and getting the hell out of dodge and sparing the Republican Party some very unneeded embarrassment.
Sources tell CBS News that would-be Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad appeared on a Department of Homeland Security travel lookout list – Traveler Enforcement Compliance System (TECS) – between 1999 and 2008 because he brought approximately $80,000 cash or cash instruments into the United States.
TECS is a major law enforcement computer system that allows its approximately 120,000 users from 20 federal agencies to share information. The database is designed to identify individuals suspected of or involved in violation of federal law.
Another feather in Obama’s cap. 😉 Seriously, it does predate him. So, I will not blame him.
Let me translate: the Left really want the legacy media to congratulate a member of the Muslim community because despite his faith he didn’t simply stand around and let a carbomb kill people.Really, that’s the story these Lefty bloggers are pushing. Otherwise there’s no point in bringing up his religion. And they say that we’re the ones with a repugnant view of Islam…
Third, this idea relies on the logical impossibility that Niasse knew he was helping stop Muslim terrorism. There’s no way he could have known that. I suppose he could have assumed that a carbombing was likely to be perpetrated by Muslims, but I doubt very much the Lefty blogs will appreciate that line of reasoning.
Finally, you don’t get bonus points for doing the right thing. Niasse was in danger himself. Of course, he went to the NYPD. He’s a t-shirt vendor in Times Square and Times Square was under attack. The Left seems to believe that this fellow did something heroic, but in fact he simply noticed smoke coming from a running vehicle and flagged down a nearby police officer. I’m glad he did, but it was hardly out of the ordinary. I would expect the same from anyone, regardless of their race, religion, nationality, or political ideology. Indeed, that’s one of the many reasons I am not a Leftist: my expectations don’t change depending on the skin color, politics, or religion of whoever I’m talking about.
So very well put. Bill O’Reilly was talking about it last night. That the left is now saying that because this man defaulted on his mortgage is why he did this. Which is, of course, B.S. as usual. The dude did it, because he was pissed at America because of our trying to stop Al-Qeada in Pakistan. Hmmm, Sounds like Ron Paul’s people. They have so much in common.
Now I realize that Keith Olbermann can be bit over the top. But, if I were a G.O.P. strategist; I would be watching this —- and taking notes.
Obviously, I do not agree with all of this, because some of it, is mired in Liberal talking points and Meme’s. But some of it is absolutely true; and some of it is just perception — which anyone with a brain knows, is worse than reality itself.
I hope someone — anyone, either at the G.O.P. or somewhere within Conservatism is taking notes.
Reporters say the White House is thin-skinned, controlling, eager to go over their heads and stingy with even basic information. All White Houses try to control the message. But this White House has pledged to be more open than its predecessors, and reporters feel it doesn’t live up to that pledge in several key areas:
— Day-to-day interaction with Obama is almost nonexistent, and he talks to the press corps far less often than Bill Clinton or even George W. Bush did. Clinton took questions nearly every weekday, on average. Obama barely does it once a week.
— The ferocity of pushback is intense. A routine press query can draw a string of vitriolic e-mails. A negative story can draw a profane high-decibel phone call or worse. Some reporters feel like they’ve been frozen out after crossing the White House.
— Except toward a few reporters, press secretary Robert Gibbs can be distant and difficult to reach — even though his job is to be one of the main conduits from president to press. “It’s an odd White House where it’s easier to get the White House chief of staff on the phone than the White House press secretary,” one top reporter said.
— And at the very moment many reporters feel shut out, one paper — The New York Times — enjoys a favoritism from Obama and his staff that makes competitors fume, with gift-wrapped scoops and loads of presidential face time.
“They seem to want to close the book on the highly secretive years of the Bush administration. However, in their relationship with the press, I think they’re doing what they think succeeded in helping Obama get elected,” said The New Yorker’s George Packer.
“I don’t think they need to be nice to reporters, but the White House seems to imagine that releasing information is like a tap that can be turned on and off at their whim,” Packer said.
These idiots knew what they were getting when they elected Obama; so, I have no pity for them. You elect an guy with the ego the size of Texas, you deal with it. Don’t like his style of dealing with the press? You should have thought of that, BEFORE you went into the tank for him. This is what happens when you treat a black Harvard graduate like a novelty and then turn that man into your party’s personal Messiah.
Unreal…..and they call the right intolerant? Right….
To be fair; if youclick here, you can go look at a video, made by the dude fired by Geico. Some of the signs in that video were quite offensive. But the language and hate were strictly on the left.
I hate having to write blog postings like this one. Because I have been in blog wars before; and quite frankly, they suck.
However, when I see someone engaging in this level and depth of innate stupidity and recklessness, I have to say something.
It seems that former Conservative Blogger, turned Liberal shill, John Cole is now starting to carry the Liberal Meme that is common amongst the far left Blogger crowd. Reacting to a rather idiotic column by Thomas Friedman, John Cole delves into the idiocy of the far liberal left:
They weren’t around protesting during the Bush years They don’t care about the deficit.BECAUSE THE TEA PARTY IS REPUBLICANS. They care that a Democrat (and a black “Muslim,” to boot), is in the White House. They don’t care about fiscal restraint, they care that a Democrat is in the White House. They don’t, as some foolishly pretend, care about the Wall Street excesses. Certainly Cenk Uyger is not the only one who has noticed that the tea party bubbas could all be shipped to protest HCR, but the big money boys aren’t running the buses to protest Wall Street. They care that there is a Democrat in the White House.
Now as for the assertion that Tea Party people are Republicans, Blogger “DaTechGuy” takes care of that little bunch of idiotic tripe:
Now I’ve attended a few tea parties and talked to people there. The trust level for republicans is not very high. If you had interviewed these people you would know this.
DeTechGuy goes on to show just how wrong that John Cole is. Which some very good reading and I highly recommend the posting. Because it slashes Cole’s MeMe to pieces.
Now for the part that got MY blood to boiling:
They care that a Democrat (and a black “Muslim,” to boot), is in the White House.
Now this is where I draw the line and say, “Whoa Nelly!”
Notice what I colored red up there? That is just asinine bullshit and Cole knows it.
Now admittedly, there are some extremists on the outside of the mainstream right side of the political fence, who have floated this sort of stupidity; they have been long since discredited by, not only the Main Stream Media, but also by the mainstream Conservative media as well. You noticed that Orly Taitz has not been in the news as of late, have you not? That is because, for one, she has had some serious legal sanctions against her and if she continues, could lose her legal license —- and because, quite frankly, I think the Woman realizes that the jig is up and that no one believes that idiotic nonsense any longer. Either that or most of the media, main stream and Conservative are just ignoring her, which in the humble opinion of this writer; is a good thing. Hell, even Bill O’Reilly called her a nut!
The reason I raised a stink about this, is because John Cole is doing two things; first of all, he is doing something that I feel is just wrong — but is what the liberal left is known for and that is collectivism. Blaming an entire group for the actions of a few. Which, I feel, is wrong. Secondly, Cole is playing fast and loose with the facts and with pinning blame, which I think he knows; but because he hopped the fence, because Bush did not do things, like he thought they ought to be done, he bailed on the right — he feels that he has to recite the talking points of the left, in order to remain in their good graces. Although, I could be wrong on that one.
Further more, I have written on here many times, excoriating those on the right, in office or otherwise; who I felt had crossed the line and either went the racist route or otherwise.
The Bottom Line: To tie the Tea Party movement to the Republican Party or its supports, is just plain stupid and accusing everyone who disagrees with policies of the Obama Administration of believing that he is a Muslim is nothing more than collectivism, which is what the liberal left is known for; and is extremely stupid.
