Global News Matrix - Tommy 'Martial Law' Franks is a Paid Bush Admin Patriot: "Retired Gen. Tommy Franks -- nominee to be czar of just about everything; Midland, Texas high school graduate one year ahead of First Lady Laura Bush; Republican Convention speaker; Presidential Medal of Freedom wearer and frequent public reader of the Constitution -- has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
The Southern New Jersey Courier-Post reported this week that veterans were angered and initially taken aback when they learned that almost $25,000 in taxpayer money was being used to help pay Franks's $75,000 speaking fee for an upcoming October 29 appearance in Camden."
Friday, October 21, 2005
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Rendition and torture: "more of a willingness in the White House to turn a blind eye to the legal niceties than within the CIA"
These two men are experts on rendition: one invented it, the other has seen its full horrors - [Sunday Herald]: "Investigation by Neil Mackay | 16 October 2005
...
In exclusive interviews with the Sunday Herald they blew apart any justification for the rendition system, saying the US government deliberately refused to opt for a legal alternative to renditions which was presented to the President by the CIA and that the programme undermined Western democracy, damaged the prosecution of the war on terror and “contaminated British and US intelligence”.
...
“Everyone from the President down had the option to make them PoWs, but they were arrogant. We believe al-Qaeda can get legitimacy from what we say and do, so there was a constant fear of giving them legitimacy by calling them PoWs.”
Scheuer accepts that targets were tortured both before and after 9/11. “I have no doubt about it,” he says. “You’d think I’m an ass if I said nobody was tortured. There was more of a willingness in the White House to turn a blind eye to the legal niceties than within the CIA. The Agency always knew it would be left holding the baby for this one.”
...
There is no question in Murray’s mind that the British government knew that intelligence reports they were receiving were the results of torture. “I sent telegrams to them saying that torture was going on,” he says. “They know, but they are deliberately blind to it. I warned ministers it was illegal. But the politicians were very keen to just keep going ahead. ...
...
In exclusive interviews with the Sunday Herald they blew apart any justification for the rendition system, saying the US government deliberately refused to opt for a legal alternative to renditions which was presented to the President by the CIA and that the programme undermined Western democracy, damaged the prosecution of the war on terror and “contaminated British and US intelligence”.
...
“Everyone from the President down had the option to make them PoWs, but they were arrogant. We believe al-Qaeda can get legitimacy from what we say and do, so there was a constant fear of giving them legitimacy by calling them PoWs.”
Scheuer accepts that targets were tortured both before and after 9/11. “I have no doubt about it,” he says. “You’d think I’m an ass if I said nobody was tortured. There was more of a willingness in the White House to turn a blind eye to the legal niceties than within the CIA. The Agency always knew it would be left holding the baby for this one.”
...
There is no question in Murray’s mind that the British government knew that intelligence reports they were receiving were the results of torture. “I sent telegrams to them saying that torture was going on,” he says. “They know, but they are deliberately blind to it. I warned ministers it was illegal. But the politicians were very keen to just keep going ahead. ...
Churchill: "to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge ... is in the highest degree odious" ... but legal under Bush
www.AndrewSullivan.com - Daily Dish: "
'The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgement of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist,' - Winston Churchill, November 21, 1943, describing what is now legal and constitutional in the United States, under president Bush."
'The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgement of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist,' - Winston Churchill, November 21, 1943, describing what is now legal and constitutional in the United States, under president Bush."
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
administration must belatedly have done enough analysis to understand that Senate and House bills were going in the wrong direction, but didn't say
Government's Disgrace: "Government's Disgrace | Monday, October 17, 2005; A14
...
The story begins with the hole in the nation's defined-benefit pension plans ... When these firms go bust, employees get smaller pensions than cynical managers had promised them. And taxpayers, who guarantee pensions up to some $45,000 per retiree, have to rescue the bankrupt pension plans.
...
That same day another business lobby, the ERISA Industry Committee, informed its shock troops: "Sen. DeWine has directly asked for our help in getting cosponsors" for his diluting amendment. Mr. DeWine and other senators will no doubt be rewarded for their efforts. On Thursday the American Benefits Council will host a thank-you lunch for Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), the chairman of the Senate pensions committee. The invitation includes a line that reads: "Requested contribution: $1,000 PAC/$500 personal."
...
... On Tuesday the Congressional Budget Office published an analysis showing that it wasn't just the rogue amendment that would do that; both the Senate and House bills were so diluted that they would make the pension crisis worse, just as happened with the legislation that Congress passed last year. The same day Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House pensions committee, leaked an analysis by the Bush administration, which reached the same conclusion. So it turns out that legislation that had once been close to passage does the opposite of what's intended. Nobody in Congress was told this until it was almost too late.
This, unfortunately, says a lot about the Bush administration: about its incompetence in handling economic issues and its cowardice in dealing with Congress. At some point in the past fortnight or so, the administration must belatedly have done enough analysis to understand that the Senate and House bills were going in the wrong direction, but it didn't breathe a word.
...
The story begins with the hole in the nation's defined-benefit pension plans ... When these firms go bust, employees get smaller pensions than cynical managers had promised them. And taxpayers, who guarantee pensions up to some $45,000 per retiree, have to rescue the bankrupt pension plans.
...
That same day another business lobby, the ERISA Industry Committee, informed its shock troops: "Sen. DeWine has directly asked for our help in getting cosponsors" for his diluting amendment. Mr. DeWine and other senators will no doubt be rewarded for their efforts. On Thursday the American Benefits Council will host a thank-you lunch for Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), the chairman of the Senate pensions committee. The invitation includes a line that reads: "Requested contribution: $1,000 PAC/$500 personal."
...
... On Tuesday the Congressional Budget Office published an analysis showing that it wasn't just the rogue amendment that would do that; both the Senate and House bills were so diluted that they would make the pension crisis worse, just as happened with the legislation that Congress passed last year. The same day Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House pensions committee, leaked an analysis by the Bush administration, which reached the same conclusion. So it turns out that legislation that had once been close to passage does the opposite of what's intended. Nobody in Congress was told this until it was almost too late.
This, unfortunately, says a lot about the Bush administration: about its incompetence in handling economic issues and its cowardice in dealing with Congress. At some point in the past fortnight or so, the administration must belatedly have done enough analysis to understand that the Senate and House bills were going in the wrong direction, but it didn't breathe a word.
South leads the nation in unwed births ... politically popular to try to persuade teens to remain celibate ... often backfires ...
Trend spells trouble | ajc.com: "The South leads the nation in unwed births, which often ensure a lifetime of poverty for mother, child | Published on: 10/17/05
Southern states, including Georgia, often style themselves as the last bastions of traditional family values that other parts of the country abandoned long ago. Supposedly, this is still the kind of place where Mom, Dad and the kids traipse to church on Sunday and then show up at Grandmom's for chicken dinner.
Unfortunately, the reality's a little different. According to a new U.S. Census Bureau report — the first to offer a state-by-state look at links between marriage, fertility and other characteristics — the South leads the nation in unwed births.
