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CORRUPTION UPDATES 23

November 21st, to December 3rd, 2006

The CORRUPTION UPDATES reviews corruption in the news. News Stories from California, the Nation and the World are abstracted below, and followed by commentary and references.

 

CORRUPTION UPDATES 23

Previous Corruption Updates: Page 22

Next Corruption Updates: Page 24

1) THE ABSTRACT PRINTED BELOW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE NY TIMES, 11-13-06:

Editorial

Hiding From Oversight

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/13/opinion/13mon2.html

There have been many examples of the shambles that the Republican-controlled Congress made of its responsibility for oversight of the Bush administration. But none was so peremptory as the mass firing of 60 House appropriations investigators last month — virtually the entire hired staff responsible for tracking spending abuses in such money pits as the Iraq war, intelligence operations and the $62 billion Hurricane Katrina relief effort.”

The dismissed investigators — former F.B.I. and C.I.A. agents and other professionals — did not have their contracts renewed because their work has “not been that good,” in the words of a Republican spokesman who offered no compelling evidence. An attempt was made to sell the purge as a bipartisan decision, but it turned out to be the unilateral order of the committee’s Republican chairman, Jerry Lewis of California.”

THE COMMITTEE SAYS:

EDITORIAL: TIMES ACCUSES BUSH OF HIDING FROM OVERSIGHT

(The Times is Hiding from Journalism)

TIMES PROMOTED WAR, NOW CRIES ABOUT COSTS. TIMES OFFERS INSUFFICIENT OVERSIGHT OF POLITICS, UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE

The New York Times is crying crocodile tears. The failure of oversight by Congress that lead up to this war was preceded by “reporting,” in the Times that can only be described as pro-war propaganda. Now the Times is complaining about where THEIR failure has led us.

The responsibility for this war, and its costs, rests on the press as much as it rests on Congress. Each are nearly equally corrupt, and are equally complicit.

The Times failed in oversight, and created the space for the political crimes that preceded this ill conceived and ill executed war, long before they reported on the Congressional failure of oversight. The Times was a willing participant, if not a leader, in the march to war.

The Times cites the suppression of oversight on Pentagon intelligence, when they reported this UNBELIEVIABLY crappy “intelligence” verbatim, no questions asked. What gall.

Without a free press, the corrupt will rule. And despite what this editorial says, we did not need an election to remind us of the importance of our Constitutional duties and rights.

 

They have been missing in action long before this election.

 

The failure of our government and press has shown us their importance through their absence. And we have paid dearly for their absence.

The Times should have been on the job long ago, and cannot be trusted to provide honest reporting today, when we desperately need a clear view of the situation. Our whole media is missing in action.

Oh yes, and the Times seems to have misplaced the fact that political corruption was the biggest issue in the election.

Be Alarmed for your Rights, your Security, and your Country: See the Links to Articles about

Criminal Governmental Authority


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2) THE ARTICLE ABSTRACTED BELOW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE LA TIMES, 11-21-06:

Ex-official in jobs scheme sentenced

From Times Wire Reports

November 21, 2006

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-briefs21.2nov21,1,2375506.story?coll=la-headlines-politics

A former high-ranking aide to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for covering up illegal patronage hiring at City Hall.”

“ "The offense is corruption — corruption with a capital C," U.S. District Judge David H. Coar told 43-year-old Robert A. Sorich. "For people to owe their jobs to political advancement rather than performance on the job stinks." ”

“The judge added: "I don't give a hoot whether this has been going on for 200 years — it still stinks."

“The mayor has not been accused of wrongdoing in the case.”

THE COMMITTEE SAYS:

DALEY CRONEY SENTENCED FOR CORRUPTION

JUDGE REJECTS “IT'S ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS” DEFENSE

Loyal readers have become accustomed to our disdain for the “it's always been like this” defense that the press, politicians, and special interests use to justify their corruption.

Cudos to Judge Sorich for smashing this motto of corruption with a significant prison sentence for betraying the public trust. One down, Tens of Thousands of corrupt public officials to go.

As gratifying as this report is, it is a small victory until the system of corruption that fuels these local political mafias is smashed.

The problem of “Tammany Halls” cannot be resolved until we untangle the web of corrupt contributions, payoffs, and greed that have ensnared our politicians and parties.

Like the lengendary Gordian Knot, the web corruption can only be untangled by a strong stroke of the sword of democracy.

With one mighty blow we can break the link between bribery and politician, by smashing the power of the special interest to contribute to our politicians.

Read our Initiative

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3) THE ARTICLE ABSTRACTED BELOW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE LA TIMES, 11-24-06:

Elective office improves a resume

Former members of the Legislature often find work in Sacramento as lobbyists.

