Target the Corrupt Republican Campaign

The Lesson South Carolina Taught Us

2012-01-22T09:06:00.001-05:00

Newt "traditional values, nudge nudge, wink wink" Gingrich's success in the South Carolina Republican Primary taught us that Southern Republicans hate traditional marriage. I expect them to finally endorse same sex marriage very soon.

Either that or this whole Republican lip service to "traditional values" is nothing but a load of hypocritical bullshit. Then again their claims of "fiscal responsibility" are about as credible as Newt's support for "traditional values."

Why would ANYONE trust a Republican anymore?

A Sad Note!

2011-12-30T01:53:00.000-05:00

One of my first and most brilliant readers has died and I want to honor her memory.

Margaret was a Culture Kitchen blogger for awhile and, while there, was one of our best bloggers. She moved on long ago, and I always missed her presence at CK. But she went on to what she considered bigger and better things. In her 80's she discovered her public voice and I am proud I was one of the people who encouraged and helped her find that voice.

This comes late because I mainly interacted with Margaret Bassett by email. So if I didn't hear from her, I didn't think much about it. But I knew she was over 80. She was a subscriber to my Progressive Democrat Newsletter from the beginning soon after the 2004 election. She had seen me as something of a hope for the future in messaging, something I think she overrated me on, but I was flattered and tried to live up to.

Today I sent out a message to my subscribers that my writing of the Progressive Democrat Newsletter had clearly been on hold for over a month and I wasn't sure if/when it would come back.

One email bounced. It was the first time Margaret's email bounced in all the time she read my stuff. So it caught my attention immediately. It sent a shiver down my spine. So I did a quick google search and discovered what I feared...Margaret had died, back in August, at the age of 89. I cried.

[NOTE: Damn! In the preview I realize that a lot of the old material I post has formatting problems, but it is midnight and I am sad at her passing, and I don't have the attention span to fix everything...Margaret's brilliance speaks for itself even with formatting errors!]

Margaret was an original FDR progressive just like my grandmother. She was about 20 years younger than my grandmother, but clearly they had experienced many of the same things and their political lives had been very similar. Margaret somehow connected with my blogging and for a brief period I was her connection (from where she lived in Red Tennessee) to liberal politics. She wrote me often and we had long discussions by email from which she drew inspiration and I learned a lot. I quoted her in my writing, seemingly to her surprise and pride. She forwarded my newsletter to others, to my surprise and pride.

Eventually her blogger presence developed beyond my newsletter, extending to MyLeftWing, Culture Kitchen and Political Cortex, and then to OpEdNews where she became something of a force of nature. Most of my writing that ended up at OpEdNews was thanks to her. And she sent me a lot of their stuff as well.

But my favorite material from her was on the blog Culture Kitchen. I recruited her for Culture Kitchen. She was on it for only a brief period, but she participated in some amazing discussions about race in America that blew everyone away. I am sorry I can't link to these amazing discussions because Culture Kitchen is currently in limbo because of a conflict between our wonderful publisher and the (evil?) site host, but trust me, people of ALL races were moved by Margaret's comments on the history of race in America.

She left Culture Kitchen, to our loss, when she became active with OpEdNews. From what I gather OpEdNews gained from our loss. From then on she would occasionally comment on my Progressive Democrat Newsletter, more occasionally post something from my newsletter to OpEdNEws, and also would send me info from OpEdNews. For some years if I didn't hear from her for awhile I would get worried. In fact she was one of two people I would worry about if I didn't hear from. Margaret I worried about because of her age, and another blogger I recruited for Culture Kitchen, Leo Igwe of Nigeria, I worried about because he was a Humanist activist fighting Christian and Muslim fanatics in Nigeria. Leo has been beaten, arrested, and generally attacked over the years I knew him, so I learned to check in with him from time to time. Margaret always seemed so alive and almost immortal, so I stopped worrying if I didn't hear from her.

So it didn't even register that I had lost touch with her. I guess it doesn't matter, since she seems to have been alert and emailing up to the day before her death, so it isn't like I missed that she was dying. But somehow I wish I had caught on SOME time between now and last August. But I didn't and so today I found out. It hit me like a punch in the stomach.

This is the last article Margaret shared with me in the very last email I got from her back in May: http://www.alternet.org/story/151101/how_our_government_has_merged_with_corporations

But previous to that she had particularly thanked me for the intro I did to a December 2010 issue of the Progressive Democrat. She just commented on how much she liked it. This was the intro she liked:

Last week this headline was overlooked by too many people:

Auto Industry Bailout Saved 1.4 Million Jobs

Remember, Republicans OPPOSED this! Democrats passed the Auto Industry Bailout over Republican objections and THANK GOD they did because that saved 1.4 million American jobs. Now we need a Green Energy Stimulus, because that could CREATE a large number of American jobs, but of course Republicans tend to oppose ANYTHING that creates American jobs and instead support policies that help foreign oil companies, offshore banks and multi-nationals who outsource American jobs...

We must never let the voters forget this fact.

Democracy for America recently reminded me, in our of their fundraising letters, of a VERY important fact for all Democrats to keep in mind:

Looking at Congressional races in 2010, 96% of the Progressive Caucus won re-election while only 47% of the Blue Dogs won.

I happen to like some Blue Dogs, but the basic fact is that as a caucus they have made the dismal mistake of becoming too much like Republicans and when Democrats start to look too much like Republicans they eventually lose. Democrats win by clearly differentiating themselves from Republicans. Which leads me to another reminder...

For those who have read this newsletter for some time you know that I have often plugged a book that in some ways should be required reading for ANY Democrat: Drew Westen's "The Political Brain." Simply put the book analyzes how people vote and why, and shows how Democrats too often campaign in away that does not appeal to most voters even when most voters agree with the Democrats more on issues. Republicans, even though they usually take unpopular stands that hurt middle class and working class Americans, can often win the voters over because they campaign in a way that works better at getting votes. Drew Westen then outlines how Democrats can better appeal to voters while still being true to their values. For any Democrat who wants to win, read this book...now more than ever. And pass the book on to any Democrat you know of running for office or working on a campaign.

We're going to miss this guy:

Alan Grayson was one of the VERY few Congressional Representatives who really was completely up front, honest and told it like it is. He didn't hide the truth even when it made him unpopular. As I recall Harry Truman was admired for the same quality, even though it hurt him politically. I am proud that it is usually Democrats who are willing to put truth before popularity. Popularity comes and goes. But the truth is far more valuable. We need more people like Alan Grayson in Congress!

To me this was a run of the mill, off the cuff intro to my usual newsletter of facts, links and organizations to get involved with. In retrospect it was the last time my writing inspired her. That means something to me.

But looking back through our correspondence, I want to share a key email from 2007:

Article published Aug 29, 2007

We are all in this world together

Dear Editor:

Thank you for the editorial in the Aug. 22 issue, and also for the two thought_provoking letters you printed. Perhaps it is because the weather has been very hot and I spend time indoors reading, finding news online, and watching C_Span, but it seems to me that we are all more sensitive to a wider world with many troubles. Bridges fall. Hurricanes wreak havoc. Drought or floods destroy. And thereâ€™s war.

So Iâ€™m glad you take pen to paper, so to speak, to point out that reporters track the making and selling of weapons. This is not what we think of when we proclaim that a person should have the right to bear arms.

And through it all, we are talking about America in Iraq. I personally was adamantly against a pre_emptive strike into Iraq. I watched and listened as I heard how many months it would take to get the gear all in place for the invasion. What I wondered about was how difficult it would be to get the stuff back out. Of course, some would be used up. But how about explosives? Might they not be used for destructive reasons? The editorial, based on an AP report, gives numbers which make me think that guns multiply faster than rabbits.

Itâ€™s our country, and all of us in it need to think of ways to put an end to the folly. Would impeachment help? Should we just ride it out and then let the Democrats take the heat if they win the next election? So many questions.

To me, we must recognize that we are in this together. Letâ€™s get real and waste no time in trying to shove the blame on someone else. Letâ€™s think of positive solutions and expect our leaders to carry them out.

So I hope you will continue to lay out facts. During these past six years it seems that the media has given us few solid facts and a lot of opinions. And I hope if you do give us the hard truth that no one will shoot the messenger.

Yours truly,

Margaret Bassett

That was one of her letters she was proud of and sent me to circulate, and I DID circulate it.

Here is an email she sent me on immigration and a global perspective:

As a school girl, I spent summer Sunday afternoons in our empty schoolhouse, wondering what the pastel countries around the old globe were like. And I would pick a country and study what I could find in the World Book. All the while, I thought that the change of colors did not mean a big wall. More confusing still was whether various colors of people were expected to stay in their designated nations. Perhaps I came to this quandary because I saw real life evidence contradicting the lines. We all were from other states. Homesteading in our part of Wyoming happened after World War I. Our neighbors were from other statesâ€“Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, mostly. I reasoned our parents pioneered because they were looking for a better place to live.

In high school, I learned enough history to understand how religious freedom and better working conditions brought people across the oceans. They were largely the working poor and willing to become scullery maids and ditch diggers until they learned English and studied the Constitution. Then they could become citizens. Exceptâ€”Orientals were discouraged and could work on railroads, but could not bring their families or gain citizenship.

In college, I learned the details of the 1924 immigration law. It was necessary to make a change because women had become voters in the US. They could become citizens of another country by marrying an alien, but they would have to give up their American citizenship. As a matter of fact, it was generally believed that all persons lost their citizenship of another country when they were naturalized. One way for men (women were still not in the military) to gain citizenship was to join the army and serve honorably. There were a lot of "ifs" in common lore about US citizenship.

After college and WWII, rules changed quickly to allow for those who sought relief from being displaced from earlier homes. They were generally referred to as DPâ€™s, displaced persons. Prelude to that was the arrival of refugees during the war, if lucky enough to reach the other side of the Atlantic. My personal experience included weekends at Scattergood, the Quaker settlement at West Branch, Iowa which is the home of Herbert Hoover. Some of us students would spend time helping the Friends who were orienting recent arrivals of Jewish families. And there went my ditch digger analogy! Many of the men were doctors or professors. To polish their English was what they craved mostly, for they saw language as necessary to regain their former positions. It seemed incomprehensible to some that they would have to take refresher courses and pass new examinations to become licensed when they were well-established in their professions.

The Cold War brought other refugees, usually referred to as dissidents. And then the tide turned when Cubans and Haitians and later Central Americans claimed refugee status. By that time we had to recall what we had learned in high school history. The Monroe Doctrine had clearly emphasized that the Americas were for the Americans. During WWII, under the Good Neighbor Policy, those south of the border were courted for the contributions they could make in fighting totalitarianism. It became more than just semantics when my Latin American friends reminded me that it was incorrect to refer to citizens of the United States of America as Americans. They were Americans, too.

Fast forward to the demonstrations of the past few months. The rhetoric was heavy during the 2004 presidential campaign, but by 2006 there was action in the streets. I guess our country had a Latino problem.

Latino has become a term to describe someone who lives in the Western Hemisphere in some place other than Canada and the United States. So those who speak Spanish, Portuguese and French have an inclusive adjective. It tells nothing about country of origin. The term Hispanic narrows citizenship to those nations where Spanish is the official language. And still there is little that the words tell about a group of people who live in America and want to come to the United States.

The question of political importance at this time is how does the United States respond to a surge of population which comes from other countries, whether by legal or illegal means. They chance to make a living in our country better than in theirs, or else they wouldnâ€™t uproot themselves from a culture they like. Their religion is universal. They may differ on who the next Pope should be, but they recognize that the Pope has a commanding presence in all parts of the world.

But, oh, us Gringos! We donâ€™t understand that for centuries we have sent in the Marines to do what James Monroe, Teddy Roosevelt, and others declared to be in the interest of ourselves. After all, we stole a good part of our territory from the Mexicans.

And then there are the folks in places like Tennessee. Without Tennesseans perhaps the Panama Canal would not have been built, because that is where much of the labor came from. In that regard, I have an interesting story from my days of studying Constitutional Law in Iowa. One of my fellow students had a father from Tennessee and a mother from Panama. He was born in Panama, but not in the Zone. Did he have US citizenship? Should they have taken him to the Consulate when he was 21? (Never heard the end of the story, because by then 1945 had come and things were changing.)

Iâ€™ve lived in Tennessee since 1977 and I never hear about how Tennesseans helped make the Panama Canal. We do celebrate how Sam Houston, who once taught school a few miles from here, fought in Texas. He was Tennessee governor and is a big name in history.

But Iâ€™m hearing a lot about "those," "them people" or "Latinos." Folks who have lived here all their lives, worked hard, and enjoyed some success will speak about "the ones coming in" as though there is a threat. Largely it has to do with language. Why donâ€™t they speak English? And why do they rent an apartment and then bring a whole bunch of others to live there too? Itâ€™s classic concern for "there goes the neighborhood." But the language makes a starting point for a debate over educating their children, providing welfare, and more classic gripes that have confronted other new groups of immigrants.

For my part, I donâ€™t worry about the language. In my young, innocent college days I was pretty good in Spanish, even to translating El Cid, not that it helps me anymore than it does others who complain about not understanding. I do have a slight ability to detect country of origin according to accent. But dialect! Those people who espeak Espanish canâ€™t understand each other at times.

So now we have to talk about a delicate issue. Is there animosity between Hispanics and African-Americans. In Chicago there were many Puerto Ricans when I lived there, and no love lost between them and blacks. After a couple of friendly attempts, I backed off from the explanation that Borrenquenos are US citizens, too. There was the reaction I have come to recognize as "hair standing on the back of neck." At some point in discussing generally how all people have good points and some a few strange ones, there comes a superstitious fear. And that will be what will accompany many voters to the booth this fall. I feel truly baffled about what politicians should and can do to make firm commitments on their position. We may decide that there was an ironic e1oquence in the Senateâ€™s vain attempt.

But all of this has been a digression from my first paragraph. Where my heart was in the 30's is where my moral values take me in this century. However, I long ago gave up on believing that nations solve real problems of people who decide to breach borders. Actually, it can be said that nationalism is itself the problem. At this time, the Bush administration is looking at the enemy as having no borders. Why not? We have journalists without borders. Doctors without borders. Why not banditos without borders? Manuel Noriega and Osama bin Laden are both enemies of our Nation.

I get a little facetious about Nafta. Consider: now the textile industry moves its operation to Honduras; natives can no longer make a living in those factories so they go to Mexico; Mexicans are having a harder time of finding work so they cross the Rio Grande; and the "illegals" work for peanuts and make the Anglos mad for ruining the wages on their old jobs. And the irony is politicians talk about Nafta as needing a tune-up to see that labor is paid a decent wage and enjoys healthy working conditions. Duh!

I also want to post an email she sent me in Dec. 2005 that is interesting to review given what has happened since:

Your newsletter this week was, in Christian-speak, almost an epiphany. It reminded me of how much I took Al Gore's book to heart before the 2000 campaign. To be good stewards, the three ingredients of living are sometimes referred to as giving of time, talent and treasure. When you think of it, there isn't enough money in the world to heal an injured planet. Some can get jollies by taking their excesses to the recycle bin. But really all we have is ourselves in whatever form. And for a lot of us these days it starts at the keyboard. As long as we don't buy everything on the pop-ups.

There is a stealth issue, which most don't care to address. Rampant consumerism is what is messing up the nation. Any time one-third of GDP is considered to come from production and twice that much from consumers, we are headed for a meltdown. Yet, should we all start living within our means while saving some for our old age (Money can be described as congealed energy.), it's not just WalMart's stock which will plummet. If Bernanke refuses to print money for spendthrifts, those with the least of it are hurt the most. Before they beatify Greenspan I hope I can say that he did us no favor by making a red hot housing market. My observation is that Boomers, those who worry most about their entitlements, were conned by low interest rates. They cashed in 401k money to put in real estate. From my perspective their peers are the wheelers and dealers in politics and finance. I hope someone learns how to make a soft landing. And, for those who are raising young families, they've got a lot to think about before they answer all the Christmas ads with their plastic.

Well, that's my Scrooge message of the day. Keep up the good work!

You can see she was a bright, thoughtful woman!

Here is another fascinating email she sent me in 2005 while we were, over many months, still getting to know eachother:

David: Thereâ€™s more heat than light coming out of Washington these days, and I tune in c-spans and PBS and wonder where weâ€™re headed. Then I log on to my favorite back fence sites and that doesnâ€™t help much either. Jim Lehrer tonight featured a piece asking editors from other part of the country how their readers saw the filibuster question, to which they mostly replied only the activists cared and it hadnâ€™t touched most of the folks. "Grassroots" came into my head and I wondered about the term. The Nashville paper (not the Tennessean) said "folks" just hadnâ€™t got interested in it yet. And then thereâ€™s little old me!

Iâ€™m a walking time warp. When my father homesteaded in Northeastern Wyoming in 1918 he was in his mid-thirties. My mother, whom he met out there was younger, but she too was 18 when WWI ended. My three siblings and I were all born before the stock market crash. When FDR declared a bank holiday I already knew about how some people in other states had lost their farms when the banks went out of business. By the time I was through high school, many of my men teachers had left for the service to get a better commission. Times were tough on the farms still. I worked my way through college for five years at the University of Iowa and got out just as VJ Day came. In Washington on my first real job, I saw government workers re-align their assignments because all returning veterans were given extra points when they applied for jobs. After that, I spent a maturing period in the City, with a yearâ€™s timeout in Copenhagen. I met my husband in 1952 when I took a trip out West for the summer. The sour taste of Joe McCarthyâ€™s capers shoved me away from a future in international education. But I could always work. I was a good typist, and the first thing I learned in college was to be a good waitress. My husband and I followed resort restaurants in the beginning and then moved to Chicago in 1955 where we made a stake through 1977. Then we bought a fixer-upper in Maryville, TN. We had no company pensions, and I was too young for SS and Medicare for what seemed like a long time. We made it on the proceeds of a few investments and his Social Security check. I would be in deep trouble today except that in the 90's I was able to get ahead of the curve on inflation. It nearly flattened us during the 80's when double digit increases came for material to re-model the house. Now, I manage to pay fair market rent in the elder housing where I moved six years ago. Iâ€™ve been widowed 12 years (today, as a matter of fact) and could have moved easily, but I like it here. No family in the State but lots of friends.

When I took up gardening and canning and making our everyday clothes again, just as we had done in Wyoming, I didnâ€™t feel out of place. My neighbors were just like the people I grew up around. Many of them were a few years older than I and I learned the way to live on Social Security and to fight the Medicare rules. After my husband died, and there were new younger families with children, I became involved in the lives of the young. It was not easy for working class families in the 90s. I could supplement their scarce time by giving what I hope would be enrichment. The children had things, but little else in my view. I cancelled all but basic cable and ordered edutainment CDâ€™s after my sister gifted me with a computer. It is what I consider to be my way of paying back for 21 years of Social Security checks.

I lived in early life what can best be described as 19th Century. After formal schooling and some jobs I jumped to the 20th. I was just about ready to believe I was ready for Bill Clintonâ€™s bridge to the 21st, when all of a sudden it feels like Iâ€™m somewhere after WWII. I mean everyone is hellbent on acquiring whatever has just been invented. Now, with credit cards, they donâ€™t have to wait for payday. Many in the child-nurturing period are so busy trying to keep body and soul together that they donâ€™t remember what they learned about the three branches of government. Some are anxious to get to the welfare office for supplemental help, as others are too proud to even let their neighbors know when they need food. Itâ€™s always been that way. Iâ€™m just talking about our county, which is surely not one of the poorest in the State.

Through all these years I have only been able to become a little educated because of my husband, who grew up in San Francisco. Orphaned at 9, he knew the ways of city living and, in good paperboy fashion, was also well aware of the ways of the world. It took him a long time to realize that the depression was hard for us country people too. Actually, he didnâ€™t really understand until we moved down here. Oh, yes, he fell out of love with the Republican party and read Howard Fastâ€™s novels during that time. When he reached maturity he moved to LA and worked in a defense factory during WWII, the same kind of work he followed in Chicago. I became a bookkeeper there and changed over to computer programming in 1966. The greatest job Iâ€™ve ever had was teaching high school graduates to program or operate computers. The students were many of them directly from housing projects on student loans and grants. I canâ€™t say enough for LBJâ€™s Great Society. It made some real changes. The problem was it was not carefully monitored. Of course, there are excesses and Clinton was right to help rein it in. I have a hunch that Bush shoots for FDRâ€™s programs because if he mentions LBJâ€™s heâ€™d lose his so-called base. John Edwards wants to talk disadvantaged, and he may just be making some traction with his poverty group. I could make a case for myself as well. But no one can outdo Johnsonâ€™s upbringing.

What brought this on? It was when I wrote you about the Earth Day celebration in the Smokies and you replied that tourism is not a good economic base. Or something about like that. And I remembered that you said you were a city kid. Then I thought about the way the media learned to morph the map in red and blue. Sure enough, those states adjacent to water are bluer. Actually, they are wealthier because of global trade. The nation mimics the old tradition of town and country, meaning the people at the county seats ran the banks and sold the merchandise and elected the officials. Those in the country produced the goods (originally mostly food, but later industrial supplies) and climbed up the social ladder by sending the children to school and getting them jobs in town. Culturally, the rural folks knew they were superior because their kids worked hard and didnâ€™t dance or gambleâ€“or so the story goes. But those they called city slickers knew they had better homes and nicer clothes and could travel more. I recently read several of Sinclair Lewisâ€™ novels, which are older than me. Whenever I re-read Elmer Gantry I realize how little things change.

So here I sit, still a country bumpkin worrying over whether Section 8 housing will be cut even more, and how the children should learn to like to learn, and whether there will be any channel on TV that the tired, hard-working, underpaid parents will watch besides Fox. In my spare time I check out MSNBCâ€™s articles about why Wal-Mart stock is down and the predictions arenâ€™t rosy. That gets me to thinking about the many hours Iâ€™ve pounded away on the Wal-Mart predicament. Is it possible people in Peoria, or wherever, are going to have to listen to what happens in Washington? Best regards, Margaret

Now here is the first email I have a record of, though I know we must have connected before. It is from November 2004, so it was one of the first interactions we had. Again, much insight and background from someone who has been around for some time:

The first tells about previous progressive movements which supplied candidates. I realize that Vermont has an existing party, and there is some movement around Madison, Wisconsin.

The second is something with which I have little experience. It catches my eye because the working poor (hard-working poor) are certainly the forgotten man and woman as far as I can see.

In the Teddy Roosevelt age, an economic shift to heavy industry created robber barons, and thus a need to come back to a sense of fairness. In the second phase, labor was becoming organized. World War I created more jobs, but more discontent with working conditions. To avoid the revolutionary trends in Europe, especially Russia, a more benign form of organization came about here through unions.

The curious part of the aborted movement in 1948 with Henry Wallace produced the same kind of Bolshevik scare, but I believe that unanswered civil rights questions were what drove the scare to a frenzy. My experience at that time was that to be associated with rights for colored people put one in the same cubby hole as with communist and fellow-traveler groups.

About the only advantage of being old is that one can see three waves, described by Toffler. The first, agrarian, required decent shipping facilities for livestock and crops as well as reasonable prices for farm implements. (I grew up on a homestead in Northeastern Wyoming, where we battled dust storms and the depression.) The second wave was the industrial age where a combination of machine and men mass produced a never-ending supply of labor saving devices. From the end of World War II to the advent of cybernetics, more and better planes, locomotives, trucks, etc. shortened distances and made goods accessible to more people. Workers were lured into corporate loyalty with the promise of retirement benefits and medical insurance. Not until the 70's did the price of company affiliation begin to backfire for both sides. We talked about the rust belt. Lifelong union members began to question the Democratic party and Reagan welcomed them to his shining hill. The third wave, incubated during World War II, became all important as soon as computers advanced past tubes to transistors to the current microchips. (I started programming computers in 1966 and worked on three generations of IBM equipment within the spate of a few years. The Olivetti ten-key adding machine I pounded 8 hours a day had over 50 precision springs in it. My husband worked in a plant making such parts. We escaped job crises only because we retired to East Tennessee from Chicago after 22 years.)

By the last quarter of the 20th Century, the global village concept was real. And thus we come to what will have to be dealt with before a progressive movement can flourish again. Just as in the past, when Americans could not ignore people of the ghettoes and slums forever, so now no nationality can ignore the cry of other nationals for a share of the earthâ€™s treasure. I recommend reading Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiberâ€™s The World Challenge (Simon & Schuster 1981) which tells about the Near Eastâ€™s rising up to assert that technology as the price we pay for oil and other basic materials. And itâ€™s not just oil (OPEC) but other raw materials, and itâ€™s not just the Near East but many underdeveloped nations.

Another author who has influenced me is Lester Thurow, an economist who in 1995 wrote a book on the future of capitalism. He outlined what he considered the main changes over the ensuing twenty-five years. Changes in demography (mature countries have a high percentage of mature citizens) and communication and transportation (commerce can cross national boundaries to grow wheat in Siberia as well as North Dakota) affect voters in real time. Globalization, which is here to stay, can be criticized but there is no way to stop it. Countries can help their nationals to adjust, but recognizing how to corral unbridled world commerce takes more than tweaking the safety net. With world wide business comes the need for world wide rules governing it. On a line stretched from competition to cooperation regarding this challenge, there must be very astute negotiation. The WTO and the IMF are acting from a position of weakness, which allows laissez faire to flourish.

How a new facet of progressivism can come about is problematic. It espouses a mixture of innovation and conservatism. If the rest of the world wants to have goods, services and opportunities equal to what we Americans have learned to cherish, it goes without saying that super-consumerism should be nobodyâ€™s first goal.

Under the surface I think citizens in this country realize the truth of sharing or fighting. Wars only use more of the precious resources. The twin realities of Iraq and economic well-being were debated in this campaign as though it were an either/or proposition. George W. Bush's assertion that both must be achievedâ€“his recognition that people having a stake in their future will not have time to fight each other--has validity. Thatâ€™s all well and good, but heâ€™s trying to convince the Iraqis his war is different. Imperialism is the ultimate outcome from the way he goes about it. If we take a look at the article in The Nation, we can see that fighting each other is a recipe for decline of leadership. http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1124-10.htm

With a long history of solving problems in the USA by going to a place farther away, itâ€™s not surprising that Bush would like to get to the Moon and Mars.

If you and I pursue this line of reasoning, I believe we must organize small groups of individuals, preferably online, who will help to shape the real issues for 2008. My summer was spent with a yahoogroup who answered the media when members perceived that it was giving false information. With a mixture of professional backgrounds and serious interaction we, and others doing similar work, probably did have some impact on the outcome of the election. Because Kerry lost, we have not known how to proceed. I suspect this group is not the only one which is essentially inactive but still so committed that it is trying to find a new approach to carry on.

Finally, I suggest the article in the Nation about Paul Wellstone. Possibly his legacy has something to help us in progressing toward new insights.

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20020527&s=nichols

I will end with the obituary from her beloved OpEdNews:

The following obituary was provided to Opednews by Dr. Annabel Agee to be shared with Margaret's beloved online community:

Margaret Ems Bassett

02/14/1922 -- 8/21/2011
"Margaret Ems Bassett, age 89, quietly passed away at her residence in Maryville, TN, on Sunday, August 21, 2011. Born in Gillette, WY, on February 14, 1922, the eldest of four, Ms. Bassett is preceded in death by husband William John Bassett, parents James Edwin and Fanchon Rosenstiel Ems, sister Norma Agnes Ems Cotter, and brother Robert, and niece Roberta Ems Salley. She is survived by her brother Morris Ems, niece Janeth Cotter Hernandez, niece Connie Cotter Rasmussen, niece Colleen Ems Morrison.

Ms. Bassett graduated from Campbell County High School in Gillette, WY (1940), received a BA degree in political science from State University of Iowa (1944), studied as a graduate student until August 1945, worked in international education until 1950, spent a year in Denmark, took numerous computer science classes, and completed an MS degree from Roosevelt University (1975). Ms. Bassett worked in Chicago from 1955 to 1977, at which time she and her husband retired to Tennessee.

Her lifelong interest in political philosophy was reflected by her active role as editor for almost five years on OpEdNews (OEN), an online platform for which she wrote 68 articles and posted almost 4000 comments. Also to her credit, the content she generated for OEN was viewed over 700,000 times. Margaret's most recent OEN activity was logged on the Friday evening before her passing on Sunday. In her own biographical statement for OEN profile, she noted that her early introduction to computers (1966) has served her well in keeping up with "the requirements for modern communication." She said that she hoped to find "some good coming off her keyboard into the lives of those who come after her."

She will be missed by many of the residents of Maryville Towers, a senior housing facility where she has resided since selling her home in 1999. Many of her neighbors and friends will remember Margaret as the long-time organizer/leader of the Reminiscing Writers Group at Maryville Towers."

I would like to remember this wonderful woman. I think a fitting tribute would be a contribution to Wellstone Action or Progressive Majority. I know these were groups we both discussed and admired a lot, though I think more because they were my favorites. I am not sure what she would say was her favorite tribute, but I know these would be good enough in an imperfect world she knew and loved so well. Please join me in donated to these groups in Margaret Bassett's name.

Taking on Wall Street Every Day

2011-10-05T08:08:00.001-04:00

I have personally been switching my money (credit cards, accounts, mortgage) away from the big bad mega-banks that screwed Americans with predatory lending and took taxpayer handouts with better banks and financial institution. And I invite you to join me. It is a way of moving your money at least a step away from the worst of Wall Street.

In particular I pick four banks to target: Bank of America, Chase, Citigroup and Wells Fargo

I base my recommendations on three things:

1. Customer service complaints. The banks that get the most customer service complaints are as follows: (according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, I think these numbers are from 2009)

Bank of America: 7,230 complaints (25.5% of total)
J.P. Morgan Chase: 4,890 complaints (17.3%)
Citigroup: 3,742 complaints (13.2%)
Wells Fargo: 2,695 complaints (9.5%)
HSBC North America: 1,963 complaints (6.9%)
Wachovia: 1,265 complaints (4.5%)
U.S. Bancorp: 1,027 complaints (3.6%)
National City: 586 complaints (2.1%)
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group: 537 complaints (1.9 %)
Key Corp: 343 complaints (1.2 %)

Total Top 10 complaints: 24,278 complaints (85.7%)
Total complaints: 28,316 complaints (100%)

Furthermore, the numbers of complaints are getting worse. Chase, Bank of America and Citicorp in particular declined seriously in terms of customer service in 2010, according to the Comptroller of the Currency, the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, and Better Business Bureau.

I advocate avoiding the banks that are around 10% or more of the total complaints (Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Chase and Bank of America). Why patronize companies that treat their customers like crap? Particularly since they have been giving even WORSE service since we bailed them out!

2. Predatory lending. The same banks that rank highest in customer service complaints are among the worst offenders when it comes to predatory lending. That is strike two against them. Why patronize companies that have bad, greedy business practices that lead to national and international economic crises? And furthermore the predatory lending was carried out by these same banks in a racist manner, charging higher interest rates for blacks and Hispanics than for whites and Asians. And it is the SAME four banks that were the most racist in their predatory lending.

3. Welfare Banks: The same banks are also ones that eagerly took taxpayer funded bailout money while also advocating for cuts to services for poor and middle class Americans as being "big government". They are selfish and hypocritical as well as lousy businesses.

Also, I should note that two of these banks, Bank of America and Citigroup, also are two of the top ten tax dodging companies in America. They love to take our tax money, but hate to pay their fair share.

So I advocate boycotting at least Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Chase and Bank of America. However people need alternatives. I personally have switched to USAA and TD Bank, both of which are famous for customer service, did no predatory lending, and took no bail out money. But I am learning about even better options through Green America.

Green America (which I have been associated with since they were Co-op America) has some resources:

* The basics about socially responsible investing

* How to retire with one million dollars in a just and sustainable world

* How your savings and checking accounts can build healthy communities through community investing

I personally have been divesting myself of these big bad banks like Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo and Citibank and instead switching my mortgage, accounts and credit cards to USAA (which only works with Veterans and their families) and TD Bank (a large bank that actually has excellent customer service and did not engage in predatory lending). Other people I know have been switching to local credit unions. I have particularly liked TD Bank who refinanced my mortgage at a much better rate and much simpler than the big bad banks. By comparison, Chase dicked me around so much, constantly upping the interest rate every time I talked to them, that I finally told them where they could stuff their refinance. TD Bank offered me a better rate and stuck by it.

But so far my wife and I still haven't been able to get rid of all our Chase and Bank of America credit cards. Paying off the debt is tough, but we are working on it. But I would like to find better credit cards to use.

Well, Green America has some suggestions I would like to pass on to you.

Cards Connected to Better Banks
There are socially responsible banks and credit unions that exemplify responsible lending practices—as well as community investing institutions that take the social mission one step further by also investing in low-income populations.

Wainwright Bank Visa Cards (fees and rates vary): Wainwright, a Boston-based bank with a tradition of “socially progressive” banking, offers six different Visa credit cards with different rates and terms. All of these cards are issued and managed by Elan, a financial services company. Steven F. Young, senior vice president at Wainwright, says they “chose Elan because we felt their consumer practices were best.”

Permaculture Credit Union’s (PCU) Visa card (13% apr, no annual fee): Based in New Mexico, PCU is committed to Earth-friendly and socially responsible loans and investments. PCU’s card is issued by the Illinois Credit Union League to anyone, whether or not they are a PCU account holder, though applicants should mention they are “affiliated” with Permaculture Credit Union.

ReDirect Visa (15.15% apr, no annual fee): The ReDirect card is issued by Washington state’s ShoreBank Pacific.Depositors fuel the bank’s lending programs, which enable sustainable community development. ShoreBank Pacific issues the card by way of TCM, which is owned by ICBA Bancard, a subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America.

Your card fees support ShoreBank Pacific’s community investing mission, and half of the card’s proceeds go toward reducing CO2 emissions through Sustainable Travel International’s “MyClimate” high-quality offsets. In addition to a conventional rewards program, the card also earns cardholders discounts at the sustainable businesses listed in regional “ReDirect Guides” for Denver/Boulder/Fort Collins, CO; Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA; and Salt Lake City/Park City, UT. Those businesses that offer Internet purchasing will extend ReDirect discounts to any cardholder. There’s no need to have a ShoreBank Pacific account to apply.

