Great news!! One criminal down and how many more to go?

Maybe he, Bill Frist, and Karl Rove can all share a cell.

don't forget "oxycotin is such a" Rush slimebaugh in the cell next to them

:P
Yes great news now let's keep the pressure on for all the rest of them.

:P :laugh: :O :hehe: :laugh: :angry:

Next stop: The Roach Motel... roaches check in, but they don't check out...

Woo Hoo! This is a great and, frankly, unexpected confirmation that our system of government still works. But please fix that headline - he was indicted, not indicated...

A question: If DeLay is provided with his own company's products to kill cockroaches in his prison cell, would that constitute an illegal corporate contribution?

HURRAY!! for the Texas Grand Jury! Good job.

YAAAYYYY!!!! I HAVE OPENED A COLD BEER! At 12:30!

First, it’s Tom Delay, and then Karl Roves next week. The Bush administration torment is over. They will all fall one by one. The United States Constitution says “We The People”, not “Bush family and friends”.

"One Nation, Under One God

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. MLK, Jr.

No to Judge Roberts...He's there ace in the hole, As Chief Justice he can stop their jail time.

God is watching!

re #5: Quite right, Czaragorn. He was in fact indicted. On the other hand, it was really early in the morning for Brad when he blogged this one

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Thanks for the fix, WP, and I appreciate the quick service with the smile! Remember, as Can o' Beans from Tom Robbins's Skinny Legs and All so aptly pointed out, imprecise use of language leads to atrophy of the mind, and we have plenty of that in OUR White House right now. I've been a professional translator and editor for 15 years and would gladly proof anything for BradBlog, any time (keep in mine the Prague-LA time gap), absolutely free of charge, or for any friends of Brad too, for that matter.
But let's not let my nitpicking deflect from the issues at hand - Delay today, Frist waiting in the wings, Rove's head on a platter soon - what a treat!

OK, even we pros screw up once in a while, especially when reviewing our own work: ...keep in mind... was what I meant, of course. Ooops! *blush*

I just called Delays office and congratulated them on the indictment, it was a long time coming. We hope he takes lots of his friends with him and may he rot in hell.

thats what I said. Am I bad?

here's the switchboard number, ask for Delays office. I think we should all let them know that we are thinking of them in their time of need.

202-224-3121

It is temporary. His people say it's lies... they expect to get out of it. And, they very well may.
Another Republican who has made it his full time job to acquire more power for power's sake.

They don't care about rules, laws, ethics, morals...

They are above it all, they believe. How many times will somebody uncover a Republican problem and its cover-up, only to watch them all walk away unscathed?

Rock On!! Someone needs to be sure that the prosecutor has that website address showing all
the crooked connections between Delay and
everyone else.

Could this be the beginning of a massive unravelling
as they pull him and all his ties in for further interrogation, tying the crooks together one after
the other!??
Onward!

"Steps aside" my eye.

It's called "going under cover" behind Pretty Boy Drier. Nothing changes but the facade.

[Will Drier retain his Rules Committee dictatorsh-- er--Chair? If not, I wonder which loyal lieutenant Delay/Hastert will install in his place.]

WOOHOO!!!! Enjoy that cell, tom!!!

Ok, enuf celebrating:
My senator, bill nelson, just emailed a response to me re john roberts, politely explaining why he's voting to confirm him.
I'm working on a reply...not done, don't have my 'end thoughts' yet..and sometimes I do go on. And on. Somebody please critique me. What did I forget?:

Dear Senator Nelson,
Re: your reasons for voting to confirm John Roberts:
This is a lifetime appointment that will affect this country for decades. Tom Delay has just been indicted. Surely I do not need to tell you about the numerous crimes and scandals that surround this administration and the attendant possibility that many more public figures will face indictment and prosecution in the near future. The word "pardon", for some reason, comes to mind.

Senator, have you honestly perused Mr. Roberts' record thoroughly? And does it not give you pause that his loyalties clearly lie with the ultra-right, PNAC idealogues who now control the White House, the House & Senate, the media and the courts?

You wrote:
"... I do not believe he will allow personal bias
or political beliefs to interfere in the administration of justice...".
I ask you, Senator, "Are you certain?"

Because it is not the spectre of mere partisan politics that I fear; it is the much larger and more ominous twin shadows of fascism and dictatorship that are looming here, that have already made their presence known to any with ears to hear and eyes to see. And it is not I who tell you this: it is history that tells you. History, and the evidence that has accumulated in recent years that no one will acknowledge, no one will examine: the 'elephant in the room', snorting, reeking, filling my country, YOUR country, with its stink.

I ask you, Senator: are you comfortable casting your lot with these others who stand for torture, for a pre-emptive war based on lies, for the treasonous outing of a CIA agent, for the rampant dissemination of disinformation and propaganda, for the smearing & firing of whistleblowers and the stifling of dissent, for blatant war-profiteering, for bloated greed & corporate welfare, for the cutting or complete elimination of desperately needed social programs for the very poor while giving massive tax cuts & eliminating the estate tax for the very rich, for the unconscionable hypocrisy of claiming to support our troops while not arming them & while cutting their benefits, for the transformation of what was an enormous surplus into the hugest deficit in our history, for the amassing of a crippling mountain of debt for our children & grandchildren, for the manipulation and apparently successful evisceration of our voting process, for the almost total lack of responsibility, decency, accountability and respect for the rule of law upon which this country, my country, YOUR country, was founded?
Please, Senator, reconsider

Linda #14,
HAHAHAHA!! "Bad"??! Hell, yes, you bad!! You ROCK, girl!!!
And thanks for the phone number too!

Take it bleeding down you sonofabitch, you deserve everything that's coming to you......

It won't be temporary once the Federal Grand Jury convicts you for accepting illegal bribes and taking lobby junkets with Jack Abramoff and his show of friends...

What are they again, these israeli marauders? These crazy sons of bitches. They just convicted Gus Boulis' killer and a mob leader, Tony Monticello in New York......How close did that come to your shore Delay? How about Abramoff too?

You're FINISHED!!!!!!! And as for Rove & Cheney, we're coming for you, NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

>8-)

Doug

Joan#19

ahhh, thanks. Did u call?

Justice DELAYED is Justice Denied...

I'm sure the trolls will explain this away as being a mistake inspired by the "Liberal media" ...Tom a really nice guy ...deep down ...yea right ... is Camp X-Ray still taking guest?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Remember this everybody?

Tom Delay: "Well boys, are we having fun? This must be so exciting being here." (Speaking about the FEMA detention camp...)

Doug

How about also an investigation into Dennis "Fat Boy" Hastert? The September issue of Vanity Fair had a lengthy article about Sibel Edmonds, an FBI whistleblower fired from her job for complaining about misconduct by another FBI translator who is believed to be connected with drug and arms smuggling and money laundering (and also connected with the 9/11 attack). The article's author Rose confirmed the information from other sources that the FBI wiretap communications Edmonds translated in her FBI job indicated Hastert was taking very large bribes from the American Turkish Council.

#21 I called and they hung up on me! LOL

We gotta just keep on rolling!

I have never felt so hopeful in my life. Diebold is being tested. DeLay has been indicted. Things are heating up for Frist. And Bush's approval ratings remain low.

We could actually see justice. We could actually see a significant change in the public. We CAN clean up the voting process. We CAN restore, rebuild, and renew America!!!!!!!

Celebrate Tonight!!!! And we'll pick up where we left off tomorrow! And we won't let someone co-opt our real, bona-fide people powered movement!!!!

¡Sí, Se Puede!

#20 Doug, your on it....so am I. Abramoff and gang, this is a big story....have been researching it for awhile...need to get my ROLL of paper out to diagram all the players...this is huge. The cabal, whoops I meant wall is falling. Can all the king's horses and all the king's men, put it back together again. (thinking to myself..maybe they will put FEMA in charge)

Did anyone see the news on Tom Flocco.com that Barbara Olson was found alive in Europe and arrested for the possession of false currency. I would love to know how legitimate this story is, because the implications are huge.

Who is she? The wife of a former Bush administration official that was supposedly on the plane that crashed into the pentagon!!! The 9/11 commission used the testimopny of her husband, who said she called him from the plane to ask how to stop the high-jackers, to verify the validity that it was in fact flight 77 that crashed into the pentagon.

Oh boy.... lots of questions, but first, is this true??

Any help out there??
Charlie New Orleans

#25 Sibel Edmonds, yes, she is talking. This is a huge, ugly story.

Who cares whether tom flocco's story is true or not, check th is out:

Able Danger team KNEW Mohammed Atta before 9/11 was to take place, months before!!

Jack Abramoff who was closely associated with Atta, had Gus Boulis killed in a mob-hit run designated by neo-con opponents namely Adam Kidan.

How many things were in Cheney's closet and when did he know it?

Cheney obstructed the probe into Able Danger. If the senate hears all testimony, and realizes the truth.....that Dick Cheney thwarted the investigation to cause 9/11 to happen on purpose, THAT'S all she wrote. Cheney and all his associates are FINISHED.

The only way out of this one is if Abramoff is killed, or Mohammed Atta or all the pentagon witnesses, including Rumsfeld that KNEW. And Bush will be a un-indicted accomplice along with Theodore Olson....

Bank on it!!!!!

Doug E.

Time to bring up Jeb's involvement in shutting down the Raymond Lemme "suicide" investigation as well.

Any whistleblowers out there ,now might be a good time to come forward, the life boats won't wait forever...

Anyone got the email for the Florida special prosecutor?

Jeb boy has alot of things to answer for about Jack Abramoff....

Doug

Don't get you hopes up to high guys (and gals). He was only indicted not convicted. And what were the charges? Money from corporations cannot go to a candidate. So, the money was sent to the RNC and the RNC then cut a check back to the Texas RNC so the money could go to the candidates. A sort of money laundering. But guess what....

On October 31, 2002, the Texas Democratic Party sent the Democratic National Committee (DNC) $75,000, and on the same day, the DNC sent the Texas Democratic Party $75,000. On July 19, 2001, the Texas Democratic Party sent the DNC $50,000 and, again on the same day, the DNC sent the Texas Democratic Party $60,000. On June 8, 2001, the Texas Democratic Party sent the DNC $50,000. That very same day, the DNC sent the Texas Democratic Party $60,000.

Sure looks like laundering to me.... and lets not forget...

Earlier this year, the Federal Election Commission fined two so-called leadership PACs associated with Pelosi in response to a Complaint by the National Legal and Policy Center. The purpose of leadership PACs is to make contributions to the campaigns of other Congressional candidates. House and Senate Leaders are allowed one leadership PAC in addition to their own campaign committee.

Pelosi set up two. Her second PAC made $5,000 contributions to thirty-six campaigns that had already received the $5,000 maximum from the first. The treasurer of both PACs candidly admitted that the "main reason" for setting up the second PAC was to "give twice as much (sic) hard dollars."

For some reason, I don't think that news item made it on Brad's blog. I wonder why?????

#34

So indict them all nuclear and be done with it. You seem to like deflecting from the fact that Delay has been reprimanded 3 times for breaking the rules why is it so far off that he's guilty of this one too? This is just a criminal conspiracy charge there's more left of the story so just wait and see.

I'm glad he's been indicted - he's filthy as the day is long.

#34 Indeed! You do the dems and we'll do the repubs. So many players and so much corruption...both parties, I agree.

#14 Linda - I'm laughing my ass off over here. Great going. Wonder if that number will be changed soon? lol

#15 ThomNYC - Unfortunately, that's been my main thought since I heard this happened. Like they'll do anything about it. That's nothing compared to MAJOR things people in this administration have done, that kill people even. They do walk away untouched. Usually a promotion follows. I'm not dancing yet either.

They're all crooked as hell. Dem and Rep.

#18 Joan - Go for it! It's a done deal, however. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of the end for us all. Roberts isn't experienced and is tied to the family clan. Who needs experience when the shots will be called by Bush anyways? He doesn't want someone honest. Can't wait to hear who his next choice is....hopefully he/she will have some actual experience. Nahhhh, it will be another good 'ole drinking buddy from his good 'ole days.

I'm beginning to think Bush's grandfather's and greatgrandfather's direct ties to Nazi-ism, has spread. Are we getting close to concentration camps? Don't laugh, GOOGLE ON "PRESCOTT BUSH". You'll need a beer. You'll see what's driving most of everything going down. Sure seems like it's been to the point, "Oh you have proof and witnesses? Well fuck off, don't you say a word about it." Then just silence. It's worked for 5 years now. Morals, laws and We the People? Hell no, just silence.

Criminals are amuck. Hopefully we'll see many many more falling. Come on, whistleblowers! Don't you long for a good night's sleep?? Don't you want to be part of history, where America fights back and barely saves their asses?? History books will need a separate chapter, for the Bush administration, just to cover the illegal activities. Hopefully there will be a chapter to follow, "America the Beautiful Returns" )

I do get some satisfaction, however, when I close my eyes and picture Bush (with drink in hand of course) dialing a shitload of people up on the phone, trying to stay ahead of the lies and illegal cover-ups and silence. He absolutely screams at people, from what I've read, and nobody wants to be the one to deliver bad news. hehehe Hasn't been heaven in the White House lately, huh??? So, if you picture him struggling, it gives some satisfaction. Wonder if he's getting passed-out drunk, or just slobberish??

Howdy folks,

You know, some people call me racist just because I'm from a small town from Georgia and belonged to the KKK. But you know what, now that I'm a sheriff in Butte Montana, I can say look at my record!!! This year, I sent 137 white boys to jail and only 5 African Americans!!! See, my record shows I'm not biased!!!! Hehehe... we only got 5 African Americans living in Butte and I gottem for spitten on the sidewalk. Man, I can have fun playing with numbers

repost:
re: trolls

“I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of great complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth, if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven thread by thread into the fabric of their lives.
Leo Tolstoy.

So throw Pelosi in jail too Nuclear, sorry but its time for a full house cleaning!

That freak has betrayed the public's trust by being too close to AIPAC and money bribes.....I wish I could speak without such words against Pelosi, but she betrayed us to corporations.....

I say just lock all 5 of em up with Abramoff.

Doug E.

RE: Tom Delay

Hey you guys, Tom told a little lie today under oath.

http://www.gov.state.la....elease_detail.asp?id=976

That's the state's request for help to Bush. Tommy said it did not include the perish containing New Orleans, so foul ball, we're off the hook. Well......not according to this copy. Stating New Orleans ITSELF should have given the guy a clue, what an ass.

What does telling a lie under oath getcha nowadays? He'll be back on the payroll fulltime and running something soon, big promotion.

You can't indict Tom DeLay! He's my buddy! He's innocent! I won't let him go to prison! I'm going to stop that Travis County District Attorney! Why does he pick on republicans all the time? He can't gang up on republicans; I won't let him! Hands off Tom DeLay! And what's more I'm the President and you can't touch me! You can't touch my buddy Tom! I'll show you!

George Walker Bullshit ...pardon

Merifour #26 haha, I guess they don't like our opinions. I wonder how many calls they got today.

Delay indicted:

Isn't it just wonderful?

You gotta visit Chris Floyd's PhotoShop page! Hilarious!!

