Al Capone was a monster, finally nailed on a minor charge-- tax evasion.
Tom DeLay is also a monster and he was also nailed on a minor charge-- money laundering, convicted by a jury, yesterday.
The sad thing is most of the mainstream media are failing to report and focus on how his crimes affected America. DeLay could face jail time of five years to life in prison. Given the effects upon America of his crimes, he should get life without parole.
photo by Rob Kall
DeLay used the laundered money to fund seven campaigns in Texas. Six of the funded candidates won and that led to the Republicans taking over the Texas legislature for the first time DeLay used that power to gerrymander Texas so it sent more republicans to congress in 2004.
These machinations affected selection of supreme court justices, all kinds of legislation, billions in earmarks and had untold domino effects throughout the US and the world.
The system is still damaged and will continue to be so, regardless of whether or not DeLay wins the appeal he has asserted he will enter. Those six candidates who benefitted from the illegal money laundering were not affected. The Republican majority Texas legislature was not affected. The gerrymander-aided Republican members of congress were not affected.
Justice took a step yesterday, just a step. Lao Tse said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step.
There is much to be done. Note that this was justice done in Texas, not DOJ justice. Sadly, the DOJ, headed by Obama appointee Eric Holder, would probably have dropped the charges against Tom DeLay. Holder tends to pursue whistleblowers. Holder has maintained charges against people Bush appointed Rove directed, rogue US attorneys, engaging in prosecutorial misconduct have subjected to injustices. To learn more about the outrageous failure of Obama directed Eric Holder, see The Political Prosecutions of Karl Rove .
It is a start, to see Tom DeLay convicted. It is not nearly enough. The DOJ should pursue this. Sadly, the track record suggests that will not happen. The centralization of power is not working. The centralization of finance is not working. We need to re-localize, taking power and economics back to the states, to our communities. The local court in Texas has proven that even the biggest, foulest criminals can be taken down. Let's hope that some judge appointed by a governor or president does not reverse the honest justice that's been meted out.
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