Salmon Nation Visa (15.15% apr, no annual fee): This card, also from ShoreBank Pacific, directs a percentage of its income to growing a community of citizens that practice environmental stewardship of “Salmon Nation,” a bio-region stretching from Alaska to Oregon where wild salmon live. Like the ReDirect card, Salmon Nation Visa isn’t benefiting a mega-bank, and you don’t need a ShoreBank Pacific account to apply.

The Loop Card (11.99% apr, no annual fee): A Visa from Albina Community Bank in Oregon. Profits from this Visa from Oregon’s Albina Community Bank not only support Albina, but one percent of every purchase goes to Portland’s neighborhoods, funding education, health, social services, environment, the arts, or economic development projects. You do not have to have an account with Albina to get the card, and it is not connected to a mega-bank.

Shorebank’s Elan Visa Consumer Card (variable apr, no annual fee): ShoreBank, in the Midwest, is a community development and environmental bank that issues a credit card available to anyone nationwide through Elan, the same company servicing Wainright Bank’s cards, at a rate determined by your credit history.

Self-Help credit union cards (9.95–12.95% apr, no annual fee): Self-Help, headquartered in North Carolina, works in communities traditionally underserved by conventional financial institutions. It offers Classic and Platinum Visa credit cards to members, and through online banking, anyone nationwide can become an account holder and apply. The cards are issued by Self-Help, a community development bank.

For those purchases you make by credit card, using one of these best-option cards can make your charges a force for good.

One of my goals once we can pay off most of our current credit card debt is to switch from my current credit cards, which are still mega-bank linked, to one or two of these cards. I hope you will all join my in making the switch.

Return to Mole's Consumer Advice Page.

Return to I Had a Thought

Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult

2011-09-05T09:08:00.001-04:00

Mike Lofgren has left the Republican Party. He is not the first and won't be the last. Lofgren was a Republican staffer who worked in both the House and Senate Budget Committees.

He grew so disgusted by the corruption and lies of the Greedy Oil Party that he has left them...and has been writing about his dissatisfaction. From his article on Truth Out.com:

But both parties are not rotten in quite the same way. The Democrats have their share of machine politicians, careerists, corporate bagmen, egomaniacs and kooks. Nothing, however, quite matches the modern GOP.

To those millions of Americans who have finally begun paying attention to politics and watched with exasperation the tragicomedy of the debt ceiling extension, it may have come as a shock that the Republican Party is so full of lunatics. To be sure, the party, like any political party on earth, has always had its share of crackpots, like Robert K. Dornan or William E. Dannemeyer. But the crackpot outliers of two decades ago have become the vital center today: Steve King, Michele Bachman (now a leading presidential candidate as well), Paul Broun, Patrick McHenry, Virginia Foxx, Louie Gohmert, Allen West. The Congressional directory now reads like a casebook of lunacy.

It was this cast of characters and the pernicious ideas they represent that impelled me to end a nearly 30-year career as a professional staff member on Capitol Hill. A couple of months ago, I retired; but I could see as early as last November that the Republican Party would use the debt limit vote, an otherwise routine legislative procedure that has been used 87 times since the end of World War II, in order to concoct an entirely artificial fiscal crisis. Then, they would use that fiscal crisis to get what they wanted, by literally holding the US and global economies as hostages...

It should have been evident to clear-eyed observers that the Republican Party is becoming less and less like a traditional political party in a representative democracy and becoming more like an apocalyptic cult, or one of the intensely ideological authoritarian parties of 20th century Europe.

This comes from a Republican (now former Republican) insider. He saw what was going on from WITHIN the Republican Party and found it disgusting and corrupt. He also directly addresses the destructive and cynical hypocrisy of the modern Greedy Oil Party:

This tactic of inducing public distrust of government is not only cynical, it is schizophrenic. For people who profess to revere the Constitution, it is strange that they so caustically denigrate the very federal government that is the material expression of the principles embodied in that document. This is not to say that there is not some theoretical limit to the size or intrusiveness of government; I would be the first to say there are such limits, both fiscal and Constitutional. But most Republican officeholders seem strangely uninterested in the effective repeal of Fourth Amendment protections by the Patriot Act, the weakening of habeas corpus and self-incrimination protections in the public hysteria following 9/11 or the unpalatable fact that the United States has the largest incarcerated population of any country on earth. If anything, they would probably opt for more incarcerated persons, as imprisonment is a profit center for the prison privatization industry, which is itself a growth center for political contributions to these same politicians.[1] Instead, they prefer to rail against those government programs that actually help people. And when a program is too popular to attack directly, like Medicare or Social Security, they prefer to undermine it by feigning an agonized concern about the deficit. That concern, as we shall see, is largely fictitious...

This legislative assault is moving in a diametrically opposed direction to 200 years of American history, when the arrow of progress pointed toward more political participation by more citizens. Republicans are among the most shrill in self-righteously lecturing other countries about the wonders of democracy; exporting democracy (albeit at the barrel of a gun) to the Middle East was a signature policy of the Bush administration. But domestically, they don't want those people voting.

You can probably guess who those people are. Above all, anyone not likely to vote Republican. As Sarah Palin would imply, the people who are not Real Americans. Racial minorities. Immigrants. Muslims. Gays. Intellectuals. Basically, anyone who doesn't look, think, or talk like the GOP base. This must account, at least to some degree, for their extraordinarily vitriolic hatred of President Obama. I have joked in the past that the main administration policy that Republicans object to is Obama's policy of being black.[2] Among the GOP base, there is constant harping about somebody else, some "other," who is deliberately, assiduously and with malice aforethought subverting the Good, the True and the Beautiful: Subversives. Commies. Socialists. Ragheads. Secular humanists. Blacks. Fags. Feminazis. The list may change with the political needs of the moment, but they always seem to need a scapegoat to hate and fear.

It is not clear to me how many GOP officeholders believe this reactionary and paranoid claptrap. I would bet that most do not. But they cynically feed the worst instincts of their fearful and angry low-information political base with a nod and a wink...

I do not mean to place too much emphasis on racial animus in the GOP. While it surely exists, it is also a fact that Republicans think that no Democratic president could conceivably be legitimate. Republicans also regarded Bill Clinton as somehow, in some manner, twice fraudulently elected (well do I remember the elaborate conspiracy theories that Republicans traded among themselves). Had it been Hillary Clinton, rather than Barack Obama, who had been elected in 2008, I am certain we would now be hearing, in lieu of the birther myths, conspiracy theories about Vince Foster's alleged murder.

There is a lot more...it is a long article and represents the careful unloading of what seems like years of gradual disillusionment in the political party he had previously identified with. I suggest reading the whole thing.

Arianna Huffington is another person who made the transition from Greedy Oil Party cultist to opposing the GOP when she realized they were a bunch of liars who never actually did what they promised. She worked for Newt Gingrich and it was Newt Gingrich's own cynical hypocrisy drove Huffington away. I am no big fan of Arianna Huffington, but I respect the fact that she, like Lofgren, was able to see through the lies and theatrics of the Greedy Oil Party and reject them as one of the most destructive and corrupt forces in American politics. Lufgren is right...there is corruption in the Democratic Party as well, as I have written about frequently in regards to my own home territory of Brooklyn. But the corruption within the Republican Party, measured by comparing the numbers of politicians under investigation, indicted or convicted, FAR outweighs any corruption within the Democratic Party (see also this site for a somewhat less clearly laid out but more up to date analysis). Furthermore, many Democrats, myself included, fight to reform our own Party (to the degree of even endorsing Republican Joseph Cao in Louisiana against a corrupt Democrat). There is hardly a corrupt Republican who isn't embraced by the Greedy Oil Party and often given and maintained in leadership positions.

More interesting is the case of Pete McCloskey who was so disgusted by the behavior of the Republican Party during the Bush years that he left the party. Pete McCloskey had been a life-long Republican and a former candidate for President in a Republican primary. He himself says his family had been Republicans since before Lincoln, suggesting they were among the founders of the party. Yet the corruption and hypocrisy of the modern Greedy Oil Party drove away Pete McCloskey. Here is the letter he wrote explaining his decision:

McCloskeys have been Republicans in California since 1859, the year before Lincoln's election. My great grandfather, John Henry McCloskey, orphaned in the great Irish potato famine of 1843, came to California in 1853 as a boy of 16, and joined the party just before the Civil War.

By 1890 he and my grandfather, both farmers, made up two of the twelve members of the Republican Central Committee of Merced County. My father's most memorable expletive came when I was a boy of 10 or 11: "That damn Roosevelt is trying to pack the Supreme Court!"

I registered Republican in 1948 after reaching the age of 21. We were the party of civil rights, of free choice for women and fiscal responsibility. Since Teddy Roosevelt, we had favored environmental protection, and most of all we stood for fiscal responsibility, honesty, ethics and limited government intrusion into our personal lives and choices. We accepted that one the duties of wealth was to pay a higher rate of income tax, and that the estates of the wealthy should contribute to the national treasury in reasonable measure.

I was proud to serve with Republicans like Gerry Ford, the first George Bush and Bob Dole.

In 1994, however, Newt Gingrich brought a new kind of Republicanism to power, and the election of George W. Bush in 2000 has led to wholly new concept of governance. The bureaucracy has mushroomed in size and power. The budget deficits have become astronomical. Our historical separation of church and state has been blurred. We have seen a succession of ethical scandals, congressmen taking bribes, and abuse of power by both the Republican House leadership and the highest appointees of the White House.

The single cardinal principle of political science, that power corrupts, has come to apply not only to Republican leaders like Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, Bob Ney and John Doolittle, but to a succession of White House officials and appointees. The stench of Jack Abramoff has permeated much of the Washington Republican establishment.

The Justice Department, guardian of of our rule of law, has been compromised. It's third ranking official, a graduate of Pat Robertson's dubious law school, has taken the 5th Amendment.

Men who have never felt the fear of combat, and who largely dodged military service in their youth, have led us into grievous wars in far off places with no thought of the diplomacy, grace and respect for other peoples and their cultures which has been an American trademark for at least the last two thirds of a century. We have lost the respect and affection of most of the world outside our borders. My son, Peter, one of the U.S. prosecutors at The Hague of the war crimes in Serbia and elsewhere, tells me that people of other countries no longer look at the country which countenances torture as a beacon for the world and the rule of law.

Earth Day, that bi-partisan concept of Gaylord Nelson in 1970, has become the focus of almost hatred by today's Republican leadership. Many still argue that global warming is a hoax, and that Bush has been right to demean and suppress the arguments of scientists at the E.P.A., Fish & Wildlife and U.S.Geological Survey.

I say a pox on them and their values.

Until the past few weeks, I had hoped that the party could right itself, returning to the values of the Eisenhowers, Fords and George H. W. Bush.

What finally turned me to despair, however, was listening to the reports, or watching on C-Span, a whole series of congressional oversight hearings on C-Span, held by old friends and colleagues like Pat Leahy, Henry Waxman, Norm Dicks, Nick Rahall, Danny Akaka and others, trying to learn the truth on the misdeeds and incompetence of the Bush Administration. Time after time I saw Republican Members of the House and Senate. speak out in scorn or derision about these exercises of Congress oversight responsibility being "witch-hunts" or partisan attempts to distort the actions of people like the head of the General Service Administration and the top political appointees in the Justice and Interior Departments. Disagreement turned into disgust.

I finally concluded that it was a fraud for me to remain a member of this modern Republican Party, that there were only a few like Chuck Hegel, Jack Warner, Arlen Specter, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins I could respect.

Two of the best, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, and Jim Leach of Iowa, after years of battling for balance and sanity, were defeated last November, and it seems that every Republican presidential candidate is now vying for the support of the Pat Robertsons and Jerry Falwells rather than talking about a return to the values of the party I joined nearly 59 years ago. My favorite spokesmen have beome Senators Jim Webb and Barack Obama.

And so it was, that while at the Woodland courthouse the other day, passing by the registrar's office, I filled out the form to re-register as a Democrat.

The issues Helen (McCloskey) and I care about most, public financing of elections, a reliable paper ballot trail, independent re-districting to replace gerrymandering, the right of a woman to choose not to bring a child into the world, a reversal of the old Proposition 13 and term limits which have so hurt California's once superb education system and the competence of our Legislature, are now almost universally opposed by California's elected Republicans, and the occasional attempts at reform by our Governor are looked on with grim disdain by most of them.

From Helen's and my standpoint, being farmers in Yolo County gives us the opportunity to work for purposes which were once Republican, but can no longer be found at Republican conventions and discussions.

I hope this answers your questions about the party and a government I have served in either civil or military service under ten presidents, five Republican and five Democrat ... I doubt it will be of much interest other than to our friends, but it has been a decision not easily taken.

Respectfully,
Pete McCloskey

The Republican Party has for some time now become a party of extremists where every single reasonable Republican is driven out or silenced and corruption rules the day. It is time America recognized the corrupt Greedy Oil Party for what it is: an anti-American, destructive, greedy and corrupt organization that cares nothing for actual governance but only cares about being able to freely loot the American economy for their own personal power and gain.

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Sticking to the Union

2011-08-30T21:27:00.001-04:00

The Republican Thugs are trying to crush the unions. This is nothing new. For decades now the rich and powerful have tried to break the working class, and you know what? Despite their crap we have WON the right to a weekend, WON the right to a 40 hour work week, WON the right to childhood without forced labor, WON the right to health and retirement benefits, WON the right to collective bargaining...

There has not been one moment since the turn of the 20th century that labor hasn't had to fight for its rights. Now is no exception and now, just as much as any other time, we have to fight together, and we have to STICK TO THE UNION.

And you know it was Woodie Guthrie that got the whole thing started:

Perhaps the best message to remember from Woodie (Hillbilly) Guthrie, is "You Fascists Bound to Lose"

That is how the union movement took off, back when farmers and workers were sacrificed for the sake of trickle down economics back in the Great Depression. Yep...NONE OF THIS IS NEW. All that is new is the communication technology we all use. The basic fight dates back to the Dust Bowl and then the Great Depression. The right wing Republicans tried to force trickle down on us back then and it FAILED then...and it will fail now.

Of course Woodie was known for another great progressive song we all know:

Later Woodie Guthrie's "Union Maid" was taken up by a later generation, represented by Pete Seeger (who stood up to the Blacklist with great determination) and Woodie's son, Arlo Guthrie (who continues to stand up to a physical disability):

And then Union Maid continues in modern times:

But Woodie's other songs also continue into today's consciousness. Bruce Springsteen called it "about the greatest song ever written about America":

And Pete Seeger, who took the torch from Woodie, sang it with Bruce, who took the torch from Pete:

SHIT, THIS is what Republicans are fighting to KILL! Why do Republicans want to KILL this spirit? This spirit is the HEART of America. I mean SHIT, Johnny Cash did the song:

This FUCKING land is YOURS and MINE. Not the damned Koch Billionaires'.

And of course Greatful Dead and Los Lobos did it as well:

And of course Woodie's son Arlo did the same song:

And what about Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Denver singing it with Arlo Guthrie:

And here is yet another version:

Yeah...I mean how much more AMERICAN can you get than this kind of WORKING CLASS, pro-fucking-union, PROGRESSIVE sentiment.

But look...the union spirit is NOT just the musicians and organizers...it is the WORKERS who are at the heart of it...there is no famous singer in this version, just blue collar, working class, AMERICANS:

THIS is what the Republicans fear most...honest, working class Americans who stick to the union, because when honest, working class Americans stick to the union the pro-Billionaire Republicans LOSE. THAT is what we have to do.

Okay...enough. What is my point.

America is NOT about Teabagger, Koch Billionaire trickle down bullshit. America is NOT about the modern Republican Party. America is about Woodie Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Willie Nelson, John Denver, Johnny Cash, Los Lobos and everyone else who sings a god damned UNION song to support America's working and middle class. We support our teachers, our firefighters, our cops, our nurses, our construction workers, our trash collectors, our road builders, our farmers...you get the point. Republicans oppose each and every one of these and help ONLY billionaires. Why is this even a contest? They have the money, but we have the votes.

It is time for farmers, firefighters, cops, teachers, nurses, construction workers, miners, trash collectors, and every single working and middle class American to unite against the Republican pro-Billionaire, trickle down bullshit.

I can think of no better thing than to fight for our teachers, firefighters, nurses and police. Republicans are screwing them over, and for what? ALL they want is tax breaks for billionaires. I'd rather teachers, firefighters, nurses and cops than billionaires. What about you?

For now, there are four key states where the fight is going down. There are more, and there WILL be even more. But for now, the four key states are Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Help fight the good fight.

Return to Mole's Music Page.

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Better Banking and Better Credit Cards

2011-08-30T21:19:00.001-04:00

We are all angry at the big banks like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase and Citibank because of their predatory lending practices, terrible customer service and greedy, selfish politics and business practices. Basically these banks and similar ones have screwed working class and middle class Americans and made a profit off our suffering. Then they got bailed out with OUR tax money when their lousy business practices and predatory lending hit them in the ass. These banks got us into the economic mess we are in and the CEOs of these banks took America to the cleaners and have been reaping the profits while we suffer foreclosures and tough times. And the fees they charge are insane!

That is why I advocate breaking ties with these big predatory banks and finding alternatives. I personally have been divesting myself of these big bad banks like Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo and Citibank and instead switching my mortgage, accounts and credit cards to USAA (which only works with Veterans and their families), TD Bank (a large bank that actually has excellent customer service and did not engage in predatory lending), and local credit unions. I have particularly liked TD Bank who refinanced my mortgage at a much better rate and much simpler than the big bad banks.

But so far my wife and I still haven't been able to get rid of all our Chase and Bank of America credit cards. Paying off the debt is tough, but we are working on it. But I would like to find better credit cards to use.

Well, Green America has some suggestions I would like to pass on to you.

Cards Connected to Better Banks
There are socially responsible banks and credit unions that exemplify responsible lending practices—as well as community investing institutions that take the social mission one step further by also investing in low-income populations.

Wainwright Bank Visa Cards (fees and rates vary): Wainwright, a Boston-based bank with a tradition of “socially progressive” banking, offers six different Visa credit cards with different rates and terms. All of these cards are issued and managed by Elan, a financial services company. Steven F. Young, senior vice president at Wainwright, says they “chose Elan because we felt their consumer practices were best.”

Permaculture Credit Union’s (PCU) Visa card (13% apr, no annual fee): Based in New Mexico, PCU is committed to Earth-friendly and socially responsible loans and investments. PCU’s card is issued by the Illinois Credit Union League to anyone, whether or not they are a PCU account holder, though applicants should mention they are “affiliated” with Permaculture Credit Union.

ReDirect Visa (15.15% apr, no annual fee): The ReDirect card is issued by Washington state’s ShoreBank Pacific.Depositors fuel the bank’s lending programs, which enable sustainable community development. ShoreBank Pacific issues the card by way of TCM, which is owned by ICBA Bancard, a subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America.

Your card fees support ShoreBank Pacific’s community investing mission, and half of the card’s proceeds go toward reducing CO2 emissions through Sustainable Travel International’s “MyClimate” high-quality offsets. In addition to a conventional rewards program, the card also earns cardholders discounts at the sustainable businesses listed in regional “ReDirect Guides” for Denver/Boulder/Fort Collins, CO; Portland, OR/Vancouver, WA; and Salt Lake City/Park City, UT. Those businesses that offer Internet purchasing will extend ReDirect discounts to any cardholder. There’s no need to have a ShoreBank Pacific account to apply.

Salmon Nation Visa (15.15% apr, no annual fee): This card, also from ShoreBank Pacific, directs a percentage of its income to growing a community of citizens that practice environmental stewardship of “Salmon Nation,” a bio-region stretching from Alaska to Oregon where wild salmon live. Like the ReDirect card, Salmon Nation Visa isn’t benefiting a mega-bank, and you don’t need a ShoreBank Pacific account to apply.

The Loop Card (11.99% apr, no annual fee): A Visa from Albina Community Bank in Oregon. Profits from this Visa from Oregon’s Albina Community Bank not only support Albina, but one percent of every purchase goes to Portland’s neighborhoods, funding education, health, social services, environment, the arts, or economic development projects. You do not have to have an account with Albina to get the card, and it is not connected to a mega-bank.

Shorebank’s Elan Visa Consumer Card (variable apr, no annual fee): ShoreBank, in the Midwest, is a community development and environmental bank that issues a credit card available to anyone nationwide through Elan, the same company servicing Wainright Bank’s cards, at a rate determined by your credit history.

Self-Help credit union cards (9.95–12.95% apr, no annual fee): Self-Help, headquartered in North Carolina, works in communities traditionally underserved by conventional financial institutions. It offers Classic and Platinum Visa credit cards to members, and through online banking, anyone nationwide can become an account holder and apply. The cards are issued by Self-Help, a community development bank.

For those purchases you make by credit card, using one of these best-option cards can make your charges a force for good.

One of my goals this year is to switch from my current credit cards, which are still mega-bank linked, to one or two of these cards. I hope you will all join my in making the switch.

Return to Mole's Consumer Advice Page.

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BOOK REVIEW: This Moment on Earth

2011-08-29T16:58:00.000-04:00

I was surprisingly inspired by John and Teresa Heinz Kerry's book, This Moment on Earth when I first read it in 2007. This inspiration snuck up on me around the third chapter. Prior to that, I found the book good, well worth reading, but a little bit like just one more book outlining what humans are doing wrong. Starting around the third chapter I realized I was referring to the book in several conversations and several blog diaries and that several of the people and organizations featured in the book I mentally filed away as worth looking into for future political connections, diaries and general research.

In short, almost without my realizing it, John and Theresa Heinz Kerry's book was getting into my brain and inspiring me. The book starts a bit dull but by the end is excellent.

My earliest impression, from the press material that arrived with the book and from the introduction, was that this book promised something really new and welcome. The book was billed as the next step in the evolution of the environmental debate. I was ready for a book that took as given the problems and focused primarily on solutions. Having been through way too many "debates" online where I yet again outlined the very clear and definitive scientific evidence for global warming only to have yet the same false claims of global warming deniers (these claims are never backed up by scientific evidence of any substance), I really was ready to have a book that moved beyond that.

And, on exactly the same day I received This Moment on Earth I was reading the February 9th, 2007 issue of Science, America's most respected scientific journal. And in that issue, the scientific community was doing exactly what John Kerry seemed to be proposing. In the summation of the 4th IPCC Working Group presented in that issue of Science, has this to say:

The last time the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessed the state of the climate, in early 2001, it got a polite enough hearing. The world was warming, it said, and human activity was "likely" to be driving most of the warming. Back then, the committee specified a better-than-60% chance--not exactly a ringing endorsement. And how bad might things get? That depended on a 20-year-old guess about how sensitive the climate system might be to rising greenhouse gases. Given the uncertainties, the IPCC report's reception was on the tepid side.

Six years of research later, the heightened confidence is obvious. The warming is "unequivocal." Humans are "very likely" (higher than 90% likelihood) behind the warming. And the climate system is "very unlikely" to be so insensitive as to render future warming inconsequential...

The fact of warming was perhaps the most straightforward item of business. For starters, the air is 0.74Â°C warmer than in 1906, up from a century's warming of 0.6Â°C in the last report. "Eleven of the last twelve years rank among the 12 warmest years in the [150-year-long] instrumental record," notes the summary. Warming ocean waters, shrinking mountain glaciers, and retreating snow cover strengthened the evidence.

So the IPCC authors weren't impressed by the contrarian argument that the warming is just an "urban heat island effect" driven by increasing amounts of heat-absorbing concrete and asphalt. That effect is real, the report says, but it has "a negligible influence" on the global number. Likewise, new analyses have largely settled the hullabaloo over why thermometers at Earth's surface measured more warming than remote-sensing satellites had detected higher in the atmosphere (Science, 12 May 2006, p. 825). Studies by several groups have increased the satellite-determined warming, largely reconciling the difference...

The IPCC concludes that both models and past climate changes point to a fairly sensitive climate system. The warming for a doubling of CO2 "is very unlikely to be less than 1.5 °C," says the report, not the less than 0.5 °C favored by some contrarians. A best estimate is about 3 °C, with a likely range of 2 °C to 4.5 °C.

Much of the rest of the issue of Science is devoted to a discussion of SOLUTIONS to global warming through energy policy. The overwhelming consensus of scientists, as reported in America's most prestigious science journal, is that anthropogenic (human-caused) warming is happening and the most optimistic scenarios are not the most likely scenarios. We are in for a rough ride and the time is now to accept the problem and move on to solutions. Shift the debate, people. Let's talk what to DO ABOUT IT.

I was ready for John Kerry's book to carry the same theme: it is time to take as given the problem and move on to solutions.

That isn't what I got. And at first I was disappointed. As I read the first two chapters I felt I was reading yet another book that outlined the problem with perhaps a little more emphasis placed on solutions and how individuals and small groups are empowering themselves to fight back. The book was good and very informative, but I was unconvinced that it was new. This kind of outlining the problems we are facing reached its peak, I think, in Jared Diamond's book Collapse, covering many environmental issues from a very broad historical and sociological perspective. Superb book that I HIGHLY recommend. Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth gave us a nice Powerpoint presentation on global warming that can be easily appreciated by a far wider audience than Jared Diamond's Collapse. And John Kerry was giving us something in between: more accessible than Collapse and more fleshed out than An Inconvenient Truth.

And with more emphasis on the people who are coming up with solutions.

By the third chapter the main theme of the book emerged: we are killing ourselves and our children with the full participation of a government that is supposed to protect us. Data sound the alarm, like one in six infants born in the US each year has blood mercury levels above the EPA standards and high enough to cause neurological problems, fueled by coal-burning power plants whose owners contributed $6.6 million to the Republicans since 1999, making them one of the biggest Republican source of donations. Or that in 2005 people of color were 79% more likely to live in the most polluted communities, up from 49% in 1996. Or a study by the United Church of Christ in 1987 that found that race was the single most significant factor in determining the location of a hazardous waste facility. And so on. Every parent should read chapter two. Everyone interested in racial equality should read chapter three. Etc. The alarm bells ring constantly.

But what I found I was citing the most and taking the most note of was exactly what the Kerrys WANTED me to notice the most: the people who are fighting back. I think it was the case of Majora Carter and Sustainable South Bronx that finally made me realize that this book was inspiring me because I immediately decided she'd be perfect as an invited speaker for a political group I am involved with. The example of Riverkeeper, where ex-marines decided to patrol our nation's waterways to protect them from polluters, was another "wow" moment. Even Don Imus and his wife Deidre come off inspiring in This Moment on Earth, something I never imagined I'd say. And Chapter 7, discussing energy policy, is the best chapter, showing how right here and now, using existing technology, the city of Portland, OR, as well as companies like Texas Instruments and DuPont are doing EXACTLY what needs to be done to reduce carbon emissions--and doing it while creating jobs and saving money. Chapter 7 shows us that there remain NO EXCUSES for America to continue to avoid taking a leadership role in stopping global warming. All that we lack, as I have written before is the political leadership on a national level. Kerry shows us that locally there has been considerable leadership by both Democrats and Republicans. But nationally Bush has led us down a path that leads nowhere and that has ceded economic ingenuity to other nations.

So it is precisely through highlighting some wonderful people who are empowering themselves, their communities and, in fact, all of us that John and Teresa Heinz Kerry inspire in this book. Although the book still focuses primarily on a myriad of environmental problems that are killing us now and will kill us more in the future, solutions are the constant theme: the people who come up with solutions, solutions each individual can do for themselves (throughout and in Appendix B) and, perhaps something I will have particular interest in, considering the almost simultaneous issue of Science dealing with the same theme, Appendix A is John Kerry's proposal for a national energy policy. Put all this together and you may not have the next step in the evolution of the environmental debate, but you certainly have one more important step forward and one that might have a wider appeal than Collapse and An Inconvenient Truth.

In the future This Moment on Earth will likely be the inspiration for several diaries that are brewing in my brain: energy policy, Majora Carter, Riverkeeper, Portland, Oregon... But for now I leave you with the main message of the book, from the Introduction:

In truth environmentalism isn't dead, it's just being reborn...the very idea of what it means to be an "environmentalist" is being revolutionized. People from all walks of life, without concern for party or ideological lines, are coming together in unprecedented numbers across the globe...

The new environmentalist knows that caring about the environment can no longer be mislabeled as caring less about national security, the economy, family, education, profit, or community. Rather, the leaders of today's new environmental movement understand that these issues are all connected...

Above all, we want this book to expose the false choices...the straw men...put forwards to purposefully slow or reverse progress in environmentalism and politicize the debate.

Buy This Moment on Earth and find out what is being done to save our country and our lifestyle.

Return to Mole's Book Page.

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Break Up With Your Mega-Bank!...Green America's Community Investing Guide

2011-08-29T16:51:00.000-04:00

This comes from Green America, an organization I have been supporting since they were called Co-op America.

How you save and invest your money has as much an effect on the world as how you spend your money. If you’re tired of seeing your banking and investment dollars support projects you don’t believe in (like fossil-fuels or weapons manufacturing) or practices you can’t endorse (like deceptive lending or huge bonuses to their CEOs), then make 2011 the year you break up with your mega-bank and start investing in communities.

Green America’s Community Investing Guide provides an introduction to community development financial institutions, or CDFIs – banks, credit unions, and other financial groups with a mission to direct your banking and investing dollars into projects that improve people’s lives.

Purchase paper copies or download a PDF copy.

Whether you need a bank for depositing a weekly paycheck, or an investment opportunity for a larger sum – or anything in between – our Community Investing Guide gives you the resources you need. With the global economic crisis focusing even more public scrutiny on the greed and mismanagement of the corporate mega-banks, it’s clear: community investing is more important now than ever before.

More here:

* The basics about socially responsible investing

* How to retire with one million dollars in a just and sustainable world

* How your savings and checking accounts can build healthy communities through community investing

Return to Mole's Consumer Advice Page.

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Arizona Republican Leader Follows KKK Leader on Twitter

2010-05-03T18:55:00.000-04:00

So, the evidence that the Republican Party has a major racism problem just keeps mounting. I highlight the sad connections between the Republican Party and white supremacists with what sometimes seems like depressing frequency. The latest example comes, not surprisingly, from Arizona.

Arizona State Senate Majority leader Chuck Gray, supposedly part of the mainstream Republican Party and a major proponent of the recent Arizona racist laws, actually is a follower of Don Black, a white supremacist who has been banned from the UK for his violent, neo-Nazi rhetoric, and Chuck Gray is also a follower of Stormfront, Don Black's KKK website. I kid you not. A leading Arizona Republican is a follower on Twitter of a KNOWN KKK leader.

From Gawker:

Don Black is a Florida-based white supremacist who is deemed so dangerous he's banned from the UK for inciting hatred. Arizona State Senate Majority leader Chuck Gray—a proponent of the recent immigration bill—follows him on Twitter.

StormfrontWPWW (White Pride Worldwide) is the Twitter account for Stormfront, a racist organization that is the latest project of uber-racist Stephen Donald Black, better known as Don Black. He was a Grand Wizard in the KKK and a member of the American Nazi Party. In 1981 he was convicted and jailed for trying to invade the Dominican Republic with a boatload of weapons, in order to set up some kind of utopian state. (He's pictured below, at a conference organized by the infamous white supremacist David Duke.) Stormfront.org, the website he set up on his release from jail, is a hate-filled racist forum.

And here is what the Southern Poverty Law Center has to say about Arizona Republican Leader Chuck Gray's inspiration:

Don Black
Don Black
Associated Profiles:
David Duke
Related Articles:
Back to Black
Irreconcilable Differences
Electronic Storm
Insatiable
Date of Birth:
1953
Groups:
Stormfront
Location:
West Palm Beach, FL
Ideology:
White Nationalist

A former Klan state leader and long-time white supremacist, Don Black is best known for creating Stormfront.org, the first major Internet hate site. While the site remains popular in racist circles today, Black came under criticism in 2008 from other white supremacists for toning down its offensive content and for the claimed renunciation of racism made by his wife, Chloe Black, to a reporter.

In His Own Words
"The people that visit Stormfront have a righteous indignation to the Israelization of America. Zionism unbound, that is what goes on in Washington, D.C., these days. … [T]he Jewish people demolish homes abroad and condition peoples minds with the media here in the U.S.A."
— 2004 interview with Impact News

"I remember [the 1950s] quite well, that a lot of people were mad about blacks. They were mad about school integration and black crime… . [B]ut … it was kind of rare to find someone that really, fully understood the Jewish involvement … behind all of this promotion of the destruction of culture and our heritage, the destruction of our schools and our neighborhoods. … [W]ith the Internet — and, I think, with this involvement in the Middle East, American involvement in the Middle East — everything's changed. I mean, we have to calm down people sometimes on Stormfront about the Jews."
— Stormfront.org radio, 2008

"I get nonstop E-mails and private messages from new people who are mad as hell about the possibility of Obama being elected. White people, for a long time, have thought of our government as being for us, and Obama is the best possible evidence that we've lost that. This is scaring a lot of people who maybe never considered themselves racists, and it's bringing them over to our side."
— 2008 interview with The Washington Post

"[I]f Obama wins, then Americans, white Americans, are really going to realize where they stand. It'll be demoralizing for a lot of our people, and also white people throughout the world, to have the world's greatest military power headed up by a black."
— Stormfront.org radio, 2008

Criminal History
On April 27, 1981, Black and nine other white supremacists were arrested as they prepared to board a yacht stocked with weapons and ammunition to invade the Caribbean island of Dominica and take over its government. Black served three years in federal prison for his role in the invasion plot and for his violation of the Neutrality Act.

In 1987, Black, along with Klan leader David Duke, was reportedly charged with reckless conduct and for illegally blocking a state highway in Forsyth County, Ga., where they had traveled to take advantage of simmering racial tensions.

Background
Going back to high school, Don Black has always been one of the more enthusiastic proponents of white power. One of his first forays into the organized movement was in the 1970s, when he volunteered for the late white supremacist J.B. Stoner's unsuccessful run for governor of Georgia. He stayed with the campaign until Stoner's campaign manager, Jerry Ray, the brother of Martin Luther King Jr. assassin James Earl Ray, shot Black in the chest. The shooting apparently stemmed from accusations that Black had broken into Stoner's office to steal a mailing list for the National Socialist White People's Party.

