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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Friday, November 14, 2014

The Kathleen Kane Feeding Frenzy

Let's say you're on your way to work one bright and sunny morning, as a passenger, when the idiot driver slams into a parked car. You suffer a fairly serious concussion, along with neck and back injuries. You call off. Over the next few days, you suffer from nausea, fatigue and constant headaches. You're unable to look at a computer without your head spinning. Because you're a white collar worker, you're useless at the office. Besides, the doctor has told you not to drive. You do as much as you can from home.

Though you let everyone know what happened, someone who works in one of the other offices thinks he knows better than any doctor, and wants to ask you questions about your accident and about work. Though you're a woman, he comes to your house at night and rings the doorbell. Your son answers and tells the guy that you're in the can. He says he'll wait. When your son tells you what happened, you decide to turn the porch light off so this stalker can be on his merry way.

Such is the life of Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane.

She is the victim of what I can only describe as a feeding frenzy by state reporters who would rather stand on her porch at night than delve into any of the real stories going on in the land of midnight payraises. Their coverage of the state legislature is pathetic, but they are giving each other high fives for their gang tackling of this outsider. Their recent treatment of the state's top prosecutor is both unfair and unprofessional. I also believe that if she were a he, it would not be happening.

Kathleen Kane is the first Democrat and woman to serve as Attorney General.

She started with a friendly press and high marks from fellow Democrats. She rejected a lottery privatization and correctly refused to defend the unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act. But unaccustomed to such a high profile office, she began making some serious blunders.

The biggest of these centers around her decision to shut down a corruption probe that caught Philadelphia are state reps and one district judge accepting gifts. That probably would have gone unnoticed, but she accused career prosecutors, many of whom are black, of anti-black bias. She then got into a public passing match with Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, challenged him to take the case,and he did, recently filing charges against a former traffic court judge.. When the Inky began to ask hard questions, she hired Richard Sprague for a possible defamation suit.

Her second big error concerns the long awaited Sandusky report. She commissioned a law school professor who, in balanced, election-free language, basically exonerated Governor Corbett, who at the time was AG. Corbett played no politics, and using a Grand Jury was a reasonable way to proceed. But when she released the analysis, Kane still insisted there were "inexplicable delays" and claimed that Sandusky had added two more victims to his list as the investigation dragged on.

That would be terrible, except it's wrong. Kane was forced to admit her error, not in person, but through someone who would not identify himself.

A Kathleen Kane Grand Jury also issued a scathing presentment recommending charges against Luzerne County Attorney Shelley Centini, .She was called part of a "cabal of criminals" who engaged in witness intimidation and even paid witnesses. They made her sound like a Mafia Moll.

All charges were dismissed following a preliminary hearing. That almost never happens, and means that Kane failed to establish even a prima facie case.

Undeniably,she tarnished her credibility. But the press has behaved badly.She recently was injured in a car accident on her way to a Grand Jury appearance. A passenger, she suffered a concussion. The public was aware what had happened the day it happened. But the press is gang tacking her over every detail, and even sent someone to pound on her door at night.

One of her critics, amazingly, is her former press secretary, Chris Kelly.

"Our reporter was alone on Ms. Kane's doorstep," he whines,insisting that she "is the attorney general 24/7."

Let me get this straight. A woman has an obligation to answer her door at night to a stranger after experiencing a severe concussion? Are you out of your mind? I don't give a shit what you think is so damn important. It can wait.

No wonder he's her former press secretary.

Kelly also wants to know what Kane was doing in Dunmore at 6:55 am. Um, why don't you look at a map, Chris? You live out that way, don't you?. Dunmore is on the way from her Waverly home to the highway. Maybe the bagels there are good. This is the kind of question that requires posting a reporter at a door at night?

This intrepid :"journalist" also wants Kane to answer why Dunmore police took ten days to release an accident report . How the hell should she know? She's the Attorney General, not Queen of the World. Why don't you send a reporter to pound on the door of the Dunmore Police Chief in the middle of the night? See how far that gets you.

Kane did speak to a reporter who dropped by while the sun was out. "That you for coming during the day," she told him.

Kelly's account is just one of several negative columns that seem to suggest Kane has some obligation to work through a concussion. Steve Corbett, The Morning Call and The Patriot News have had equally goofy accounts.

If a concussion sidelines a NFL lineman, is it so hard to understand that it might sideline Kathleen, too?

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kathleen Kane is a disgrace.

"It's a gateway drug. When you don't get your high from marijuana you're going to turn to something else. It's going to be oxycodone and then it's going to be heroin. It doesn't stop just at marijuana," she said. "I oppose it for criminal justice reasons."

Anonymous said...

Weird story. Accident occurred on city street posted at 15 mph. Driver must have been exceeding that for the injuries Kane incurred. Kane was not wearing her seat belt which violates state law. Pennsylvania's top law enforcement officer riding in a speeding car without a seat belt. Just another Kane foul up.