Fun with photoshop

Sample:

ROTFLMAO!!!!!

I can't keep all the crooks straight!!!

Sorry, post #42 is concerning Brown.

LATEST: President Bush predicts upsurge in violence In Iraq following Tom DeLay's indictment.

Thanks for that Kira! I didn't know about that page. *hiccup* Funny!

Did people see this?

3 Charged in Killing Of Fla. Businessman

"Fort Lauderdale police said yesterday that they charged three men in the 2001 gangland-style slaying of a Florida businessman who was gunned down in his car months after selling a casino cruise line to a group that included Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff."

I have got to believe the wheels are just about to fall of the car. It could be a big crash

BUSHW@CKER this comment sounds familiar...
"They need to know the way we're adapting our tactics, and the way we're changing our strategies to meet the needs on the ground."

just like they adapt and change their excuses for the invasion ...

Hey who's working towards getting Chertoff thrown out?

This guy belongs in jail, cronyism once again equal or exceeding David Safavian.

Doug

Michael Chertoff is back: Get rid of the racism and israeli raised traitors.

Doug

So little time ,such big crimes.
Not only was the Bush family friends with George de Mohrenschildt, (friend of the alleged assassin of President Kennedy), but also the Hinckley Family. George W admits going to parties with John Hinckley in the book "The Unauthorized Biography of George H.W. Bush." Three months after photograph was taken Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley.

911 PREMONITION

DID CIA SPEAKER & AUTHOR DAVID HAGBERG's HIGH FLIGHT -

COPYRIGHTED in 1995 - GENERATE IDEA FOR CONSPIRACY?

Yeah don't they get that attacking the prosecutor will only backfire. After a while its just gonna sound like white noise. 1st Delay, then Frist, and what about when the Plame indictments start? That line's gonna wear really quick.

I missed that Charles, thanks for posting it. Honestly, i didn't think anyone would ever be charged for that murder. Sure be interesting if they talk, got my fingers crossed.

Wow, has anyone actually looked at Delay's indictment at http://www.thesmokinggun...chive/0928051delay1.html
Page 2 and half of page 3 details who did what and I find the other two guys actions discussed but there isn't a single thing about Delay!!!! I don't think the gavel is going to be out of Delay's hand very long.

Thank you, Texas. One by one the BCFOL will fall. When history is written, this group will make everyone forget about Nixon.

Thank you, Texas! One by one the BCFOL will fall. When history is written, this group will make everyone forget about Nixon.

Nuclear,

I hate to say this but nice try.

Who did TRMPAC report to, and who did the lobbyists write their letters for?

Tom Delay.

Who does Colyandro work for?

Tom Delay.

Who knew that the contributions and election law had been broken, and that illegal redistricting plans were in place by James Ellis?

Tom Delay.

What he knew is the whole purpose. He created TRMPAC. You're telling me he didn't have any part of its operation at all, given the evidence of the check records, WESTAR energy paying money to his campaign, or the large influx of lobbyist junkets?

That's like claiming that somehow Sandy Berger didn't know that his friends were passing on NSA information which he then dispersed...and is innocent of all charges.

That's like claiming by some miracle Rep. Randy Cunningham didn't know MZL Inc. was putting defense contractor money into his bank account, and is therefore innocent of all charges.

That's like claiming that arrested AIPAC official Steve Rosen, didn't know a thing about Larry Franklin's passing on defense information to israeli government.

Seriously, this is like defending Nixon's crew. He damn well did know, and the checkstubs prove it. (Along with the lobby receipts)

Doug

Doug,

Ronnie Earle argues that Tom DeLay conspired to make a contribution to a political party in violation of the Texas Election Code. There was no contribution to a political party in violation of the Texas Election Code. There was no conspiracy. Ronnie Earle is wrong on the facts. Ronnie Earle is wrong on the law.

According to the indictment, the conspiracy was to unlawfully make a political contribution of corporate funds to a political party within 60 days of an election.

The Texas Election Code clearly states that "A corporation or labor organization may not knowingly make a contribution [to a political party] during a period beginning on the 60th day before the date of a general election for state and county officers and continuing through the day of the election." Title 15, Texas Election Code, § 253.104. Texas law also states in part that "A person commits criminal conspiracy if, with intent that a felony be committed: (1) he agrees with one or more persons that they or one or more of them engage in conduct that would constitute the offense; and (2) he or one or more of them performs an overt act in pursuance of the agreement."

The Problems with Earle's case:

In an effort to contrive jurisdiction over DeLay, Earle charges that because Congressman DeLay may have known about the transaction before it occurred, he was then part of a conspiracy.

However, Earle's office has sworn testimony and other exculpatory evidence showing that Congressman DeLay did not have knowledge of the transaction.

In addition:

No corporation or labor organization was indicted in this conspiracy. Neither Jim Ellis nor John Colyandro is a corporation or labor organization.

No corporation or labor organization made a contribution during 60 days of an election.

What constitutes a contribution under the Texas Election Code is not strictly defined.

Neither the RNC nor RNSEC constitute a political party under Texas election law. They are considered PACs, just as the DNC is.

Corporations in Texas could have legally made contributions to the RNC or RNSEC during the period in question under Texas election law.

There was no violation of the Texas Election Code. There was no conspiracy. The underlying transaction was legal. Had corporations sent money directly to the RNC or RNSEC, the transaction would be legal. How could anyone conspire to do indirectly what could legally have been done directly?

Doug,

Earle press conference aired on Fox News.

Someone asks about the vagueness of the DeLay indictment.

Q: What role did DeLay actually play? Earle has no concrete answer.

Q: What is the proof DeLay conspired? Again, no concrete answer.

Doug,

You also forgot one:

Two of Schumer's staffers, Katie Barge and Lauren Weiner, used Steele's Social Security number to fraudulently get his credit history.

Since Schumer knew of this federal crime for two months and didn't report it, doesn't that make him an accessory to a crime????

Nuclear,

Why give away the smoking gun to the "press"?

Here's the facts: Westar Energy WAS indicted and fined already for over $180,000. Several of their people were indicted.

TRMPAC was indicted. Those are all corporations, and they are all FACTS, with bearing on legal standing.

If Delay had not known about the illegal fundraising for Texas, he would have stunning evidence to prove otherwise or a whistleblower. Such a case has not come forward.

This is nothing but Delay's grandstanding on federal charges. He's done it with every lobbyist who EVER junketed with him.....

Read more about these important legal specifications here:
Westar fined in legal battle
TRMPAC Indicted and arraigned for its use of illegal funding.

Delay was indicted and arraigned by the Grand Jury
And it was not Earle, but the Grand Jury who issued all the indictments. Earle prosecuted for them but the Jury wrote the felony charges.

I don't blame you for being out of date about these specifics, but the jargon is plain as day: You do NOT privately accumulate funds from your donors and political cronies in exchange for favors.

Especially if those favors include redistricting for congressional seats, and of course, legislation that helps corporations loot.

Its easy what happens to a citizen in that case.....Bribery charges, 10 year prison sentence.

For a politician, those laws are more lenient, but just as strict when it comes to over hundreds of thousands of dollars in corporate money

Doug E.

There was no violation of the Texas Election Code. There was no conspiracy.

There WAS over 80 different violations of the Election code, including paying off different political fundraising outfits in exchange for favors.

Its fine if you make a contribution. However, if you make a blatantly large contribution, re-district entire cities, or do anything suspicious with that money.....you're bound to the law. And when you do it for the "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" mentality...... its detrimental to the public and you are once again bound to the law.

Multiple democrats and republicans have been charged with crimes, as a result of these laws. They are designated to put stricter rules on corporations, even though they frequently try to break these rules and go around them.

Look at the overall deal here: This is not one simple "forgery" by schumers staff. This is a complex money re-districting scheme, wasting taxpayers money and benefitting corporations only.

Its a pay to play bribery scheme, like that is in Ohio. Governor Taft went down on fines for his scam. DO YOU BELIEVE ANY SUCH THING IS LEGAL?

No chance, no chance in hell.

Doug E.

Doug,

The Federal Election Commission yesterday fined Westar Energy Inc., two former corporate officers and the firm's lobbyist a total of $40,500...

"it admitted in a conciliation agreement that it violated campaign laws by engaging 'on two separate occasions in the practice of facilitating corporate contributions to candidates for federal office.' Corporations are barred from contributing to federal campaigns."

http://www.democrats.org...5/08/an_episode_of_t.php

How is TRMPAC now a FEDRAL office/campaign???

Doug,

"Its a pay to play bribery scheme, like that is in Ohio. Governor Taft went down on fines for his scam. DO YOU BELIEVE ANY SUCH THING IS LEGAL?"

Taft was convicted for not REPORTING free golf games and hockey tickets. There was no "scam". If he had reported them, then he wouldn't have been in trouble.

*Ahem*

Nuclear, read the fine print.

TAB is a corporation listing over 80 businesses, many based only in Texas, and has violated many many accounts of Texas law.

TRMPAC and ARMPAC are both funded and operated by Delay & his associate Jim Ellis. How in the world are they NOT a federal office PAC if they are putting money into the payroll of most Congress in Washington D.C.?

If they're doing it in return for favors, its agains the law hence the fines to Westar. And by the way the SCAM involving Taft, was he got paid large sums of money by the lobbyists to go golfing. He was wined and dined to pass legislation, and hence he has gone quiet about the Thomas Noe scam. Its pay to play.

Read the fine print Nuclear, a pay to play scheme where the politician receives checks, private trips, and expensive dinners from people who want FAVORABLE laws written....or erased for them. In this case, the ENTIRE OHIO PUBLIC paid the price, because the Workers Compensation fund got stolen by Taft's cronies.

So PAY TO PLAY is what it is. The law doesn't discriminate.

Doug E

EWASTUD:

You might cringe at this, but I believe its about time to spread this far and wide. I've been getting this over email and elsewhere.

ALL POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AIPAC: 1997-2004 AND COUNTING

Compiled by Hugh Galford

House: Current Cycle
Hoyer, Steny (D-MD) $37,500
Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana (R-FL) 36,000
Berkley, Shelley (D-NV) 35,100
Lantos, Tom (D-CA) 31,600
Frost, Martin (D-TX) 31,300
Cantor, Eric (R-VA) 23,750
Crowley, Joseph (D-NY) 23,000
DeLay, Tom (R-TX) 23,000
Lowey, Nita (D-NY) 20,650
Pelosi, Nancy (D-CA) 20,650

House: Career
Berkley, Shelley (D-NV) $201,455
Frost, Martin (D-TX) 165,414
Engel, Eliot (D-NY) 137,918
Levin, Sander (D-MI) 113,727
Lowey, Nita (D-NY) 109,738
Lantos, Tom (D-CA) 107,250
Hoyer, Steny (D-MD) 92,275
Evans, Lane (D-IL) 87,379
Harman, Jane (D-CA) 86,271
DeLay, Tom (R-TX) 81,050

Senate: Current Cycle
Specter, Arlen (R-PA) $80,350
Boxer, Barbara (D-CA) 73,000
Murray, Patty (D-WA) 72,495
Daschle, Tom (D-SD) 70,500
Reid, Harry (D-NV) 64,999
Bayh, Evan (D-IN) 56,500
Bennett, Robert (R-UT) 55,750
Wyden, Ronald (D-OR) 55,000
Brownback, Samuel (R-KS) 50,850
Shelby, Richard (R-AL) 38,500
Senate: Career
Daschle, Tom (D-SD) $533,635
Specter, Arlen (R-PA) 461,973
Lautenberg, Frank (D-NJ) 433,806
Durbin, Richard (D-IL) 326,671
Reid, Harry (D-NV) 318,801
Wyden, Ronald (D-OR) 255,562
Lieberman, Joseph (D-CT) 227,758
Boxer, Barbara (D-CA) 223,794
Dodd, Christopher (D-CT) 221,178
Conrad, Kent (D-ND) 201,939

