Congratulations to Congressman William Janklow of South Dakota, who has now been charged with second degree murder in the death of a motorcyclist last weekend. The former four term governor was elected to his first--and probably last--term as South Dakota's sole congressional Representative only last year. Janklow's Cadillac had barrelled through a stop sign at a rural intersection doing 71 mph. The congressman had amassed a number of speeding tickets over the years, but apparently felt himself to be above the petty laws that govern the rest of society. Consequently, one man is dead, and a political career is ruined.
As Gary Condit recently learned, killing one's constituents tends to be frowned upon by the general public.