Mesage from Dana Siegelman, daughter of jailed former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman
November 6th, 2007
Followers of Scott Horton’s No Comment blog at Harpers are well aware of the travesty of justice involved in the politically-motivated prosecution and conviction (along with seven-year sentence) of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman by the Gonzales Injustice Department, apparently orchestrated by Karl Rove and aided by the state’s largest newspaper. This prosecution was apparently designed to help the Republican Party maintain control of the state. Those unfamiliar with this travesty can follow it in the 41 blog posts Horton has written on this case.
Today I received the following email from Siegleman’s daughter Dana, which she asked me to post here:
Dear Friends,
For those of you who have been concerned about my dad, I am writing to update you on his condition and to ask for your help again.
After visiting my dad in prison, I have observed this: They do not feed him nearly enough. He has no privacy. He works as a janitor everyday from 7-4. He is allowed few personal belongings, and he lives with real criminals (duh). However, despite the negative conditions he is under, his spirit remains positive, and he retains his hope in coming justice.
My goal in writing this letter is to incite your frustration toward our current political state. Politics has adopted the Mafia’s modus operandi. It thrives on power, money, and loyalty (i.e. being loyal to one’s own, versus the client), and aborting those who refuse to comply. Contrarily, we have a judiciary committee in the House of Representatives that cares and wants partisan prosecution to end. The conspirators, (for this is what they truly are), have been doing everything they can to crush the investigation in Congress before it reveals the truth. Our role is to petition these representatives to persevere and fight for justice.
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Having my dad in prison has sharply awakened me to the many brutalities alive in this world. For years I tried to hide from politics and salvage my naiveness. This was a futile attempt. Hiding from and denying the injustices served to our people and the world is anything but empowering. We have the ability to face these problems and do something productive to stop them. Please join me in encouraging this committee to fight for the truth, to seek justice with all its power, and to rekindle the hope that we ought to have in our government.
With all my heart I thank you for your incredible help, prayers, and love.
Sincerely,
Dana Siegelman
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. ” MLK Jr.SPECIFICS ON WRITING
Your letter may be as short or long as you like. My advice is to shoot for one or two strong paragraphs. Do not worry about making ach letter personal. Just send the same letter to each
representative. Keep in mind, they want to know why the issue is important to you. A few examples may be: I knew Don Siegelman as an honorable man, I believe our justice system has been corrupted, someone needs to hold this administration accountable, or I’m friends with the Siegelmans so I feel inclined to write. Speak from the heart. We are working for the betterment of all, not the punishment of a few, so keep your letters positive! If you don’t want to send a letter to each representative, then I suggest at least mailing to the first four listed. You also have the option of sending them emails on their personal websites. Thank you again for everything you have done and are doing to help!Congressman Artur Davis (D)
208 Cannon H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-2665 (phone)
(202) 226-9567 (fax)Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D)
1222 Longworth Building
Washington, DC 20515Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D)
102 Cannon HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Telephone (202) 225-3072
Fax (202) 225-3336Congressman Bobby Scott (D)
1201 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-8351 Phone
(202) 225-8354 FaxCongresswoman Maxine Waters (D)
2344 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2201
Fax: (202) 225-7854Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D)
2435 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3816
(202) 225-3317 FaxCongresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D)
2446 Rayburn Building
Washington DC 20515
(202) 225-2906
(202) 225-6942 FaxCongressman Dan Lungren (R)
2448 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515Congressman Chris Cannon (R)
2436 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-7751
Fax: (202) 225-5629
Email: cannon.ut03@mail.house.govCongressman Tom Feeney (R)
323 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2706 (202) 226-6299 faxCongressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R)
2449 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4905
Telephone: (202) 225-5101Congressman Howard Coble (R)
2468 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-3306
Phone: (202) 225-3065Congressman Steve Chabot (R)
129 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-2216
(202) 225-3012 (fax)
Entry Filed under: Bush administration, Congress, Politics
9 Comments Add your own
1. tandress | November 21st, 2007 at 9:47 pm
I’m surprised that as many Alabamians are informed as they are. It has been very hard to get the truth in Alabama about anything that involves a Democrat politician. Even the local TV and radio media pretty much parrots what the three largest newspapers in Alabama print. These newspapers are the Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, Mobile Press-Register which are owned by Communications giant Advance Publications, Inc.
