DarkStar Spouts Off

Charles Ramsey: Helped Free Victims and Provides Laughs

Move over Sweet Brown! View the ENTIRE video.

 

 

 

DEAD giveaway!

Correctional Officers In Baltimore Are Getting Knocked Up By Inmates

Female correctional officers in the Baltimore jail, got knocked up by an imprisoned gang leader.

All I have to say is, it's institutional wide and not just in the city lock up.

And what does Maryland governor, want to be president of the United States, Martin O'Malley have to say?

"It is because of the revulsion that all of us have towards violent murder gangs in our state, that I view these indictments as a very positive achievement, and a very positive development in our fight to dismantle gangs," O'Malley said at a news conference Tuesday.

If former correctional officers, who quit the system before retirement, were to line up and start telling WHY they left, Martin O'Malley's political career would be over and the United States would have to take over the Maryland correctional institution.

There is a lot to this. You have prisoners and correctional officers coming from the same neighborhoods and you have prisoners who can have the correctional officer's family "touched." You have correctional officers who, even though they are making about $40K/year before overtime, who just want more money. You have correctional officers who, to go home at the end of the day, let "things slide" and before you know it, they are blackmailed into doing real dirt. And you have some correctional officers with gang ties either through family or themselves.

This is real nasty. The only solution, I see, is to ship the prisoners out of state so you don't have "neighbors" looking after imprisoned "neighbors."

Pols Out of Line Although the Gosnell Murder Trial Should Be Covered By All Media

Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and 71 other congressmen sent letters to ABC, NBC, and CBS questioning their lack of coverage of the Gosnell abortion murder trial. I STRONGLY agree that madness should be covered, I think the congress-criters are out of line demanding that the media tell them why they are not covering the case. The news media is protected by the Constitution for a a reason.

Son Of The Patriot Act?

Is this a direct result of the Patriot Act?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has claimed that agents do not need warrants to read people's emails, text messages and other private electronic communications, according to internal agency documents.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which obtained the documents through a Freedom of Information Act request, released the information on Wednesday.

In a 2009 handbook, the IRS said the Fourth Amendment does not protect emails because Internet users "do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in such communications." A 2010 presentation by the IRS Office of General Counsel reiterated the policy.

What part of unreasonable search and seizure do they not understand? Suppose the people send encrypted email, as I have done, to their tax preparer?

 

 

Ray Kelly admitted cops target blacks, Hispanics in 'stop-frisk,' state lawmaker testifies

Ray Kelly admitted cops target blacks, Hispanics in 'stop-frisk,' state lawmaker testifies.

My father was a policeman in NYC. When citizens can't trust the police in the street, how can they, the police, be trusted in the courtroom?

Chris Dorner: Reaction, Part 2

Chris Dorner killed a policeman and two other people. When a person kills a police officer, I understand the police going all out to catch the person they believe is responsible for the killing. However, as I type this, the police, in two separate incidents, have shot at, and wounded, innocent people. People who look nothing like Chris Dorner.

Some Torrance residents remain on edge days after police officers participating in the massive manhunt for ex-LAPD Officer Christopher Jordan Dorner mistakenly shot up two pickups being driven by people not matching the description of the murder suspect.

Two women in a blue pickup, who were delivering copies of the Los Angeles Times, came under fire by Los Angeles Police Department officers on Thursday morning in what Police Chief Charlie Beck has described as a case of “mistaken identity.”

This is out of control. Take a look at this picture.

And please note those who typically strongly support the police, even when the police are dead wrong, are quiet once again.

Chris Dorner: Reaction, Part 1

I am really at awe and disgusted at the conservative reaction to the killing and injuring of innocent people by Chris Dorner. Many on the right are so interested in playing gotcha and catching hypocrisy, that they point out physcotic Chris Dorner wrote in his "manifesto", praises of people deemed to be left leaning and then "ask" why the media isn't saying the left is responsible for Dorner's rampage.

So, is it a wonder those same people on the right don't mention Dorner also praised Chick-Fil-A and Tim Tebo?

Since the right wants to claim morality and religion, how about prayers for the families of the victims and praying for the capture of Dorner without no further harm coming to anyone?