In Georgia, nearly four in 10 babies are now born out of wedlock, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of state birth records. That reflects a trend that shows no sign of abatement. The newspaper review found that in 1980, single mothers accounted for 22 percent of births in Georgia. A decade later, the percentage increased to almost a third of births.
The census study confirms those trends, reporting that more than 10 percent of all births each year in Georgia are to teenagers. Georgia has the ninth highest teen birth rate in the nation, a list led by Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Georgia also shares a history of low educational achievement with those states. ...
...
It may be politically popular to try to persuade teens to remain celibate and to restrict their access to information and contraceptives, but those tactics generally backfire, according to research. They produce higher pregnancy rates, higher birth rates and higher abortion rates.
As long as Georgia refuses to acknowledge that fact, and also refuses to look at itself and its children honestly, progress will be very difficult.
Southern states, including Georgia, often style themselves as the last bastions of traditional family values that other parts of the country abandoned long ago. Supposedly, this is still the kind of place where Mom, Dad and the kids traipse to church on Sunday and then show up at Grandmom's for chicken dinner.
Unfortunately, the reality's a little different. According to a new U.S. Census Bureau report — the first to offer a state-by-state look at links between marriage, fertility and other characteristics — the South leads the nation in unwed births.
In Georgia, nearly four in 10 babies are now born out of wedlock, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of state birth records. That reflects a trend that shows no sign of abatement. The newspaper review found that in 1980, single mothers accounted for 22 percent of births in Georgia. A decade later, the percentage increased to almost a third of births.
The census study confirms those trends, reporting that more than 10 percent of all births each year in Georgia are to teenagers. Georgia has the ninth highest teen birth rate in the nation, a list led by Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Georgia also shares a history of low educational achievement with those states. ...
...
It may be politically popular to try to persuade teens to remain celibate and to restrict their access to information and contraceptives, but those tactics generally backfire, according to research. They produce higher pregnancy rates, higher birth rates and higher abortion rates.
As long as Georgia refuses to acknowledge that fact, and also refuses to look at itself and its children honestly, progress will be very difficult.
Federal court bars Georgia from enforcing voter ID law ... unconstitutional poll tax ... "likely to prevent Georgia's elderly, poor and African-Ameri
USATODAY.com - Federal court bars Georgia from enforcing voter ID law: "10/18/2005 2:22 PM
ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge Tuesday blocked Georgia from enforcing a new state law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.
In issuing the preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy said the law amounts to an unconstitutional poll tax because the state is not doing enough to make ID cards available to those who cannot afford them.
The requirement "is most likely to prevent Georgia's elderly, poor and African-American voters from voting," Murphy wrote. "For those citizens, the character and magnitude of their injury — the loss of their right to vote — is undeniably demoralizing and extreme."
So far, the law has been used only for local elections. The injunction could prevent its use during municipal elections Nov. 8
Voter and civil rights groups sued over the new law, which eliminates the use of other forms of voter identification, such as Social Security cards, birth certificates or utility bills. Supporters, including Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue, argued that the measure would help prevent fraud.
A driver's license with a photo is sufficient under the law. But those who do not have a license must obtain a state ID card, which can cost up to $35. The governor said such cards would be given free to those who cannot afford the fee.
The GOP-backed measure heightened racial tensions during the legislative session. Most of Georgia's black lawmakers walked out of the Capitol when it passed in March, some loudly singing a civil rights-era protest song. The widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, called on the governor to veto the bill.
ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge Tuesday blocked Georgia from enforcing a new state law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.
In issuing the preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy said the law amounts to an unconstitutional poll tax because the state is not doing enough to make ID cards available to those who cannot afford them.
The requirement "is most likely to prevent Georgia's elderly, poor and African-American voters from voting," Murphy wrote. "For those citizens, the character and magnitude of their injury — the loss of their right to vote — is undeniably demoralizing and extreme."
So far, the law has been used only for local elections. The injunction could prevent its use during municipal elections Nov. 8
Voter and civil rights groups sued over the new law, which eliminates the use of other forms of voter identification, such as Social Security cards, birth certificates or utility bills. Supporters, including Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue, argued that the measure would help prevent fraud.
A driver's license with a photo is sufficient under the law. But those who do not have a license must obtain a state ID card, which can cost up to $35. The governor said such cards would be given free to those who cannot afford the fee.
The GOP-backed measure heightened racial tensions during the legislative session. Most of Georgia's black lawmakers walked out of the Capitol when it passed in March, some loudly singing a civil rights-era protest song. The widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, called on the governor to veto the bill.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Senior military investigator found dead in Iraq ... investigating civilian deaths ... 'not due to hostile action and also not due to natural causes'.
Independent Online Edition > Middle East : app5: "Senior military investigator found dead in Iraq
By Kim Sengupta in Basra
Published: 17 October 2005
A senior British military police officer in Iraq involved in the investigation of alleged abuse of Iraqi civilians by soldiers has been found dead at a camp in Basra.
The body of Captain Ken Masters, the commander of 61 Section of the Special Investigations Branch (SIB), was found in his bed at the airport at the weekend. The death is being investigated by the SIB.
Defence sources said the death was 'not due to hostile action and also not due to natural causes'.
However, it is believed that investigators have not found a suicide note, nor firearms related to the incident. Capt Masters was not receiving any medical or psychological treatment.
Friends and colleagues of Captain Masters, who was married with two children, said that his death had come as a 'total surprise'.
After his body was found early on Saturday evening a siren sounded over Basra camp, flares were fired in the air, and all military personnel were confined to barracks .
Despite being of middle-rank, Captain Masters was in charge of all serious incidents involving the British military in Iraq. ....
By Kim Sengupta in Basra
Published: 17 October 2005
A senior British military police officer in Iraq involved in the investigation of alleged abuse of Iraqi civilians by soldiers has been found dead at a camp in Basra.
The body of Captain Ken Masters, the commander of 61 Section of the Special Investigations Branch (SIB), was found in his bed at the airport at the weekend. The death is being investigated by the SIB.
Defence sources said the death was 'not due to hostile action and also not due to natural causes'.
However, it is believed that investigators have not found a suicide note, nor firearms related to the incident. Capt Masters was not receiving any medical or psychological treatment.
Friends and colleagues of Captain Masters, who was married with two children, said that his death had come as a 'total surprise'.
After his body was found early on Saturday evening a siren sounded over Basra camp, flares were fired in the air, and all military personnel were confined to barracks .
Despite being of middle-rank, Captain Masters was in charge of all serious incidents involving the British military in Iraq. ....
Saturday, October 15, 2005
80% of Poor Lack Civil Legal Aid, Study Says ... 1 lawyer per per 6,861 low-income vs. 1 per 525 for the general population
80% of Poor Lack Civil Legal Aid, Study Says: "By Evelyn Nieves | Washington Post Staff Writer | Saturday, October 15, 2005; Page A09
At least 80 percent of low-income Americans who need civil legal assistance do not receive any, in part because legal aid offices in this country are so stretched that they routinely turn away qualified prospective clients, a new study shows.
