Posted on 11/24/2013 12:33:39 PM PST by kristinn
Trey Radel owes Big Government. Big time.
Like other tea partiers, the freshman political newcomer from Fort Myers went to Washington to keep government out of our lives and to fight government spending.
At the same time, Radel and some buddies were snorting cocaine. In his private tea parties, the question of one-lump-or-two of sugar had a whole different meaning.
On Oct. 29, the two parties collided.
Radel was busted after an undercover agent in Washington sold him what’s known as an “8 Ball,” an eighth of an ounce of cocaine, or 3.5 grams for $260.
So time to rail against Big Government telling a private citizen what he can do, right? Time to question the governmental costs of the drug war, eh? Maybe even wonder about equal treatment under the law? Growing police power and the Fourth Amendment?
Nope.
Radel, 37, just apologized and went to rehab.
All the talk of less government, big spending, personal freedom and the Constitution were blown away amid the Republican’s expressions of contrition in a case that highlights our political contradictions, especially when it comes to drugs.
“A lot of Republicans say they’re against big government, but they’re not,” said Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard University economist and fellow of the libertarian Cato Institute.
“Most politicians are for big government,” Miron said. “The question is: Which big government are they for?”
SNIP
Now Radel owes that government a solid after the federal cops appeared to cut him some significant slack.
When he was busted in the undercover federal sting, Radel wasn’t taken to the station. It appears he wasn’t even jailed or handcuffed.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
He’s right.
Not with the amount of coke he got caught with.
He got a break because he’s ruling class.
What he got caught with is by no means or in any way misdemeanor possession.
Anyone else caught with that amount, not including whatever amount was also found at his apartment, would definitely be charged with intent.
I’m really aggravated that no one has called for this criminal to step down.
I have no respect for any of these people, in fact what I have is contempt.
Prove it. Show me ONE resident of D.C. with no priors convicted of a felony with the same amount of coke or less. Otherwise you're just trolling.
It’s like the political class has closed in around its members and isolated them from any practical blowback.
This has been a weird year, I think, spiritually speaking. I think spiritual battle lines have drawn tighter and become more distinct. I ain’t bragging on me, but I hope I will be indulged around here when I brag on God when I say God has pulled tighter around me, a life long bumbler who just squeaked into salvation 24 years ago. But it looks like, simultaneously, the devil has pulled tighter around other entities. I’ve seen bizarre behavior in a business that I never would have expected to see. People are just standing a-gawk over Obamacare and talking about this rape-job as if it were... what... the vote for Miss America?
I think God’s getting ready to make a big move in 2014. Exactly what it is I am not sure, but we are probably going to see unusual new forms of evangelism. IMHO.
I don’t actually know how much else was found in his apartment, because as far as I know, that has not been said nor can I find it anywhere.
I did find this though-
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/11/19/trey-radel-drug-possession-congress/3643933/
“FBI agents later went to Radel’s apartment, where they detained him, the official said. Radel hired a defense attorney who negotiated charges with a prosecutor, the official said. Law enforcement agents never handcuffed Radel or took him to jail, the official said.
Radel will appear Wednesday in District of Columbia Superior Court to face the misdemeanor cocaine possession charge. Charging documents from the U.S. attorney’s office say Radel “unlawfully, knowingly and intentionally” possessed “a quantity of cocaine.”
The charge is a misdemeanor and carries a maximum of 180 days in prison and/or a fine of $1,000, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.”
Never handcuffed, never taken to jail...amount not specified, I happen to know he bought an 8 ball, but not because I can find it anywhere.
He is being given a pass here, and yes I see that D.C.’s coke laws are lax, but I wonder if the brothers in the clink would agree with the kid glove treatment this benevolent ruler of ours got.
You can call me a troll if you want, this slime ball should be under the damn jail.
I definitely agree with all you’ve I’m a life long bumbler too who is here by the Grace of God only, so I’m very partial to how you’ve stated that.
I think a battle of Good and Evil is just over the horizon too.
Have you had a sense of the Holy Spirit pulling tighter around your soul this year, more significantly than in previous years? Just curious. It happened to me around the middle of this summer, concurrent with an illness that knocked me out of work for 3 weeks... it was a garden variety bronchitis but the treatments the doctor prescribed made my health worse in various ways. When I couldn’t stick it out at work (I first tried to work part days) I had a distinct sense of laying my pride down and accepting the Lord’s will and soon I felt like I was getting pulled into spiritual victory. A crazy way to have it happen, but sometimes God has to knock our pride down like that for us to accept the love.