 

Kasandra Perkins Died As A Result of Domestic Violence

Kasandra Perkins, the mother of a 3 month old girl, was killed by her "boyfriend," who happened to be a football player. Kasandra Perkins, and her daughter, are victims of domestic violence. In this case, the weapon used wasn't her boyfriend's fists, nor a knife, nor a car, but a gun. 

I mention the weapon here only for one reason: it doesn't matter what means her boyfriend used to kill her. Kasandra Perkins is dead and her baby no longer has a living mother. And, as I write this, what is now being reported is the murderer has a history of domestic violence against other women.

The killer's occupation is not an issue. The means the killer used to kill Kasandra Perkins is not an issue. The rate of violence for people who have the killer's occupation is not an issue. Domestic violence is the issue and Kasandra Perkins is dead.

The rest of it is noise. End of story.

Zimmerman Has A Fool For A Lawyer

George Zimmerman said he doesn't regret getting out of car but also said he wished he did something different so Trayvon Martin wasn't killed.

But he didn't regret getting out of the car.

After being told by police to get back in the car.

Zimmerman has a fool for a lawyer.

Btw, Hannity paid Zimmerman.

Sell Off Baltimore City Hall

When it was first reported that then acting mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had authorized the Baltimore City Housing Department to ignore a court order to pay victims of lead paint poisoning in Baltimore housing projects, I thought to myself that the lawyers should have a lien filed on city hall. Then, after field, chain lock the doors on city hall and hold an auction to sell everything in the building. Today, I read this:

Representatives from the Baltimore sheriff's office moved across a city housing authority parking lot Wednesday morning, tagging 20 of the agency's vehicles to be seized and eventually sold to pay part of a court judgment to lead paint victims.

The Housing Authority of Baltimore City has resisted paying siblings Antonio Fulgham and Brittany McCutcheon the $2.59 million awarded by a jury in 2010, as the agency appeals the case. But the plaintiffs, who suffered lead poisoning while living in public housing, have filed legal actions to move forward with collecting the debts. The levy against the vehicles, and Wednesday's tagging, paves the way for them to be auctioned.

It's not city hall, but it's a start. It's a great move on the lawyers part.

Facist Police

I keep telling the facist law & order conservatives that the longer unwarranted stop and frisk happens, the more the people it happens to will distrust the police and when those same people get into a court room, they won't believe the police and that may result in a criminal being found "not guilty."

We need change. When I was young I thought cops were cool. They had a respectable and honorable job to keep people safe and fight crime. Now, I think their tactics are unfair and they abuse their authority. The police should consider the consequences of a generation of young people who want nothing to do with them — distrust, alienation and more crime.

Last May, I was outside my apartment building on my way to the store when two police officers jumped out of an unmarked car and told me to stop and put my hands up against the wall. I complied. Without my permission, they removed my cellphone from my hand, and one of the officers reached into my pockets, and removed my wallet and keys. He looked through my wallet, then handcuffed me. The officers wanted to know if I had just come out of a particular building. No, I told them, I lived next door.

One of the officers asked which of the keys they had removed from my pocket opened my apartment door. Then he entered my building and tried to get into my apartment with my key. My 18-year-old sister was inside with two of our younger siblings; later she told me she had no idea why the police were trying to get into our apartment and was terrified. She tried to call me, but because they had confiscated my phone, I couldn’t answer.

Meanwhile, a white officer put me in the back of the police car. I was still handcuffed. The officer asked if I had any marijuana, and I said no. He removed and searched my shoes and patted down my socks. I asked why they were searching me, and he told me someone in my building complained that a person they believed fit my description had been ringing their bell. After the other officer returned from inside my apartment building, they opened the door to the police car, told me to get out, removed the handcuffs and simply drove off. I was deeply shaken.

In many areas, the police are out of control.

Hat Tip P6

ESPN Sucks

If I owned or ran a business that advertised on ESPN, because they
didn't report on the sexual allegations story out of Syracuse, I'd
remove my ads from the channel for life. ESPN claimed they needed
"corroboration." But when you have the wife of the person being
accused ACKNOWLEDGING the sexual abuse, what more corroboration do you
need?

Which Is More Important?

Two stories, actually, three but the third is a different post, have
me DEEPLY troubled.