By Dan Morain and Evan Halper, Times Staff Writers
November 24, 2006

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-jobs24nov24,1,3869174,full.story?coll=la-headlines-politics

SACRAMENTOAs his tenure neared its end, state Sen. Joe Dunn sided with the California Medical Assn., one of the state's most prestigious lobbying organizations, casting an emotionally charged vote this summer that derailed a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide.”

“Three months later, the medical association announced that Dunn would be its new executive director. Dunn is not alone. The lobbyist and consultant corps is swelling with former lawmakers as term limits remove them from office.”

“ "My concern is these lawmakers are thinking about where they are going to go next, and they don't want to do anything while in office that would offend any potential employer," said Robert Fellmeth of the Center for Public Interest Law at the University of San Diego School of Law.”

“By law, legislators cannot lobby the Legislature for one year after they leave office, although they can lobby the executive branch. The law bars top administration officials from lobbying the administration for a year, though they can lobby legislators.”

“Another is Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Whittier), an attorney who is joining the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, in Los Angeles, pending expected approval by its partners. The firm has a lobbying arm at the Capitol, representing insurance, pharmaceutical, energy and telecommunications concerns. Escutia is not expected to lobby.”

“Dunn, Murray and Escutia were among the most sought-after of this exiting class, according to a Manatt lawyer who is involved in the recruiting process. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter. Lawmakers are sought-after hires because they understand the arcane workings of the legislative process, the lawyer said.”

“Others view it slightly differently.”

“ "Those of us who see how things work in Sacramento
realize the field isn't level at all, and it never will be," said San Jose State University political scientist Larry N. Gerston. "Their value as former legislators is they know how to best manipulate the process for favorable results." ”

“Escutia "is not being hired to be a lobbyist," the Manatt lawyer said. "Obviously, she may consult on state government matters as appropriate, but we didn't hire her to be a lobbyist." ”

“Escutia was chairwoman of the Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, which has jurisdiction of energy-related matters and telecommunications.”

“Manatt's billings of $4.2 million since January 2005 place it 13th among all Sacramento
lobby firms. Its clients include telecommunications giant AT&T, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and BHP Billiton, which has been Manatt's largest lobbying client at $2.4 million since January 2005. Billiton is an Australian company competing to build a liquefied natural gas facility off the coast of Oxnard. Environmentalists have fought the plan.”

“Escutia has not always voted on Manatt's side. She sponsored legislation, for example, that Billiton
opposed. In other instances, she sided with interests represented by Manatt, backing, for instance, a bill championed by AT&T allowing the company to enter the cable television business.”

THE COMMITTEE SAYS:

POLITICIANS TRADE BRIBES FOR PAYCHECKS

LAWMAKERS MOVE FROM SECRET EMPLOYEES OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO SALARIED EMPLOYEES AFTER LEAVING OFFICE

Another crop of politicians has finished serving the special interests during their time in government, and now, turned out by term limits, are going to serve them again, as official employees. Now our politicians are openly acknowledging their status as employees. The pretense has ended, and their true masters are signing their paychecks, rather than their bribes.

To stop this farce, we may want to prevent the special interests from buying our politicians when they are still in office, or when they run for office, by ending special interest contributions to politicians.

We may then be able to rely on honest representation for a short while, before their greed and self-interest overwhelms their civic duty, and they go corrupt.

And by the time they sell out, term-limits will kick in, and we can kick them out.

See, There are other solutions to our corruption problem besides giving up.

Politics Provides Lucurative Jobs for Self, "Friends," and Family:

Corruption Updates 7 , 2nd article on page, “Núñez's wife has air-district pact"

Corruption Updates 11, 8 th article on page, Payment to Lewis Aide Is Cleared"

Corruption Updates 18, 4th article on page, “ Doolittle Sought, and Got, Abramoff Job for Wife

Corruption Updates 13, 2nd article on page, “Abramoff and Rove Share an Employee"

Corruption Updates 23, 3rd article on page, Elective office improves a resume"

Corruption Updates 28, 8th article on page, “Perata's Political Payback

Corruption Updates 28, 9 th article on page, “Corrections Official Punished by Kicking Him Upstairs"

Corruption Updates 29, 9 th article on page, “FEMA Incompentent Kicked over to NASA"

Corruption Updates 29, 7th article on page, “Ex-Sen Burns Trades Bribes for Paycheck

Corruption Updates 30, 3rd article on page, HONESTY FORCES DOOLITTLES TO POVERTY"

Corruption Updates 40, 1st article on page, ARNIE PUTS INCOMPENTENT FRIENDS ON STATE CHIROPRACTIC BOARD"


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4) THE ARTICLE ABSTRACTED BELOW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE WASHINGTON POST, 11-29-06:


Parts of Bush terror aid ban ruled unconstitutional
'No apparent limit' on president's powers faulted by judge

- Dan Eggen, Washington Post
Wednesday, November 29, 2006

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/29/MNGPRMLJ6P1.DTL&type=printable

A Los Angeles federal judge has ruled that key portions of a presidential order blocking financial assistance to terrorist groups are unconstitutional, further complicating the Bush administration's attempts to defend its aggressive anti-terrorism tactics in federal courts.”

