Heck, I don’t know, is stupidity a crime? If so, there would be a lot of people in jail. I was (un)fortunate enough to watch most of the trial this week.
What I could gather was she pretty much admitted that she signed petitions she was not the circulator of (which in turn would make her guilty of the crime) but she blames her then attorney Joel Arends.
Not sure what the jury will decide.
I will say this though, it has been entertaining. The witnesses were a large group of Republicans blaming each other for their problems (which is fun to watch, because they all show what a large group of gutless souls they are).
Things I have learned;
The key witness, a child stalking, atheist, communist, liberal blogger (not my words) was never called to the stand even though his name was mentioned more then anyone else, and the trial has proceeded because of his challenge. Kind of a badge of honor for Cory.
Hutterites don’t know much about politics, but they know how to pray, cook food, float about and forge signatures.
I guess a two-time felon and key player in the Jack Abramhoff scandal seemed like a good witness to the prosecution (LMFAO)!
Attorneys may be good at covering your ass, but they are even better at covering their own.
Starbucks Baristas in Sioux Falls seem to know more about the politics of Ann ‘B’ then the rest of us.
But one of the last witnesses in the trial really took the cake. The defense called criminal attorney and all around fashionable pastel tie man, Jeff Beck. Jeff admitted on cross examination that he was ‘fired’ from the SFPD after getting a demotion for ‘moral turpitude’ which really means he shouldn’t be practicing law;
The classification of a crime or other conduct as constituting moral turpitude has significance in several areas of law. First, prior conviction of a crime of moral turpitude (or in some jurisdictions, “moral turpitude conduct”, even without a conviction) is considered to have a bearing on the honesty of a witness and might be used for purposes of the impeachment of witnesses.[4] Second, offenses involving moral turpitude may be grounds to deny or revoke state professional licenses such as teaching credentials,[5] licenses to practice law,[6] or other licensed profession. Third, this concept is of great importance for immigration purposes in the United States, Canada, and some other countries, since offenses which are defined as involving moral turpitude are considered bars to immigration into the U.S.[7]
This trial has been anything but boring. The hammer comes down on Wednesday, and then Stormland TV can go back to scaring old people about a chance of rain and praising our mayor.
I watched almost all of the trial as well. It was very interesting. No idea what the jury will do, but for me its pretty obvious she is guilty. You have to really strain credibility and suspend logic to believe she really didn’t understand what the plain language at the bottom of the circulator petition meant when it says you have to witness the signatures in your presence. You may totally disagree with her politics, but let’s face it, she’s a doctor, she can’t be a dummy. The idea that she didn’t understand what it meant and this is all Joel Arends fault really strains credibility to the breaking point.
That being said, I have to say personally I don’t know that Joel Arends did himself or the prosecution any favors with how he answered questions. Maybe its his legal training, but he just came off to me like he was either being evasive or trying too hard to parse words. His attempt at complete accuracy to a juror might seem evasive and not genuine.
I actually agree with her politically on a lot of things. That being said I dismissed her early on as a viable candidate because it became clear to me she and her husband were shall we say ethically challenged (big understatement). I also seriously wondered (and still do) if she doesn’t have some sort of psychological issue. I mean that with all respect, I’m not trying to be funny or insulting, really. Watching her press conferences, testimony and public statements you really have to wonder if there is a paranoia that is more than normal and if all is right upstairs. I’ll be the first to say the media has a bias, conservatives definitely don’t get treated the same as the left by the mainstream media, that’s obvious. But when you start talking about vast conspiracies, black government trucks, everyone is out to destroy you, and then bending the truth it destroys your credibility.
It seems pretty simple, I think she was desperate to have enough signatures, and she broke the rules, and she got caught. What the motives of the person who accused her is irrelevant. Intelligent as she must be, she appears to have character issues, and apparently sleeps with and keeps company with others who do too.
The last part I find somewhat funny, is that being pretty clear to me she is guilty, she probably could have pleaded out to something and paid a nominal fine, with no jail time. Instead, she’s probably spent an enormous amount of money on lawyers to fight something she probably knows she is guilty of.
Yes, I committed a crime, and I knew at the time I committed it that I was doing that – but my lawyer told me to go just ahead anyhow, ’cause it’s okay with him. So. I’m not responsible – see? Don’t you agree?? It’s all the commie libral’s fault.
PS – send money.
My first friend in SF when I moved here
used to call BIG SUBURBANS hooter scooters and warned me what happens when you see one pull
up to a costco or a china mart.
SHOPLIFTING 15 culprits pop out of one of those things
OBG,…HAHAHA lucked out at Lewis on Cliff &10th
got the guy to sell me a catnip plant in the lot hours before they opened.