Also I wouldn’t call you “heartless” (unless you mean that as an irony). Your heart embraces different things than the world does.
Mmm I only put hat Heartless there because Rick Perry said that of me a few years ago now.
I can be harsh sometimes too in my posts, especially when I’ve had enough, which is all the time these days.
But the truth of the matter is that I do have a heart, most especially for dogs :D
Riiiiight. The "brothers in the clink" who have rap sheets a mile long. I'm sure they'll whine. Again, it's public record. Do a little research, make a few calls and post your results.
I have, sir.
Very recently something occurred in my life, it was on June 28, 2013, and I have no other way of explain what happened and how it happened other than to say that my Lord, Jesus Christ, sent an angel to comfort me in a time of sadness so crushing. In less then one day, my sadness was replaced by joy that I still experience every day.
There have been other times in my life that this has occurred as well.
You know I don’t want to sound like I’m crazy or anything like that, but looking at my life it is very hard for me to understand some of the good things that have happened to me other than to say that I know for a fact Someone above loves me for reasons I can’t understand, and He is actively looking out for me.
I will also say that were it not for Jesus being active in my life, I would have died years ago.
Well... you know. If this legal system here was consistent they’d book him hard.
But I’m learning not to get vengeance minded. The Lord is quite capable of “the wrath” and I only wish blessings to people now (of course they are quite capable of rejecting the blessings, whereupon only the wrath remains).
Also I do not believe in scapegoating any thing that is not of itself sin. Cocaine can be used in medicine for good or bad purposes. It didn’t use to be nearly the subject of habituation that it is today. I liken drug misuse to getting a visit from Satan. Once it was reflexively shunned as the horror against the God created human body that it was. Few would likely want it more than once. Now it’s more like “Hey! Cool! Satan!”
Only means Coke Boy hadn’t been caught yet.
Nobody buys an 8 ball on their first time. I ain’t no dummy, and I’m not given this republican criminal a pass.
bump!
Very interesting. In February 2013 I believe I was strengthened by the touch of an angel in (you’ll laugh) a Wal-Mart parking lot. I could probably narrow down the date if I wanted. I wasn’t in any particular distress at the time. However I was working for a company, one which had in fact been founded as Christian but had gone secular, whose management was getting more and more self destructive, and I really began noticing the problem in March. Finally fired me in late October in what looked like a bizarre trap beset with lies. I have an interview for a new job tomorrow and your prayers for my success won’t be refused.
Are you freaking ignorant? So nobody buys an “8 ball” their first time. Black, White, first time he’s been caught. Again, I’m not defending what the dumbass did, only that he’s not alone in getting a lenient sentence for a first-timer.
Hypocrisy grande.
Still, I regard drug bans as, at best, spiritual band-aids,
“healing the wound lightly, saying peace, peace when there is no peace.” As America, we’ve been flunking the tests of honoring God in our bodies, badly, for many many decades. While seemingly a myriad of ills, this is actually a head-on assault at the gospel imperative/promise of honoring God in our bodies. I am not surprised at the homo craze. It’s part of the same spiritual insanity. I look at Sodom and wonder if a minority managed to actually bully the rest of the men of the town into joining in the attempted rape of the attractive angels. We don’t see that kind of percentage of homosexuality in any population, not even in prisons.
That COULD be possible... chris, try to apply a little charity here I’d suggest. Might have been more an ego thing than a habituation thing. Just a possibility. News organs aren’t that wonderful at giving us exact details in the best of cases.
Yeah that’s right, no one buys an 8 ball their first time, unless of course they are trying to die of acute cocaine intoxication.
Furthermore, he bought an 8 ball from a cop. Offense #1
He had a spate amount at his apartment. Offense #2.
He was neither jailed nor cuffed.
I smell a bunch of BS, dude, and no I’m not ignorant. I’m not giving him a pass because he won an election or because he has a r by his name.
He’s a stinking criminal, a liar and a hypocrite, and he and his career can go to Hell.
I think Satan is doing a bang-up job of making all that stuff go to hell... in place.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.