U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins, in a ruling released late Monday, found that two provisions of an executive order signed on Sept. 23, 2001, are impermissibly vague because they allow the president to unilaterally designate organizations as terrorist groups and broadly prohibit association with such groups.”

The latest case focuses on Executive Order 13224, which is aimed at cutting off financing to alleged terrorist groups and is based on a 1977 law called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Initially, 27 groups and individuals, including the PKK and Tamil Tigers, were named under the order as "specially designated global terrorists," and the Treasury Department has since added hundreds more to the list.”

The ruling is the latest legal setback for the administration's terrorism and detention policies, in lower courts and at the Supreme Court. In August, a federal judge in Detroit ruled that a warrantless wiretap program run by the National Security Agency was unconstitutional. That ruling is being appealed by the government.”

In her ruling, Collins said the order was unconstitutional because there is "no apparent limit" on President Bush's authority to designate groups or individuals as terrorists. In addition, the judge ruled, language banning those "otherwise associated" with such groups is "unconstitutionally vague on its face." ”

THE COMMITTEE SAYS:

BUSH CLAIMS TO UNLIMITED POWER CONTESTED

JUDGE RULES THAT THERE ARE LIMITS TO BUSH POWER. BUSH INSISTS ON SOLE AUTHORITY TO DEFINE “TERRORISTS”

This judge just does not get it. Bush has claimed the authority of a unitary executive, and he does not need any stink'in Congress or Judiciary to express the will of God through the American Presidency.

And, as King George knows who's been naughty, and who's been nice, especially after an extended “detention,” and a bit of “hard interrogation,” (which tends to make people agree with you) it seems a bit trite that a Federal Judge would to try to limit his powers to define the bad guys after he's kidnapped and tortured them.

It's like putting the cart before the horse. Or closing the barn door after the animals have gotten out.

Links to A Few of the many recent examples of Unconstitutional Executive Authority:

"Criminals in Action"


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5) THE ARTICLE ABSTRACTED BELOW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE LA TIMES, 11-29-06:

Jaramillo's lawyers ask that Rackauckas be recused from corruption case

O.C. district attorney and sheriff are politically linked, says a legal motion that seeks the state attorney general to take over prosecution.

By Christine Hanley, Times Staff Writer
November 29, 2006

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-jaramillo29nov29,1,2098567.story?coll=la-headlines-politics

Lawyers for a former Orange County assistant sheriff, who is accused of corruption and faces other charges, filed a legal motion this week requesting that the district attorney's office be recused from the case because of the strong political ties between Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas and Sheriff Michael S. Carona.”

Jaramillo was fired in March 2004 and later charged with taking bribes, obstruction of justice and conflict of interest related to his work as a paid consultant for CHG Safety Technologies Inc., a Newport Beach firm seeking to promote a laser device designed to stop cars fleeing from police.”

“He is also accused of lying twice to a grand jury, using a department helicopter for personal travel, and ordering deputies to develop his film, research convalescent homes for his mother and attend a relative's graduation ceremony.”

“Other alleged conflicts addressed in the motion are ties between Carona, Rackauckas and Charles Gabbard, the owner of CHG Technologies and key witness in the case against Jaramillo. Gabbard contributed to the campaigns of Carona and Rackauckas.”

Gabbard, who admitted illegally funneling thousands of dollars into Carona's 2002 campaign, was granted criminal immunity in exchange for his testimony against Jaramillo.

THE COMMITTEE SAYS:

IS EVERYBODY IN OC CORRUPT?

CORRUPTION CASE MAKING WHOLE OC SHERIFFS DEPT LOOK CORRUPTED

You need a scorecard to keep track of political corruption in the OC. Hell, you need a supercomputer to keep track of corruption in California, and we need to invent a device powerful enough to keep track of national corruption. We'll simplify things a bit: All The Parties Are Corrupt. There, we hope that makes things easier.

The main point that this article doesn't make, (besides “All The Parties Are Corrupt”) is that the main witness against Jaramill was given immunity for bribing Carona. Wow. This is a case where buying both sides backfired!