Pro-Israel PAC Contributions to 2004 Congressional Candidates
2003-2004 Career
State Office District Candidate Party Status Contributions Total Committees
Alabama S Shelby, Richard* R I 38,500 193,325 A(FO)
H 2 Everett, Terry R I 6,000 15,000 AS, I
H 3 Rogers, Michael R I 5,000 8,000 AS
H 4 Aderholt, Robert R I 2,000 13,500 A
H 5 Cramer, Bud D I 1,000 44,800 A, I
H 6 Bachus, Spencer R I 2,000 12,500
H 7 Davis, Artur D I 6,500 68,067 B
Alaska S Murkowski, Frank R N 1,000 65,000
S Knowles, Tony* D C 5,150 5,150
S Murkowski, Lisa* R I 34,600 34,600
S Stevens, Ted R I 1,000 68,200 A(D)
Arizona S Kyl, Jon R I 1,000 78,525
H 8 Kolbe, James R I -1,000 43,000 A(FO)
Arkansas S Lincoln, Blanche* D I 30,500 43,527
H 3 Delay, Robert R C 4,000 5,000
H 4 Ross, Michael D I 2,500 14,000
California S Boxer, Barbara* D I 73,000 223,794 C, FR(NE)
S Feinstein, Dianne D I 1,000 114,842 A(D), I
H 5 Matsui, Robert D I 4,000 8,150 W
H 8 Pelosi, Nancy D I 20,650 57,450 I
H 12 Lantos, Tom D I 31,600 107,250 IR
H 18 Cardoza, Dennis D I 0 16,000
H 20 Costa, Jim D C 1,000 1,000
H 27 Sherman, Brad D I 4,500 43,330 IR
H 29 Schiff, Adam D I 6,500 23,417 IR(NE)
H 30 Waxman, Henry D I 1,000 33,832
H 32 Murray, Kevin D C 2,000 5,000
H 33 Watson, Diane D I 2,000 7,500 IR
H 36 Harman, Jane D I 11,500 86,271 I
H 39 Sanchez, Linda D I 4,450 8,450
H 47 Sanchez, Loretta D I 2,000 36,700 AS
H 52 Hunter, Duncan R I 3,000 36,350 AS
H 53 Davis, Susan D I 1,500 8,163 AS
Colorado S Campbell, Ben Nighthorse* R N 7,000 92,750 A(FO)
H 2 Udall, Mark D I 1,500 11,250
Connecticut S Dodd, Christopher* D I 38,250 221,178 FR
S Lieberman, Joseph D I 1,250 227,758 AS
Connecticut H 2 Simmons, Robert R I 2,500 14,500 AS
H 3 DeLauro, Rosa D I 2,000 43,400 A, B
H 4 Shays, Christopher R I 5,500 10,850 B
Delaware S Carper, Thomas D I 1,000 16,500
Florida S Byrd, Johnnie* R O 5,000 5,000
S Deutsch, Peter*# D O 18,000 45,941
H 1 Miller, Jefferson R I 1,500 2,500 AS
H 3 Brown, Corrine D I 3,000 8,600
H 5 Brown-Waite, Ginny R I 800 2,300 B
H 8 Keller, Richard R I 1,500 5,000
H 11 Davis, James, III D I 500 3,600
H 12 Putnam, Adam R I 1,500 4,500 B
H 14 Mack, Connie R O 1,000 1,000
H 17 Meek, Kendrick D I 4,000 7,000 AS
H 18 Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana R I 36,000 73,490 IR
H 19 Wexler, Robert D I 1,500 11,500 IR
H 20 Schultz, Debbie Wasserman D C 2,500 2,500
H 21 Diaz-Balart, Lincoln R I 5,000 10,000
H 23 Hastings, Alcee D I 2,500 23,850 I
H 24 Feeney, Tom R I 1,000 1,000
Georgia S Chambliss, Saxby R I 18,500 27,500 AS, I
S Majette, Denise*# D O 5,000 57,000 B
H 3 Marshall, James D I 1,500 8,000 AS
H 5 Lewis, John D I 2,000 69,250 B, W
H 6 Price, Thomas R O 500 500
Hawaii S Inouye, Daniel* D I 25,750 200,925 A(D, FO), C
H 2 Case, Edward D I 1,000 2,000
Idaho S Crapo, Michael* R I 16,000 30,000 B
Illinois S Durbin, Richard D I 2,500 326,671 A(D, FO), I
S Obama, Barack* D O 2,500 2,500
H 2 Jackson, Jesse, Jr D I 2,000 3,500 A(FO)
H 5 Emmanuel, Rahm D I 3,000 13,500 B
H 9 Schakowsky, Janice D I 1,000 14,750
H 10 Kirk, Mark R I 17,500 42,068 A(FO)
H 11 Weller, Jerry R I 2,000 26,400 IR, W
H 14 Hastert, J. Dennis R I 18,500 80,850 House Speaker, I
H 15 Johnson, Timothy R I 1,500 4,500
H 17 Evans, Lane D I 5,000 87,379 AS
H 18 Bean, Melissa D C 1,000 1,000
Indiana S Bayh, Evan* D I 56,500 81,750 AS, I
H 2 Chocola, Chris R I 1,500 8,000
H 5 Burton, Dan R I 3,000 70,000 IR
H 9 Hill, Baron D I 1,000 9,465 AS
Iowa S Grassley, Charles* R I 32,000 139,823 B
H 3 Boswell, Leonard D I 3,500 19,575 I
Kansas S Brownback, Samuel* R I 50,850 95,350 A, C, FR(NE)
H 3 Moore, Dennis D I 4,500 26,176 B
Kentucky S Bunning, Jim* R I 32,900 74,750 B
H 4 Clooney, Nick D C 2,000 2,000
H 4 Lucas, Kenneth D I 1,000 11,000
H 4 Thoney, Roger R C 1,000 1,000
H 5 Rogers, Harold R I 7,500 7,500 A
H 6 Chandler, Ben D O 13,500 13,500
H 6 Kerr, Alice Forgy R O 1,000 1,000
H 6 Miller, Jonathan D O 1,000 1,000
Louisiana S Terrell, Suzanne Haik* R O 15,000 15,000
S Vitter, David*# R O 3,500 18,000 A(FO), B
H 1 Jindal, Bobby R O 1,500 1,500
H 5 Alexander, Rodney D I 2,000 7,500 AS
Maryland S Mikulski, Barbara* D I 36,000 166,599 A(FO), I
H 2 Ruppersberger, C.A. D I 2,500 8,750 I
H 4 Wynn, Albert D I 1,000 10,250
H 5 Hoyer, Steny D I 37,500 92,275 A
H 8 Van Hollen, Chris D I 1,000 4,000
Massachusetts S Kennedy, Edward D I 1,000 67,120 AS
H 1 Olver, John D I 1,000 19,500 A
H 7 Markey, Edward D I 1,000 6,250
Michigan H 3 Ferguson, John, Jr. D C 1,500 4,500
H 7 Smith, Bradley R O 250 250
H 8 Rogers, Michael R I 1,500 2,250
H 9 Knollenberg, Joseph R I 1,000 23,750 A(FO)
H 11 McCotter, Thaddeus R I 5,000 10,000 B, IR(NE)
H 12 Levin, Sander D I 3,200 113,727 W
Minnesota S Coleman, Norm R I 8,000 34,980 FR(NE)
S Wellstone, Paul (dec'd) DFL N -1,000 18,472
H 2 Luther, Bill DFL C 1,000 27,913
Missouri S Bond, Christopher* R I 17,000 149,200 A(D,FO), I
S Talent, James R I 1,000 12,500 AS
H 3 Carnahan, John D O 1,000 1,000
H 4 Skelton, Ike D I 1,000 65,450 AS
H 5 Metzl, Jamie D C 2,000 2,000
H 6 Graves, Sam, Jr. R I 1,500 5,000
H 7 Blunt, Roy R I 11,600 30,850
Montana H Rehberg, Dennis R I 1,500 1,500
Nevada S Reid, Harry* D I 64,999 318,801 A(D)
H 1 Berkley, Shelley D I 35,100 201,455 IR(NE)
New Jersey S Lautenberg, Frank D I -272 433,806 C
S Torricelli, Robert D N -3,000 163,052
H 1 Andrews, Robert D I 4,000 35,250
H 3 Saxton, H. James R I 11,000 71,900 AS
H 4 Smith, Christopher R I 7,000 51,750 IR
H 6 Pallone, Frank, Jr. D I 5,150 50,550
H 7 Ferguson, Mike R I 8,000 14,500
H 9 Rothman, Steven D I 8,500 42,503 A(FO)
H 10 Payne, Donald D I 500 21,750 IR
H 11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney R I 1,000 6,250 A(D)
H 13 Menendez, Robert D I 15,875 35,483 IR
New Mexico S Domenici, Pete R I 1,000 50,600 A(D), B
H 1 Wilson, Heather R I -1,000 15,500 AS
New York S Schumer, Charles* D I 24,000 56,635
H 1 Bishop, Timothy D I 1,000 2,000
H 2 Israel, Steve D I 8,000 17,000 AS
H 7 Crowley, Joseph D I 23,000 41,500 IR(NE)
H 8 Nadler, Jerrold D I 1,000 19,000
H 9 Weiner, Anthony D I 1,000 14,000
H 14 Maloney, Carolyn D I 4,500 22,000
H 17 Engel, Eliot D I 19,000 137,918 IR(NE)
H 18 Lowey, Nita D I 20,650 109,738 A(FO)
H 20 Sweeney, John R I 1,000 2,000 A
H 24 Boehlert, Sherwood R I 1,000 6,500 I
H 25 Walsh, James R I 1,000 15,550 A
North Carolina S Bowles, Erskine* D O 13,500 23,500
S Burr, Richard*# R O 7,000 8,250
S Dole, Elizabeth R I 1,000 26,000 AS
North Dakota S Conrad, Kent D I 5,250 201,939 B
S Dorgan, Byron* D I 30,750 131,850 A(D), C
Ohio S Voinovich, George* R I 27,000 37,500 FR(NE)
H 3 Turner, Michael R I 0 1,250 AS
H 11 Jones, Stephanie Tubbs D I 1,500 4,500 W
H 12 Harmon, Phillip Ind C 1,000 1,000
H 13 Brown, Sherrod D I 2,000 28,750 IR
Oklahoma S Carson, Brad*# D O 1,000 11,000
H 4 Cole, Tom R I 1,500 5,000 AS
Oregon S Wyden, Ronald* D I 55,000 255,562 B, C, I
H 1 Wu, David D I 5,500 22,427
Pennsylvania S Santorum, Richard R I 2,000 47,750
S Specter, Arlen* R I 80,350 461,973 A(D, FO)
S Hoeffel, Joseph*# D C 2,000 24,454 IR(NE)
S Schwartz, Allyson* D C 1,000 3,500
Pennsylvania H 2 Fattah, Chaka D I -5,000 1,500

Contributions over the years: Who pays who?

Doug E.

EWASTUD:

You might cringe at this, but I believe its about time to spread this far and wide. I've been getting this over email and elsewhere.

ALL POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AIPAC: 1997-2004 AND COUNTING

Compiled by Hugh Galford

House: Current Cycle
Hoyer, Steny (D-MD) $37,500
Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana (R-FL) 36,000
Berkley, Shelley (D-NV) 35,100
Lantos, Tom (D-CA) 31,600
Frost, Martin (D-TX) 31,300
Cantor, Eric (R-VA) 23,750
Crowley, Joseph (D-NY) 23,000
DeLay, Tom (R-TX) 23,000
Lowey, Nita (D-NY) 20,650
Pelosi, Nancy (D-CA) 20,650

House: Career
Berkley, Shelley (D-NV) $201,455
Frost, Martin (D-TX) 165,414
Engel, Eliot (D-NY) 137,918
Levin, Sander (D-MI) 113,727
Lowey, Nita (D-NY) 109,738
Lantos, Tom (D-CA) 107,250
Hoyer, Steny (D-MD) 92,275
Evans, Lane (D-IL) 87,379

Pro-Israel PAC Contributions to 2004 Congressional Candidates
2003-2004 Career
State Office District Candidate Party Status Contributions Total Committees
Alabama S Shelby, Richard* R I 38,500 193,325 A(FO)
H 2 Everett, Terry R I 6,000 15,000 AS, I
H 3 Rogers, Michael R I 5,000 8,000 AS
H 4 Aderholt, Robert R I 2,000 13,500 A
H 5 Cramer, Bud D I 1,000 44,800 A, I
H 6 Bachus, Spencer R I 2,000 12,500
H 7 Davis, Artur D I 6,500 68,067 B
Alaska S Murkowski, Frank R N 1,000 65,000
S Knowles, Tony* D C 5,150 5,150
S Murkowski, Lisa* R I 34,600 34,600
S Stevens, Ted R I 1,000 68,200 A(D)
Arizona S Kyl, Jon R I 1,000 78,525
H 8 Kolbe, James R I -1,000 43,000 A(FO)
Arkansas S Lincoln, Blanche* D I 30,500 43,527
H 3 Delay, Robert R C 4,000 5,000
H 4 Ross, Michael D I 2,500 14,000
California S Boxer, Barbara* D I 73,000 223,794 C, FR(NE)
S Feinstein, Dianne D I 1,000 114,842 A(D), I
ALL AIPAC political contributions for the past 6 or more years

This is more or less the real reason our Congress has done nothing for so many years to stop any of the corruption.....and why they sold everyone out to elect whoever is wanted, and why Cheney etc isn't in jail already. Its not because of lack of evidence, its because of culture of bribery and closed mouths.
Contributions over the years: Who pays who?

Doug E.

Quit celebrating... we have no time to spare for that right now...

Remind the media that DeLay is just one of many.

Keep hunting for things to dump on DeLay... we don't want him wriggling out of this easily.

Highlight the fact the Dreier has links to Abramoff too. One Abramoff-linked asshole out... another Abramoff-linked asshole in. That's not exactly fixing the problem. (though it is "fixing" the problem in another sense... just like "fixing the information ... around the policy", for the Iraq war.)

If anything, now isn't the time to celebrate, now's the time to kick these bastards while they're going down... and keep going.

The media needs to know this goes beyond DeLay and that his indictment isn't enough to stop the corruption in the White House... it's just a scratch.

We gotta keep going, keep phoning.. keep getting those 6 or 7 to write the thousands of letters they seem capable of producing!!

---

@Joan.. re: #18... your last paragraph there is excellent.

Blunt just as corrupt: Its time to force the corporate media to cover this, the guy who's paying all of Delay's legal bills lately on the Abramoff train

Most tangled man in the Delay-A-Abramoff mafia, Roy Blunt
Roy Blunt pays Jim Ellis for favors, the operative already convicted by a Jury.

It stinks to high heaven......Get out the swords!!!

Doug E.

you guys are in some serious shit !

Doug #71... Christ, that's a lot of money, and a lot of Dems with their hands out. No wonder Israel has so much clout in DC.

Didn't see Conyers on the list, but everybody else.

OJ has a better chance of being convicted for killing his wife than Delay being convicted in Sugarland, Texas.

Ronnie Earle tried to indict Kay Bailey Hutcheson but that turned out to be a bogus.

You people need to get a life!

BuzzFlash has a good article re: Delay ---

The Hammer Gets Nailed! Delay Claims "Partison Attacks" - But Don't Forget The Money Laundering!

How is it the Bush supporters do not understand it isn't Democrats against Republicans it is, LETS HAVE SOME HONEST GOVERNMENT.

Answer if you will, would you support your party no matter what? Or would you demand accountability no matter who you voted for?

A recent survey said : Polled Americans who'd fight for the USA "right or wrong"
Republicans 66%
Democrats 33%
Independents 42%

If we could just start thinking instead of labeling we ALL could demand a better government.
There is enough corruptness in BOTH parties, perhaps it is time to start fresh with a better system.

Doug,

"And by the way the SCAM involving Taft, was he got paid large sums of money by the lobbyists to go golfing. He was wined and dined to pass legislation, and hence he has gone quiet about the Thomas Noe scam. Its pay to play."

Funny, I seem to fail to see ANYTHING about accepting money like you allege. Guess what Bud, that's what lobbiest do, smooze... unfortunately. They buy them dinners, golf outings and all that crap. That doesn't make it illegal. The non-reporting of it though is illegal. It's so we can see who is influencing them with gifts.

Gov. Bob Taft was charged with four criminal misdemeanor counts yesterday for failing to report dozens of gifts that included dinners, golf games and professional hockey tickets.
The gifts were worth about $5,800 and given over four years, prosecutors said.
Investigators have looked for weeks at Mr. Taft's purported violation of a law requiring officeholders to report gifts worth more than $75 unless the donor is reimbursed. He had announced problems involving the reporting of golf outings in June but said any errors were inadvertent.

http://washingtontimes.c...0050817-115601-7097r.htm

Texaslady,

I agree with you but this site is definetly anti-republican posing as a let's do thing right thing view. For instance have you seen anything about Chuck Schumer's staff members illegally getting the credit report on an opponent? Talk about Big Brother and dirty tricks of the worst kind but do you see any uproar about it here???

Look at election fraud. Diebold gets plenty of attention but what about liberal vote buying, double voting, stuffing the ballot box, the dead voting, illegal allien voting. Does that get any attention here? I wonder why???

Doug,

Who's accepting bribe money now?

http://www.nationalrevie...ork/york200509290811.asp

DeLay’s Prosecutor Offered “Dollars for Dismissals”

...Earle offered some of those companies deals in which the charges would be dismissed — if the corporations came up with big donations to one of Earle's favorite causes... Receiving less attention was the grand jury's decision to indict the eight companies for making allegedly illegal contributions to TRMPAC. In addition to Sears, Cracker Barrel, Questerra, and Diversified Collection Services, the group of indicted companies included Bacardi USA, Westar Energy, Williams Companies, and the trade group Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care. Under Texas law, corporations are not allowed to contribute directly to political campaigns, but are allowed to fund the administrative expenses of a political committee.

...Sears executives were convinced the company had done nothing illegal when it contributed $25,000 to TRMPAC. Given that, according to the sources, Sears lawyers were not interested in a plea bargain to end the case. "We were pretty confident that we would win," one source says. When the company's representatives spoke to Earle, they discovered that the prosecutor was not as adamant about prosecuting them as his public words might have suggested. Indeed, the sources say Earle was willing to drop the charges, providing Sears met a few of his conditions.
First among those, according to the sources, was that Sears make a significant contribution to an organization known as the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University. The Center is devoted to something called "deliberative polling," which was developed by a Stanford professor (and Earle acquaintance) named James S. Fishkin....