The first, not because of order of importance, is this story about an
over weight boy being removed from his home and placed in foster care
for the "safety" of the kid. http://bit.ly/vrTck9


Authorities in Ohio, last week, determined that an overweight
(unnamed) 8-year-old boy was too fat, so they took him away from his
parents in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Officials told the parents that
they were not controlling his weight well enough.

The boy was reportedly over 200 pounds, well into the severely obese
category, according to Cleveland Plain Dealer. That extra weight puts
people at risk for diabetes, hypertension and other weight-related
disorders, doctors say.

The state’s Department of Children and Family Services insisted that
the third grader was being neglected, and that his mother was not
following doctors’ orders to control his weight.

The family’s lawyer disagrees, claiming that the state is overstepped
its role in taking the boy, and that his health risk factors do not
pose an imminent threat.


For an 8 year old boy, 200 pounds is in a dangerous zone. And from
what I hear on the radio, now, the government worked with the mother
for a year to do something about the boy's weight. My general concern
is, what is considered to be "too fat" and, given how government
starts at something "reasonable" and then quickly goes into the
unreasonable area, doesn't this set a dangerous precedent?

Suppose a child doesn't have access to the Internet at home? Will the
government then take kids from their parents because someone deems the
Internet to be "essential" to "healthy living"?

The second is something that is at least as frightening. Senate bill,
S. 1253, the National Defense Authorization Act, drafted by Sens. Carl
Levin, D-Mich., and John McCain, R-Ariz., that would allow the arrest,
detainment, and lack of a trial, for a U.S. citizen, on U.S. soil, if
they are suspected of having "a relationship" with a
terrorist organization.

A U.S. citizen, being stripped of trial rights? And, as equally
important, the military being given authority to perform military
actions on U.S. soil without emergency action by Congress and the
President?

Hello?

Baltimore Criminal Politics

I think what I'm going to relate is a crime. Really, it's just "normal
politics" but I can't see this as nothing less than a crime.

The City of Baltimore is spending millions of dollars to settle police
brutality cases: http://bsun.md/vGIM5U


At a time when City Hall is girding for another round of budget
battles, spending on lawsuits filed against the Police Department is
coming under increased scrutiny.

The city's budget office revealed at an investigative hearing Tuesday
that it has spent $10.4 million over the past three years — an average
of about $3.5 million annually — defending the Baltimore Police
Department against lawsuits.

Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke called for the hearing over what she
called an "especially troubling" trend of the Police Department paying
out millions over brutality claims while other parts of the budget,
such as recreation centers, suffer cuts.

"Not only do they siphon off scarce funds that could have been used to
address other pressing problems in Baltimore, but each judgment also
can represent an instance where citizens were avoidably harmed by the
actions of officers whose job it is to protect them," Clarke stated in
a resolution that called for the hearing.


This is a city that is in a dire situation, financially. Black people
complained about the "broken windows" policing policy put into place
by then Martin O'Malley. "Everyone else" started complaining about the
policy after a young white couple was harassed by police after an
Orioles baseball game. That is when the non-Black media and
commentators started speaking out. Meanwhile, the Black media in the
city had been complaining FOR YEARS about the out of control police
department.

Now the financial details of these abuses are coming out and the city
has decided to hold out for a long as they can to get lower
settlements. That's a tactic that I think is wrong, especially when
police are clearly in violation of the law and regulations they work
under, but so be it. But with that savings, is the city paying
out lead paint settlements JUDGEMENTS
in which the court ruled in favor of victims?

No.

Instead, they are paying millions to beautify city owned parking lots.

I'm going to state this again: Chances are good that, one day, the
people abused by police officers are going to be sitting on a jury.
When they then vote for the innocence of an individual because they
view police in a skeptical manner, it will be the police and city
government who are to blame, not the jury members.

Penn State, The Only Thing To Do

Penn State needs to cancel the season and release the players so they
can go to other schools. They then need to suspend the program until
investigations are over and then start from scratch.