So, if Gabbard was given immunity for bribing Carona, to testify against Jaramillo, can we expect him to testify against Carona next?

Restraint may be necessary, for if all of these chains of corruption are followed to their ends, all the politicians in the United States may end up in jail.

Is there something bad in the water of OC that corrupts politicians who drink of it?

Click Here for recent Episodes of OC Corruption


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6) THE ARTICLE ABSTRACTED BELOW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY AP IN THE SAC BEE, 11-29-06:

Coalition targets convicted lawmakers

By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
Published 2:07 pm PST Wednesday, November 29, 2006

http://dwb.sacbee.com/24hour/politics/v-print/story/3433753p-12597396c.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - More than 20 citizen groups are urging the new Democratic leaders in Congress to include in any ethics reform the denial of pensions to lawmakers convicted of felonies.

"We must end the practice of rewarding lawmakers who abuse the law with plush pension packages funded by the American taxpayer," the coalition wrote in a letter to be sent Thursday to Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid, who will become Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader when Democrats assume control of Congress in January.

The groups, led by the National Taxpayers Union, include Ralph Nader's Congressional Accountability Project, Taxpayers for Common Sense, the Republican Liberty Caucus and the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste.

Currently, members of Congress don't forfeit pensions unless convicted of crimes related to treason and espionage.

As a result, former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., who was sentenced last March to eight years in prison for accepting bribes from defense contractors, is entitled to an initial annual pension of as much as $64,000, according to calculations by the National Taxpayers Union.

The former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., who served 15 months in prison after pleading guilty in 1996 to two mail fraud charges, is potentially receiving benefits, after cost-of-living adjustments, of $125,000 a year, the NTU said.

THE COMMITTEE SAYS:

CITIZENS TRY TO CUT PENSIONS OF CRIMINAL LAWMAKERS

DUKE COLLECTING 64K A YEAR IN PRISON

Congressional pensions are the only pension plan I know of in the United States that offer a solid retirement plan for criminals. Except prison. But many Congressmen are double-dippers, getting pension checks while enjoying the benefits of Club Fed. Only in the U.S!

How can we, in good faith, put our politicians in jail because for doing what we required of them to achieve political victory, by our own standards?

We should put ourselves in jail first! We should take away our own pensions! Oh, sorry, most of us don't have pensions.

No further punishment for the voter is necessary. Our politicians have already delivered all the punishment an honest American can take.

Now it is time to punish the politicians and special interests who have sold our democracy down the river.

Corruption Updates 29, 10th article on page, 1-12-07, “CONVICTED POLITICIANS MAY LOSE PENSIONS PAYMENTS FOR LAWBREAKERS DIMINISHED, NOT ENDED

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7) THE ARTICLE ABSTRACTED BELOW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE SAC BEE, 12-2-06:

Levees trigger growth warning

Consider a building moratorium in exposed Natomas, state says.

By Matt Weiser - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, December 2, 2006

http://www.sacbee.com/101/v-print/story/86422.html

State flood control officials want Sacramento to consider halting development in the fast-growing Natomas area because of a recent downgrade in the safety rating of its protective levees.”

The request came in a letter to Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo and county officials on Nov. 21 from Lester Snow, director of the California Department of Water Resources.”

DWR has no authority over urban development. But because it is legally responsible for Natomas flood control levees, the letter increases long-standing tension regarding new development and flood protection in the area.”

Graham Brownstein, director of the Environmental Council of Sacramento, called DWR's letter "exactly the sorts of things that we've been urging from city and county officials for a long time. It just does not make any sense from a fiscal, environmental or moral perspective to continue to plan and approve more housing in deep flood basins until we have real protection." ”

The letter does emphasize that DWR will continue to work hand-in-hand with Sacramento to improve flood protection, but it also states that DWR will press the Federal Emergency Management Agency to remap Natomas to reflect increased flood risk. This, by itself, could require property owners to buy flood insurance and result in development restrictions.”

Dickinson fears if DWR gets its way, Sacramento residents could get a double-barreled hit in the wallet: a new property tax to pay for levee repairs, and a costly new flood insurance mandate.”

THE COMMITTEE SAYS:

STATE WARNS OF LEVEE DANGER

ASSEMBLYS' FAILURE TO ENSURE RESPONSIBLE GROWTH THREATENS GROWTH

Perata stopped a state flood plain bill in for the developers bribes. Bribes which Perata used to pass bond issues that would subsidize the developers expansion into flood plain areas.

They thought they were off the hook for paying the costs of their profits. Everything was looking good until the DWR got scared of its liabilities, and called off the game.