Roughly 1 million cases per year are being rejected because legal aid programs lack the resources to handle them, according to the study, 'Documenting the Justice Gap in America,' by the Legal Services Corp. (LSC), which funds 143 legal aid programs across the country.
...
Poor people also have few options when it comes to legal help. The study determined that there is one legal aid lawyer per 6,861 low-income clients vs. one lawyer for every 525 persons in the general population. ...
...
"The Justice Gap" report concluded that although state and private support for legal assistance to the poor has increased in the past two decades, stagnant or declining federal funding and an increasing poor population have combined to increase the unmet demand.
At least 80 percent of low-income Americans who need civil legal assistance do not receive any, in part because legal aid offices in this country are so stretched that they routinely turn away qualified prospective clients, a new study shows.
Roughly 1 million cases per year are being rejected because legal aid programs lack the resources to handle them, according to the study, 'Documenting the Justice Gap in America,' by the Legal Services Corp. (LSC), which funds 143 legal aid programs across the country.
...
Poor people also have few options when it comes to legal help. The study determined that there is one legal aid lawyer per 6,861 low-income clients vs. one lawyer for every 525 persons in the general population. ...
...
"The Justice Gap" report concluded that although state and private support for legal assistance to the poor has increased in the past two decades, stagnant or declining federal funding and an increasing poor population have combined to increase the unmet demand.
Senior UN official: US troops using "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare." ... "This is a flagrant violation of international law,"
BBC NEWS | Middle East | US troops 'starve Iraqi citizens': "US troops 'starve Iraqi citizens' | 15 October 2005
A senior United Nations official has accused US-led coalition troops of depriving Iraqi civilians of food and water in breach of humanitarian law.
Human rights investigator Jean Ziegler said they had driven people out of insurgent strongholds that were about to be attacked by cutting supplies.
Mr Ziegler, a Swiss-born sociologist, said such tactics were in breach of international law.
A US military spokesman in Baghdad denied the allegations.
"A drama is taking place in total silence in Iraq, where the coalition's occupying forces are using hunger and deprivation of water as a weapon of war against the civilian population," Mr Ziegler told a press conference in Geneva.
He said coalition forces were using "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare."
"This is a flagrant violation of international law," he added. ...
A senior United Nations official has accused US-led coalition troops of depriving Iraqi civilians of food and water in breach of humanitarian law.
Human rights investigator Jean Ziegler said they had driven people out of insurgent strongholds that were about to be attacked by cutting supplies.
Mr Ziegler, a Swiss-born sociologist, said such tactics were in breach of international law.
A US military spokesman in Baghdad denied the allegations.
"A drama is taking place in total silence in Iraq, where the coalition's occupying forces are using hunger and deprivation of water as a weapon of war against the civilian population," Mr Ziegler told a press conference in Geneva.
He said coalition forces were using "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare."
"This is a flagrant violation of international law," he added. ...
Friday, October 14, 2005
Income: $5,000 from DeLay PAC, $5,000 each from two [Abramoff] Indian tribes ...Expense $15,600 to make repeated hang-up calls to the Democratic phone
Democrats question timing of 2002 GOP donations - Boston.com: "By Holly Ramer, Associated Press Writer | October 13, 2005
CONCORD, N.H. --Democrats say three donations made to the New Hampshire Republican Party just before Election Day 2002 raise troubling questions about who paid for a scheme to jam phone lines set up to get voters to the polls.
Rep. Tom DeLay's political action committee, Americans for a Republican Majority, gave $5,000 to the state Republican Party on Nov. 1, 2002, four days before the election in which Republican John Sununu won his Senate seat by defeating former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
Four days earlier, the state party received $5,000 each from two Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist with close ties to DeLay. Together, the three donations nearly equal the $15,600 Republicans paid a telemarketing firm to make repeated hang-up calls to the Democratic phone banks.
DeLay recently stepped down as House majority leader after being indicted in Texas on conspiracy and money laundering charges. Abramoff also has been charged in an ongoing federal corruption and fraud investigation."
CONCORD, N.H. --Democrats say three donations made to the New Hampshire Republican Party just before Election Day 2002 raise troubling questions about who paid for a scheme to jam phone lines set up to get voters to the polls.
Rep. Tom DeLay's political action committee, Americans for a Republican Majority, gave $5,000 to the state Republican Party on Nov. 1, 2002, four days before the election in which Republican John Sununu won his Senate seat by defeating former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
Four days earlier, the state party received $5,000 each from two Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist with close ties to DeLay. Together, the three donations nearly equal the $15,600 Republicans paid a telemarketing firm to make repeated hang-up calls to the Democratic phone banks.
DeLay recently stepped down as House majority leader after being indicted in Texas on conspiracy and money laundering charges. Abramoff also has been charged in an ongoing federal corruption and fraud investigation."
Republican Party ... is shot through with corruption and besotted with power ... lost $8 billion in Iraq ... no-bid contracts, ... federal deficit.
TomPaine.com - Beginning Of The End For The GOP: "Michael K. Fauntroy | October 14, 2005
Unlike many observers who have gleefully exulted in Tom DeLay’s recent indictments, I think his guilt or innocence is almost beside the point, particularly since he’s still in the House wielding his considerable power. His arm twisting to ensure recent passage of the giveaway for the oil-industry energy bill proves his troubles aren’t weakening his support among House Republicans—yet. You see, his possible acquittal doesn’t obviate the fact that he is a dirty politician and his continued presence as such a prominent Republican marks the beginning of the end of GOP dominance of Congress. I write this not because I know a secret but, rather, because DeLay’s indictment is one of a long list of ethical lapses that show the national GOP to be corrupt. How can they go to the voters next year asking for continued congressional control when it is now clear that all they want to do is use it to enrich their friends and punish their enemies, all on the taxpayers dime?
The DeLay indictments are another in a long line of recent events demonstrating that the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., from the White House to Capitol Hill, is shot through with corruption and besotted with power. They've looted the federal treasury of billions to pay for an unjustified war in Iraq (and the Coalition Provisional Authority has literally lost $8 billion there), no-bid contracts to their friends is their standard operating procedure, they've jeopardized people all over the country with that ridiculous bankruptcy bill they wrote and passed, they've been wasteful spenders of taxpayers money, and they don't seem to care about the damage their policies are doing to the federal deficit.
Karl Rove might have outed a covert CIA operative. David Safavian resigned his position as the Bush administration's chief procurement officer just prior to his mid-September indictment on charges of obstruction of justice surrounding crooked GOP lobbyist and DeLay crony Jack Abramoff. There are examples too numerous to list here of political appointees that are patently unqualified for the jobs to which they have been assigned. ...
Meanwhile, Republican elected officials are being caught in scheme after scheme to enrich themselves. Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham sold his house to a government contractor doing business before Cunningham’s committee ... ill Frist is now under investigation for what may turn out to be insider trading. Numerous Ohio Republicans, most notably Governor Robert Taft, have had varying levels of investigations their way, not to mention legitimate concerns about voter suppression in the last election. And let's not forget former Gov. Ryan of Illinois, who is currently in court facing charges that he took cash and gifts to help insiders land lucrative state contracts.
