Friday, November 14th, 2008

Edward K. Anderton, the honor student and University of Pennsylvania economics grad whose life was consumed by his romantic and criminal partnership with his girlfriend, was sentenced this afternoon to 48 months in prison by a federal judge, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The article also said that Anderton made an emotional, self-abasing 20-minutes statement to the judge in which he apologized to his victims, his parents and family, and others that he said his conduct harmed.

Probably the most surprising apology was the one that Anderton made to Jocelyn Kirsch, the “Bonnie” of the “Bonnie and Clyde” duo.

“To a large part I was her downfall. If the two of us hadn’t met I don’t think that any of her crimes would have escalated to that point,” Anderton said.

He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno.

Media credit: fisherwy.blogspot.com.

Click here to view the video.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gives a thumbs-up during her speech at the 2008 Republican Governors Association Annual Conference Nov. 13. (Media credit: Marsha Halper/Miami Herald/MCT)

The moment Barack Obama’s presidency became a sure thing, a wave of relief came over me. This was not merely because I voted for him or because it marked a major turning point for our nation, but because finally the bitter campaigning had ended.

While some may feel that the time leading up to this historic presidential election was exciting and sensational, I felt the exact opposite. As someone who cared about the election, it was important to me to make my own decision about it. However, I am also someone who does not care to invest all her time and energy into politics, and after being repeatedly solicited to join the Obama campaign, I was getting fed up. It was not only on campus either — I received at least 10 phone calls from different Democratic groups asking me to sign up and join the campaign.

Although it is clear that every presidential election is important, and of course everyone who can exercise their right to vote should do so, to me politics in general is just one big dirty game.
The aggressive campaigning that felt like it would never end did the opposite of what it was supposed to do. Instead of the candidates highlighting their merits, what makes them qualified and what makes them trustworthy enough to run the country, all the focus seemed to be on controversy surrounding their personal lives.

The craziness that arose around Sarah Palin was ridiculous, and I could not help but wonder, what was John McCain thinking? If he wanted to get the nation’s attention, he sure grabbed it, but teaming up with Palin only seemed to backfire. Continue Reading »