Roni / April 17, 2006 12:58 PM

Hand making cards to the Willis family for each of the kids birthdays.

Paul / April 17, 2006 1:19 PM

Judy Baar's butler.

Mare / April 17, 2006 1:41 PM

He did very wrong, but I can't wish him the very worst. He essentially ended the death penalty in Illinois, and for that I will always be grateful to him.
So I hope the courts give him a just and fair sentence according to the law, no more or less.

Avril / April 17, 2006 1:47 PM

Well said Mare!

MikeH / April 17, 2006 1:59 PM

Yes, he did place a moratorium on the death penalty, but the timing was rather suspect--it was right around the time the shit started hitting the fan--so one has to wonder how much that figured into it...

Otherwise, I find his arrogance and greed contemptuous and hope that the prison sentence goes a long way toward instilling some humility in the man. 5 - 10 years sounds about right to me...

dan / April 17, 2006 2:09 PM

Since we've heard state employees referred to constantly as Ryan's "walking ATMs", maybe for the next few years we could have some "eye for an eye" action there. For the next eight years, Ryan has to pass out his own cash to Illinois residents whenever asked to.

Mare / April 17, 2006 2:09 PM

I've heard the timing/legacy thing before to condemn Ryan's actions on the death penalty. His actions would have made him as unpopular with some people as it made him popular with others. I've studied the situation, which was more than 2 years in the making, and I'm convinced that was an act of conscience on Ryan's part. Condemn everything else, but give him that.

peasant / April 17, 2006 2:13 PM

Tar and feather him then put him on display in ye ole' town square.

Jeff / April 17, 2006 2:20 PM

Umm . . . we really aren't at the end of anything. Ryan's legal team is very, very good, and there is an excellent ground for reversal and remand for a new trial based on the way the jury problems were handled.

He'll be sentenced pursuant to the federal sentencing guidelines, but he might not go to jail until the appeals are exhausted.

-JW

bam / April 17, 2006 2:21 PM

10 yrs +, if only to send a signal to other pols to keep clean, or to clean up a little bit. Hopefully G-Rod's taking note.

Nice work by Fitzgerald ... must be a sad mood @ Winston & Strawn, all those many millions donated to the Ryan defense and Webb couldn't get him off on any of the charges.

Amy / April 17, 2006 2:31 PM

Actually, I'm laughing at R. Kelly right now...his trial has been delayed b/c he has the same lawyer as Ryan.

Whoops.

At least he's paying for his lawyers.

Jake / April 17, 2006 2:35 PM

Give him the death penalty! Oh wait...

Baldeesh / April 17, 2006 2:54 PM

Amy - R. Kelly has Dan Webb?

I did not know that!

Blagg the Axman / April 17, 2006 3:00 PM

Time was, the most reliable sentence for a fallen former leader was a stretch of the neck fore the axman’s blade, and later set the man’s head upon a pike as a warning to other potential roughnecks. I say most reliable because it was the sentence most likely to stick. You exile a guy to an island, the next thing you know it’s five years later and he’s at your doorstep with a ragtag army assembled from woodsmen and milkmaids, which is a surefire way to ruin the High King’s royal lawn. As for Ryan, I expect a six-week stretch in the stocks will serve him right, provided he don’t get lynched in the process.

matty / April 17, 2006 3:20 PM

"Hand making cards to the Willis family for each of the kids birthdays. "

Nuff said. Bastard.

Hey! / April 17, 2006 3:50 PM

He's going to Disneyland!!

shobby / April 17, 2006 4:38 PM

R Kelly is represented by Ed Genson. He is Larry Warner's attorney, who was also found guilty.

jaye / April 17, 2006 7:09 PM

honestly...this whole thing just shows how much we get screwed on a daily basis by "the leaders" in this country.

but he should get at least 5-10.

he didn't kill anybody he just F**ked us all out of money and once again reaffirmed the complete disdain that i feel for most politicians

C-Note / April 17, 2006 8:17 PM

The whole death-row clemency thing can be viewed as a cynical plot to curry favor with the people Ryan screwed during his time in office.

