I never realized Martin Luther King's dream was that rich white men would be able to swap money for political favors without fear of government intrusion! That's COOL! Now if only I were a rich white man...
Scrushy attorney invokes MLK Jr.
By EDDIE CURRAN
Staff Reporter
MONTGOMERY -- Jurors now deliberating the fate of former Gov. Don Siegelman, ex-HealthSouth Corp. Chairman Richard Scrushy and two others can "make Dr. (Martin Luther) King's dream come true by returning a verdict of not guilty" against Scrushy, famed civil rights lawyer Fred Gray said here Thursday.
Gray's rousing closing argument opened with a Psalm, then segued into a recitation of some of Gray's best known civil rights cases, including his representation of King in the 1960s and, later, the case against the federal government on behalf of black victims of the Tuskegee syphilis study.
As Gray spoke, another member of the Scrushy legal team quietly put up a poster-board of King's, "I have a dream," speech.
With his voice rising to a crescendo, Gray gave the final words from the defendants in this now seven-weeks-long public corruption trial. He implored federal jurors to "fulfill Dr. King's dream and fulfill that old song!"
"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we're Free at last!" Gray sang out. [...]
Why would anyone dare get up and say this kind of silly garbage about these guys?
One, money.
Two, it would probably work a WHOLE lot better than actually arguing the merits of the case. The defense strategy has grown into quite a show, all predicated on the idea that the government's case is a sham, is politically motivated, is full of lies, and is just ridiculous on its face. So WHAT if people got a little favor or two--that's what friends do! So WHAT if people where strongarmed into giving money for political campaigns--why, that happens ALL the TIME! It's not like anyone said, "Go break the law," so therefore, no laws were broken! So, rather than discuss all that, (which might lend credence to the charges, after all) let's just skip right to trying to pander to emotion, and not JUST emotion, but the raw emotionalism of the Civil Rights era, when Martin Luther King took to the streets of Montgomery to insure that one day Don Siegelman would have the right to walk down the street with his head held high and his hand in everyone's pocket! Where little little petty moneygrubbers could join hands with obsequious little politicians and walk together as co-conspirators free of the injustice of obeying the law.
Free at last?
Oh no, my friend.
Bought and sold.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at June 16, 2006 10:19 AM