The "I'm Dumb" Defense

I. Mean. *DAMN*.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-currie-20111018,0,7107838.story

Just when it seemed that the trial of state Sen. Ulysses Currie couldn't possibly lower the public opinion of the General Assembly any further, a former state delegate and highly respected member of Maryland's legal and political firmament has now testified that the man who has been given tremendous responsibility for steering the state through billion-dollar budget deficits for the last nine years is too dumb to be held accountable for his actions. Senator Currie is a heck of a nice guy, former Del. Timothy F. Maloney testified Monday, but not too bright. Also, a terrible communicator, forgetful and not good with details. And Mr. Maloney was testifying as a character witness on Mr. Currie's behalf.

The legal strategy at work is, evidently, to convince jurors that the senator and former chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee failed to tell anyone that he was being paid nearly a quarter-million dollars by the Shoppers Food Warehouse grocery chain to advocate for its interests because it simply slipped his mind. That the man who dutifully created a document for Shoppers executives detailing his work on their behalf just couldn't wrap his head around the paperwork necessary to disclose his extracurricular employment in state ethics forms. That he could not have participated in the bribery and extortion scheme prosecutors allege because he just isn't that bright.

Mr. Maloney's reputation is impeccable, and he has too much to lose by lying on the stand, so we are left to assume that he is giving his honest opinion of a friend and former colleague. Mr. Maloney said the senator frequently garbled information, could not remember things, was unable to communicate effectively, was not astute and that "no one would call him smart."

Wow.

P.G. Politicians Acting Stupid

Well, it appears two more Prince Georges County, MD politicians have been caught doing things that are just a no-no. Let's go with the old school, first:

As state Sen. Ulysses Currie faces trial this week on federal corruption charges, his lawyer is expected to argue before a jury that the legislator's work on behalf of a grocery chain in Annapolis didn't constitute an illegal bribe but merely an ethical lapse.

"The difference is very subtle sometimes," the lawyer, Joseph Evans, said at a recent hearing. "It's hard to know sometimes what the difference is."

Currie, a Democrat and former chairman of a powerful Senate committee, is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from Shoppers Food Warehouse over five years in exchange for securing meetings with top state officials and pushing favorable legislation for the company, headquartered in his Prince George's district.

That's old school graft. The following, is just straight up greed and stupidity.

A young Prince George’s politician who seemed to embody Maryland’s crisis of conscience over approving same-sex marriage was charged Friday with stealing campaign funds, in part to pay for her wedding.

Del. Tiffany T. Alston, 34, a little-known freshman state lawmaker before this spring, is charged with writing herself checks and cashing them to pay for at least $3,560 in expenses for her wedding day. According to the Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor, she also wrote herself checks to help pay the salary of an employee in her law firm.

Alston’s wedding, attended by some fellow lawmakers and sorority sisters, was derided this spring by some gay activists. With whispers and shrugs outside Annapolis hearing rooms, some said it was ironic that so close to the celebration of her own nuptials a lawmaker reversed course and opposed letting gays marry in Maryland.

Now, questions about that wedding threaten to bring down the rising Prince George’s lawmaker as quickly as she burst into public view — and further tarnish a county and a state already racked this year by political scandals.

The FIRST thing the Mrs. said, was, "Wasn't she the one who changed votes to kill that gay marriage bill!?!?!"

These two are doing Prince Georges County, Maryland PROUD!

Have You Noticed The Silence?

Have you noticed the silence of death penalty advocates concerning the
Troy Davis case? Normally, for a "cop killer" case, when people say
the person convicted of the crime should be spared the death penalty,
the death penalty advocates are all over the place supporting the
execution. But other than the local advocates in this situation, I
haven't read anything from national advocates supporting death in this
case.

I think that's telling.

[ UPDATE ]

I've been told that Bob Barr, Regan's FBI Chief Sessions, and Larry Thompson have spoken out.

Remembering Katrina and NOT Remembering

I heard a few media people commenting on the "anniversary of Katrina", and I noticed something big missing. Yes, there were comments about the failure of FEMA, a comment asking why Ray Nagin was speaking about failures in the Katrina response when he was one of the main people who failed, and how New Orleans isn't coming back. 

But no one mentioned the police who killed a man on a bridge leading out of New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS — In a verdict that brought a decisive close to a case that has haunted this city since most of it lay underwater nearly six years ago, five current and former New Orleans police officers were found guilty on all counts by a federal jury on Friday for shooting six citizens, two of whom died, and orchestrating a wide-ranging cover-up in the hours, weeks and years that followed.

