Siegelman’s Political Persecution Continues; Dr. David Ansell on His New Book, “County”

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and intrepid blogger Roger Shuler return to report on a recent Appeals court ruling in the case;  Dr. David Ansell, author of  County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago’s Public Hospital. Siegelman was wrongly convicted in a political prosecution driven by Karl Rove and his allies in the South, and continues to fight for justice, with no apparent help–or even basic fairness–from Obama’s Justice Department.  Shuler explains the appeals court ruling, and why he calls the 3-judge panel (all Republicans) “lazy and corrupt”. The 11th Circuit was ordered by the Supreme Court to review the case again in light of its ruling in the case of Enron’s Jeff Skilling, but the Altanta court largely regurgitated its 2009 ruling.  Shuler argues that the court sustained the convictions of Siegelman and co-defendant Richard Scrushy for “crimes” that do not exist.  Siegelman plans to appeal to the full 11th Circuit, and to the Supreme Court if needed.  He has spent more than $2 million on legal fees; you can keep up with his case and contribute here. At 38:27, Dr. David Ansell joins us to talk about his experiences over 17 years at Cook County Hospital–as intern, resident, and clinic director.  Public hospitals are more important than ever, with burgeoning caseloads and declining resources.  Dr. Ansell talks about the barriers patients face when they need health care, patient dumping by other hospitals, and the poverty cycle where a baby born at County returns years later with disease or gunshot wounds. He makes a strong case for single payer health care, and continues to find great rewards in his work after 30 years as a doctor.  His book is from Academy Chicago Publishers and his website is here.