After recovering, Black went on to join the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, the group headed by David Duke in the 1970s. Working on Duke's unsuccessful campaign for Louisiana state Senate, Black won Duke's trust, moving up to become his mentor's right-hand man in addition to his post as Alabama grand dragon, or state leader. When Duke left the group amid allegations that he'd tried to sell its membership list to another Klan group for $35,000, Black took over. Later, in the 1970s, according to The Crusader, a KKK newspaper, Black sponsored marches in defense of Robert Chambliss, who stood accused (and was later convicted) of the 1963 church bombing that killed four black girls in Birmingham, Ala. Not long after, Black got into trouble himself. In 1981, he and nine other white supremacists were arrested as they prepared to board a yacht with which they intended to invade the tiny Caribbean island of Dominica, oust its black-run government, and transform it into a "white state." Black's resulting three-year federal prison sentence was time well spent. He took classes in computer programming that would provide the basis for his future.

Not long after his release, Black launched an unsuccessful campaign for a U.S. Senate seat from Alabama. He wound up marrying Duke's ex-wife, Chloe Hardin, and moving to West Palm Beach, Fla. Once there, he began dabbling with his computer, eventually setting up a dial-up bulletin board service for the radical right. By March 1995, that service evolved into Stormfront.org, the Net's first ever and best-known American hate site.

Black saw clearly that with this new technology, white supremacists might finally bypass the mainstream media and political apparatus, getting their message out to people who otherwise would never hear it. And he realized the importance of the fact that people who now could read about white supremacist ideas in the privacy of their own homes without fear of embarrassment or reproach. "The potential of the Net for organizations and movements such as ours is enormous," Black told a reporter in 1996. "We're reaching tens of thousands of people who never before had access to our point of view."

The results have been fairly spectacular. In January 2002, Stormfront had a mere 5,000 members. A year later, membership reached 11,000; and a year after that, in early 2004, it had 23,000. By 2008, membership hit about 133,000 registered users, though the majority were inactive. These numbers don't include the large numbers who simply read Stormfront postings without actually joining up (becoming a member allows one to post messages and also to view personal information posted by other members).

One of Stormfront's main attractions is that it provides forums for so called "white nationalists" to post articles, engage in forum discussions, and share news of upcoming racist events. Below the Stormfront motto, "White Pride World Wide," are links to racially charged news stories like "Mestizo Rapes White Woman in Elevator" and "Negro Man Stabs Elderly Woman, Shoots Detective, Negroes Screaming ‘Police Brutality." Stormfront's various forums can also contain threads like "What do you want done with the Jews?," "Aryan Storm Rising," and "To Hate or Not to Hate." But one thing you won't normally find on Stormfront today, unlike in its early years, are racial slurs. In fact, new members are explicitly warned not to use such language, and also not to post violent threats or anything describing illegal activity. It's not that Stormfront is about moderation. The talk is all about the evils of African Americans, homosexuals, non-white immigrants, and, above all, Jews, who are blamed for most of what's wrong in the world. But Black clearly has modeled his site on some of the tactics used by David Duke, who famously urged his Klan followers to "get out of the cow pasture and into hotel meeting rooms." As Black once told a reporter, "We don't use the ‘nigger, nigger' type of approaches."

Duke and Black have remained close over the years. In 2004, Black was on hand to celebrate the end of Duke's one-and-a-half year federal prison term (for mail fraud and misstating his income taxes) at a New Orleans event put on by Duke's European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO). Black signed on to Duke's "New Orleans Protocol," a set of principles "pledging adherents to a pan-European outlook." More recently, Duke has been a regular on Black's Stormfront.org Radio, an Internet radio program that features white supremacists.

In 2008, Black made the news when the Intelligence Report reported that his wife Chloe worked for Emilia Fanjul, wife of sugar baron Jose "Pepe" Fanjul, as an executive assistant. Part of Chloe's duties involved serving as a publicist for Glades Academy, a charter school created by Emilia Fanjul to help poor minority children. Despite having attended an event put on by the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens a month earlier, Chloe Black told the Palm Beach Post, "I am not involved with the website [Stormfront] and do not agree with extremist or racially prejudiced views." The Post, based on information supplied by the Southern Poverty Law Center, also reported that Don Black had recently toned down Stormfront, banning many symbols of Nazism that formerly were common on the site, including swastikas and SS lightning bolts, and getting rid of particularly offensive terms, including "nigger." White supremacists were not happy. In racist Web forums, they ripped both Don and Chloe, denouncing them for caring more about money than their beliefs.

The 2008 presidential election gave Stormfront a lift. Don Black boasted on the site he was seeing six times the usual web traffic because of a possible Obama win. "There are a lot of angry White people out there looking for answers," he wrote. "Let's show them. We will not be defeated."

In 2009, the BBC reported that five American right-wing extremists were among 16 individuals banned from entering the United Kingdom for reasons of "fostering extremism or hatred." Black was one of those banned. According to the U.K. Home Office (the lead U.K. government department for immigration and passports), Black was banned for "promoting serious criminal activity and fostering hatred that might lead to inter-community violence in the UK."

Let me reiterate: The LEADER of the Republican Arizona Senate is a FOLLOWER of a former KKK Grand Wizard. This is sick, sick sick! And this is part of the origin of the current racist Arizona laws. RACISM is a major part of Republican policy these days and it is disgusting!

But sadly, Chuck "I Love the KKK" Gray of Arizona's Senate is not alone by ANY means in his racism. Republican Racism is increasingly widespread. There was the Republican running for Congress in 2008 who loved Nazis. Here's a rundown from 2007. Then there was Republican Racism from Iowa in 2008. And Michael Savage's racism in 2008. A rundown of Republican Racism from 2008 (some overlap with my rundown from 2007). There was Republican Racism over Sotomayor. A Republican and THE Teabagger candidate for Governor in New York in 2010 forwards racist emails. It goes on and on and on.

Republican Racism is out of control and it gets down to the level of eagerly rubbing shoulders with KKK and neo-Nazi leaders. It is time we face up to the fact that the Republican Party has been working with and following KKK and neo-Nazi leaders. It isn't even hidden. The Republican/racist connection is open and public.

Republicans STILL Racked by Scandal

2010-03-17T21:52:00.001-04:00

Corrupt business as usual in the Republican Party:

Target the Corrupt Republican Campaign (Missouri Focus)

2010-03-17T07:28:00.002-04:00

Roy Blunt, one of the more corrupt members of the Missouri Republican Party, is running for Senate in Missouri. So I thought it was time to remind people of the corruption of the Blunt family.

Roy Blunt (MO-7) and his son Matt Blunt (Governor of MO) are among the most corrupt politicians in America today. Here are some excerpts from Blunt Facts regarding the corruption of the Blunt family in Missouri politics:

Rep. Roy Blunt (MO-7) tried to help Philip Morris (one of his big donors and employer of his son, Andrew, and his then girlfriend, Abigail Perlman) by inserting a tobacco industry backed provision attacking internet cigarette sales into the, get this, Homeland Security Bill.

From CBS NEWS
Reported June 11, 2003

GOP Whip Tried To Aid Tobacco Pals

(CBS) House Majority Whip Roy Blunt is coming under fire for trying to help tobacco giant Philip Morris USA in last November's homeland security bill.

Blunt's ties to the company include large campaign donations from the company - $150,000 since 2001 to committees affiliated with Blunt. His son, Andrew, also works as a lobbyist for Philip Morris back in his home state of Missouri.

The Washington Post reports that just days after he was named to the House's third-highest leadership post, Blunt - who has close personal and political ties to Phillip Morris - tried to slip a pro-tobacco provision into the bill creating the new Department of Homeland Security.
When Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., found out about Blunt's idea, he immediately yanked it out of the bill. Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Tex., also said he opposed Blunt's effort and "worked against it" when he found out about it.

Several Republicans told the Post they felt a pro-tobacco provision had very little support and that Blunt's actions could have proven "embarrassing" to the party and its new Whip.

Some Republicans also expressed concern that Blunt's close personal relationship with a Phillip Morris lobbyist named Abigail Perlman may have influenced his actions.

Matt Blunt, Gov. of Missouri, used taxpayer's money, including Federal money, to urge people to vote. Problem was, he plastered his own name and face all over the ads even though he was a candidate. He used OUR money to plug himself.

From SPRINGFIELD NEWS-LEADER
Published September 1, 2004

Blunt faces ethics complaints after primary advertising

By Kelly Wiese
Associated Press

Some former Republican gubernatorial candidates and a group backing Democratic candidate Claire McCaskill have filed ethics complaints against Republican nominee Matt Blunt over newspaper ads encouraging people to vote.

The Associated Press reported last month that Blunt, the secretary of state, spent almost $48,000 in public money on statewide newspaper advertising that includes his name and picture, urging voters to turn out for the Aug. 3 primary.

Blunt easily defeated five little-known opponents in the Republican primary for governor to face McCaskill, the state auditor, in November.

Blunt used federal funds to pay $47,984 to the Missouri Press Association to place the ads twice during the primary campaign in 295 daily and weekly newspapers across the state, the association said...

Out-of-state donors who needed support from Roy Blunt in Congress donated large amounts of money to his son, Matt Blunt's, campaign.

From THE HILL - Newspaper for and about Congress
Published July 9, 2003

Rep. Blunt's son aided by donors from out-of-state
by Sam Dealey

Campaign finance records show that Matt Blunt, the son of House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), received significant contributions from out-of-state sources during his successful 2000 race for Missouri secretary of state.

Many of the contributors seemingly lacked a direct interest in the down-ballot state race but had significant interests pending before Matt Bluntís father.

At the time that the contributions to his son's campaign occurred, Roy Blunt was a rising GOP star and an aggressive fundraiser. After the elevation of J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) to Speaker in 1999, Blunt was named chief deputy whip.

He also won a seat on the powerful House Commerce Committee, with assignments on subcommittees with jurisdiction over finance and hazardous materials, oversight and investigations, and telecommunications, trade and consumer protection.

Missouri state records show contributions to Matt Blunt's campaign came from firms and individuals with business pending before Roy Blunt's subcommittees. Although some of the companies have significant interests in the state, others do not.

Top executives at Freddie Mac, for example, contributed $4,000 to his campaign. On Nov. 6, 2000, Senior Vice President Gary Lanzara and Vice President Lelan Brendsel gave $1,000 each. Two weeks later, Freddie Mac lobbyist David Glenn and his wife, Cherie, also contributed $1,000 apiece. Cherie is listed as a homemaker; the couple reside in Great Falls, Va.

Contributions from telecommunications-related entities accounted for over $10,000. Railway transportation companies also contributed more than $6,000 to Matt Blunt's campaign. John Scruggs, a top lobbyist for Altria, formerly Phillip Morris, contributed $1,000. Other contributions came from companies and executives in--or representatives for--such heavily regulated industries as healthcare, insurance, chemicals and defense technology.

By far the biggest outside contributors to Matt Blunt's campaign, however, were colleagues of Roy Blunt. Campaign finance documents show 84 House lawmakers made 95 contributions to the secretary of state campaign, totaling more than $65,000.

"What it looks like is that people were giving not because of an independent desire to help Matt Blunt but because he was Roy Blunt's son," said Larry Noble of the Center for Responsive Politics. "Clearly, there are questions raised by the fact that so much money came from out-of-state donors, and it looks like the givers have interests where Mr. Blunt might be able to help.

Finally, Governor Matt Blunt has tried to prevent the U.S. Attorney's office from investigating his family's scandals by putting the wife of U.S. Attorney Todd Graves (U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri) on the Blunt Family payroll to the tune of a cool half million dollars a year, and he used taxpayer dollars to do it. This is described in the Kansas City Star. And here is an excerpt from a petition to Attorney General Gonzales demanding an investigation of this corruption:

It has recently been reported that United States Attorney Todd Graves and his family will personally benefit from no-bid state contracts valued at more than $3.6 million given by Missouri Governor Matt Blunt. This raises serious ethical and legal questions concerning Mr. Graves’ ability to perform his job, which includes investigating and prosecuting public corruption in federal, state and local government, including the Blunt administration, those who might attempt to influence the Blunt administration, or Blunt’s father, the United States Congressman from Missouri’s 7th District.

Awarding these contracts to the Graves family effectively undermines any attempt by the United States Attorney’s Office to investigate claims of public corruption as they did against former Speaker of the House Bob Griffin or Attorney General William Webster...

On Feb. 9, 2005 the Blunt administration announced that Tracy Graves, wife of United States Attorney Todd Graves, had been given a no-bid contract to run the second most lucrative motor vehicle fee office in Missouri, located in Gladstone. As the fee agent, Tracy Graves will gross more than $2.6 million over the next four years of Governor Blunt’s term. US Attorney Todd Graves’ brother-in-law, Todd Bartles, was also awarded a $1 million no-bid contract to run the Sugar Creek Motor Vehicle Fee Office.

In addition, two congressional staffers to Congressmen Sam Graves, who is the brother of United States Attorney Todd Graves, were also given no-bid contracts, even as they continue to be on the Federal Government’s payroll. Congressman Sam Graves’ Deputy Chief of Staff Dean Brookshier was given a no-bid contract to run the Chillicothe office and Field Representative Naomi Boss was awarded the Keytesville office.

This arrangement goes far beyond the appearance of impropriety. One could reasonably argue that this lucrative contract will ensure that the Blunt administration is never investigated for corruption or wrongdoing as long as United States Attorney Graves and his family are personally getting rich off of the administration.

We also strongly feel that United States Attorney Todd Graves has violated the U.S. Department of Justice’s Standards of Conduct, specifically section 1-4.320, which states:

Conflicts of Interest. Employees may not engage in outside activities that create or appear to create a conflict of interest with their official duties. Such a conflict exists when the outside activity would: (1) require the recusal of the employee from significant aspects of his or her official duties (5 C.F.R. § 2635.802(b)); (2) create an appearance that the employee's official duties were performed in a biased or less than impartial manner (5 C.F.R. § 2635.502); or (3) create an appearance of official sanction or endorsement (5 C.F.R. § 2635.702(b)).

It is our sincere hope that you would obtain all correspondence, including emails and phone records, between the Graves family, the Blunt transition team and the Blunt administration in connection with these arrangements. It is essential to know who approached whom in regards to this arrangement and what promises were made.

An added concern is the fact that in his official capacity, United States Attorney Graves also was a member of the interview and hiring team for the Missouri Department of Public Safety Director. This was an official governmental body that was responsible for the review of applicants and the selection of the final panel of nominees to the Governor. Such participation now makes it impossible for United States Attorney Graves to effectively investigate or prosecute misconduct by the Department of Public Safety in the expenditure of federal dollars, including Homeland Security Funds.

Can we tolerate this kind of corruption in American politics? The Republican party includes Roy Blunt in its leadership. This, along with their defense of Tom DeLay's corruption, is a dark stain on the reputation of the Republican party.

We have to support Robin Carnahan for Senate to show the Republicans that corruption doesn't pay. Carnahan is Missouri's secretary of state and has done an excellent job of it.

Also PLEASE write letters to the editor about the Blunts to get the word out about their corruption.

New York Focus: The Ongoing Working Families Party Scandal

2009-12-16T11:19:00.001-05:00

I got a fair amount of crap from people about my coverage of the Working Families Party scandal, wherein WFP was caught red handed violating campaign finance laws. Several people told me to lay off them because they are progressives. To me, though, corruption by people I agree with on policy is worse than corruption by Republicans, who I expect it from. So I covered the WFP scandal despite attacks from fellow progressives.

Well, now WFP and one of their star candidates, Developer Shill Bill de Blasio, have been subpoenaed by the U.S. Attorney's Office. So folks, it isn't just me who thinks WFP, Developer Money, and Bill de Blasio are rotten to the core despite their progressive rhetoric. From the New York Observer:

The Working Families Party has received a subpoena from the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District seeking information in connection with its efforts in the 2009 elections, a spokesman for the labor-backed party confirmed...

The party is being sued for its work on Staten Island Councilwoman-elect Debi Rose's campaign. A judge ruled last week that the trial can go forward.

It was also the subject of at least one complaint filed with the CFB.

Three days after the Nov. 3 elections, the party announced it had hired Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom to conduct a thorough review of the structure and relationship between the WFP and its for-profit arm, Data & Field Services. The review is being led by former Chief Judge Judith Kaye...

It's hard to overstate how bad this could be for the WFP.

I personally think that WFP skirted the edge of legality close enough that in the end there will be little actual punishment for their actions. But in my mind they have finally abandoned all pretense of being a reform organization. They have shown a complete willingness to bend and break laws and cooperate with corrupt political machines like the Vito Lopez machine in Brooklyn. WFP may well survive this scandal, but it is a real scandal nonetheless and one that finally shows their true colors: they are nothing more than another corrupt machine interested in their own power more than in actual governance. In this sense they are the same as the Vito Lopez or Clarence Norman machine which had perfectly respectable policy stands in most cases, but were corrupt as can be. I have high expectations of my fellow progressives. I don't accept corruption just because they have good rhetoric on policy. I find the corruption of Brooklyn's Democratic machine embarrassing as hell, and the corruption of the WFP is just as bad if not worse.

For a LOT more on the WFP scandal (I haven't covered it much recently due to taking some time off from blogging) please see the excellent coverage by the City Hall News here, here, here and here. And that's just the stuff published since I took a break from blogging.

(P.S. I know some of you out there are going to complain about this article, but how the hell can I speak out against Republican corruption if I don't speak out against this crap?)32

New York's "Hide the Predator Act"

2009-06-18T14:33:00.002-04:00

This is one of those times where it isn't just Republicans I am disgusted with. This is a case where a corrupt political deal involving Brooklyn's Party Boss Vito Lopez is essentially protecting child molesters.

Assemblyman Vito Lopez, political ally of WFP and city council candidates like Steve Levin and Maritza Davilla, is under attack for his watering down a bill to protect children abused by sex offenders sheltering in religious institutions. Here's video from a local TV station (sorry, includes an ad at the beginning...thanks to a reader for passing it on to me).

Wonder how Working Families Party, Steve Levin and Maritza Davilla justify their ties to this kind of back room deal to protect child abusers from legal prosecution by their victims. Will WFP, Steve Levin and Martiza Davilla repudiate Party Boss Lopez's protection of child abusers or will they toe the line like good little hacks and support protecting child abusers? My guess is they will toe the line.

Some more background from Jewish Week:

According to Marci Hamilton, professor of law at Cardozo Law School and author of “Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children,” the “correct name for the new Lopez bill [should be] ‘The Hide the Predator Act.’”

“Unlike the Markey bill, this bill does absolutely nothing to help New Yorkers identify the many secret child predators in New York, who have been benefiting from the short statutes of limitations for decades. With the Markey bill, we have a proven method of finding the predators in our midst. The Lopez bill gives them continuing cover to abuse our children.”

Lonnie Soury, a spokesman for Survivors for Justice, a group of abuse survivors who grew up in Orthodox communities, urged the legislators to “stop playing politics with our children’s lives. Any support for the Lopez bill is at the behest of, and in the interest of, the Church and a few Orthodox Jewish institutions and not designed to protect children and their families from predators.”

From the Jewish Star:

Sexual abuse activists have criticized the Lopez bill saying that it would help sexual predators. They claim it is meant to detract attention from the Child Victims Act, stronger legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Marge Markey (D-Queens), which would extend the civil and criminal statutes by five years and, more critically, open up a yearlong window to bring cases that currently are beyond the statute of limitations...

Marci Hamilton, a professor at Yeshiva University and the author of “Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect its Children,” said it was a “non-event” that the Lopez bill had made it out of committee, after all.

“The bill accomplishes nothing for victims,” Hamilton explained. “It’s classic form to make them look like they’re doing something, but it is keeping the secrets and keeping the predators under wraps.”

For Hamilton, the window is the most crucial element of the bill.

“We know how the window works,” she said, noting that when a similar bill passed in California, 300 previously unknown predators were identified. “It’s pretty simple — if you’re against the window, you don’t want the predators out.”

So next time you see someone from WFP, or Steve Levin or Maritza Davilla, confront them on this issue. Ask them if they support the "Hide the Predator Act" that their political mentor and ally, Vito Lopez, has proposed.

NORM COLEMAN: Abyssmally Stupid?

2009-03-12T12:55:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe this one. Seems Norm Coleman, the very much FORMER Senator from Minnesota who wants to run again for his old seat, has just completely compromised his donors' credit card information. This was discovered last January and yet Coleman only alerted his donors to the fact that their credit card info was now public knowledge until now. [UPDATE: Daily Kos has a good, if a bit over done, explanation of just how stupid and irresponsible Coleman and his campaign was.]

From the Minnesota Independent:

...scrutiny by web enthusiasts exposed a bigger problem for the campaign: an unprotected database that contained information on campaign donors, including names, email and home addresses, credit card numbers and the three-digit security codes. On Tuesday, donors received an email from the website Wikileaks alerting them that the site has revealed some of the database information.

“We understand that Norm Coleman became aware of the leak in January,” the note reads, in part...

The Hill indicates that it’s been in contact with the Coleman campaign which aknowledged “that the private information of its supporters has probably been breached and is encouraging them to cancel their credit cards.”

Campaign spokesman Cullen Sheehan wrote in an email to supporters that that there was no “evidence that our database was downloaded by any unauthorized party,” but he doesn’t dispute the possibility that security has been breached. Several IT professionals interviewed by the Minnesota Independent in late January revealed they had downloaded the database, which was not password protected. This fact seems to contradict Sheehan’s report about findings by federal authorities looking into the case. They “did not find evidence that our database was downloaded by any unauthorized party.”

This seems to have violated Minnesota law, as pointed out in the comments of the above article:

The Minnesota Independent adds that Wikileaks pointed out that if the campaign knew of the leak and failed to alert donors immediately, there has been a violation of state law. Minnesota statute 325E.61 states: (a) Any person or business that conducts business in this state, and that owns or licenses data that includes personal information, shall disclose any breach of the security of the system following discovery or notification of the breach in the security of the data to any resident of this state whose unencrypted personal information was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by an unauthorized person. The disclosure must be made in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay, consistent with the legitimate needs of law enforcement, as provided in paragraph (c), or with any measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach, identify the individuals affected, and restore the reasonable integrity of the data system.

And has royally pissed off Norm Coleman's donors...NOT something a candidate wants to do if he is running to regain his old seat he just narrowly lost.

This shows the following characteristics of Norm Coleman: Incompetence, Irresponsibility, Disregard for the Law, and Dishonesty. Republican values at their best, aren't they? It also, along with his other scandals, probably ruins any chance of him reviving his political career.

Bank of America Seems to Like Pissing off Americans

2009-02-10T16:13:00.000-05:00

Recently, I wrote about how Bank of America, right after grabbing taxpayer money through the bank bailout, went ahead and used some of that money to lobby against the very popular Employee Free Choice Act and tried to raise money for Republican Senators. By the way, the Employee Free Choice Act passed DESPITE this use of bailout money by Bank of America to lobby against it.

This led me to decide to not bank at Bank of America and to stop using my credit cards from them. Funny how they love corporate welfare but oppose anything that helps working class and middle class Americans.

I also decided to look into Bank of America's record in general on social issues. First thing I discovered was that according to Co-op America's Responsible Shopper, Bank of America is considered tied with Citicorp for worst bank or financial institution. Here are some comments (last updated 9/2008) from Responsible Shopper regarding Bank of America:

Bank of America is the second largest US bank and operates more than 5,700 branch locations.

• Bank of America has been sued by the New York State Attorney General for multiple instances of improper mutual fund trading, including the most costly trading scandal to date, which the company settled for $675 million.

• Bank of America claims to enrich communities with its nationwide reach, but its acquisition of MBNA, the country's third-largest credit card company, has raised concerns about continued predatory lending and soaring interest rates due to stifled competition.

• Bank of America is one of the largest investors in coal and coal fired power, which is responsible for nearly a third of the nation's CO2 emissions, and also funds surface coal mining.

By the way, according to Responsible Shopper, Wachovia, Wells Fargo and Suntrust are nominally the best of the big banks, though consolidations and buyouts may be shifting all this. But it is clear that as long as Bank of America's money grubbing CEO, Ken Lewis, is running the show, Bank of America will remain one of the worst financial institutions in America.

Which leads to some other sites I came across. Seems Bank of America is pissing off lots of people with their treatment of customers as well. Grabbing taxpayer money then stabbing the taxpayer in the back is pretty low. But treating your customers poorly goes even beyond that to outright poor business practices. Here are two examples of some pretty pissed off customers.

First, there is a gentle man named Robert G. Seketa, who runs two websites: Boycott Bank of America and Stop Bank Abuse. Both are dedicated to trying and stop the predatory lending practices that LED to the need for a bank bailout in the first place. Check out his websites to see more about Bank of America's lending practices and their poor treatment of customers. But there is one thing I want to post from his site: a breakdown of which banks get the most complaints from customers according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency:

Bank of America: 7,230 complaints (25.5% of total)
J.P. Morgan Chase: 4,890 complaints (17.3%)
Citigroup: 3,742 complaints (13.2%)
Wells Fargo: 2,695 complaints (9.5%)
HSBC North America: 1,963 complaints (6.9%)
Wachovia: 1,265 complaints (4.5%)
U.S. Bancorp: 1,027 complaints (3.6%)
National City: 586 complaints (2.1%)
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group: 537 complaints (1.9 %)
Key Corp: 343 complaints (1.2 %)

Total Top 10 complaints: 24,278 complaints (85.7%)
Total complaints: 28,316 complaints (100%)

Note that Bank of America and Citicorp (the two worst financial institutions according to Responsible Shopper) also are among the three companies that get the most customer complaints filed. So by two different measures these two companies suck. I should note that the chart doesn't give a time frame, so I don't know if it is for a certain year or cumulative. It also would be interesting to break it down per customer, since some of these companies are much bigger than others.

Next we come to another pissed off Bank of America customer who is taking it to the web. From Times Square Gossip we get this complaint:

am calling for everyone that reads Times Square Gossip to boycott The Bank Of America. I have had it with their underhanded business practices. If you have their credit cards or have a account in their bank, cancel it. I never look at credit card bills, I just pay them online every month. I never look at the interest rates, I just always assume that they are the same as always. Well yesterday I just happened to look for once and was I shocked. They raised my rates from 17 percent to almost 26 percent. I could not believe it. I always pay on time, I always pay 2 or three times the minimum due and I have had this card for years. My credit score is 702 which is considered excellent. I was outraged. I called them up today, and they told me they had sent me a notice last March (One year I didn't notice the higher rate) and that I had the option of not using the card and still pay the low rate or if I used the card, the higher rate prevailed. I said, why would I care about a cheaper rate on a card if I couldn't use it and if I did I would pay the higher rate. I asked them why my rate was raised in the first place. They said they reviewed my account and I was now considered a higher risk. A higher risk? I pay on time, I always pay more than minimum, and I have a high credit score. They said that's what they decided but since I was unhappy, he could give me a rate of 23 point something. So I said let me get this straight, " I pay on time on the credit card for years, I pay more than minimum, I have a excellent history and score and this is the way you treat a customer for many years?" I told him to cancel my credit card. I don't want to deal with a sleazy bank like Bank Of America." I am paying off the credit card in full when the final bill arrives ( Besides it's only 15 hundred owed anyway) and next week I am canceling my checking and savings accounts with them too. They charge higher rates than the Mafia. This is also just one horror story on The Bank Of America. I have so many more on what they have done over the years to my checking accounts. I never switched because I have several direct deposits and didn't want to go through the task of finding another bank and calling all my direct deposits and switching them. But now I will find a new bank this week and The Bank Of America can go FU*K themselves. I have millions of readers, and I urge anyone that has accounts with them to close them. If you also have horror stories on them, please tell them below by clicking comment or e-mail them to me and I will post. I will also be posting this story on all our sister websites. I will be posting more horror stories every couple of weeks, so stay tuned.

Okay, so a gossip column is not my usual source. But consider this: progressive activist mole333, a NYC gossip columnist, and blue-collar type Robert Seketa all are pissed at Bank of America. If three such different people can agree Bank of America sucks, it is no wonder they lead in numbers of complaints filed against them.

I would add that there also was a discrimination suit filed against Bank of America by five black workers,

So, it comes down to this:

1. poor customer service (based on number of complaints filed against them)

2. poor business practices (leading to their needing a bailout)

3. Betrayal of the very taxpayers that bailed them out by lobbying against the Employee Free Choice Act

4. A discrimination lawsuit

5. Investment in polluting coal power plants

6. sued by the New York State Attorney General for a massive mutual fund trading scandal

Seems like there are a lot of reasons to not like Bank of America.

Dear Bank of America

2009-02-09T14:23:00.001-05:00

Dear Bank of America,

I am a customer. That's right. I have a couple of Bank of America credit cards. My wife and I are also looking for a bank for some accounts. But you know, your ingratitude leads me to refuse to bank with you and to consider cutting up those credit cards.

First off, you never thanked us for that bail out. Yeah. WE bailed you out. That was OUR money that you so eagerly grabbed from the government.

Okay, so I was willing to overlook that little act of ingratitude on your part. But now I find out that your ingratitude goes even further. You see, after eagerly grabbing a government hand out (paid for by us taxpayers!) you then turned around and stabbed us in the back. You took the money and used part of it to lobby against the Employee Free Choice Act, a labor bill that is supported by a large majority of Americans.

From the Huffington Post:

Three days after receiving $25 billion in federal bailout funds, Bank of America Corp. hosted a conference call with conservative activists and business officials to organize opposition to the U.S. labor community's top legislative priority.

Participants on the October 17 call -- including at least one representative from another bailout recipient, AIG -- were urged to persuade their clients to send "large contributions" to groups working against the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), as well as to vulnerable Senate Republicans, who could help block passage of the bill...

Donations of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars to Republican senatorial campaigns were needed, they argued, to prevent America from turning "into France."

Boy, you guys were eager as hell to grab taxpayer money from the government, but as soon as there is a fair labor bill coming up, suddenly it is the fucking end of civilization? And in the midst of huge popular support for Obama and the Democrats, many of whom supported your bail out, you decide now is the time to support the party that just ruined our economy over the last 8 years. This really is pretty disgusting on your part. I agree with the observations made on Daily Kos regarding your igratitude:

So Bank of America, fresh with taxpayer bailout boodle courtesy of American workers, is spending its time and money trying to screw those same American workers...

It's little wonder that the SEIU has called on BofA to fire CEO Ken Lewis. It's unconscionable for the receipients of government handouts to spend their time and money to try and defeat the Employee Free Choice Act -- the cornerstone of long-term economic revitalization. It's time for change in the boardrooms.

Bank of America: your actions have consequences. Next time you come for a government handout, I will lobby my Congressional Rep and Senators (all Democrats, I will add) that I oppose bailing out any banks because you use OUR money to lobby AGAINST us.

Furthermore, any Bank of America credit cards I now have will be shoved aside. I won't use them anymore. I don't want to patronize an ungrateful company that will turn against me right after I helped bail them out.

Of course should you decide that CEO Ken Lewis has overstepped the bounds of decency and fire the bastard, I will consider patronizing your company once again.

Sincerely,

A Customer

Republican Corruption Continues: RNC chief Michael Steele

2009-02-07T14:39:00.002-05:00

The Republican Party just plain doesn't get it. In 2006 they lost big because of the massive corruption within their party. Then in 2008 they still maintained their corruption, to the point of actually having a VP candidate who didn't pay her taxes and who was actively under investigation for abuse of power.

Now the Republicans have a new chair of the Republican National Committee, one Michael Steele. Recently it came out that Steele is more than willing to let anti-Semitism be used on his behalf. But now it turns out Steele also is yet another corrupt Republican.

From the Washington Post:

Steele's Campaign Spending Questioned

Michael S. Steele, the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, arranged for his 2006 Senate campaign to pay a defunct company run by his sister for services that were never performed, his finance chairman from that campaign has told federal prosecutors...

The recent allegations outlined four specific transactions. In addition to the payment to Steele's sister, Fabian said that the candidate used money from his state campaign improperly; that Steele paid $75,000 from the state campaign to a law firm for work that was never performed; and that he or an aide transferred more than $500,000 in campaign cash from one bank to another without authorization...

In one of his allegations, Fabian points to a February 2007 payment by Steele's Senate campaign of more than $37,000 to Brown Sugar Unlimited, the company run by Steele's sister, Monica Turner. Campaign finance records list the expense as having been for "catering/web services." Turner filed papers to dissolve the company 11 months before the payment was received...

In another allegation, Fabian claimed that payments to two vendors in 2006 for work on the Senate campaign were made from Steele's state account rather than from his federal coffers...

It is a violation of federal campaign finance regulations for a candidate to use funds raised for a state campaign to pay for expenses associated with a federal campaign...

Over the years, money trouble has been a persistent problem for Steele. His first race for public office, a 1998 bid for the Republican nomination for state comptroller, ended nearly $35,000 in debt, much of it to his sister. He was fined twice by state officials for missing deadlines to file campaign finance reports and was in debt and had faced foreclosure in 2001, the year before he was selected as Ehrlich's running mate. The state party threw Steele a financial lifeline, awarding him an unusual $30,000 consulting contract.

Typical Republican disregard for the law. And THIS guy, who has shown a persistent difficulty handling money and keeping within the law, was the guy the RNC chose to be their leader.

Republican Election Fraud: The Evidence Mounts

2008-12-04T13:21:00.001-05:00

I still hear people dismissing accusations of Republican election fraud as crazy conspiracy theories. This dispite mounting evidence that Republicans and their corporate allies, like Diebold, HAVE systematically explored vote tampering. Right now the evidence is strongest for the 2002 Senate race in Georgia and now evidence links Karl Rove with election fraud in that race.

Anyone who first makes such accusations is almost bound to be accused of being crazy. One of the earliest whistle blowers was Clint Curtis in Florida, a former Republican and computer expert, who claims he was approached by his Congressman, Tom Feeney, and asked to design software that could alter vote totals on touch-screen voting machines. This was in 2000 BEFORE the Presidential election. Clint Curtis was horrified, left the Republican Party in protest and even made two runs against Feeney (whose corrupt ass was finally brought down this year by Kosmas). Many criticized Curtis for claiming that people were trying to subvert the touchscreen machines BEFORE the 2000 election when supposedly no one was thinking touch screen. Well, some actual investigativg journalism by Dan Rather eventually revealed that people WERE thinking touch screen before the 2000 election and, in fact, the problems that arose in 2000 in Florida may have been part of the push for touch screen machines. That makes two reports of Republican scheming to commit election fraud in Florida. Add to that evidence that Republicans deliberately tried to create an undercount in Florida's 2006 Congressional race in the FL-13 district (see here and here) and you have a pretty good case for Republican Fraud in Florida.

