The Legacy of Governor Ryan

No matter what you think about former Governor George Ryan, today is a sad day. Your reasons for sorrow might be very different from mine, but sorrow is in order none-the-less. Time has run out. Today the former Governor must report to Oxford Federal Prison in Wisconsin before 5PM. He must say goodbye to his wife and his children and grandchildren for the next six years. The only legal recourse left to him is the US Supreme Court, and that is probably a long shot. Whether you think Ryan is guilty or not guilty -- whether you think he is a saint or the devil incarnate, today is a sad day. It is either a day to mourn the brokenness of our corrupt system of government that cannot seem to succeed at producing any politicians with truly clean hands or a day to mourn with the Ryan family for their heart breaking and devastating loss. And if we can dare to be people who recognize that real truth usually lies somewhere in the midst of paradox, then perhaps we can manage to be sad for both reasons.

I'm not writing this blog to start any kind of argument for or against George Ryan, or for or against the verdict, or for or against his work on the death penalty. I'm not really interested in that. What I am interested in is how we all tend to see shades of the truth, but how difficult it is for us to get a grip around whole truth. Whole truth is prickly. It's messy. It doesn't fit together neatly. Somehow the full truth has to include statements like these side by side:

1. White collar crime and blue collar crime should have equal consequences. Money and privilege should not earn you a "Get out of Jail Free" card. Public officials should be held accountable for their crimes like everybody else.

2. It's sad when anyone's husband, father, grandfather goes to jail. Since George Ryan holds no public office and is seeking no public office, it's hard to see what locking him up will accomplish in terms of protecting the public. Seventy-three is old for going to jail.

Today I'm trying to hold both of these things in my mind at the same time. Today I'm trying to at least brush up against a fuller expression of the truth. Newspaper editorials always have to take a side, but sometimes we don't. Sometimes we can feel two things at once and actually be closer to the truth.

George Ryan was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. George Ryan was convicted on federal fraud charges. George Ryan had the moral courage to do the unpopular thing by showing mercy to the most hated criminals in our state. George Ryan probably had mixed motivations for his actions around the death penalty. George Ryan is a husband, a father, a grandfather. George Ryan is a convicted criminal. George Ryan has a mixed legacy. George Ryan is not a saint. George Ryan is not the devil. George Ryan is human. Flawed. Like all of us.

My heart goes out to Lura Lynn and family today. And to those who have suffered from our corrupt government.