... long pattern of corruption that has developed over the years of GOP dominance of Congress and the White House. The Gingrich Revolution was largely built around the argument that 40 years of Democratic control led to arrogance and corruption. Now it's clear that the GOP has done more damage to the nation in a shorter time and we have to pay the bill.
Unlike many observers who have gleefully exulted in Tom DeLay’s recent indictments, I think his guilt or innocence is almost beside the point, particularly since he’s still in the House wielding his considerable power. His arm twisting to ensure recent passage of the giveaway for the oil-industry energy bill proves his troubles aren’t weakening his support among House Republicans—yet. You see, his possible acquittal doesn’t obviate the fact that he is a dirty politician and his continued presence as such a prominent Republican marks the beginning of the end of GOP dominance of Congress. I write this not because I know a secret but, rather, because DeLay’s indictment is one of a long list of ethical lapses that show the national GOP to be corrupt. How can they go to the voters next year asking for continued congressional control when it is now clear that all they want to do is use it to enrich their friends and punish their enemies, all on the taxpayers dime?
The DeLay indictments are another in a long line of recent events demonstrating that the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., from the White House to Capitol Hill, is shot through with corruption and besotted with power. They've looted the federal treasury of billions to pay for an unjustified war in Iraq (and the Coalition Provisional Authority has literally lost $8 billion there), no-bid contracts to their friends is their standard operating procedure, they've jeopardized people all over the country with that ridiculous bankruptcy bill they wrote and passed, they've been wasteful spenders of taxpayers money, and they don't seem to care about the damage their policies are doing to the federal deficit.
Karl Rove might have outed a covert CIA operative. David Safavian resigned his position as the Bush administration's chief procurement officer just prior to his mid-September indictment on charges of obstruction of justice surrounding crooked GOP lobbyist and DeLay crony Jack Abramoff. There are examples too numerous to list here of political appointees that are patently unqualified for the jobs to which they have been assigned. ...
Meanwhile, Republican elected officials are being caught in scheme after scheme to enrich themselves. Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham sold his house to a government contractor doing business before Cunningham’s committee ... ill Frist is now under investigation for what may turn out to be insider trading. Numerous Ohio Republicans, most notably Governor Robert Taft, have had varying levels of investigations their way, not to mention legitimate concerns about voter suppression in the last election. And let's not forget former Gov. Ryan of Illinois, who is currently in court facing charges that he took cash and gifts to help insiders land lucrative state contracts.
... long pattern of corruption that has developed over the years of GOP dominance of Congress and the White House. The Gingrich Revolution was largely built around the argument that 40 years of Democratic control led to arrogance and corruption. Now it's clear that the GOP has done more damage to the nation in a shorter time and we have to pay the bill.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Frist accumulated stock in family company - ethics experts say ... raises serious doubts [about conflict of interest]
CNN.com - Frist accumulated stock in family company - Oct 12, 2005: Questions of conflict of interest raised | Wednesday, October 12, 2005;
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Over a period of four years, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist accumulated stock in a family founded hospital chain that produced tens of thousands of dollars in income -- all outside the blind trusts he created to avoid a conflict of interest, documents show.
The stock was held in a family partnership largely controlled by Frist's brother, Thomas, who founded HCA Inc. along with the senator's late father.
Frist, R-Tennessee, has long maintained that he could vote on health care legislation and still own HCA stock because he placed his shares in Senate-approved blind trusts.
However, ethics experts say a partnership arrangement shown in documents obtained by The Associated Press raises serious doubts about whether the senator truly avoided a conflict.
While there have been no allegations of impropriety in Frist's having shares outside the voluntary blind trusts, federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating Frist's sale of HCA stock from his blind trusts. ...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Over a period of four years, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist accumulated stock in a family founded hospital chain that produced tens of thousands of dollars in income -- all outside the blind trusts he created to avoid a conflict of interest, documents show.
The stock was held in a family partnership largely controlled by Frist's brother, Thomas, who founded HCA Inc. along with the senator's late father.
Frist, R-Tennessee, has long maintained that he could vote on health care legislation and still own HCA stock because he placed his shares in Senate-approved blind trusts.
However, ethics experts say a partnership arrangement shown in documents obtained by The Associated Press raises serious doubts about whether the senator truly avoided a conflict.
While there have been no allegations of impropriety in Frist's having shares outside the voluntary blind trusts, federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating Frist's sale of HCA stock from his blind trusts. ...
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
"We would not be trying to control and intimidate the news media. We would not be routinely torturing people,"
Gore: I Don't Plan to Run for President - Yahoo! News: "...
...
When asked how the United States would have been different if he had become president, though, he had harsh criticism for Bush's policies.
"We would not have invaded a country that didn't attack us," he said, referring to
Iraq. "We would not have taken money from the working families and given it to the most wealthy families."
"We would not be trying to control and intimidate the news media. We would not be routinely torturing people," Gore said. "We would be a different country."
Gore did not elaborate. But last year, he blamed Bush administration policies for the inmate abuse scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. ...
...
When asked how the United States would have been different if he had become president, though, he had harsh criticism for Bush's policies.
"We would not have invaded a country that didn't attack us," he said, referring to
Iraq. "We would not have taken money from the working families and given it to the most wealthy families."
"We would not be trying to control and intimidate the news media. We would not be routinely torturing people," Gore said. "We would be a different country."
Gore did not elaborate. But last year, he blamed Bush administration policies for the inmate abuse scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. ...
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
By a margin of 50% to 44% ... Americans Want Bush Impeached If He Lied about Iraq
Daily Kos: Poll: Americans Want Bush Impeached If He Lied about Iraq: "by David Swanson | Tue Oct 11, 2005 at 02:10:40 PM PDT
By a margin of 50% to 44%, Americans want Congress to consider impeaching President Bush if he lied about the war in Iraq, according to a new poll commissioned by AfterDowningStreet.org, a grassroots coalition that supports a Congressional investigation of President Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003.
The poll was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, the highly-regarded non-partisan polling company. The poll interviewed 1,001 U.S. adults on October 6-9.
The poll found that 50% agreed with the statement:
'If President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable by impeaching him.'
44% disagreed, and 6% said they didn't know or declined to answer. The poll has a /- 3.1% margin of error." ...
By a margin of 50% to 44%, Americans want Congress to consider impeaching President Bush if he lied about the war in Iraq, according to a new poll commissioned by AfterDowningStreet.org, a grassroots coalition that supports a Congressional investigation of President Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003.
The poll was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, the highly-regarded non-partisan polling company. The poll interviewed 1,001 U.S. adults on October 6-9.
The poll found that 50% agreed with the statement:
'If President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable by impeaching him.'
44% disagreed, and 6% said they didn't know or declined to answer. The poll has a /- 3.1% margin of error." ...