Lobbyest Jack Abramoff, Michael Scanlon, Toby Roth, Rob Riley, etc. have acted in the past for big business clients (Mississippi Casinos, Chevron/Exxon, etc) who have funneled large amounts of money through money laundering organizations such as the Business Council of Alabama to these newspapers to endorse GOP politicians for political favors.
It is not certain whether the corruption is isolated to the three Alabama newspapers or to Advance Publications Inc.
My hat goes off to the smaller locally own Alabama newspapers that continue to investigate and print the truth.
2. Tandress | November 28th, 2007 at 3:52 am
Before the 2002 gubernatorial elections, Bob Riley asked Choctaw Indian lobbyist Michael Scanlon who represented the casino-operating Choctaw Indians in Philadelphia, Miss., to funnel money from the Choctaw Indians in return for helping him get elected governor over Don Siegelman and if he was elected he would kill any hopes of Alabama getting a state lottery and block the Alabama Poarch Indians from getting a class 3 gambling license. Scanlon was to see that the money was laundered before the 2002 election through the Republican Governors Association, the Alabama Republican Party and to the Business Council of Alabama.. Scanlon had an interest in the 2002 Alabama elections, where Riley faced Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman, because Siegelman was advocating a state lottery, which could have attracted customers away from the Choctaws’ two casinos in Philadelphia, Miss.
In 2002, Scanlon funneled the following amounts of Choctaw money to help Riley’s election campaign:
(1) Scanlon funneled $500,000 in October 2002 to the Republican Governors Association, which soon after transferred the money to a related Republican committee, which in turn donated $650,000 to Riley and $150,000 to the Alabama Republican Party the same month.
(2) Scanlon funneled $100,000 to four Alabama-based political action committees controlled by Montgomery lobbyists Joe Fine and Bob Geddie that contributed heavily to Riley’s campaign.
(2) Scanlon funneled $9,000 plus later another undetermined amount to Progress PAC, the fundraising arm of the Business Council of Alabama, which also contributed heavily to Riley.
(3) Scanlon’ also funneled $75,000 to “Riley” through the National Republican Congressional Committee, $50,000 to the NRCC, and the NRCC gave Riley $360,000.
In late 2001 Scanlon had paid $155,000, for the Choctaw Indians, to the public relations firm of Lunde and Burger for professional campaign services in Alabama which was used to defeat the lottery and gambling in Alabama while Siegelman was governor.
3. Rev. Bob Richards | December 5th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
“LARGE NEWS MEDIAS ARE PAID TO BE ANTI-DEMOCRAT”
I’m surprised that as many Americans are informed as they are. It has been very hard to get the truth about anything that involves Democratic politicians. Without the internet blobs, forums and locally owned news medias, U.S. citizens would totally be controlled by Bush’s lies and scare tactics. U.S. Citizens are fed anti-Democrat propaganda from large news media.
The GOP under the Bush administration has managed to gain control of large communication and publishing companies through government contracts, appointments and through lobbyist such as Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon who have directed money from big business to private accounts.
In Alabama, just because Don Siegelman was a Democrat and a threat to Bob Riley in the 2006 gubernatorial race. During the election he was pulled into court and portrayed by the largest news media as a modern day Al Capone. He was shamefully shackled and paraded all over the United States by Federal Marshals and the Federal Penal Guards to several different prison holding facilities and finally ended up being placed in a prison over 600 miles from his family . He has been kept isolated and denied interviews by 60 minutes and local news media.
