Posted: Monday, 26 January 2009 11:02AM
Cuff 'em and Lock 'em Up
Steve Corbett Reporting
Monday, January 26, 2009
Even in the midst of breaking news that will develop throughout the day, the feds still have time to cuff these mugs and perp walk them down the steps of the Luzerne County Courthouse.
In this case, the mugs are a couple of county judges.
Count ’em – one, two.
As I write this, federal law enforcement officials are preparing for an afternoon press conference at the Scranton federal courthouse where a federal prosecutor, FBI agents and representatives of the IRS will unveil details about the investigation into public corruption in Luzerne County.
The two judges are rumored to have accepted guilty pleas to as of yet unannounced federal crimes.
These men are longtime public officials of the highest order.
And until they are officially named, I’ll maintain the level of fairness I’ve maintained for the two years I’ve heard rumors of their demise.
But when the charges are announced –especially if they have pleaded guilty and accepted prison time – I’ll shout their names from the top of the Luzerne County courthouse dome if I can get permission to climb that high.
I play by the rules.
But these men have not played by the rules and for that they must pay. For that they must be publicly humiliated. For that they must bow down before the assembled masses and beg our forgiveness.
But don’t hold your breath.
Arrogance remains the order of the day in the Luzerne County judicial system.
Expect no order in the court of public opinion because we no longer can trust the judges who hold people’s lives in their hands. Expect wild in the streets public opinion that damns these public servants who apparently served no one but themselves.
As soon as I finish this column, I’m headed to the federal building for the afternoon press conference. I’m looking forward to the grisly details so I can join you this afternoon on “Corbett” to sort through this mess.
And what a mess we have.
If two judges from the same county plead guilty to public corruption charges, Luzerne County must start from the bottom once again. If two judges from the same county admit to being criminals, we must face massive public embarrassment. If two judges from the same county plead guilty, we finally know that they did as they pleased for a very long time, hurting people and the democratic system they were paid and sworn to serve.
Today the good news and the bad news is that judges will be arrested.
What a conundrum.
What sad irony.
What a wreck of a county.
So we will start again, plumbing the depths of our expectations with the hope that justice will one day finally come to Luzerne County.
And I believe that day will come.
But first we must scour the marble halls of every speck of crookedness and shady deals that too often define public service in Luzerne County.
We’re still awaiting the results of a Secret Service investigation into other county courthouse offices.
And those details also must be released publicly.
Today is a bad day for democracy in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Today is also a good day, where federal law enforcement officials did their jobs and gathered enough evidence to make a case against powerful men who violated the public trust and trashed the system for their own benefit.
I am saddened and fortified by what is happening. I feel bad and I feel good.
All I want now is to witness real justice.
And that means judges in cuffs, walking the walk of the guilty.
|
Corbett
E-Mail
Print
