Alabama Slammer

Wow! Investigative journalism. Thought that was dead and gone.

Part one: How a coterie of Republican heavyweights sent a governor to jail

For most Americans, the very concept of political prisoners is remote and exotic, a practice that is associated with third-world dictatorships but is foreign to the American tradition. The idea that a prominent politician -- a former state governor -- could be tried on charges that many observers consider to be trumped-up, convicted in a trial that involved numerous questionable procedures, and then hauled off to prison in shackles immediately upon sentencing would be almost unbelievable.

But there is such a politician: Don Siegelman, Democratic governor of Alabama from 1999 to 2003. Starting just a few weeks after he took office, Siegelman was targeted by an investigation launched by his political opponents and escalated from the state to the federal level by Bush Administration appointees in 2001.

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Remember the good old days of the Nixon adminitration?

The Republicans who would've impeached Bush? | Salon.com

Nov. 26, 2007 | During the past six years, leading Republicans in Congress have prioritized allegiance to a Republican president above all other governmental and constitutional concerns. But there was a time when U.S. lawmakers, regardless of party affiliation, actually voted the way of their conscience. There was a time when a president could not break the law or ignore a summons from Congress with impunity. Indeed, by the height of Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal, a number of congressmen -- including Republicans staunchly loyal to their party -- acted to uphold the law and make Nixon accountable.

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Been living in one for the past 7 years

Evidence of a parallel Universe

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It's fundamental

Creating lifelong readers:

"If you are reading this column, chances are you are more successful than the average person, more involved in your community and less likely to be in prison. That is not because of anything I have written. It is because you have chosen to read."

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He felt the noize a bit too much

Quiet Riot singer found dead in Las Vegas - Yahoo! News:

"LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kevin DuBrow, lead singer of the popular 1980s heavy metal band Quiet Riot, has been found dead from unknown causes at his home in Las Vegas, authorities said on Monday."

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