The defendants were convicted on 25 counts, including federal civil rights violations in connection with the two deaths, for the violence and deception that began on the Danziger Bridge in eastern New Orleans on Sept. 4, 2005, just days after Hurricane Katrina hit and the levees failed.

“The officers convicted today abused their power and violated the public’s trust during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, exacerbating one of the most devastating times for the people of New Orleans,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said.  “I am hopeful today’s verdict brings justice for the victims and their family members, helps to heal the community and contributes to the restoration of public trust in the New Orleans Police Department.”   

And, as always, there was complete silence by the "law and order" conservatives about the police who broke the law and were convicted. Not one conservative mentioned the "Jack booted thugs" of the New Orleans police department, but they hadn't mentioned it up until this point, so why expect otherwise?

Cops Gone Wild, Part What?

This is really outrageous.

Security tape allegedly shows a group of police officers beating two Chicago brothers Wednesday after apparently mistaking them for robbers while one was closing the store at which he worked.

... 

Police let Adrian Ayala go, he said, but when a frustrated Michael Ayala yelled at officers that he had video tape of the incident, an officer he described as a sergeant "flipped" and put his head into a side window. 

A store surveillance video posted on YouTube shows several officers rushing the brothers back into the store.

Some cops are out of control and notice how the law and order bleaters aren't saying squat!

Philly Mayor Nutter Goes THERE Against Thug Flash Mobs

Philly mayor Michael Nutter, went THERE when addressing people concerning the thug flash mobs happening in Philly:

Mr. Nutter, a strong ally of President Obama and vice president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, took to the pulpit of his Baptist church Sunday to deliver a 30-minute sermon about black families taking responsibility for the behavior.

“The Immaculate Conception of our Lord Jesus Christ took place a long time ago, and it didn’t happen here in Philadelphia,” Mr. Nutter said. “So every one of these kids has two parents who were around and participating at the time. They need to be around now.”

The mayor told parents, “If you’re just hanging out out there, maybe you’re sending them a check or bringing some cash by. That’s not being a father. You’re just a human ATM. … And if you’re not providing the guidance and you’re not sending any money, you’re just a sperm donor.”

At City Hall on Monday, the mayor said gangs will be confronted.

“If you want to be aggressive, we’re going to be aggressive,” Mr. Nutter said, before sending a warning.

“Let me just share this with you. We’ve got the biggest, baddest gang in town - a committed group of citizens and a committed government - and we’re working together and we’re not going to have this nonsense anymore.”

Nutter went there and I agree with him.

If There Is A Violent Revolution, It's Going To Be Because of TSA

If there is a violent revolution in the United States, I swear it is going to be because of the insanity that happens under the guise of "security" by the TSA.

In the latest controversy surrounding Transportation Security Administration policies over intrusive body pat-downs, the agency sought to defend its actions in the case of a 95-year-old cancer patient who was forced to remove her adult diaper during a search.

Jean Weber of Destin, Fla., said she was escorting her mother, who suffers from leukemia, to Michigan on June 18 to live with family members before moving into an assisted living facility, according to published reports.

 

Weber told CNN that a TSA officer at Northwest Florida Regional Airport near Pensacola, Fla., felt something "suspicious" on her mother's leg during a patdown. Weber said her mother was taken to a private room. The officer then told Weber that her mother's Depend undergarment was wet and was getting in the way of a complete search. The officer asked for it to be removed, which Weber did in a restroom.

 

"It's something I couldn't imagine happening on American soil," Weber told the Panama City News-Herald Friday. "Here is my mother, 95 years old, 105 pounds, barely able to stand, and then this."

I swear these folks, who have questionable IQ, do it for sick kicks. Seriously, are the people hired forced to undergo psychological evaluations? HOw many have control issues or are socio-paths?

Police State Increasing, Part 2

I am at a loss of words for this one: http://tinyurl.com/3pox6gs


INDIANAPOLIS -- People have no right to resist if police officers
illegally enter their home, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in a
decision that overturns centuries of common law.

The court issued its 3-2 ruling on Thursday, contending that allowing
residents to resist officers who enter their homes without any right
would increase the risk of violent confrontation. If police enter a
home illegally, the courts are the proper place to protest it, Justice
Steven David said.

