Rep. Janklow, South Dakota’s resident scofflaw, has been charged with manslaughter in the death of a biker. Seems he blew a stopsign at about 70mph.
Well, you say, shit sometimes happens. However, in light of the following quote from the NYT article, Rep. Janklow has been a ticking time bomb for many years now.
“Self-proclaimed”…I’m sure he’s chortled to his buddies about his driving habits, and that they’ve had a high old time telling tales of near-death experiences. For the victim, “near death” became actuality. He deserves whatever the courts throw at him, but I’m sure his wealth and status will get him off with a plea-bargain to reckless driving, or some such lesser charge.
Maybe, depends on the judge. The one he gets might be tempted to go harder on him as a public figure than otherwise, partly to avoid the appearance of leniency and partly to make up for previous leniency. This case is highly public, and a man is now dead.
Any NoDak dopers got an idea who the GOP has warming up in the bullpen?
While I’m not from North Dakota, I do follow politics, and, if Janklow is forced to resgn or (more likely) doesn’t run for re-election, I’d expect either ex-Rep. John Thune or ex-Sen. Larry Pressler (who lost in the primary to Janklow in 2002) to run to replace him.
All I have to say about the charges is: About effing time. Janklow’s recklessness on the roads has been notorious in South Dakota for years (wonder how many tickets he dodged over the years thanks to being governor - he also got permission to have flashing lights on his car because he was so eager to have folks get out of his way on his vital automotive errands).
And while it’s not relevant to his driving record, it should also be noted that Janklow is the sleazebag who filed a multimillion dollar libel suit (thrown out after years of maneuvering) over publication of In The Spirit Of Crazy Horse (a book about Leonard Peltier), suing not only the author and publisher, but bookstores that dared to sell it.
Not that the book was necessarily pure gold, but it takes a real pugnacious idiot to try to intimidate bookstore owners because you don’t like what a book says about you.
As an aside: how did Ralph Nader decide that Janklow’s accident was something requiring an authoritative denunciation from him?
Strange. I got the politicians right, but still got the state wrong.
I actually find this tragic, in a way. One of the longest serving Governors in U.S. history, a current member of the House, and a probable candidate for the U.S Senate.
I would like to believe in the concept of equal justice for all, but I will be shocked if Janklow spends even a single day behind bars for killing this other driver. Somehow the rich and powerful don’t have to pay for their transgressions like the rest of us do.