Secretary of State Refuses to Certify Roland Burns as Senator
The politicians are supposedly up in arms about Governor Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris to the vacant Senate seat. Illinois' Secretary of State - Jesse White, for example, has declared that he will not sign papers to certify the appointment. From their dramatic speeches and press conferences, it would appear these political types have taken the high ground. Think again... This is not the first time our country has seen a politician with pending legal problems appoint someone to office. Remember when Richard Nixon appointed and fired numerous Attorney Generals while facing his problems with the law? Unless specific legal authority exists that grants Mr. White the power to block Burris's appointment, he needs to do what he had been elected to do, which is to sign the papers. The political process will take care of Burris and any cloud hanging over his appointment. The citizens of Illinois will decide if Burris should be their Senator, so his time and influence within the Senate is very tenable. If the citizens decide that Burris is unworthly of the position, he will be gone in a New York minute. The real concern that people should have is that there are elected officials like Mr. White, who are openly declaring that they do not intend to follow the law. Apparently Illinois' politicians are so backwards, that even when crusading for justice, they end up committing crime. Mr. White's willful refusal to sign the certification papers is grounds for impeachment, as he would be refusing to carry out the laws he was elected to uphold. Imagine that, another Illinois politician brought up on charges . . . .
