Sen. Ted "Tubes" Stevens Is Indicted

Many readers are letting us know about the indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens on seven counts of making false statements on his financial disclosure forms. We discussed the raid on the senator's house a while back. Everyone's favorite technologically challenged senator is the longest-serving Republican in the history of the upper house. An Alaskan paper gives deep background on the probe that has ensnared Stevens and a number of other Alaska political figures.

Comments

As a lifelong Alaskan...

[7Prime]

Let me be the first to shout:

"Yeee-hawww!!!"

Good riddence! The coming Alaska senate race is going to be one of the most interesting in history. I suggest everyone look into it. On the democratic front, we've got popular Anchorage city mayor, Mark Beigich, who's taken the election scene by storm in just the last month or so. And Stevens, being a long time incombant, is running virtually unopposed on the republican front.

In the house, rep. Don ("I'll beat you over the head with a walrus penis") Young is having even more trouble, due to falling public perception and the VICO scandal. This long-time incumbent may be KOed in the primary by our Lt. Governor.

The republicans only star runners, at this point, are Gov. Sarah Palin and Lt Gov. Sean Parnel. Parnel is running against Young in the house, and Sarah just had a child and is busy fighting some of her own battles.

Translation: the alaska republican party is FUCKED. Before the year is out, there's a very good chance we'll see our one house seat filled by a Dem, one of our Senate seats filled by a Dem, and the state's electoral votes go to Barak Obama (currently a very close race). AK is one of the most conservative and republican states in the country, btw.

Re:As a lifelong Alaskan...

[moosesocks]

AK is one of the most conservative and republican states in the country, btw.

Alaskans love calling themselves conservative. However, when it actually comes down to the issues, they seem to be pretty strong liberals (I'd call them anarcho-socialists, even though the term is somewhat self-contradictory)

A few observations:
1) They're pro-gun rights, but more in the "protecting yourself from grizzlies" sense than then the "self defense against unarmed burglar" sense.

2) Pro-drug-legalization. 20+ hours/day of darkness in the wintertime. 'Nuff said.

3) Surveillance isn't an issue. (Seriously)

4) Pro-alternative-energy. Alaskans are among the first to see the real effects of climate change. In places like Fairbanks, the temperature inversion in the winter also causes smog to hang low to the ground, and accumulate over the course of the winter, which has a very noticeable effect.

5) The bible belt hasn't really infiltrated Alaska nearly as much as it has the other "red states". People actually seem to be vaguely rational regarding social issues.

6) Pro-military. Tons of military bases in Alaska. Like much of the military, they're also a bit uneasy about the number of dead bodies returning from Iraq.

7) Pro-small-government. If you enjoy living in the middle of nowhere, you probably don't support a large, overbearing government.

Re:tee-hee

[sm62704]

Federal prison is mainly big-time drug users and drug dealers.

State prison is mainly small-time drug users and drug dealers.

A friend's brother down in the St Louis area went to federal prison for loaning a cocaine dealer a thousand dollars; the charge was conspiracy to deliver cocaine (the dealer had been busted and was setting up innocent guys to lessen his own sentence; most of his high school graduating class went to Maximum Security Club Fed for twice as long as he did).

Violent criminals usually don't get caught. When they do, it depends on who they attacked.

A woman I know went to Dwight Correctional (Illinois hardcore women'sprison) for 4 months for nonviolent drug posession, while a guy I know and intensly dislike broke into a man's home and tried to kill him with a butcher knife. He spent two weeks in the county jail - but the man he attacked was a poor black man.

That is American justice.

Re:tee-hee

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

Gates? Branson?

Politicians are powerful, but nowhere near that wealthy. The CEO of even a modestly sized company earns more than a US Senator.

The likelihood is that Tubes was simply far too blatant with his shady deals. So blatant that even the masses began to notice. Once that happened, he became a liability to the people that were once willing to use him and he had to be gotten rid of.

The smart politician is corrupt, but always discrete about it.

Re:tee-hee

[Luke_22]

Some pigs are more equal than others.

Sad memo...
In Italy our Prime Minister actually said that, speaking of himself, in court.
well, he didn't say pigs actually... nor he put that in plural...
He just said (speaking of himself):"this citizen is more equal than the others, since he's been elected"...
*sigh*

Re:Nobody

[guaigean]

Being indicited is nothing. Yet. Once convicted, either W or McCain will pardon him, if they are in office.

Don't be so sure on that one. Although I'm not fan of the major parties, McCain and Stevens have been opposing each other on key issues for a long time. Probably the most distinctive between the two is the issue of earmarking. McCain's opposition and Stevens' abuse of them have been completely polar stances on the issue.

Just because people share the same political party does not mean their views do not vary widely, and the idea that 50% of politicians get to walk just because their party is in the white house is not reality.