#81 - What site anywhere is totally objective?

This site is comprised of people who are appalled at the waste, corruptness, total lack of accountability of the present administration. No one here has ever said the Democrats are all honest. But we are talking of those in power right now.

Again, do you believe your party right or wrong?

I don't. My party would have to be a conservative progressive. Goals of quality education for all, spending less on prisons and more on children at the start of their life, that every child deserves to be wanted, not born and then left to foster life.
Life is short and precious and we should all leave this earth a better place for having lived here.
Idealistic, you bet ! But better to shoot for the stars than accept the gutter.

I agree with TexasLady #83. The Republican Party of today (mostly the neoCON element of that Party) is more corrupt than the Democrats. MUCH MORE CORRUPT!!! Do you hear me, nuke? They are holding all the arms of power - and they stole that. They are raping this country and its Citizens. They are sucking the very life out of our planet and taking us into the lowest level of debt we've ever seen. They LIE and LIE some more. It will probably take 30 years to recover fiscally if we get rid of them today. But I guess nuke is ok with that. Fine. It will eventually kick you in the wallet, too.

nuke hasn't paid enough attention to threads of the past on Brad Blog to understand we have discussed the neoCON element in the Democratic Party. But, as they say, ignorance is no excuse.

And Kira the only other party with any voice, the Democrats have let all of us down accepting and allowing this corruptness. Why do so few, like Conyers, speak up? I really think they all have been bought and paid for.

Or it could be fear, when a Paul Wellstone for one with some integrity, suddenly have a plane crash, or investigative reporters suddenly committ suicide, in the midst of making future plans.

Perhaps they feel why should they take a chance with their life with a public that doesn't seem to care.

Politics has always been dirty but Nuke, this group has outdone them all.

Good points, TexasLady. There have been a LOT of suspicious deaths that point to political reasons and to the neoCONS. Even on TV I've heard people talking about the TARGET you get on your back if you come out against the bu$hies. They're mean and nasty. The Family Values Party. But, WHICH Family? Makes me think of the Mafia.

I hope KKKarl Rove is next. They will roll over on the higher ups and whine them also into more trouble.

Texaslady,

"What site anywhere is totally objective?"

Factcheck.org seems to be a ery good site. Non-partisan. Rips both dems and repubs.

"This site is comprised of people who are appalled at the waste, corruptness, total lack of accountability of the present administration."

I.e. Former Kerry support's who are still pissed they lost in 2000

"No one here has ever said the Democrats are all honest. But we are talking of those in power right now."

In other words you are saying , we would rather have our corrupt politicians in then yours.

Again, do you believe your party right or wrong?

That is actually a tough question. I believe in many liberal beliefs. Abortion, stem cell research and a few other issues. There are MANY other issues that I totally disagree with. The biggest one is fighting terrorism and taking on militant Islam. Something that liberals will never do. Joe Lieberman I would have voted for instead of Bush. I think he would have finished what Bush started. All the rest would have cut and run just like we did in Vietnam. You want to know why Bush's core supporters so adamently defend him? It's because we realize that liberals don't really care about the truth, they will use any excuse to try to get Bush out. TANG, flush a Koran down a toliet, torture, missing high explosives, Rathergate, etc... It's a knee jerk reaction, We know liberals can't take the fact that they are out of power and will smear anybody about even the most minor detail in their attempt to regain power.

You talk about corruption, how many republicans voted against Ginsburg... a liberal idealog.... thinks the age of consent should be 12 years old!!!! (Mommy, I'm going over to Tims, he's 35 and going to let me play with toys.... mommy, what are sex toys?)
Yet, only 5 republicans voted against her. How many voted against Roberts(22). Why??? The PACS who have bought and paid for them don't want them to vote for him.

Kira,

"Good points, TexasLady. There have been a LOT of suspicious deaths that point to political reasons and to the neoCONS."

You sound like the nutcase conservatives that said that there were suspicious deaths around Clinton and he had a hit squad out.

Kira,

"The Republican Party of today (mostly the neoCON element of that Party) is more corrupt than the Democrats. MUCH MORE CORRUPT!!!"

"Earle says local prosecution is fundamental and points out that 11 of the 15 politicians he has prosecuted over the years were Democrats."

Oh, I think Earle would say differently

Kira - When published authors lose their careers when writing about hormones in the Florida milk cows, and the journalists began backing away from news, it is frightening.

What about the attorney, this month, explaining to a reporter about how Rove's owning land, allowing him to vote in Texas. Rove made a phone call to her boss and she lost her job in a week just for explaining the law !

Or the Indiana 4th grade teacher, who explained to the inquiring student what a peaceful protest was. The teacher was told not to speak of this again. And her contract after 22 years was not renewed.
Then two years later, a Florida school, first selecting her for a promotion, then found out about the Indiana deal, fired her.

Nuke - A dictatorship begins by controlling the media, the printed word, total secrecy about the government, and the teaching in the schools.
Also, the hiring and firing of individuals.

Well, our libraries can now tell what we check out, our schools can dictate what is taught and we know what the media is doing. Or rather not doing.
How much coverage did you hear about the march in Washington last Saturday? EVERYTHING I heard was on this blog and others, nothing, nothing on television. Even with the rolling blackouts we are having, something should have popped up.

How can anyone no matter what you support not be just a bit concerned about our liberties slowly being erroded?

Nuke you missed my point entirely. I don't care which party is in the White House. I just want an administration that realizes unless we ALL get a share of the pie, I won't be able to pay for the 7 trips to Texas, and LA for photo ops.

Kerry wasn't my first choice, but with a VP that would sell the gold out of his mom's teeth and a President that has a questionable IQ. What was our choice?

Nuke, you belong in the 66% of Republican right or wrong. Sit back and drink your Kool Aide.

I said "lowest level of debt" in my comment #84 --- I'm not sure that is the best way to say that duhbya has piled up more debt than ever before in this country's history AND ... it just keeps on growing because of his poor business history. george w. bu$h
has run every one of his companies straight into the ground. All Are-Busto. What was wrong with Republicans who talk about fiscal responsibility? If they didn't research this idiot --- how responsible are they? Not very, in my opinion.

What is the debt figure to date? (PS - a HUGE thank you nuke and the rest of our citizens who apologize for bu$h.)

U.S. NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK

The Outstanding Public Debt as of 29 Sep 2005 at 04:15:52 PM GMT is:

$7,923,436,043,234.08
The estimated population of the United States is 297,296,459, so each citizen's share of this debt is $26,651.63.

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $1.50 billion per day since September 30, 2004!

Concerned? Then tell Congress and the White House!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The National Debt: Running Out of Luck and Money

[snip] Written by Alan Caruba
Monday, September 26, 2005

When I checked the National Debt Clock (http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/) it was at $7.9 trillion and climbing. It rises at a rate of $1.54 billion a day.

Something just didn’t sound right when the secretary of the treasury, John W. Snow, told the press that the United States had more than enough money to handle the initial estimate of $200 billion it would cost to rebuild New Orleans and the other areas of the Gulf Coast hit by Hurricane Katrina.

For one thing, all such estimates are suspect and usually turn out to be less than the final, higher costs. Contrarians, however, argue that the estimates may be too high. In short, no one really knows. As reconstruction begins, money will flow to the affected areas and life, one hopes, will return to normal, along with the vital economic factors that include the traffic of goods on the Mississippi and the generation of oil and natural gas from the Gulf.

The deficit differs from the debt because the deficit is the annual differential between what the government is taking in and what it is paying out during a fiscal year. The United States has a deficit of $333 billion as of fiscal 2005 that ends on September 30. Fiscal 2006 that begins October 1 has a deficit of $341 billion as cited by the White House office of Management and Budget. The prospect of $500 billion seems like an awful lot of money. And that’s before the costs of Hurricane Rita are even calculated.

The President says he has no intention of asking Congress to raise taxes to help reduce it, causing an outcry from those for whom raising taxes is the answer to everything. As Richard W. Rahn, a Cato Institute scholar, noted in a recent opinion published by the Washington Times, “The tax increase proponents seemingly cannot grasp that taxes reduce our economic vitality. When taxes rise, the economy slows.” And with it the amount of money the government receives. [snip]

Nuke - don't get me started on Vietnam. 58,000 lost is not exactly cut and run. Ordered to take a hill and then give it back the next day after the blood of Americans wasn't even dry.

And why were we there? A Democratic President, from Texas, was protecting oil interests. Listening to the likes of Henry Kissinger who commented, soldiers were nothing more than dumb animals to be used.

And that is what Rumsfeldt, Wolfawitz, have convinced Bush. And Cheney is about Halliburton, whose stock has doubled.

You have a choice if you don't like the conversation on this blog, you know. Enjoy your choice, because one day with this administration you won't have a choice.

You will get nowhere here, nukie. Go home now.

Texaslady,

"What about the attorney, this month, explaining to a reporter about how Rove's owning land, allowing him to vote in Texas. Rove made a phone call to her boss and she lost her job in a week just for explaining the law!"

First of all, the land has two cabin's, one that Rove lives in. So yes, he is entittled to vote. The way you write it, it's like he's performing a scam. Secondly, she was fired for violating company policy. Even if she didn't know what the call was for. I too can lose my job for violating company policy. Did she deserve to be fired for what she did. Nope. Did Karl Rove call down and get her fired? Nope.

Kira - excellent post. Nuke needs to know about the infant mortality rate at 49% more than in 1958. However, money is probably more important than lives with nuke anyway.

Wait til he gets the bill for these two hurricanes, he might be singing a different tune. Combine that bill with the daily one for Iraq.

And Nuke, don't worry about ole Tommy Hot tub, his friends have a million set aside for his defense. Or you probably know that having sent your check in early. The worry is, even if the indictment falls through, the stigma will be remembered come 2006.

Nuke Oh yes Rove did make a call, her boss came out and said, since they are friends Rove has his personal phone number, called and made his unhappiness known. The attorney only said what is public knowledge and can be told.
Rove had her fired.

And about the cabin, the Sherrif said, if Rove had been there as small as the community is, someone would have noticed. And no one remembered seeing him. Interesting.

Kira,

"The Republican Party of today (mostly the neoCON element of that Party) is more corrupt than the Democrats. MUCH MORE CORRUPT!!! Do you hear me, nuke?"

In 2002 Texas democrats accepted $32.8 million, republicans $18.3 million in "soft" money. Who's more corrupt?

http://www.followthemone...rg/press/TX/20030930.pdf

Yes, people, this is truly good news.

However, I wonder why the Democrats are allowing Delay’s lawyer to get away with saying that it is politically motivated to indict all of Ronnie Earle’s political enemies of both parties.

Ronnie Earle DID NOT issue the indictment. It was a grand jury that handed down the indictment. Mr. Earle is simply in charge of this grand jury.

Both parties know that this is a game of Mutually Assured Destruction. For over 11 years, the Republicans have beaten up on the Democrats and, like two boys sitting in the back seat of a car fighting, back off afterwards and remind the Democrats about the consequences of retaliation to the point of destruction of both of them. (“Get over it. Let’s move on.”)

Well, now the tables are turned. It is the smaller boy (Democrats) who did the beating in this case. Retaliation is a given and we should accept that Minority Leader Pelosi or some other Demo in a high position will be hit with the next set of indictments.

No one is without this sin. In Congress anyway.

This is the political equivalent of Civil War. In times past, political parties that engage in such conflict will kill both sides (remember the liberal Federalists vs. the conservative Democrat-Republicans?) This war will likely end the same way.

Not that I would complain about that though!

#73 M3,
Thanks for the input on my comment #18. I sent it with a few minor changes to nelson, probably too late, and probably destined to go directly into their wastebasket.

I met a woman at my hotel in DC who has run a homeless shelter in Indiana for the last 30-or-so years. She is evidently fairly known in Washington & she said she would go to Bill Nelson's office (this was Monday the 26th) and tell his staff that a constituent (me) wishes to speak with him & that I wanted the good senator himself to call me, not a staffer.
I'm not sure why she insisted on doing this, but I bet her ten dollars he wouldn't call.

Well, it's Thursday, billy, an I'm waitin'......

...NuclearChemist said on 9/29/2005 @ 8:03am " I agree with you but this site is definetly anti-republican posing as a let's do thing right thing view. For instance have you seen anything about Chuck Schumer's staff members illegally getting the credit report on an opponent?"

So, write an article on it. Post it here or on a website where we can read it. There's nothing stopping you. Rove might do that, but we're not like that. We'll read what you have to say.

"Look at election fraud. Diebold gets plenty of attention but what about liberal vote buying, double voting, stuffing the ballot box, the dead voting, illegal allien voting. Does that get any attention here? I wonder why???"

Again, show us a website with information on it. I haven't seen any specific allegations which are remotely as convincing or horrifynig as the Conyers report on Ohio (mostly about Republican dirty tricks).

If you want to rock the boat you've gotta yell louder.

Do ya think all the talk about AIPAC contributions to both Dems and Repubs is worrisome? We do. Now, if only the mainstream media would report on even one-tenth of the outrageous things which we read on blogs.

Jefferson said a modern Democracy required a well-informed public. If the corporate media won't do it the blogs will have to do a better job. The Rich might not like the effect of a well-informed public, but now (Thank Al!) that we have the Internet there's no stopping us from fulfilling (at least in part) Jefferson's ideal. All politicians are likely to be caught off-guard by this. They're mostly old-schoolers and won't understand how many in the public can read Internet stories (unlike Dubya).

Henry (Scoop) Jackson (D) Washington State: A Hawk's hawk. While on the Armed Services Committee he goaded Kennedy and Johnson on Viet Nam. Oversaw the CIA's black budget and gave a nod to two U.S. backed coups in Iraq which brought Hussein to power. Richard Perle was his chief assistant from 1969 to 1980. Perle went on to gather his disciples..Wolfowitz, Feith, Abrams. Jackson has been referred to as the Father of the present Neocon movement. The democrats did not adher to the radical militarism of this group so they switched sides (Jackson died in '83). They infiltrated the Republican Party and were so extreme became NeoConservatives. I would guess that many that believe they are in the Grand Old Party have no idea that it has been hijacked. Do not know what the term Neocon means. IMHO the sheeple in both parties go where they are led. I have posed this question to Republicans I know "do you know what a Neocon is?" and they look at me and say "No". I can only shake my head. They profess allegiance to a party and have not and will not do their homework.

Move forward to February of this year. A document security team for the CIA went to the University of Washington in Seattle and 'reviewed' papers of Jackson archived there. Why, because a librarian found a classified document in the papers and notified the government asking it to be declassified. What did they find and take?

I have stated before and will do so again. I do not see this government/world in black and white. The colors overlap and become grey. I believe we need a new 3rd Party. I can't see any way to clean our house with the present occupants there. A few are sincere and good people but most are tainted and many through no fault of their own but must play by the rules imposed if they are to keep their jobs.

How do we clean up the mess from K Street to Wall Street. Our ship is sinking and is below water level already, a few of us are hanging by our fingertips to the life raft. Can we save ourselves, I don't know...

