Given the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's unconditional hero-worship of Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett and its unceasing vilification of Mike Veon, it's worth noting whenever the Trib allows anyone within its pages to acknowledge that Team Veon just might have a point. ("'Strong issues' may aid Veon" 3/31/10)
Lawyers for Veon and his co-defendants have asked for a mistrial based on the jury's attempt to conduct its own investigation. The lawyers also have indicated their intention to raise several issues on appeal: "replacement of a juror after five days of deliberations; limits placed on cross-examination; the judge's denial of 'selective prosecution' as a defense; and accusations of intimidation and bullying of House staffers by the attorney general's agents and lawyers during their investigation."
The Trib's response to pretty much every point Team Veon has raised in the last year and a half since indictment has been mocking derision. ("Veon's lame rationale" 6/7/09) So, based on past practice, the Trib would be expected to haul out legal experts to explain why each and every one of these issues is a piddling matter beneath the court's attention as well as to point out that the defendants' mothers wear combat boots.
Instead, the Trib deigned to include Pitt law school professor John Burkoff's observation that "Criminal convictions have been reversed on each and every one of those issues."
Wow.
Lawyers for Veon and his co-defendants have asked for a mistrial based on the jury's attempt to conduct its own investigation. The lawyers also have indicated their intention to raise several issues on appeal: "replacement of a juror after five days of deliberations; limits placed on cross-examination; the judge's denial of 'selective prosecution' as a defense; and accusations of intimidation and bullying of House staffers by the attorney general's agents and lawyers during their investigation."
The Trib's response to pretty much every point Team Veon has raised in the last year and a half since indictment has been mocking derision. ("Veon's lame rationale" 6/7/09) So, based on past practice, the Trib would be expected to haul out legal experts to explain why each and every one of these issues is a piddling matter beneath the court's attention as well as to point out that the defendants' mothers wear combat boots.
Instead, the Trib deigned to include Pitt law school professor John Burkoff's observation that "Criminal convictions have been reversed on each and every one of those issues."
Wow.
The true story on Bonusgate needs to be told, not just at CasablancaPA, but also in a book, movie, and documentary on Prosecutors Abuse, Governors Campaign Ambitions, and Republican persecution of selective Democrats, while ignoring Republican Elected officials that did exact same thing as charged to Veon.
ReplyDeleteI fear the Appeals will happen but way too late to stop this continued abuse.
It is just outright wrong, dirty, and if it continues to hurt others, it will be even more tragic.
Good men and women must stand up now and stop all this abuse in the disguise of justice.
Corbett should know better but blind ambitions, overcome a banal heart.
Bumstead Wrote:
ReplyDelete"Former Republican Gov. Dick Thornburgh, while he was U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh, was criticized for "selective prosecution" of Democrats. But the truth is there were crooks in former Democrat Gov. Milton Shapp's administration. They were Democrats and Thornburgh took them down."
This is not even close to Bonusgate, the keyword is "IF" and there has not been over 3 years without any reporting of even an investigation on the Republican Senate.
This is what I find tragic, if true justice is being sought there are many that need to be looked at and prosecuted, BUT THAT HAS NOT HAPPEN, and Bumstead never follows up at any News Conference from Corbett on why?
Justice demands fairness and 3 years is too long not to report on what happen in the Republican Senate.
At the same time, no question based on two trials now, that these were more ethical violations, not criminal, as jurors have pointed out by verdicts.
I respect Brad Bumstead reporting but he has a story bigger than what is out there right now, but Republicans will protect Republicans over any truth. Power does not care about what is right, it cares about how to build it, maintain it, and change it when they want it.
The legislators and senators brought this on their own by going greedy from 1980’s to 20005 with 5 Pay Increases plus massive Benefits and Expense Perks, it made them unpopular finally by 2005, and they went one pay raise too far.
Consequently, they became unpopular and the Power Elites such as Jubelrier and Brightbill were voted out and Fumo, Perzel, DeWeese, Veon, and maybe few more were indicted, and a perfect pick off a power change to place do nothing Legislators and Senators that prefer missing votes and just being Part-Timer to replace them.
The sad thing is Corbett has not sought Justice as he has said, it is about his own Campaign and the new people he hopes to work with as the old leadership guard is going to be gone, and when an AG is not looking to enforce the laws and uses the laws for his campaigns, it comes back to haunt them sooner or later.
Bumstead misses that entire picture but does not care because he works and polishes the shoes of Dick scaife!
You know how the Republicans operate. They have hypocrisy in their DNA. They might fight amongst themselves but when it comes to controll they will deal with the devil and do whatever it takes to win control.
ReplyDeleteThey want control of the legislature and the US Congress and they will draw the lines in their favor just like they did in Texas with Tom DeLay.
That is why Corbett and the Orie Sisters are so chummy. They are all double standard. They will do whatever it takes to win and for every dollar they are saving with bonusgate free publicity, they will raise that much through their
corporate control. They will also use tax dollars to fight health reform even when they know that they are doing it to no avail.
They are masters of deceit and working in concert since the local elections of 2007 and 2009.
You can go to church Sunday and I'm sure you'll see them all in the front row, wearing the Easter Double CROSSES. And you can bet that if enough heat was put on them for wearing crosses because they are old fashioned and from the middle ages, you can bet that they would upgrade to Electric Chairs.
Bye, have to go now and buy an Easter Bonnet.
You say, "Power does not care about what is right, it cares about how to build it, maintain it, and change it when they want it." TRUER WORDS HAVE NEVER BEEN SPOKEN!!!!!