Or did it? Irresponsible growth in California has placed large populations in natural danger zones, thanks to generations of political hacks like Perata. But this growth has caught the attention of federal state and local planning professionals, concerned about their liability. no, I mean concerned about public safety. (suppressed laughter)

The question is, will Perata's bond bill fund the upgrades necessary to continue unbridled development in floodplains? Will Perata be able to serve the bribes of his developer buddies, while at the same time funding the construction interests, who will build the levees that subsidize the developers?

If so, Perata has the political savvy to be president. Not that we have enough electricity, water, roads, medical facilities, or schools to handle more growth. But that is not a problem to our politicians, only an opportunity to solicit more bribes from the electrical and medical lobbies.

As for water and schools, the taxpayer will directly pay to subsidize developers by paying for the water and schools to support their profits.

But none of that matters to the special interests that guide our politicians.

Corruption Updates 2, 2nd Article, “Perata Takes a HALF-Mil to Sell Out:..half-mil to kill bills

Corruption Updates 4, 5th Article, “Perata Pretends to Revive Honor, Flood Bills

Corruption Updates 5, 5th Article, “Greed Defeats Responsibility: Flood Bills Die

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8) THE ARTICLE ABSTRACTED BELOW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE SF CHRONICLE, 12-2-06:

Key lawmaker calls spy program illegal
Once an advocate of wiretaps and Iraq war, Harman is now criticizing Bush's policies

- Jim Doyle, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, December 2, 200

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/02/MNGKFMO5VU1.DTL&type=printable

(12-02) 04:00 PST Washington -- Rep. Jane Harman, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, told a gathering of the American Bar Association on Friday that the Bush administration's secret wiretapping program for suspected terrorists is illegal.”

Harman, D-Venice (Los Angeles County), who has become increasingly critical of President Bush's policies in recent months after her initial support for the Iraq war and her defense of the Patriot Act, also blasted the administration for refusing to provide legal opinions and authorizations for its wiretap program, interrogations policy and detentions of accused terrorists.”

"The administration has too often operated under vague legal guidelines, pursuant to secret legal opinions generated by few and vetted by almost none," she said Friday.”

In April, Harman was among nine Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee who wrote legislation that would have required the wiretapping program to operate with judicial review. The bill -- endorsed by the American Bar Association -- was opposed by Republicans.”

"And so the program continues in violation of the law," she said.”

THE COMMITTEE SAYS

IS HARMON AGAINST WAR, FOR RIGHTS, OR ANGRY?

HARMON WAS BYPASSED FOR INTEL COMMITTEE CHAIR. DID SHE FIND ETHICS, OR IS SHE REVENGING ON HER PARTY?

Hey Jane, which way does the wind blow? The wind blew you out of your committee chairmanship. Is this because you've found honesty a good policy, or did your loss of chairmanship bring you to the well of honesty?

Is honesty a form of revenge?

Maybe we got it wrong. Maybe your honest analysis got you booted, and the Democratic leadership is resisting honest analysis. But you all went along with the dishonest analysis, and got us into this irresponsible war. Ms. Harmon's change of heart seems to be blowing with the political winds. Or, honesty is a tool of revenge against the leaders who denied you your chairmanship.

If being honest is seen a a political advantage, we could be moving towards an open dialog about our situation.

But I forget the situation, and the times we living in. Everything is a legitimate tool in the pursuit of political victory, Especially our honesty, our honor, our democracy, the military, and our national wealth. These are the tools our politicians have sold off, and manipulated to get and keep their positions.

Independent of who is right or wrong on a specific political point, it is obvious that we rarely get an open discussion in Congress, nor do we get honest analysis from our media.

Corruption has done some terrible damage to our political system.

We need to insert honesty, and accountability to the local voters at the center of our electoral process. Until we do, politicians will continue to be dishonest, and accountable only to the special interests who have stolen the politicians loyalty away from the local voter.

Until honesty becomes a tool for political revenge, or the pursuit of power. Then the politician will use it, and throw it away, after it served their purpose.

Some of the many recent examples of Unconstitutional Executive Authority:

See links following article 4, above.

An Interesting Video Report from ABC news is Most Informative on the Actual workings of the program to Illegally Search Americans; Click the Link below:

"The Whistleblower", March 7, 2007, Mark Klein, an ATT tech in SF, blows the lid off NSA totality of Domestic spying:


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9) THE ARTICLE ABSTRACTED BELOW WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE NY TIMES, 12-3-06:


The War on Terror, Under New Scrutiny

By JAMES RISEN

Published: December 3, 2006

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/weekinreview/03risen.html

WASHINGTON

In the frantic first few months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Bush administration created what amounted to a new secret side of the government, based on an expansive view of the president’s authority to wage the war on terror. From secret C.I.A. prisons and harsh interrogation tactics overseas to warrantless eavesdropping at home, the new counterterror structure was established with little Congressional oversight or legal scrutiny.”