Anonymous said...

I am praying Ms.Kane completely recuperates from this accident.

Anonymous said...

Praying? Yeah, that'll work.

Anonymous said...

Kane is a nightmare.

Enjoy paying higher taxes under Wolf.

Bernie O'Hare said...

8:51, Yes, she broke the law by wearing no seat belt and admitted that much. I think she suffered the penalty. As for the driver going faster than 15 mph, I am no accident reconstruction expert. I do know that it is easy to be severely injured at even slower speeds.

Bernie O'Hare said...

8:45, Her stance on marijuana makes her a disgrace? Alrighty then.

Anonymous said...

I hope she mends well.

She possesses more hubris than the next 100 partisan hacks in office, however. That will be more difficult to mend.

Seth Williams should challenge her in a primary. He'd win and get lots of R votes in the general.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Seth Williams would do well and probably would defeat her. I agree.

Anonymous said...

Who is Seth Williams?

Anonymous said...

Read the post.

Anonymous said...

8:45, Her stance on marijuana makes her a disgrace? Alrighty then.

That its a gateway drug? Yes. It reeks of someone will little critical thinking skills and someone so hung up on the war on drugs mentality that is unwilling to hear new perspectives - including being behind the rest of the country on decriminalization. Hell, even the cities are just doing it themselves now. And we won't get into the FOUR states where marijuana is completely LEGAL for recreational purposes. I suppose those people are all wrong and Kane is right? Being closed minded and in charge of law enforcement leads to failed wars, over crowded prisons, and the ruination of lives.

Anonymous said...

They may have waked and baked that morning.

Bernie O'Hare said...

3:01, please.

Bernie O'Hare said...

3:44, if you judge an elected official based on his or her stance on one issue, I think you are the one who lacks critical thinking skills.

Anonymous said...

I don't need the first this or the first that.

I need somebody who is qualified to do the job at hand.

Please, pandering is so unbecoming.

Bernie O'Hare said...

She has done some things well and has done more things poorly. But that's no excuse for the feeding frenzy. The press has been unfair to her and, in my opinion, sexist. They would never visit Tom Corbett at his home unannounced. But they did it to s woman. At night. And then had the nerve to complain. She had a serious concussion and some ssshole writes she should be available 24/7. Give me a break.

Anonymous said...

Author: You have to know the area to understand the controversy. Wavery to Philly would not put her on the streets of Dunmore.
The accident was close to the Mill St. offices of Louis DeNaples, owner of the third largest garbage dump in PA. There is presently an application for expansion that the state and local officials must pass for the 250ft high expansion to pass. Make no mistake. It will pass.
Thie lack of a report it is widely thought was to hide her meeting with Uncle Lou.

TeaPartyFootSoldier said...

Shez not az hot az Mezz, but close. I'd like to see a cougar party ticket with Mezz and Bar Johnston promoted by Unity PAC and Jim Greggy sometime in 2016

Bernie O'Hare said...

8:01, Do you realize how nutty that sounds? Seriously. And that's a reason to pound on a concussion victim's door in the middle of the night?

Anonymous said...

Sexist? Yes. But if she was a conservative R, the feeding frenzy would have already consumed her and this blog wouldn't have mentioned a word of it. C'est la vie. Carry on.

Anonymous said...

"As for the driver going faster than 15 mph, ... I do know that it is easy to be severely injured at even slower speeds."

Imagine smashing your head into a wall at 15mph. 15mph may not sound like much, but if you ever hit the edge of a door in the dark and saw a bright light, you were going only maybe 2 mph.

Anonymous said...

Anyone check out the article on legislative expense accounts?

Bernie O'Hare said...

I did. They were really stretching things, perhaps because they don't really write any stories. It's the worst covered state legislature in the country.

Peter J.Cochran said...

Bernie, This day in age, nobody should being going to this woman's home and banging on the door. She is in a position like John Morganelli . - That not every one is her friend because of her job.She should not open any front doors to any people ,unless invited. Too much risk for her and her family safety.

Anonymous said...

3:44, if you judge an elected official based on his or her stance on one issue, I think you are the one who lacks critical thinking skills.

I'm sorry but I believe it is perfectly valid to judge an AG's ability to serve the public on the validity of statements made. Her statement effects millions of dollars and thousands of lives in the Commonwealth. Her statement is completely ridiculous and cursory research on the issue would have made this clear.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Your judgment is based on her statements on one issue. That is a lack of critical thinking.

Anonymous said...

And I'd feel the same way if she made an asinine comment about gay marriage or illegal immigration. Apparently I am the first person in history to judge a politician by a stance on a single issue. Who knew?

Bernie O'Hare said...

You are not the first. You join the ranks of the pro-lifers and other uncritical thinkers. Congratulations.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't take a genius to tell u what she was doing in Dunmore we know who lives there the same guy she let SLIDE on a supeona