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CORRUPTION UPDATES 15 October 2nd to the 7th 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 UPDATE 15
Previous Corruption Updates: Page 14
Next Corruption Updates: Page 16
Ethics Panel Counsel Elicits Respect
By PETE YOST, Associated
Press Writer
4:39 PM PDT, October 5, 2006
“WASHINGTON --
Washington lawyer William O'Reilly specializes in complexity. Defending corporations in price-fixing cases and other sorts of
complex litigation is all in a day's work.”
“Good
training, perhaps, for facing the firestorm that has engulfed
Capitol Hill: the congressional page scandal.”
“When O'Reilly left the law firm of Jones Day last winter to become staff director and chief counsel of the House ethics committee, the agenda was the conduct of then-Rep. Tom DeLay. Now O'Reilly must coordinate an open-ended investigation that involves House Republicans from Speaker Dennis Hastert on down.”
THE COMMITTEE SAYS:
ASSOCIATED PRESS DEFENDS ETHICS COMMITTEE THAT HAS NO ETHICS
Defending corporations in price-fixing cases is very similar, and therefore “good training” to defending the corporations “fixing” of Mr. DeLay. His previous job has the same goal as this one: defend corporate policy. This article fails to point out the ethics committee committed suicide rather than investigate DeLay. Or maybe it was killed when its chairman was fired by Congressional leadership when it appeared he might even investigate DeLay. The “Ethics” Committee is a dysfunctional, corrupt Committee in a dysfunctional, corrupt Congress. AP is trying to build credibility of a Committee that has proven itself incompetent, and unethical, time after time. The fact is that our corrupt Congress can only produce corrupt Committees. The fruit does not fall far from the tree. This article is a smokescreen, hiding the true character of our Congress and its Committees from the public.
Another example of incisive reporting by our media.
SEE CORRUPTION UPDATES 11, 8TH ARTICLE DOWN: ethics panel oks revolving door between Congressional and Lobbyists offices.
Troubled Ethics Panel Tackles Scandal
The committee looking at the handling of the Foley case has been under fire for months.
By Richard Simon, Times
Staff Writer
October 7, 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-foley7oct07,1,7879393.story?coll=la-headlines-politics
“WASHINGTON —
The House Ethics Committee has had little to say as one scandal
after another has rocked Capitol Hill since early 2005.”
“Now, can a panel that has been derided as a symbol of
congressional dysfunction take up a tough, politically sensitive
case a month before an election and produce results within weeks, as
promised?”
“Skeptics
abound.”
"We don't have a lot of confidence in the
Ethics Committee," said James Benton of the public watchdog
group Common Cause.”
“The committee in
May launched investigations into the activities of Reps. Bob Ney
(R-Ohio) and William J. Jefferson (D-La.), and into whether other
House members were involved in the dealings of now-imprisoned former
Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Rancho Santa Fe). None of
those probes have yet resulted in public reports.”
THE COMMITTEE SAYS:
LATIMES GIVES ETHICS COMMITTEE THE THRASHING IT DESERVES
A comparison of the two articles, above, reveals just how much of a snow job AP is giving to the public. The NY Times article points out the troubles with the “Ethics” Committee, but like the rest of their reporting, fails to properly analyze the information, and draw conclusions pertinent to the facts. If they did, they would find that the source of the problems at the Ethics Committee is the Complete Corruption of Congress. This corrupt Congress, and its corrupted offspring, the Ethics Committee, are the products of our corrupt system of campaign financing. We must throw the cash register Congressmen out of Congress.
The Times has not reported objectively for years, and it has not regained any of the credibility lost by lying us into the Iraq war.. Glossing over the dysfunctions of our broken democracy is not patriotic, and abets the incompetent and corrupt politicians, and their special interest sponsors, who sit on all the Congressional Committees.
The coverage of the Iraq War, and American Foreign policy around the world, demonstrates that The Times looks at the world through a Corporate, rather than a democratic, Lens. Tying the corruption in Congress to Corrupt elections, and the Corporate system of financing, leads one to the conclusion that the Corporations and special interests own our politicians. Despite the damage this has done to our country and the world, exposing this would be counter to the Corporate Culture dominating the Times, and the rest of the Corporate media. And our politicians.
Restoring our democracy is the first step towards restoring the FREE PRESS.
Read other abstracts about the Failed Ethics Committee
Allegations trip up voting rights group
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, Associated Press Writer
Last Updated 8:31 am PDT Monday, October 2, 2006
http://dwb.sacbee.com/24hour/politics/story/3386387p-12452753c.html
“An advocacy group that registered more than a million voters two years ago is facing new allegations of voter fraud and sloppy work just weeks before crucial midterm elections.”
“Philadelphia's municipal voter registration office has rejected about 3,000 cards submitted by ACORN...”
“ACORN was accused of fraud in 2004 in Ohio, Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina and Virginia, and in 2003 in Missouri.”
“Prosecution is rare, though, and federal lawsuits against the group were dismissed in Florida. ACORN says it's working to reduce problems, and officials promise to fire any worker found committing fraud.”
