Lunch Break: Rod Blagojevich’s last day before prison
by LauraLoo
Less than 24 hours before heading to FCI Englewood – a low-security federal prison in Littleton, CO, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich imparts his final words to the public, with wife Patti by his side.
It’s hard to believe, given his gift of gab, that we won’t publicly hear Blagojevich’s voice live for at least 12 years. He has been sentenced to 14 years for 18 corruption counts after two trials but may actually serve about 12 years. Sentencing can be reduced for good behavior, as well as his enrollment in an alcohol abuse treatment program while in prison.
Do you think his sentence is excessive based on what he was found guilty of? I do. I found him guilty, yet I had hoped he would serve 5 years. Others are convicted of far more heinous crimes and they serve less time than Blagojevich will have to do.
Also, there was a discussion yesterday on WLS as to whether Blagojevich’s tough dilemma fits the category of calamity (as he states). Or does this fall in the category of a self-imposed tragedy – that the consequences of his talk and behavior result in his not being with his wife and children for at least a dozen years? The point made was that calamities can be defined as tsunamis, murders, famines, and such.
Don’t miss exclusive photos and short audio clip courtesy of WLS890AM Chicago.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTrXoayLLhw[/youtube]
Email LauraLoo with your Lunch Break suggestions.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
I’ve always thought of Blago as a lovable rogue. I agree 14(12) years is excessive.
Wrongdoing? yes.
But, he didn’t murder any children. I find it hard to take any laws seriously as long as abortion is kept legal. Let’s see how many years Gosnell gets.
i agree with tyler
No way he even serves 12 out of his 14. Parol for ‘good behavior’ is after 2/3rd of your sentence, early parol can be granted even sooner. He might, might do 8 years, probably more like 5. As for a valid sentence? Well, my thoughts on the justice system don’t favor prison sentences just for a prison sentence. I’d prefer something that actually works, like corporal punishment, real resitution, and public service.
Doing 5 years in a light security prison isn’t going to keep an entitled rich politician like him from reoffending. 18 public canings/whippings (one for each count), resitution to his victims (from his own pockets), and mandatory public service in like a homeless shelter or food pantry (or hard labor) while on work release from jail (during the day) until he has accomplished 1 and 2 would be far, far more effective in lowering his likelihood to reoffend.
I disagree. Given his blatent disregard of Illinois laws, in addition to his corruption, 12 years is not too much for this egotistical maniac. He tried to shake down a Children’s Hospital!
He has no morals, no scruples, and did as much to support Planned Parenthood in Illinois as Obama. Good riddance to him.
As far as his kids go, yes, I am not happy that they’ll lose their father for so long. However, two things. One, their father should have thought of them before his crimes, and two, they’re lucky the feds didn’t go after their mother, too. She was as guilty in some of these issues as Blago was.
Illinois is feeling the affect of his reign for still another decade. It’s only fair that he suffers those consequences, too.
no doubt he deserves time. its a strange word we live in though. serial likkeing abortionists get a free pass to keep killing.
oops should say serial killing…i had one ear on the tv
I think I disagree with everything in Jespren’s post..
Federal prisoners don’t get 1/3 off for “good time.”
While prison sentences might not work, there is no evidence that the other suggestions like corporal punishment or caning/whippings are a good idea. I like the idea of restitution and community service.
12 years is a very long time in anyone’s life. For the privileged class (like me and the governor, anything over even a year in prison is a huge deterrent.
Most sentences imposed by our courts are too long. Yet public perception is that most are too short. If someone isn’t a physical threat to others, there are better ways to protect society than lengthy prison terms.
Tyler, he did murder children. He went around the legislature and passed an executive order authorizing and funding human embryo research. He signed an executive order forcing pharmacists and pharmacies to dispense emergency contraception even if in violation of their consciences. And there’s far more. Take a look at his radical pro-abortion record as congressman: http://ontheissues.org/Governor/Rod_Blagojevich_Abortion.htm. I feel sorry for his children, but despite the protests, he knew what he was doing. He knew the riskes. He is the one who did this to himself and his family. And I hope it isn’t over. Jesse Jackson, Jr., is still being in vestigated for allegedly trying to buy the U.S. senator seat vacated by Obama.