Now let's turn to Georgia where a second whistle blower is confirming that fraud was probably committed in the 2002 Senate election. Previously, I have written about Stephen Spoonamore, a REPUBLICAN cyber-security expert and former adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who claims there is clear evidence that Diebold deliberately tampered with their own machines in Democratic districts in Georgia in 2002. Essentially, a computer patch was installed in person by Diebold CEO Bob Urosevich, who flew in from Texas to apply this patch in DeKalb and Fulton counties, both Democratic strongholds. Georgia's election board was not aware of this change in the voting machines until after the election. The patch was claimed to be to fix a problem with the computer clock but did NOT fix it. Democrats raised the alarm over this at the time but were, as usual, dismissed as crazy. Then Spoonamore (again...a REPUBLICAN) came out supporting their accusations. I should add that Spoonamore aslo believes there is evidence of Republican election fraud in Ohio in 2004.

Now comes another whistle blower confirming this story:

...a former Diebold vote machine contractor who was in charge of preparing the 2002 election between Saxby Chambliss and Max Cleland has stated that the software patches placed on the voting machines in the weeks prior to the election could have rigged the election in favor of Republican Chambliss.

We get confirmation directly from a former Diebold contractor. So, a Republican cybersecurity expert AND a former Diebold contractor agree that the 2002 Senate election in Georgia was probably rigged by Republicans and Diebold. But the conspiracy (a real one, it seems) goes one step further. The same article claims that Karl Rove himself was part of the fraud.

Three pieces of clear evidence for fraud in Florida in 2000 and 2006. Two pieces of clear evidence for fraud in Georgia in 2002, with a clear connection to Diebold's president, and a possible connection to Karl Rove. And the same cybersecurity expert who blew the whistle on Georgia's election fraud considers Ohio 2004 also suspicious.

How much evidence will it take before the Republicans and Diebold are held accountable for their fraud?

Defeating Chickenhawk Chambliss in Georgia

2008-10-18T15:51:00.000-04:00

This year Georgia has the opportunity not only to elect a fine Democrat, Jim Martin, to the Senate, but also to right a terrible wrong committed by Republicans 6 years ago. Jim Martin is running against Republican Saxby Chambliss who ran a sleazy, nasty smear campaign against Vietnam War hero and disabled Veteran Max Cleland. Saxby Chambliss, in comparison to Max Cleland's war record, was given five student deferments and he received a medical deferment for a bad knees due to a football injury. So Chickenhawk Chambliss smeared a genuine war hero, Max Cleland, to win a Senate seat.

Now Democrat Jim Martin, also Vietnam Veteran, is running to defeat Chickenhawk Chambliss. Here is the latest ad from Jim Martin's campaign:

Jim Martin has been endorsed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

In his almost six years in the U.S. Senate, Saxby Chambliss has built a reputation as a loyal defender of President Bush and his policies and as a champion of corporate interests.

The people of Georgia now have to decide whether that’s the senator they want for the next six years as well...

[Jim] Martin, a University of Georgia graduate who volunteered to serve his country in Vietnam, has pitched his campaign at his opponent’s weak spot by focusing on protecting the middle class. He advocates lower taxes on the middle class, stronger consumer protection laws and an end to corporate welfare. He has also criticized Chambliss’ vote on the Wall Street rescue package, a position that frankly smacks of political opportunism.

However, Martin has a long record of public service in the state Legislature, where he earned respect from Democrats and Republicans alike for his intelligence and willingness to buck party leaders if necessary. He was appointed by Gov. Roy Barnes, a fellow Democrat, to head the Department of Human Resources, and was asked to remain in that post when Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue took office.

He is what he seems like, a smart guy who wants to help his fellow Georgians and doesn’t care who gets the credit...

Overall...the best candidate is Martin. In what look to be six difficult years ahead, he would do well for the people of Georgia.

Jim Martin has also been endorsed by the Macon Telegraph.

Jim Martin is the best choice for Georgia. But it goes beyond this. To me, defeating Saxby Chambliss is a matter of honor as well because of how he "won" the Senate seat through smearing a good man and, quite likely, through fraud. A win for Jim Martin would not only replace a Bush Republican with someone who is more loyal to the people of Georgia than to the failed Bush policies, but also would restore the honor of Georgia.

Six years ago Republican Saxby Chambliss won the Georgia Senate race through a sleazy smear campaign against Vietnam War Hero and disabled Veteran Max Cleland. Chambliss ran one of the nastiest campaigns I have ever seen and the fact that he called the loyalty of a decorated war hero into question added to my disgust. Even fellow Republicans John McCain and Chuck Hagel were disgusted by Saxby Chambiss' sleaze campaign.

But it also appears Chambliss won at least partly due to election fraud. According to Republican cybersecurity expert Stephen Spoonamore, formerly an adviser to Sen. John McCain, investigated a computer patch that was installed PERSONALLY by Diebold CEO Bob Urosevich in just two counties, DeKalb and Fulton, both Democratic strongholds. From Raw Story:

A leading cyber-security expert and former adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) says he has fresh evidence regarding election fraud on Diebold electronic voting machines during the 2002 Georgia gubernatorial and senatorial elections.

Stephen Spoonamore is the founder and until recently the CEO of Cybrinth LLC, an information technology policy and security firm that serves Fortune 100 companies. At a little noticed press conference in Columbus, Ohio Thursday, he discussed his investigation of a computer patch that was applied to Diebold Election Systems voting machines in Georgia right before that state's November 2002 election.

Let me just say here that I publicized some Democrats who called attention to this same computer patch back in 2002. No one listend back then. But maybe a major Republican IT expert can finally get some attention to this issue. More from the same article:

Spoonamore is one of the most prominent cyber-security experts in the country. He has appeared on CNN's Lou Dobbs and ABC's World News Tonight, and has security clearances from his work with the intelligence community and other government agencies, as well as the Department of Defense, and is one of the world’s leading authorities on hacking and cyber-espionage...

Spoonamore received the Diebold patch from a whistleblower close to the office of Cathy Cox, Georgia’s then-Secretary of State. In discussions with RAW STORY, the whistleblower -- who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation -- said that he became suspicious of Diebold's actions in Georgia for two reasons. The first red flag went up when the computer patch was installed in person by Diebold CEO Bob Urosevich, who flew in from Texas and applied it in just two counties, DeKalb and Fulton, both Democratic strongholds. The source states that Cox was not privy to these changes until after the election and that she became particularly concerned over the patch being installed in just those two counties.

The whistleblower said another flag went up when it became apparent that the patch installed by Urosevich had failed to fix a problem with the computer clock, which employees from Diebold and the Georgia Secretary of State’s office had been told the patch was designed specifically to address.

The article goes on to discuss probable Republican fraund in Ohio in 2004.

Saxby Chambliss: a dishonorable Bush Republican who even Republicans think cheated and lied his way into office.

Jim Martin: an honorble Veteran respected by both Democrats and Republicans. You can learn more about Jim Martin at his website.

Right Wing Idiocy: Obama as Muslim...and "exterminate Jew power"

2008-10-13T12:14:00.001-04:00

In my continuing coverage of Republican racism and anti-Semitism, one of the stupidest Republican memes was "gee, uh, duh, isn't Obama a Moooslim?"

My first reaction was "so what if he was?" Why couldn't a Muslim be an American leader? But that is beside the point. There has never, ever been the slightest evidence that Obama was Muslim.

Those who listen to this lie and believe it are, quite honestly, abyssmally stupid or amazingly gullible.

But who originated the "duh...Obama is a Moooslim" lie?

Seems an unstable anti-Semite, named Andy Martin, started it. And Fox News let this unstable anti-Semite assert lies without questioning him...yet another connection between Fox News, lies, and anti-Semitism.

Andy Martin's admission to the bar was blocked due to “moderately severe character defect manifested by well-documented ideation with a paranoid flavor and a grandiose character.” Andy Martin has run both as a Democrat and as a Republican, yet it should be noted that no Democrat quotes him or listens to his lies, while Fox News and many McCain supporters pay close attention to him, seemingly without applying even minimal logical skepticism. Jerome Corsi even starts his now discredited book about Obama with a quote from Andy Martin, and many Republicans ate it up.

According to the NY Times, when Andy Martin ran for Congress in Connecticut, he listed as one reason for his run was “to exterminate Jew power.”

In a 1983 bankruptcy case Andy Martin called the judge “a crooked, slimy Jew who has a history of lying and thieving common to members of his race.”

In 1983, Mr. Martin wrote, “I am able to understand how the Holocaust took place, and with every passing day feel less and less sorry that it did.”

THIS is who Fox News and Jerome Corsi and many Republicans are listening to. Paranoia and anti-Semitism seem perfectly accpetable to right wing Republicans these days.

So, to anyone who repeats the "duh, Obama is a Moooslim" lie to you, point out to them that this lie was started by an unstable anti-Semite who wants to "exterminate Jew power." See what they think then.

Norm Coleman: Corrupt Republican in Minnesota

2008-10-08T21:09:00.004-04:00

The latest Republican to get caught in a scandal is Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota. He seems to be getting hit with a bunch of scandals all at once. Of course this will come as no suprise to those who know that Coleman is good buddies with Alaska's Ted Stevens, currently indicted for corruption and who I have dubbed the most corrupt politician in America. Seems some of Ted Stevens' greedy mentality has rubbed off on Norm Coleman.

Scandal number one is a violation of the Senate Ethics rules. Seems that Norm Coleman's Washington, DC home is rented to him at well below market value by fellow member of the Republican Culture of Corruption, Jeff Larson. And when I mean rented at well below market value, I mean when Coleman even bothers to pay his rent. Larson generally lets Coleman skip his rent, basically giving him free lodgings. Now this COULD be just kindness on Larson's part, except it directly violates the Senate ethics rules regarding gifts.

But Coleman's violations of the Senate Ethics rules goes even further. Coleman basically receives vacations to the Bahamas and Paris, suits and other goodies from Minnesota businessman Nasser Kazeminy. And just who is Norm Coleman's wonderful patron? You guessed it. He's a government contractor. Norm Coleman is receiving gifts from someone whose company gets government contracts. This kind of thing is frowned upon in any political position, but it is an outright violation of the ethics rules for Senators. Coleman, of course, is denying any wrongdoing, but let's remember that when a Democrat, Senator Bob Torricelli of New Jersey, did the exact same thing, he was reprimanded by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics and retired. Funny how the Democratic Party actually fights corruption within its ranks while Republicans circle the wagons and defend even their most corrupt members.

Norm Coleman may not be around much longer, though. Democrat Al Franken is catching up fast in the polls. And with Minnesota voters increasingly seeing Norm Coleman's behavior as "shameful," I think Franken has a good shot.

Here are a couple of powerful videos from Al Franken's website showing how people view Norm Coleman.

First, Iraq War vet Sam Scott calls Norm Coleman's attacks "the same old shameful Washington politics" and tells Minnesotans why he's proud to stand with Al Franken.

Next, after the Star Tribune and KSTP-TV blasted ads from the Coleman campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee as false and misleading, the Al Franken for Senate campaign today released a new television ad featuring Minnesota women expressing their disgust and outrage at the depths to which Norm Coleman has sunk.

Norm Coleman: just another shameful Bush Republican who stoops to corruption, lies and smears.

FLorida Rep. Wexler on Justice Department Corruption

2008-10-01T20:16:00.000-04:00

Congressman Wexler has posted an update on the Republican Justice Department scandal...and some of the most damning evidence comes from the Bush Administration itself. This is a scandal that strikes at the heart of our democracy, because without an independent judiciary, democracy cannot exist. The Bush Administration's subversion of the American justice system for self-serving, partisan purposes is about as unAmerican as you can get. From Daily Kos:

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the Bush Justice Department fired people for blatantly partisan purposes - breaking the law and injecting politics into our justice system...

This week, Glenn Fine, the Inspector General, assigned to investigate the politicization of the Justice Department released a critically important 392 page report.

In it, he stated they found "significant evidence that political partisan considerations were an important factor in the removal of several of the U.S. attorneys." Remember, this report comes from Bush's own Justice Department investigation. Imagine the scathing report that would come from a fully nonpartisan source...

The report is so damning of Alberto Gonzales, Rove, Miers, and others that the current Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, has appointed a Special Prosecutor to investigate and, if warranted, issue criminal charges.

Whether this is the beginning of real accountability remains to be seen, but it is my mission to try to make sure Congress does not abdicate its responsibility to do its own investigations.

Later this week, Chairman Conyers and the Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on this matter, where I expect to vigorously question Inspector General Fine and other witnesses...

Given the fact that John McCain's campaign is chock full of Bush and Rove allies, there is no reason to think a McCain administration would stop the corruption and mismanagement of the justice department. Obviously, working to elect Obama gets us much closer to this goal.

While we are dealing with very serious issues in Congress this week, it is my view that the threat posed by a corrupting of the Justice department is of vital importance and must be dealt with seriously by this Congress.

Nothing less than our system of justice is at stake. We must not be distracted from that reality.

Please keep vigilant.

Sincerely,

Congressman Robert Wexler

I find it interesting that Sarah Palin is ALSO embroiled in a similar subversion of government for self-serving purposes. The Troopergate scandal is more trivial than the Justice Department scandal, but it really illustrates that the McCain/Palin ticket is just more of the same Bush corruption and abuse of power. And just like the Bush Administration, the McCain/Palin ticket does NOT represent American democracy.

Republican Corruption in Washington State

2008-09-30T20:20:00.001-04:00

Seems that Washington State Republican gubenatorial candidate Dino Rossi is a bona fide part of the Republican Culture of Corruption. It is hard, these days, to find a law-abding Republican anymore! From Daily Kos:

It's well known in Washington state that Republican gubenatorial candidate Dino Rossi is essentially a subsidiary of the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW). Check that--a subsidiary of the corrupt BIAW. Washington's attorney general has filed suit against the organization, along with the tweedle dum to its dee, the Master Builders Association (MBA), last week. The two organizations have been funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars into Republican campaigns, particularly Rossi's. The state's Public Disclosure Commission found the BIAW and MBA guilty of multiple "egregious" campaign finance violations, which led to the AG's suit.

So, was Rossi an unwitting beneficiary of these illegat activities, or was he an active participant? Well, we can get it right from the horse's ass (yes...that's the name of the website):

Documents released today reveal that Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi was not only aware of the Building Industry Association of Washington’s (BIAW) illegal fundraising activities, but that he actively solicited funds on their behalf from at least one organization, the Master Builder’s Association (MBA). According to a summary of events posted by attorney Knoll Lowney:

When MBA leadership met...on May 21, 2007 at a “Chair Officers Meeting,” the discussion turned to BIAW’s pending request for campaign funds. While discussing the request, all three of the MBA’s top officers reported that they had received calls from Dino Rossi. The one call for which additional detail is provided clearly confirms that Rossi called to support a MBA contribution to the BIAW’s governor’s race war chest. The minutes leave no question that Dino Rossi spoke to this officer about whether and when MBA would give to the BIAW’s governor campaign fund. The officers receiving calls from Rossi were then-MBA President Doug Barnes, First Vice President Joe Schwab, and Second Vice President John Day.

So Rossi was a DIRECT PARTICIPANT in these illegal activities. Yet ANOTHER corrupt Republican who disregards the laws that the rest of us have to follow.

More from the Horse's Ass website:

Rossi called not one, but at least three MBA board members to solicit funds for “the BIAW’s war chest,” a war chest that was explicitly described at the MBA’s previous meeting as “a fund for Rossi.” And it is clear, both from the context of this excerpt, and from the stated response to Rossi from MBA Second VP John Day, that the subject of those calls was indeed these solicited funds.

What should now be absolutely obvious to even the most objective observer is that Rossi was an active participant in the BIAW’s illegal fundraising scheme… a scheme for which the PDC found the BIAW guilty of multiple “egregious” violations of Washington’s campaign finance and disclosure laws, and which is now being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office.

But it is important to note that even if the BIAW had scrupulously conducted its campaign within the letter of the law (and it didn’t), Rossi would still be guilty of a major violation of our campaign statutes, for it is absolutely positively 100% illegal (not to mention grossly unethical) for a candidate to coordinate activities with an independent expenditure campaign.

The Republican Culture of Corruption still plagues this country. America must reject this kind of crap...and it HAS been. Rossi's disregard for the law should be his downfall if voters care ANYTHING for values, honesty and the law.

Problem Palin Implicated in Troopergate

2008-09-30T14:31:00.000-04:00

The Alaska Republican Party is quite probably the most corrupt state party around today, though I will say that it has competition from the Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio Republican parties. From the VECO scandal to Troopergate, almost the entire Alaska Republican Party is under investigation, indicted or, for some State level Republicans, in jail. One of the Republican Senators and Alaska's House Rep are part of this culture of corruption.

Now it seems to be Sarah Palin's turn.

When I was first told that John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his VP, my response was "is he crazy?" To pick someone who is ACTIVELY under investigation and who is a member of the most corrupt state party in the country seemed insane given the fact that Republican corruption was the number one issue in 2006...and one that led to a major Democratic victory. For McCain, himself linked to the old Savings and Loan scandal, to pick someone actively under investigation seemed to be among the dumbest things he could have done.

Now is when it will start to hurt him, as the Troopergate investigation goes into full swing.

From The Public Record:

An Alaska woman who owns a company that processes workers’ compensation claims in the state has told an independent investigator that she was urged by the office of Gov. Sarah Palin to deny a benefits claim for Palin’s ex brother-in-law, a state trooper who was involved in an ugly divorce and child custody dispute with Palin’s sister, despite evidence that the claim appeared to be legitimate, according to state officials who were briefed about the conversation.

Murlene Wilkes, the proprietor of Harbor Adjusting Services in Anchorage, had originally denied that she was pressured by Gov. Palin’s office to deny state trooper Mike Wooten’s claim for workers compensation benefits.

But Wilkes changed her story two weeks ago when she was subpoenaed by Steven Branchflower, the former federal prosecutor who was appointed in July to probe allegations Gov. Palin, Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate, abused her office by abruptly ousting Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, state officials knowledgeable about her conversation with Branchflower said.

Monegan has said he felt pressured by Gov. Palin, her husband, Todd, and several of her aides to fire Wooten. Branchflower’s investigation centers on whether Palin fired Monegan because he refused to fire Wooten...

Wilkes has a $1.2 million contract with the state to handle workers compensation claims....
Wilkes told Branchflower she believed it was impressed upon her from Palin's office that she would lose the contract if she did not deny the claim, state officials knowledgeable about her testimony said.

Abuse of power...disregard for the law...mean-spiritied vendettas...Yep, Problem Palin is a typical corrupt Republican.

Problem Palin

2008-09-05T14:00:00.003-04:00

Last week it was all Palin. Well, here is a little more.

First comes something from the Anchorage Daily News.

Governor is stonewalling the Troopergate investigation

Gov. Sarah Palin is taking the wrong approach to Troopergate. She should be practicing the open and transparent, ethical and accountable government she promised when running for governor and boasts about now that she's on the national stage.

Instead, Gov. Palin has begun stonewalling the Legislature's attempt to get the bottom of allegations that she, her family or staff violated ethical or state personnel rules...

The allegations are that she, her family or administration improperly pressured then-Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan to fire Gov. Palin's ex-brother-in-law, state trooper Mike Wooten, who had been in the middle of a custody dispute with Palin's sister...

Palin's lawyer has asked the Legislature to drop its investigation. He had the governor file an ethics complaint against herself, in a bid to turn the entire matter over to the state Personnel Board, which would hire an independent investigator.

This is not an open and transparent attempt to establish Gov. Palin's accountability. It is an attempt to drag out the investigation until after voters decide the fate of her vice-presidential bid.

This is typical of the disgusting corruption among Alaska Republicans.

Next let me quote from Badger Blues calling Palin an outright liar:

An incomplete list of things we know about Sarah Palin:

In both of her big campaign speeches, she repeatedly lied about opposing the bridge to nowhere.

As mayor, she tried to ban books from the public library, and then tried to fire the librarian who wouldn’t go along with her.

As mayor, she fired the police chief for not supporting her election campaign.

As governor, she tried to fire her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper. When it became public, she lied about it.

As governor, she fired the state’s chief of police when he wouldn’t go along with her plan to fire her ex-brother-in-law. When it became public, she lied about it.

Oh, and she opposes birth control, even for married couples, and she opposes abortion, even in the case of rape or incest. She doesn’t believe in global warming, and she wants to teach creationism in our schools.

Again, typical corrupt, lying republican.

You can find an extensive fact check of Palin's RNC speech over at Progressive Alaska.

Finally I will end with a quote from Open Left, which is asking "Who Chose Palin?"

Who chose Palin?

Well, it certainly wasn't John McCain.

McCain only met Palin once, six months ago. Unlike every other major party VP nominee in recent memory, Palin did not meet McCain for a final interview before her selection. A few weeks ago, she wasn't in the running at all. The scandals and unorthodoxies involving Palin -- she flip-flopped on the Bridge to Nowhere and even raised sales taxes on her small town to pay for an overpriced boondoggle -- show that the McCain campaign didn't vet her. The McCains and Palins looked visibly awkward together, not even speaking as they went their separate ways on a brief shopping trip in Ohio yesterday. McCain is on record as saying he wanted a running mate with whom he had a strong personal relationship -- and who was ready to be president.

This was clearly not his pick. So again: Who chose Palin?

When I first heard he chose Palin it really made me wonder just what he was thinking picking someone who was actively under investigation and who hails from the most corrupt state party in the country, the Alaska Republicans. He was just ASKING for corruption to be the big issue of the election, and remember it was Republican Corruption that won it for Democrats in 2006. Let's hope the issue wins it for us again.

Let me remind you of just how corrupt Republicans really are by directing you to a now outdated but still relevant list of Democrat vs. Republican corruption. We can of course add Palin herself to the list for the Troopergate investigation.

The Most Corrupt Politician Alive Indicted: Ted Stevens (Senator from Alaska)

2008-07-29T13:32:00.001-04:00

I have written about Ted Stevens before, and this will mostly serve to remind you of what I have already written about. But the news is that the first indictments are coming through. Ted Stevens has been served with seven indictments for false statements. I say the first because it is clear that these first seven indictments are only the tip of the iceburg. Ted Stevens is going down!

Of all the Republicans I have discussed whose morals are severly compromised, I have to say, Ted Stevens of Alaska just might top the list. I already brought him up in the context of the VECO scandal that has crippled the Alaska Republican Party. But honestly, the VECO scandal is only the tip of the iceberg of corruption for Ted Stevens. Here are some excerpts from the "Ethics Questions" section of his Congressopedia entry...possibly the longest list of "Ethics Questions" in all of Congressopedia:

Ethics questions

In 2003, The Los Angeles Times published charges that Stevens had gained financially through influence peddling, steering government contracts to his associates, and insider trading (see below), all of which Stevens denied. [16]

In 1997, Stevens invested $50,000 with developer Jonathan B. Rubini. In 2002 Rubini and his partner bought back the senator's interests in their deals for $872,000. During the time that Stevens had money invested with Rubini, Stevens steered a $450 million contract to Rubini to build and own housing at Elmendorf Air Force Base. Rubini's company was one of the only in-state outfits capable of handling the contract. The senator had no financial interest in that deal. [17]

...

Favors for his son

On August 31, 2006, the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based government watchdog group, exposed a 2003 LA Times article documenting nine separate cases in which Stevens did favors for organizations which had employed his son, Ben Stevens. (See Sunlight blog for full account)

Since this time, other favors have been reported. In late 2003, Stevens secured a $29 million earmark for the "Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board," which was chaired by Ben Stevens. In December 2005, Stevens helped secure a $10 million earmark for a fishing venture for which Ben secretly held an investment option. [20]

In 2005, The Anchorage Daily News reported that Ben Stevens held an option to buy into an Alaska seafood company at the same time as Sen. Stevens was creating a special Aleutian Islands fishery that would supply the company with pollock worth millions of dollars a year. Ben Steven's interest was withdrawn. [21]

Fishery connected with Ben Stevens received earmark from Ted Stevens

In late July, 2007, it was revealed that Trident Seafoods Corp., a fishery that received a $3.5 million earmark from Stevens to build an airfield, had connections to Stevens's son, Ben Stevens. While Trident provided the elder Stevens with thousands of dollars in campaign funds, it also provided the younger Stevens with "consulting" payments as he would direct federal grants to it, and many other companies.[3]

...

VECO corruption investigation

In 2006, Ben Stevens, who at that point was serving as president of the Alaska State Senate, had his offices raided by the FBI. Federal officials were reportedly seeking information surrounding his ties to VECO Corp., an oil field-services firm the Senator had aided in the past through earmarks.[7]

On May 7, 2007, VECO Corp.'s CEO, Bill Allen, and a vice president, Rick Smith, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy, bribery and tax charges. VECO Corp. was also used in hiring contractors in the 2000 remolding of Sen. Stevens's Girdwood, Alaska home, leading to closer investigation by the FBI and Justice Department, although the senator had not been officially targeted in the investigation. The invoices for the work were sent through former VECO CEO Bill Allen to be approved before being passed onto Stevens for payment, despite the fact that Allen himself has stated "VECO was not in the business of residential construction or remodeling."[8]

In a June 6, 2007 interview with the Washington Post, Stevens disclosed that he had been asked by the FBI to preserve his records in cooperation with the ongoing Alaska investigation, and that he had hired lawyers regarding the matter.[9]

In mid-June, it was revealed that in May 2007 a federal Grand Jury examined Stevens's ties to VECO regarding the remolding of his Girdwood house, a clear indication that Stevens himself was becoming the target of the FBI's ongoing Alaska corruption investigation.[10] A close friend of Stevens, Anchorage real estate developer Bob Penney, also testified before a Grand Jury regarding the bribery scandal in Alaska. Penney invited the Senator to a a real estate investment deal that made Stevens hundreds of thousands of dollars, and is also a member of an Alaska investors group called Alaska's Great Eagle which bought a race horse with both the Senator and former VECO CEO Bill Allen.[11]

On June 19, it was revealed by a lawyer close to the case that former aides to Stevens on Capitol Hill were being questioned by the FBI regarding the Senator's ties to Bill Allen and VECO Corp.[12]

In mid-July 2007, Stevens' approval rating, according to a poll conducted by Ivan Moore, dropped to just under 45%, while 44% of respondents stated a favorable opinion of the Senator. Previous approval ratings, between September 2005 and April 2007, ranged from 58 percent to 63 percent, demonstrating a significant change since Stevens came under investigation.[13][14]

House raided

On July 30, 2007, the FBI and the IRS raided Stevens's home in Girdwood, Alaska. The house had been in the news before because VECO, an oil company previously uninvolved in home construction, renovated the home to add another story to it for Stevens. The raid was a continuation of the probe into the relationship between Stevens and VECO.[15]

Stevens stated that the investigation would not hinder his service to Alaska and called for Alaskans "not to form conclusions based upon incomplete and sometimes incorrect reports in the media. The legal process should be allowed to proceed so that all the facts can be established and the truth determined."[16]

Construction deal note

A note found after the FBI raided Stevens's Girdwood home revealed an estimate of how much Stevens had paid for the renovations to the house.[17] In the handwritten note, Stevens wrote,

"6/7/07
Dear Wev
My staff tells me I did not respond to your May 23 letter. I truly believed I did as I answered a series of "thank yous" from people who wish us well in these hours of strife.
This is a sad portion of my life -- it will take time to explain. Catherine and I personally paid over $130,000 for the improvements to our chalet in Girdwood. Someone -- or more than one -- keeps telling the FBI that's not so. Takes time to go back over five years to prove they are wrong. I do appreciate your comments.
My best
Ted"[18]

This number appeared to be a suspicious estimate, as it was reported that the carpentry work alone cost $100,000. This would mean that the rest of the construction, including raising the house to make room for the new floor, moving earth to prepare the ground for construction, plumbing work, electric work, and roofing all was either done for less than $30,000, a very good deal, or was paid for by other sources.[19]

...

F.B.I. investigates Veco contract

In mid August, the F.B.I. began investigating a $170 million contract given to Veco to provide the National Science Foundation with polar and arctic research support. Just as Veco had no history of home construction before building additions to Ted Stevens's home, they also had no experience in polar and arctic research support.[22]

At the time, no evidence had been unearthed to prove Stevens was responsible for securing the federal contracts for Veco, though as a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, he would have had authority over such funding.[23]

Allen testifies Veco's involvement in Stevens' Home Renovation

Former CEO Bill Allen acknowledged that the more than $400,000 he admitted spending in the bribery charge included the work done at the home of Stevens. "I gave Ted some old furniture," Allen said. "I don't think there was a lot of material, There was some labor." He then added that the labor came from Veco employees and that he paid for these bills.[24]

FBI taped conversations between Stevens and Allen

On September 21, 2007, it was revealed that the FBI had secretly taped conversations between Sen. Stevens and VECO executive Bill Allen. While sources revealed that Allen had agreed to taping conversations with Stevens after he was confronted with evidence that he had bribed Alaska legislators, it remained unclear as to what the content of the conversations were as well as how many conversations were recorded. Allen had pleaded guilty to bribery and has since been a key witness in cases against Alaska lawmakers.[25]

...

Ferry project boon to those close to Stevens

A $20 million earmark inserted into the 2008 Defense appropriations bill by Stevens and signed into law by President Bush on November 13, 2007 could be a boon to those close to the senator. The earmark was listed as funding for an “expeditionary craft” for the Navy, but it would ultimately be used as a commercial ferry between Anchorage and the Knik Arm. The Knik Arm is a remote piece of land which takes over two hours to reach by car but 15 minutes by boat.[27][28]

Appropriators made cuts to many of the earmarks in the bill, but Stevens’ earmark was untouched even though the Navy did not request the money and rejected the experimental craft in 2002 as impractical. The ferry would be built by Lockheed Martin and would connect downtown Anchorage to Port MacKenzie, bringing cars and passengers to Knik Arm. Bill Bittner, Stevens’ brother-in-law, spent years as a registered lobbyist in Washington with Lockheed Martin as one of his clients. Despite the Navy’s rejection of the craft, Stevens inserted nearly $50 million for the project into appropriations bills from 2002-2006. [29][30]

Several former and current members of Stevens' staff own undeveloped land on the Knik Arm including Chief of Staff George Lowe with a 2.6-acre parcel of undeveloped land which rose over $10,000 in appraised value from 2005 to 2006 and former top aide and re-election campaign worker Lisa Sutherland with just under 4 acres with her husband. The value of their land rose from $38,400 in 2005 to $65,000 in 2006. [31]

Earmark infraction

New documents emerged showing that a $1.6 million earmark in 2005 by Stevens was engineered so it would lead to the purchase of property owned by his former aide, Trevor McCabe, an Anchorage fisheries lobbyist.

Recently-disclosed public records show that Brad Gilman, a Washington lobbyist who once worked for Stevens, allegedly acted as the go-between for the 2005 earmark infraction, connecting an unnamed ‘Senate aide’ with his two clients based in Seward, Alaska: the city of Seward, and the Alaska Sealife Center, a federally supported marine research facility. According to Gilman, the ‘Senate aide’ was shopping for a guarantee that McCabe’s property would be purchased if it received the earmark. The apparent result was the sudden shift of the earmark by Stevens' office in 2005 from the City of Seward, which wouldn't promise to buy the property, to the Alaska SeaLife Center, which had more discretion, according to Seward officials.[32]

Tobacco issues
This article is part of the Tobacco portal on Sourcewatch, sponsored by the American Legacy Foundation. Join our team of citizen journalists researching and exposing tobacco industry secrets.

Senator Stevens has introduced public-health oriented bills with respect to tobacco issues:

In 1985, Senator Stevens amended a defense appropriations bill to prevent any federal funding of military commissaries that do not charge a price for cigarettes equal to the lowest average retail price in the area less state and local taxes. The minimum price at commissaries outside the US would be based on the average national retail price of cigarettes.[22]

In 1986, Senator Stevens introduced S. 1440, the Non-Smokers Rights Act, which required the designation of smoking areas in all branches of federal government. The full Senate did not act on the bill.[23]

The notes, as well as a few things I left out, can be found in the full entry on the Congresspedia site.

Keep in mind, Ted Stevens isn't just any Republican. As President pro tempore of the Senate was part of the leadership of the Republican Party whose corruption was the main reason the Democrats swept Congress in 2006. During that time, Ted Stevens was third in the line of succession for the Presidency, following the Vice President and the Speaker of the House...think about that. The Republicans put this corrupt criminal in such a high leadership position.

Crime doesn't pay...unless you're a Republican. Then crime gets you appointed to the highest positions of government.

Mark Begich is the Democrat running aganst Ted Stevens. Clean up the Senate...support Mark Begich!

2002 Georgia Vote Tampering

2008-07-20T09:29:00.000-04:00

We all still remember the election fraud the Republicans carried out in Florida in 2000 and the probable fraud in Ohio in 2004. But even I was forgetting about the probably Republican fraud in Georgia 2002 where Democratic incumbent Max Cleland, who was 5 percentage points ahead just before election day, lost his Senate seat in an upset win for the Republicans. A very suspicious upset win.

A friend and reader reminded me of this and updated me. Some new developments have come out in the Georgia 2002 voter fraud case, and what is most interesting is that the new allegations come from a cybersecurity expert who used to work for none other than John McCain. From Raw Story:

A leading cyber-security expert and former adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) says he has fresh evidence regarding election fraud on Diebold electronic voting machines during the 2002 Georgia gubernatorial and senatorial elections.

Stephen Spoonamore is the founder and until recently the CEO of Cybrinth LLC, an information technology policy and security firm that serves Fortune 100 companies. At a little noticed press conference in Columbus, Ohio Thursday, he discussed his investigation of a computer patch that was applied to Diebold Election Systems voting machines in Georgia right before that state's November 2002 election.

