| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Fred Stone" |
| Date: |
24 May 2006 04:27:30 AM |
| Object: |
Congressional Death Wish |
Do these idiots seriously think that they're above the law now?
"Invasion of the legislative branch?" Uh, congressman, that was a search
warrant.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/05/gop_challenges_.html
GOP challenges FBI raid of Jefferson's office
Displaying bipartisanship for one of their own, House Republican leaders
are expressing concern that the FBI's search of the Capitol office of
Louisiana Democrat William Jefferson crossed the constitutional boundary
between the White House and Congress. Tuesday, House Majority Leader
John Boehner called the weekend raid "the Justice Department's invasion
of the legislative branch" and predicted the issue would "end up across
the street at the Supreme Court." Read all about the ramifications of
the raid — which one blogger calls "The Shot Heard 'Round The Hill" —
from The Associated Press, The Washington Post and The Hill.
Conservative blogger (and law professor) Instapundit is skeptical about
the GOP's constitutional concern: "The separation of powers argument
seems to be pretty weak to me."
Meanwhile, The New York Times takes a look at how the Jefferson bribery
probe has cast a shadow over Democratic attempts to hang the "culture of
corruption" sign around Republican necks. One influential liberal blog
offers this advice to Democrats: "Tell Mr. Jefferson to resign
immediately." Jefferson said Monday he won't.
--
Fred Stone
aa# 1369
How can we connect the dots
if we cannot collect the dots?
*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***
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| User: "Hotel Charlie One" |
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| Title: Re: Congressional Death Wish |
24 May 2006 09:09:44 AM |
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Fred Stone <fstone69@earthling.com> wrote in
news:Xns97CD4157D1560fstone69@66.150.105.47:
Do these idiots seriously think that they're above the law now?
"Invasion of the legislative branch?" Uh, congressman, that was a
search warrant.
And nothing happened when 900 FBI files on prominent Republicans
mysteriously found their way to the Clinton White House.
It's called IGNORING THE CONSTITUTION and it runs in both parties.
One does it then the other does it, to use your phrase "Payback is
a *****". You Dems and Repubs made your bed, quit bitching about it.
--
The actions of the disgraceful Clinton and Bush administrations
make it possible for me to say without shame that I deeply regret
the day I put the uniform of my country. The freedoms that I was
willing to protect with my life are gone. The America of our founders
is dead. All we are waiting for now is rigor mortis.
HotelCharlieOne
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| User: "Fred Stone" |
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| Title: Re: Congressional Death Wish |
24 May 2006 08:57:28 AM |
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Hotel Charlie One <hotel_charlie_one@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:Xns97CD48DB2E9EFcipciphc1@199.45.49.11:
Fred Stone <fstone69@earthling.com> wrote in
news:Xns97CD4157D1560fstone69@66.150.105.47:
Do these idiots seriously think that they're above the law now?
"Invasion of the legislative branch?" Uh, congressman, that was a
search warrant.
And nothing happened when 900 FBI files on prominent Republicans
mysteriously found their way to the Clinton White House.
It's called IGNORING THE CONSTITUTION and it runs in both parties.
One does it then the other does it, to use your phrase "Payback is
a *****". You Dems and Repubs made your bed, quit bitching about it.
Saaaaay whaaaat? Unlike Bubba's excursion into the FBI's files, the Justice
Department's raid on Congressman Jefferson's office was duly authorized by
a search warrant. This isn't about tit-for-tat. Don't be such a tit.
--
Fred Stone
aa# 1369
How can we connect the dots
if we cannot collect the dots?
*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***
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| User: "Wunderkind" |
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| Title: Re: Congressional Death Wish |
24 May 2006 07:07:52 PM |
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Fred Stone wrote:
Do these idiots seriously think that they're above the law now?
"Invasion of the legislative branch?" Uh, congressman, that was a search
warrant.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/05/gop_challenges_.html
GOP challenges FBI raid of Jefferson's office
Displaying bipartisanship for one of their own, House Republican leaders
are expressing concern that the FBI's search of the Capitol office of
Louisiana Democrat William Jefferson crossed the constitutional boundary
between the White House and Congress. Tuesday, House Majority Leader
John Boehner called the weekend raid "the Justice Department's invasion
of the legislative branch" and predicted the issue would "end up across
the street at the Supreme Court." Read all about the ramifications of
the raid — which one blogger calls "The Shot Heard 'Round The Hill" —
from The Associated Press, The Washington Post and The Hill.
