Centerfield

Redistricting Indictment

Former Mass. House Speaker Indicted in Redistricting Probe

Under state law and the House's own rules, Finneran was free to take part in the redistricting process. When the appeals judges asked him whether he knew what was going to be in the plan before it became public, he said, "No, I did not." And when asked when he first saw the map, Finneran said, "It would have been after the committee on redistricting filed its plan with the House clerk."

Here is a lesson to politicians to to to non-partisan redistricting. Actually, in Massachusetts, the fight is among Democrats, but if redistricting was taken out of the hands of the legislature, this could be avoided.

I must say that I feel sorry for Finneran. As lying goes, this seems to me like a fib. I think the judges found their intelligence to be insulted by the double-talk, but Finneran must never have expected that garden-variety politician-speak would have this kind of result.

If Finneran goes to prison for this, I would suggest that the President, the VP, and most members of both parties of Congress deserve to share the exercise yard with him.

Posted by rickheller at June 7, 2005 01:27 PM