Spoonamore is one of the most prominent cyber-security experts in the country. He has appeared on CNN's Lou Dobbs and ABC's World News Tonight, and has security clearances from his work with the intelligence community and other government agencies, as well as the Department of Defense, and is one of the world’s leading authorities on hacking and cyber-espionage...

Spoonamore received the Diebold patch from a whistleblower close to the office of Cathy Cox, Georgia’s then-Secretary of State. In discussions with RAW STORY, the whistleblower -- who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation -- said that he became suspicious of Diebold's actions in Georgia for two reasons. The first red flag went up when the computer patch was installed in person by Diebold CEO Bob Urosevich, who flew in from Texas and applied it in just two counties, DeKalb and Fulton, both Democratic strongholds. The source states that Cox was not privy to these changes until after the election and that she became particularly concerned over the patch being installed in just those two counties.

The whistleblower said another flag went up when it became apparent that the patch installed by Urosevich had failed to fix a problem with the computer clock, which employees from Diebold and the Georgia Secretary of State’s office had been told the patch was designed specifically to address.

The article goes on to discuss probable Republican fraund in Ohio in 2004.

I want to say thank you to Stephen Spoonamore for putting integrity before party affiliation. He joins Florida Congressional candidate Clint Curtis in this. Clint left the Republican Party after apparently being asked to help steal an election for the Republican Party even BEFORE the 2000 election. People have criticized Clint Curtis for his claims, but I think increasingly it seems he was right. The Republicans have systematically been trying to steal elections using electronic technology. Anyone who remembers Watergate won't be surprised to learn this, of course.

The Republican Catholic Problem

2008-06-01T21:51:00.000-04:00

The Republican Party is proving increasingly anti-Catholic...or at least my knowledge of their anti-Catholic tendencies is increasing.

John McCain and Joe Lieberman embraced right wing pastor John Hagee. In fact, John McCain SOUGHT OUT Hagee's endorsement and McCain specifically said, "I admire and respect Dr. Hagee's leadership of the -- of his church." McCain went so far as to call Hagee his "spiritual guide." Only much later (long after Barack Obama had distanced himself from Reverent Wright) did McCain, under considerable pressure, abandon Hagee. According to a Catholic News Agency article:

It’s not hard to find evidence that Rev. Hagee does not think highly of Catholics or the Catholic Church. In a video discussing the biblical book of Revelation, John Hagee suggests the Pope is the anti-Christ, and that the Catholic Church is "The Beast" (17:30 and following) mentioned in the book.

McCain clung to Hagee for so long...despite the fact that Hagee attacked Jews, Muslims and Catholics. Hagee has been described as a bigot who "waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church." And McCain called him his "spiritual guide" and expressed admiration of this bigot.

Of course McCain wasn't the only Republican candidate who embraced Hagee. Mike Huckabee also sought out Hagee's endorsement (from same article quoted above...also see this article). Huckabee was also endorsed by anti-Catholic author Tim Lahaye.

Well, now I am finding even more virulent anti-Catholicism by a Republican candidate right here in my own State Senate district in NYC. My State Senator is Democrat Velmanette Montgomery, a wonderful woman well loved by the community. A Christian who supports gay marriage, she is definitely a left wing Christian. In 2006 she won re-election against the Republican by what can only be called an overwhelming margin: 42,869 votes to 2,420.

This year the Republican Party is fielding a certain gentleman, Christopher Strunk, against Velmanette Montogomery. And this man seems the worst of bigoted, anti-Catholic scum to date. Let me offer you some quotes a fellow Daily Gotham blogger picked up.

Republican candidate in my own district, Christopher Strunk, blames all America's ills on Catholics:

The NWO [New World Order? He doesn't define this term] as with the Federal Reserve and the majority of the Supreme Court is under the control of the Vatican and Holy See (because it is the oldest and most continuous worldwide organization still left standing) and that the NWO is fine tuned by the Jesuit Military order, who absolutely directly control the Vatican See’s corporate business arm SMOM and all the dog an pony show spin-offs that sort of look different aren’t. The Jesuits very seductively use liberation theology insurgency operations that in the context of change use the it takes a village communist model of feudalism as a small is beautiful ploy want every community to be cut-off from the world and be on its own without mention of how to form a common defense and foreign policy projected to make such resolve clear...

The Government is the enemy of invention and crushes the people in favor of the friends of the Pope and Vatican see.

Wow...generally I have only heard this kind of paranoid bigotry levelled at Jews. Strange to hear it directed against Catholics, but hey, that's the modern Republican Party, I guess, from Hagee to Strunk.

I am sure that Strunk will lose badly to Velmanette. But come on. I THIS the best the Republicans in NYC can do?

Bob Schaffer: Jack Abramoff Corruption in Colorado

2008-05-07T10:05:00.001-04:00

There's an ad out there that is pissing off Colorado Republicans, even though all it does is tell the truth. The ad calls attention to Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer's connections to convicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his clients who are sweatshop owners on the Northern Mariana Islands. The U.S. government found that women employees were mistreated and abused. But Schaffer defended the sweatshops and took thousands in campaign donation from their owners. The video shows these connections:

I am always amazed at how furious Republicans become when people try to hold them accountable for their corruption. Abramoff was a major part of the Republican Party machine across the nation. Face facts! The Republican Party has to purge itself of these corrupt bastards if they don't want to be constantly attacked for corruption.

And remember, the numbers don't lie. FAR more Republicans are guilty of, indicted for, or under investigation for corruption than Democrats. Republicans like Bob Schaffer, like Alaska's Don Young and Ted Stevens, and Ohio's Bob Taft and Bob Ney, Kentucky's Ernie Fletcher, Illinois' Dennis Hastertt and Texas's Tom DeLay are all part of a Republican culture of corruption that out sleazes anything we have seen in this country since the Harding Administration. It is time to stop the corruption. Defeat Bob Schaffer by helping out Mark Udall for Colorado.

Can I buy you a drink congressman? Perhaps a nice Cabernet?

2008-05-06T11:45:00.002-04:00

Republican Congressman Vito "Vino" Fossella is really not looking too good right now. His conduct the night of his drunk driving arrest is something he is going to have a hard time living down.

Mug Shot thanks to FossellaFive.org

According to an eyewitness account:

Then Vito Fossella walked in with his pal, Brian, who was evidently drunk. Roberto recognized Vito through his involvement with the Republican Party and invited him over, where I noticed his lips and teeth were horribly stained with red wine.

"Can I buy you a drink congressman? Perhaps a nice Cabernet?" I said.

He was dumbfounded that I got the order right. I ordered one for his pal, too, who shuffled off to the bathroom where I found him later slumped in a chair outside the door. The manager of Logan Tavern caught sight of this mess and complained to our party, which subsequently dispatched the congressman to tend to his lamb...

Suddenly, Brian rose to his feet and stumbled to the corner and fell like a dead flounder on the table, which held his weight for approximately three seconds before it crashed to the ground. I went over and tried to get him to his feet, but couldn't budge his drunk ass until the waiter gave me a hand. We were able to get him up and I walked him out to the curb where I assured him the fresh air would do him good. All the while Vito shook his head disapprovingly with a mischievous, cheap, red lipstick grin on his face.

Roberto was holding the cab door open not ten feet away, but Vito Fossella decided he and Brian were well enough to walk ... and apparently drive back to Alexandria ... drunk and delirious.

Which all is pretty normal for a couple of drunken frat boys. But Vito Fossella is a Congressman and spends a great deal of time on his "family values" high horse, yet doesn't seem to live up to his values. Still, boys will be boys and there is nothing illegal about being a drunk asshole. But then he chose to get behind the wheel of a car. At that point his behavior went from irresponsible to reprehensible and illegal, and he was endangering lives. The comment of the waiter at the bar is telling:

"I can't imagine him [Fosella] getting into a car. They were [both] incapable of driving," Josh Hahn, a waiter who was working Wednesday night at the Logan Tavern, said of Fossella and his plastered pal named "Brian."

Lest you think the waiter is exaggerating, according to the same article:

Fossella...had a blood-alcohol level of 0.17, twice the state's 0.08 legal limit.

No wonder he looks so glum these days (photo from same article):

A new website has the whole timeline of Vito's DWI affair: VinoFossella.com.

Democrat Steve Harrison, Vito Fossella's main Democratic opponent for Congress, had this to say about Fossella's behavior:

Driving while intoxicated is a very serious charge. Over 17,000 people die every year as a result of such irresponsible and illegal action according to Mothers against Drunk Driving Only 2 days ago MADD held a luncheon at which I was represented. I stand shoulder to shoulder with MADD in its quest to rid our society of this scourge and I certainly hope that all candidates and elected officials from all parties and all places would do the same. As elected officials and potential elected officials we have an obligation to set an example for society. Lawmakers cannot expect the people to follow the laws if they themselves disregard them.

To me, the key point is this:

Lawmakers cannot expect the people to follow the laws if they themselves disregard them.

You can support Steve Harrison through my NY State Act Blue Site.

More on Vito Fossella's Drunk Driving Arrest

2008-05-03T12:33:00.000-04:00

I already wrote about Bush-Republican Congressman, Vito Fossella, getting arrested for Drunk Driving. Well, one picture says it all. Thanks to FossellaFive.org, here's Vito Fossella's mug shot from his drunk driving arrest:

I think we all should be thankful that Vito Fossella didn't hit anyone while driving intoxicated. Such irresponsibility is disgusting in anyone, but particularly in someone who is supposed to be a leader. As Steve Harrison, Democratic Candidate taking on Vito Fossella in the NY-13 Congressional race, says:

"Lawmakers cannot expect the people to follow the laws if they themselves disregard them."

Full statement from Steve Harrison can be found here.

Republican Congressman Arrested for Drunk Driving

2008-05-01T15:57:00.001-04:00

Hat tip to my fellow Daily Gotham writer, Bouldin:

Haha.

Rep. Vito J. Fossella (R-N.Y.) was arrested overnight in Alexandria and charged with driving while intoxicated, court records showed today.

Fossella is scheduled to appear in Alexandria General District Court on May 12 for an advisement hearing, the records said.

No other details were immediately available.

Reached by phone, Fossella's communication director had no immediate comment on the report.

Shocking, I know.

Vito Fossella also happens to be a pro-war Bush Republican with several corruption allegations. He has flip-flopped on privatizing Social Security (saying what people want to hear him say), and has voted with Bush on almost every vote in Congress. Cheney routinely comes to NYC to fundraise for Fossella. Needless to say, as a New York Democrat, Fossella is one of my top targets for defeat.

You can help defeat this drunken Bush Republican by donating to his Democratic opponent, Steve Harrison. I know Steve. He is an upright kind of guy. Steve (who I know personally) defends the term Liberal as a patriotic term and is one of the candidates who is pushing the “Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq.” You can donate to Steve through my New York State Act Blue Site.

The Most Corrupt Politician Alive: Ted Stevens (Senator from Alaska)

2008-05-01T13:47:00.001-04:00

Of all the Republicans I have discussed whose morals are severly compromised, I have to say, Ted Stevens of Alaska just might top the list. I already brought him up in the context of the VECO scandal that has crippled the Alaska Republican Party. But honestly, the VECO scandal is only the tip of the iceberg of corruption for Ted Stevens. Here are some excerpts from the "Ethics Questions" section of his Congressopedia entry...possibly the longest list of "Ethics Questions" in all of Congressopedia:

Ethics questions

In 2003, The Los Angeles Times published charges that Stevens had gained financially through influence peddling, steering government contracts to his associates, and insider trading (see below), all of which Stevens denied. [16]

In 1997, Stevens invested $50,000 with developer Jonathan B. Rubini. In 2002 Rubini and his partner bought back the senator's interests in their deals for $872,000. During the time that Stevens had money invested with Rubini, Stevens steered a $450 million contract to Rubini to build and own housing at Elmendorf Air Force Base. Rubini's company was one of the only in-state outfits capable of handling the contract. The senator had no financial interest in that deal. [17]

...

Favors for his son

On August 31, 2006, the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based government watchdog group, exposed a 2003 LA Times article documenting nine separate cases in which Stevens did favors for organizations which had employed his son, Ben Stevens. (See Sunlight blog for full account)

Since this time, other favors have been reported. In late 2003, Stevens secured a $29 million earmark for the "Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board," which was chaired by Ben Stevens. In December 2005, Stevens helped secure a $10 million earmark for a fishing venture for which Ben secretly held an investment option. [20]

In 2005, The Anchorage Daily News reported that Ben Stevens held an option to buy into an Alaska seafood company at the same time as Sen. Stevens was creating a special Aleutian Islands fishery that would supply the company with pollock worth millions of dollars a year. Ben Steven's interest was withdrawn. [21]

Fishery connected with Ben Stevens received earmark from Ted Stevens

In late July, 2007, it was revealed that Trident Seafoods Corp., a fishery that received a $3.5 million earmark from Stevens to build an airfield, had connections to Stevens's son, Ben Stevens. While Trident provided the elder Stevens with thousands of dollars in campaign funds, it also provided the younger Stevens with "consulting" payments as he would direct federal grants to it, and many other companies.[3]

...

VECO corruption investigation

In 2006, Ben Stevens, who at that point was serving as president of the Alaska State Senate, had his offices raided by the FBI. Federal officials were reportedly seeking information surrounding his ties to VECO Corp., an oil field-services firm the Senator had aided in the past through earmarks.[7]

On May 7, 2007, VECO Corp.'s CEO, Bill Allen, and a vice president, Rick Smith, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy, bribery and tax charges. VECO Corp. was also used in hiring contractors in the 2000 remolding of Sen. Stevens's Girdwood, Alaska home, leading to closer investigation by the FBI and Justice Department, although the senator had not been officially targeted in the investigation. The invoices for the work were sent through former VECO CEO Bill Allen to be approved before being passed onto Stevens for payment, despite the fact that Allen himself has stated "VECO was not in the business of residential construction or remodeling."[8]

In a June 6, 2007 interview with the Washington Post, Stevens disclosed that he had been asked by the FBI to preserve his records in cooperation with the ongoing Alaska investigation, and that he had hired lawyers regarding the matter.[9]

In mid-June, it was revealed that in May 2007 a federal Grand Jury examined Stevens's ties to VECO regarding the remolding of his Girdwood house, a clear indication that Stevens himself was becoming the target of the FBI's ongoing Alaska corruption investigation.[10] A close friend of Stevens, Anchorage real estate developer Bob Penney, also testified before a Grand Jury regarding the bribery scandal in Alaska. Penney invited the Senator to a a real estate investment deal that made Stevens hundreds of thousands of dollars, and is also a member of an Alaska investors group called Alaska's Great Eagle which bought a race horse with both the Senator and former VECO CEO Bill Allen.[11]

On June 19, it was revealed by a lawyer close to the case that former aides to Stevens on Capitol Hill were being questioned by the FBI regarding the Senator's ties to Bill Allen and VECO Corp.[12]

In mid-July 2007, Stevens' approval rating, according to a poll conducted by Ivan Moore, dropped to just under 45%, while 44% of respondents stated a favorable opinion of the Senator. Previous approval ratings, between September 2005 and April 2007, ranged from 58 percent to 63 percent, demonstrating a significant change since Stevens came under investigation.[13][14]

House raided

On July 30, 2007, the FBI and the IRS raided Stevens's home in Girdwood, Alaska. The house had been in the news before because VECO, an oil company previously uninvolved in home construction, renovated the home to add another story to it for Stevens. The raid was a continuation of the probe into the relationship between Stevens and VECO.[15]

Stevens stated that the investigation would not hinder his service to Alaska and called for Alaskans "not to form conclusions based upon incomplete and sometimes incorrect reports in the media. The legal process should be allowed to proceed so that all the facts can be established and the truth determined."[16]

Construction deal note

A note found after the FBI raided Stevens's Girdwood home revealed an estimate of how much Stevens had paid for the renovations to the house.[17] In the handwritten note, Stevens wrote,

"6/7/07
Dear Wev
My staff tells me I did not respond to your May 23 letter. I truly believed I did as I answered a series of "thank yous" from people who wish us well in these hours of strife.
This is a sad portion of my life -- it will take time to explain. Catherine and I personally paid over $130,000 for the improvements to our chalet in Girdwood. Someone -- or more than one -- keeps telling the FBI that's not so. Takes time to go back over five years to prove they are wrong. I do appreciate your comments.
My best
Ted"[18]

This number appeared to be a suspicious estimate, as it was reported that the carpentry work alone cost $100,000. This would mean that the rest of the construction, including raising the house to make room for the new floor, moving earth to prepare the ground for construction, plumbing work, electric work, and roofing all was either done for less than $30,000, a very good deal, or was paid for by other sources.[19]

...

F.B.I. investigates Veco contract

In mid August, the F.B.I. began investigating a $170 million contract given to Veco to provide the National Science Foundation with polar and arctic research support. Just as Veco had no history of home construction before building additions to Ted Stevens's home, they also had no experience in polar and arctic research support.[22]

At the time, no evidence had been unearthed to prove Stevens was responsible for securing the federal contracts for Veco, though as a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, he would have had authority over such funding.[23]

Allen testifies Veco's involvement in Stevens' Home Renovation

Former CEO Bill Allen acknowledged that the more than $400,000 he admitted spending in the bribery charge included the work done at the home of Stevens. "I gave Ted some old furniture," Allen said. "I don't think there was a lot of material, There was some labor." He then added that the labor came from Veco employees and that he paid for these bills.[24]

FBI taped conversations between Stevens and Allen

On September 21, 2007, it was revealed that the FBI had secretly taped conversations between Sen. Stevens and VECO executive Bill Allen. While sources revealed that Allen had agreed to taping conversations with Stevens after he was confronted with evidence that he had bribed Alaska legislators, it remained unclear as to what the content of the conversations were as well as how many conversations were recorded. Allen had pleaded guilty to bribery and has since been a key witness in cases against Alaska lawmakers.[25]

...

Ferry project boon to those close to Stevens

A $20 million earmark inserted into the 2008 Defense appropriations bill by Stevens and signed into law by President Bush on November 13, 2007 could be a boon to those close to the senator. The earmark was listed as funding for an “expeditionary craft” for the Navy, but it would ultimately be used as a commercial ferry between Anchorage and the Knik Arm. The Knik Arm is a remote piece of land which takes over two hours to reach by car but 15 minutes by boat.[27][28]

Appropriators made cuts to many of the earmarks in the bill, but Stevens’ earmark was untouched even though the Navy did not request the money and rejected the experimental craft in 2002 as impractical. The ferry would be built by Lockheed Martin and would connect downtown Anchorage to Port MacKenzie, bringing cars and passengers to Knik Arm. Bill Bittner, Stevens’ brother-in-law, spent years as a registered lobbyist in Washington with Lockheed Martin as one of his clients. Despite the Navy’s rejection of the craft, Stevens inserted nearly $50 million for the project into appropriations bills from 2002-2006. [29][30]

Several former and current members of Stevens' staff own undeveloped land on the Knik Arm including Chief of Staff George Lowe with a 2.6-acre parcel of undeveloped land which rose over $10,000 in appraised value from 2005 to 2006 and former top aide and re-election campaign worker Lisa Sutherland with just under 4 acres with her husband. The value of their land rose from $38,400 in 2005 to $65,000 in 2006. [31]

Earmark infraction

New documents emerged showing that a $1.6 million earmark in 2005 by Stevens was engineered so it would lead to the purchase of property owned by his former aide, Trevor McCabe, an Anchorage fisheries lobbyist.

Recently-disclosed public records show that Brad Gilman, a Washington lobbyist who once worked for Stevens, allegedly acted as the go-between for the 2005 earmark infraction, connecting an unnamed ‘Senate aide’ with his two clients based in Seward, Alaska: the city of Seward, and the Alaska Sealife Center, a federally supported marine research facility. According to Gilman, the ‘Senate aide’ was shopping for a guarantee that McCabe’s property would be purchased if it received the earmark. The apparent result was the sudden shift of the earmark by Stevens' office in 2005 from the City of Seward, which wouldn't promise to buy the property, to the Alaska SeaLife Center, which had more discretion, according to Seward officials.[32]

Tobacco issues
This article is part of the Tobacco portal on Sourcewatch, sponsored by the American Legacy Foundation. Join our team of citizen journalists researching and exposing tobacco industry secrets.

Senator Stevens has introduced public-health oriented bills with respect to tobacco issues:

In 1985, Senator Stevens amended a defense appropriations bill to prevent any federal funding of military commissaries that do not charge a price for cigarettes equal to the lowest average retail price in the area less state and local taxes. The minimum price at commissaries outside the US would be based on the average national retail price of cigarettes.[22]

In 1986, Senator Stevens introduced S. 1440, the Non-Smokers Rights Act, which required the designation of smoking areas in all branches of federal government. The full Senate did not act on the bill.[23]

Republican War Profiteers

2008-04-05T10:14:00.000-04:00

Blackwater is a mercenary organization with close ties to Republican politicians. They are one of the many incompetent war profiteers that the Bush/McCain Republicans love so much. Right now they are best known for a scandal where their poorly disciplined and improperly led mercenaries opened fire on Iraqi civilians. Blackwater's slaughter of these civilians has been declared unjustified and has led to an FBI investigation. This scandal led to resignation of US state department official Richard Griffin and a call for more oversight of these "private contractors" (a code word for Republican war profiteers).

So, when a company performs this badly, what does the Bush Administration do?
Renew their contract, of course! Despite being involved in a scandal that led to the downfall of a State Department official and a considerable blow to our attempts to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis, Blackwater is rewarded with a renewal to the contract. This is the very definition of mismanagement and it has become the signiture of Republican policy: reward the incompetent.

Of course we already knew that incompetence is rewarded by the Republicans. Halliburton is another one of these Republican war profiteer organizations that consistently disply amazing incompentence. Yet Halliburton still gets any contract they want from the Republicans, despite frequently overcharging for their services, being blatantly corrupt, and being incompetent in the delivery of services to the point of actually regularly letting our soldiers get electrocuted rather than actually fulfill their contract.

The Republicans reward corruption and incompetence even if it leads to unnecessary deaths of our soldiers or civilians. America has to stop this. We have to stop Republican mismanagement.

On a related note I want to mention someone who has been very strong in standing up to Blackwater. In North Carolina, one Democratic candidate, Marshall Adame, a retired US Marine Vietnam veteran, has been particularly active in criticizing Blackwater. To quote Marshall:

I have interacted with many mercenary groups, including Blackwater. There is no place in the American force structure, or in American culture for mercenaries. They are guns for hire; No more, no less. The primary motivation is money. In most cases it does not matter who's money. Private Security Organizations as extensive as Blackwater, for example, should not be allowed to operate in war zones as augments of the United States of America. Private Armies represent the very things we depise as a people. Servants to the highest bidder with true allegiance to no-one.

Marshall, who originally supported the Iraq war, has also written an excellent criticism of the Republican mismanagement of the war. I urge support for Marshall Adame to help bring the Republican war profiteers to justice.

The Eliot Spitzer Scandal

2008-03-12T09:29:00.002-04:00

I discuss Republican corruption on this blog, and there is still way, way too much of that around even though many corrupt Republicans like Ernie Fletcher (R-KY, Gov) and John Doolittle (R-CA) have been voted out of office for their corruption or, like Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Bob Ney (R-OH), and Dennis Hastert (R-IL), forced to resign in disgrace over scandals. But one thing I am is fair. I call out Democratic corruption when I see it. And right now the New York Governor, Eliot Spitzer, is in some serious trouble and I need to comment on it.

First off, there is no evidence whatsoever as I write this that what Spitzer has done constitutes corruption. It IS hypocricy, arrogance, stupidity and, probably, illegal. But there is no evidence of political favors or use of taxpayer money in the process. Nor even abuse of power. I could dismiss it as beyond the scope of this blog if I wished. But that wouldn't quite be right. Because of the monumental stupidity and possible illegality, and because Spitzer's scandal may end for now the reform of Albany, I do feel the need to comment. Spitzer is part of what is wrong with government in America and I need to criticize him for what he has done.

But we have to keep things in perspective. Spitzer may have been hypocritical and stupid, but what he did is NOTHING compared with the rampant Republican corruption, Republican hypocricy, Republican Racism, and, yes, even Republican pedophilia. Yes, pedophilia. The MANY cases of pedophilia committed by right wing Republicans is astonishing, yet doesn't get the same coverage by the media and right wing noise machine like Fox News that Clinton's blow job and Spitzer's scandal gets. And yet there are far more Republican pedophiles out there and the vast majority of Americans certainly think pedophilia is worse than hiring a prostitute. Corruption, hypocircy, racism and even pedophilia seem rampant among Republicans...yet we don't hear as much about that from the right wing media.

Keeping that perspective in mind, I am not surprised that Spitzer has been brought down by his own arrogance. I was never a strong Spitzer supporter. I mean from the start. When he decided to run for Governor, many of my political allies were thrilled. For awhile I heard nothing but glowing odes to the man. I felt uncomfortable about him though, and continued to feel uncomfortable. There was always an arrogance around Spitzer that bothered me.

There was the State Convention here in NY State. The 2006 NY State Democratic Convention was a disgusting, nasty farce. The assumption that Spitzer would be nominated for Governor and Cuomo nominated for Attorney General was taken to such an extreme that delegates to the convention who I personally know were told not to deliver proxy votes for candidates opposing Spitzer or Cuomo. They were told if they did deliver votes against Spitzer or Cuomo, they would face primary challenges as punishment. Somehow Spitzer didn't catch much blame for this. Cuomo came in for far more ire. But to me Spitzer must have been part of the nastiness of the convention.

Going along with that kind of un-democratic tactics that the State Convention saw was Spitzer's ties to some elements from the unsavory Brooklyn Democratic machine, a machine I have written about before on this site. Carl Andrews, right hand man to now convicted Clarence Norman, is a political ally of Spitzer's. That always rubbed me wrong. How could Spitzer tolerate ties with the Brooklyn machine given its corruption?

Of course there is the flip side. Spitzer is a force to be reckoned with and that is precisely what we needed in Albany. Albany, particularly the Republicans, but the Dems too, has been dysfunctional for years. We need someone with balls to clean up Albanay. And Spitzer is certainly known for standing up to some very powerful, big money interests, though he does seem favorably disposed to developers, even highly dubious characters like Bruce Ratner. But I did have some hope his arrogance would indeed be what was needed to clear the political constipation in Albany.

Bottom line was I was happy he got elected, but wondered what we'd get.

The elation many felt never turned into anything. Spitzer went to Albany and stumbled. The State Legislature is a mess and needs to be stood up to, but Spitzer managed to alienate even allies and reformers in the State Legistlature by largely dictating rather than working with legislators. Now had he succeeded, I'd be the first to congratulate him, I admit. But his arrogance didn't help in the end.

I got the feeling that rather than replacing the dysfunctional "three men in a room" system that has been running Albany under the Pataki-Bruno-Silver axis of political constipation with a truely effective, reform state government, Spitzer wanted government by one man in a room as long as that one person was himself.

Now the prostitute scandal. The arrogance of being the big, tough broom that cleans all before it, then waltzing into an elite brothel charging something like a fifth of a year's salary for the average American for one hour of something most of us don't need to pay for.

Now, it wasn't as awful as the Mark Foley pedophilia that Republicans like Hastert covered up and defended (and some Republicans STILL defend!). And he didn't use taxpayer money to get his thrill the way Giuliani did. And he didn't pull that other Giuliani trick, forcing cops to walk the dog while he was stupping. But it was abyssmal stupidity and hypocricy.

Spitzer's arrogance has in essence led to about the worst series of fumbles I could imagine being made.

If he stays on, I hope he has learned some important lessons. He isn't getting anywhere this way. I don't think he has to resign unless he really did break the law. I don't care, really, if Spitzer stupped a slut. What I do care about is the stupidity and arrogance of his actions.

If he resigns, I for one will welcome Governor Paterson. I suspect at this point Paterson has more of a chance to get things done than Spitzer, at least in the near term. Maybe a year from now this will seem like nothing, but for now reform in New York is dead in the water because Spitzer couldn't keep his pants on.

Republican Corruption in Alaska: Don Young, Corrupt Every Which Way He Can

2008-02-20T21:14:00.005-05:00

I recently I wrote a piece on the very, very nasty corruption among Republicans in Alaska. Specifically, I wrote about a scandal involving an oil services company, VECO, that involves bribery and buying of favors involving four Alaskan Republican State Legislators, one US Senator from Alaska (Ted Stevens) and the lone House Representative from Alaska (Don Young). The single Democrat, a state legislator, initially investigated was never subsequently accused of wrongdoing. In other words, the VECO scandal is exclusively a Republican scandal.

But when I wrote that piece, I hadn't realized I had only scratched the surface. Turns out, one recipient of VECO's alleged bribes, Rep. Don Young, may well be the poster boy for just about every kind of Republican corruption this nation has been seeing.

Here is a rundown of Don Young's sleaze from The Muckraker:

It's hard to keep track of all of Rep. Don Young's (R-AK) scandals. But we're here to help. Here's a snapshot of what we know about all the ways Young has managed to get into trouble.

Coconut Road
McClatchy reported last week that investigators have begun scrutinizing Young's now famous $10 million earmark for a Florida interchange. Whether the earmark was a quid pro quo for a big time contributor is only half the story. Young also appears to have changed the bill's language after it passed Congress in order to make sure that the money went where (or to who) he wished.

Dennis Troha
As we noted in our post on Young's remarkable fundraising record in the run-up to the 2005 transportation bill, Wisconsin businessman Dennis Troha is reportedly cooperating with investigators regarding his contributions to Young and other lawmakers. Troha allegedly gave his support in exchange for a measure that was inserted into the bill.

Veco
The FBI is also scrutinizing Young's dealings with Alaska oil services company Veco Corp. At issue is whether he accepted bribes in exchange for political favors over the course of his long friendship with former Veco CEO Bill Allen. In January, Young tried to make amends by returning $38,000 to Allen for the decade-worth of pig roast fundraisers the executive held in Young's honor each year in Anchorage. From 1996 to 2006, when Allen played host to the pork gala, Veco and its employees gave Young at least $157,000. Young was chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for six of those years.

It's unclear what Young might have arranged for Veco in exchange. But Veco has certainly done well as a federal contractor. The company's federal sector website touts having "successfully completed projects totaling over $25 billion," since 1992. Investigators are reportedly investigating Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) role in helping Veco get a $170 million contract. But which contracts might Young's help have proven instrumental? We'll keep you posted.

Jack Abramoff
Young also touches another investigation. The sole Alaska congressman kept close ties with Jack Abramoff and was known to hold fundraisers in Abrmoff's MCI skybox. Last year, Paul reported on a 1999 Abramoff-organized Congressional junket Young led to the Marshall Islands. At the time, Young was the chair of the House Resources Committee. The delegation, which included Reps. John Doolittle (R-CA), Ken Calvert (R-CA) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), visited the Kwajalein Atoll missile test site and attended a meeting of the parliament, during which a resolution was introduced to rename the test site after Ronald Reagan. Thanks to Paul's intrepid reporting, we hear Young allegedly addressed the assembly in Bermuda shorts. Young vehemently denies wearing the short pants which are still part of the Royal Navy uniform.

Mark Zachares, a native Alaskan and former senior aide on the House Transportation Committee -- during Young's tenure as chair -- pleaded guilty in July to hawking political favors in exchange for perks (like $60,000 in cash and a trip to Scotland) and a future job from Abramoff. Though Zachares carried out Abramoff's work under Young's noise, no concrete evidence has surfaced showing that Young was directly involved. But, Young's effort seven years ago to stop sweatshop reform in the Mariana Islands raises some suspicion. Zachares was a Mariana Islands official at the time and Abramoff was the islands' lobbyist and paid $11 million to make sure Congress didn't interfere with wages or immigration -- the two areas under Zachares' domain. Thanks to Young, the reforms were halted.

And Zachares wasn't the only aide of Young's to have a relationship with Abramoff. Young's staffer Duane Gibson left to go work for Abramoff.

That's four separate scandals Don Young is mired in. That is pretty damned disgusting if you ask me. But there might even be more. I find a site called DropDon.com that has a pretty comprehensive coverage of Don Young's corruption. Here is their summary with links to more:

WEB OF CORRUPTION
House Transportation Committee

Don Young used his power as Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to steer vast sums of public money to his family and campaign donors.

Click here to Read more »

Young’s Ties to [Convicted Felon] Abramoff

Mark Zachares’ corruption is the latest to surface in a long line of links between Young and Abramoff.

Click here to Read more »

Young’s Aide Zachares Gave [Convicted Felon]Abramoff Inside Information

For four years, Zachares engaged in a conspiracy to enrich the infamous Abramoff, a Republican Party insider whose corrupt acts entangled several members of Congress and other government officials.

Click here to Read more »

The [Convicted Felon] Abramoff Skybox

On February 2, 2000, Young called Abramoff’s assistant Jennifer Calvert to ask for use of Abramoff’s MCI skybox for two upcoming fundraisers.

Click here to Read more »

Mariana Islands

Over the years Young repeatedly acted to aid the government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a small group of Pacific Ocean islands under U.S. jurisdiction. Abramoff was paid $11 million to lobby for CNMI from 1994 to 2001.

Click here to Read more »

Marshall Islands

On January 4, 1999, Abramoff was hired to represent the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). Abramoff’s main mission was to stop legislation pending in Congress, which would have raised costs of clothing manufacture by the Tan family and other clothing manufacture interests there.

Click here to Read more »

Post Office Project

In September 2002, Young sought to intervene with the General Services Administration on behalf of Abramoff, who at that time was seeking preferential treatment for a group of his Tribal clients who were bidding on a proposal to develop the Old Post Office Complex site in Washington, DC.

Click here to Read more »

Young’s Ties to VECO

VECO CEO Bill Allen and VP Richard Smith pleaded guilty in May, 2007 to bribing Alaska lawmakers.

Click here to Read more »

Don Young’s Way

The proposed bridge across Knik Arm near Anchorage, otherwise known as Don Young’s Way, became a subject of national ridicule and driver of earmark reform in Congress. Young sponsored an earmark of more than $230 million dollars in the 2005 federal highway transportation bill for the bridge that is to be named after himself.

Click here to Read more »

AK or Arkansas?

Arkansas, with a population of about 2.8 million, reaped a total of about $2.38 billion in the five-year national transportation bill that Young helped pass in 2005 when he was chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Click here to Read more »

Coconut Road in Florida

The New York Times reported Young’s connection to a $10 million appropriation he earmarked for Coconut Road in Florida.