Conservative blogger (and law professor) Instapundit is skeptical about
the GOP's constitutional concern: "The separation of powers argument
seems to be pretty weak to me."
Meanwhile, The New York Times takes a look at how the Jefferson bribery
probe has cast a shadow over Democratic attempts to hang the "culture of
corruption" sign around Republican necks. One influential liberal blog
offers this advice to Democrats: "Tell Mr. Jefferson to resign
immediately." Jefferson said Monday he won't.
Speaker (R-IL) Hastert is now also under Federal investigation:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060524/pl_nm/congress_ethics_hastert_dc_1
Apparently, the investigation is related to former mega-lobbyist Abramov!
WK
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| User: "Fred Stone" |
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| Title: Re: Congressional Death Wish |
25 May 2006 07:14:39 AM |
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Wunderkind <a@b.com> wrote in
news:sz6dg.39626$Lm5.18242@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com:
Fred Stone wrote:
Do these idiots seriously think that they're above the law now?
"Invasion of the legislative branch?" Uh, congressman, that was a
search warrant.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/05/gop_challenges_.html
GOP challenges FBI raid of Jefferson's office
Displaying bipartisanship for one of their own, House Republican
leaders are expressing concern that the FBI's search of the Capitol
office of Louisiana Democrat William Jefferson crossed the
constitutional boundary between the White House and Congress.
Tuesday, House Majority Leader John Boehner called the weekend raid
"the Justice Department's invasion of the legislative branch" and
predicted the issue would "end up across the street at the Supreme
Court." Read all about the ramifications of the raid — which one
blogger calls "The Shot Heard 'Round The Hill" — from The Associated
Press, The Washington Post and The Hill.
Conservative blogger (and law professor) Instapundit is skeptical
about the GOP's constitutional concern: "The separation of powers
argument seems to be pretty weak to me."
Meanwhile, The New York Times takes a look at how the Jefferson
bribery probe has cast a shadow over Democratic attempts to hang the
"culture of corruption" sign around Republican necks. One influential
liberal blog offers this advice to Democrats: "Tell Mr. Jefferson to
resign immediately." Jefferson said Monday he won't.
Speaker (R-IL) Hastert is now also under Federal investigation:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060524/pl_nm/congress_ethics_hastert_dc_1
Apparently, the investigation is related to former mega-lobbyist
Abramov!
WK
ABC is too far ahead of the news cycle on this one:
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=
2006-05-25T001634Z_01_N24347641_RTRUKOC_0_US-CONGRESS-HASTERT-
JUSTICE.xml&archived=False
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday denied a
report that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert,
is under investigation by the FBI in connection with a corruption probe.
***
On the other hand, one has to wonder what he's got to hide? He doesn't
have a leg to stand on. The Constitutional argument he's making has more
holes in it than my old socks.
--
Fred Stone
aa# 1369
How can we connect the dots
if we cannot collect the dots?
*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***
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| User: "wbarwell" |
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| Title: Re: Congressional Death Wish |
25 May 2006 04:39:06 PM |
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Fred Stone wrote:
Wunderkind <a@b.com> wrote in
news:sz6dg.39626$Lm5.18242@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com:
Fred Stone wrote:
Do these idiots seriously think that they're above the law now?
"Invasion of the legislative branch?" Uh, congressman, that was a
search warrant.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/05/gop_challenges_.html
GOP challenges FBI raid of Jefferson's office
Displaying bipartisanship for one of their own, House Republican
leaders are expressing concern that the FBI's search of the Capitol
office of Louisiana Democrat William Jefferson crossed the
constitutional boundary between the White House and Congress.
Tuesday, House Majority Leader John Boehner called the weekend raid
"the Justice Department's invasion of the legislative branch" and
predicted the issue would "end up across the street at the Supreme
Court." Read all about the ramifications of the raid — which one
blogger calls "The Shot Heard 'Round The Hill" — from The Associated
Press, The Washington Post and The Hill.
Conservative blogger (and law professor) Instapundit is skeptical
about the GOP's constitutional concern: "The separation of powers
argument seems to be pretty weak to me."