A series of developments last week reflected that changed reality. The Justice Department inspector general’s office announced that it had begun an internal investigation into the department’s role in the National Security Agency’s domestic spying program, after the administration agreed to give the office’s staff the necessary security clearances.”

Those actions followed much more consequential changes in the legal and political landscape this year. The Supreme Court set the tone in June, with its landmark ruling in the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, which struck at the heart of President Bush’s assertion of executive power to wage the war on terror.”

The court repudiated the president’s plan to put detainees at Guantánamo Bay on trial before military commissions, ruling that the panels were unauthorized by federal statute and violated international law.”

The ruling forced Congress to set up a system of military commissions, with lawmakers agreeing with the president that evidence could be withheld from terror suspects in some instances, and detainees could be barred from going to court to challenge their confinement.”

“ “The administration probably feels like it is under attack on all fronts, but I think it is just the fact that the checks and balances in our democracy are beginning to reassert themselves,” said Jeffrey Smith, former general counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency and now a Washington lawyer.”

THE COMMITTEE SAYS:

TIMES SOFTPEDALS PRESIDENTIAL WAR CRIMES AND DOMESTIC CRIMES

LEAVE IT TO THE TIMES TO PUT LIPSTICK ON PIGS

 

This article fails as free press, but is a success at defending and soft peddling the criminal behavior of our political leadership. Yeah, we just forgot about the Constitution. We forgot about the checks and balances in a moment of excitement. We got scared and tortured and killed a few people, killed checks and balances, and tortured the Bill of Rights. Give us a break.

The Executive Branch seized this moment to solidify and codify illegalities and illegitimate acts that have been going on, below the radar of our “free” press, for decades. Americans, and our Constitution, are no longer sovereign over their own country. Our government and our political economy runs for its own profits, by its own rules.

What has been hidden below the surface has now became public. Our government has no limits. Illegal searches, torture, the Executive lying to Congress, Congress lying to the public, and political corruption of every sort have come out of the closet, and are now publicly acknowledged and actively defended as tools of policy.

These reprehensible tools of state have been actively and publically defended by this administration, the Democrats, the press, and a significant percentage of the population.

But here in California there is a significant population that does not speak English and does not give a damn about what the government does. The vast majority of our immigrants, who with their children, compose about 44% of the state's population. These people have entered the country, and sworn allegiance to our government at a time when our government is illegitimate by the terms of our own Constitution.

It is publically claimed that they are here for the money. The people here for the money, native or immigrant, are generally more concerned with getting paid, and generally unconcerned about what powers the government claims to have, if they are getting paid. Aside from insisting that enforcement of the immigration laws is illegal and immoral.

We are glad they have their priorities straight!

It might be a matter of concern to our citizens that a massive influx of non English speaking people have flooded the state, people who's only terms of citizenship have been obedience to the boss, and obedience to a government that is unconstitutional by its own standards.

No problem. Immigrants have contributed significantly to the concentration of wealth of our special interests have enjoyed, as well as offering whole new interpretations of American liberty.

The contributions of immigrants are highlighted by the work of John Yoo and Alberto Gonzales. These men have identified American for what it is, a land where secret detentions, torture, arbitrary searches, secret government, and where the president has unlimited authority any king would be jealous of.

The immigrants are about half of the population of California. The question is, can we still rescue American civil rights, political rights, the condition and wages of labor, when half the population have allied themselves with the forces of wealth and power, and take about any abuse they can dish out? (except American sovereignty over who comes here)

And it's not a problem that immigrants don't have a clue about our Constitution, our history, our values or practices. Dedication to elf-interest, obedience to the boss, and the desire to be a consumer are enough for our special interests, politicians, and the government.

But it is not enough to preserve a Constitutionally limited democratic government.

If immigrants ran across the borders of this country demanding the rights of Americans, our government would not let them in, and our corporations would not hire them. But they don't stop at the borders to ask permission, or clarify their intentions. The right they demand is the right to break our laws to serve the rich. And since the special interests control our government, they have nothing to worry about.

The nature of our government is no concern to them, as long as they can make money.

The immigrants have entered our country at a time when our own citizens don't enjoy their own constitutional rights, a democratic government, good roads, good schools, decent wages or benefits, or any meaning political influence.

The fact of our contemporary military and political situation is that we are in a war for oil to assure we can continue growing for the next thirty years at the same pace we've been growing for the last thirty years. In the last 30 years our population has doubled, while our civil rights, and democratic control of our government has halved.

