Brushing aside pleas for mercy, a federal judge sentenced former state Senator Dianne Wilkerson yesterday to 3 1/2 years in prison for taking $23,500 in bribes, saying too many Massachusetts politicians engage in political corruption without fear of serious consequences.Isn't she the one seen on camera stuffing money down her front?
In the news story from The Boston Globe she is quoted as saying it is the corrupt Federal Government after her and City Council member Chuck Turner:
After the 2 1/2-hour sentencing hearing ended, Wilkerson told a phalanx of reporters outside the courthouse that she accepted responsibility for her crimes. But she said federal prosecutors were corrupt and went after her and former Boston councilor Chuck Turner, who was convicted of accepting a $1,000 payoff in the same FBI sting, because they were outspoken politicians who challenged the status quo.What I remember about Ms Wilkerson is her coming out of a late night session on Beacon Hill (as I recall the issue was "gay marriage") and saying of the tactics used by the Democratic Majority,
The ends justify the means.There you have it folks. Ms Wilkerson is no Sir Thomas More.
And, she already had the tax evasion thing behind her as a sort of sign post for her conduct. Maybe she thought she was bullet proof. Maybe she thought that her good works would justify her. Maybe her appeal is to Saint James.
Regards — Cliff
Thankfully, most reasonable people can see through this sort of stuff.
ReplyDeleteAny public figure should have a healthy degree of awareness (a few degrees shy of paranoia, anyway) that yes, there ARE people out to get you. They are watching you, and if you screw up, they will make it known. Who *they* are may change (journalists, bloggers, opposing parties, ambitious young nobles inside the palace walls, etc.) but part of your job is to comport yourself in a manner that you woudn't have to stammer too much if asked to explain or justify.
I think Louis XIV built all those glass walls at Versailles because he ALREADY had all this figured out then -- keep a close eye on the court, and offer up just enough transparency to keep things moving.