CORRUPTION
UPDATES 23
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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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of Page
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
“SACRAMENTO — As 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
“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”
Top
of Page
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
“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.
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