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Deputy attorney general pick quits --- ties to Abramoff, Abu Graib, ... "administration has promoted culture of cronyism by tapping political allies"
Deputy attorney general pick quits�-�Nation/Politics�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper: "By Charles Hurt | October 8, 2005
Timothy E. Flanigan withdrew his nomination yesterday, four months after President Bush selected him to be deputy attorney general.
Mr. Flanigan blamed the "uncertainty concerning the timing of my confirmation," in a letter he wrote to Mr. Bush.
The withdrawal comes as Democrats accused him of being involved in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal and of having ties to indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Democrats also criticized him for not having any courtroom experience as a prosecutor.
"Rather than appointing professionals with relevant experience, the Bush administration has promoted a culture of cronyism by tapping political allies and close friends for key positions," Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, said after the withdrawal. "Mr. Flanigan has no experience as a prosecutor, a characteristic that has become all too common in the leadership of the Justice Department. America can do better than nominations like these."
Mr. Flanigan, general counsel for Tyco International, was nominated to the No. 2 position at the Department of Justice in May. It is the position most recently held by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.
During Mr. Flanigan's first hearing, Democrats pressed him about his ties to Mr. Abramoff, the casino lobbyist at the center of several federal investigations who lobbied on behalf of Tyco. They also inquired about Mr. Flanigan's involvement in drafting new administration policy allowing aggressive interrogation techniques to be used on detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq. ...
Timothy E. Flanigan withdrew his nomination yesterday, four months after President Bush selected him to be deputy attorney general.
Mr. Flanigan blamed the "uncertainty concerning the timing of my confirmation," in a letter he wrote to Mr. Bush.
The withdrawal comes as Democrats accused him of being involved in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal and of having ties to indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Democrats also criticized him for not having any courtroom experience as a prosecutor.
"Rather than appointing professionals with relevant experience, the Bush administration has promoted a culture of cronyism by tapping political allies and close friends for key positions," Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, Vermont Democrat, said after the withdrawal. "Mr. Flanigan has no experience as a prosecutor, a characteristic that has become all too common in the leadership of the Justice Department. America can do better than nominations like these."
Mr. Flanigan, general counsel for Tyco International, was nominated to the No. 2 position at the Department of Justice in May. It is the position most recently held by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.
During Mr. Flanigan's first hearing, Democrats pressed him about his ties to Mr. Abramoff, the casino lobbyist at the center of several federal investigations who lobbied on behalf of Tyco. They also inquired about Mr. Flanigan's involvement in drafting new administration policy allowing aggressive interrogation techniques to be used on detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq. ...
Friday, October 07, 2005
Fired for Comment in Rove Article, Texas Attorney Explores Legal Options ... Governor confirms (that Rove called him
law.com - Fired for Comment in Rove Article, Texas Attorney Explores Legal Options: "Mary Alice Robbins | Texas Lawyer | 10-07-2005
Elizabeth Reyes' employment as a staff attorney at the Texas Secretary of State's Office was cut short last month. Three days after The Washington Post quoted Reyes in a Sept. 3 article about White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, the 30-year-old attorney found herself out of a job.
What was Reyes' alleged violation? She had answered a reporter's questions about whether rental property Rove owns in Kerr County, Texas, qualifies him to register to vote in that county.
Reyes says she didn't know the person asking questions was a reporter and she didn't know that the reporter was asking about Rove. In a correction published on Sept. 10, The Washington Post acknowledged that the reporter never asked about Rove by name. But Gabe Escobar, the newspaper's city editor, says the reporter did identify herself to Reyes.
But after Rove called Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams, Reyes was terminated.
Williams, a Gov. Rick Perry appointee who has served as secretary of state since January, confirms (that Rove called him after The Washington Post published the article.
'He and I are friends,' Williams says of Rove. " ...
Elizabeth Reyes' employment as a staff attorney at the Texas Secretary of State's Office was cut short last month. Three days after The Washington Post quoted Reyes in a Sept. 3 article about White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, the 30-year-old attorney found herself out of a job.
What was Reyes' alleged violation? She had answered a reporter's questions about whether rental property Rove owns in Kerr County, Texas, qualifies him to register to vote in that county.
Reyes says she didn't know the person asking questions was a reporter and she didn't know that the reporter was asking about Rove. In a correction published on Sept. 10, The Washington Post acknowledged that the reporter never asked about Rove by name. But Gabe Escobar, the newspaper's city editor, says the reporter did identify herself to Reyes.
But after Rove called Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams, Reyes was terminated.
Williams, a Gov. Rick Perry appointee who has served as secretary of state since January, confirms (that Rove called him after The Washington Post published the article.
'He and I are friends,' Williams says of Rove. " ...
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Rare wartime slap at ... Bush, the GOP-controlled Senate voted 90-9 to prohibit the use of ''cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment''
Senate, House to Clash Over Military Bill - New York Times: "By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | Published: October 6, 2005
The Senate faces a confrontation with the House over a $440 billion military spending bill that, despite White House opposition, would impose restrictions on the treatment of terrorism suspects.
Delivering a rare wartime slap at Pentagon authority and President Bush, the GOP-controlled Senate voted 90-9 on Wednesday to back an amendment that would prohibit the use of ''cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment'' against anyone in U.S. government custody, regardless of where they are held.
Sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the proposal also would require all service members to follow procedures in the Army Field Manual when they detain and interrogate terrorism suspects. ....
The Senate faces a confrontation with the House over a $440 billion military spending bill that, despite White House opposition, would impose restrictions on the treatment of terrorism suspects.
Delivering a rare wartime slap at Pentagon authority and President Bush, the GOP-controlled Senate voted 90-9 on Wednesday to back an amendment that would prohibit the use of ''cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment'' against anyone in U.S. government custody, regardless of where they are held.
Sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the proposal also would require all service members to follow procedures in the Army Field Manual when they detain and interrogate terrorism suspects. ....
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
BREAKING: Blunt Money Laundering; DeLay, Successor Swapped Donations
mparent7777: BREAKING: Blunt Money Laundering; DeLay, Successor Swapped Donations: "By JOHN SOLOMON and SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writers 19 minutes ago
Tom DeLay deliberately raised more money than he needed to throw parties at the 2000 presidential convention, then diverted some of the excess to longtime ally Roy Blunt through a series of donations that benefited both men's causes.
When the financial carousel stopped, DeLay's private charity, the consulting firm that employed DeLay's wife and the Missouri campaign of Blunt's son all ended up with money, according to campaign documents reviewed by The Associated Press.
Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist recently charged in an ongoing federal corruption and fraud investigation, and Jim Ellis, the DeLay fundraiser indicted with his boss last week in Texas, also came into the picture.
The complicated transactions are drawing scrutiny in legal and political circles after a grand jury indicted DeLay on charges of violating Texas law with a scheme to launder illegal corporate donations to state candidates.
The government's former chief election enforcement lawyer said the Blunt and DeLay transactions are similar to the Texas case and raise questions that should be investigated regarding whether donors were deceived or the true destination of their money was concealed.
'These people clearly like using middlemen for their transactions,' said Lawrence Noble. 'It seems to be a pattern with DeLay funneling money to different groups, at least to obscure, if not cover, the original source,' said Noble, who was the Federal Election Commission's chief lawyer for 13 years, including in 2000 when the transactions occurred."
