Leland Yee- Why Did He Escape Terrorism Charges? I Mean, Really, Why?

Most of you by now have heard about California State Senator Leland Yee, who was recently arrested on corruption charges.  I found this whole thing a little strange, since he seems to have people accusing him of dealing in arms with terrorists, but the article I read in the Los Angeles Times only managed to accuse him of one "crime-" accepting a $6,000 donation from someone and then sponsoring a State Senate resolution praising a charity which this person runs.  Not exactly the Koch brothers there.  The whole thing set off alarm bells for me, because by removing Senator Yee, the Republicans could eliminate the Democratic supermajority in the California legislature, thus bringing back the days of stagnation and budget deficits which Republicans love so well.

And what would a Republican-sponsored "scandal" be without TERRORISM!!!  From a wingnut website which shall go unnamed:

"Why Did State Sen. Leland Yee (D-CA) Escape Terrorism Charges? 

Yee, whose arrest after an FBI undercover sting shook the California political world last week, would likely have been charged with aiding terrorists if not for a bureaucratic label missing from the militant Filipino group that he is accused of sourcing for an international arms deal, counterterrorism experts told this newspaper.  The group is not among the 56 foreign terrorist organizations designated by the U.S. State Department"

Yes, Yee would likely have been charged with aiding terrorists,if only the group he aided were terrorists.  But they are not. Maybe that is the reason that he was not charged with aiding terrorists.  But, of course, to people with a, shall we say, Benghazi mindset, Democrats are all terrorists, so who cares whether the people they aided are terrorists or not!  Charge the Democrats with terrorism anyway!  And if that didn't work?

"Yee could have still been charged with material support to an undesignated group"

Yes, he could be criminally charged with aiding "an undesignated group!"  Like, say, the Red Cross, or the Brownies.  He can be thrown in jail for aiding anyone!

Because to Republicans, aiding people is not what the government is about.*  Anyone who does that should be thrown in jail immediately.  The crime is in the aiding, not in who they aided.**

*Unless they are rich, of course
** Unless they are rich, of course.  Whoops, did I already say that?  Well, a good truth always bears repeating.


A little further comment:  I don't mean this, by the way, to be a claim that the guy is innocent.  For all I know he could be the last member of the Manson cult.  Still, I need to see some real evidence.

Comments

Jono said…
Why bother with evidence when hearsay and speculation is what makes "real" news worthy of television coverage?
Green Eagle said…
I take your point, Jono, but it's not really speculation when the person saying it knows it's a lie.

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