CREW’s Top Ten Scandals of 2009 (Including Some That May Have Slipped Under Your Radar, But Which Will Keep on Giving!)

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

What better way to end 2009 with a snappy overview of the “top ten” ethics scandals of the year!

Citizens for Responsiblity and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has put together a review of some of some of the high points, along with CREW’s wishes for the new year.

Of course, there’s the TARP/executive pay bonuses,  the SEC’s failure to catch Madoff  as he ripped off clients (starting way back in 1992), and a few sex scandals involving the likes of Gov. Mark Sanford and Senator John Ensign.  Then there was the political corruption of  Reps. Charlie Rangel and John Murtha with transgressions ranging from failing to pay taxes to shady pay-to-play schemes.

But there a few other items that may have slipped under your radar.

Here’s a sampling (the report is in PDF format):

CREW’S TOP TEN SCANDALS OF 2009

Public Corruption Prosecutions Were So 2009.
In 2009, the Supreme Court accepted three cases challenging honest services law, a provision in the federal mail-fraud statute making it illegal for public or private employees to “deprive another of the intangible right of honest services.” This statute is a critical prosecutorial tool for fighting public corruption, having been used to convict former Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) and a large number of those involved in the Jack Abramoff scandal. During oral arguments, the Supreme Court justices focused on all the ways the statute can misapplied, strongly suggesting they plan to limit the statute’s breadth, if not hold it unconstitutional. Already, the prosecutors
handling the case of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich have indicated they will re-indict the governor to delete the honest services fraud counts. In addition, Rep. Jefferson plans to ask a court to give him a new trial, though he was convicted of other charges in addition to honest services fraud.

CREW’s holiday wish: For the honest services fraud statute to remain intact so the law can continue to be used to convict the likes of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former Rep. Jefferson.

Ah, what would the year be like with the Roberts Supreme Court pulling some sort of crap?

And then there’s this:

What, The FEC Is Supposed to Enforce (Not Gut) Campaign Finance Laws?
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is failing in its mandated mission to administer and enforce regulations governing the financing of federal elections. Violations of federal campaign finance law are likely to go unpunished thanks to the partisan deadlock that has rendered the FEC ineffectual. With three Republican and three Democratic appointees, the FEC consistently fails to take action against even the most egregious violations. As The Washington Post said in an op-ed on June 15th: “The three Republican appointees are turning the commission into The Little Agency That Wouldn’t: wouldn’t launch investigations, wouldn’t bring cases, wouldn’t even accept settlements that the staff had already negotiated.”

By not taking action against federal candidates who break the rules, the FEC is encouraging unethical campaign tactics that privilege money over principle. The FEC commissioners’ failure to take their oversight mission seriously threatens to undermine campaign finance laws and further flood the electoral process with money. With a lack of campaign finance oversight, political influence on Capitol Hill will be bought by the highest bidder and the common good will be sacrificed to special interests.

CREW’s holiday wish: A restructured FEC with an odd number of commissioners, as opposed to  he current even number of six, would go a long way to ending the deadlock and allow the FEC to effectively enforce campaign finance laws.

Gee, where’s all that “bipartisanship” when you need it??

All in all, it was a banner year for scandals, but it looks like the stage is set for some of them to staying around as the “gifts that keep on giving.”

…including one that’s just revving up!   Ever hear of the “Caribbean Caucus?”  From the Miami Herald:

Feds probe banker Allen Stanford’s ties to Congress

The ties between indicted banker Allen Stanford and members of Congress — including millions in contributions and weekends in five-star Caribbean resorts — are now the subject of a sweeping federal investigation.

Lots of money floating around over the years to some familiar names: the powerful Republican Pete Sessions, John Sweeney, Gregory Meeks, Donald Payne, Phil Crane, the Republican National Committee, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, the G.W. Bush inaugural committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and more…

Won’t that make a great start to 2010??

P.S.–HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!

The Past Week: March 15-21, 2009 (Home Gardens on Alert?; “Practical” Democrats Group; Federal Education Stimulus $$ Going to Rich Schools; Soldiers Pledge to Refuse Illegal Orders; New Marxist President of El Salvador Compares His Message of Change to Obama’s)

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

We really enjoy doing the “Saturday Sanity” post which gives us an excuse to talk about gardening and to post some pictures. But now we have to worry about whether we can even HAVE gardens!!

A huge hat tip to Deadenders again, this time for this bizarre, but in these times, totally believable story:

Your Home Garden May Cost You Your Home

Read the details on HR 785 being pushed by Rep. Rose DeLauro (D-CT) who receives about 200K in PAC money from the agricultural industry  has ties to Monsanto through her husband. Deadenders comments:  “This bill creates a new government entity to police the production of all food in our county, not just the big farms but even your home garden. The language of the bill is as vague a campaign speech by Obama and once signed into law could be interpreted anyway the powers that be would like.”

