A convicted felon in the Senate?
Inter Lake editorial
Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens now is a convicted felon - but that may not stop him from continuing his long career in the U.S. Senate.
A jury on Monday found Stevens guilty of seven felony corruption charges for trying to hide more than $250,000 in free home renovations and gifts from a wealthy oil contractor.
But Stevens, a 40-year veteran of the Senate, stubbornly is pursuing re-election next week. And some political analysts say he might win despite his criminal record. Stevens, after all, is known for steering massive amounts of federal money to the folks back home in Alaska (including $3.5 billion in the last five years alone).
If Stevens should succeed in his re-election bid, he can go back to Washington, D.C., to serve in the Senate.
Believe it or not, there is no rule that prevents convicted felons from serving in U.S. Congress. That's right: felons can't vote and can't own firearms, but they can still be in Congress.
The only alternative would be for the Senate to vote to expel him. And with the number of friends Stevens has made in four decades in the Senate, getting two-thirds of senators to vote him out would be no sure thing - especially if the voters just re-elected him after his conviction.
It has been a banner year for Whitefish High School sports.
Runners added the latest laurels for Whitefish on Saturday, with Whitefish girls - placing five runners in the top 15 - overwhelmingly defending their Class A cross-country state title.
On the boys' side, Drew Coco ran away from everyone, as he has done all year, to win the individual title. That race capped an undefeated season for the Bulldog senior, who clearly was the most dominating runner in Montana this fall.
Sports glory may not be over for Whitefish yet. The girls soccer team has advanced to the state championship game on Saturday (for the fourth time in a row), while the Bulldog football team begins the playoffs this weekend.
The Whitefish boys soccer team had an incredible streak broken last weekend. The two-time defending state champions suffered their first loss in 44 games - only one tie marred their amazing three-year unbeaten string until a loss in the state semifinals on Saturday.
Whitefish's supremacy in fall sports actually began two weeks ago when the boys golf team took the Class A trophy with a 30-stroke triumph at the state meet (the Whitefish girls took second at state).
Congratulations to all, and to an exceptional sports program.