...
After the November 2000 election, Abramoff's firm billed its Mariana Islands clients for at least one meeting with Blunt and three meetings with Blunt's staff, billing records show. Abramoff's team also reported several meetings with DeLay and his staff on the issue, including one during the presidential convention.
On May 24, 2000 — just before DeLay left with Abramoff for the Scottish golfing trip — DeLay's convention fundraising group transferred $100,000 more to Blunt's group. Within three weeks, Blunt turned around and donated the same amount to the Missouri Republican Party.
The next month, the state GOP began spending large amounts of money to help Blunt's son, Matt, in his successful campaign to become Missouri secretary of state. On July 25, 2000, the state GOP made its first expenditure for the younger Blunt, totaling just over $11,000. By election day, that figure had grown to more than $160,000.
Hartley said Blunt always liked to help the state party and the fact that his son got party help after his donation was a coincidence. "They are unrelated activities," he said. ...
Tom DeLay deliberately raised more money than he needed to throw parties at the 2000 presidential convention, then diverted some of the excess to longtime ally Roy Blunt through a series of donations that benefited both men's causes.
When the financial carousel stopped, DeLay's private charity, the consulting firm that employed DeLay's wife and the Missouri campaign of Blunt's son all ended up with money, according to campaign documents reviewed by The Associated Press.
Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist recently charged in an ongoing federal corruption and fraud investigation, and Jim Ellis, the DeLay fundraiser indicted with his boss last week in Texas, also came into the picture.
The complicated transactions are drawing scrutiny in legal and political circles after a grand jury indicted DeLay on charges of violating Texas law with a scheme to launder illegal corporate donations to state candidates.
The government's former chief election enforcement lawyer said the Blunt and DeLay transactions are similar to the Texas case and raise questions that should be investigated regarding whether donors were deceived or the true destination of their money was concealed.
'These people clearly like using middlemen for their transactions,' said Lawrence Noble. 'It seems to be a pattern with DeLay funneling money to different groups, at least to obscure, if not cover, the original source,' said Noble, who was the Federal Election Commission's chief lawyer for 13 years, including in 2000 when the transactions occurred."
...
After the November 2000 election, Abramoff's firm billed its Mariana Islands clients for at least one meeting with Blunt and three meetings with Blunt's staff, billing records show. Abramoff's team also reported several meetings with DeLay and his staff on the issue, including one during the presidential convention.
On May 24, 2000 — just before DeLay left with Abramoff for the Scottish golfing trip — DeLay's convention fundraising group transferred $100,000 more to Blunt's group. Within three weeks, Blunt turned around and donated the same amount to the Missouri Republican Party.
The next month, the state GOP began spending large amounts of money to help Blunt's son, Matt, in his successful campaign to become Missouri secretary of state. On July 25, 2000, the state GOP made its first expenditure for the younger Blunt, totaling just over $11,000. By election day, that figure had grown to more than $160,000.
Hartley said Blunt always liked to help the state party and the fact that his son got party help after his donation was a coincidence. "They are unrelated activities," he said. ...
Monday, October 03, 2005
the House been hijacked by a small band of extremists bent on building a ruthless shakedown machine ...
Tom DeLay's House of Shame - Newsweek National News - MSNBC.com: "By Jonathan Alter | Newsweek | Oct. 10, 2005 issue
Congress has always had its share of extremists. But the DeLay era is the first time the fringe has ever been in charge.
A decade ago, I paid a call on Tom DeLay in his ornate office in the Capitol. I had heard a rumor about him that I figured could not possibly be true. The rumor was that after the GOP took control of the House that year, DeLay had begun keeping a little black book with the names of Washington lobbyists who wanted to come see him. If the lobbyists were not Republicans and contributors to his power base, they didn't get into "the people's House." DeLay not only confirmed the story, he showed me the book. His time was limited, DeLay explained with a genial smile. Why should he open his door to people who were not on the team?
Thus began what historians will regard as the single most corrupt decade in the long and colorful history of the House of Representatives. ... But never before has the leadership of the House been hijacked by a small band of extremists bent on building a ruthless shakedown machine, lining the pockets of their richest constituents and rolling back popular protections for ordinary people. These folks borrow like banana republics and spend like Tip O'Neill on speed.
...
This is a man who calls the Environmental Protection Agency "the Gestapo of government" and favors repealing the Clean Air Act because "it's never been proven that air toxins are hazardous to people"; who insists repeatedly that judges on the other side of issues "need to be intimidated" and rejects the idea of a separation of church and state; who claims there are no parents trying to raise families on the minimum wage—that "fortunately, such families do not exist" (at least Newt Gingrich was intrigued by the challenges of poverty); who once said: "A woman can't take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure." I could go on all day.
...
How have they succeeded? A new book, "Off Center: The Republican Revolution and the Erosion of American Democracy," by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson, explains how the GOP is simply better than the Democratic Party at the basic blocking and tackling of politics, including the exploitation of cultural and religious issues. The authors argue that even if DeLay goes down, the zealotry and corporate shilling will continue as long as the GOP controls the House. Consider DeLay's temporary replacement, Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt. The Washington Post reported last week that Blunt is respected by Republican members in part because he has "strong ties to the Washington lobbying community." That's a qualification for office? ...
Congress has always had its share of extremists. But the DeLay era is the first time the fringe has ever been in charge.
A decade ago, I paid a call on Tom DeLay in his ornate office in the Capitol. I had heard a rumor about him that I figured could not possibly be true. The rumor was that after the GOP took control of the House that year, DeLay had begun keeping a little black book with the names of Washington lobbyists who wanted to come see him. If the lobbyists were not Republicans and contributors to his power base, they didn't get into "the people's House." DeLay not only confirmed the story, he showed me the book. His time was limited, DeLay explained with a genial smile. Why should he open his door to people who were not on the team?
Thus began what historians will regard as the single most corrupt decade in the long and colorful history of the House of Representatives. ... But never before has the leadership of the House been hijacked by a small band of extremists bent on building a ruthless shakedown machine, lining the pockets of their richest constituents and rolling back popular protections for ordinary people. These folks borrow like banana republics and spend like Tip O'Neill on speed.
...
This is a man who calls the Environmental Protection Agency "the Gestapo of government" and favors repealing the Clean Air Act because "it's never been proven that air toxins are hazardous to people"; who insists repeatedly that judges on the other side of issues "need to be intimidated" and rejects the idea of a separation of church and state; who claims there are no parents trying to raise families on the minimum wage—that "fortunately, such families do not exist" (at least Newt Gingrich was intrigued by the challenges of poverty); who once said: "A woman can't take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure." I could go on all day.
...
How have they succeeded? A new book, "Off Center: The Republican Revolution and the Erosion of American Democracy," by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson, explains how the GOP is simply better than the Democratic Party at the basic blocking and tackling of politics, including the exploitation of cultural and religious issues. The authors argue that even if DeLay goes down, the zealotry and corporate shilling will continue as long as the GOP controls the House. Consider DeLay's temporary replacement, Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt. The Washington Post reported last week that Blunt is respected by Republican members in part because he has "strong ties to the Washington lobbying community." That's a qualification for office? ...