We better enjoy them our gardens while we can!!  Do you think Michelle Obama’s White House garden will be confiscated??

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So Evan Bayh has formed his group of “moderate Democrats” that are supposed to be “practical” and full of  “common sense.” If there’s one name that sticks out in all this, it’s the presence of Claire McCaskill of Missouri.  Claire was a very strong supporter of Obama but lately has joined Russ Feingold as one of only two Democratic senators to oppose earmarks.  Claire must be getting an earful from the folks back home in the “Show Me” state…or she’s a mole.

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Well, surprise, surprise!  All that federal money pouring into education is somehow getting distributed in ways that aren’t getting the cash to the places that need it the most. Apparently, old federal formulas are still in use and CHANGE hasn’t really happened:

Some Rich Districts Get Richer as Aid Is Rushed to Schools

RANDOLPH, Utah — Dale Lamborn, the superintendent of a somewhat threadbare rural school district, feels the pain of Utah’s economic crisis every day as he tinkers with his shrinking budget, struggling to avoid laying off teachers or cutting classes like welding or calculus.

Just across the border in Wyoming, a state awash in oil and gas money, James Bailey runs a wealthier district. It has a new elementary school and gives every child an Apple laptop.

But under the Obama administration’s education stimulus package, Mr. Lamborn, who needs every penny he can get, will receive hundreds of dollars less per student than will Dr. Bailey, who says he does not need the extra money.

“For us, this is just a windfall,” Dr. Bailey said.

MORE

This story reminds me of the story we reported last week about money going to Albuquerque and the new busses being bought with it being out of state and out of the country.  Seems the stimulus money is wandering around without any real direction at all…Get a compass, quick!

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A hat tip to Logistics Monster for this story:

The Tip of the Iceberg/Soldiers pledge to refuse disarmament demands

An invitation to soldiers and peace officers across the United States to pledge to refuse illegal orders – including “state of emergency” orders that could include disarming or detaining American citizens – has struck a chord, collecting more than 100,000 website visitors in a little over a week and hundreds of e-mails daily.

MORE

But will they defend my garden?  Well, read through the long list of things the group of mosty active soldiers will NOT do…

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Meanwhile in El Salvador..last Sunday’s Presidential election was won by an ex-journalist with Marxist ties who is vowing closer ties to the Obama adminstration…

Ex-Guerrillas Win El Salvador Election

From the AP story:

Behind Mauricio Funes is a party of former Marxist guerrillas that fought to overthrow U.S.-backed governments in the 1980s and whose rise to power has raised fears of a communist regime in the war-scarred Central American country.

Funes, who gave up journalism less than two years ago to become the presidential candidate of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, or FMLN, sought to quell those concerns after his historic victory Sunday.

SNIP

Funes, who was a TV reporter during the war, has stayed away from the firebrand anti-U.S. rhetoric that characterizes Ortega and Venezuela’s leftist President Hugo Chavez. Instead, he has compared his message of change to Obama’s.

Funes, who takes office June 1, promised in his victory speech that strengthening ties with the United States would be a priority. The Obama administration congratulated him Monday.

SNIP

The overture was a marked departure from the administration of former President George W. Bush, which suggested during the 2004 election that it could not trust an FMLN government.

SNIP
The overture was a marked departure from the administration of former President George W. Bush, which suggested during the 2004 election that it could not trust an FMLN government.

But, but…Funes is echoing Obama’s “message of change…”  Which makes Funes as completely trustworthy as Obama is…

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Finally, be sure to check out two important stories:

House Passes HR 1388 Under Cover of AIG Diversion –The Linchpin in the Obama Plan to “BUY” Voters …Read What It Says and PLEASE SIGN PETITION TO SENATE NOW!!

The petition will be taking signatures through Monday.

Also:

Take a look at they story about Attorney Orly Taitz and her contacts with Chief Justice John Roberts and Antonin Scalia on the subject of Obama’s citizenship status that was included in the recent Scanner

The Scanner–Politics March 18, 2009: (Taitz-Supreme Court; Sharia Law in Minnesota re: Home Mortgages; Stimulus Money Wanders from the States; Privatizing Vets’ Healthcare)

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THE PAST WEEK

*By American Lassie

**By Grail Guardian

***By Kenosha Marge

Saturday Sanity: The Antidote to the Madness (March 21, 2009) (Flowers, Fruit and a Miniature Spider Web)

House Passes HR 1388 Under Cover of AIG Diversion –The Linchpin in the Obama Plan to “BUY” Voters …Read What It Says and PLEASE SIGN PETITION TO SENATE NOW!!

*Get in the Mood…It’s SPRING!!

Have You RSVP’d For the DFA Birthday Party Yet?

