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Kwame Kilpatrick/ Photo from his website.
“The only shame is to have none.”
I found this quote by Blaise Pascal, a 17th Century French mathematician, physicist and inventor, and it reminded me of the sad state of Kwame Kilpatrick and his family.
The family has no shame.
The other night Fox 2‘s M.L. Elrick reported that Kilpatrick’s family had created a web page, www.freedomjusticetrust.com, to solicit donations for legal help to set him free from prison.
No where does it mention that Kilpatrick has had taxpayer-paid lawyers, and first rate ones at that, that well-heeled folks normally pay big bucks for. Perhaps, that's not enough, and the family is preparing to put together a team of the most expensive attorneys in the country to mount a vigorous appeal?
The family has also created a YouTube video narrated by Kwame’s mother, former Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who is the "trustee" of this latest scam.
On that video, Kilpatrick's mother says: “Kwame Kilpatrick didn’t hurt Detroit. He helped Detroit. Now he needs your help."
Yes, it’s true, he helped Detroit. No doubt. He did some good things. He also disgraced the city and harmed it in so many ways while enriching himself and his family.
The website goes on to say:
"The 28-year prison sentence is a culmination of a meticulously-crafted series of events to erase Kilpatrick's accomplishments from the history books, lay blame on Kilpatrick for every shortcoming the city has faced over the past 50 years and, ultimately, to take Detroit."
In other words, yes, you the jurors who convicted Kilpatrick were delusional. You the government prosecutors, were crafty and cunning and evil. And you, the members of public, were duped and have it all wrong.
I'll give the Kilpatrick family this much: I think Kilpatrick's 28-year-sentence was excessive. I can't imagine that 15 or 17 or even 20 years couldn't have sent the same message. As one defense attorney recently said to me at a party: "Where's the body?" In other words, who did he murder to get that sentence?
That being said, the latest sham by the Kilpatricks to collect donations is downright shameful.
Kwame Kilpatrick became very astute during his reign in office of shaking down the business community and his own workers for birthday and Christmas gifts for himself. Now, his mother wants to shake down his die-hard supporters to "defray the legal costs."
The website says:
"Under the terms of the Trust, the funds raised can be used only for expenses(including attorneys fees and costs) incurred in connection with the legal representation of Kwame Kilpatrick," the website says. "There is no legal limit on the source or amount of contributions that the Trust can accept."
I would suggest those donations go toward repaying the taxpayers for footing his legal bills during and after his trial.
Of course, that's not likely to happen.
The Kilpatricks are trying one more time to dupe the public.
Shame.
It’s not always good to have.
But it’s good to at least have a little.
