Discussion for article #243800
“I’ll apologize to the people of New Mexico, to my family and my friends,” she said.
Not enough, said the judge. You need to apologize to those who despise and are disgusted by you. And to kids whose view of politics you poisoned.
Sounds just to me.
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Her first mistake was stealing money from others. If she’d trafficked in Stinger Missile system sales to embargoed Syrian resistance fighters she could have had all the gambling money she needed, free of any legal complications. She really should have consulted Ollie North on all this.
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While I agree with the sentiment that the punishment should be less jail-time and more community service, the bleeding heart liberal in me feels a bit for her. She didn’t violate campaign finance laws out of some desire for more wealth, or greed, like some GOPers we could name. Instead she was feeding an addiction, and make no mistake, gambling addictions can be every bit as hard or harder to break than a drug addiction. At least with drugs, the desire might always be there, but you can remove the drugs. With gambling, it is everywhere and everything. The local football team. The weather. What color is Megan Kelly’s dress today. People with gambling addictions will do anything to feed that, down to betting quarters about what color shoes the next guy coming around the corner will have. So I feel for her, and I wish her a speedy recovery. And hopefully her punishment can help some kids in the meantime.
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I fucking love this judge.
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The saddest billboards I saw were ones about gambling addiction, especially in states with casinos, which are everywhere.
That only makes it easier, but one can find widespread betting opportunities on the internet.
Saw a woman buy multiple lottery tickets yesterday.
Ain’t America great.
Should’ve given her at least a year in jail and a letter per day.
I think a severe sentence is actually a gift in addiction rehabilitation – Hopefully this will “sink in” to mean something more than just punishment — I am pulling for her… She seems truly sorry and I hope she can get the help that’s needed —
experience ie: ( 25 yrs in the ditch … 20 yrs back on the road )
You make a valid point - addiction is different than greed or political manipulation for power. I was going to post a comment about her phony tears (like those of the Oklahoma cop who pulled over and raped black women or even of Rahm Emanuel who is suddenly distraught about black parents losing kids to police brutality) but I will be rooting for this woman to get the help she needs.
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REPUBLICAN. I notice the article doesn’t have that word anywhere in the article. Had she been a Democrat, it most certainly would have that word in it.
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It does - about half way down - it states that she was the first Republican elected SOS in about a century. But, I agree, it is buried, and, had she been a Democrat, it would have been in the headline.
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Well, in fairness that’s only because when it’s a Democrat accused of a crime, it’s actually news. Republicans, not so much.
Republican State Sen. Bill Sharer said Duran cared about her constituents and that she didn't take taxpayer money.
OF COURSE SHE TOOK TAXPAYER MONEY: WHO, SENATOR SHARER, PAYS LEGISLATORS?
It’s a mystery, isn’t it?
He means “She didn’t intentionally take taxpayer money. She just unintentionally used her position, paid for by…huh, I dunno, someone, I guess…to …use all those dollars for something”.
I hope she can fight that gambling addiction.
Addictions are tough.
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The judge threw the book at her. She’s going to be spending most of the next 5 years doing public service. LOL.
That was my feeling when I heard the sentence. But then after reading bluestatedon’s post, I did start to feel sorry for her because gambling is an addition, I am so glad I don’t like to gamble.
Great post and it made me take a second look. Thanks. Yes, there is a reason to feel sorry for her. Not your average crook at all
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I’m a New Mexico resident.
Yeah, I feel bad for Duran because it was obvious from the start this was a gambling addiction. As soon as the news stories reported that the ATM withdrawals were at casinos, the reason became self-evident. She needs treatment.
But we’re talking over $400,000 in misappropriated money, in a state and a country where simple drug possession can result in years, if not decades of hard time. The judge offered Duran less than a month behind bars, a suspended sentence and community service, and only partial restitution for the money she stole–and still she’s complaining it’s too much. And we’re talking about the elected office of Secretary of State for NM, the official directly responsible for upholding campaign laws!
On top of everything else, Duran will get to keep her $60k/year pension!
I’m sorry, but this whole mess is outrageous.
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During the Roman Republic a government official caught like her would have his hands bound behind his back, have a cloth sack placed over his head (containing either a dog or monkey) then thrown in the Tiber.
I miss those days.