THE COMMITTEE SAYS:
ACORN BUSTED FOR VOTER FRAUD
The corruption updates has noticed the corruption of priests, judges, newspapers and the media, and of course, politicians, special interests, and corporations. Now we can add a civil rights group.
The fact is that the requirements of success in our political system encourage and reward unethical behavior. Until we set clear ethical standards at the center of our polity, the periphery will measure itself from, and by the standards of. the corrupt center.
A Salacious Turn in Wong Case
Prosecutors allege that the Hahn power broker who faces bribery charges treated a deputy mayor to massages that led to sexual activity.
By Ted
Rohrlich and Jessica Garrison, Times Staff Writers
October
4, 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-wong4oct04,1,1533857.story?coll=la-headlines-politics
“While receiving bribes from a company seeking a new port contract, former Hahn administration power broker Leland Wong repeatedly sought to influence then-Deputy Mayor Troy Edwards by treating him to massages that included sexual favors, prosecutors alleged Tuesday.”
“...prosecutors cited testimony by Edwards that Wong paid for a number of massages for him at the Bonaventure Club, a spa that leases space at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel...Edwards was the deputy mayor in charge of three major city departments: the port, the airport and the Department of Water and Power.”
“But Wong had
another, secret, agenda, prosecutors said. Allegedly
unbeknownst to Hahn or Edwards, they said, Wong was on the
payroll of the Evergreen Group, which had operations both at the
airport and the port.”
“Wong had
approached an Evergreen shipping executive, Ren-Gung Shyu, and said
that, for a fee, he could help the company renegotiate a more
favorable lease at the port and get the use of more land there,
prosecutors said.”
“Shyu agreed that Evergreen
would pay Wong $5,000 a month. Prosecutors have charged Wong
with receiving 20 of these payments, which they describe as
bribes, and which were deposited in his Hong Kong bank
account.”
According to “...Wong's attorneys, ... "the evidence at trial will show that Leland Wong operated lawfully at all times.".”
“The case against Wong focuses on his interactions with Edwards when both served in the Hahn administration, which ended last year.”
THE COMMITTEE SAYS:
SPECIAL INTEREST “POWER BROKER”
BUYS INFLUENCE WITH SEX IN LA
What legitimate role does an “administration power broker” have in our government? This position must be eliminated. This will require drying up the well of special interest money that fuels “power brokers.”
This article reveals the webs of money and influence that under gird all political campaigns in California. But the relationship between Wong and Evergreen cuts right to the source of all bribery, be it open bribery, “campaign contributions,” or the secret bribery of Evergreen and Wong: “pay for play.”
The difference between non-voters contributing to candidates and politicians, and corporations bribing our politicians, is meaningless. Let's restore our democracy by at least making the open bribery of special interest “contribution illegal.” Check out the initiative. Tell your friends to check it out. Let's get together and end the bribery.
See the first article on this topic: Corruption Updates 7, 3rd article down, “For D.A. Cooley, a Rare Indictment of a High-Profile Political Player.”
Election Commission Alters Rule on Money Used for Recounts
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 5, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/05/washington/05recount.html
“WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 (AP) — Changing nearly 30 years of election policy, federal regulators said Wednesday that money used to pay for vote recounts and legal challenges was subject to campaign finance restrictions on contributions and expenditures.”
“At issue was whether a 2002 campaign finance law that did away with unrestricted and unlimited giving to the political parties altered regulations adopted in 1977. The decision redefined those regulations.”
“The commission’s chairman, Michael E. Toner, the commission chairman, and Hans von Spakovsky, a commissioner, both Republicans, voted against the compromise, saying that the campaign finance law applied only to the election, not recounts.”
““This
is going to make them work a little harder to raise the money,”
said Ellen L. Weintraub, a commissioner and a Democrat, who offered
a compromise to break a 3-to-3 deadlock. “But it’s
doable.”.”
THE COMMITTEE SAYS:
ELECTION RECOUNT FUNDING VOTE REVEALS REPUBLICAN FEARS OF UPCOMING ELECTIONS
Just what was does this decision represent? A step closer to removing special interest influences in politics? An attempt to stop the after-election “attack of the political attorneys?”
This decision is confusing because the accusations of cheating during recent elections has been leveled at Republicans, by Democrats. Interestingly, the Republicans voted to allow what would be a private challenge to elections. Democrats voted for the restrictions on recount funding. Interesting, when Democrats have been the ones demanding recounts.
I believe this says a lot about the lens through which the Democrats and Republicans view the upcoming elections: The Democrats smell victory, and do not want private Republican funding gumming up the works. The Republicans smell contested elections as a path to victory, and want to have the cash to challenge close elections.
Let's just kick all special money out of our elections.
Interior Dept. finds employees are using Web to view porn, shop
Al Kamen, Washington Post
Thursday, October 5, 2006
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/05/MNG8GLIGTE1.DTL
“(10-05) 04:00 PDT Washington -- The Interior Department's inspector general has uncovered an impressive amount of time spent by department employees surfing porn, game, gambling and shopping Web sites.