I would like to expound on Mark's comment (Post #102).

To Nukie:

Yes, we are largely a progressive movement. However, before we are progressives, most of us are seeking justice. Neither party has a lock on justice.

Why do we pick on Republicans more than Democrats? VERY SIMPLE: Republicans are in power... almost all Democrats are locked out.

It's hard to be corrupted if you have no power to corrupt!

Were it 1993, things would likely have been the other way around...

MORE ON INDICTMENT FOR ROVE - found out that Karl Rove is in violation of Texas law that says you must live in the place you are registered to vote in. His two cabins, the largest is 814 square foot valued at $25,000
Rove purchased the two cabins in 1997.
Under Texas Law one must LIVE in a home to be a residence. And to vote in that county.

Greg Schrader, editor of Kerrville Daily Times said he has never seen Rove in 10 years that he has lived there. Never even heard a rumor of Rove being in town.

According to the County Prosecutor if someone made a complaint, they would have to prosecute Rove. Wow first Plame now falsly claiming a residence. Sounds like Indictment to me !!!

Nuke check out Washington Post 9/5/05 -reporter Lori Montgomery. You can google it.

Oh one more thing - Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams contributed hundreds of thousands for Bush....yeah no connection to Rove there.

Oh and the agency's policy does NOT say Elizabeth Reyes should not have spoken to Washington Post reporter.

Sounds like cleaning of the house is beginning -

Thank you NUKE, I had kind of forgotten about ole Karl's "senior moment" in not paying his proper taxes. Oh yes, he is making restitution NOW that he was caught.

Maybe we can stir someone in Kerr County to make a formal complaint and ole Karl and wife will have to give up their 1.1 million dollar house in Washington and live in the 814 square foot cabin.
Might be hard to do all those dirty deeds in such a small space.

Because I was very busy here taking care of a sick family member, I didn't take time to carefully read a link I posted in my comment #93. That link is to the story "The National Debt, Running Out of Luck and Money." I don't agree with the article in its entirety (and everybody who knows me will see right off where I disagree) but it is coming from the right-winger point of view --- it's plain to see there are some who are waking up to this fiscal nightmare.

This article is much more to my thinking:

National and state shortsightedness pushes sacrifice onto our grandchildren

[snip] September 28, 2005

BY BEVERLEY McDONALD

The nation's unpreparedness to protect its citizens came into full view with the Hurricane Katrina disaster, as did the underbelly of poverty and racism in our nation. Despite the priority funding dedicated to this governmental function, our "homeland security" deficit in the response to Katrina underlined the lack of comprehensive planning by our policy makers for disasters, even for those as predictable as the hurricane that flooded New Orleans.

The full court press given to preparation for Hurricane Rita further makes the point: The highways leading north out of southern Texas cities couldn't handle the hundreds of thousands of evacuee vehicles.

We have underfunded essential services, tolerated mediocrity and inefficiency from the leaders of critical departments such as FEMA, and implemented policies that ignore the needs of our most vulnerable citizens, leaving them ill-equipped to deal with a disaster. Predictably, many children were left behind in New Orleans, and in the months and years leading up to the disaster.

In the face of the World Trade Center destruction, the Iraq war and Katrina devastation, the federal government asks no sacrifice of its nonmilitary related citizens except that they send (tax deductible) donations to charities --- and say a few prayers for the people impacted. No new taxes, no rescission of recent tax reductions, not even for the wealthiest 1 percent of us who are the least needy --- this source of revenue is off the table, dollars that would take care of much of Katrina's rebuilding costs. In fact, there is still talk that the wealthiest Americans will be further "unburdened" by the repeal of all estate taxes. [snip]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And this:

Are You Proud of This Administration?

By BILL STEGEN La Crosse

After reading several letters from obvious conservatives criticizing apparent liberals about their criticism of the Bush administration, I have to ask, what do conservatives have to be proud of that this administration has done?

Are you proud of the record budget deficits?

Are you proud of the record national debt? It soon will be $8 trillion.

Are you proud of the nearly 2,000 dead American servicemen and women from an illegal war?

Are you proud of the nearly 10,000 wounded and permanently maimed American servicemen and women from the same illegal and ill-planned war?

Are you proud of the 5.9 million more Americans moved into poverty? Or the 31.1 million in 2000, 37 million as of the 2004 Census.

Are you proud of the more than 4 million Americans without any health-care coverage? The majority are kids.

Are you proud of the education-funding crisis caused by the constant budget cuts put forward by this supposed education president?

Are you proud of the skyrocketing energy costs even though companies like Exxon-Mobil are profiting tens of billions of dollars a quarter all on the backs of Americans who can hardly afford it?

Are you proud of the fact that most of the world's nations oppose what we have done and are doing still?

Are you proud of this administration's tax policies that have shifted more and more of America's wealth to the very wealthiest, leaving the rest to suffer for their good fortune?

**MORE**

Hey Nuke - just when did you see Rove living in that 814 square foot cabin? Maybe you should tell the Editor so they can run a column on it.

And living is day to day NOT a weekend.

Sorry to take so much space..but perhaps an e-mail to the reporter Lori Montgomery of Washington Post regarding the Texas Law of living in your residence to be able to vote in that state.

Truly, if the rest of us have to abide by the law why is Rove above the law. Oh thats right he is Bush's brain.

Poor Tommy:

DeLay tries to avoid fingerprinting

Relatively speaking, the crime (conspiracy --- see there is such a thing, it's not just a funny idea of people wearing tin foil hats) DeLay was indicted for today is "small potatoes" compared to other much more serious crimes he is suspected of committing in connivance with buddies like Norquist, Rove, and Abramoff. I think we will see indictments for crimes there that could easily get all these guys the death penalty. These guys are second only to the Bushes for being criminals of the highest order. Ultimately, I think the hens will come home to roost for the Bush crime family, too.

Speaking of AIPAC, who Larry Franklin has been indicted for illegally passing on intelligence to, that got back to the Israeli government... We should make a determined effort in the next election to make conspicuously public the names of all politicians receiving contributions from AIPAC and tar them with this connection to Franklin and associates (Doug Feith has also been implicated) and their treasonous conduct. We should make politicians fearful of EVER accepting money from AIPAC again. That would be one of the most constructive things we could do to clean up our government. Sibel Edmonds points out in the Vanity Fair article that there is a lot of overlap in membership between the American Turkish Council and AIPAC --- namely a lot of large military-industrial war profiteering corporations, and AIPAC is chaired by that famous American "Jew," Brent Scowcroft. Methinks that AIPAC in actuality has less significance representing Israeli or Judaic interests than certain American Big Oil and corporate interests. As I see it, Israel itself is but a toehold for the West in the Middle East to be able to claim some more noble pretext besides an interest in the region's oil wealth to intervene politically and militarily when "necessary."

I recall reading an article by Robert Kennedy, Jr. earlier this year that said that 95% of the Republicans are corrupt and 75% of the Democrats. It seemed a bit hyperbolic at the time and surprising to hear coming from a prominent Democrat. However, from what I have learned since then, I think Bobby Jr. spoke more truly and perhaps knows a great deal more about the deeper intrigues of politics than we all guessed.

Awful quiet Nuke - or are the rolling blackouts in your neighborhood too?

Now that Nuke brought up Karl - I will bring it to the attention off the breaking of the law, vote fraud of Karl to as many reporters and blogs as I can.

Thanks Nuke

Perspective:

Stars in the Milky Way Galaxy: 400 Billion (The upper end of the estimates)

Katrina Cost: $200 Billion = $.50 per star

Iraq War Cost: $204 Billion = $.50 per star

National Debt: $ 7,923,621,018,738.88
= $19.81 per star or almost 20 Milky Ways at $1 per star.

Get away from the city lights tonight and look up at the portion of the Milky Way which is visible and realize what you see is only one arm of the galaxy and only a small portion of the whole thing. Then think about the above amounts.

I find that my mind has a hard time grasping it.

Michael Chertoff is corrupt slime, total zionist fascist pig who must be brought to justice. You can't defend the indefensible!

Lets move!!

Doug E.

TexasLady #105

Here's the most interesting paragraph in the article by Lori Montgomery ~~

Down in Texas, when you register to vote in a place where you don't actually live, the county prosecutor can come after you for voter fraud, said Elizabeth Reyes, an attorney with the elections division of the Texas Secretary of State. Rove's rental cottage "doesn't sound like a residence to me, because it's not a fixed place of habitation," she said. "If it's just property that they own, ownership doesn't make that a residence."

VOTER FRAUD!!! Let's turn up the heat on this one!!! KARL ROVE - GUILTY OF VOTER FRAUD???

Bluebear2 - great comparison. It has occurred to me that the difference between progressive/liberal and republicans is thinking.

The progressives enjoy discussions, exchanging ideas and learning. While republicans hate change, growth, and new ideas. Also, money out of their pockets for fellow mankind.

So, I think with the cost of two hurricanes and the daily cost of Iraq, many Republicans will start to hollor enough. Not because they woke up.....but because it begins to hit their wallet.

The continuing truth about Michael Chertoff: He needs to be fired and arrested!

Doug

Kira - I have already e-mailed Bob Herbert NYT - Lori Montgomery WaPo (again) urging her to follow up. Greg Palast - Buzz Flash. Also will e-mail Keith Olbermann.

I agree we need to make someone pay attention to this. Let ole Karl live in his 814 square foot house if he wants to vote in Texas. But isn't it vote fraud already? Did you read the editor of the local paper said in 10 years NEVER saw or heard rumors of Rove being in town. It is a SCAM on Rove's part.

You know the story goes FBI got Al Capone on tax evasion so small yet so powerful. Maybe it can be done with Rove.

And I had forgotten all about it until Nuke brought it up.

TEXASLADY in answer to your question "why is Rove above the law" maybe this link will help explain.
Chertoff not only helped develop illegal and unconstitutional police laws for a US police state at DOJ, but Chertoff now, as Homeland Security Chief will carry out these same police state laws. Chertoff will willingly carry out and extend the perverted legal umbrella legalese excuses provided in the Alberto Gonzales memo that proclaimed Bush, as President, is above the law during an unending, self-declared war on terrorism.

MMIIXX - Rove has committed fraud in at least two elections how could that be construed as an act of onfidentiality or protecting against terrorism.

I feel he should have to prove how he was in residence in Texas during his vote.

Bush and Rove share the "Umbrella" so to speak! As in "proclaimed Bush, as President, is above the law".

MMIIXX I understand what you are saying, but disagree that everything they do should be above the law. And granted this is a smaller infraction of what this evil person has done, however, would be nice to give him one more thing to worry about along with Fitzgerald's soon to be announcement.

If he can get away with outing a CIA op ...

texaslady #117

I couldn't agree more!

Headlines today at Raw Story are like being in a candy store. Everybody starting to fall in Bushco. Let's hope the momentum continues.

MMIIXX - you are right ! Time will take care of these guttersnipes but don't know if America can outlast them.

Bluebear2 & MMIIXX - this blog is my candy store !
Didn't realize how much I missed you all while our power was gone. Kira, Nana and the rest with your provoking thoughts. Even the trolls (sometimes) with their childish blitherings.

Speaking of trolls, did anyone see Ann Coulter last night on Larry King, she was shaking and saying over and over, "it just isn't so " I swear you would think Delay was her dad. Even King was shaking his head at her antics.

Thanks to Democratic Underground

Just heard DeLay say on "The Situation Room" that "moving elections into the courthouse is dangerous."

um... i'm not gonna touch that one.

Attention all bloggers: Do good work today and send all of the Michael Chertoff stories to the national media repeatedly

This guy Chertoff is bad, bad news as is Abramoff. Its time we make him radioactive for the media and someone gets up and prosecutes the guy.

Remember Chertoff can not be defended: To defend Chertoff is to defend Abramoff, and people worse than Bush. We must bring this slime down, and he's easy pickins at this point!!

FULL Media contact list: Send them all the stories on RAWSTORY.com and the Michael Chertoff stories!!!

Lets do our job, we are the movers of the law!

Doug E.

Texaslady,

Sorry, I'm at work. That was why I was quiet.

Who ever said that "And Cheney is about Halliburton, whose stock has doubled." I'm sorry, but I believe that is a lie. Cheney got a severance package that he could take in a lump sum or have it spread out over several years. He took the option for several years. If that is incorrect, please let me know.

Also Texaslady, I'm fairly certain that Texas law allows people in the military or in the government that are stationed away from their home to still vote in Texas.

Texaslady,

Sorry, missread your statement. I thought you meant Cheney stock with Halliburton has doubled.

I have no problem what-so-ever with Halliburton getting a no bid contact. Clinton thought that they were good enough for a no bid contract too.

Halliburton was already on site on a contract when the Iraq war was ramping up. What did you expect them to do, sorry, we can't go to war because we have to rebid the contacts???? These contracts typically take months to bid. Sorry soldiers, we can't feed you, the bids aren't back in yet. Who ever won the bid is going to say costs + a certain percent. No company is going to say we'll do it for free.

What company would ever want to hire someone who might go into politics if they are going to be denied work with the government because of the appearence of favortism?

Nuke - The election division of Texas states: when you register to vote in a place where don't actually live, the country prosecutor can come after you for vote fraud. Now this is just Texas each state may be different. Certain states make it mandatory to live there at least 6 months to be a resident and that would be Texas and Iowa that I know of.

When you are in the military that is considered something temporary, not a fixed place of habitation. Not like having a 1.1 million dollar home you go to each night.

Nuke you stated Rove lived there in his cabin, when would that have been?

As for Cheney he had his Halliburton stocks put in trust so even tho it is delayed he is still making money.
And I will get the numbers on Halliburton for you, since I just read this last week.

Despite what Doug E. says , Chertoff is indeed a very dubious character, and bears watching.

For those of you who want an intro, here are two links:

Michael Chertoff

Federalist Society

Nuke - google Halliburton Stock and take your pick like Cheney's stock up 75% and 78 million in profit for Halliburton all since the beginning of the war.

Nuke - Cheney was in LA before they rescued the people stuck in the convention center arranging for Halliburton to rebuilt 3 naval sites.

Isn't it interesting that Halliburton was ready before the invasion of Iraq too? How on earth could they be so smart to be ready I wonder?

And no I don't believe in no-bid contracts anymore than Bunny Hunnicut (maybe spelled her name wrong) who after 5 years was demoted because she questioned the no bid contracts.

MarkH,

"Again, show us a website with information on it. I haven't seen any specific allegations which are remotely as convincing or horrifynig as the Conyers report on Ohio (mostly about Republican dirty tricks)."

How about a news site?

LINK

Five East St. Louisans were found guilty on all counts they faced in federal court Wednesday for participating in a vote-buying scheme to get Democrats elected during the Nov. 2 election.

When added to the guilty pleas of three committeemen and an election worker in March that resulted from the same FBI investigation, it's the largest bust of vote fraud in the city's recent past, and, perhaps, ever.

While much of the bluster during the monthlong trial concerned shaky witness testimony, it was the secret recordings that ultimately doomed the five, according to the lone juror who agreed to talk afterward.