Click here to Read more »

Trucking legislation

Another example of Don Young taking official action that benefited some of his campaign donors is the passage of legislation that revised truck-hauling rules.The Anchorage Daily News reported that the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office opened an investigationinto a deal involving payments to Rep. Young and other Congressmen by indicted Wisconsin businessman Dennis Troha.

Click here to Read more »

Sources of campaign funds

Of Young’s five largest sources of funds in the most recent campaign cycle, two - Veco Corp. and Jht Holdings - are tainted by corruption scandals. Veco is the oil field service company whose executives Bill Allen and Richard Smith pled guilty to bribing Alaska legislators. Since 1989 Young has received more than $200,000 from VECO employees, his largest source of campaign funds.

Click here to Read more »

Ties to GOP leaders

Young voted with President Bush 86% of the time and the Republican Party line 94% of the time.

Click here to Read more »

Ties with [Indicted] Tom Delay

Young has taken money from Tom DeLay’s ARMPAC, voted to weaken House ethics rules when DeLay proposed doing so, voted to allow the GOP House Leader to continue to serve after an indictment, and voted with Tom DeLay 88% of the time.

Click here to Read more »

Not a pretty picture. In 2006 in state after state, Abramoff tied, corrupt Republicans were indicted, convicted and/or voted out of office by angry voters. If Alaska follows the trend of cleaning house that so many other states did, Don Young's days are seriously numbered.

You can help clean up Alaska by donating through my Alaska Act Blue Site.

Republican Corruption in Alaska: VECO and Republican bedfellows

2008-02-13T21:14:00.008-05:00

I have reported many times about how the Republican Parties in Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky were about the most corrupt political establishments in America. One that I have been missing is the Alaska Republican Party. I think it is time I turn northward to discuss what is going on in Alaska.

At the epicenter of Alaska corruption seems to be the Alaska oil services company Veco Corp. Veco, until its recent buyout, was an oil pipeline service and construction company. Perhaps Veco would like to be best known for the fact that it carried out a great deal of the clean up efforts after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. But this is not the only thing they were known for. They were known for illegal influence on Republican politicians.

In 2006 the FBI served some 20 search warrants on the offices of six Alaska state legislators: Sen. John Cowdery (R-Anchorage), Senate President Ben Stevens (R-Anchorage) (son of US Senator Ted Stevens), Rep. Vic Kohring (R-Wasilla), Rep. Bruce Weyhrauch (R-Juneau), Sen Don Olson (D-Nome), and Rep. Pete Kott (R-Eagle River). Also named in the search warrants were VECO officers Bill Allen, Rick Smith and Pete Leathard.

Then in 2007, Pete Kott, Vic Kohring and Bruce Weyhrauch were arrested and charged with bribery, extortion, fraud in connection with allegations of soliciting and receiving money and favors from VECO chief executive officer Bill Allen and chief lobbyist Rick Smith in return for their votes on an oil tax law favored by VECO.

Ben Stevens has not been indicted so far, but has been implicated in the scandal. But his father, US Senator Ted Stevens, is also under investigation by both the FBI and IRS in connection with the remodeling of Ted Stevens' home in Girdwood, Alaska. This remodeling was actually supervised by VECO, and invoices for the work were first sent to VECO before being sent to the Senator. The remodeling done by VECO wasn't just a minor job, but actually doubled the size of the house to 2471 square feet, now valued at about $441,000...which seems awfully cheap to a New Yorker like me. Maybe I should be buying a home in Alaska!

Who paid for what aspects of the remodeling, why VECO, an oil services firm, was involved in the first place, and what they got in return are all under investigation. In July, 2007, the FBI and the IRS raided Stevens' house. Interestingly, this occurred soon after VECO execs Bill Allen and Rick Smith plead guilty in U.S. District Court in May, 2007. Did they rat out Ted Stevens, leading to the search of his remodeled house?

To quote the TPM Muckraker:

Here’s the straightforward arrangement: oil company decides to remodel senator's house, oil company finds contractor, contractor creates new first floor in senator's house, contractor sends invoices to oil company, oil company reviews bills, oil company faxes bills to senior senator, senior senator pulls cash from a special account set up specifically for the construction and pays contractor, senior senator never speaks to contractor. The arrangement looks fairly questionable on its face. And it looks even more questionable when you take Veco's track record into account. The person from Veco who hired Paone was Veco CEO Bill Allen. Allen happens to have just plead guilty this month to federal conspiracy and bribery charges for “giving things of value” to local lawmakers. In a court document accompanying his guilty plea, the Anchorage Daily News noticed a seemingly irrelevant description of what the company did not do while he was in charge: "Veco was not in the business of residential construction or remodeling." So far Stevens has refused to explain the arrangement. But it has piqued the FBI’s interest and investigators are looking into it.

Of the original 6 Alaska state lawmakers who had their legislative offices searched at the beginning of the whole scandal, only State Senator Don Olson (D-Nome) (the ONLY Democrat to have been investigated) has not been implicated in the scandal.

But the Republican VECO scandal doesn't stop there. In addition to one of its US Senators, Alaska's only Congressional Rep is ALSO implicated in the VECO scandal. Representative Don Young (R-AK) is under federal investigation for accepting bribes from VECO. Because of this, it seems Don Young must now spend much of his campaign money on legal feels. In 2007 alone, his legal fees reached $854,035. Note that Don Young's campaign could practically buy Ted Stevens's VECO remodelled house twice over with that money.

You can read more here, here and here.

So what's the bottom line for Alaska? Well, there is the embarrassment of being listed as one of the four most corrupt states in the country, along with Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri. But it also is spoiling the business climate in Alaska. At the end of 2007, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. decided not to bid for a contract working on a natural gas pipeline in Alaska, citing these scandals as one main reason. From Scripps News:

"As you are painfully aware the ongoing corruption investigations coupled with previous indictments, guilty pleas and convictions draw into question virtually every major Alaskan project participant and governmental levels from State to Federal," says the letter from MidAmerican CEO David Sokol. "Obviously your administration had no involvement in these previous shenanigans nor did we; however, you and we alone cannot develop the pipeline project through AGIA's expected process."

So Republican corruption is bad for business. And that is bad for Alaska and bad for America. Let's remember, Republican corruption is partly responsible for Democrats winning big in 2006 and 2007 in Ohio and Kentucky. Will Missouri and Alaska be the next states where Republican corruption is voted out of office? You can help out by donating here to turn Alaska blue.

Yes...they really DID lie to get us into a war

2008-01-23T06:55:00.000-05:00

It is now official. According to a study done by the Center for Public Integrity, the Bush adminsitration, including Bush himself, Colin Powell, Cheney and many of Bush's top advisors, made over 930 demonstrably false statements in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq.

I knew when they were justifying the invasion that it was a pack of lies. Too many statements just didn't make sense, like trying to connect al-Qaeda (fanatical Sunni), Iraq (secular), and Iran (Shi'a who hate both al-Qaeda and Iraq). Or their claims that Iraq was developing sophisticated weapons when the first Iraq War and the UN blockade had basically eliminated the Iraqi airforce and famed tank corps. Nothing they were telling us made sense to me. Well, that was because they really were lies.

From the survey:

President George W. Bush and seven of his administration's top officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, made at least 935 false statements in the two years following September 11, 2001, about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Nearly five years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, an exhaustive examination of the record shows that the statements were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses.

On at least 532 separate occasions (in speeches, briefings, interviews, testimony, and the like), Bush and these three key officials, along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan, stated unequivocally that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (or was trying to produce or obtain them), links to Al Qaeda, or both. This concerted effort was the underpinning of the Bush administration's case for war.

Here is the graph: (click to enlarge)

And here are a few highlights from the report:

* On August 26, 2002, in an address to the national convention of the Veteran of Foreign Wars, Cheney flatly declared: "Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us." In fact, former CIA Director George Tenet later recalled, Cheney's assertions went well beyond his agency's assessments at the time. Another CIA official, referring to the same speech, told journalist Ron Suskind, "Our reaction was, 'Where is he getting this stuff from?' "

* In the closing days of September 2002, with a congressional vote fast approaching on authorizing the use of military force in Iraq, Bush told the nation in his weekly radio address: "The Iraqi regime possesses biological and chemical weapons, is rebuilding the facilities to make more and, according to the British government, could launch a biological or chemical attack in as little as 45 minutes after the order is given. . . . This regime is seeking a nuclear bomb, and with fissile material could build one within a year." A few days later, similar findings were also included in a much-hurried National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction — an analysis that hadn't been done in years, as the intelligence community had deemed it unnecessary and the White House hadn't requested it.

* In July 2002, Rumsfeld had a one-word answer for reporters who asked whether Iraq had relationships with Al Qaeda terrorists: "Sure." In fact, an assessment issued that same month by the Defense Intelligence Agency (and confirmed weeks later by CIA Director Tenet) found an absence of "compelling evidence demonstrating direct cooperation between the government of Iraq and Al Qaeda." What's more, an earlier DIA assessment said that "the nature of the regime's relationship with Al Qaeda is unclear."

* On May 29, 2003, in an interview with Polish TV, President Bush declared: "We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories." But as journalist Bob Woodward reported in State of Denial, days earlier a team of civilian experts dispatched to examine the two mobile labs found in Iraq had concluded in a field report that the labs were not for biological weapons. The team's final report, completed the following month, concluded that the labs had probably been used to manufacture hydrogen for weather balloons.

* On January 28, 2003, in his annual State of the Union address, Bush asserted: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production." Two weeks earlier, an analyst with the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research sent an email to colleagues in the intelligence community laying out why he believed the uranium-purchase agreement "probably is a hoax."

* On February 5, 2003, in an address to the United Nations Security Council, Powell said: "What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence. I will cite some examples, and these are from human sources." As it turned out, however, two of the main human sources to which Powell referred had provided false information. One was an Iraqi con artist, code-named "Curveball," whom American intelligence officials were dubious about and in fact had never even spoken to. The other was an Al Qaeda detainee, Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi, who had reportedly been sent to Eqypt by the CIA and tortured and who later recanted the information he had provided. Libi told the CIA in January 2004 that he had "decided he would fabricate any information interrogators wanted in order to gain better treatment and avoid being handed over to [a foreign government]."

The conclusion is clear. They lied, blatantly and deliberately, to get us into a war that was NOT in our best interest, was NOT justified and which has turned into the greatest foreign policy and military blunder since the Vietnam war. THAT is the Bush legacy.

Downfall of Another Corrupt Republican: Missouri's Matt Blunt

2008-01-22T21:11:00.000-05:00

Among the very first corrupt Republicans I targeted were Roy and Matt Blunt, corrupt father and son who were, respectively, Congressman and Governor of Missouri. This pair were about as corrupt as you can get, and Matt Blunt was among the least popular governors in the nation. To me, the Blunts are probably the most embarassing political dynasty this nation has, perhaps next to the Bush family itself. Yet, to my dismay, this corrupt and seemingly unpopular bunch hung on to their elected positions even in 2006 when the voters did a pretty good job of sweeping out corrupt politicians.

Well, it seems we are finally starting to force these sleaze out. According to Daily Kos, Matt Blunt, the younger sleaze, is deciding NOT to run for re-election as governor of Missouri. He is retiring because he has "fulfilled all his campaign promises." I guess becoming one of the most corrupt and least popular governors in America, making his chances of re-election slim, is his way of fulfilling his campaign promises. Or is the skyrocketing unemployment in Missouri part of his campaign promise?

Given that Matt "Coverup" Blunt was already paying for TV ads for re-election, this sudden withdrawal suggests either he realized he had no chance in hell of winning, or thre is some real major relevation coming up regarding the corrupt Blunts. Meaning Jay Nixon will likely be the next Governor of Missouri. Which will be a HUGE improvement for the people of Missouri! Could the sudden withdrawal have something to do with the $89,300.08 Matt Blunt's campaign has recently spent on "legal fees"? Does this mean the many scandals are about to spiral completelt out of control?

So...how will this affect Roy Blunt's chances of re-election to Congress. Will Missouri finally rid itself of this sleazy family altogether? For those who want to help these corrupt sleze get the boot, you can donate to my Missouri Act Blue Site, targeting the MO-07 race in particular to get Papa Sleaze Blunt out as well.

Weeding out corruption is among the most important things we can do in America. In 2006 we did a great deal to weed out corrupt governors and Congressional reps. In 2007 the corrupt Kentucky governor got the boot. So far Missouri has been immune to this clean government movement. My feeling is that Matt Blunt's retreat is the first sign that Missouri will kick out its corrupt Republicans, starting with the Blunt family. I for one will be proud of Missouri once the Blunts are in disgrace.

Republican Corruption...and treason

2008-01-17T06:38:00.000-05:00

Republicans like claiming they are tough on terrorism, but the evidence shows they are weak when it comes to combating terrorism. Osama bin Laden is still free as a bird and al-Qaeda stronger than ever. Terrorism has grown throughout the world while Bush remains friendly with Saudi Arabia, one of the nations that helps fund and train terrorists.

But some Republicans go further than this it seems. One Republican in particular has been indicted for actually helping al-Qaeda...which strikes me as outright treason.

From Truthout:

A former congressman and delegate to the United Nations was indicted Wednesday as part of a terrorist fundraising ring that allegedly sent more than $130,000 to an al-Qaida and Taliban supporter who has threatened U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan.

The former Republican congressman from Michigan, Mark Deli Siljander, was charged with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice for allegedly lying about lobbying senators on behalf of an Islamic charity that authorities said was secretly sending funds to terrorists.

A 42-count indictment, unsealed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., accuses the Islamic American Relief Agency of paying Siljander $50,000 for the lobbying - money that turned out to be stolen from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Siljander, who served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, was appointed by President Reagan to serve as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations for one year in 1987.

A Republican Congressman and Ronald Reagan appointee being paid with taxpayer money to launder money for al-Qaeda...sounds treasonous to me.

Of course Republicans have committed treason before, like when they illegally outed a CIA agent out of petty spite. That action als endangered America's war against the terrorists. Over and over Republicans show themselves to be unwilling or unable to fight terrorism.

Republican Pedophiles

2007-11-08T15:14:00.000-05:00

I started this blog mainly to highlight political corruption, something that efforts like this made a major issue in 2006. Republican corruption was one major factor in the defeat of Republicans across the country in 2006 and was a major reason for the defeat of Kentucky Republican Ernie Fletcher in 2007.

But there is an even worse side to the so-called Party of Morality: Pedophilia. Tom Foley was just the tip of the iceberg, it seems. And what is worse than the actual existence of pedophilic Republicans is the fact that all too often other Republicans cover up for them...sometimes for many years.

So I came across a list of Republicans charged or convicted of pedophilia: (links can be found on the original site)

* Republican Party Chairman Donald Fleischman was charged with two counts of child enticement, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child and a single charge of exposing himself to a child.

* Republican prosecutor John David Roy Atchison was arrested for soliciting sex from a 5-year old girl, then killed himself three weeks later. At the time of his arrest, Atchison was an "assistant U.S. attorney" appointed by President Bush's attorney general.

* Republican city councilman John Bryan killed himself after police began investigating allegations that he had molested three girls, including two of his adopted daughters, ages 12 and 15.

* Republican legislator Ted Klaudt was charged with raping girls under the age of 16.

* Republican city councilman Joseph Monteleone Jr. was found guilty of fondling underage girls.

* Republican congressional aide Jeffrey Nielsen was arrested for having sex with a 14-year old boy.

* Republican County Commissioner Patrick Lee McGuire surrendered to police after allegedly molesting girls between the ages of 8 and 13.

* Republican prosecutor Larry Corrigan was arrested for soliciting sex from 13-year old girls.

* Republican Mayor Jeffrey Kyle Randall was sentenced to 275 days in jail for molesting two boys -- ages ten and 12 -- during a six-year period.

* Republican County Board Candidate Brent Schepp was charged with molesting a 14-year old girl and killed himself three days later.

* Republican Congressman Mark Foley abruptly resigned from Congress after "sexually explicit" emails surfaced showing him flirting with a 16-year old boy.

* Republican executive Randall Casseday of the conservative Washington Times newspaper pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a 13-year old girl on the internet.

* Republican chairman of the Oregon Christian Coalition Lou Beres confessed to molesting a 13-year old girl.

* Republican County Constable Larry Dale Floyd pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting sex from an 8-year old girl. Floyd has repeatedly won elections for Denton County, Texas, constable.

* Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.

* Republican Party leader Bobby Stumbo was arrested for having sex with a 5-year old boy.

* Republican petition drive manager Tom Randall pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 14, one of them the daughter of an associate in the petition business.

* Republican County Chairman Armando Tebano pleaded guilty to fondling a 14-year-old girl.

* Republican teacher and former city councilman John Collins pleaded guilty to sexually molesting 13 and 14 year old girls.

* Republican campaign worker Mark Seidensticker is a convicted child molester.

* Republican Mayor Philip Giordano is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls.

* Republican Mayor Tom Adams was arrested for distributing child pornography over the internet.

* Republican Mayor John Gosek was arrested on charges of soliciting sex from two 15-year old girls.

* Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

* Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9 and 17.

* Republican Committeeman John R. Curtin was convicted of molesting an underage teenage boy and sentenced to serve six to 18 months in prison.

* Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.

* Republican zoning supervisor, Boy Scout leader and Lutheran church president Dennis L. Rader pleaded guilty to performing a sexual act on an 11-year old girl he murdered.

* Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor.

* Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl.

* Republican racist pedophile and United States Senator Strom Thurmond had sex with a 15-year old black girl which produced a child.

* Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police after admitting to a sexual affair with a female juvenile.

* Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl.

* Republican advertising consultant Carey Lee Cramer was sentenced to six years in prison for molesting two 8-year old girls, one of whom appeared in an anti-Gore television commercial.

* Republican fundraiser Lawrence E. King, Jr. organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.

* Republican lobbyist Craig J. Spence organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.

* Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens was found guilty of having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail.

* Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos.

* Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children.

* Republican campaign chairman Randal David Ankeney pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child and was arrested again five years later on the same charge.

* Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor working as a congressional page.

* Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step daughter.

* Republican Judge Ronald C. Kline pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer.

* Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar.

* Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.

* Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. "Republican Marty"), was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of delivering the drug LSD.

* Republican legislative aide Howard L. Brooks was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography.

* Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway was accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media.

* Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to traditional values, was sentenced prison after offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.

* Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to exposing his genitals to an 11 year old girl.

* Republican anti-gay activist Earl "Butch" Kimmerling was sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her.

* Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison.

* Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced to two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from a 14-year old girl.

* Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy.

* Republican legislator Keith Westmoreland was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under the age of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children).

* Republican anti-abortion activist John Allen Burt was found guilty of molesting a 15-year old girl.

* Republican County Councilman Keola Childs pleaded guilty to molesting a male child.

* Republican activist John Butler was charged with criminal sexual assault on a teenage girl.

* Republican candidate Richard Gardner admitted to molesting his two daughters.

* Republican Councilman and former Marine Jack W. Gardner was convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl.

* Republican County Commissioner Merrill Robert Barter pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy.

* Republican City Councilman Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr. pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison.

* Republican activist Parker J. Bena pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000.

* Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, Larry Jack Schwarz, was fired after child pornography was found in his possession.

* Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate Robin Vanderwall was convicted in Virginia on five counts of soliciting sex from boys and girls over the internet.

* Republican city councilman Mark Harris, who is described as a "good military man" and "church goer," was convicted of repeatedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

* Republican businessman Jon Grunseth withdrew his candidacy for Minnesota governor after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter.

* Republican campaign worker, police officer and self-proclaimed reverend Steve Aiken was convicted of having sex with two underage girls.

* Republican director of the "Young Republican Federation" Nicholas Elizondo molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.

* Republican president of the New York City Housing Development Corp. Russell Harding pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer.

* Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, Richard A. Dasen Sr., was found guilty of raping a 15-year old girl. Dasen, 62, who is married with grown children and several grandchildren, has allegedly told police that over the past decade he paid more than $1 million to have sex with a large number of young women.

For a reminder of the discrepancy in political corruption between the Democratic and Republican parties, please see my previous post with a rundown of all major corruption.

Republican Ass Biters

2007-09-29T21:10:00.000-04:00

Okay...The Republicans were all up in arms because Bill Clinton got a blow job from a very willing woman. No coersion. All consentual. Sure maybe you wouldn't trust your daughter around Bill, but in political terms so what?

But the same Republicans who attacked Bill Clinton for consentual sex with an adult woman are good buddies for sexual predators like Tom Foley, REALLY insane sexual predators like John David Atchison caught trying to solicit sex from a 5-year old. And now we have the Republican attempt to steal votes in California being led by a Republican ass-biter.

Yes...Republican Ass Biter.

Who'd have thunk it? The man behind (no pun intended) the California initiative to split California's electoral vote is a Rudy Giuliani supporting, Ass-biting Missouri Republican. Yes...ass biting. From the Daily News:

A mysterious Missourian and Rudy Giuliani backer once found guilty of biting a woman on the butt is behind a scheme to chew off a chunk of California for Republicans in 2008.

Charles Hurth, a Union, Mo., lawyer, is the only registered agent of Take Initiative America, a corporation formed to change how California's 55 electoral college votes are apportioned.

All that's known about Hurth is that jurors made him pay $27,500 in 1990 to a woman he bit on the buttocks, and he gave the former mayor's campaign $2,000 in March. He did not return calls from the Daily News.

What is WRONG with Republicans? I mean if someone is into biting women's asses, I am sure they can find willing partners, even if they have to pay. But how do you wind up getting FINED for biting a woman in the ass? I mean what the HELL do you have to get FINED for biting a woman in the ass??

And then you wind up being a front person for a Republican attempt to steal votes from California?

Supporting Giuliani is no surprise. Rudy Giuliani is well known in NYC for being, shall we say, not terribly faithful and a lousy family man. So perhaps he would attract Republican ass-biters as supporters. But how did California Republicans wind up getting a Missouri Republican ass-biter as their point man in their mission to steal the vote? Who screwed up? Did they not check into this guy? Couldn't they find a reasonably clean-cut CALIFORNIAN to lead this CALIFORNIA initiative?

Apparently it takes Missouri ass-biting Republicans to steal a California election.

UPDATED: Republican Corruption in Florida: Hanging Chads and Tom Feeney (FL-24)

2007-08-31T06:51:00.000-04:00

This is an updated version of my previous post. There have been more revelations regarding Tom Feeney and voting fraud. Remember the stolen election 2000? Remember the hanging chads? Evidence has come out that THOSE HANGING CHADS WERE DELIBERATE. Poor quality paper and misalignment of the punch cards were deliberately used to create a questionable election to help the marketing of the Sequoia touchscreen machines. And Tom Feeney may have had a hand in the scandal.

As my previous post discussed, Tom Feeney (FL-24) has a corrupt past anyway, linked to the Abramoff scandal.

Feeney is a sitting Congressman, but let's start out by realizing that Tom Feeney has already been fined by the House ethics committee for his Abramoff connections. He has already been found to be corrupt by the House Ethics Committee, yet is still a "respected" member of the Republican Party and has not resigned from Congress.

But there is probably more coming...it seems that the FBI is investigating Tom Feeney further for those Abramoff connections. Gee, and the Republicans wanted us to think the Abramoff scandal had blown over. This is run of the mill fraud for Republicans. But Feeney may have had a hand in the stolen 2000 election.

Yes, I say ACTIVE PARTICIPATION in voter fraud. Tom Feeney has been accused of recruiting computer programmers to write software that could alter vote totals on touch-screen voting machines in Florida. From the Seminole Chronicle:

Republican Congressman Tom Feeney of Oviedo asked a computer programmer in September 2000, prior to that year's contested presidential vote in Florida, to write software that could alter vote totals on touch-screen voting machines, the programmer said.

Former computer programmer Clint Curtis made the claim Monday in sworn testimony to Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee investigating allegations of voter fraud in the 2004 presidential election involving touch-screen voting in Ohio.

In his testimony, Curtis said that Feeney, then a member of the Florida House of Representative, met with Curtis and other employees of Yang Enterprises, an Oviedo software company, and asked if the company could create a program that would allow a user to alter the vote totals while using the touch-screen machine. The program had to be written so that even the human-readable computer code would not show its illicit capabilities, Curtis recalled.

Curtis said he wrote a prototype program for Feeney, and that he believed the program might not only be usable on touch-screen voting machines, which some counties - predominantly in South Florida - now use, but also on optical-scan machines, which most of the state's counties used in the 2004 elections.

Feeney could not be reached for comment.

If true, THIS is one of the most disgusting attacks on American democracy I can think of, whether you are Republican or Democrat. Tom Feeney is accused of trying to subvert American democracy, plain and simple.

And Curtis' accusations got a boost recently. Many criticized Curtis for claiming that people were trying to subvert the touchscreen machines BEFORE the 2000 election when supposedly no one was thinking touch screen. Well, some actual investigativg journalism by Dan Rather has revealed that people WERE thinking touch screen before the 2000 election and, in fact, the problems that arose in 2000 in Florida may have been part of the push for touch screen machines. This was broken, as far as I know, by the Brad Blog:

The recent Dan Rather report (complete video here) on the gaming of the paper punchcard ballots by Sequoia Voting Systems in Florida, just prior to the 2000 election, plugs up at least one important "hole" in the Clint Curtis story. We first broke Curtis's story back in late 2004 and have been reporting on it ever since.

You'll recall that Curtis alleged --- in sworn affidavit [PDF], live video-taped testimony before a U.S. House Judiciary delegation, and via polygraph test --- that he was asked by Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) to create a touch-screen vote-rigging prototype program, just months prior to the 2000 election when they both worked at the same Florida software firm.

One of the main criticisms of Curtis's striking allegations was that "nobody was even thinking about touch-screen voting systems in Florida prior to the 2000 Presidential Election debacle."

Dan Rather's remarkable investigative report, however, would seem to indicate otherwise: seven Sequoia company whistleblowers reveal on camera that, despite their objections, they were forced to use poor quality paper for the punchcards to be used in Florida in 2000. They also revealed that they had been instructed to deliberately misalign the chads for ballots going to Palm Beach County, FL, only.

As well, another recent revelation puts the lie to Feeney's claim, made years ago, that he no longer had anything to do with the owners of the Oviedo, Florida, firm where he was the general counsel and registered lobbyist in 2000 (even as he served as Speaker of the FL House at the same time). Curtis was employed as a computer programmer for the company, which had multi-million dollar contracts with both the state and NASA, where Feeney's wife has worked for several years.

New information reveals that the owners of the company remain personal friends with Feeney, and continue to funnel money to him even while they hope for further contracts from the U.S. House Subcommittee on Space & Aeronautics, in which Feeney has recently been promoted to ranking member.

Go to the Brad Blog for MUCH more on the issue. Hanging chads...intentional? Use of low quality paper and intentional misaligning? In California I used punchcard voting for years...and never had a problem. I always wondered why it was such a problem in Florida. Sounds like it is because certain companies wanted to see states high priced touch screen machines and certain Republicans wanted to subvert the vote using such machines.

Tom Feeney may have been part of the stolen 2000 election...

Now I want to turn to Feeney's voting record. Feeney's probable corruption is damning enough. But his voting record damns him at least as much. Simply put, Tom Feeney votes AGAINST Americans: (voting record from Project Vote Smart)

Feeney opposes a woman's right to choose, and essentially supports forcing a woman to carry a rapist's child to term...even at the risk of her own life. Feeney receives 0/100 ratings from Planned Parenthood every single year.

Feeney gets a 0/100 rating from National Farmers Union. He sure isn't pro-farmer!

Feeney is anti-freedom: Gets 0/100 from ACLU, Arab American Institute, National Council of La Raza, Human Rights Campaign and low ratings from NAACP. Feeney does not believe in Civil Rights.

Feeney hurts our children: gets 0/100 from Children's Defense Fund.

Feeney hurts working class Americans: Gets below 10/100 from almost every Union out there, including SEIU, AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Worker, American Postal Workers Union, United Auto Workers, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers...shit, if I were Feeney I'd worry about meeting any of these folk in a dark alley. Solid, working class Americans hate Feeney.

Feeney hurts America's Senior Citizens: He consistently gets below 10/100 ratings from Alliance for Retired Americans.

Feeney hutrs American soldiers and Veterans: Gets an abyssmal D+ grade from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America in 2006, and gets a 0/100 rating from Disabled American Veterans in 2004 and 2005 (he did better in 2006 with a 66/100 rating).

THIS is the Republican who represents FL-24. The DCCC has more information on Tom Feeney and his anti-America, corrupt stands. Here are some examples:

* Rep. Feeney voted against cracking down on the oil and gas industries price gouging.
* Big oil and gas industries have given Rep. Feeney $15,200. Any surprise?

* Rep. Feeney voted to strip overtime protection from millions of workers.
* Rep. Feeney voted to allow federal loans to American companies that have escaped paying U.S. taxes by moving offshore.

* Rep. Feeney voted to continue awarding contracts to Halliburton even if the Pentagon's own audit processes found that more than $100 million of their contractor's costs in Iraq were unreasonable.
* Rep. Feeney opposed expanding access to the military's TRICARE health insurance program to thousands of Reservist and National Guard members, even though 20 percent of all Reservists do not have health insurance, and 40 percent of Reservists aged 19 to 35 lack health coverage.
* Rep. Feeney voted against granting a bonus to grant a $1,500 bonus to every American service member serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, including National Guard and Reserve forces.

You can help defeat Tom Feeney in FL-24 by donating to the FL-24 Congressional race on this Act Blue Page. If you want to preserve American democracy against corruption and voter fraud, send Washington a message by donating at the above Act Blue site to win in Florida in 2008.

Republican Corruption in Florida: Tom Feeney (FL-24)

2007-08-29T07:02:00.000-04:00

Corruption is one of the issues I focus on the most. On Daily Gotham I focus a lot on problems within the Democratic party in Brooklyn, NY. But nationally I find than generally it is Republican corruption that is most prevalent and damaging to America.

Right now, I want to focus on a particularly vile, corrupt Republican Congressman, Tom Feeney (FL-24). This is a man closely connected with the Abramoff scandal that Republicans want you to forget but you and I know is still playing out. But Feeney is also majorly involved in voter fraud. In fact, Feeney should be the poster boy for the most un-American attack on democracy America has seen in recent years.

Feeney is a sitting Congressman, but let's start out by realizing that Tom Feeney has already been fined by the House ethics committee for his Abramoff connections. He has already been found to be corrupt by the House Ethics Committee, yet is still a "respected" member of the Republican Party and has not resigned from Congress.

But there is probably more coming...it seems that the FBI is investigating Tom Feeney further for those Abramoff connections. Gee, and the Republicans wanted us to think the Abramoff scandal had blown over.

But perhaps the worst Feeney has done is active participation in voting fraud. Yes, I say ACTIVE PARTICIPATION in voter fraud. Tom Feeney has been accused of recruiting computer programmers to write software that could alter vote totals on touch-screen voting machines in Florida. From the Seminole Chronicle:

Republican Congressman Tom Feeney of Oviedo asked a computer programmer in September 2000, prior to that year's contested presidential vote in Florida, to write software that could alter vote totals on touch-screen voting machines, the programmer said.

Former computer programmer Clint Curtis made the claim Monday in sworn testimony to Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee investigating allegations of voter fraud in the 2004 presidential election involving touch-screen voting in Ohio.

In his testimony, Curtis said that Feeney, then a member of the Florida House of Representative, met with Curtis and other employees of Yang Enterprises, an Oviedo software company, and asked if the company could create a program that would allow a user to alter the vote totals while using the touch-screen machine. The program had to be written so that even the human-readable computer code would not show its illicit capabilities, Curtis recalled.

Curtis said he wrote a prototype program for Feeney, and that he believed the program might not only be usable on touch-screen voting machines, which some counties - predominantly in South Florida - now use, but also on optical-scan machines, which most of the state's counties used in the 2004 elections.

Feeney could not be reached for comment.

If true, THIS is one of the most disgusting attacks on American democracy I can think of, whether you are Republican or Democrat. Tom Feeney is accused of trying to subvert American democracy, plain and simple.

Now I want to turn to Feeney's voting record. Feeney's probable corruption is damning enough. But his voting record damns him at least as much. Simply put, Tom Feeney votes AGAINST Americans: (voting record from Project Vote Smart)

Feeney opposes a woman's right to choose, and essentially supports forcing a woman to carry a rapist's child to term...even at the risk of her own life. Feeney receives 0/100 ratings from Planned Parenthood every single year.

Feeney gets a 0/100 rating from National Farmers Union. He sure isn't pro-farmer!

Feeney is anti-freedom: Gets 0/100 from ACLU, Arab American Institute, National Council of La Raza, Human Rights Campaign and low ratings from NAACP. Feeney does not believe in Civil Rights.

Feeney hurts our children: gets 0/100 from Children's Defense Fund.

Feeney hurts working class Americans: Gets below 10/100 from almost every Union out there, including SEIU, AFL-CIO, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Worker, American Postal Workers Union, United Auto Workers, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers...shit, if I were Feeney I'd worry about meeting any of these folk in a dark alley. Solid, working class Americans hate Feeney.

Feeney hurts America's Senior Citizens: He consistently gets below 10/100 ratings from Alliance for Retired Americans.

Feeney hutrs American soldiers and Veterans: Gets an abyssmal D+ grade from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America in 2006, and gets a 0/100 rating from Disabled American Veterans in 2004 and 2005 (he did better in 2006 with a 66/100 rating).

THIS is the Republican who represents FL-24. The DCCC has more information on Tom Feeney and his anti-America, corrupt stands. Here are some examples:

* Rep. Feeney voted against cracking down on the oil and gas industries price gouging.
* Big oil and gas industries have given Rep. Feeney $15,200. Any surprise?

* Rep. Feeney voted to strip overtime protection from millions of workers.
* Rep. Feeney voted to allow federal loans to American companies that have escaped paying U.S. taxes by moving offshore.

* Rep. Feeney voted to continue awarding contracts to Halliburton even if the Pentagon's own audit processes found that more than $100 million of their contractor's costs in Iraq were unreasonable.
* Rep. Feeney opposed expanding access to the military's TRICARE health insurance program to thousands of Reservist and National Guard members, even though 20 percent of all Reservists do not have health insurance, and 40 percent of Reservists aged 19 to 35 lack health coverage.
* Rep. Feeney voted against granting a bonus to grant a $1,500 bonus to every American service member serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, including National Guard and Reserve forces.