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds
Independent Online Edition > Americas : app5: "2 October 2005 20:49 | Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort, inquiry finds | By Kim Sengupta | Published: 03 October 2005
Relief efforts to combat Hurricane Katrina suffered near catastrophic failures due to endemic corruption, divisions within the military and troop shortages caused by the Iraq war, an official American inquiry into the disaster has revealed.
The confidential report, which has been seen by The Independent, details how funds for flood control were diverted to other projects, desperately needed National Guards were stuck in Iraq and how military personnel had to "sneak off post" to help with relief efforts because their commander had refused permission.
...
The document was compiled by Stephen Henthorne, a former professor of the US Army's War College and an adviser to the Pentagon who was a deputy-director in the Louisiana relief efforts.
..
The report states that Brigadier General Michael D Barbero, commander of the Joint Readiness Training Centre at Fort Polk, Louisiana, refused permission for special forces units who volunteered to join relief efforts, to do so. ...
...
"The same general did take in some families from Hurricane Katrina, but only military families living off the base," the report says. "He has done a similar thing for military families displaced by Hurricane Rita. However, he declined to share water with the citizens of Leesville, who are out of water, and his civil affairs staff have to sneak off post in civilian clothes to help coordinate relief efforts." The report says deployment in the Iraq war led to serious problems. "Another major factor in the delayed response to the hurricane aftermath was that the bulk of the Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard was deployed in Iraq.
"Even though all the states have 'compacts' with each other, pledging to come to the aid of other states, it takes time, money and effort to activate and deploy National Guard troops from other states to fill in".
...
The report concludes: "The one thing this disaster has demonstrated [is] the lack of coordinated, in-depth planning and training on all levels of Government, for any/all types of emergency contingencies. 9/11 was an exception because the geographical area was small and contained, but these two hurricanes have clearly demonstrated a national response weakness ... Failure to plan, and train properly has plagued US efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq and now that failure has come home to roost in the United States."
Relief efforts to combat Hurricane Katrina suffered near catastrophic failures due to endemic corruption, divisions within the military and troop shortages caused by the Iraq war, an official American inquiry into the disaster has revealed.
The confidential report, which has been seen by The Independent, details how funds for flood control were diverted to other projects, desperately needed National Guards were stuck in Iraq and how military personnel had to "sneak off post" to help with relief efforts because their commander had refused permission.
...
The document was compiled by Stephen Henthorne, a former professor of the US Army's War College and an adviser to the Pentagon who was a deputy-director in the Louisiana relief efforts.
..
The report states that Brigadier General Michael D Barbero, commander of the Joint Readiness Training Centre at Fort Polk, Louisiana, refused permission for special forces units who volunteered to join relief efforts, to do so. ...
...
"The same general did take in some families from Hurricane Katrina, but only military families living off the base," the report says. "He has done a similar thing for military families displaced by Hurricane Rita. However, he declined to share water with the citizens of Leesville, who are out of water, and his civil affairs staff have to sneak off post in civilian clothes to help coordinate relief efforts." The report says deployment in the Iraq war led to serious problems. "Another major factor in the delayed response to the hurricane aftermath was that the bulk of the Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard was deployed in Iraq.
"Even though all the states have 'compacts' with each other, pledging to come to the aid of other states, it takes time, money and effort to activate and deploy National Guard troops from other states to fill in".
...
The report concludes: "The one thing this disaster has demonstrated [is] the lack of coordinated, in-depth planning and training on all levels of Government, for any/all types of emergency contingencies. 9/11 was an exception because the geographical area was small and contained, but these two hurricanes have clearly demonstrated a national response weakness ... Failure to plan, and train properly has plagued US efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq and now that failure has come home to roost in the United States."
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Group Lists 13 'Most Corrupt' in Congress - among them Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and House Majority Whip Roy Blunt + Tom Delay
Group Lists 13 'Most Corrupt' in Congress - Los Angeles Times: "By Chuck Neubauer, Times Staff Writer" | September 25, 2005
# Three California lawmakers are named by the ethics watchdog. A spokesman for one senator says the report is 'pure politics.'
A watchdog group, naming what it calls "the 13 most corrupt members of Congress," is calling for ethics investigations of some of the most prominent leaders on Capitol Hill in a report to be released Monday.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington says in its report that the 13 members, among them Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), might have violated a variety of congressional ethics rules.
The bipartisan list includes three Californians: Reps. Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy), Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Rancho Santa Fe).
Cunningham is one of two House members whose residences have been searched as part of separate federal criminal investigations. The other, Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), also is named on the watchdog group's list.
Three of those named on the list — Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) and Reps. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) — were cited for their dealings with onetime super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is the subject of congressional and federal grand jury investigations. Abramoff was indicted last month on fraud charges relating to a Florida business deal. He has pleaded not guilty.
...
Sloan expressed impatience with both parties. "Democrats are just as much to blame as Republicans for the current ethics deadlock. The Democrats won't file ethics complaints against even the most egregious violators like DeLay and Ney…. The Democrats are spineless," she said.
# Three California lawmakers are named by the ethics watchdog. A spokesman for one senator says the report is 'pure politics.'
A watchdog group, naming what it calls "the 13 most corrupt members of Congress," is calling for ethics investigations of some of the most prominent leaders on Capitol Hill in a report to be released Monday.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington says in its report that the 13 members, among them Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), might have violated a variety of congressional ethics rules.
The bipartisan list includes three Californians: Reps. Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy), Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Rancho Santa Fe).
Cunningham is one of two House members whose residences have been searched as part of separate federal criminal investigations. The other, Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), also is named on the watchdog group's list.
Three of those named on the list — Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) and Reps. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) — were cited for their dealings with onetime super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is the subject of congressional and federal grand jury investigations. Abramoff was indicted last month on fraud charges relating to a Florida business deal. He has pleaded not guilty.
...
Sloan expressed impatience with both parties. "Democrats are just as much to blame as Republicans for the current ethics deadlock. The Democrats won't file ethics complaints against even the most egregious violators like DeLay and Ney…. The Democrats are spineless," she said.
The Raw Story | Company run by Frist's brother made $630m deal two days before he announced he would be leader
The Raw Story | Company run by Frist's brother made $630m deal two days before he announced he would be leader: "John Byrne
...
Today, a RAW STORY investigation has turned up more intrigue surrounding Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's affiliation with his family's booming for-profit hospital chain, HCA.
Advertisement
Just two days before Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) stepped down as Majority Leader in 2002, the company Frist's father started quietly settled a massive Medicare fraud lawsuit for $630 million. The eleventh-hour deal -- brokered with Justice Department attorneys after a seven-year court battle -- was made as Frist (R-TN) secured the necessary votes to assume the Senate's top post.
Those close to the case tell RAW STORY that top HCA executives were scheduled to be deposed the following month. Frist's brother, Thomas Jr., would have been forced to go on the record during the opening days of the senator's tenure as leader.