"The recordings were the evidence that really struck me the most," said Lamont Reed Jr., 23, of East St. Louis...
The most prominent of those convicted Wednesday is East St. Louis Democratic Party leader Charles Powell Jr., 61. He was found guilty of participating in a conspiracy to commit voter fraud. He was caught on tape Oct. 13 telling the Democratic committeemen to calculate their budget requests from the county Democratic Party based on $5 per vote.

He declined to comment after the verdict.

Convicted of joining that conspiracy and also aiding and abetting voter fraud were:

Thomas, 31, who also served as the party secretary for the city's Democratic Party.

Kelvin Ellis, 55, former head of Regulatory Affairs for East St. Louis.

Yvette Johnson, 46, an election worker for Ellis.

Jesse Lewis, 56, a precinct committeeman.

Witnesses testified that all five paid voters or directed others to do so, with the price ranging from $5 to $10, although Powell was not charged with abetting voter fraud.

Prosecutors said the conspiracy's purpose was to maximize the turnout for prominent Democrats, including then-Belleville Mayor Mark Kern, who was elected St. Clair County Board chairman in the election; state Sen. Barack Obama of Chicago, who won a U.S. Senate seat; and U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who was defeated by President George W. Bush.

Kern could not be reached for comment but has denied any wrongdoing.

During the trial, prosecutor Mike Carr questioned witnesses about $79,000 transferred from the county Democratic Party to most of the city's 44 Democratic precinct committeemen just before the election. Those convicted on Wednesday received a total of $7,900 on Oct. 30.

The longstanding St. Clair County Democratic chairman, Robert Sprague, personally handed the checks to the committeemen, testimony stated. He could not be reached for comment.

Witnesses said repeatedly at the trial that vote buying has been going on for decades in the city and it's not hard to find examples. In 1931, when the standard price for a vote was $2, five voters were convicted of taking money in exchange for voting.

Texaslady,

OK, Halliburton has recieved what, 8 billion for work and they net 78 million!!! I think they should fire the CEO for only making 1% profit!!! What a crappy way to run a company!!!

nuclearchemist #137

Ok, so there is an example of the Dems misconduct. They got what they deserved.

I think if you look at enough posts here you will find although there is a lot of negativism towards the Republican party, we also believe the Democrats also need to maintain high standards.

All issues of vote fraud need to be prosecuted.

What's interesting though in your example is the fact that the Democrats won the local races but Kerry still lost.

This is one of the trends found suspicious in other areas where vote switching in the tabulators and machines is suspect.

Bluebear2

"What's interesting though in your example is the fact that the Democrats won the local races but Kerry still lost."

Why do you have a problem with that?????? The New Orleans area is heavily democratic. That doesn't mean the rest of the state is. Kerry typically won the city votes and Bush got the rural votes. It's the same in Ohio. Bush took the rural areas and Kerry the cities.

nuclearchemist

Maybe I was misunderstood your example - my reference was to the outcomes within a specific local district.

You are mixing a locality with the entire state. Of course there would be differences in that regards.

Don't get me started on the voting machines, nuke. You must be daft if you support the "black boxes." You've been here on this blog long enough to have read & explored the info compiled on that subject.

Merifour #103

Did you get that info from the PNAC site? Do you have a link?

Thanks for that post.

Texaslady #135

Are you sure the $78 million wasn't just the profit on the stock value increase - not the whole company?

I looked through the UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Haliburton quarterly report, but not being an accountant I couldn't make a whole lot of sense of it.

But as I scrolled throught the 60 some pages I found that if you go down a ways there are all kinds of discusions regarding the legal problems they are contending with.

To paraphrase nuclearchemist "If they have so many legal problems I think they should fire the CEO"

That 78 million Cheney pocketed was just his "personal" Halliburton money.......Halliburton has raked in over 7 billion in profits, and reported 216% increase in sales alongside EXXON Mobil!!!!!!

It don't take a genius to figure out why, Nuke. This is nothing less than illegal insider trading again with him getting a pass since he's no longer CEO, unbelievable!!!

And on top of that Karl Rove is engaged in voter fraud in Texas. You legally CAN NOT have multiple voting residences, if you do not even live in the one you're registered with. Who knows someone in Kerr County Texas? Time to throw the book in!

Doug E.

Texaslady

I'm so happy to see you back! I was concerned for you and your family. All OK?

DeLay's defenders seem to have one consistent argument...Democrats do it, too.

They're probably right. So let's prosecute all the Democrats along with DeLay. That doesn't mean DeLay should be forgiven, or that he should stay out of jail.

Next argument, please.

#143 Kira..I got the info from the Seattle PI and Pat Buchanan's book "Where the Right Went Wrong". (I loaned out the book but pretty sure that was title).

RLM

So correct!

Right-on!

Corrupt democrats do it, but lets get this straight......they do NOT represent us. Anyone who breaks the law does not represent anybody that goes for the entire DLC, Steny Hoyer, Jim McDermott and nearly all of the republicans.

Clean the whole slate starting with the most rotten like Delay, because the new democratic party is founded on PEOPLE ONLY and the fundraising is being done with the help of millions of contributing americans.

Doug E.

Good point RLM

I had my fill of that old 'everybody else is doing it' argument when my sons were young, adolescence, it was their favorite.

BREAKING:

WASHINGTON - Judith Miller, The New York Times reporter who has been jailed since July 6 for refusing to identify a source, has been released, The Inquirer has learned.

Miller left an Alexandria, Va. jail late this afternoon, a jail official said.She was released after she had a telephone conversation with the Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, sources said. In that conversation, Libby reaffirmed that he had released Miller from a promise of confidentiality more than a year ago, sources said.

Whoa - wonder what went down!

Story at Raw - doesn't say much more than I copied here.

Tom Delay is a very small man.

Crooks and Liars says she has agreed to testify to the Grand Jury.

"Judith Miller, the New York Times reporter who has been jailed since July 6 for refusing to testify in the C.I.A. leak case, was released from a Virginia detention center this afternoon after she and her lawyers reached an agreement with a federal prosecutor to testify before a grand jury investigating the matter, the paper's publisher and executive editor said. "

Bluebear2: Its time we watch these crooks like a hawk........

Miller will try to whitewash it, who's anyone kidding? She's a stooge, there's not one sap of integrity about her.

Our only choice is to make sure we can catch her lying and make sure the prosecution knows she's lying under oath, which means then, the big fish will fry.

Doug E.

Larry Franklin to name names just reported on NBC, Douglas Feith is coming into the crosshairs.

Now things have REALLY gotten interesting!

Doug E

Doug E.

Thanks for your compilation of politicians receiving AIPAC funds. It is a good reference. I did a spot check once myself. It does raise eyebrows for a number of Democrats I otherwise have rather high regard for --- Durbin, Lautenberg, and Boxer especially. The House representative for my own district, Neil Abercrombie, is thankfully not on it, though. However, one Hawaii senator --- Inouye --- has been also a big recipient of AIPAC funds. I have lukewarm feelings about him. He is an old fart who will undoubtedly retire after he finishes his current term, so use of AIPAC as a political weapon against him is moot. Ed Case, the other Hawaii House member (and cousin to Steve Case of AOL Time Warner), is a "Lieberman" type Democrat --- affluent and elitist. I would like to see him replaced with a more progressive-minded Democrat, but I doubt that is likely to happen unless Case is tied to corruption of some kind, and I have no inkling that he is.

The List of things to do to jail the Bushit administration:

1. A new independent investigation of 9/11. The Bushit report provided by FEMA who is not an investigative organization, wasn't allowed at Ground Zero or the site where the Pentagon was hit until October is a pack of lies. Of course all the good forensic evidence has been moved or destroyed however this is the key to the Bushit stranglehold of fear that has been used on and against Americans. The President's pre-emptive first strike, the Patriot Act, The Homeland Security Act to name a few, not to leave out changing bankruptcy laws and the rights of an individual sueing a corporation. All against Americans. 9/11 was also the launch pad created for the lies used to attack Iraq.

2. Someone independent of the corporate bipartisan political system to come with the decision to eliminate electronic voting machines. This is in addition to transparent elections where each vote can be verified. Limit corporate contributions so big business can't buy the vote. Then they can take on the evidence of how the vote was stolen in the 4 swing states of NM, FL, OH, and NV. They can also look at the final results of the previous election in 2000. Candidate Al Gore actually won that election because he had more votes in the decisive swing state of Fl which stopped counting the vote. This evidence however was overshadowed by 9/11 .

3. What have they done to the earth? With over 400 environmental laws and standard reversed or weakened, do you religious folks out there need an act of God to prove how America has moved to destroying the American wildland and the world. We are putting enough shit in the air and water to fck our planet up permanently? You don't have get away on the next space shuttle to the moon. Start taking care of this place before it becomes a giant garbage dump. Get informed and take back your wilderness.

4. Finally, collect all these unAmerican crooked lying murderers and put them in a boxing ring in the middle of the Houston Astrodome. Then let Grizzly take them on. Oh my God! Cruel and unusual punishment of Bushit administration detainies before their days in court? Well that goes against the Geneva convention uh hem laws. Nevermind.. according to their rules since they all have ties to terrorist activities our American constitution doesn't count.

OT Alert!

Judith Miller to sing before Grand Jury!

Re my #159 Sorry Guys! Looking back, I see you've all well and truly scooped me on this!

Nothing worse than old news Eh?

Delay really stepped in the shit this time, if the evidence here is only the tip of the iceberg.

Oh my god.....How could he NOT know of the conspiracy is the question...

Doug E.

NUKE,

I don't quite understand your complaint about the St. Louis politics. Those people were caught.

The Republicans we talk about here on BradBlog haven't even been properly investigated yet, much less convicted. The Missouri 'scandal' is small potatoes compared to the Diebold and statewide Ohio scandal, which involve the result of the entire presidential election.

Incidentally, in 1992, after Bill Clinton had won the presidential election, I sent him a letter and book, suggesting he read the book for suggestions on how to cut the budget (see the great economy was all my doing ) and in the letter I suggested he find another post for the Republican US Attorney who'd worked in my (largely Dem) state, mostly prosecuting Democrats. It isn't all partisanship. I don't know if Clinton actually did put that fellow into another position, but I appreciate prosecutors who clean up the system, be they Dem or Repub prosecutors or criminals.

Got any other hot potato stories? Something big & juicy?

Maybe we can get another crook!

Money connected to Reid

Senator arranged for grant now involved in indictment of pastors

WASHINGTON --- The money that led to the indictment this week of two Las Vegas pastors and the wife of one of them came from federal grants arranged by Sen. Harry Reid in September 2001, a Reid spokeswoman said Wednesday.

http://www.reviewjournal...u-2005/news/3594772.html

If there is proof Harry Reid was involved in the corruption scam, throw him in jail then I could care less. Put someone who is NOT going to do that in his seat like a progressive Howard Dean type.

However Harry Reid has alot of integrity, and he has high ethics it seems to me. I find it ALOT harder to believe that someone like Reid is involved in a Federal Grant corruption scheme and knows about it, versus someone like say Joseph Lieberman or Tom Delay.

IF Reid really has his hands in the cookie jar then convict him, but I SOMEHOW doubt, based on past evidence that Reid is fully involved in the Las Vegas swindlers deal.

Doug E.

MarkH,

New Orleans is just the tip of the iceburg. This type of fraud goes on in most big cities.

Texaslady,

Hate to disappoint you but, Cheney does not hold stock in Halliburton. His payments are fixed and can be verified by looking at the tax records.

Halliburton continues to be a source of income for Cheney, who served as its chief executive officer from 1995 until 2000 when he joined the Republican ticket for the White House. According to tax filings released in April, Cheney's income included $194,852 in deferred pay from the company, which has also won billion-dollar government contracts in Iraq.

Cheney's office said the amount of deferred compensation is fixed and is not affected by Halliburton's current economic performance or earnings.
http://fullcoverage.yaho...50910/pl_nm/contracts_dc

If you have FACTS that prove me wrong, please show me.

As far as Rove "illegally voting", go for it. I'm sure everybody will get a laugh at your e-mails.

Looks to me like the BIG Harry Reid story is really about the 2 pastors who didn't use their Federal Grant money properly.

On the other hand --- Cheney and Halliburton are shameful and involve huge amounts of money and corruption.

Cheney's Halliburton Ties

Sept. 2003

[snip] Cheney was chief executive officer of Halliburton from 1995 through August 2000. The company's KBR subsidiary is the main government contractor working to restore Iraq's oil industry in an open-ended contract that was awarded without competitive bidding.

According to Cheney's 2001 financial disclosure report, the vice president's Halliburton benefits include three batches of stock options comprising 433,333 shares. He also has a 401(k) retirement account valued at between $1,001 and $15,000 dollars.

His deferred compensation account was valued at between $500,000 and $1 million, and generated income of $50,000 to $100,000.

In 2002, Cheney's total assets were valued at between $19.1 million and $86.4 million.

...Halliburton has contracts worth more than $1.7 billion for its work in Iraq, and it could make hundreds of millions more from a no-bid contract it was awarded by the Army Corps of Engineers, The Washington Post has reported.

According to The Post, while Cheney was defense secretary the Pentagon chose Halliburton subsidiary Brown & Root to study the cost effectiveness of outsourcing some military operations to private contractors. Based on the results of the study, the Pentagon hired Brown & Root to implement an outsourcing plan. Cheney became Halliburton CEO in 1995. [snip]

Claim vs Fact

A congressional report found that Cheney still owns “more than 433,000 Halliburton stock options,” including “100,000 shares at $54.50 per share, 33,333 shares at $28.125 and 300,000 shares at $39.50 per share.” – CNN, 9/25/03

Along with the 433,000 stock options, “Cheney still receives about $150,000 a year” from Halliburton. CNN, 10/25/03

Halliburton “has agreed to let Mr. Cheney, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, retire with a package worth an estimated $20 million, according to people who have reviewed the deal.” – NY Times, 8/12/00

A congressional report found that “the more than 433,000 stock options he possesses ‘is considered among the 'ties' retained in or 'linkages to former employers' that may 'represent a continuing financial interest' in those employers which makes them potential conflicts of interest.” CNN, 9/25/03

Halliburton's Reputation

CLAIM: “Halliburton is a fine company, and I'm pleased that I was associated with the company.”
– Dick Cheney, 8/7/02

FACT: Halliburton has acknowledged that it “accepted up to $6 million in kickbacks” in its contract work in Iraq . It is also under scrutiny over allegations of overcharging the government by $61 million in Iraq – a practice the company was previously fined $2 million for. The company also potentially faces criminal charges in a $180 million international bribery scandal during the time Cheney was CEO of the company. The Pentagon has also " repeatedly warned the company that the food it was serving the 110,000 U.S. troops in Iraq was 'dirty'” with an audit finding "blood all over the floor" of its kitchens, "dirty pans, dirty grills, dirty salad bars and rotting meats…and vegetables."
– B. Globe, 1/23/04; CBS, 12/12/03 & 4/12/03; W. Post, 1/21/04; AFP, 12/14/03

**MORE**

Halliburton accused of $1bn overchar

June 2005

[snip] A top US Army procurement official said today Halliburton's deals in Iraq were the worst example of contract abuse she had seen as Pentagon auditors flagged more than $US1 billion ($A1.3 billion) of potential overcharges by the Texas-based firm.

