January 5, 2009

Scandal

I'd like to ask Mr. Roland Burris to stop insulting large swathes of the American population.

During his interviews and the press conference in which Illinois Governor Blagojevich appointed him to the U. S. Senate, Mr. Burris has implied that it is the color of his skin which is the basis of the objections to his appointment.

Apart from the bad apples, that is not what Americans are most concerned about in the matter of Mr. Burris' appointment. What is most concerning is the possibility that the Senate seat Mr. Burris is appointed to occupy may have been up for sale - and may well have been sold even now.

We do of course, have the presumption of innocence for Gov. Blagojevich, and Mr. Burris has not been accused of a crime to my knowledge. But given the criminal investigation and the Illinois state legislature looking into impeachment, extra scrutiny of any appointment by Gov. Blagojevich to the U. S. Senate should be expected.

Indeed, if there is one person on earth who ought to ask for all the scrutiny possible of this appointment, it is Mr. Burris. Were I in his shoes, I would ask for all the world to investigate the appointment as closely as possible, simply to preserve the integrity of my own name.

So I would like to ask for Mr. Burris to stop insulting the American people by implying that bigotry lurks in the heart of anyone who asks logical questions about the circumstances of his appointment, and anyone who seeks to confirm that he was duly and fairly appointed a representative of the people of Illinois. I would hope that a person who aspires to write the laws of our nation would respect them, and respect those who in good faith are enforcing them.