Feds Acknowledge Error on Travel for Former Ala. Governor

Source: Associated Press

Feds acknowledge error on travel for former Ala. governor
5/2/2008, 4:49 p.m. CDT
By BEN EVANS
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal court officials acknowledged Friday that they erred this week in classifying former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman as a special offender who required an extra layer of approval before traveling to New Orleans.

Probation officials in Alabama and Louisiana mistakenly applied rules governing offenders who are on probation. Siegelman is not on probation; he is free on bond pending appeal, said Karen Redmond, spokeswoman for the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts. "They made an honest mistake," Redmond said. "They were giving him conditions for a special offender under probation. He's not. He's pretrial."

- snip -

Siegelman had requested to travel to New Orleans to visit friends, including a journalist who makes documentaries. But probation officials informed him Tuesday that he was being classified as a special offender who would need approval from the district court there to visit — a process that could take as long as a month.

- snip -

The mistake came as a result of a misunderstanding between officials in Louisiana and Alabama about Siegelman's status, Redmond said.

Read more: http://www.nola.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-38/12097616428980.xml&storylist=louisiana

twice in one week 'cause we know they would not harass the former vice president of the US on purpose, never. :D

I never heard this. When did it happen?

airports. Al took all these outrageous displays in seemingly good humor, but these incidents imo were just reminders of how the RW cabal demonstrated they were in complete control and would fuck with anyone, even the former vice president, who was agin' 'em (anyone who eschews their agenda even in part is agin' 'em and therefore the enemy). :D

http//www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=51090 :D Random, my ass!

This was plainly an attempt to railroad him and keep him in Alabam, away from Major Media.

...but not just away from major media--away from Congress, away from documentary filmmakers, ...

These bastards will try anything, until someone calls their bluff.

Typical bullies.

There's your money quote right there.

Somehow I doubt that the courts would have intervened if Gov. Siegelman had been going to NOLA simply to get hammered on Hand Grenades at Tropical Isle. :eyes:

and I am Marie of Rumania!

But of course it was a mere mistake to treat him that way. After all, he was a complete unknown about whose status nobody would have had any information.

its one of my favorites! Somehow stuck with me after reading the poem!

We're not the first DUers, either!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2817268&mesg_id=2818258

of so many "honest mistakes". From the trial transcript, the never ending transfers (keeping him from his legal team), to the local tv blackout, and now this.....

One would think he is the unluckiest person in the world.

not spoken about this publically, that 'error" would still be in affect.

I am so proud of him for speaking out loudly about what has been done and continues to be done to him.

Republics like exposure even less.

All of us, standing up and saying what we know (sorry tin-foilers - I believe it too, but it's not helpful) would send them scurrying.

...in order to make an "honest mistake???"

- K&R!!!

They do make mistakes, but people in the system know the difference between someone who's pretrial and someone on probation. This is a huge distinction. This is simply not credible: they would know the status of such a high-profile subject.

Period.

I don't know about you, but I work with people in positions of authority who are total dipshits. Incompetent on levels outsiders couldn't begin to understand. But, because they're good at the one-on-one charm thing, they've risen to power.

I'm just saying that, after years of malicious intent, the governor is now just being treated to idiocy.

Of course, idiocy and conservatism seem to go hand-in-hand to me. One only has to look at the last two presidential elections (to say nothing of values, etc.) to verify the theory of likability vs. worth.

Is Karen Redmond a * appointee? I wonder who she's referring to when she says, "THEY made an honest mistake."

snip: Siegelman is not on probation; he is free on bond pending appeal, said Karen Redmond, spokeswoman for the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts.

"They made an honest mistake," Redmond said. "They were giving him conditions for a special offender under probation. He's not. He's pretrial."

I know some folks who have had some experience with the Bush DoJ, and these authorities are even more dip-shitty than ever, ever before.

What I was trying to point out is that, in the legal system, there is a big, big, whopping difference between pretrial people and people on probation. An analogy in the military would be to take someone in their second week of basic and send them to Iraq because you mistakenly thought he had completed basic already.

Doesn't happen.

GOp are terrorists. Start saying it