You can help defeat Tom Feeney in FL-24 by donating to the FL-24 Congressional race on this Act Blue Page. If you want to preserve American democracy against corruption and voter fraud, send Washington a message by donating at the above Act Blue site to win in Florida in 2008.

BROOKLYN CORRUPTION: A Sad Case of Democratic Corruption

2007-08-21T11:14:00.001-04:00

Even though it is clear that on a naitonal level Republican corruption FAR outweighs Democratic corruption, in my own neighborhood it is often the Democrats who are corrupt. The focus of that corruption once was a man named Clarence Norman. Well, I use Clarence to highlight one difference between Democratic corruption and Republican corruption: Clarence Norman was put in jail by a DEMOCRATIC District Attorney. Usually Republicans circle the wagons around even their most corrupt members and go so far as defending sex offenders and rapists if it gets them what they want. So at least Democrats are capable of recogizing corruption in their midst and fight it.

And fight Democratic corruption is what I do in Brooklyn, NY.

Once Clarence Norman was in jail, his job of head of the Brooklyn Dem party was taken over by someone named Vito Lopez. Sadly, Vito Lopez is just as corrupt as Clarence Norman.

Seems Vito Lopez may be doing exactly what put Clarence Norman in jail:

Brooklyn assemblyman Vito Lopez, who is pushing hard to win the county's Democratic Party leadership post made vacant by the conviction of his former assembly colleague, Clarence Norman, Jr., has something else in common with Norman: Both men used political campaign committees to pay for their personal cars, and then accepted mileage reimbursement from the legislature - a legal no-no according to Brooklyn District Attorney Charles "Joe" Hynes who won indictments against Norman for that very offense.

State election board filings show that since 1999 the Bushwick pol's campaign committee, "Friends of Vito Lopez," has routinely shelled out $500 a month in leasing costs for his Acura sports car, and another $2800 a year for his auto insurance costs. It also pays more than $200 a month for a luxury dashboard computer service. In addition, the committee picks up a monthly American Express bill for the assemblyman, a tab that runs from $400 to $8,000 a month.

— Village Voice

Vito Lopez takes crony capitalism to a level that even Republicans might envy:

The lengthy lead story in the Real Estate section [of the NY Times] credited Lopez with sparking a massive rebuilding effort in Bushwick, way back when he was a graduate student in 1971, and then carrying it through. The story also mentioned that Angela Battaglia's agency is the developer for a $20 million component of the rebuilding effort. It even pictured [Vito] Lopez and Battaglia standing together in front of new housing construction. But the story omitted that Battaglia is Lopez's girlfriend. Does that connection at least deserve mention? Might the article have explained why there was or wasn't a conflict of interest present? Was it a coincidence that Lopez's girlfriend's outfit was put in charge of the $20 million deal? Inquiring minds would like to know. It may well be that everything was done on the up-and-up. But given Lopez's tendency to do favors for his friends-for example, he helped make his girlfriend's brother Jack Battaglia a Civil Court judge-the Times should have explored the question.

--Lambda Independent Democrats

And Vito Lopez puts cronyism ahead of qualifications when choosing judges:

Just as dispiriting, party regulars chose as the convicted Norman's successor Assemblyman Vito Lopez, an old-time ward heeler from Bushwick who has never shown a zeal for reform until, gee whiz, now. He vows the party will consult a panel of learned men and women, such as Brooklyn Law School's dean, about picking quality judges.

We've seen this movie before, and the ending stinks. Two years ago, Norman and party district leaders, Lopez included, pledged they would never support a candidate for a judgeship who had not been approved by an independent screening commission. This year, for the first time, the panel reviewed Civil Court candidates.

And guess what? The party shoehorned two lawyers onto the bench without any screening. Kenny Sherman, son of district leader Roberta Sherman, will get a 10-year Civil Court term without so much as a primary. And Canarsie Assemblyman Frank Seddio was awarded an uncontested ballot line for Surrogate's Court. So much for quality control. So much for keeping your word.

— Daily News (quoted from "It Takes a Blogger")

So, given Vito's record of supporting sleazy and often unqualified judges, this year in Brooklyn many are suspicious of his hand picked candidate for Surrogate Judge, one of the more powerful and coveted judicial positions in Brooklyn. Shawndya Simpson is Vito Lopez's picked candidate for this race, running against Judge Diana Simpson, who already has 16 years judicial experience. Sadly neither Johnson nor Simpson are completely free of connections to the local corrupt machine, but Johnson has been endorsed by Brooklyn's reform clubs, Independent Neighborhood Democrats and Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, and is opposed by Brooklyn Crook Vito Lopez. By contrasy, Shawndya Simpson was hand picked by Vito Lopez at practically the last minute, circumventing much of the normal procedures for endorsements.

Diana Johnson seems more qualified because she already has 16 years of judicial experience. But what really turned me off to Shawdya Simpson is some recent statements in court while trying to prove that she really lived in Brooklyn, rather than in New Jersey where some records indicate she really lives. Under oath, Shawndya Simpson swears she doesn't know what address her 10-month old child lives and sears she does not know contact info for any of her children's schools or care providers. I kid you not:

To the amazement of many in court, Ms. Simpson testified under oath that she didn't know the contact information for her kids at their various schools in New Jersey. In a post 9-11 world, a judge makes this incredible statement. Plus, her own obstetrician is in NJ; her kid's doctors, dentists, and such, are all in NJ.

Even more amazing (as reported by a Johnson supporter) was that both Ms. Simpson and her husband (Jacob Walthour), could not even agree as to where their 10 month-old infant lives. Shawndya Simpson testified that her infant lives in Brooklyn with her, and that her mother-in-law takes care of the kid during the day. Simpson's husband Jacob testified that all the children- including the infant- live with him and his mother in New Jersey.
There is even more strange testimony. At another point on the witness stand Ms. Simpson said that all the children live in New Jersey. Can anyone really believe that a mother does not live with her 10 mother old infant?

So I wonder is Shawndya lying under oath (not a good thing for a judge) or is she just one of the most negligent parents I have heard of (not a good thing for ANYONE)?

But there is even more about Vito Lopez that makes him one of the worst Democrats around and a prime target for anyone who opposes corruption.

Vito Lopez gets most of his campaign contributions from developers and, interestingly enough, chiropractors. Not sure why he's so popular among chiropractors, but it is easy to see why he is so beloved by developers. Now it becomes clear that Lopez has been bought by the family of one of Brooklyn's most corrupt developers: Bruce Ratner.

Bruce Ratner himself doesn't funnel money to candidates so much. Usually it is other family members who buy the politicians and Bruce who reaps he benefits. This is the case with Vito Lopez. In September 2006, the Ratner family maxed out donations to Vito Lopez, someone who had been largely quiet on Ratner's Atlantic Yards project before that.

From Atlantic Yards Report:

Greenwich Village resident Michael Ratner...brother of Forest City Ratner (FCR) CEO Bruce Ratner, has given campaign contributions to several candidates from Brooklyn and beyond apparently favored by the developer. So has his wife, Karen Ranucci...

On 9/8/06, Ratner and Ranucci each gave $3100 (the contribution limit) to the campaign of Brooklyn Democratic Chair Vito Lopez, who has a lock on his Assembly seat. Lopez had no primary and token opposition in the general election.

But Lopez can have influence with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and Forest City Ratner certainly wants Silver to greenlight Atlantic Yards when it reaches the Public Authorities Control Board (PACB), where Silver has one of three votes. (Ratner and Ranucci had previously contributed the maximum to Silver, as well.)

Lopez, interestingly, was not on the list of public officials supporting AY announced at the 8/23/06 press event. Still, he has ties to several project supporters.

That was around the time of election 2006. Before that, Silver had already been a major crony of the Ratner clan. But Vito had been strangely silent given his close ties to developers. Of course, soon AFTER the Ratners paid for their Lopez, Lopez suddenly offered Bruce Ratner a deal so sweet even Michael Bloomberg balked. From Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn: (quoting the Post)

The provision, quietly inserted by Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Brooklyn), would provide Ratner with an extra $300 million in property-tax benefits.
...

Another provision eliminates - for Ratner only - the requirement that at least 20 percent of the housing units in each building in a complex be affordable.

Critics say it opens the door to Ratner "segregating" all of the project's 2,500 affordable-housing units into several buildings.

"More sinister, [Ratner] can build the market-rate housing first and wait a decade to do the affordable housing or, even worse, come back after the market-rate housing is done and then say, 'We can't afford to do the affordable housing,' " an official said...

So...let's review. Vito Lopez is largely silent on Atlantic Yards. Then Ratner's family max out their donations to Lopez. Then Lopez steamrolls the Assembly to offer Bruce Ratner a deal worth $300 million.

Gee...Vito Lopez sounds more and more like a Republican every day. Or, at least, part of the Shelly Silver/Joe Bruno vortex of corruption.

Vito Fossella: Bush Lap Dog, Social Security Flip Flopper, and Friend to Criminals

2007-08-13T11:50:00.000-04:00

Congressman Vito Fossella, the rat that he is, is desperately trying to abandon the sinking Republican ship. As Michael Bouldin has pointed out, Fossella now no longer identifies himself as a Republican, but is claiming to be "independent" despite having voted Republican Party line 92% of the time.

Well, voting record is not the only way in which Fossella is a Bush/Cheney/Rove lapdog.

Let's look at the record. Let's start with an article from 2005 from Americans United to Protect Social Security:

STATEN ISLAND – Social Security recipients and activists delivered a large frosted “Social Security” cake to Congressman Vito Fossella’s office today – to illustrate Fossella’s approach to Social Security -- having his cake and eating it too.

“Fossella continues to consider legislation that would privatize Social Security by diverting the Social Security surplus into private accounts – even as he says he opposes the sliding-scale benefit reductions promoted by the Bush-Cheney administration,” said Frank O’Connor, a volunteer with the IN THIS TOGETHER campaign. “Fossella wants to have his cake and eat it too – because any privatization plan is inevitably accompanied by benefit cuts and dramatic increases in the national debt.”

The article then highlights the extreme duplicity of Fossella's stand on this issue:

"I do not believe the progressive indexing plan I have seen is in the best interests of the people I represent in Staten Island and Brooklyn.” – Fossella Statement 5/26/05

“I can support personal accounts.” – Fossella Statement, 5/26/05

Later on Monday, Fossella will be joined at a fundraiser by one of privatization’s biggest boosters, Vice President Dick Cheney.

Now let's look at that visit Cheney made at this fundraiser for Fossella: (from the WHITE HOUSE WEBSITE)

Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Vice President at Dinner for Vito Fossella
Vice President's Remarks at a Dinner for Congressman Vito Fossella
The Excelsior Grand Staten Island, New York 6:40 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you all very much.

Well, thank you very much, it's great to be back and to visit Staten Island -- the home of one of America's outstanding congressmen -- (applause) -- and friendly territory for our President, George W. Bush. (Applause.)

I want to thank all of you for coming out today, and, of course, I'm here to join all of you in a tribute to one of our foremost rising stars, if you will, in the U.S. House of Representatives. You know him well, and you know he's a man who comes through time and time again for Staten Island and all of New York.

Some of you may not be aware that I spent 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives as a congressman. I was the congressman from Wyoming. Wyoming only has one congressman. (Laughter.) It was a small delegation, but it was quality. (Laughter and applause.) And my 10 years of service there taught me to appreciate the qualities of my colleagues and those who were first rate in terms of having good strong convictions, who never forgot where they came from, and who were, in fact, the leaders of the nation. And Vito Fossella is exactly that kind of member. (Applause.)...

We're going to continue making progress for the American people, and in that work we could not ask for a better partner than Congressman Vito Fossella. (Applause.) Once again, I want to thank all of you for your commitment to the cause we share, and for electing Vito to Congress. Every time you vote for this man, you're voting for a better America, and for a strong, effective, patriotic Congressman who never forgets who sent him to Washington. The President and I look forward to working with Vito for a good many years to come.

Thank you very much.

END 7:00 P.M. EDT For Immediate Release Office of the Vice President July 25, 2005

Clearly, Vice President Cheney does NOT think Fossella is in any way independent but rather considers him one of his best "partners" in enacting the extreme right wing agenda. Including, I might add, the destruction of Social Security.

Going back a little further, to 2004, here are remarks by Bush at a Bush-Cheney reception in NYC: (again, from the White House website)

Remarks by the President at Bush-Cheney 2004 Reception
The Carltun
East Meadow, New York

6:25 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. Thanks for the warm welcome. It's great...Let me get started. (Laughter.) Thanks for coming. Thanks for your friendship. Thanks for your support. It is great to be back in New York. We have had a fantastic day here today. And it's topped off by what is a successful effort to make sure that my campaign is properly fueled -- (laughter) -- for the charge ahead. (Applause.)

We're going to compete here in New York, and we're going to compete here hard. I'm counting on you. I'm counting on you to help us. The Vice President and I look forward to bringing our message to this great state. New York is going to be a part of what is going to be a great national victory in November of this year. (Applause.)

Speaking about our Vice President, I made a really good pick when I asked Dick Cheney to join me. He's the finest Vice President our country has ever had. (Applause.)...

I'm also pleased that Peter King traveled with me today, from Washington, D.C., to his district here in New York. (Applause.) I want to thank Peter for his service. He's a fine United States congressman, as is Vito Fossella. Vito is a New York congressman, as well. (Applause.)

So, when Bush and Cheney love you, how can you call yourself independent? But it goes beyond Fossella serving Bush and Cheney. He also has been great friends with Republican criminals in Congress.

Remember that Vito Fossella has received money from Republican Congressman and sexual predator Mark Foley, AND happily posed for photographs with him. And here is a list of contributions Fossella has received from the corrupt Republican leadership (from the DCCC website):

TIES WITH THE GOP LEADERSHIP

* Fossella received $15,000 from House Majority Leader John Boehner's "Freedom Project" PAC [Go here to read about Boehner's corruption].
* Fossella has taken $1,000 from GOP Whip Roy Blunt[Roy Blunt is on of the nation's most corrupt politicians].
* Fossella received $5,000 from GOP Whip Roy Blunt's "Rely on Your Beliefs" PAC.
* Fossella voted with President Bush 89% of the time.
* Fossella voted the GOP party line 92% of the time.

TIES WITH TOM DELAY
Fossella has taken:

* $10,000 from Tom DeLay's ARMPAC.

With all of these ties to the DeLay mess, is it any surprise that Fossella has:

* Voted to weaken House ethics rules when DeLay proposed doing so as GOP Majority Leader.
* Voted to allow the GOP House Leader to continue to serve after an indictment, an apparent tactic to protect DeLay.
* Voted with Tom DeLay 91% of the time (through 3/31/2006)

And let's not forget that Tom DeLay has been ARRESTED for his corruption.

Now let's return to Fossella's voting record (remember...90% of the time voting with Republicans and Tom DeLay). Here are some excerpts:

Rep. Fossella voted to cut Federal student aid by $12.7 billion -- the biggest such cuts in history.

Rep. Fossella voted against granting a bonus to grant a $1,500 bonus to every American service member serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, including National Guard and Reserve forces.

Rep. Fossella opposed expanding access to the military's TRICARE health insurance program to thousands of Reservist and National Guard members, even though 20 percent of all Reservists do not have health insurance, and 40 percent of Reservists aged 19 to 35 lack health coverage.

Rep. Fossella voted to continue awarding contracts to Halliburton [Dick Cheney's pet company] even if the Pentagon's own audit processes found that more than $100 million of their contractor's costs in Iraq were unreasonable. No surprise that Halliburton gave Fossella $1,500.

Rep. Fossella voted for the GOP Medicare Prescription Drug Bill that will give billions to businesses and the health care industry, while forcing seniors to accept annual increases in premiums and deductibles and a growing gap in coverage for the prescription drugs they buy.

Rep. Fossella voted to allow federal loans to American companies that have escaped paying U.S. taxes by moving offshore.

Rep. Fossella voted against cracking down on the oil and gas industries price gouging.

Rep. Fossella voted for the GOP energy bill that gave billions to oil, gas and nuclear industries.

So I have to ask, where in all this solid service to Bush, Cheney, DeLay, Foley and Halliburton does Fossella show ANY degree of independence whatsoever? And where is all this does he in any way serve America or New York?

And, lest we forget, Vito Fossella himself is corrupt and scandal ridden.

Vito Fossella: Corrupt Bush/Cheney/Rove Lapdog

2007-08-12T10:12:00.000-04:00

Vito Fossella (NY-13) is a Corrupt Republican Congressman in NYC. In 2006 he was nearly defeated by a grassroots challenger with only $100,000 and no support from the DCCC. That challenger, Steve Harrison, is ready for a rematch. Only this time Fossella is already in debt from last year, Harrison is getting an earlier start, and the DCCC are already considering supporting Harrison.

Vito Fossella likes using the term "independent" and he and his followers actually got angry when I called him a Republican. But he IS a Republican and he VOTES like a Republican. I think it is time to review Vito Fossella's record. From the DCCCVito Fossella Corrupt Republican:

FOSSELLA: Supporting Oil Companies, Not Americans

* Rep. Fossella voted against cracking down on the oil and gas industries price gouging.
* Rep. Fossella voted for the GOP energy bill that gave billions to oil, gas and nuclear industries.
* Big oil and gas industries have given Rep. Fossella $62,700. Any surprise?

FOSSELLA: Supporting Halliburton, NOT Supporting Our Troops

* Rep. Fossella voted to continue awarding contracts to Halliburton even if the Pentagon's own audit processes found that more than $100 million of their contractor's costs in Iraq were unreasonable. No surprise that Halliburton gave Fossella $1,500.
* Rep. Fossella opposed expanding access to the military's TRICARE health insurance program to thousands of Reservist and National Guard members, even though 20 percent of all Reservists do not have health insurance, and 40 percent of Reservists aged 19 to 35 lack health coverage.
* Rep. Fossella voted against granting a bonus to grant a $1,500 bonus to every American service member serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, including National Guard and Reserve forces.

FOSSELLA: NOT Independent...Republican Lap Dog

* Fossella received $15,000 from House Majority Leader John Boehner's "Freedom Project" PAC.
* Fossella has taken $1,000 from GOP Whip Roy Blunt.
* Fossella received $5,000 from GOP Whip Roy Blunt's "Rely on Your Beliefs" PAC.
* Fossella voted with President Bush 89% of the time.
* Fossella voted the GOP party line 92% of the time.

Here is a newspaper artilce onVito Fossella's Corruption:

Bay Ridge’s four-term Republican congressman has been dipping into campaign funds to finance pleasure trips to exclusive resorts in Florida, Colorado, Nevada and California, according to published reports.

Rep. Vito Fossella violated federal law when he took $53,142 from his campaign war chest to pay for fun-filled trips to the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and the Lodge at Vail, according to the Daily News.

The trips often included his wife and two children, the News reported.

In addition to the alleged misuse of campaign funds, the congressman took $11,000 from political consultants and corporate sponsors for “fact-finding missions,” including a $5,000 stay at Turnberry Isle Resort near Miami, which he charged to a political consultant’s credit card.

Fossella also failed to disclose a free roundtrip to Miami on the private jet of the late Richard Adeo, cited by federal authorities as a Gambino crime family associate.

He even sent out a taxpayer-funded mailing in which it appeared that Muppets Elmo and Rosita were endorsing him — a no-no in the public TV world

And, just for the record, this is what the NY Times said about Vito Fossella in 2006:

Fossella [is] anything but the independent fighter for constituents that he claims to be in this campaign. He has been a real water-carrier for the Bush administration and the Republican leadership, staunchly backing the war in Iraq while at the same time denying health benefits to National Guard and Reserve members who make up much of the American force there.

The congressman...has been unsympathetic to environmental concerns and has opposed a woman’s right to choose. He does his constituents no favors by his support for privatizing Social Security. He has voted to protect gun makers and sellers. While Mr. Fossella has lately sought funding to deal with health problems related to to the attacks of Sept. 11, he has largely been missing on important local issues. His Democratic colleague, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who represents the Sixth District, has often been left to advocate Staten Island’s many transportation needs, including the North Shore rail.

Mr. Fossella has offered only lame excuses for improperly using his campaign funds for skiing holidays in Vail (including lessons and equipment), as well as vacations in Florida — transgressions first reported by the Daily News. He has received donations from a lobbying firm with ties to Jack Abramoff. Earlier this year, he was fined a reported $60,000 for misusing his taxpayer-funded official mailing privileges.

And, by contrast, this is what the NY Times said about Steve Harrison, who is running against Vito again in 2008:

Mr. Harrison...is an attractive alternative to Mr. Fossella in his own right. Mr. Harrison has a presence in both sides of the district; he resides in Brooklyn, while his mother and sister live on Staten Island.

As chair of Community Board 10 in Brooklyn, he demonstrated leadership as he oversaw one of the city’s largest efforts to contain overdevelopment through rezoning. He has a good command of the issues, and a feel for the concerns of the district. Mr. Harrison surprised many with his passion and keen intelligence in a series of debates with Mr. Fossella. The distinctions could not be clearer. We endorse Mr. Harrison for Congress.

You can help defeat Lap Dog Vito (NY-13) and other NY State Republican Incumbents by donating to the official Daily Gotham Act Blue Page.

CORRUPTION IN GOVERNMENT: A Comprehensive List

2007-07-31T12:48:00.001-04:00

This was sent by a reader. It is a list of all Congressional Reps and Senators and Governors, etc. who have been indicted, convicted, pled guilty or otherwise brought to the attention of the legal system due to corruption. It includes both Democrats and Republicans for fairness, but in all fairness, it is hard to find the Democrats because they are so buried in the list of corrupt Republicans.

Keep this list. Anytime some right winger claims the Republican party is the party of values, pull this out and ask just what kind of values they mean. Thanks to Tammy for this little list of society sinners...

Corruption count
Since January 1, 2000. Federal level, Governor level, elected and appointed officials, aides etc.
Please let me know of any errors.

Convicted/Pled Guilty
--------------
Republican Governor George Ryan - 4/17/2006 racketeering and bribery - (76 people convicted)
Republican Governor Bob Taft - 8/18/2005. 5 counts failure to report gifts from Lobbyists
Republican Governor John Rowland - 12/24/2004 Bribery
Republican Governor Sonny Perdue - Campaign ethics violations

NH GOP Chair Chuck McGee - conspiricy to make harrasing phone calls to block people from voting.
Republican Aide Allen Raymond
Republican James Tobin (NE Regional Dir., Bush campaign) - 12/15/05 conspiracy to commit telephone harassment, aiding and abetting of telephone harassment
Republican Charles McGee (Executive Director of the NH Republican State Committee )
Republican Shaun Hansen. GOP Marketing aide - conspiracy to commit telephone harassment and aiding and abetting telephone harassment

Republican Aide Scott Falwell - racketeering, mail fraud and obstruction of justice
Republican Aide Alexandra Prokos - Perjury
Republican Aide Jim Ellis - 13 counts of unlawful acceptance of a corporate political contribution, money laundering
Republican Aide John Colyandro - money laundering
Republican Brian Hicks - bribery
Republican Chief of Staff Peter Ellef - Bribery
Republican Roger G. Stillwell - Interior Department official - bribed by Abramoff

Republican Lobbyist Jack Abramoff - defrauding of American Indian tribes and corruption of public officials
Republican Tony Rudy (lobbyist and aide to Tom Delay) - conspiricy
Republican Representative Bob Ney - Conspiricy to defraud the United States and making false statements
Republican Neil Volz (lobbyist and aide to Bob Ney) - bribery and corruption
Republican William Heaton(Bob Ney's chief of staff) - Conspiricy
Republican Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham - conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion

Republican David Hossein Safavian. Lying, obstruction of Justice

Democratic Senator Traficant - bribery and forcing his aides to perform chores

Republican Chief of Staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby - two counts of perjury, one of obstruction of justice, and one of making false statements to federal investigators
Republican Tom Noe - Laundered money for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign, theft, corruption, party chairman and Bush Pioneer fundraiser
Republican Gov Ernie Fletcher - 13 aides indicted
Republican Micheal Scanlon (lobbyist and aide to Tom DeLay) - bribery
Deputy Secretary Steven Griles - bribery, perjury, obstrcting a congressional investigation.
Republican Congressional aide Mark Zachares - bribery

Confessed under grant of Immunity
---------------------------------
Monica Goodling, White House liaison for Alberto Gonzales - Hired federal prosecuters based upon party affiliation.

Indicted/Charged
----------------
Republican Tom Delay - conspiring to violate Texas state election law, money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Reprimanded by House Ethics Committee
Republican Lawrence Novak
Republican Nathan Taylor
Kyle "Dusty" Foggo (George W Bush's CIA Executive Director) - 30 wide-ranging counts of fraud, conspiracy,
money laundering, leaking classified information.
Republican Lurita Alexis Doan, Administrator of the General Services Administration - violations of the Hatch act.
Democratic Senator William Jefferson - 16 counts of racketeering, soliciting bribes and money-laundering

Under investigation
---------------------------
Republican Senator Ben Stevens - bribery, corruption
Republican Karl Rove - Abramoff, interfering in federal investigations, obstruction of justice
Republican President George W. Bush - Abramoff, interfering in federal investigations, obstruction of justice
Republican Vice President Dick Cheney - Abramoff, interfering in federal investigations, obstruction of justice
Republican Governor and RNC Chairman Haley Barbour - Laundered money from foreign governments into presidential elections. Used non-profit organizations for illegal purposes. Perjury.
Republican Representive Mark Foley - Pediphilia
Republican Representive Mark Reynolds - Covered up for Mark Foley
Republican Representive Dennis Hastert - Covered up for Mark Foley
Republican Governor Mitt Romney - Made false statements to bondholders
Republican Governor/Ex Representative Jim Gibbons - Bribery
Republican Attorney General Gonzales - Fired US Attorneys for prosecuting Republicans, interfering in federal investigations, obstruction of justice, lying to Congress, perjury, witness tampering.
Republican Paul J. McNulty - Deputy Attorney General. Interfering in federal investigations, obstruction of justice, lying to Congress, perjury
Republican Senator Pete Domenici - Used influence to get a US Attorney fired
Republican Representative Heather Wilson - Used influence to get a US Attorney fired
Republican Representative Tom Feeney - bribery
Republican Representative Richard George Renzi - bribery, conflict on interest.
Republican Representative Jerry Lewis - Accepted gifts from Lobbyists, bribery, honest services fraud, dispensation of special favors
Republican Representative John Doolittle - Accepted money from Jack Abramoff in exchange for favors.
Democratic Representative Alan Mollohan -May have funnelled money to his own home-state foundations
Republican Representative Rick Renzi - bribery, sponsored legislation that dealt hundreds of millions of dollars to his father’s business
Republican Representative Tim Murphy - Ethics violations regarding use of Congressional staff for campaign purposes.
Republican Representative Gary Miller - Illegal land deals, tax fraud
Republican Representative Ken Calvert - Steered federal money to projects near his private real estate developments.
Republican Representative Don Young - bribery

Implicated - May be under investigation
---------------------------------------
Richard Shelby (REPUBLICAN SENATOR - AL)
Robert Riley (REPUBLICAN GOVENOR- AL)
J. D. Hayworth (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - AZ)
Dana Rohrabacher (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - CA)
Doug Ose (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - CA)
Richard Pombo (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - CA)
John Doolittle (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - CA)
Ed Royce (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - CA)
Scott McInnis (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - CO)
Rob Simmons (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - CT)
Tom Feeney (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - FL)
Ric Keller (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - FL)
John Isakson (REPUBLICAN SENATOR - GA)
Saxby Chambliss (REPUBLICAN SENATOR - CA)
Jack Kingston (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - GA)
Michael Simpson (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - ID)
Butch Otter (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - ID)
Jerry Walker (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - IL)
Dan Burton (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - IN)
Charles Grassley (REPUBLICAN SENATOR - IA)
BOB EHRLICH (REPUBLICAN GOVENOR- MD)
Dave Camp (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - MI)
Gil Gutknecht (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - MN)
Christopher Bind (REPUBLICAN SENATOR- MO)
Jim Talent (REPUBLICAN SENATOR- MO)
Charles Pickering (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - MS)
Roger Wicker (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - MS)
Thad Cochran (REPUBLICAN SENATOR- MS)
Dennis Rehberg (REPUBLICAN SENATOR- MT)
Jon Christensen (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - NE)
John Ensign (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - NV)
Roger Wicker (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - MS)
Jim Saxton (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - NJ)
Frank LoBiondo (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - NJ)
Mike Ferguson (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - NJ)
Heather Wilson (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - NM)
Charles Taylor (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - NC)
Walter Jones (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - NC)
Jean Schmidt (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - OH)
Ralph Regula (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - OH)
Ernest Istook (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - OK)
James Inhofe (REPUBLICAN SENATOR- OK)
Tom Coburn (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - OK)
Gordon Smith (REPUBLICAN SENATOR- OR)
Arlen Specter (REPUBLICAN SENATOR- PA)
Curt Weldon (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - PA)
Joe Pitts (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - PA)
John Thune (REPUBLICAN SENATOR - SD)
Bill Janklow (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - SD)
Van Hilleary (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - TN)
Chris Cannon (REPUBLICAN SENATOR- UT)
Eric Canter (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - VA)
Randy Forbes (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - VA)
George Allen (REPUBLICAN SENATOR- VA)
Tom Davis (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - VA)
George Nethercutt (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - WA)
Doc Hastings (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - WA)
Dave Reichert (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - WA)
Mark Green (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - WI)
Paul Ryan (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - WI)
Shelly Moore Capito (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - WV)
Mike Enzi (REPUBLICAN SENATOR- WY)
Barbara Cubin (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - WY)
Robert Riley (REPUBLICAN GOVENOR - AL)
Marilyn Musgrave (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE- CO)
Jim Nussle (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - IA)
Matt Blunt (REPUBLICAN GOVENTOR- MO)
Roy Blunt (REPUBLICAN MAJORITY LEADER - MO)
Jon Christensen (FORMER REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE- NE)
Jeb Bradley (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - NH)
John E Sununu (REPUBLICAN SENATOR - NH)
Jean Schmidt (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - OH)
Joe Wilson(REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - SC)
Gresham Barrett (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - SC)
Henry Brown (REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE - SC)

Convicted: 102 Republicans. 1 Democrat
Indicted: 5 Republicans. 1 Democrats
Confessed under grant of Immunity: 1 Republican. 0 Democrats.
Under investigation: 21 Republicans. 1 Democrat.
implicated: 75 Republicans. 0 Democrats
Total: 204 Republicans. 3 Democrats.

Republican Corruption in California: Three More Corrupt Republicans

2007-03-23T09:24:00.000-04:00

Seems Republicans are still as corrupt as ever, despite the defeat of corrupt Republican Pombo by Progressive superstar, Jerry McNerney. This is from the California Democratic Party:

Pop quiz: Which Southern California Republican Congressman was the happiest to see San Diego-based U.S. Attorney Carol Lam whacked by the Bush crony - Alberto Gonzales?

a) Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar)
b) Ken Calvert (R-Corona)
c) Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands)
d) All of the above

The answer will be revealed later on, but first let's review.

A) Miller, the millionaire developer/part-time Congressman from Diamond Bar, has been living under the growing shadow of an FBI investigation into his potentially illegal real estate dealings. Of course, there are also the additional accusations facing Miller that he used his congressional staff for personal errands and that he pursued federal funding for projects beneficial to properties that he and his campaign contributors owned.

B) Then there's Calvert, another real estate investor who dabbles in his Congressional duties when it suits his business needs. In 2006, the FBI began investigating Calvert after the Los Angeles Times reported on Congressional earmarks benefiting redevelopment of land owned by a Calvert company. The paper reported that in one instance, after a $1.5 million earmark for fixing up the closed air base, Calvert and a partner sold the land for a nearly 100 percent profit a year after its purchase. Just last month it was reported that the Riverside County grand jury is investigating Calvert's land deals.

C) And then there is Jerry Lewis, the former Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. McClatchy Newspapers now reports that on the same day in May of '06 that it was reported the Justice Department was expanding the Duke Cunningham probe to look into Lewis' actions, "Kyle Sampson, then [Attorney General Alberto] Gonzales' chief of staff, sent an e-mail to deputy White House counsel William Kelley, asking Kelley to call to discuss 'the real problem we have right now with Carol Lam that leads me to conclude that we should have someone ready to be nominated on 11/18, the day her 4-year term expires.'" Wow, what a coincidence. The same day the Justice Department starts looking into another Republican's activities, you start laying the groundwork to dump your U.S. Attorney. Nice.

It has become painfully obvious that this ethically-challenged trio all stood to gain from Lam's immediate removal from her post.

So which of these three amigos would have been happiest to see Lam fired from her post by the Bush Administration? The answer is d) All of the above.

Last November the American people wholeheartedly rejected the Republican Culture of Corruption (Richard Pombo ring any bells?), but it seems clear that the voters' clarion call has fallen on deaf ears in the Bush Administration - while these Republican Congressman continue to act like they are above the law.

For more on Gary Miller from Citizens for Responsiblity and Ethics in Washington (CREW) CLICK HERE.

For more on Ken Calvert from Beyond DeLay, CLICK HERE.

And for more on Jerry Lewis from CREW CLICK HERE and from Beyond DeLay, CLICK HERE.

Cronyism and Rewarding the Incompetent

2007-02-18T09:29:00.000-05:00

One of the most striking aspects of the Halliburton Republican Party under Bush is the way completely incompetent people are rewarded if they are cronies of Bush or another high ranking Republican. The most blatant and tragic example of this was Mike Brown who was in charge of FEMA during the Katrina disaster and whose incompetence led to the deaths of thousands of Americans. Brown (whose incompetence during Katrina was praised with a "Good job Brownie," by Bush) already had a history of failure when Bush appointed him head of FEMA. Brown had been forced to resign as Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association due to incompetence. Wonderful qualifications for running FEMA, right? But Brown was part of the crony network surrounding Bush, so he got a cushy job...and thousands of Americans paid the ultimate price.