ReplyDeleteJust look at what Rep. Eachus has done since he was ordained Majority Leader...1) Gave back the COLA and announced that the Dem Caucus members would too without consulting the members first, 2) made multiple budget deals that he could not deliver because he failed to first consult the voting caucus members, 3) under his failed leadership the budget was delayed over 100 days causing political problems for all members, both R & D, 4) hired nearly 100 new and very expensive employees in the already bloated staff ranks of leadership, 5) changed the annual leave & sick leave banking policy to push out the most senior and productive employees in the caucus, 6) put a hiring freeze in place but not for leadership, 7) put a pay freeze in place for rank & file employees but not for leadership employees, 8) secretly gave multiple excessive pay raises to his cronies only to be found out by the media watchdogs, 9) tried to hide it from the media by denying the Open Records Request, and 10) has embarrassed the caucus again by using the DeWeese defense - "I didn't know the raises happened, it was a mistake, but they can keep the raises anyway."
Hog Wash!!!! The Eachus administration reads like a David Letterman Top Ten List – funny and true, but sad. Eachus has proven himself time and time again to be nothing different and may be worse than prior leaders, but Eachus doesn’t have the nuts to protect the members. Remember Nov/Dec 2008 when Eachus & McCall "took the lead" to give back the annual COLA without first consulting the members or mentioning the little fact that the both of them got over $30,000 and $40,000 each as "leadership stipends" when the rank and file members had to gave back the mere $2,800 annual COLA.
Power corrupts absolutely and absolute power is corrupt - Eachus has let the title of “Leader” go to his head. Eachus is feeding himself at the trough – When will Eachus be held accountable too?
In regards to Toad Eachus, we do not believe in a harm-reduction model. We believe that one transaction is too many, and a thousand never enough.
ReplyDeleteAs someone said in a comment above, “It’s how they grew up.” But that’s not true.
The life of being in Public Service is rough.
Many try to live a perfect life, and seek to always be happy.
They tell you that all you learned in life was wrong and tell you something that is totally wrong.
Everything happens for a reason, and this experience has not brought the best out of anybody.
We believe that once people understand the truth, they will then have the compassion to effectively help others.
Imagine, for a moment, what the world could be if we looked past the labels we all possess and embraced the humanism in each other.
Imagine what the world could be if each of us cared just a little bit more.
We also believe that any job that leaves you with post-traumatic stress disorder is not a job worth ever having.
We encourage all to empower survivors by giving them a place to feel safe and re-vision their lives.
"Power corrupts absolutely and absolute power is corrupt - Eachus has let the title of “Leader” go to his head. Eachus is feeding himself at the trough – When will Eachus be held accountable too?April 1, 2010 1:12 AM"
ReplyDeleteBased upon the AG Prosecution record, I think Corbettt dear not indict anyone else.
Corbett is having trouble proving his charges before a jury.
Todd Eachus is safe just like many that should have been charged, Corbett would prefer to deal with a Dim Witted Eachus rather a responsible leader.!
Even without Corbett joining a Social Hypocrisy Survivor group, My heart truly goes out to you all.
ReplyDeleteYour posts made me think that maybe we all sell a piece of our soul every time we do something that our soul is not okay with and some prosecutors have to have regrets by now.
Maybe…we are all put here on earth for a reason…a purpose.
When we are not acting on that purpose or when we are on the wrong path to that reason…our soul feels the pain to give us a warning, to let us know.
I don’t know, how some at the AG Office will be able to live with themselves in the future.
Just my thoughts.
By the way, is there such a thing as a Travel Industry Survivor Group?
Todd Eachus' worries are coming from Scranton - not Strawberry Square.
ReplyDeletePennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 645:
ReplyDelete(B)An alternate juror who does not replace a principal juror SHALL BE DISCHARGED BEFORE THE JURY RETIRES TO CONSIDER ITS VERDICT
If the rule or statute says "shall" then there is no alternative in Pennsylvania
Thus, Lewis should have discharged the jury as soon as he had finished charging the jury. This idea of putting jurors on call during deliberations is not set forth in the rules of criminal procedure and therefore a violation of rule 645. I hope that this is one of the arguments of defense counsel!!!
Anonymous said...Todd Eachus' worries are coming from Scranton - not Strawberry Square. April 1, 2010 10:19 AM
ReplyDeleteTodd has bragged that Corbett can't touch him, he is protected by Dilworth Paxson Casey, and you know the power they have since Fumo gave them millions, and now Todd is doing the same.
Check out how much Corbett is getting from Dilworth Paxson Lawyers too, oh, right most will not be reported until after the election.
Do not forget the Casey Boys are appointing the next US Attorneys too. There will be no case against Todd.
Todd are Casey's Mr. Clean!
Hypocrisy in Harrisburg is not limited to Corbett!
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeletePennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 645:
(B)An alternate juror who does not replace a principal juror SHALL BE DISCHARGED BEFORE THE JURY RETIRES TO CONSIDER ITS VERDICT
If the rule or statute says "shall" then there is no alternative in Pennsylvania
Thus, Lewis should have discharged the jury as soon as he had finished charging the jury. This idea of putting jurors on call during deliberations is not set forth in the rules of criminal procedure and therefore a violation of rule 645. I hope that this is one of the arguments of defense counsel!!!
April 1, 2010 12:57 PM
The carefully selected Investigations and Trials were never about convictions, all Defendants will win on Appeal, and this all goes away, after November.
It was about an Election and Change in Power and Re-Districting.
Mission Accomplished!
Anonymous 5:45 PM, you got part of it but not all of it.
ReplyDeleteDeals have been cut, Todd stays as Corbett is Governor and the New AG appointted by Corbett will continue investigations on a lesser scale, and hold Eachus responsible anytime he or any legsilator gets out of line, by bringing charges already in the pipeline, just a matter of when to flush it.
Dermody should be the new Majority Leader to avoid this compromise of values and power.
Weird but true!