It was a good political move, considering that some people seem to think life in prison without parole is much better than execution.

Life without freedom is surely better than death, right?

The lesson is: Watch your ass. There's a new sheriff in town, his name is Pat Fitzgerald. Good luck, Mayor Daley.

I, for one, can't wait for Daley's turn at the Dirksen Federal Building.

Payback's a bitch.

Anonymous / April 17, 2006 10:10 PM

Cellie: Rod Blagojevich

mike / April 17, 2006 10:54 PM

sentence? we should give him a reward.

He drastically helped along the fall of the Republican Party in Illinois. We should cake him with gifts and send him to the south to do the same.
My sentence, if need be: serve as Gov. of Texas, Florida, Miss, and Alabama.

Thad / April 18, 2006 8:43 AM

"He drastically helped with the fall of the Republican Party ..."

You think that's good, Mike? Because of his fall, the religious nuts have been able to exploit the situation, and gain more traction here in Illinois. Ryan was a crook, and I'm hope gets a long sentence, but he was a moderate, and his fall helped the right-wing radicals, and made it easier for the Dems to increase their power. I mean, really, look at what we got: Blago, the guy who, in response to the state budget crisis, just keeps on spending.

I don't know about you, but I prefer a strong two-party system dominated by (honest) moderates, not those on the fringes. The "fall" of the state GOP is not something to be celebrated, but something to be worried about.

mike / April 18, 2006 9:05 AM

They should make him eat Katie Holmes's placenta.

Chris / April 18, 2006 9:28 AM

I'm not much of an eye-for-an-eye guy, but I've got an idea: we make him serve out his sentence driving around a closed track, populated with drivers who got certified through the licenses-for-bribes deal. Worst case, bad accident; best case, road rage.

amyc / April 18, 2006 9:33 AM

I don't particularly care why Ryan put a moratorium on the death penalty or who he thought he would impress by doing it. It was still the right thing to do.

B / April 18, 2006 10:05 AM

Have him complete a course at Chauffer's Training School, then make him drive the length of the state in a semi truck with nitrogylcerin as the cargo, a la "The Wages of Fear." Truth will out.

Pedro / April 18, 2006 10:11 AM

So it seems that we shouldn't care about the crimes that were commited and the corruption that was evident because Ryan catered to some "pet" issue.

This is why Ill. keeps getting screwed. We tolerate corruption as long as the pols keep planting flowers.

Throw the damn book at him and make him a lesson to others.

steven / April 18, 2006 10:31 AM

Throw the book at him. I don't care what he did with the death penalty. He was in a position of power and completely took advantage of it. He's crooked and should be punished.

Quirky Character / April 18, 2006 12:22 PM

As a quirky character, I think he should get a quirky punishment, explained in a quirky fake voice.

Emerson Dameron / April 18, 2006 12:23 PM

G. Ryan and R. Kelly should switch bodies for a year. The results should be filmed.

W / April 18, 2006 12:46 PM

What? A Republican poltician acts as if he's above the law and is then found guilty of lying and corruption? What is the world coming to?

He should be re-elected. Now that's justice.

e_five / April 18, 2006 1:02 PM

He subverted democracy, endangered the safety of the public, and stole from the people. I worked for the state of Illinois during his reign, and was passed over for a promotion by a politically-connected person with no experience in the field. It was an absolute joke... people coming into work to take naps, get paid six figures and get six weeks of vacation per year.

Eight to ten years, minimum.

mark / April 18, 2006 1:14 PM

every voter of record in 1998 gets a free punch

JP / April 18, 2006 1:39 PM

How the hell should I know. I can't even figure out how long to keep my lunch in the Microwave. Shit, now I have to go buy something to eat from Walgreens.

fluffy / April 18, 2006 2:56 PM

I agree 8-10 years+. I want to see him behind bars. I want him to live through some type of hell, just like the parents of those kids who died.