The timing of the agreement could raise further questions about Frist's ties to the company. Given that the Justice Department had been investigating HCA since 1993 -- some 120 months -- the coincidence of a settlement date so close to Frist's leadership election is striking. ...
...
Today, a RAW STORY investigation has turned up more intrigue surrounding Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's affiliation with his family's booming for-profit hospital chain, HCA.
Advertisement
Just two days before Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) stepped down as Majority Leader in 2002, the company Frist's father started quietly settled a massive Medicare fraud lawsuit for $630 million. The eleventh-hour deal -- brokered with Justice Department attorneys after a seven-year court battle -- was made as Frist (R-TN) secured the necessary votes to assume the Senate's top post.
Those close to the case tell RAW STORY that top HCA executives were scheduled to be deposed the following month. Frist's brother, Thomas Jr., would have been forced to go on the record during the opening days of the senator's tenure as leader.
The timing of the agreement could raise further questions about Frist's ties to the company. Given that the Justice Department had been investigating HCA since 1993 -- some 120 months -- the coincidence of a settlement date so close to Frist's leadership election is striking. ...
But no. Members of the Republican caucus rushed into an emergency repair session and opted to continue their shabby business as usual
The Wrong-Way Congress - New York Times: "Published: September 30, 2005
The indictment of the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, should have been an opportunity for Republicans to show the nation that they are ready to turn the page on the abuses of big-money politics and lobbyist pandering. At a minimum, you'd think the party would want to demonstrate that it had moved beyond Mr. DeLay's philosophy that Congress should feel free to break the bank with out-of-control spending and tax cuts for the wealthy as long as it made G.O.P. contributors happy.
But no. Members of the Republican caucus rushed into an emergency repair session and - quite amazingly - opted to continue their shabby business as usual. In choosing Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri as Mr. DeLay's immediate replacement, the members presented as their new face of leadership still another political wheeler-dealer best known for his deep ties to Washington's corporate lobbying industry.
A hand-groomed protégé of Mr. DeLay, Mr. Blunt promises no change in the retrogressive Republican program that has polarized the nation and driven generations of taxpayers into deeper national debt.
Sycophantic supporters are already praising the new majority leader as more of a "conciliator," with a lighter touch and "more approachable" personality - as if the lawmakers' challenge were all about their own intramural peace rather than the nation's fraying commonweal.
Speaker Dennis Hastert's initial attempt to quickly slip the majority gavel to Representative David Dreier of California caused a rebellion by conservatives who found Mr. Dreier too "moderate," even though he has spent much of his career doing Mr. DeLay's bidding. "Moderate" is a highly relative, if not extinct, word in the G.O.P. caucus. So the But no. Members of the Republican caucus rushed into an emergency repair session and - quite amazingly - opted to continue their shabby business as usual. In choosing Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri as Mr. DeLay's immediate replacement, the members presented as their new face of leadership still another political wheeler-dealer best known for his deep ties to Washington's corporate lobbying industry.
A hand-groomed protégé of Mr. DeLay, Mr. Blunt promises no change in the retrogressive Republican program that has polarized the nation and driven generations of taxpayers into deeper national debt.
Sycophantic supporters are already praising the new majority leader as more of a "conciliator," with a lighter touch and "more approachable" personality - as if the lawmakers' challenge were all about their own intramural peace rather than the nation's fraying commonweal.
Speaker Dennis Hastert's initial attempt to quickly slip the majority gavel to Representative David Dreier of California caused a rebellion by conservatives who found Mr. Dreier too "moderate," even though he has spent much of his career doing Mr. DeLay's bidding. "Moderate" is a highly relative, if not extinct, word in the G.O.P. caucus. So the befuddled speaker settled on Mr. Blunt, a hidebound conservative known for his talent as the whip in forcefully delivering administration bills and corporate campaign donations. .
The indictment of the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, should have been an opportunity for Republicans to show the nation that they are ready to turn the page on the abuses of big-money politics and lobbyist pandering. At a minimum, you'd think the party would want to demonstrate that it had moved beyond Mr. DeLay's philosophy that Congress should feel free to break the bank with out-of-control spending and tax cuts for the wealthy as long as it made G.O.P. contributors happy.
But no. Members of the Republican caucus rushed into an emergency repair session and - quite amazingly - opted to continue their shabby business as usual. In choosing Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri as Mr. DeLay's immediate replacement, the members presented as their new face of leadership still another political wheeler-dealer best known for his deep ties to Washington's corporate lobbying industry.
A hand-groomed protégé of Mr. DeLay, Mr. Blunt promises no change in the retrogressive Republican program that has polarized the nation and driven generations of taxpayers into deeper national debt.
Sycophantic supporters are already praising the new majority leader as more of a "conciliator," with a lighter touch and "more approachable" personality - as if the lawmakers' challenge were all about their own intramural peace rather than the nation's fraying commonweal.
Speaker Dennis Hastert's initial attempt to quickly slip the majority gavel to Representative David Dreier of California caused a rebellion by conservatives who found Mr. Dreier too "moderate," even though he has spent much of his career doing Mr. DeLay's bidding. "Moderate" is a highly relative, if not extinct, word in the G.O.P. caucus. So the But no. Members of the Republican caucus rushed into an emergency repair session and - quite amazingly - opted to continue their shabby business as usual. In choosing Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri as Mr. DeLay's immediate replacement, the members presented as their new face of leadership still another political wheeler-dealer best known for his deep ties to Washington's corporate lobbying industry.
A hand-groomed protégé of Mr. DeLay, Mr. Blunt promises no change in the retrogressive Republican program that has polarized the nation and driven generations of taxpayers into deeper national debt.
Sycophantic supporters are already praising the new majority leader as more of a "conciliator," with a lighter touch and "more approachable" personality - as if the lawmakers' challenge were all about their own intramural peace rather than the nation's fraying commonweal.
Speaker Dennis Hastert's initial attempt to quickly slip the majority gavel to Representative David Dreier of California caused a rebellion by conservatives who found Mr. Dreier too "moderate," even though he has spent much of his career doing Mr. DeLay's bidding. "Moderate" is a highly relative, if not extinct, word in the G.O.P. caucus. So the befuddled speaker settled on Mr. Blunt, a hidebound conservative known for his talent as the whip in forcefully delivering administration bills and corporate campaign donations. .
America Today: Crisis? What Crisis? corruption ... global warming ... no bid contracts ... budget out of control ... That's the way it is.
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Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Watchdog alleges leader Frist made $2-6 million on insider trade
The Raw Story | Watchdog alleges leader Frist made $2-6 million on insider trade: "
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, now under a formal investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for insider trading, made between $2 million and $6 million by selling his HCA holdings just before stock values plummeted in the face of a bad earnings report, an analysis released today by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) alleges. ...
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, now under a formal investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission for insider trading, made between $2 million and $6 million by selling his HCA holdings just before stock values plummeted in the face of a bad earnings report, an analysis released today by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) alleges. ...
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