Both actions, massive growth and war to support it, are ill-advised. Most immigrants seem unaware of the American political situation, that we are at war, let alone that we are using torture, kidnapping, and a host of related crimes to pursue this war. This changes rapidly when immigration is the issue.

The foreigners become very concerned If Americans want to control our own borders, and decide for ourselves who gets citizenship. Then, these foreigners inform us we have no right to decide who gets to come here and work for our corporations.

And the corporations, the politicians, and the press tell us they have the right to import poverty here, or move their factories to where they can exploit poverty. The media tell us we are now “global,” so it is acceptable that the corporations can exploit poverty wherever it exists, and pit poverty stricken workers around the world against each other to drive, and keep, wages down.

Since we didn't have enough poverty here to drive wages down, we imported it. Now, the government tells us that the only qualification for American Citizenship is breaking our laws and obeying our Bosses. And the immigrant special interests give the politicians money for their treachery.

Considering the terms for citizenship our government requires, it is no surprise that our government has no respect for our most fundamental laws and rights.

In the last thirty years the United States has consumed resources that should have lasted our country for the next one hundred years. This frenzy of growth and consumption has only succeeded in creating vast slums, an impoverished American working class, and a shameful arrogance of wealth. And this has only increased our leaders lust for wealth and power.

If we don't assert control over the middle eastern oil supplies, drill in all of our national forests, and exploit all of our natural gas, water, and timber resources, we will not be able to support our expanding population. And even if we do rape all of our national resources, our future population will still have less than we have now.

The natural beauty of our country, not to mention our political rights, are being stripped bare. Our population now exceeds our ability to feed, educate and support it by any standards, let alone American standards. Now we have a country full of people who will accept less than American rights and standards.

Things are going really well, if you are a special interest, a politician, a poor foreigner in America, or are rich. Your material condition has improved, while our democracy has been trashed. Things are not going well if you are an American citizen of average means. Your material and political situation has seriously declined.

If you are one of the “winners,” you are living in luxury that would make a Roman Senator jealous.

But more important than all these factors is the fact that our situation is inherently unstable. Without an endlessly expanding population, the endless expansion of profits is threatened. Without the profits to bribe our politicians, control our media, bribe our elites, and throw peanuts at the foreign laborers, everybody will be really pissed off.

When the money declines, we will see that basing our political bonds on mutual greed is sufficient for normal times, but very dangerous in hard times.

If our government and special interests lose their wealth, they will lose the basis of their power, their ability to bribe people. On that basis alone, we can be certain that our political and economic policy of, growth, war, and expanding our domestic population, and poverty, will be pursued with vigor to the bitter end.

Common sense says we have exceeded the limits of both safe, and responsible growth. Common sense says our government has exceeded the limits of its legitimate power. But we do not set policy based on common sense, safety, our democratic principals, or the good of our citizens.

Things are going fine unless you want your kids, and your country, to have a “better” life in the future.

In that case, you're screwed.

Some of the many recent examples of Unconstitutional Executive Authority:

Corruption Updates 16, 1st article on page, “BUSH TRAINING CONGRESS TO OBEDIENCE: PROBLEM TEACHING THEM TO ROLL OVER WHEN THEY ARE ASLEEP”

Corruption Updates 22, 7th article on page, “Reid Threatens Bush with Oversight

Corruption Updates 23, 4th article on page, “Bush Claims to Unlimited Power Contested

Corruption Updates 23, 8th article on page, “Harmon Calls Wiretapping Illegal

Corruption Updates 23, 9th article on page, “Times Soft pedals Presidential War Crimes and Domestic Crimes

Corruption Updates 25, 2nd article on page, “US REPUB SENATOR FEARS WAR ILLEGAL: WHY DID IT TAKE THREE YEARS TO CONFRONT THE LIES?

Corruption Updates 25, 7th article on page, “Italy Indites 25 CIA Operatives

Corruption Updates 25, 8th article on page, “FBI Chief Defies Oversight

Corruption Updates 29, 2nd article on page, “White House Claims Secret Policy Power

Corruption Updates 30, 4th article on page, “White House Vows Cooperation in Probes”

Corruption Updates 31, 1st article on page, 1-17-07, “AG criticizes judges for terror rulings

Corruption Updates 31, 2nd and 3rd articles on page, “Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Indefensible,” and “A Bush appointee's crude gambit on detainees' legal rights”

Corruption Updates 31, 6th article on page, 1-17-07,Secret Court to Govern Warrantless Taps”

Corruption Updates 31, 7th article on page, 1-19-07, “Pentagon Revises Its Rules on Prosecution of Terrorists”

Corruption Updates 31, 8th article on page, 1-19-07, “Pentagon sets rules for detainee trials”

Corruption Updates 32, 3rd article on page, “Wiretap review plan is still unclear”

Corruption Updates 34, 4th article on page, “BUSH KIDNAPPING ON TRIAL IN GERMANY: WHY IS GERMANY HOLDING US TO THE RULE OF LAW?”

