Burn, Baby, Burn

Jury convicts state-sponsored terrorist thug on all counts.

From the Sun Times:

Jurors convict Burge of perjury, obstruction

June 28, 2010

BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN Staff Reporter

Former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge — the face of police torture allegations in Chicago for decades — was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice by a federal jury this afternoon.

When the guilty-on-all-counts verdict was announced, Burge did not visibly react. The courtroom had been warned against outbursts.

But people standing outside the courtroom cheered — including attorney Flint Taylor, who has been pursuing justice against Burge for years.

“We’re totally elated at the verdict,” he said. “It’s 30 years too late. We still have plenty to do to get people out of jail. He should have been convicted of torture not perjury — but this is a good day.”
...

For those of you who have not been following this story at the indispensable "Beachwood Reporter", well, first, shame on you.

Second, what you need to know is that Jon Burge was a powerful Chicago detective and commander who, over the course of his career, tortured confessions out of over 200 suspects. In addition to other factors, the volume and credibility of reports of Burge's sadism and corruption led then-Governor George Ryan to institute a moratorium in the death penalty.

At the time, a certain State's Attorney with a Famous Name  is alleged to have turned a blind eye to information he possessed regarding the illegal behavior of Burge and his flunkies.

From Wikipedia:

The investigation revealed that in three of the cases prosecutors could have proved beyond a reasonable doubt in court that torture by the police involving five former officers including Burge had occurred.  Half of the claims were deemed credible, but because of the statute of limitations no indictments were handed out. Mayor Daley and all law enforcement officials who had been deposed were excluded from the report.

Yes, the State's Attorney who showed such remarkably poor civic and legal judgment grew up to be the Honorable Richard M. Daley, Mayor-for-life of the City of Chicago.  Who says there are no second...or third...or fourth acts in American life?    Provided, of course,

you are in The Club.

As for, Burge, he is a thug and a monster: a throwback to a previous era when cops in Chicago could beat, maim and murder almost at-will. An age which some of our more atavistic fellow citizens still look back on fondly as the good old days.

Burge will never serve a day in stir for torture, but like Al Capone -- who was never even charged with any of the hundreds of murders he ordered and dozens he personally committed -- he will now rot behind bars for lesser crimes.

It is something.