The Scanner–Politics March 18, 2009: (Taitz-Supreme Court; Sharia Law in Minnesota re: Home Mortgages; Stimulus Money Wanders from the States; Privatizing Vets’ Healthcare)

**The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the North American Union: A Layman’s Overview of the Coming New World Order

ALERT: PLEASE SUPPORT ACTION TO OPPOSE CARD-CHECK NOW! W.A.M ALERT

***Left and Right and Silly

The Past Week: March 8-14, 2009 (Alaska Rivalry? Palin/Murkowski; Franken vs.Colemen=Bush vs. Gore?; China Gearing Up for It’s Own Second Stimulus Package; Sen. Gregg’s Parting Shot)

The Scanner–Politics March 18, 2009: (Taitz-Supreme Court; Sharia Law in Minnesota re: Home Mortgages; Stimulus Money Wanders from the States; Privatizing Vets’ Healthcare)

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

Where to begin? There are so many things out there to choose and I had to delete a few!

So here goes…

If  you missed the Monday night show (3/16) with Betty Jean Kling and Dr. Orly Taitz, check out the archived on demand program. If you don’t have an hour to do so, at least check out the post on the subject: Chief  justice publicly accepts WND’s eligibility petition which raises some very interesting question about what the heck is going on at the Supreme Court re: the justices “not knowing” about briefs about Obama’s citizenship issues and cases being erased from the docket.  Recall that Obama met with Roberts and other justices and start wondering…But, if you can listen to the show, which has much more information to ponder…

And, to really keep up to date, check out Attorney Taitz’s website at http://defendourfreedoms.us/.

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From the more funny business department:

A HUGE hat tip to Deadenders for this story about mortgages and Sharia law unfolding in Minnesota.  And, for a news report on this, see this article from the Bismarck Tribune.

Minn. state agency offers Islamic mortgages

Mar 08, 2009 – 04:05:16 CDT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – For many Minnesota Muslims, it’s been virtually impossible to buy a home, because Islamic law forbids the paying or charging of interest. To help close the home ownership gap among Muslim immigrants, the state’s housing agency has launched a new program offering Islamic mortgages.

Now, recall the post we had up  just after the election about meetings at the Treasury Department: The SCANNER-Politics 11/7/08: Newsweek Editors on Charlie Rose in the SCARIEST Description of Obama So Far…(Video/Partially Transcripted); Sharia Hits the Treasury Department/HARVARD Alert!; Hill the Shill (UPDATE 1X) .  American Lassie had tipped me off to the meeting and I did a bit of snooping at the time:

Islamic financing by Sharia law has been in operation around the globe for quite awhile and is not necessarily a first step toward full Sharia Law being included in our legal code.  As far back as 2006, HARVARD LAW SCHOOL was running sessions by the “Islamic Finance Group” under name “Islamic Finance 101: Introduction and Career Opportunities” under the auspices of Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

So, we’ve got HARVARD UNIVERSITY/LAW SCHOOL, BUSHCO, and OBAMACO….all doing their thing on SHARIA INVESTING.  Coincidence?????  (UPDATE:  See Al-Mansour connection below)

Michelle Malkin (I can’t believe I’m citing her, but facts are facts!) put up a post on this Treasury event later yesterday/Thursday.)

I couldn’t find the story at Human Events when I tried yesterday, but I did track down it down at the Center for Security Policy. They may sound over the top, but…They were holding a press conference on all this…did you hear about this subject in the MSM?  Think not…

And now it seems the state of Minnesota is involved in Sharia Law…

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Hey, seen any stimulus money yet in your state?  Well, some of it may be going out of the country… From the Albuquerque Journal:

Monday, March 16, 2009

N.M. Stimulus Creating Jobs Elsewhere

Will a batch of transit-related federal stimulus money help boost the Duke City economy? Or will people mainly be taken for a ride on a bunch of new city buses built in Canada and Minnesota?

The city was recently allocated about $11.3 million in federal stimulus money for ABQ Ride vehicles and equipment purchases. Of that total, $11.1 million will be used to buy about 20 new buses and upgrades to fare boxes.

ABQ Ride has been upgrading its fleet in recent years. Almost 40 new buses are being added, and they are built by Winnipeg, Canada-headquartered New Flyer.

About 40 percent of each bus is built in Canada, the other 60 percent in Minnesota, where New Flyer also has manufacturing facilities.

Transit Director Greg Payne said that, despite its Canadian operations, New Flyer qualifies as an American-made company under the rules of the Federal Transit Administration.

Lawrence Rael, executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments, said the stimulus rules require proof of job creation.

They just don’t have to be here.

MORE

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While the stimulus money wanders around, the American Legion is angered by Obama’s plans to charge wounded service people for their care. No improvement in care in Obamaland over Bush…

The American Legion Strongly Opposed to President’s Plan to Charge Wounded Heroes for Treatment

Mon Mar 16, 5:49 pm ET

Featured Topics:

To: POLITICAL EDITORS

WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The leader of the nation’s largest veterans organization says he is “deeply disappointed and concerned” after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.

“It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan,” said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. “He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it.”

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“Moral and government-avowed obligations?”  Obama honoring them?   HAH!