Well, it seems those thousands of American lives didn't teach the Bush administration any lessons at all. Incompetence is still being rewarded. And it sometimes seems that the grosser the incompetence the bigger the reward. Chris Oynes was regional director of Minerals Management Service’s Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region for the past 13 years. During that time he messed up enforcing the law and thus allowed oil companies to escape an estimated $10-60 BILLION in taxes. How much body armor for our troops would that buy? How many levees in New Orleans could have been repaired with that amount? How many schools could be repaired? I don't know. Why did he fail to charge oil companies the proper taxes? He claims, I kid you not, he "forgot."

Now, what if you cost your employer let's say a mere $10-60 thousand dollars due to a simple lapse in memory. Would you be promoted? Probably not.

Under the Bush Administration, Chris Oynes, despite these memory problems that are costing our country $10-60 billion, got a big fat promotion this month. Minerals Management Service Director, Johnnie Burton, chose Chris "I Forgot" Oynes as the new associate director of the agency’s Offshore Minerals Management Program.

You can read more about it here.

This is the exact kind of mismanagement that has defined the Bush Administration and which led to the tragedy of Katrina. Write the media and your Congress Critters to complain about the rewarding of incompetence in the Bush administration. Tell them you don't want any more Katrinas and you don't want any more corruption.

FBI Investigates Nevada's Republican Governor

2007-02-16T08:54:00.000-05:00

Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio have had Republican Governors who were the by-word for corruption. Ohio can be proud that in November 2006 they rejected the corruption of their state's Republican party. In New York State we just saw the end of a less blatant form of Republican corruption as Pataki left office.

Nevada seems to be the latest place where a Republican Governor is taking the path of corruption...and even the FBI is taking an interest. Nevada Republican Governor Jim Gibbons is being investigated corruption he engaged in while in Congress as a buddy of the corrupt Republicans Tom DeLay (indicted) and Bob Ney (in jail). In fact, Gibbons seems to have engaged in almost exactly the kind of corruption that brought down California Republican Congresman Randy Cunningham (in jail). From Salon.com:

The FBI is investigating whether Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons failed to properly report gifts or payments from a software company that was awarded secret military contracts when he was in Congress.

A federal law enforcement official confirmed the FBI probe Thursday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, said the inquiry is focusing on what role Gibbons played in awarding contracts to eTreppid Technologies LLC...

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that new evidence had emerged in a lawsuit in Reno, including e-mails to Trepp discussing a payment or gifts to then-Rep. Gibbons. The e-mails also show Gibbons using his congressional office to help the company seek classified military and civilian contracts, the newspaper said.

"Please don't forget to bring the money you promised Jim and Dawn," Trepp's wife, Jale Trepp, said in a March 22, 2005, e-mail days before Trepp and his wife embarked on the Caribbean cruise with Jim Gibbons and his wife, Dawn, a former Nevada state assemblywoman.

According to the Journal, Trepp responded minutes later saying: "Don't you ever send this kind of message to me! Erase this message from your computer right now!"

Gibbons, who served on the House Intelligence and Armed Services committees, did not disclose the cruise and travel on Trepp's leased private jet, as required by House ethics rules. He later asked the House Ethics Committee for an exemption, but left office before any action was taken....

Trepp, a former chief trader for convicted junk-bond dealer Michael Milken, also has denied any wrongdoing. He did not immediately return calls Thursday to his office in Reno.

Is there room in Randy Cunningham's jail cell for another corrupt Halliburton Republican?

Republican Corruption: From the Interior Department to Shell

2006-12-28T08:12:00.000-05:00

Gale Norton: Shilling for Shell

This is how the Bush Administration works: if you spend some time helping destroy government regulations from within, you will be rewarded with a nice, cushy industry job which will allow you to help industry exploit the crony capitalism Bush engages in.

Gale Norton was a protégé of James Watt, the Reagan Interior Secretary who said publicly that we need to use up all our resources because the second coming is at hand. She had ties with the Chlorine Chemical Council, National Coal Council, Chemical Manufacturers Association, and the National Mining Association, all of whom relied on her to help escape environmental laws. As a lawyer, she argued that many industries had a "right to pollute." Coming with this "qualification," Norton was appointed by Bush as Sec. of the Interior. In this position she not only pushed as hard as possible for all industries to have a right to pollute as much as they wanted, but she also violated treaties with Native Americans to divert water they had treaty rights to.

Gale Norton resigned as Interior Secretary in 2006. Now, Gale Norton has been hired by Shell Oil.

Think about this: someone who Bush appointed as caretaker of America's environment is not hired by Shell Oil. This is TYPICAL of right wing America. It isn't about doing a good job, it's about greed and corruption. It isn't about government as a responsible shepherd, but rather misusing government to help cronies and benefit the richest CEOs. It isn't even about America, it is about corporate profits and looting the American economy. This is just one more example of the kind of crony capitalism that Bush favors which uses government to subvert the market economy and benefit buddies of high placed Republicans.

NY State: FBI Investigates Republican Senate Leader

2006-12-20T10:53:00.000-05:00

I have written about corruption among the NY State Congressional Republicans. But NY State Republicans seem more and more rotten to the core. Seems that NY State Senate Republican Leader, Joe Bruno, one of the infamous "three men in a room" of NY State politics, is under investigation by the FBI. From Salon.com:

The majority leader of the New York state Senate announced that the FBI is investigating him and his private consulting business.

Joseph Bruno, who will be the state's top Republican in January, said Tuesday he was told by the FBI in late spring that he was being investigated. The 77-year-old lawmaker said he doesn't know exactly what investigators are looking for, but he has cooperated...

Bruno, who became majority leader in 1994, said he decided to make the announcement after learning news of the investigation had been leaked to reporters.

"I wanted to be up front and assure that I have nothing to hide and avoid speculation, unfounded rumors, and distortions," said Bruno...

Notice that he only wanted to be up front AFTER the news got leaked to reporters. In other words, he only likes being up front when he absolutely has no option to keep it hidden. There's more:

Bruno is listed as a consultant to Capital Business Consultants LLC, according to his legislative ethics filing. He said the company provides marketing, business strategy and business development.

"My interests outside the Legislature have all been cleared and approved by the Legislative Ethics Committee," Bruno said. "They're going into the background over the last five or six years into the relationships of my business interest."

Details remain sketchy, but Bruno seemed nervous at the press conference where he announced it. And it seems very likely that the investigation will have something to do with Bruno's VERY close ties with his crony, Jared E. Abbruzzese. Details from before the FBI investigation was revealed can be found here.

Of course Democrats in NY State have their own ethical problems, as I have outlined before. Clarence Norman (in jail) and Alan Hevesi (under investigation) are both examples of Democrats under a cloud. Of course Clarence Norman was indicted and jailed by a Democratic DA and many Democrats are calling for Hevesi to resign. Will we be hearing Republicans calling for the resignation or indictment of their own corrupt members? So far they haven't! So far, across the nation, the Republican Party defends its most corrupt members. Pity Republicans are so much more tolerant of corruption even than Democrats.

Sleazy Right Wing Nut Cases: Rupert Murdoch, Bernie Kerik and Judith Regan

2006-12-19T08:54:00.000-05:00

I all seemed so perfect! How could it possibly go wrong? You get Bernie Kerik's lover, Judith Regan, to edit a thinly veiled tell all book by OJ Simpson and get Rupert Murdoch and Fox to market it to sleaze crazed Americans. Perfect!

You had the tough Bernie Kerik...the sleazy Judith Regan...and of course you had Rupert Murdoch trying to create a new wave of OJ hysteria for his own profit. Clearly it is right-wing Republican family values at it's best, right?

But somehow, this went too far for most Americans...and even for anti-Semitic, lying, splotchy old Bill O'Reilly. There was a mini rebellion at Fox that led to Murdoch backing out, leaving Regan high and dry to once again look like the sleazy one. (And for those who don't know about it, Judith Regan is the woman Bernie Kerik had a year-long affair with, kicking Ground Zero workers out of an apartment overlooking Ground Zero so they would have a place to meet).

So what does Regan do? She takes the Mel Gibson/Saudi Arabia defense: Blame the Jews.

Now, at the risk of fueling her paranoia, since I am Jewish, I just want to say that blaming a "Jewish Cabal" for the collapse of the Kerik-Regan-Murdoch-Simpson Sleaze Scheme and for Regan's getting fired from Harper Collins is just plain insane. At least Mel Gibson had the decency to admit he was drunk and stupid when he blamed Jews for his getting arrested. Regan is just plain nuts and yet this is the woman Kerik and Murdoch loved so much.

From Salon.com:

In an explosive telephone argument that led to her firing, publisher Judith Regan allegedly complained of a "Jewish cabal" against her in the book industry and stated that Jews "should know about ganging up, finding common enemies and telling the big lie."

A spokesman for Regan's former employer, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., told The Associated Press on Monday that the remarks were made during a conversation between Regan and HarperCollins attorney Mark Jackson, who took notes. At the time, the two were discussing the future of a controversial new novel about baseball star Mickey Mantle.

The spokesman, Andrew Butcher, released the comments in response to a threatened libel suit from Regan's legal representative, Hollywood attorney Bert Fields, who had called earlier reports of anti-Semitic remarks "completely untrue" and added that the publisher "didn't have an anti-Semitic bone in her body."

So...who's lying? Murdoch? Regan? SOMEONE is lying. And given the fact that all people involved here are lying scum, I don't see any way of telling whose BS stinks the most.

And lest you think Regan may be feeling more reluctant about publishing sleazy books, here is what the argument that led to the whole tzimis was all about:

Butcher said that Regan and Jackson were discussing an upcoming Regan book, Peter Golenbock's "7: The Mickey Mantle Novel," in which the author, imagining he is Mantle, confesses in detail to a life of sexual exploits, including a tryst with Marilyn Monroe.

With Mantle's family and fans of the former Yankee enraged, Regan and Jackson of HarperCollins were discussing the timing and content of the book, according to Butcher. Regan became enraged by what she believed was HarperCollins' lack of support, and lashed out.

She complained that Jackson, HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman, HarperCollins Executive Editor David Hirshey and longtime literary agent Esther Newberg were a "Jewish cabal," Butcher said.

What a bunch of scum. And THESE are the people who want us to believe they represent all that is moral in America? Give me a break!

Corruption Wins the Day in Louisiana

2006-12-10T12:26:00.000-05:00

I have railed over and over again about how disgusting Republican corruption is. And I still maintain that Republican corruption is far wider spread and far worse than Democratic corruption, and has worse consequences such as the death toll in New Orleans after Katrina because Bush appointed an incompetent crony, "good job Brownie," a failed race horse inspector, as head of FEMA. Or in the case of 3000 dead American soldiers in Iraq for a war that basically does no good to anyone except the war profiteers, Exxon/Mobil, Bechtel and Dick Cheney's favorite company, Halliburton. In fact, from what I can tell, the level of corruption we see today under Bush and the Republicans rivals that of the Harding administration, an administration KNOWN for it's corruption.

Democrats aren't sacrificing American lives for profit the way Republicans do. But that doesn't mean we are completely innocent of corruption. Anyone who has read my pieces on Brooklyn politics knows I also fight against Democratic corruption. But Democratic Congressman William Jefferson (LA-2) is one of those very rare cases where a Democrat reaches a Republican-scale of corruption.

And the voters in LA-2 have just re-elected him despite his being caught red handed taking bribes. He had a freezer FULL of bribe money and is very likely going to end up in jail. But the voters re-elected him.

Jefferson won re-election with 57% of the vote.

From WWLTV.com:

Although voters apparently are giving him the presumption of innocence he asked for, his victory may further cloud the perception of New Orleans as a place that tolerates political corruption. Since Katrina, the city's boosters have made changing that image a top priority as New Orleans tries to win more help in its recovery.

City Councilman Oliver Thomas said Jefferson's victory will make the recovery from Katrina much more difficult. "People are watching this election all around the country and I can only imagine what they are thinking. It will be very difficult to go back to them and ask them to trust us with the money we need here."

Susan Howell, a University of New Orleans political analyst, said the federal probe will hamper Jefferson and Louisiana's national image. "He's going to go back into Congress and essentially be ineffective. I think it will be terrible for this state's image, and it was already not very good."

Bob Moffet, president of the Alliance for Good Government, a citizens group that endorsed Carter, was more direct. "This is almost like putting a stake through the heart. Who would want to come here and do anything? "You might as well pardon Edwin Edwards and let him and let him run for office."

Corruption was a prime issue in the defeat of Republicans across the nation in 2006. Democrats need to take that lesson to heart. We cannot afford to tolerate corruption among our ranks. I for one, condemn the actions of William Jefferson even though he is a fellow Democrat. I supported his opponent (also a Democrat) Karen Carter. Sadly, corruption seems to have won the day. Why doesn't Congressman Jefferson just go all the way and switch parties. He will be far more at home among Republicans Tom DeLay (indicted), Jack Abramoff (in jail), Bob Ney (plead guilty) and Randy Cunningham (in jail).

The Latest Halliburton Corruption

2006-12-05T14:19:00.000-05:00

This didn't even get it's own article in the NY Times but rather was buried at the bottom of an article on 4 marines dying in a helicopter crash. Really, you have to scroll down almost to the end to find it. It turns out that Halliburton has been awarding subcontracts based on bribes:

In Rock Island, Ill., the director of operations for a Saudi company that operates dining facilities for American troops in Iraq and Kuwait was sentenced Friday in the Federal District Court for the Central District of Illinois to 51 months in prison for his involvement in a kickback scheme, according to a news release issued by a federal prosecutor’s office there.

In the scheme, Mohammad Shabbir Khan, operations director of the Tamimi Global Company, paid kickbacks to an employee of Kellogg Brown & Root Services to secure two dining subcontracts valued at $21.8 million, the statement said.

A United States district judge also ordered Mr. Khan to pay a fine of $10,000 and restitution to the United States government of $133,860, the amount he paid the Kellogg Brown & Root employee, the statement said.

The judge also sentenced the former Kellogg Brown & Root employee, Stephen Lowell Seamans, to 12 months in prison for his role in the scheme, the statement said.

Mr. Seamans was also ordered to pay restitution of $380,130 for that and another kickback scheme, according to the statement.

Kellogg Brown & Root is a subsidiary of Halliburton. So Tamimi Global got its subcontract by BRIBING an employee of a Halliburton subsidiary.

But this is only the tip of the iceburg. Halliburton Watch covers the corruption of Cheney's favorite company in some detail, including showing graphs of Halliburton profits compared with American soldiers killed in Iraq. Has there ever been a more disgusting example of war profiteering?

The Worst Republican Corruption

2006-11-20T14:02:00.000-05:00

Generally I highlight Republican Corruption one individual politician at a time, allowing the sheer number of individually corrupt Republican politicians send the message that the Party itself is corrupt. But there is an even more systematic corruption in the Republican Party where cronies and corporations with close links to the Bush administration get such favoritism that the nation gets sacrificed for greed. I have touched on this when I discuss the Halliburton link, and when I discussed the dire consequences of the Bush administration's cronyism when discussing the aftermath of Katrina.

There is a Daily Kos article that goes into considerable detail regarding the systemic corruption that has infested today's Republican Party and which fully justifies my frequent use of the term "Halliburton Republican" when referring to today's Republican Party. Even as Bush is asking for a record amount of money to conduct his war based on lies and without an exit strategy, we have to remember (and publicize) the almost complete lack of accountability of the Bush Administration and it's corporate cronies.

The key points are from the government's General Accounting Office:

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the President announced a Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), requiring the collective instruments of the entire federal government to counter the threat of terrorism. Ongoing military and diplomatic operations overseas, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, constitute a key part of GWOT...

Since 2001, Congress has appropriated about $430 billion to DOD and other government agencies for military and diplomatic efforts in support of GWOT. This funding has been provided through regular appropriations as well as supplemental appropriations, which are provided outside of the normal budget process. Since September 2001, DOD has received about $386 billion for GWOT military operations. In addition, agencies including the Department of State, DOD, and the Agency for International Development have received since 2001 about $44 billion to fund reconstruction and stabilization programs in Iraq ($34.5 billion) and Afghanistan ($9 billion) and an additional $400 million to be used in both Iraq and Afghanistan..."

This is what it is costing us in dollars. Let's also remember the blood that has been shed. And let's also remember that Bush has, in essence, declared this war the "Forever War." But where has all this money gone? Even the General Accounting Office seems usure of that:

Since 2001, U.S. government agencies have reported significant costs associated with GWOT, but GAO has concerns with the reliability of DOD's reported cost data. Through April 2006, DOD has reported about $273 billion in incremental costs for GWOT-related operations overseas--costs that would not otherwise have been incurred...GAO's prior work found numerous problems with DOD's processes for recording and reporting GWOT costs, including long-standing deficiencies in DOD's financial management systems and business processes, the use of estimates instead of actual cost data, and the lack of adequate supporting documentation. As a result, neither DOD nor the Congress reliably know how much the war is costing and how appropriated funds are being used or have historical data useful in considering future funding needs.

We are pouring money down this pit and losing the lives of our soldiers for what? We already know that some companies, like Halliburton, have over-charged the government for services poorly rendered.We already know that other companies involved, like Exxon/Mobil, make record profits even while consumers are over-charged and workers underpaid. And, of course, Robert Greenwald's film "Iraq for Sale" outlines the whole Repubican war profiteering scam. The basic message is we are being asked to foot the bill despite seeing no adequate accounting and no positive results. It is another example of the way Republicans have forgotten Eisenhaur's message about the dangers of a military-industrial complex and how, since at least Reagan, we have seen complete fiscal irresponsibility under Republican administrations, leading to record deficits with poor accounting.

I call on the Democrats to demand, before a single penny more is allocated to Bush's wars, a.) accountability in and auditing of the war and the "rebuilding" of Iraq and Afghanistan; b.) restoration of veteran's benefits; c.) an increase in combat pay for our soldiers; and d.) a genuine exit strategy outlining the specifics of under what conditions Bush would agree to a withdrawal. Not one penny more should go down the maw of this insatiable beast that is Bush's military-industrial-evangelical complex. Write Congress and the media telling them what you think.

Republican Corruption in Ohio: GUILTY VERDICT!

2006-11-13T17:14:00.000-05:00

I have been focusing on Republican Corruption in Ohio more than in pretty much any other state because corruption in the Ohio Republican Party is about as bad as it gets. Well, the corrupt Ohio Republicans are finally being hit with some consequences. GOP-fundraiser Tom Noe, at the center of the "coingate" scandal, has just been found guilty on 18 counts of forgery, one count of corruption, four counts of money laundering, four counts of tampering and two counts of theft, for a total of 29 counts. First Abramoff lands his sorry ass in jail, now Noe.

From WTOL-Toledo:

The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation gave Noe $25 million in 1998 to invest in rare coins, followed by another $25 million in 2001. At the same time, he began his rise to prominence in state politics.

Prosecutors accused Noe, 52, of spending money from the coin fund on his business, his home in the Florida Keys and other luxury items. They did not say whether he used the money to make campaign contributions to Republicans, including President Bush.

And here are the consequences slapping Noe in the face:

Noe, a politically connected coin dealer, was accused of stealing at least $2 million from the unorthodox $50 million investment. Noe also was found guilty of corrupt activity, money laundering, forgery and tampering with evidence. He was acquitted of some money laundering and tampering counts that were among the 40 he faced.

The corrupt activity charge, the most serious one, carries a mandatory 10-year sentence because he was convicted on some of the other charges.

The trial put a spotlight on the embarrassing scandal for Republicans in the weeks leading up to the election last week. Voters fed up with government corruption scandals broke the GOP's 12-year lock on state government, electing Democrats to the governor's office, a U.S. Senate seat and three of four other key statewide offices.

Among those tied to Noe are Republican Gov. of Ohio, Taft, who has been charged with four criminal misdemeanors for failure to disclose golf outings paid for by lobbyists, as well as some undisclosed gifts including some from Noe. Taft and other state Republicans also tried to cover up for Noe once certain "losses" of coins leaked out. Also implicated in Noe's "coingate" scandal are Republican lobbyist Brian Hicks, and his assistant, Cherie Carroll, who were convicted of ethics violations in connection with the Coingate scandal.

Fighting Corruption: A Chance to Show the Republicans How it's Done

2006-11-13T12:20:00.000-05:00

Some time back I discussed a relatively rare case of blatant corruption withing the Democratic Party. Congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana was basically caught red-handed taking a bribe. You can read more about Jefferson's Republican-level corruption here.

But one key contrast I draw between Republican Corruption and Democratic corruption, other than the fact that Republican Corruption is much more widespread, is that Democrats actually fight against their own corrupt members while Republicans just cover it up like the did for six years after finding out that Republican Congressman Foley was a sexual predator. To emphasize this difference, I want to highlight the DEMOCRATIC led effort to oust Congressman Jefferson.

Democrat Karen Carter is running against corrupt Democrat William Jefferson and their battle has gone to a run-off. Here is our chance to show Republicans how to handle corruption. Rather than re-elect corrupt politicians the way Missouri Republicans did with Congressman Blunt and New York Republicans did with Congressman Fossella, we need to vote corrupt Congressman Jefferson out of office.

I urge you to donate to Karen Carter's honorable efforts to defeat the corrupt William Jefferson. Because it is the right thing to do!

Republican Corruption: Wife Beating Republican in New York

2006-11-02T08:54:00.000-05:00

Awhile back I wrote about a Pennsylvania Republican Congressman, Don Sherwood, who tried to strangle his mistress when the mistress escaped, locked herself in Sherwood's bathroom and called 911 for help. This very public example of assault and battery on Sherwood's part did not prevent Bush from eagerly campaiging on Sherwood's behalf, thus showing that Republican morality apparently includes beating women.

To further bolster this proof that Republicans consider beating women moral, police reports are now leaking out that New York Republican Congressman and public drunkard John Sweeny, not only beat his first wife, but now beats his second wife. This is from Michael Bouldin of Daily Gotham:

The Albany Times-Union reported late yesterday that a newly obtained police report shows that police responded to a 9/11 call issuing from the residence of republican Congressman John Sweeney (read the report here). The call was made by Sweeney's present wife while in a state of intoxication; the reason given was that he was 'knocking her around'. This is the Congressman's second marriage; the first ended amid allegations of similar incidents.

Of course, as we noted some time ago, wife beating isn't the only pathology Sweeney seems intent to make a subject of dinner table conversation: there's also the drinking and the extremism and his ranking among the twenty most corrupt Members of Congress.

Notably, the Times-Union has been trying to get this report since the violence happened in December; however, the state police refused to release them, referring all inquiries 'to headquarters'. The state police reports to republican governor George Pataki. You do the math.

THIS is Republican values at work right here. Corruption and beating women. Sweeney and Sherwood are both well loved by Bush and the Republican Congressional leadership and very few Republican politicians have even criticized either of them for beating women. One exception is that the Republican candidate for Congress in the NY-21 district has endorsed Sweeney's Democratic opponent, Kirsten Gillibrand, showing that at least some Republicans still have values. By contrast, NY Governor Pataki seems to have helped COVER UP the police reports, thus putting him in the same category as Hastert and Reynolds who covered up for the sexual predator, Republican Congressman Foley, for six years. Not only do Republicans tolerate sexual predators and wife beaters, but they actively cover up for them!

You can fight Republican abuse of women by supporting Chris Carney (Lieutenant Commander in the United States Naval Reserve, served multiple tours overseas and was activated for operations Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle and he has served as Senior Terrorism and Intelligence Advisor at the Pentagon) against Sherwood and supporting Kirsten Gillibrand (Special Counsel to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during Clinton's Presidency) against Sweeney. Both races are, despite the abusiveness of the Republican candidates.

Republican Corruption in Virginia

2006-10-27T09:17:00.000-04:00

The Republican culture of corruption is coming back to bite the so-called "moral party" in the behind. I have particularly written about how the Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky Republican parties are among the most corrupt state parties in the nation. Virginia does not appear to have corruption quite at the level of Ohio's Taft and Ney, Missouri's father and son team of corruption, the Blunts, or Kentucky's spoils system governor. But, just a year ago, revalations about the Virginia Republican party brought the Abramoff scandal right to Virginia and showed that ties between Virginia Republicans and white supremicists are nothing new.

In a November 4th, 2005 article in The Nation, the following revalations were highlighted regarding key Virginia Republicans:

Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore, fear mongering with the "immigration issue," accepted financial support from US Immigration Reform PAC, an anti-immigrant group with racist ties. But he also took massive contributions from companies known for exploiting illegal immigrants. US Immigration Reform PAC is linked to John Tanton, who is connected with the Pioneer Fund, an organization that advocates eugenics, and which promoted Nazi propaganda films during the 1930s. US Immigration Reform PAC hired Peter Gemma, a Holocaust denier who has spoken alongside David Duke, as a consultant. Gemma also was the media director for the National Policy Institute, a white nationalist think tank. THESE are the people who support Virginia Republicans.

But Kilgore played both sides. While receiving money from white supremicists who liked his anti-immigration stand, Kilgore also too money from Smithfield Foods, a company that loves to hire undocumented workers then threatens to report them to the IRS if they supported a union. In 2000 Smithfield committed thirty-six labor violations during its union-busting fight in the 1990s. Kilgore got money from anti-labor companies that violate American labor and immigration companies. And this man was the standard bearer for Virginia Republicans just last year.

Then there is Virginia Republican 2005 Attorney General candidate Bob McDonnell (now the actual Attorney General of Virginia). A graduate of Pat Robertson's Regent University, McDonnell was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates thanks to the support of Ralph Reed's Christian Coalition. This self-rightous man financed his campaign through a possibly illegal slush fund set up by the Republican State Leadership Committee. Through this slush fund McDonnell got nearly $1 million from anonymous donors. One reason this was an issue was the fact that there was concern that McDonnell was tied to gambling interests through his connections with Abramoff. McDonnell hired three former associates of Jack Abramoff. One of those Abramoff associates was McDonnell's campaign manager for awhile but ultimately ended up in prison for soliciting sex with a young boy. I wonder if he hung out with Foley as well. To quote directly from The Nation:

Two of McDonnell's top consultants and his former campaign manager used a Virginia-based Christian-right organization, the Faith and Family Alliance, to launder casino lobbyist Jack Abramoff's money. The Alliance was founded by two former business partners of Ralph Reed, Tim Phillips and Phil Cox, and was directed by Robin Vanderwall. In 2000, Vanderwall was instructed by Reed to deposit a $150,000 check sent by conservative antitax activist Grover Norquist, then write a new check for the same amount and send it back to Reed's consulting firm, Century Strategies. Both Norquist and Reed were being paid by Abramoff to lobby against a congressional antigambling bill on behalf of his client, e-Lottery.

"I was operating as a shell," Vanderwall told the Washington Post of his role in Abramoff's operation. "I regret having anything to do with it."

Vanderwall is a longtime associate of McDonnell. They attended Regent University together, and in 1999 Vanderwall managed McDonnell's campaign for Virginia's House of Delegates. Today, while McDonnell campaigns for draconian penalties against sex offenders, Vanderwall serves a seven-year sentence in state prison for soliciting sex with a 13-year-old boy who turned out to be an undercover cop.

These people make claims to morality even as they money launder, solicit sex from minors, and make friends with union busters and white supremicists. These are big wigs in the Republican Party in Virginia. McDonnell is NOW the Virginia Attorney General. I personally find this repugnant and un-American.

But lets also look at the comparisons between Virginia corruption and the corruption in the National Republican Party: both involve close ties with Jack Abramoff (now in prison) and both include solicitation of sex with minors. There is a pattern here. I suggest writing some letters to the editor discussing these scandals within the Virginia Republican Party.

Republican Corruption in New Jersey

2006-10-26T09:14:00.000-04:00

I have been describing the Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky Republican parties as the most corrupt in the nation. I still think that is true, but I am finding that the Republican Party of New Jersey is up there, too. Or at least parts of it.

Oddly, I had to get this one from a CONSERVATIVE website to find it:

http://unbillablehours.typepad.com/unbillablehours/2006/09/the_culture_of_.html

I found few links to this case on the web, but it really seems like big news for New Jersey. The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, in an operation called “Operation Bid Rig,” investigated corruption by Republican politicians. This operation led to the arrest in 2005 of at least 11 New Jersey Republicans, including Middletown Republican Raymond O'Grady. For the so-called “moral party,” this seems like quite an embarrassment. Not at the level of Abramoff or coingate or Foley’s sleaze scandal, but something that should be talked about and should be the subject of letters to the editor.

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
From the

The FBI's first sweep in its Operation Bid Rig probe led to the arrest of 11 officials in Monmouth County on Feb. 22, 2005. Their status:

Paul Zambrano, 50, former West Long Branch mayor and brother of Long Branch Councilman John Zambrano, who pleaded guilty Thursday to one charge of accepting a bribe: Pleaded guilty to accepting $15,000 in bribes.

Thomas Broderick, 61, former Monmouth County assistant highway supervisor: Pleaded guilty to money laundering that netted him $15,000 in profits.

Joseph "Joey Buses" McCurnin, 65, former Monmouth County transportation operations manager: Pleaded guilty to aiding in the extortion of a $1,000 bribe.

Joseph DeLisa, 50, former West Long Branch councilman: Awaiting trial on bribery and extortion charges.

Paul Coughlin, 42, former Hazlet mayor: Pleaded guilty to accepting a $3,000 bribe.

Patsy Townsend, 59, former Monmouth County deputy fire marshal and Neptune code enforcement officer: Pleaded guilty to extorting a $1,000 bribe.

John J. Hamilton Jr., 56, former Asbury Park councilman: Awaiting trial on charges of extortion, accepting a bribe in the form of a $5,000 driveway, attempted witness tampering and making a false statement.

Raymond O'Grady, 56, former Middletown Township committeeman: Convicted of extorting and accepting $8,000 in bribes.

Richard Iadanza, 51, former Neptune committeeman: Pleaded guilty to taking $3,000 in bribes.

John J. Merla, 44, Keyport mayor: Awaiting trial on eight counts of extortion and bribery charges.

An 11th defendant, Robert L. Hyer, a former Keyport councilman, died before trial. He was charged with extorting a $5,000 bribe…

All of these, from what I can tell, are Republicans. Perhaps it is time to bring up in the media that Republican corruption has been going on for some time and it affects New Jersey as well.

CORRUPT REPUBLICANS: a look back

2006-10-25T09:07:00.000-04:00

I started my "Target the Corrupt Republican" blog in July 2005. Among my earliest targets were Tom DeLay (Texas), now indicted, and Bob Ney (Ohio) and Randy Cunningham (California), both of whom pled guilty. Many other corrupt Republicans I have targeted are in the battle of their carreers because of corruption. This includes Conrad Burns (Montana), likely to be defeated by Democrat Jon Tester (populist and organic farmer), Steve Pombo (California) is locked in a dead heat with Jerry McNerney for Congress, and Katherine Harris (Florida), ready to go down in flames trying to run for Senate while her Congressional seat may well be lost to Democrat Christine Jennings (though she needs our help to win!).

More than a year ago I predicted that corruption was going to be one of the top issues in 2006...and that has come true largely because Democrats have refused to let the Republicans duck the issue. The media has been completely lax in covering Republican Corruption, and the Republican Party itself, well aware of corruption within its ranks, focuses not on cleaning up, but covering up. So it has been left to Democrats to weed out corruption.

By hammering away at this issue over the past 18 months we have prevented Republicans from carrying on as usual and have got them on the run. Let's keep pushing the issue of honest government, but within our own party and against the uber-corrupt Republican party.

In addition, I want to remind people that some of this corruption will never be prosectued as long as the descision is up to Republican Attorneys General. So, in addition to my push to get people helping out Democrats running for secretaries of state, I am encouraging people to help Democrats running for attorney general. So please go to my Sec. of State/Attorney General Act Blue site and help out. These may be the most important races of the year because they will determine the integrity of future elections and investigations into Republican corruption, yet they are neglected races. Please help.

A Rare Case of Republicans Doing the Right Thing

2006-10-20T11:24:00.001-04:00

By and large, whether it is the Abramoff scandal, coingate scandal, the sexual predator scandal (Foley), Swiftboat lies or any of a whole litany of Republican scandals, the Republican reaction to corruption in their midst is to lie, blame Democrats, cover it up, or, when all else fails, bring up Clinton's blow job. By contrast, many Democrats have criticized the corruption of Conrgessman William Jefferson, Alan Mollohan and called for the censure of Bill Clinton for lying to Congress. But Republicans defended and often STILL defend the likes of Jack Abramoff (now in jail), Ken Lay (convicted), Tom DeLay (indicted), Randy Cunningham (in jail), Bob Ney (pled guilty), etc. etc. etc. This permissiveness within the Republican Party for corruption has led to such a massive growth in Republican corruption that it is almost unbelievable. And the Republicans STILL try to claim to be the moral party.

But, occasionally...VERY occasionally, a Republican, when faced with corruption in the ranks of the Republican party, does the right thing. That is what is happening in Orange County, California, where a Republican Congressional candidate appears to have sent out an intimidating letter with misinformation about voting rights to Hispanic voters. In an almost unprecedented move for Republicans, California Republicans are denouncing that Republican Candidate.

From Salon.com

GOP Calls for Withdrawal of Candidate

- - - - - - - - - - - -

By PETER PRENGAMAN Associated Press Writer

October 19,2006 | GARDEN GROVE, Calif. -- Orange County Republican leaders on Thursday called for the withdrawal of a GOP congressional candidate they believe sent a letter threatening Hispanic immigrant voters with arrest.

Tan D. Nguyen denied knowing anything about the letter in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press but said he fired a campaign staffer who may have been responsible for it.

County Republican Chairman Scott Baugh, however, said that after speaking with state investigators and the company that distributed the mailer, he believes Nguyen had direct knowledge of "obnoxious and reprehensible" letter. He told the AP that the party's executive committee voted unanimously to urge Nguyen to drop out of the race against Democratic U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez.

Of course Loretta Sanchez, who entered Conrgess when she defeated the ultra-right wing idiot Bob "B-2" Dornan, was going to trounce Nguyen soundly, so the Republicans have nothing to lose by repudiating his nasty tactics, but it is still a far cry from the lies and cover ups we have seen from the likes of Reynolds and Hastert regarding Abramoff corruption, Foley's solicitation of sex with minors and a whole slew of other nasty, disgusting Republican scandals.