Meanwhile, The New York Times takes a look at how the Jefferson
bribery probe has cast a shadow over Democratic attempts to hang the
"culture of corruption" sign around Republican necks. One influential
liberal blog offers this advice to Democrats: "Tell Mr. Jefferson to
resign immediately." Jefferson said Monday he won't.
Speaker (R-IL) Hastert is now also under Federal investigation:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060524/pl_nm/congress_ethics_hastert_dc_1
Apparently, the investigation is related to former mega-lobbyist
Abramov!
WK
ABC is too far ahead of the news cycle on this one:
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=
2006-05-25T001634Z_01_N24347641_RTRUKOC_0_US-CONGRESS-HASTERT-
JUSTICE.xml&archived=False
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday denied a
report that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert,
is under investigation by the FBI in connection with a corruption probe.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/05/abc_news_update.html
ABC News Update on Hastert Story
May 24, 2006
Brian Ross Reports:
Richard Esposito and Rhonda Schwartz contributed to this report.
Despite a flat denial from the Department of Justice, federal law
enforcement sources tonight said ABC News accurately reported that
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is "in the mix" in the FBI
investigation of corruption in Congress.
Speaker Hastert said tonight the story was "absolutely untrue" and has
demanded ABC News retract its story.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that convicted lobbyist Jack
Abramoff has provided information to the FBI about Hastert and a
number of other members of Congress that have broadened the scope of
the investigation.
Sources would not divulge details of the Abramoff’s information.
"You guys wrote the story very carefully but they are not reading it
very carefully," a senior official said.
One focus involves a letter Hastert wrote in 2003 urging the Secretary
of the Interior to block an Indian casino that would have competed
with tribes represented by Abramoff.
The letter was written within days of a fund-raiser held for Hastert
at Abramoff’s restaurant in Washington.
Federal campaign records show more than $26,000 was raised at the time
from Abramoff and his clients.
Hastert has denied doing anything unlawful and says he has a long
history of opposing certain types of Indian casinos.
ABC’s law enforcement sources said the Justice Department denial was
meant only to deny that Hastert was a formal "target" or "subject" of
the investigation.
"Whether they like it or not, members of Congress, including Hastert,
are under investigation," one federal official said tonight.
______________________________________________________
Whoops
Harry
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| User: "Fred Stone" |
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| Title: Re: Congressional Death Wish |
25 May 2006 04:33:04 PM |
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wbarwell <wbarwell@mylinuxisp.com> wrote in
news:127c8ltrqo3l8bd@corp.supernews.com:
Fred Stone wrote:
Wunderkind <a@b.com> wrote in
news:sz6dg.39626$Lm5.18242@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com:
Fred Stone wrote:
Do these idiots seriously think that they're above the law now?
"Invasion of the legislative branch?" Uh, congressman, that was a
search warrant.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/05/gop_challenges_.html
GOP challenges FBI raid of Jefferson's office
Displaying bipartisanship for one of their own, House Republican
leaders are expressing concern that the FBI's search of the Capitol
office of Louisiana Democrat William Jefferson crossed the
constitutional boundary between the White House and Congress.
Tuesday, House Majority Leader John Boehner called the weekend raid
"the Justice Department's invasion of the legislative branch" and
predicted the issue would "end up across the street at the Supreme
Court." Read all about the ramifications of the raid — which one
blogger calls "The Shot Heard 'Round The Hill" — from The
Associated Press, The Washington Post and The Hill.
Conservative blogger (and law professor) Instapundit is skeptical
about the GOP's constitutional concern: "The separation of powers
argument seems to be pretty weak to me."
Meanwhile, The New York Times takes a look at how the Jefferson
bribery probe has cast a shadow over Democratic attempts to hang
the "culture of corruption" sign around Republican necks. One
influential liberal blog offers this advice to Democrats: "Tell Mr.
Jefferson to resign immediately." Jefferson said Monday he won't.
Speaker (R-IL) Hastert is now also under Federal investigation:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060524/pl_nm/congress_ethics_hastert_dc_
1
Apparently, the investigation is related to former mega-lobbyist
Abramov!
WK
ABC is too far ahead of the news cycle on this one:
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=
2006-05-25T001634Z_01_N24347641_RTRUKOC_0_US-CONGRESS-HASTERT-
JUSTICE.xml&archived=False
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday
denied a report that the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Dennis Hastert, is under investigation by the FBI in connection with
a corruption probe.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/05/abc_news_update.html
ABC News Update on Hastert Story
May 24, 2006
<snip>
whoops indeed.
http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2006/05/abc_buste
d.html
ABC Busted!