I don’t think he was convicted for supporting human embryo research
“ 18 public canings/whippings (one for each count)”
And we should cut off thieves hands too! Yeah! That will do it! And publicly humiliate adulteress women, like, maybe they should wear a red letter A on their shirts! Yeah!
Good riddance.
First, it hurts to see this family broken up, even though the father is a despicable and egotistical maniac and a convicted felon. Though I am far from a bleeding heart liberal I am nonetheless very saddened to see this happen. Also, our other Illinois governor, George Ryan, who also resides in the slammer—here too it was painful to see how his wife suffered the last years of her life without him with an illness that finally took her life, and the state stripping him of his pension—where does “justice” begin and end?
Frankly, I do not see what is to be gained by a one size fits all criminal justice system that has one solution to everything: jail time. This is one area where we need a great deal of reform. A couple of points. A) We are broke. B) Blago, George Ryan and thousands of other inmates do not pose a threat of physical violence to anyone and yet we spend millions that we do not have to cloth, feed, and give them shelter and medical care.
This is 2012 and all sorts of gadgets are available to monitor bad guys. We ought to come up with less costly and more efficent means of criminal justice. In Blago’s case (and in others where there is little to no threat of them doing violence to others) perhaps we should have less incarceration time and more ankle bracelet time confined to his home and let wife Patty foot the bill for his meals and shelter. Yes, Blago was/is a buffoon and a serial opportunist with a serious narcisistic/sociopath profile. But it still tugs at one’s heart to see his kids paying for their father’s stupidity with a decade of their young lives without him.
What do rapists get? 2 years?
Bleed liberal hearts bleed, but the fact of the matter is that cororal punishment has always worked wonderfully as a way to reduce the crime rate. Societies that practice it (as our Founding Father’s did) have much lower crime rates. I think permantly disabling someone (cutting off a hand) is more than a bit extreme, but if you think a thief is more likely to (re)offend if he’s looking at a public switching and having to pay back the actual value of what he stole than if he’s looking at hanging with his buddies in jail for a few months, your brain is soft. It all depends upon what the purpose of the justice system is. If the purpoe is to punish criminals and protect law abiding citizens, then real punishments are necessary. If the purpose is to ‘rehabilitate’ criminals than institutionalizing them in order to ‘help’ them is necessary. Logically and historically you can’t have both. The irony is that by actually punishing crime you *do* provide both deterent and rehabilitation in the form of a lack of want to reoffend, but cushy jail sentences and rehabilitation programs provide neither true rehabilitation nor deterent. Our society has just become too squeamish to demand justice and too focused on making everyone a victim that needs to be helped to want to punish criminals.
Scarlet letters (which btw were never widely used) are not necessary, nor a good idea as they amount to a pointlessly long prison sentence. But public stigma isn’t a bad thing, it does a great deal of good. It keeps many people from commiting acts that they want to do, but don’t want the neighbors to find out about. ‘What will people think” is a huge deterent and only got a bad name because a group of people wanted to do things they *knew* were wrong and that society knew were wrong without having anyone remind them of their smarting conscience. Today’s secular mantra might as well be “don’t you dare remind me I’m guilty”. And now things that were unheard of just a few generations ago, because back then it would have been so scandalous (the majority of) people maintained self control and didn’t do them and now paraded in the light while society crucifies anyone who dares to remind them it’s wrong.
Pain and guilt are some of the strongest motivators humans have, our society has rejected both because they don’t like that they *work*!
Jespren, you should take a look at the crime rate in countries with more progressive criminal rehabilitation plans versus countries with the punitive type of laws you advocate and tell me how that works out for you. Uganda versus Norway! Go!
Jack,
One-quarter of me is qualified to say, “U.S.A. vs. Norway! Go!”
He’s not the first stereotype of a Boss Tweed corruptocrat, but he’s one of the few caught on tape.
Lol Hans, I guess then I would be qualified to say Cuba versus Ireland, haha.
Yeah, and my 3/4 Swedish heritage would like a say, but it has a natural rivalry with the Nogs.
he did kill children? let him rot
It’s in point of fact a great and helpful piece of info. I’m satisfied that you simply shared this useful information with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for for the clarification Jill.
I didn’t realize he was involved in all of these other awful activities (that should be crimes).
I should’ve expected he was involved in funding PP, etc… given that he is a Democrat. What a horrible voting record he had.