More Sensenbrenner craziness

[ewagner]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/jul05/340580.asp

Wisconsin Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. has come under fire for second-guessing a federal appeals court ruling in a Chicago drug case.

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In a letter to the chief judge of the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Sensenbrenner said a low-level drug dealer should have gotten 10 years in prison instead of just more than eight.

While critics say the letter was bizarre, misguided and ethically questionable, a spokesman for Sensenbrenner says the eight-year sentence was illegal and the Menomonee Falls Republican was simply doing his job as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee

The letter, the contents of which were first reported in Sunday's Chicago Tribune, criticizes both the Chicago U.S. attorney's office and a three-judge panel of the appellate court for actions in the case of Lissett Rivera.


What was that again Eyesroll? batshit crazy????? Very accurate.

[eyesroll]

1. Batshit crazy.

Guano loco.

Yep.

[ewagner]

5. You must have a lot of influence

look at this post from total911.info

snip


If you call Sensenbrenner's office, do NOT call him a Nazi. Sensebrenner is rather batshit crazy and possessed of a volatile temper. Pointing out to him that he's acting like a Nazi will only make him act like a bigger Nazi.

[gizmo1979]

2. I read this also

I don't understand why he got involved in a small time drug case.I could see if it was a major drug dealer but why this case?

[dragonlady]

3. He is using the opportunity

to lash out at two obstacles to total control by the right wing.

First, the out-of-control activist judges who legislate from the bench and don't follow the will of Congress and the people (like the ones in the Schiavo case, for instance).

Second, a U.S. Attorney's office that must be incompetent or worse because it doesn't prosecute dangerous drug criminals to the fullest possible extent (and by the way is far too aggressive at investigating the insignificant case of outing Valerie Plame).

That's the background. As to why, I don't know. Maybe just because he's getting...you know.

[shoelace414]

4. my first thought was

oh.. so now the congress runs the judical branch of the government?

[Viking12]

6. DKos has an interesting take

Speculation "that this may in part be an attempt by the GOP leadership to intimidate or rein in US Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who is the lead on the Plame leak investigation."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/10/84255/7305

-more-

"But some legal experts believe the action by the Judiciary Committee chairman, who is an attorney, is a violation of House ethics rules, which prohibit communicating privately with judges on legal matters, as well as court rules that bar such contact with judges without contacting all parties.

Further, the letter may be an intrusion on the Constitution's separation-of-powers doctrine, or, at least, the latest encroachment by Congress upon the judiciary, analysts said."

[raising2moredems]

7. Where exactly is this bozos district?

I live in the IL/WI stateline area on the IL side and this guy makes me livid! I'd like nothing better than to see his fat heinie ousted. Is it something in the water that makes people vote for him or is he in a district with a bunch of scared white men (no offense to males in general but IMHO, the GOP is full of scared white men who cannot/will not change with the times or fear change in general.

[dragonlady]

8. Suburbs and some rural areas

to the north and west of Milwaukee, plus the North Shore suburbs along the lake. It is a rather conservative area but there are plenty of Democrats and we just have to get them mobilized. See www.bk2006.org for Bryan Kennedy, the candidate who ran against him last time and will win this time around (with our help).

[raising2moredems]

9. Thanks....

I bookmarked the page and am downloading the district map. I know a few people in the Milwaukee area and I can feel them out (not sure if they are in his district or not). Is M&I/Metavante one of his big donors? Might be a soft spot to hit as banks are typically pretty privacy intense. I can't believe they'd want divulge info on their trust clients as the patriot act would allow.

[Archae]

10. There's already fallout.

From the Daily Kos:

Congress aide becomes casualty of controversy
Panel's attorney exits after lawmaker's bid to alter drug sentence

With Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) facing criticism and ethics questions for pressuring a federal appellate court to increase a defendant's sentence, a congressional aide closely tied to the controversy has been dismissed.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/7/26/102913/440