Bunny Greenhouse, the Army Corps of Engineers' top contracting official-turned whistle-blower, said in testimony at a hearing by Democrats on Capitol Hill that "every aspect" of Halliburton's oil contract in Iraq had been under the control of the Office of the Secretary of Defence.

"I can unequivocally state that the abuse related to contracts awarded to KBR (Kellogg Brown and Root) represents the most blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed during the course of my professional career," said Greenhouse, a procurement veteran of more than 20 years.

Her blistering criticism came as the Democrats released a new report including Pentagon audits that identified more than $US1.03 billion ($A1.34 billion) in "questioned" costs and $US422 million ($A550 million) in "unsupported" costs for Halliburton's work in Iraq. [snip]

Not only is Halliburton pigging out on the pork, but bu$h is continuing to steal from Americans.

Bu$h suspends the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931

Suspending act further injures Katrina victims
By Kent Wolzen, Bettendorf

After our country suffered one of the worst disasters in history, this administration continues to pile it on the victims and the people who are less fortunate.

After the slow motion response to the nightmare in New Orleans, on Sept. 9, Bush used his executive authority to suspend the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931. This is just one more step towards the total gutting of America. This act, signed into law 74 years ago, requires contractors who receive federal money to pay workers at least the prevailing wages in the area where the work is performed. By suspending this, Bush allows the contractors to pay as little as they can to workers desperate for a job. The workers will be people who lost everything but their lives and will be struggling to reclaim their future. The contractors will be Halliburton, Cheney’s company, and other major contributors to the Republican party.

Will this administration ever stop robbing from the less fortunate and giving it to the wealthy and special interest groups?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And another good article on the same subject:

Master of the Poison Pill

[snip] the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act, which mandates that employees on federally funded construction projects be paid the prevailing wage --- a figure that the Labor Department calculates for particular localities. Right now, the prevailing wage that Bush's Labor Department has designated for the Gulf region averages about $9 an hour. For more highly skilled carpenters in New Orleans, the prevailing hourly wage rises to $13.75 --- which means that if a New Orleans carpenter is lucky enough to work 40 hours a week for 50 weeks a year, he or she will have a princely pretax annual income of $27,500.

The thought that such mom-and-pop concerns as Halliburton and Bechtel would have to pay out that much money as they rebuild New Orleans's infrastructure was plainly anathema to our president, so he's freed them of that onerous requirement. Indeed, he's announced the creation of a vast Gulf Opportunity Zone, in which all the laissez-faire Republican brainstorms of the past quarter century that were supposed to end the cycles of poverty and dependency, and have accomplished nothing of the kind, have been repackaged yet again. Small businesses will be freed from tax burdens and regulations and maybe even wage requirements, and an entrepreneurial culture will burst forth.

Problem is, New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta have been designated enterprise zones for a decade now, and they're still just about the poorest places in the United States. Right-wingers have railed for 40 years now at the failures, real and imagined, of Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty, but Johnson's policies, and those of Franklin Roosevelt before him, have been far more successful at reducing poverty than those that presidents Reagan, Bush and Bush promoted during their terms in office. Indeed, poverty has risen steadily during the current Bush's presidency, and median household income has declined for each of the past five years, though for the past three years the economy has been in recovery. Wage increases have become a historical curio, the federal minimum wage has not been raised for the past eight years, and now Bush has decreed that the men and women working on the levees --- not the executives or shareholders at Halliburton, mind you, just the folks doing the work --- will have to make do with less. [snip]

**MORE**

Nuke your argument just got obliterated. Kira kicked your ass on this one.

As for Harry Reid, if "dirty harry" knew and was part of that scam why don't you go ask them yourself? He's got his own blog now. Based on the evidence it doesn't sound like he was even part of it, he didn't found the group and he sure didn't play ball with it.

Doug E

@NuclearChemist..

It's not the $5,800 in uncovered bribes that's the issue. (and that's likely just to be the tip of the iceberg.. but i'll save speculation for another post!!)

It's what these companies have gained as a result of these undisclosed (and consequentially illegal) favours.

Typically, when you look at these bribes/contributions... the company's involved have very often had some amazing luck with policy changing in ways to benefit them.

As it's all from undisclosed and illegal "contributions", the change in policy, etc. that benefits them is unethical and in many cases... a lot more costly to the tax payer than the amount of the "contributions" given to the politico-asshole in the first place.

You think it will make a difference if the Dems get in again? Think again. Brown and Root, now KBR and part of Cheney's Halliburton, was one of the main contributors to Lyndon Johnson's entire political career. They were well rewarded by billions (in 1960 dollars!) in contracts to build the airbases and naval port in Vietnam. The whole rotten lot of war-profiteering sobs need to go, regardless whether they worship a donkey or an elephant. America is dripping with the blood of millions of innocents, and it will be long living the consequences.

Thanks Kira, Doug, Bluebear2, all of you for providing Halliburton/Cheney facts for Nuke - my power went out again....

Nana, Thank you for asking, we are fine except for losing some trees, have a neighbor family with us, they are still without power at their home.

Got to say this last week was surreal, people from Houston, Port Arthur & Beaumont, Katrina people, all looking for shelter, gas, and food and nothing available. But everyone is helping one another and that is the one good thing this disaster has brought.
Truly, people are opening homes and hearts.

Our lake dam has sustained some damage from high waves so I am suggesting we bring in the New Orleans engineers to re-construct . JUST KIDDING, EVERYONE .

Hey Nuke - you are providing much needed mental relief with your comments.

I agree River. And sadly, only the innocents will be living the consequences, this is how the system works. These greedy mass murders, with their insatiable desire for wealth and power are not human beings, much less Republican or Democrats. It's not politics, it's genocide for $$, but their 'terror' does not control all of us, and each day more and more can see this. There will be no statues, poems or cute songs to make us honor these maniacs when they are gone!

'In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...'

Texaslady!

LOL, good for you.

This is a great site for any and all interested,
NoDraftNoWay.org
Lots of good stuff, and hear from Vets about the 'reality behind the sales pitch', can download fliers and other resources, sign the 'I Refuse' petition, and a Draft Threat Advisory (Elevated last i checked) and Selective Service info.

It sure seems like DeLay really dammed up the Republican flood.

This article at TIME Magazine shows that, without him, the Repubs are turning into squabbling factions. Apparently, Speaker Hastert doesn't really have as much clout as I originally thought.

SNIP - SNIP - SNIP

"the GOP now faces a national scandal and forced resignation of its House Majority leader, a tough blow for a party feeling deeply insecure about its mid-term election prospects next year. Some House insiders were already urging the National Republican Congressional Committee to approach the mid-term election as if they had between 80-100 seats in play, a sign of just how worried some members are about a pro-Democrat backlash across the country. In that atmosphere, DeLay's indictment foretells a period of internal wrangling among the party leadership in the House that is likely to keep the GOP back on its heels well into the winter. "

Could this be the start of a Democrat Revolution (like 1994 in reverse)???

IRONICALLY, There are early signs that my neocon Republican Congressman (Dave Reichert) MAY BE STARTING TO SIDE WITH THE MODERATES! He voted against opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil interests. He also riled up the wrath of Rep. Delay last March when he voted against the Terri Schiavo bill.

Brad's earlier picture of pigs flying really applies here too!

Kira,

I actually think that suspending the Davis-Bacon act was a good thing.

First of all, you are going to get more reconstruction done for the money spent. That is the whole idea for the money isn't it?

Secondly, if I have to pay $13.75/hr for a skilled laborer, I better get a skilled labor. Oh what Mr. unemployed no experiance, sorry, I can't hire you. I'll just call some of my skilled buddies from up North.

On the other hand, I might hire a person with no experiance for $9/hr and take the time to teach him this new trade.

Now, this guy has a job and a skill.

Nana,

"There will be no statues, poems or cute songs to make us honor these maniacs when they are gone!"

Couldn't resist getting your bloodpressure up hun

Bush statue planned for Hamilton High

http://www.enquirer.com/.../01/loc_sculpture01.html

I agree with Nukie... waiving Davis Bacon is wonderful and will only add to the prospects for Deocrats retaking control of both houses of Congress next year, because the public is LIVID about that horrible decision.

I would advise Democrats and progressives to keep quiet about it... because the rule is...

NEVER GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR OPPONENT WHEN HE IS KILLING HIMSELF POLITICALLY.

M3,

"It's not the $5,800 in uncovered bribes that's the issue. (and that's likely just to be the tip of the iceberg.. but i'll save speculation for another post!!) It's what these companies have gained as a result of these undisclosed (and consequentially illegal) favours."

Hey, I totally agree with you. I REFUSE to donate to my company's PAC because I believe that it is just a form of bribery.

I just happen to like my crook's policies better than I like liberal crook's policies.

Mrbluesky,

"because the public is LIVID about that horrible decision."

Wow, I must have missed that, I can't find all this outrage in the Lamestream media. I would expect to see at least as many headlines as the suppossed flushing a Koran down a toilet.

LOL, tis not MY bloodpressure you should be concerned with, i took my very, very expensive capsule this morn

Highschool? Children should be taught better, and what goes up, can go down as well.

Nukes:

I don't have any official statistics. However, your comment was the first one I had seen (and I've gotten an earful from my local media, family, friends, coworkers) that was supportive of such a decision.

However, I am certain that someone will likely get the official stats before long.

"Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away." ELVIS

Guess I don't understand why anyone would look down on trade people. We all need skilled electricians, plumbers, ironworkers, carpenters.
But so many resent paying for the skill.

It takes 2-4 years of night schooling after working all day on the job to become a Journeyman Electrician, it involves much more than how to connect wires. The math alone cuts out many students.

So, how many of you want to be working on hot wires behind a newly trained $9.00/hr worker?
And please do not tell me cheap workers will be ONLY assigned to digging ditches, mixing cement.

This work will be done as cheaply as possible to make certain stockholders are well rewarded.
Living in the South, I have seen the work done by newly trained (if trained at all) workers.

Good afternoon, TexasLady!

I'd like to get your thoughts on my Comment #177 regarding Tom Delay, please.

In my town $9 hr. jobs will not support a family, put food on the table, pay for day care. $1500 mo in the U.S. is not acceptable income IMHO. $1500 doesn't cover housepayments on very cheap houses in my part of U.S. Companies that employ workers at $9 an hour have constant turnovers, no one advances, no skills are learned. In the 70's $1500 mo was considered good money, houses cost $16,000 and wives did not work. Today in my area houses start at $300,000. Has the wage kept pace, I think not. (Sorry for being OT, just my 2 cents based on my experience in the mortgage business for 25 years and seeing how our kids are being hooked into buying this obscenely overpriced real estate by using 'creative financing', that one just pushes my button)

So - is nuke saying there is no skilled labor to be found in the New Orleans area? Huh?

It's obvious Halliburton is corrupt and overcharges US taxpayers outrageously (see my posts #166 and 169) --- such as charging U.S. taxpayers $100 per 15-pound bag of laundry and $45 per one-pack of soda. BUT Halliburton doesn't want to pay the going wage for skilled labor? If nukie was one of the affected he would be yelling the loudest.

Here we have bu$h's new and improved FEMA paying more than $4.00 each for thousands of bags of ice ordered for Katrina victims & shipped on a cruise around the country. "It will cost close to $1 billion in trucking for $2 million worth of ice," said James Perdue, owner of J.L. Perdue trucking company of Kearney, Nebraska. And the more than $1,200 per evacuee per week living aboard the Carnival Cruise Line ships. Has anyone compiled a full list of these outrages to date?

With small-minded bigots at the helm, this corrupt ship of fools is the ruination of our country. We may never recover.

#189 Well said Kira. I have seen Halliburton mentioned in so many countries I have come across while doing my 'search for knowledge' I am beginning to think the planet is owned by Halliburton and pretty much have concluded the U.S. is ''Made in China ". (Does anyone remember the old slogan, America, Made in Japan, my we have traveled along way).

AND there's so much more on Halliburton:

Congress members demand Halliburton suspension (pdf file)

26 Sept. 2005

An Epidemic of Waste in Iraq:

- The inspector general for the U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) found Halliburton charged the government $2.85 million for hotel costs in Kuwait even though cheaper housing arrangements were available.

- A former logistician with Halliburton in Kuwait reported that the company and its subcontractor had been charging U.S. taxpayers $100 per 15-pound bag of laundry and $45 per one-pack of soda.

- The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) found Halliburton had overcharged on the fuel supply contract by $212.3 million.

- The DCAA has also reported that Halliburton billed the government for 36 percent more meals than was actually served to the troops in Iraq while an internal Halliburton report said it had overcharged by 19 percent.1 DoD is currently withholding $213 million in suspicious food expenses until Halliburton provides a sufficient explanation for them.

These are just a few of the many examples of waste, fraud and other abuses uncovered by whistleblowers and investigators, examples which follow a pattern that extends back even further. For example, the U.S. Justice Department is still investigating Halliburton for possible over billing on government services work done in the Balkans from 1996 through 2000. The charges stem from a GAO report that found in 1997 that Halliburton billed the Army for questionable expenses for work in the Balkans, including charges of $85.98 per sheet of plywood that cost $14.06. A follow-up report by the GAO in 2000 found inflated costs, including charges for cleaning offices up to four times a day.

Major savings can accrue to the government by finding more honest and responsible contractors than Halliburton. For example, the Department of Defense terminated Halliburton from an Iraqi gasoline importation contract and assigned it to an internal office known as the Defense Energy Support Center. The result was a 50 percent reduction in gasoline prices charged to U.S. taxpayers.

Doug, you need to get a shot because you a rabid.
It must be difficult to be so unhappy all of the time.

You guys are mad at the the Dems because they are not quite as leftist as you guys are. You guys are "ruining the party of the common man." Thanks and keep it up!

Paul, you are still way behind. Get a brain. Please.

Here's one for you - go to Google search and type in: miserable failure - then see what is tops on the list.

Ok paul and nuke - Micheal Moore is 2nd.

#167 Kira, I realized what Bushco was doing as soon as I read about suspension of the Davis-Bacon Act. Absolutely....cheap labor. Another subject onto itself.

One thing bothering me is that I have been reading on other blogs that Delay was prepared for this. Some people got telephone calls (recorded) last night, that Delay was innocent..yada, yada, yada.
I was able to pull up a copy of the indictment and notice it was dated Sept. 13, 2005. The document was filed Sept. 28. I believe that those in the KNOW, knew and maybe Earle decided timing was everything. Consider...Sheehan in Crawford, Katrina, Rita, Sept. 24 anti-war rally and throw in the Roberts nomination, this had to be slid in to grab everyone's (publics) attention. I also heard the GJ was at the deadline so it worked perfectly after all.

I spent a great deal of time today looking at the Preston, Gates, Ellis law firm site. I read the press releases going back a few years. Very interesting to see who works there and where they came from.
"The firms policy team includes more than three dozen lobbyists with more than 300 years of combined experience working in government" a quote from their press releases.

