He shielded others from prosecution
Sure, Bernie Madoff has been sentenced to the maximum of 150 years in jail. It’s a life sentence, I get it.
Sure, the presiding judge said he “needed to send a message to potential imitators and to victims who demanded harsh punishment.”
But Bernie Madoff did not act alone in his titanic Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of $50 billion. Where are the others? The prosecution has failed to make the connections, and Madoff certainly wasn’t going to squeal. As you can see from the photo, he’s a man of dignity and principle. While some victims of the scam may find occasional relief from unsecured loans for quick cash, the vast majority will wonder why money man can work the system to such an extent that justice is (ultimately) perverted.
We cannot simply “move forward,” Mr. Obama
Common Cause President Bob Edgar writes in an editorial for the Huffington Post entitled “Free Bernie Madoff” that we as a nation must reconsider President Obama’s message that “We need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards.” I believe that statement is Obama’s attempt at encouraging America not to become bogged down in endless bickering over Guantanamo, Abu-Ghraib and torture memos. Yet it sets a frightening precedent. The guilty must be held accountable; this we must never forget.
Here’s a hypothetical Edgar poses:
What if, instead of sentencing Bernie Madoff today to spend the rest of his life in prison, a judge decided that we should let the criminal mastermind “move forward” and enjoy his golden years? After all, he’s already been publicly disgraced, no one will ever trust him with their investments again, so what harm could possibly come from freeing him?
Clearly, such a result would have been insulting to everyone outside of Bernie Madoff’s family. Such a blind betrayal of justice would incite riots. Since America is a nation governed by laws that are geared toward providing justice for all, violating the public trust on such a large scale (financially) cannot stand. Madoff bilked thousands and he must answer for his crimes.
Realistically, there’d be no pardon
Bush Administration policies regarding torture are knife wounds in the face of the values America holds dear, yet Obama thinks we should “move forward.” The release of torture memos has confirmed how dirty the former administration allowed its hands to become. They’re stained with blood. Former VP Dick Cheney and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld “explicitly authorized heinous acts of torture,” writes Edgar.
“Enhanced interrogation” simply created false accusations. Even a child could figure that out, so the techniques were useless. 9/11 connections with Saddam Hussein came from the “do whatever it takes” philosophy that brought America little or no trustworthy intelligence of value pressuring military officials “to do whatever it took.” The Iraq war was a weak cover.
How naive and misinformed you are, Mr. President. To think that the American people are OK with moving on and not prosecuting the thugs responsible, starting with top thug Mr. Dick “Trigger Finger” Cheney. The voters will remember. If you do not act appropriately, you will not be re-elected in 2012. We can turn a blind eye to the past nor discount America’s standing as a civilized nation.
The guilty must face justice
Edgar urges the adoption of a Truth Commission that investigates abuses of power in government. Then we can get at the root of the problem. A relative handful of civilian and military officials kept the torture issue alive; they weren’t buying the “move forward” rhetoric. Now there must be an appropriate legal climax to the proceedings. It’s what Bernie Madoff deserves, even though there should be others serving with him. War criminals should not be let off the hook, considering that their crimes are even more significant than the massive financial confidence game Madoff played. Go directly to jail. No unsecured loans, no quick cash.
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Darn right that would be insulting! What the heck is wrong with Bob Edgar? Publicly disgracing Bernie Madoff does not equal out to the amount of damage he has caused. The recession has no doubt taken a huge toll on the American people. People are need of financial assistance more than ever before, caught in cycles of debts and desperately searching for a way out. While this is going on, people like Madoff and Edgar sit on their high thrones drinking out of golden cups, the very ones that the people have sweated and bled so hard to cast. And as soon as we decide to fight back, they come out with some philosophical reason why they don’t deserve to be punished. Please… let them have what they truly deserve so we can “move forward.”