Bernie Madoff Sentencing and War Criminals Who Stand Free

He shielded others from prosecution

Sure, Bernie Madoff has been sentenced to the maximum of 150 years in jail. It’s a life sentence, I get it.

Sure, the presiding judge said he “needed to send a message to potential imitators and to victims who demanded harsh punishment.”

But Bernie Madoff did not act alone in his titanic Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of $50 billion. Where are the others? The prosecution has failed to make the connections, and Madoff certainly wasn’t going to squeal. As you can see from the photo, he’s a man of dignity and principle. While some victims of the scam may find occasional relief from unsecured loans for quick cash, the vast majority will wonder why money man can work the system to such an extent that justice is (ultimately) perverted.

We cannot simply “move forward,” Mr. Obama

Common Cause President Bob Edgar writes in an editorial for the Huffington Post entitled “Free Bernie Madoff” that we as a nation must reconsider President Obama’s message that “We need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards.” I believe that statement is Obama’s attempt at encouraging America not to become bogged down in endless bickering over Guantanamo, Abu-Ghraib and torture memos. Yet it sets a frightening precedent. The guilty must be held accountable; this we must never forget. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Bernie Madoff Sentencing and War Criminals Who Stand Free"