"Our review of one week of computer use logs revealed over 4,732 log entries relating to sexually explicit and gambling Web sites" by department computers," said Earl Devaney's report, titled "Excessive Indulgences."
"More alarming," said the report, made public Wednesday, "was our finding regarding access to online game and auction Web sites: We discovered over 1 million log entries where 7,763 department computer users spent over 2,004 hours accessing game and auction sites during that same week." In a year, "these veritable shopping and gaming binges could account for 104,221 hours of lost productivity," equaling the amount of yearly work time put in by 50 employees. “
THE COMMITTEE SAYS:
104,221 HOURS WASTED BY INTERIOR DEPT ON WEB SHOPING AND PORN
It is almost below our dignity to comment on this one. Almost. But, considering these sad statistics, and in the light of the previous article on Interior Department corruption, cited below, it seems worthwhile.
If the leaders and political appointees of the Department of the Interior are worthless political hacks, then it follows that the organization itself would be rife with corruption. And with employees shopping and viewing porn, rather than working.
For further Articles on the Interior Department
Miami Publisher Steps Down Over Payments to Reporters
Published: October 4, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/04/us/04paper.html
“The publisher of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald, its Spanish-language sister paper, resigned yesterday, saying he had lost control of his newsrooms over a growing controversy involving payments from the Bush administration to some reporters of El Nuevo Herald for their commentary broadcast on the anti-Castro outlets Radio and TV Martí.”
“The publisher, Jesús Díaz Jr., had fired two staff reporters and discontinued the services of a third, who is a freelancer. But in a surprising reversal in his resignation letter, Mr. Díaz invited the three back yesterday, saying the policy against accepting payment for such appearances had been ambiguous and enforced selectively.”
“Mr. Díaz said six more reporters were found to have taken money but would not be disciplined.”
“The firings had a unleashed an outcry among some Cuban-Americans in Miami who complained of a double standard and demanded Mr. Díaz’s resignation.”
“...Humberto
Castelló, editor of El Nuevo Herald, said reporters’
mission was to serve as advocates for democracy and to
inform their Cuban listeners of “what is going on.”
Those listeners “have no free press,” Mr. Castelló
said. “They have no other opportunity to listen and to be
informed.”.“
THE COMMITTEE SAYS:
BUSH ADMIN BUYS ANTI-CASTRO CUBAN REPORTERS IN MIAMI; NOBODY CARES
CORRUPTION OF PRESS BY GOVT & SPECIAL INTERESTS CONSIDERED NORMAL
A free press? Where? We're lucky we still have what independent outlets we still have. Our Mass Media is monopolized by very large Corporations, who produce news that never finds, nor challenges, the sources of corruption in our government. Governmental pressure on the press is only rarely needed. The Corporate Media Censors Itself.
Our supposed “free press” has railed at Cuba since they ousted “our” dictator. How dare they throw out our dictator, and replace him with one of their own!
It is a fallacy to believe that the American Cubans were, or are, “Advocates for democracy.”
Cuba rid itself of a brutal American-supported dictatorship. The people who fled Cuba were, and are, the supporters of a failed dictatorship, not democracy. Our own hypocrisy and brutality towards Cuba assured that we got a Castro. And the Anti-Castro Fascists. We got what we paid for, on both counts.
We did the same thing in pre-revolution China. When Chaing Kai-Shreck began his mass murders in China, we were there, with cash and military support. When he ran away from the Japanese, we supported him in luxury, while the rest of the country starved. And fought the Japanese.
The same pattern repeated itself again, when we overthrew democracy in Iran, and the Shah declared himself absolute: we made it happen.
Spreading democracy has never been the goal of our foreign policy since we stole Cuba, the Philippines, and the rest of Spain's Empire.
We are not a democratic country. What our government calls “foreign policy successes,” in the third world, are countries where we have installed corporate controlled “democracies,” or dictatorships. We are not presenting ourselves to the world as a democracy, but as a Corporate Fascist state. Our “enemies” are the resource rich countries' who's dictators do not obey us, and the democracies that have had the gall to elect governments that will not knuckle under to our demands.
The supporters of our failed dictatorships, from around the world, have fled the wrath of their people, and flooded our land. They come not to the homeland of “democracy,” and a free press, and a free people. They come to the center of the corporate power, and wealth, that provided them with luxury, prestige, and the power to rule their countries. They were the agents who imposed America's will on the people of their own countries. Then they fled for their lives, from their own people.
This sick alignment of our corporate government, with the foreign fascists who fled here when their American supported dictatorship fell, must end. We better start showing some respect for other countries, and our own democracy, quickly.
A New World Balance of Power is emerging, and we are conditioning it to a level of brutality that reflects our corporate values, rather than our democratic values. This will not play out well for anybody, and especially us, if our domination fails. We must, as a matter of democratic principal, stop the corporations from using our government to abuse us, our democracy, and people around the world. We want our country back. We want our democracy back.
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