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OpEdNews Op Eds    H1'ed 1/22/10

A Closer Look at Justice in the Obama Administration

Message Don Siegelman

Dear Arlene,

Recently the U S Supreme Court dismissed a case where the Obama Administration took the position that prosecutors who knowingly give false evidence to get a conviction shouldn't be held liable because it might deter a prosecutor from going all out to get a conviction! Do you believe this nonsense? How much more off the moral path does this country have to go before somebody wakes up?

This position arose in regard to whether prosecutors could be sued for providing false evidence leading to the wrongful murder conviction of two men who spent over twenty five years in prison for a crime they did not commit!

The Obama Administration actually sided with the prosecutors, saying that they should not be sued civilly, even though they knowingly presented false evidence.

This position is so obviously wrongheaded and morally bankrupt that it immediately sounds an alarm that something is not right within the Obama Administration.

Based on the words of Candidate Obama during last year's campaign, the American people certainly expect something different from President Obama. However, there seems to be a pattern of President Obama siding with positions inconsistent with what Candidate Obama said:.

Let's take a quick overview of just a few of these:

à à "š ¬ As of now, there has been no investigation into why the Bush Administration led the United States into a war in Iraq under what we now know to be false pretenses.

à à "š ¬ The Obama Administration also sided with the Bush Administration regarding the use of warrantless wiretaps.

à à "š ¬ President Obama has agreed with the Bush Administration's position of refusing to release photos of Americans torturing enemy combatants and has refused to prosecute the Americans who did use torture for interrogation.

à à "š ¬ The Obama Administration has failed to investigate Karl Rove and his accomplices for misusing the power of the DOJ in prosecuting Democrats in order to win elections.

à à "š ¬ The Obama Administration sided with the prosecutors in my case, even though we have enough evidence of prosecutorial misconduct to sink a battleship!

However, the straw that broke the camel's back was when I read about the Obama Administration arguing for immunity for prosecutors who present false evidence (as they did in my case) to get a conviction. According to CBS's 60 Minutes the government made their key witness, "a crook," write and rewrite his testimony until he got it the way the government wanted. The government knowingly presented that false testimony to convict me, and this Administration is practically encouraging prosecutors to do it again.

The founding principles of our nation should make our government strive toward morality not away from it. When we commit war crimes and subvert our citizensà à "š ¬Ã "ž constitutional rights we should admit we are wrong and apologize. If we fail to admit we are wrong, when the whole world knows we are wrong, we lose credibility. How can we expect other nations to respect us?

Anybody who looks at this issue knows that President Obama's position is wrong. Common sense tells us that prosecutors who present false evidence should be held accountable.

I really do not believe Candidate Obama lied to us about his ideals, rather, I think someone else is calling the shots.

My hope is that President Obama will take control.

I also hope that you will call and urge the President to change his position regarding prosecutors who lie to get convictions. Our country is better than that.

This issue is not about me or my case, it's about our country, our justice system, our morality. So, I am pleading with you to please call the White House and help urge the President to be more like Candidate Obama.

Toll free number for President Obama:
(800) 833-6354

Sincerely,

2010 Friends of Siegelman | P. O. Box 430116 I Birmingham, Alabama 35243
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Don Siegelman is the former governor of Alabama (Democratic).
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