Food For Thought Part 47
A Culture of Corruption
In my last F.F.T article #46 I talked about the chaos in the Penna,. Court system and how justice was for sale all across the commonwealth, Philadelphia traffic courts, the common please courts in the various counties and the states highest court, the supreme court from the chief justice Castille accepting gifts and money from lawyers and businessmen and another supreme court justice McCery getting his wife's ticket fixed. The court system and the people elected to do the work in it is completely out of control. The citizens of Pa. deserve better.
There are a few new developments since I last wrote. Nine current and former judges from the Philadelphia traffic court were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy and fraud after a 3 year investigation into rampant ticket-fixing and corruption on the bench, including William Hird, the director of records who was the (the person to go to, the fixer) and Willie Singletary (the judge that showed a photo of his penis to a staff member) he was also involved in conspiracy with the tickets.
The suspended state supreme court justice Joan Orie Melvin and her sisters' trial concluded soon after her former Law clerk testified that the justice directed political campaign work by her state funded staff, while running for state supreme court justice, when she was still a superior court judge. Melvin was accused of doing that twice, in 2003 and 2009. Well all her lies and sleazy tactics didn't succeed, she was convicted of the charges and now awaits sentencing. Her sister was also convicted. Now all three of the Melvin sisters will be incarcerated because the third sister is already doing 2 to 10 years in state prison for the same crap. All three of them skunks felt they were above the law, but their actions finally caught up to them. It sounds like they are trying to clean up the corruptions in this state, but don't get fooled by the okie-doke. They are only knocking off a few to make it appear there is no tolerance for this, but it's really so they can continue these corrupt practices on a larger scale. The only good part of this is the citizens can clean house and vote out these crooks in the up coming elections.
As is the case of Penna's governor Tom Corbett, The new attorney general
Kathleen Kane recently rejected Corbett's contract effort that would have allowed a British firm to manage the 3.5 billion dollar Penna. Lottery, saying it contravenes the state constitution and is not authorized by law. Corbett had to return $50 million to London based Camelot Global services as a down payment. The new attorney general jumped all over it and got it cancelled because it was illegal and unconstitutional. Corbett is up to all kinds of shady tricks including trying to privatizing the states liquor stores, which may not be a bad idea, in my opinion, but about the only thing him and I agree on. This chump has been a disaster and sleaze-ball since he took office. Many already have declared not to vote for him again because he continued to spend more money building new prisons, while cutting funds for education and other much needed meaningful things when the economy is so bad. Plus the new attorney general is still investigating Corbett for his involvement or lack of for not stepping in sooner in the Jerry Sandusky case, when he was in Pa’s attorney general, prior to becoming Governor.
Sandusky is the Penn St, football coach that was recently convicted of raping and molesting several young boys over many years. Anyway I think it's fair to say, Corbett's chances for re-election are slim to none.
State Supreme Court Justice Castille got many around here fooled, some even think he is a hero for exposing the illegal conduct of the Philly traffic court Judges and throwing fellow supreme court justices under the bus for illegal misconduct, but he only compiled a report after finding out the federal government was investigating, hot on his trial, investigating the same crimes he made a report on, then and only then did he tell what should have been told long ago. He's not any hero, he just tried to save his own rotten skin, distancing himself from the wrongdoing and in the process lashed out violently at his fellow colleagues, violating the trust of a “Brotherhood of Corruption. If this mess is looked into closely, there is no doubt, he'll be forced to resign or put in prison where he belongs!!!!
There is a pattern of arrogance from the Penna. Judges and other elected officials obviously they think everyone else except them are idiots because they continue to do the same crap and are filling up the prisons with the poor and voiceless in the process,
To be continued... The struggle continues!!!