In Memory of my lifelong friend...

...Andy Hutson, who perished in a house fire early Saturday morning with his beloved German Shepherd, Gretchen, lying beside him just a few feet from the door. I hope to write more of his story when I have the time to do it justice, but for now I want to post a video of one of the songs performed at his serivce today. Andy was a musician/guitarist himself and would have been pleased to have a song by one of the best guitarist of all time shared in his memory. R.I.P. my friend!

Blagojevich accused of "political corruption crime spree"

I am tuned in to CNN listening to a live report from the U.S. Attorney sharing this 'breaking news' as I contemplate the things I will share in this post.

I don't know enough about this politician, Govenor Rod Blagojevich, to pass personal judgment, but I do have one question? If he was negotiating to have someone 'buy' the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama available in Illinois, were there 'takers' /'interested parties' besides the ones who were 'wire tapped' to bait him? Were others underhandedly scheming with him for that position? How do they determine who is acting in a 'criminal way' here and who is not? Which would also lead me to ask, how many people in office have been 'bought'?!?! Mind you, I have no pity for this governor (if he is guilty), but I do feel that from time-to-time, for whatever reasons -- reasons that will likely remain unknown to us -- a person in government is targeted for a 'fall'. There have been rumors throughout time/history of 'fall guys', so my question then would be 'why is that'?! Are certain people 'targeted', and if so, why?! Why not everyone who is suspect in all situations? Are the officials aware of others involved in such scheming and do they investigate ALL of them? I'm just asking...and, okay, I had more than ONE question!!

I wish I could say that I felt our government officials do not participate in these kinds of tactics, but I really do not believe that. 'Pay to Play'?! It is a coined term, sheesh, so this is nothing new (well, I'm not naive...but I'm just saying..)?! How often does it happen? How often is it swept under the rug? Who decides? The Attorney is saying that his office spoke with folks at The Tribune to withhold the story, which they did, so that an investigation could take place without interuption. A lot of power is welded to these folks!! Who 'can' we trust. Ha!!

When it comes to politics, unfortunately, I find that laughable and sad. They are holding the governor and his 'inner circle' responsible for this scheme. I still want to know, were there any prospective 'senators' showing interest and perhaps engaging in a 'dialogue', scheming, negotiating for the position?! To make the govenor the sole 'bad guy' is, at the very least, ironic. Granted, there don't have to be prospective buyers just because he is seeking to sell something.

Okay, they are using the terms conspiracy and scheming and that the investigation seeks to determine which took place and how many others were truly involved and how much of it was criminal and how many folks were just acting like 'tough guys'. I'm baffled!! Now the Attorney is talking about 'greasing the skids'? He's talking about who in the government is aware of these tactics, about those who will step up to complain. He implies that often people ARE aware and never say anything because it involves much courage. If our elected officials are not courageous, why are they leading us?! Is the message here to just mind your own business and keep your supporters in the dark?! Granted, I understand the risks, I even understand why one would stay silent. Amazing, even Obama is remaining silent. Hmmm. So today I have to ask, is there a particular reason WHY this story broke NOW? I must conclude, I trust no one, and that is the saddest part.

Ha!! The Attorney is stating that he is not going to answer the questions I've posed about who was interested in that Senate seat because it would involve 'hypotheticals' -- he could, or is that would, not address whether there were interested parties. I'm hearing terms like 'a staggering web of schemes'. This man is obviously not acting alone. How widespread is this kind of corruption?! I keep hearing it is a 'sad day'. I believe it happens ALL the time..is everyday a 'sad day'?!

I guess my last question is would this have something to do with the outgoing President or the incoming one? Is there an effort to make one look better/stronger or the other to seem unaware or the opposite -- more aware, etc.?! Who makes the decision to target a particular person and why? They are saying there have been accusations for years concerning this guy. Is timing significant here?

Yuck, the entire subject makes me sick! It's frightening the power these guys hold, the greed they possess, the egos that are involved. It makes my case for being a non-voter. Whom can we trust as a politican?!?! I'm just questioning off the top of my head here, nothing too profound, but I'm always leery of those 'throwing stones' at a single target. I've become rather cynical --I typically find myself questioning motive.

The media is calling this shocking!! Is it 'really'?!?! I think NOT!!!