Corruption

While surfing the anti-Blue blogs, I came across World Can't Wait's website, in which they call for a massive protest on Oct. 5th.

They basically stand for doing something now about Bush and Company, before the 2008 election, and that Democrats will not save the country.

You can read the ad they took out in the New York Times yesterday here. (pdf)

So my question is this. Is this a legitimate avenue to express dissent against our current government? Or is it just of anarchist idiots trying to take advantage of democracy?

Just in case you thought everything in America was going along just fine, a daily visit to this site will quickly disabuse you of that notion. Sign up for their emails, if you don't mind a heavy dose of reality.

AR: Free Plane Ride from Major Government Contractor Not a Conflict According to Gov
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee took a free ride on a plane owned by Lord's Ranch, faith-based youth home. Lord's Ranch currently has a state contract worth $8.5 million, funded by federal Medicaid dollars. When asked about a conflict-of-interest, Huckabee merely said that he is "very careful." Good, we'd hate it if he was being sloppy with his conflicts. [Arkansas News Bureau, 6/16/06]

It was rumored this was going to happen and many are saying it is a result of the Fornigate scandal.

Dusty Foggo Quits CIA Post

Another Republican goes down due to scandalous corrupt behavior.....allegedly.

After Tony Rudy's plea last month I quit watching to see how this case was progressing. I was a bit surprised to see this news in The Washington Post this morning. Neil Volz, Staffer #2, pled guilty to conspiracy charges in the scandals linked to lobbyists Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon.

Volz was Bob Ney's (Representative #1) chief of staff. Volz requested and received many gifts from Abramoff. These included tickets to sporting events, dinners and golf outings. Volz concealed the gifts by simply failing to report them.

It is now apparent that Art Pope has figured out how to buy control of the North Carolina General Assembly using corporate money. His laboratory was the Republican primaries yesterday, where he picked off three intraparty enemies – Richard Morgan, Rick Eddins and Steve LaRoque. Now he is refining his playbook and setting his sights on eight or nine marginal House races this fall. Art Pope will continue to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars of corporate money from Variety Wholesale into seats he thinks he can win. His goal is to defeat incumbent Democrats and tip control of the House to Republicans he controls. It will cost him only $2 million. It will cost us democracy.

E-Mails Link Abramoff, Bush Official
   

 By Mark Sherman
    The Associated Press

    Saturday 15 April 2006

    A batch of 278 e-mails between lobbyist Jack Abramoff and a Bush administration official show a highly inappropriate relationship where gifts and business interests mixed freely and frequently, federal prosecutors said Friday.

    The prosecutors hope to use the e-mails in the criminal case against David Safavian, who is accused of lying and obstruction of justice in connection with investigations of an Abramoff-sponsored golf outing to Scotland in August 2002.

Scholars for 911 Truth Petition
http://www.wingtv.net/thorn2006/petition.html
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Congress tries to pass a law giving a few corporations the power to end
the free and open Internet as we know it. Tell Congress to preserve the
free and open Internet:
http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet/?id=7362-1313334-sJPC0TWnU243LksU6260Sw&t=1
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first posted at Scrutiny Hooligans

Tom DeLay/Charles Taylor partnership info.

The State Board of Elections has asked prosecutors in Raleigh to consider charges against North Carolina state Senator Robert Holloman (D-Hertford) for campaign finance violations.

The Board alleges that Sen. Holloman failed to report over $23,000 in campaign contributions since 2002. Senator Holloman told News 14,

"My reports may have some errors and mistakes," Holloman said. "But I'm going to tell you all today -- I'm looking at you with a straight face -- Robert Holloman has nothing to hide. I'm not trying to hide anything."

More slime below the fold

My first thought after reading this article in The Washington Post , was that an earthly judgment day, of sorts, is arriving for Tom DeLay. My second thought was that some people in Texas must have awfully thick skulls. Maybe they are just not very bright in DeLay's district, or maybe they just happen to like people who are accused of multiple felonies and under indictment for some of them.
More below the fold