March 6, 2008

NY Democrat: Clemens Has Suffered Enough

NY Lawmaker Urges FBI To Drop Clemens Probe, Saying Pitcher Has Suffered Enough

A Democratic congressman asked the FBI on Wednesday to drop its investigation of Roger Clemens because the pitching great had suffered enough from the probe into steroid use.

Rep. Anthony Weiner, a candidate for New York mayor in 2009, said the FBI is too busy with more important crimes to spend time trying to determine if the ex-Yankees pitcher lied to Congress about taking performance enhancing substances.

"Roger Clemens has been shamed. I think the public record is replete with examples of how he did not likely tell the truth. What is the public benefit of continuing with an FBI investigation?" Weiner said. ...
Interesting take. You can boldly lie all day long to Congress, say your family is going through hell (y'all), and some moron will feel sorry for you and suggest everyone leave you alone.

Maybe people in police custody can start using the "Weiner Defense": "I'm really ashamed that I was caught robbing that bank, but there must be some more important murders and stuff that you have to investigate. You should forget about me. I'll just go home."

Josh Beckett will pitch games 1 and 3 of the season-opening series against the Athletics: Tuesday, March 25 in Tokyo and Tuesday, April 1 in Oakland.

The Red Sox face Joe Torre and the Dodgers today at 1 PM. Derek Lowe faces Tim Wakefield. I think ESPN is showing the game.
Ellsbury, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, LF
Lowell, 3B
Casey, 1B
Lowrie, SS
Moss, RF
Mirabelli, C
Coco Crisp goes for a root canal today. I finished up a root canal last month and I hope Ococ has someone as good as my dentist. During the drilling, I dozed off several times.

8 comments:

Jere said...

"Josh Beckett will pitch games 1 and 3 of the season-opening series against the Athletics."

Lemme guess, Hank. You think this whole Japan thing is a ploy to get Beckett an extra start...

mugro said...

Redsock, you are right about the "Weiner Defense."

Reasonable people can disagree about whether Congress should have gotten involved in this to begin with, but once you stand in front of them and swear that oath to tell the truth, you better tell the truth. If you don't, you pay the consequences.

The authorities MUST pursue this issue now, for if they don't, it sends a message to every person that will ever appear before Congress (or a judge at any level) that they can get away with lying under oath because Roger Clemens did.

Who is Roger Clemens that he can get away with lying under oath? I would bet that any one of us who gets hauled into any court in this country would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law if we so blatantly lied under oath. What makes Roger Clemens above the law??

Roger did this to himself, knowing FULL WELL what the consequences would be. He was represented by counsel and was asked repeatedly by Congressmen whether he understood that he was testifying under oath.

I have no sympathy for him now. He lied. He should pay for that lie.

allan said...

I can't figure out where the aptly-named Weiner is coming from on this.

Does he think he's getting some possible votes for Mayor by sucking up to MFY fans? Does he really think they care about Fathead?

And if you say, "Sorry to have troubled you, Mr. Clemens", you've got to do the same thing to Mr. Bonds. And I don't think that'll happen.

Weiner says the feds should spend their time on terrorists instead of Billy -- as if the US has to identify a #1 issue -- one and only one -- and devote 100% of its resources to that.

Jack Marshall said...

What a cretin.

Zenslinger said...

One of the most common defenses in both cases -- but especially Barry's -- has been:

"This is America! Unless somebody just shredded the Constitution, you're innocent until proven guilty! This is AMERICA!"

Well, OK -- this is America. We have a process and it includes not looking the other way just because someone happens to have been a star athlete for a lot of years.

{We'll leave aside the possibility that the Constitution has indeed been abused in the meantime.)

Jack Marshall said...

Z-And that common defense is ignorant as hell, or just plain dishonest.

"Innocent until proven guilty" means you can't be punished---under the law---before you are duly convicted in a court of law. It does not, should not, cannot and will never mean that you can't be fairly and reasonably judged guilty by your neighbors, fellow citizens, the media, public opinion, historians, your employers, and anyone else who has two eyes and a quorum of brain cells, if common sense and reasonable analysis so dictates. Here are some more people who are or were guilty who never were "proven" so in a court of law: Shoeless Joe, Pete Rose, O.J., Richard Nixon, John Wilkes Booth, Bonnie and Clyde, D.B. Cooper.

Zenslinger said...

That, too, yeah.

laura k said...

I can't figure out where the aptly-named Weiner is coming from on this.

Does he think he's getting some possible votes for Mayor by sucking up to MFY fans? Does he really think they care about Fathead?


Don't underestimate what some people will do to be around - be recognized by, get even a nod and a wink from - celebrities.

It could be that this Weiner guy is a big fan and he's just kissing up. He could also have been promised something in return. That's pure speculation, of course, but it happens all the time, and Clemens's camp would be ripe for that.