They had flowers in lot last time I was in SF,no nip
though.My kittie is gonna like price has doubled in
3 years I got 2 for like $6-7 now it was $10.05 for one
yikes
Jeff Beck?He’s not a bad man just Ambitious.
8) mind your 4 letter woids!
OBG
Chicken pickin much distortion to follow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN2Z4oX0C5M
Her fan base makes her look almost sane. Almost is the key word. I’ve been reading Cory’s tweets about the trial because they’re extremely entertaining, and one of her trolls decided to harass me as one of his “mindless disciples”. Please. I like Cory but my interactions with him over the years can be counted on one hand.
G. Neitzert FYI – she didn’t spend one dime f her OWN money. She spent campaign funds – contributions from her supporters.
I was super critical of this whole thing from day one as a Democrat and a South Dakotan.
Don’t get me wrong, I do believe an oath is an oath and I think there is compelling evidence that she committed perjury in my opinion, but given the world we live in with the reality of a one party state, my assumed guess that a lot of candidates do what she is alleged to have done, and the whole EB5 scandal, I have always felt that this “Petition-gate” scandal did not warrant the time and interest it has been given and it gave the SD GOP establishment an unintended legitimacy to further cloud the EB5 controversy. Frankly, the EB5 scandal alone proves we have much bigger fish to fry than this.
I also felt, that the obsession for some against Bosworth was unwarranted or misguided. It was primarily in my estimation an attempt to make it or to guarantee that it would be a Nelson versus Rounds fight for the nomination; which was suppose to then help the Dems in the fall. Especially, if Nelson had won.
Personally, I believe if the “Left” would have left Bosworth alone last spring that she would have been a more attractive candidate for the “TeaPartiers” to rally around and against Rounds; and if not to defeat him in the primary at least to do more damage than Nelson ever did or could have done. FOX News’s obsession with Bosworth last year I think is further proof of this.
But that is all water under the bridge now, I think that Bosworth’s nine inning testimony, where she is trying to win this on personally and guts with the hope there is at least one fundamentalist on the jury who is on her side, has begun to unveil the true brilliance intended or unintended of Corys pursuit of Bosworth and the whole “Petition-gate.”
Because is she wins this, then she will become the new high profile leader of the “TeaPartier” right within the SD GOP and to the detriment of the whole SD GOP.
If she loses, well, then we can only wonder if she would have been a better “TeaParty” alternative to Nelson to have then eventually helped the DEMS in the fall of 2014….Who knows?….The Pressler relevance last year, also, further complicates this question.
Winston – WHY would you think “a lot of candidates” do what she did? You know, the CANDIDATE themselves are not required to sign the petitions – right? The actual circulator is. If the persons that had actually circulated the petitions would have signed them – there would have been no problem. Well, except for the fact that the actual circulators have admitted to forging the signatures to begin with. Her whole campaign seems to have been a series of fraudulent actions. Top to bottom.
Did they call any hutterites as witnesses to testify if she was there in person? That would go over well.
OBG- You know you can find free catnip growing around town in yards and stuff. Other cats do.
Rufusx, I am well aware that the candidates do not have to sign every petition. Except that their signature needs to be at the top of each petition, however.
As far as your other question, I called it an “assumed guess” and not fact. Perhaps a calculative inference would have been more to your liking? 😉
The bottom-line is this, however. We have bigger fish to fry than Bosworth. But the EB5 scandal will probably never be resolved, but Bosworth might be convicted.
This whole trial reminds me of ten years ago, when people use to joke that Bin Laden (EB5) may still be at-large, but at least we can sleep better at night now knowing that Martha Stewart (Bosworth) is behind bars.
I believe this to be political sabotage. Can’t help but feel for her. Ignorance of the law is no excuse but how about a small fine and slap on the wrist for a first offense?
Right – I suppose fake election fraud (not having an ID at the polls) is so much a bigger deal to REAL election fraud (the Bosworthian stuff) that leads to habitual crooks (Rounds, Bollen, et al) being in actual positions of power. “Look! Over there!!”, back at you.
I firmly believe that the Boz would have just received a slap on the wrists if it wasn’t for her own stupidity. If she had just acknowledged the error, she probably would have received a small fine. As always, though, she couldn’t admit to doing anything wrong, and as always every problem is the fault of other politicians, bloggers, radio hosts, boogiemen, the vast left conspiracy, the vast right conspiracy, Allah, Obama, etc. etc. etc.
Scott, I would agree. She should have pulled the petitions to begin with, but after the fact, she should have just signed an affidavit admitting what she did as an oversight, and she would have gotten less of a punishment, and it could have been settled out of court. She only has herself to blame for blowing this out of proportion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bab_KwqGpEw
The Belfrage interview, followed by that hilarious video she posted right afterwards, is what ultimately will probably convict her.