FOR SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS ON THE AFFECTS OF IMMIGRATION:

Corruption Updates 36, 7th article on page, 3-1-07, CORPORATE-DEMOCRAT IMMIGRATION POLICY SUCCESSFUL:PERMANENT LOW COST LABORING UNDERCLASS CREATED IN US”

8th article, 2-28-07: STATISTICAL LIAR PRESENTS LOSS OF WORKER DIGNITY AND PAY AS “PROMOTION” SKEWED STATISTICS USED TO JUSTIFY CORPORATE RACISM:AMERICANS TOLD THEY ARE SUPERVISORS, OR PEASANT LABOR”

9th article on page, November, 2003:HONEST STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ONLY SHOWS MONETARY COST OF IMMIGRATION: EDUCATION, MEDICINE, DEMOCRACY, AND JUSTICE ARE HIDDEN “COSTS” OF CHEAP FOREIGN LABOR ON AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS”


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10) THE ARTICLE, Abstracted from the Sac Bee, On 12-3-06, SAYS:

Governor again floats plan for redistricting

By Kevin Yamamura - Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, December 3, 2006

http://www.sacbee.com/111/v-print/story/86854.html

Out of California's 306 state legislative and congressional races in the past two general elections, only one seat -- that belonging to Rep. Richard Pombo -- changed party hands.”

"It's always been difficult because you're simply asking politicians to act against their own self-interests," said John J. Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College. "For incumbents, it's pretty cool to be able to choose your own electorate." ”

If this time is any different, it may be because veteran lawmakers approaching the end of their limited tenure see an opportunity to combine redistricting with a term-limit change that allows them to stay in power longer.”

One early Assembly idea would include changes in redistricting, term limits and California's 2008 presidential primary date to give Assembly and Senate leaders a chance to extend their time in power. Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, would stand to benefit most by such a change, as his term in the lower house expires in 2008.”

Núñez broached the subject last week in a meeting with Schwarzenegger, and he said the Republican governor was receptive to the idea. Schwarzenegger previously has suggested he would be open to a change in the state's term-limits law as a means of taking redistricting out of the Legislature's hands.

"We talked about working together on a common plan that deals with redistricting, term limits and the presidential primary," Núñez said. "I'm very open to it." ”

Under the plan, lawmakers would agree to support a redistricting ballot proposal as long as it came with another alteration to the term-limits law allowing legislators to serve a total of 12 years in either house, rather than the currently prescribed six years in the Assembly and eight years in the Senate.

Ted Costa, executive director of People's Advocate, which has sought changes in government ranging from term limits to a part-time Legislature, believes the current redistricting system has diminished competition so much that most representatives do not feel beholden to constituents.”

Even though Costa disagrees with the philosophies of the Democratic challengers to Pombo and Rep. John Doolittle, he said their opposition sparked a "healthy democracy." ”

Costa and other redistricting advocates of various political stripes are working together under the aegis of the nonpartisan group Voices of Reform, meeting with aides for the governor and lawmakers this fall.”

Costa, who strongly backed the current term-limits system in 1990, said he doesn't want to connect the redistricting plan to any other proposal, though he concedes there will be plenty of negotiations ahead.”

THE COMMITTEE SAYS:

ASSEMBLY TRIES TO TRADE CORRUPTION REFORM FOR MORE CORRUPTION

IN A DEAL BETWEEN DEVILS, GOV AND NUNEZ PLAN TO END TERM LIMITS FOR FAKE REDISTRICTING REFORM

Our politicians are at it again. Expect no real change to the districts, in return for breaking the term limit law passed by the voters. This article says something important about our politicians' loyalty to their own party.

Note that the parties now enjoy monopolistic control of their districts. Yet the politicians are willing to cede this monopoly to extend their own term in office. It seems their self-interest trumps party loyalty. Or does it?

Our guess is that the politicians are angling to modify term limits while only making superficial changes to the electoral districts and how they are created.

Our initiative will do more to change the character of our politicians from creatures of special interests than any change of term limits or districts. Helping us put the political reform initiative on the Nov, '08 ballot will give the voters a shot at having the politicians represent them, rather than the special interests, no matter what district they vote in.

 

Previous Corruption Updates: Page 22

Next Corruption Updates: Page 24


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