Beam me up

From one of his One Minute Speeches on the House floor …

“Mr. Speaker, the school prayer issue is out of control, literally. Students in Pennsylvania were prohibited from handing out Christmas cards. Reports say students in Minnesota were disciplined for having said merry Christmas. Now if that is not enough to find coal in your athletic supporter, check this out: A school board in Georgia removed the word “Christmas” from their school calendar because the ACLU threatened to sue. Beam me up. If this is religious freedom, I am a fashion model for GQ. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the fact that Christmas is not about a jolly old fat man. Christmas is about the birth of Christ. “

I agree Mr. Atkin’s “incidents” are in no way comparable to the ones you described in Ohio nor are they in any way approachable to the severity of corruption in my state. My problem with John was with his arrogance regarding the entire matter and in his calculated procrastination to do what he ultimately was forced to do. He was daring his colleagues and the public to the bitter end. That is not a readily forgiveable trait.

I also wish him well on many levels, and wish the people of his district and the whole of Delaware political vigilance of their elected officials so this fine State can avoid the moral depravity of other States.

Now we move on.

Let me explain why I feel the way I do in having supported John.

First of all, I have met John, and find him to be a “what you see is what you get” type of a person. He puts his money (or his actions) where his mouth is. That IMHO is what endeared him to his constituents. The sports clinic he hosted in Millsboro last April is one example, joining with former and current UD athletes to reach kids with the message that sports and drugs don’t mix.

IMHO (and keep in mind I live in Ohio) what John did that night, albeit not cool (and against the law), was not that huge a deal and could have been dealt with a censure - the end.

Let me tell you a little about the recent history of my state…

I live in a state where a Congressman has been involved with racketeering for some 20 years and kept getting off on technicalities until most recently, when it caught up with him (and his toupee).

I live in a state where another Congressman (referred to in another blog on this site) hooked up with a lobbyist and got involved in corruption (exchanging political favors to that lobbyist for lavish gifts).

I live in a state where the governor accepted gifts in return for political favors, including a rare coin dealer, who invested $50 million in worker’s comp money into rare coins (oh, and $10-13 million of that money was missing).

So I know John, and that might make me somewhat biased. But what he did that night was 200% wrong…but is it as bad as taking bribes, racketeering, going golfing as an incentive to make a poor investment, etc. ?

That’s why I feel the way I do.

That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.

I believe you when you say that many legislators are not squeeky clean, but in time, if they continue to act in such a way as you just performed, they will be kicked to the side.

We live in a society of apathetic and forgiving people: This is our downfall.
Moral and ethical conduct of our leaders is a must. If you people cannot live up to these standards, sit on the sidelines. The people have spoken.

If John Atkins is expelled, my understanding is that there will be a special election in about a month to select a successor. Then, in 2008, as Matt said, John can run again. So the 41st still has a major voice in resolving this situation to their satisfaction. I trust that the 41st voters will use good judgment, and that right now the House will do likewise, regarding resolving this very sad situation.

I wonder what politician will be next if Atkins resigns or is thrown out on his ear by the higher ups in Dover.