Madness in the Senate

I am truly blown away by the antics of the people we put in charge of our country. By now Blagojevich's name is pretty well known, the Illinois Governor charged with being an idiot in broad daylight. That is how I would define it, though it is much graver than that. In reality he was attempting to sell President-Elect Obama's nearly vacant seat to the highest bidder, saying:

"I've got this thing, and it's ****ing golden. And I'm just not giving it up for ****ing nothing. I'm not going to do it, and I can always use it; I can parachute me there"

I'm not going to point out the obvious and say that this guy shouldn't be in office. Everyone knows that. A federal prosecution team is currently putting their case together, which the court will begin hearing on the projected 7th of April, this 2009. Originally they were to try Blagojevich starting on the 7th of January and felt the need for an extension, hopefully because they plan to nail this guy to the wall.

All pending presupposition as to the outcome of Blagojevich's hearing aside, this is only the back-story for the latest events. For some unknown (and a string of other colorful adjectives) reason, Blagojevich is still acting as Governor with virtual impunity. Our representatives in Illinois did nothing to hold him to task presently, such as seeking impeachment. In my wildest of dreams I hope that it is only because they assumed that Blagojevich would be too busy defending himself in court to do anything of real consequence, and completely neglected to be in communication with the prosecution team as to their plan of action - appearing to be caught with their pants down when realizing that Blagojevich is suffering no consequences at least until the time that they do finally bring a statement of impeachment against him.

Alas, it is already too late. The monster has reared its grotesque head. In another incredible twist to the Blagojevich story, Blagojevich used his unchallenged and currently valid authority to appoint Roland Burris to the vacant Senate seat. When Mr. Burris attempted to claim the seat, he was confronted and told that his credentials were not in order, and that he would not be able to proceed to the floor. He was turned away by his own party because of the glaringly obvious reason that he was appointed by a man who clearly has no respect for positions of governing power.

The problem is that in typical political fashion, it is too little too late. Roland Burris was denied on the grounds that the Secretary of State of Illinois, Jesse White, has not certified the appointment. This is merely a stall tactic however, and when Mr. Burris lodges a formal complaint in court he will certainly be motioned into the seat. Hopefully he has the character that Blagojevich lacks. Meanwhile Illinois congressmen are finally getting into gear in dropping a statement of impeachment on Blagojevich's desk.

In other Senate news, there is a huge debate as to who the newly elected Minnesota Senator is: Al Franken or Norm Coleman. The problem stems from an original count that placed Norm Coleman as the winner by 215 votes, which was then reversed to a win by Al Franken of 225 votes. With such a drastic change it seems there is a need for further investigation - both Franken and Coleman need to have respect for the position by ensuring that the correct result is sought carefully and thoroughly.

Do not be discouraged - it is important for us as citizens to know that we hold the power to change this country. When we believe that the politicians know better than we do, and that we should let them do what they feel is best, we relinquish our constitutional rights as human beings.

What can we do? We can email these people until their servers crash. Get on this website (that I am now posting for the third time, it is infinitely useful):

Congress - http://www.webslingerz.com/jhoffman/congress-email.html

and tell your representatives that they need to do something. If you aren't from Illinois, email your representatives and tell them to pressure the guys in Illinois to step up. If you are from Illinois, pressure your represenatives to drag Blagojevich into impeachment hearings. Email your representatives, tell them that they need to insist on the importance of truth in the Minnesota Senatorial Election over uncomplicated transition. Yes it is a hassle. Then again, not many things valuable are easily attained.


References:

Blagojevich Indictment:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-blagojevich6-2009jan06,0,7972612.story

Blagojevich Transcript:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/us/politics/09text-illinois.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2

Roland Burris Turned Away:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-010609-burris-senate-jan07,0,684314.story

Franken Vs. Coleman:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/01/06/franken_wins_minn_seat_but_lawsuit_likely/