OK I can’t help it. I’m happy. I’m finally online full speed again, and Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested earlier today on federal corruption charges. Can life get much better!
Here’s a snip from CNN:
Federal officers took Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris — also arrested on corruption charges — into custody at around 6:30 a.m. (7:30 a.m. ET) without incident, FBI spokesman Ross Rice told CNN.
Each was charged with a count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and a count of solicitation of bribery, authorities said.
The government says the two were “conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits” for the Illinois governor by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a U.S. senator to replace Obama…
…The government also accuses Blagojevich and Harris of threatening to withhold state assistance to the Tribune Company — the company that owns the Chicago Tribune — in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field baseball stadium. The company also owns the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field.
In exchange for assistance, the governor and his chief of staff wanted the newspaper to fire Chicago Tribune editorial board members who were sharply critical of the governor, the government said.
It alleged the two also sought to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions. Blagojevich and Harris will appear later Tuesday in court, the attorney’s office said.
Blago is BBF of Illinois baby dump tax write-off, Save Abandoned Babies Foundation.
Here is what I wrote about Blago and the dumpers on August 16, 2005, Baby Dump Yes; Tattoos No after the governor vetoed legislation that would permit Illinoisans between the ages of 18-21 to get inked without parental consent. Earlier he’d made permanent the state’s baby dump law two years before it was up for sunset. In his veto of that tat bil Blago fussed over the lifelong harm tats could cause young adults, especially his daughters, then 9 and 2. Apparently giving birth in a seedy motel and anonymously dumping your baby (if you survive) to the state isn’t so harmful to young adults or his own underage daughters as getting a tattoo.
As a parent, I don’t want my daughters to rush to get tattoos on their 18th birthday. At that age, most kids are still in high school and dont’ have judgment or perspective to decide on something as permanent as tattooing your skin. Teenagers may not realize getting a tattoo is a decision they’ll live with and potentially regret the rest of their lives That’s why I refuse to support legisation that allowed a teenager(s) to get tattoos.”
I responded:
In BlagoLogic it’s better for his daughters to get knocked up, keep it secret, have no prenatal care or counseling, give birth in a bath tub in a cheap motel in Cicero (or better yet, the Executive Mansion), and drop it off at an ER so he’ll never have to know… than get a tat they might regret for the rest of their lives.
In BlagoLogic it’s better for his daughters to risk life-threatening pregnancy-related disabilities including infection, breech birth, placenta previa/acceta (which can require a C-section delivery), preelampsia, toxemia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, hyperemesis. post-partum depression, or psychosis…and death… than get a tat they might regret for the rest of their lives.
In BlagoLogic it’s better for his grandchildren to suffer from cerebral palsy, mental retardation and delay, blindness, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, short life spans..and death…than their mothers get a tat they might regret the rest of their lives.
Please someone! Why must the state protect teenagers from getting tats, but encourage these same teenagers to have a secret pregnancy delivery, and relinquishment?
No, I’m not saying there is a connection between the governor’s corrupt practices and Illinois safe haven pushers. The dump folks only have crocodile tears to spread around, and they’re not real bankable, even in the best of times.
But what goes ’round comes ’round. If convicted, Blago will have a lot more to explain to his daughters than why he thinks getting a tattoo is worse than anonymously abandoning a baby. But it’s a start.
ADDENDA: The blogosphere is aspin with the Blogojevich arrest and its implications not only on Illinois politics, but the national scene –much too much to comment on here. Of special interest to everyone (OK, I can’t resist it myself!) is Blago’s designation of Barak Obama as “motherfucker.” You can read the full criminal complaint here.
A lot of special interests and usual and unusual suspects, are going to find themselves in the center of this rat’s nest. Will Blago’s fall affect Illinois current adoption sinkhole, especially the iron hold of the “reunion registry” on the identity rights of adoptees? I hope so.
And to think, I was embarassed ro admit that I was from Maryland when I was in college after a former and current governor were arrested. And now I can’t even remember what Spiro Agnew was charged with. I would say that Illinois has topped Agnew and Marvin Mandel by a country male!
“Jailbird Rod” has done no wrong in his own mind but was going to use the money for his defense! Here in Illinois he is well known for being plain stupid. For a long time now there has been talk about impeaching him and surely that is forthcoming since he is too stupid to resign.
He showed his stupidity by relating baby dumping to getting a tattoo. I’m sure that he must be telling his children that he has done no wrongdoing. They will have to listen to the news and their friends to learn the truth. Now I know he is innocent until proven guilty!
My hope is that his crooked legislator friends will go down with him. It might result in getting an open records bill sponsored and passed in Illinois!
Country male? I like that!
I never got a tattoo, but if I did, even if it was ugly and embarrassing, I could not imagine regretting it more than giving up my child. Talk about doing something you regret for the rest of your life, due to being young and stupid and listening to bad advice!
I think that Rod the Crook had his priotities a little mixed up on that one, as you pointed out, Marley. Good riddance to another rotten egg.
But if I ever need tattoo advice, I’m sure you would help me out:-)
While we Senior Moms don’t have a lot of time to wait, this is proof that, given time, greed will take down the powerful corrupt. They usually wind up stepping in their own crap. I didn’t know that this guy was a Haven advocate. It’s like I just found something nice in my stocking! ;o)
Yet again Illinois politics makes me glad that I left and moved south. With Blag this makes a trifecta of IL Govs! Wow! That must be a record of some kind.
I wasn’t aware of his stance on Baby Dumps, but now that I am, it certainly has that tingly little ring of Karma, doesn’t it?
Yeah, I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes when he has to explain to his daughters about his new prison tats…lol! Anyone for sending him Soap on a Rope for Christmas? Hopefully his daughters will come thru this with a more open mind, and heart than their father for the bottomless pit of sadness that is a baby dump.
Many of us in the adoption reform community have known for years about corrupt “pay for play” Illinois politics.
There is a laser beam connection between corrupt politics and secret files (which were once open) currently kept from adults who were adopted as minors. The mainstreet media’s asleep when it comes to this important issue.
Marley, you provide a great service here on DB with your research and reporting. Keep it up and thank you! JK