I think it's going to take years to unravel all the connections of these people..my head is going to explode. M4

This appears to be Delay's incredible "defense" he's in deeper shit than anyone thought.......boggles the mind.

http://thinkprogress.org...elays-case-against-delay

This guy basically self-indicted himself on national Fox News and claims he's going to kick Earle's ass.

Is this some kind of JOKE? Does this moron actually think he is going to go ballistic, and kick Earle's ass or kick the COURT OF LAW in the ass?!??

Remember, this is the man who threatened the life of judges. He's way way out of it. Psst. He thinks he speaks to god.

Earle's a no-nonsense prosecutor and I have a feeling he would deck Delay flat, and "6 or 7 of us" could be there to pin him to the wall and slap on the handcuffs. But at this rate, it doesn't even seem to come to that....

Coincidence?

Doug

Paul must have a problem with diversety, he doesn't recognize variety and different approaches. I think he must have a learning disability.

Bluebear2

Not thinking, i did Yahoo, and got different results!

Nana

I checked Yahoo -

Mike moved to 3rd, Carter 2nd, Bush still on top

LOL, bush is still #1!

Hey Paul, I'm an INDEPENDENT. It's my job to beat up on the dems or whoever especially if I would VOTE for them.

We have too many corrupt democrats taking private trips with Abramoff and AIPAC, its got to stop, and so I'm passing the word. There's also WAY too many corrupt republicans, probably 90% of them getting money from this place. And it has to stop so time to spread the word.

Doug E.

MrBlueSky - Hello ! Have to be quick before the next rolling blackout. Did I say Kira did fantastic work on Cheney's Hallibuarton connection that Nuke insisted wasn't there. Didn't hear Nuke's response he asked for facts.

A staunch Republican paper the New Hampshire Union Leader 9/19/05 said Delay needs to leave because of his skirting the law and violation of ethics, Delay taints the whole party.

If Delay had gone in as invited probably could have avoided this whole issue...but he would have been under oath.. He had been invited but declined because he was "afraid of being brow beaten" his words. Well if anyone knows brow beaten that would be Delay.

He is so disliked for his nasty, mean, lying ways I think the honest Republicans will start pulling together and maybe just maybe clean house.
Hopefully people will separate the good from the bad and not just vote straight ticket to rid all the Republicans.

Sure wish all our bloggers would realize WE JUST WANT AN HONEST REPRESENTATION...DON'T CARE WHAT THEIR LABEL IS. Just had to shout, doesn't seem to get through otherwise.

Speaking of people needing indictment..next on the list D.Rumsfeldt..

Sen Christopher Dodd,D-Conn said "RUMSFELDT IS VIOLATING THE LAW." because the Pentagon (Defense Secretary) still does not reimburse troops for purchasing body armor and equipment a year after Congress demanded action.

The Pentagon called this "an unmanageable precedent that will saddle the DOD with an open ended financial burden".

Folks we are talking about $1,100 per item !
Versus spending for a lost eye, arm or life.

Dodd wants this issue to be handled by Field Commanders instead of Rumsfeldt, who has opposed it from the beginning.

Bet we all know friends and parents having bake sales to buy body armor and protective gear, medical supplies and gps systems.

Lets sign another one up for indictment !

AP..Lolita C. Baldor www.michaelmoore.com 9/30

Kira,

"So - is nuke saying there is no skilled labor to be found in the New Orleans area? Huh?"

Well, Kira, think about it for a second. A city the size of New orleans can support what, 20 roofing companies (just pulling out a wild number). Say these roofing companies do 4 roofs a month. So, say all the companies do 1,000 roofs a year. Say that 5,000 roofs were damaged during the hurricane (probably a really, really low number). Using the available skilled labor, it would take 5 years to fix all the roofs.

That goes for all the plumbers, electricians, painters, carpenters for all these houses to be rebuilt or repaired.

Try using some common sense for a change.

Texaslady,

Stock options are not the same as owning the stock but I agree that he should give them up or, better yet, give them to charity and let them make the profit. Stock options are typically given to CEO's as part of their golden parachute. I think they may also have an expiration date. Needless to say, he would never (hopefully) be dumb enough to cash them in while still in office.

Ho-hum, nukie. What is your obfuscation this time? Do you have a point?

Say these roofing companies do 4 roofs a month.

fire them ,and hire someone who knows what their doing.or a company with more than one roofer on the staff

Hey Nucleated,
The Bushit administration has a bioch and it sounds a lot like you. But you're so right. Bush and his administration are doing a fantastic job. These people are just sore losers because a Democrat didn't win. I would encourage you to keep coming back to this blog to convince us all how great our political leader in power are doing with your intelligent insight. You are a personal reminder that there are dumbasses out there that would rather argue semantics and defend lying murderers than take a hard look at the truths presented here. But you're so good at proving people wrong. Hope the Bushit administration is paying you like a fake-is White House corrospondent so at least you can say you're getting paid for the abuse. Dumbass.

nukie #201

Hellooooo ... anybody in there?

The Davis-Bacon Act was put in place to protect wage earners from being used by companies .. from being gouged.

What the hell does that have to do with your new math calculations? It doesn't matter how many or how long - what matters is that workers receive fair wages.

Are you an idiot? Only an idiot would get behind an already proven corrupt company that gouges not only its own employees, but American taxpayers and those people it services (like our military personnel who have been served rotten and contaminated food and water.) How shameful. This corporation doesn't deserve the money it has already stolen from honest, hardworking people and it sure doesn't deserve a single dime more.

Shame, shame, shame.

Just paid 60 bucks for a fill-up at the gas station. Thanks bu$hco.

Kira,

You can thank environmentalists and "not in our back yard" people who have made it soooo expensive to build new refineries. We haven't built a new refinery in 30 years. The same for nuclear power plants. And besides, lot of the gas prices has to do with worldwide supply and demand. If the world was awash in oil, it wouldn't take $60 to fill up your gas guzzling SUV (I take it?). I suppose it's Bush's fault that there's not more oil under the US???

Grizzly Beer Dancer,

Oh, and what, you think Clintoon did a much better job??? His head of FEMA was the Arkansas state trooper that was in charge of the troopergate coverup. It took him 30 days to get to Hurricane Floyd victims. Keep on drinking that Kool-aide shit for brains.

KIRA don't waste the key strokes...$1.54 a litre here

Nuke -
Have to say Cheney has never pretended to be anything other than what he is...someone looking out for No. 1 - He is what he is and to hell with anyone else.

And stock options - many, many ways to get around public knowledge of what is churned and turned. Talk to a tax attorney.

Nuke, nuke nuke - where do you work? I can name many people making over $60,000 a year getting stock options every six months. Not CEO's, just hard working people. Its theirs free and clear. So "not like owning?" You need to broaden your contacts.

And skilled anybody for $13.00 an hour ? Where are you getting these people? Even in Texas where labor is cheaper than in the North $13.00 wouldn't buy you much skill.

Skilled trades people also get a per diem which means extra money for daily living along with hourly wage. It should be interesting to see who is desperate enough to A) go live in a New Orleans for a long time B) work for minimum wage.

Nukie is against environmentalists. He is hoping there will be nothing left for our grandchildren. He is worse than a poisonous toad.

Anybody who has been watching since the early '70s knows there have been many inventions that would have weaned us off our need for petroleum products that have disappeared quickly --- the inventors were bought off by the petroleum corporations or in some cases ... worse. The corporations didn't want to lose the ability to market their product.

I don't agree 100% with everything in this article, OPEC is our enemy , but there is a good deal of interesting info within:

[snip] In 1970, OPEC reserves were estimated at 412 billion barrels. In the 33 years that followed, OPEC produced 307 billion barrels and, at the end of that period, reserves had grown to 819 billion barrels. It seems that the more oil pumped, the more reserves.

• The Saudis have identified 80 important reservoirs of oil but are tapping less than 15 of those basins.

• With production at about 30 million barrels per day, OPEC claims to be at the limit of its capacity. But production reached 31 million barrels per day in 1979. Apparently we are supposed to believe that in more than 25 years, it added no additional capacity. If true, we can only conclude that it was intentional, in order to foster the illusion of shortage and strained capacity.

By colluding to restrict production and manipulate price, OPEC blatantly violates the spirit of free trade as well World Trade Organization rules. And it is enormously successful. At $65 per barrel, we are being hoodwinked into paying the equivalent of $25 for an ice cream cone.

It costs the major Middle East producers less than $1.50 to pump one barrel of oil. At $65 per barrel, if the same economic relationships applied, Detroit would be selling the Ford Taurus at $300,000 or more. We would not stand for a $25 ice cream cone or a $300,000 Taurus. And we should not stand for oil at $65 a barrel. [snip]

Then of course - here is where nukie's allegience lies:

House Republicans Scorn Environment in Favor of Oil and Gas

When this country started discussing energy independence 30 years ago, we imported 35 percent of our oil. Today we import 56 percent, and if we accept what the Republicans are offering we will import 68 percent of our oil in 2025. At that point some investigative commission will no doubt decry this Congress for weakening America by failing to do the simple things that everyone knew at the time would have made our nation and our children more secure.

#207

Pulling the Clinton card again? Pitiful.

Regarding Witt & Fema --- nukie --- you can't have it both ways. I guess you missed your President’s talking points:

1993-2000: James Lee Witt, Director of the Arkansas Office of Emergency Services.

Triumphs and Tragedies of the Modern Presidency: 76 Case Studies in Presidential Leadership, ed. David Abshire: "As amazing as it sounds, Witt was the first FEMA head who came to the position with direct experience in emergency management....On Witt's recommendation, Clinton filled most of the FEMA jobs reserved for political appointees with persons who had previous experience in natural disasters and intergovernmental relations."

Senator James Inhofe (R-OK): "I haven't spent a lot of time complimenting the President on his appointments, but I sure did on this one."

George W. Bush: "I have to pay the administration a compliment. James Lee Witt of FEMA has done a really good job of working with governors during times of crisis."

````````````

I do thank the environmentalists - why don't you? You don't care about taking care of the environment, nukie?

#201

Why do you want to defend the roofing contracts of your inept leaders' new and improved FEMA?

Fixing roofs on Gulf Coast proves costly for taxpayers

[snip] The government is paying contractors an average of $2,480 for less than two hours of work to cover each damaged roof — even though it's also giving them endless supplies of blue sheeting for free.

"This is absolute highway robbery and it really does show that the agency doesn't have a clue in getting real value of contracts," said Keith Ashdown, vice president for Taxpayers for Common Sense.

As many as 300,000 homes in Louisiana may need roof repairs, and as the government attempts to cover every salvageable roof by the end of October, the bill could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

The amount the government is paying to tack down blue tarps, which are designed to last three months, raises major questions about how little taxpayers may be getting for their money as contractors line up at the government trough for billions of dollars in repair and reconstruction contracts.

Steve Manser, president of Simon Roofing and Sheet Metal of Youngstown, Ohio, which was awarded an initial $10 million contract to begin "Operation Blue Roof" in New Orleans, acknowledged that the price his company is charging to install blue tarps could pay for shingling an entire roof. [snip]

All you want to do is try to make the previous administration look bad (without any luck in my opinion) but you aren't getting busy to help your folks do better. Get off your butt & do something if you have any decency, nukie. If not, then just be a parasitic worm. That's what you are here.

Vertically Speaking

Shitbag Tom Delay whining like a spoiled little

republican that can't have his way has blamed

everyone for his criminal activity. Does he get

to keep his TOUPEE IN JAIL ???

Doug E.:

Have you seen this recent post on the Wayne Madsen Report about your "friend" Michael Chertoff? I think it supports your highly critical take on Cherrtoff.

O’Neill’s FBI colleague, Mike Dick, aggressively investigated this Israeli ring before and after 911. But like O’Neill, he soon found himself removed from his duties on the orders of the then-head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Michael Chertoff. Dick was very suspicious when Israeli movers quickly moved Zim American Israeli Shipping Company out of its 10,000 square feet of office space on the 17th Floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The partially Israeli state-owned firm forfeited a $50,000 security deposit when it terminated its lease and vacated the building one week prior to 911. According to a non official cover (NOC) CIA source who worked with Dick, Israeli movers moved explosives into the 17th Floor office space after Zim moved out.  

After 911, Dick as well as the CIA NOC were harassed by their superiors on orders “from above.” Those orders came from Chertoff. Dick was first relieved of his primary counter-espionage duties, eventually sent to Pakistan to investigate the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, and eventually buried in a desk job at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. According to the CIA source, Pearl was murdered because he was getting too close to the money trail that financed 911. The CIA source said, “the same group that beheaded Pearl in Pakistan did the beheadings in Iraq.” The source added that the beheadings were “not Al Qaeda.” 

The above is an excerpt from the "Claering the Bafles for 911" web page on http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/. It is fairly lengthy, but well researched piece. I recommend it to everyone.

For ppl who don't follow links...
"O’Neill’s FBI colleague, Mike Dick, aggressively investigated this Israeli ring before and after 911. But like O’Neill, he soon found himself removed from his duties on the orders of the then-head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Michael Chertoff. Dick was very suspicious when Israeli movers quickly moved Zim American Israeli Shipping Company out of its 10,000 square feet of office space on the 17th Floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The partially Israeli state-owned firm forfeited a $50,000 security deposit when it terminated its lease and vacated the building one week prior to 911. According to a non official cover (NOC) CIA source who worked with Dick, Israeli movers moved explosives into the 17th Floor office space after Zim moved out.

After 911, Dick as well as the CIA NOC were harassed by their superiors on orders “from above.” Those orders came from Chertoff. Dick was first relieved of his primary counter-espionage duties, eventually sent to Pakistan to investigate the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, and eventually buried in a desk job at FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. According to the CIA source, Pearl was murdered because he was getting too close to the money trail that financed 911. The CIA source said, “the same group that beheaded Pearl in Pakistan did the beheadings in Iraq.” The source added that the beheadings were “not Al Qaeda.” "

Time to move this thread back to the top!

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has been indicted on a second count of money laundering by a Texas Grand Jury. More to come.

AP: "A Texas grand jury indicted Rep. Tom DeLay on a new charge of money laundering Monday, less than a week after another grand jury leveled a conspiracy charge that forced DeLay to temporarily step down as House majority leader.

This is a different grand jury! Ooops!

More

Hey Nuclear Waste:
I never said rally around Clinton. He's also a corrupt bastard hanging out with BUSHIT SR., however, ASSHOLE he was not as bad a president as George Dubbya. He left office with a surplus instead of a debt. Passed the Roadless Rule Law protecting 58 million acres of wildlands, and made it possible for American's to afford student loans. He never had to steal an election to win. He never took this country to war based on lies and didn't change the rules of forestry to rape our wildlands. The Bushits are responsible for 9/11 and all the great legislation passed against Americans after the botched event. You go on defending these lying murderers shit for brains. The point is this is one of the few blogs trying to get to the bottom of important issues in current US politics without the help of the mass media. Instead of being the watchdog of these important stories that effect all Americans and the world, the mass media is the corporate agenda Bushit propaganda bullhorn. You can continue supporting these corrupt mutherfckers and i promise to continue reminding you what you are dumbass.

Go get 'em, Grizzly Bear Dancer. You are so right on.

:O :hehe:

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