AM Feed - June 1: Bush Fundraiser Pleads Guilty
Hot Topics
- Tom Noe, a former Republican fundraiser, pleaded guilty yesterday to charges that he schemed to illegally funnel money into the campaign coffers of President Bush. Noe faced three felony charges for his actions, which included using politicians, former aides to Ohio Republican Gov. Bob Taft, coworkers and other associates as “conduits” for donating extra cash to Bush in the 2004 election. One Justice Department official stated that this was the largest campaign money-laundering case since new campaign finance laws took effect. Noe was named a Bush “Pioneer” by the campaign. [link]
- Executive pay packages have ballooned in recent years – who can forget the latest, most egregious example of ExxonMobil CEO Lee Raymond receiving a $400 million payout (which prompted revolt among Exxon shareholders)? But these astronomical packages are not only outrageous – in some cases they appear to be improper as well. According to the filings of some companies – including Halliburton – executives are often rewarded with bonuses that do not match up with the performance standards laid out by the corporate boards. In other words, executives stand to profit whether their companies do or not. “Lowering the hurdles is especially disconcerting because very often the goals are not set all that high to begin with,” said Harvard Law School professor Lucian Bebchuk. [link]
- Less than a week after the convictions of former Enron executives Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, another Texas jury found Kevin Howard, the former finance chief of Enron’s broadband unit, guilty on five counts of fraud, conspiracy and falsifying records. The jury acquitted an Enron accountant on the same charges. Howard was convicted for his role in a scheme to falsely boost profits for Enron. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 25 years. [link]
Quote of the Day
“Before every election, the [Pittsburgh] Post-Gazette routinely sends letters to the candidates seeking material for the Voters Guide. Back in March, as part of that process for the primary, the newspaper sent a letter to Rick Santorum at his home address, at least the one that he claims. Back from Penn Hills came the letter with a sticker from the U.S. Postal Service checked as ‘Not Deliverable As Addressed—Unable To Forward.’” – Excerpt from a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial blasting Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) for residing in Virginia.
Morning Snark
- Could Tom Noe and Jack Abramoff start a “Bush Pioneer” social club together in prison?
Comment
- So where does Mr. Santorum vote? Does he perhaps have the same issues Freaky Ann Coulter does? She is in trouble for voting out of her district.
Could MR. Santorum possibly be cheating or lying?? No, I can’t believe a fine upstanding christian heterosexual republican would do that.
— MO Jun 1, 11:51 # - So this is the result of having the moral majority in power! I hope all those values voters out there who aligned themselves with the Republican Party in the last two elections are happy with the results they’ve wrought.
Another news item not mentioned above but related to my first paragraph was the whistle blower ruling by the Supreme Court which essentially sides w/the govt over individual whistle blowers who try to report wrongdoing by those in power.
It’s good to have this forum where I can see there are actually others out there who are as dumbfounded as I am.
— jen Jun 1, 11:57 # - MO, that’s quite an Oxymoron” fine. upstanding christian repuplican”. I wonder where Ann Coulter developed such a hateful and hating personality.I no longer watch her. If she comes on I change channels. As for Mr Santorium, I predict that he will wind up in jail.
— Rosalie Stern Jun 1, 12:01 # - That whistle-blower decision by the Supreme Court made me sick. They all play with themselves under their robes when they make rulings undermining the rights of Americans.
Ann Coulter makes me sick too – I can’t imagine the self-loathing she must feel. And don’t get me started on Rick “Dog-Sex” Santorum – I liked when Former Senator Bob Kerrey said, “Santorum is Latin for ‘Asshole’”...
— John Jun 1, 12:35 # - Better a bleeding heart than none at all!
— Teekleman Jun 1, 12:46 # - There’s going to be another vote next week in the House of Reps on HR 1217 which is a proposal to close down the School of the Americas, AKA the Orwellian-named Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). To uninitiated readers this school is on the grounds of Fort Benning in Georgia and is quite literally a terrorist training ground – Latin American soldiers are sent to this school to learn techniques of torture, assassination, union-busting, etc. and commit massive human rights abuses when they go back to their countries. For those concerned about immigration, the suffering and unrest that the School of the Americans sows throughout Latin America is a factor in fueling immigration to this country. I would urge all readers to contact your member of Congress to encourage her or him to vote for the passage of HR 1217…
— John Jun 1, 13:20 #
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