Many Alabama citizens both Black and white personally knew this popular born and raised Alabamian. He grew up to be the only person in history to have been elected to hold the top four positions in Alabama government
4. Rev. Bob Richards | December 7th, 2007 at 11:39 am
To Bush, Cheney and other political leaders in high places:
Most of you are senior citizens acting selfish and cruel to your fellow men like you are going to live forever.
For it is written by God: “IT IS APPOINTED UNTO MEN ONCE TO DIE, BUT AFTER THIS THE JUDGEMENT. FOR MAN THAT IS BORN OF A WOMAN IS OF FEW DAYS AND FULL OF TROUBLE. YOU COMETH FORTH LIKE A FLOWER, AND IS CUT DOWN; YOU FLEETH AS A SHADOW, AND CONTINUETH NOT.”
You need to live every day like it’s your last for it maybe!
CAUTION! What you do here on earth determines where and how you will spend eternity.
Your days are numbered. You have an appointment with death that everyone must keep.
GOD
5. Donna Headley | December 11th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
I have known Don Siegelman and his family in an informal capacity for many years. In 2002, a juvenile who did not have mandatory automobile liability insurance ran a red light and hit me on the driver’s side of my auto. He totaled my car. Governor Don Siegelman replied to an E-mail I had written him about the problem of so many people (in this case a juvenile habitual offender thug) not having the mandatory auto liability insurance. Governor Siegelman gave me some names and resources of people to contact who could possibly help me. My point being is that Governor Siegelman cared. He is not a criminal. He is just a product of a Republican polical witch hunt. God bless you and your family, Governor Siegelman.
6. Randy malcom | December 11th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Free don siegelman
7. atlantaflash | December 15th, 2007 at 5:16 am
The three largest newspapers plus the Internet site al.com in Alabama are all owned by Advance Publications, INC. They literally print nothing but lies about all Democrats in the state. They will not allow their investigative reporters any access to these cases. If they would have investigated and printed the truth about Don Siegelman like the locally own papers done the Canary’s would have been run out of the state by its citizens before now.
It has taken a few months, but most Alabamians now know the truth about their good friend Don Siegelman, about the conspiracy that removed the most popular Democrat in Alabama by Bush’s appointees and how his elections were taken from him.
These three newspaper instruct their writers to start every article that they write about Siegelman with this statement, “our newspapers endorsed Riley and we believe Siegelman to be a crook” then they twist every sentence after that to sound negative.
Many of us are dropping our subscriptions and are switching to locally owned newspapers.
8. Taylor Hicks | January 6th, 2008 at 8:08 am
“BUSH HAS TURN THE WHITE HOUSE INTO A DEN OF THIEVES”
President Bush, Vice President Cheney and their executioner Lieutenant Karl Rove have disregarded the values so cherished by the Republican Party. Their ideology have been to channel millions of dollars to those party members who have pledged total absolute loyalty to the Bush administration. This includes creating/channeling campaign funds for their elections, making appointments of the undeserving and/or unqualified boot lickers to high Federal offices and awarding large military/government contracts to thousands of companies that are owned directly or indirectly by his supporters. Many of these contracting companies are sham organizations and/or have no accountability.
We in the “South Central States” have surely suffered the most from the presidency of Bush. It took us over a century to recovered from the scars of General Sherman’s army raping our women/children, burning our homes, crops, and industries. We are now facing another serious dilemma. High ranking Bush followers both state and federal are above the law. With election frauds, illegal campaign contributions (with money being laundered from large oil companies, Tobacco Companies, Gambling Casinos), political profiling and political prosecutions. Our prisons are at three times capacity. Only 59% of our children graduate high school on the average.
9. 4TruthNmedia | February 25th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Dan Abrams of MSNBC just publically asked Attorney General Mukasey to look into this case and announced that he will follow up on Mukaseys findings. I think this administrations house of criminal cards is about to fold. My faith in humanity really needs a complete make over these days. Lets hope and pray for some long over due justice…no matter how long it may take because most of those that have suffered or sacrificed their lives did so that we have the freedom to speak out against tyranny and injustice.
You go Dan.
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