No justice

Life just isn’t fair. Rep James Traficant, a colorful character in a collection of gray politicians has the freddies on his back. No doubt the guy is something of a rogue but he has been indicted on racketeering charges while just across the border in Pennsylvania a far bigger fish, Bud Shuster, was allowed to quietly retire a free man. Traficant according to the indictment turned his congressional office into “a criminal enterprise” on the basis that he solicited money (‘bribes’) in return for legislative favors. Four specific bribes are hung on Traficant. Just four! They’d do that before 10am on a slow Monday morning with half the guys sleeping in at Shuster’s office. The Shuster criminal enterprise must have done many thousands of bribes and extortions. Before the transp committee chairman would even discuss getting a road project on an approved list, his staff would lay down the price: a pledge of some many thousands of dollars to be raised at a ‘breakfast,’ special transport for the chairman (often a helicopter), further support at future stages etc. Other congressmen were corralled with threats to cut their district’s program unless they cooperated. Shuster organized telephone banks of staffers to conduct these extortions. His operation was so brazen his former aide was simultaneously a lobbyist representing groups wanting fed-$s out of Shuster and also his official campaign fundraiser. This was standard operating procedure day in and day out for years.

Shuster was too busy quietly racking up the dollars to actually speak in the House of Representatives, whereas Traficant is one of its great characters whose speaking alone should earn him a pre-emptive presidential pardon. Like: “When a dog urinates in a parking lot the EPA declares it a wetland.” He always refers to the IRS as the “Internal Rectal Service” and when something is blindingly obvious he says stuff like: “Even the University of Dayton department of political science could work that out.” The academics loved it! Mingo Junction OH must be some dreadful dump in Traficant’s district because he told prosecutors they’d better beat him or (dreadful threat) “you’ll be working in Mingo Junction.” His trademark refrain is “Beam me up, Mr Speaker.”