"We believe ... a right to resist an unlawful police entry into a home
is against public policy and is incompatible with modern Fourth
Amendment jurisprudence," David said. "We also find that allowing
resistance unnecessarily escalates the level of violence and therefore
the risk of injuries to all parties involved without preventing the
arrest."

Justices Robert Rucker and Brent Dickson strongly dissented, saying
the ruling runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment
against unreasonable search and seizure, The Times of Munster
reported.


Wow.
How many public conservatives have said anything about this one?

Police State Increasing, Part 1

While people were waiting on Trump to confirm he won't run but where
indulging on building his ego, the Supreme Court re-affirmed their
commitment to building a police state.

And public conservatives continue to re-affirm they love the police
state while talking out of the side of their mouths about freedom. How
many public conservatives have complained about this ruling? Or does
it have to be a Janet Reno type of Nifong type to get them in an
uproar?

http://tinyurl.com/6zdhj3q

The Supreme Court on Monday gave law enforcement officers new
authority to enter a home without a warrant when they have reason to
believe that drug evidence is being destroyed.

The court ruled 8 to 1 that Kentucky police who smelled marijuana at
an apartment door, knocked loudly and announced themselves, and then
kicked in the door when they thought the drugs were being destroyed
did nothing wrong.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, said the
conduct of the police before they entered the apartment was “entirely
lawful” and neither violates nor threatens a person’s Fourth Amendment
protection against unreasonable searches or seizures.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg strongly disagreed.

“The court today arms the police with a way routinely to dishonor the
Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement in drug cases,” Ginsburg wrote.
“In lieu of presenting their evidence to a neutral magistrate, police
officers may now knock, listen, then break the door down, nevermind
that they had ample time to obtain a warrant.”


The police lie, and everyone knows it. Who expects the police to say
they announced themselves before busting into a home? They lie now and
say they do announce and then multiple witnesses OUTSIDE will say the
police didn't, but the prosecutors will still believe the police.

Goldman Sachs Con Men

This is the ending of a long read on the con Goldman Sachs pulled.

Lloyd Blankfein went to Washington and testified under oath that Goldman Sachs didn't make a massive short bet and didn't bet against its clients. The Levin report proves that Goldman spent the whole summer of 2007 riding a "big short" and took a multibillion-dollar bet against its clients, a bet that incidentally made them enormous profits. Are we all missing something? Is there some different and higher standard of triple- and quadruple-lying that applies to bank CEOs but not to baseball players?

This issue is bigger than what Goldman executives did or did not say under oath. The Levin report catalogs dozens of instances of business practices that are objectively shocking, no matter how any high-priced lawyer chooses to interpret them: gambling billions on the misfortune of your own clients, gouging customers on prices millions of dollars at a time, keeping customers trapped in bad investments even as they begged the bank to sell, plus myriad deceptions of the "failure to disclose" variety, in which customers were pitched investment deals without ever being told they were designed to help Goldman "clean" its bad inventory. For years, the soundness of America's financial system has been based on the proposition that it's a crime to lie in a prospectus or a sales brochure. But the Levin report reveals a bank gone way beyond such pathetic little boundaries; the collective picture resembles a financial version of The Jungle, a portrait of corporate sociopathy that makes you never want to go near a sausage again.

Upton Sinclair's narrative shocked the nation into a painful realization about the pervasive filth and corruption behind America's veneer of smart, robust efficiency. But Carl Levin's very similar tale probably will not. The fact that this evidence comes from a U.S. senator's office, and not the FBI or the SEC, is itself an element in the worsening tale of lawlessness and despotism that sparked a global economic meltdown. "Why should Carl Levin be the one who needs to do this?" asks Spitzer. "Where's the SEC? Where are any of the regulatory bodies?"

This isn't just a matter of a few seedy guys stealing a few bucks. This is America: Corporate stealing is practically the national pastime, and Goldman Sachs is far from the only company to get away with doing it. But the prominence of this bank and the high-profile nature of its confrontation with a powerful Senate committee makes this a political story as well. If the Justice Department fails to give the American people a chance to judge this case — if Goldman skates without so much as a trial — it will confirm once and for all the embarrassing truth: that the law in America is subjective, and crime is defined not by what you did, but by who you are.