Quick Update: I won't make you wait, though it's buried at the end of
the old story below. All of this alleged influence peddling? It didn't
pay off. That's right, the deal Hastert supposedly was trying to stop
went through. Is it a bribe if you don't get what you want? And why
didn't ABC tell us that?
The Interior Department initially rejected the Jena Band's request,
citing technical reasons. But the tribe persisted and eventually won
approval. The casino plan is now tied up in an unrelated legal dispute.
Also, it needs to be pointed out that the new Ross non-story includes
these key elements: the Justice Department denial was meant only to deny
that Hastert was a formal “target” or “subject” of the investigation ...
The investigation of Hastert’s relationship with Abramoff is in the
early stages, according to these officials, and could eventually
conclude that Abramoff’s information was unfounded.
Consequently, there are no new facts in the Ross story and actually
fewer than those published months ago. What was done is that the ties to
Democrats were, for some reason, left out of this latest reporting
rehash, which does not advance the story from January one single bit.
The Ross / ABC headline grabbing story is a non-story, perhaps fed to
him by someone who wanted to take a shot at Hastert. And not even a web
search was done to flesh the story out, or discover that Ross was being
had. There is no news here whatsoever, other than what could have been
known or assumed from reading the Chicago Tribune four months ago. In
fact, there is less information - and pertinent facts omitted serve to
make it appear worse than it might be.
ABC should reconsider its approach to breaking news of this type if it
wishes to maintain its credibility, such as it is. If this is what
editorial oversight gets you, I'd argue its worse than anything a good
and ethical blogger would publish on their site.
Quite an exclusive, this earth shattering report from ABC Wednesday
evening. Oh, this is going to be great! Please read below.
Federal officials say the Congressional bribery investigation now
includes Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, based on information from
convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating with the government.
Part of the investigation involves a letter Hastert wrote three
years ago, urging the Secretary of the Interior to block a casino on an
Indian reservation that would have competed with other tribes.
And they've been milking it all night, see latest update here.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that convicted lobbyist Jack
Abramoff has provided information to the FBI about Hastert and a number
of other members of Congress that have broadened the scope of the
investigation. Sources would not divulge details of the Abramoff’s
information.
"You guys wrote the story very carefully but they are not reading it
very carefully," a senior official said...
ABC’s law enforcement sources said the Justice Department denial was
meant only to deny that Hastert was a formal “target” or “subject” of
the investigation.
"Whether they like it or not, members of Congress, including
Hastert, are under investigation," one federal official said tonight.
The investigation of Hastert’s relationship with Abramoff is in the
early stages, according to these officials, and could eventually
conclude that Abramoff’s information was unfounded.
Investigative reporter Brian Ross certainly is quite a sleuth. So, why
is it his story contains even less detail than this archived story below
from Mercury News via the Chicago Tribune dated ... wait for it ...
January 4th. Way to go, Brian. Hell of a scoop! You were had and allowed
it to go out to the world as news when it wasn't news at all.
Abramoff plea could bring renewed scrutiny of Hastert letter
WASHINGTON - The guilty plea by lobbyist Jack Abramoff could bring
renewed scrutiny of a letter sent by House Speaker Dennis Hastert of
Illinois to Interior Secretary Gale Norton urging her to block an Indian
casino opposed by rival tribes represented by Abramoff just one week
after the lobbyist hosted a fundraiser for Hastert's political action
committee.
Many in official Washington, Republicans and Democrats, were
scrambling Wednesday to try to distance themselves from Abramoff -
Hastert among them - fearing that they could be tainted by even the
appearance of an association with the now disgraced lobbyist.
Abramoff pleaded guilty this week to corruption charges and agreed
to cooperate with federal prosecutors in a broadening investigation of
bribery in Washington, which Abramoff admitted included the exchange of
campaign contributions and other favors for official assistance to his
clients. As part of his plea agreement, Abramoff is expected to help
investigators determine whether others, including elected officials,
broke any laws.
Indian tribes represented by Abramoff donated more than $20,000 to
Hastert around the time of the fundraiser, which was held at Signatures,
a Washington restaurant owned by Abramoff. Hastert's campaign committee
did not pay the tab for the June 3, 2003, luncheon fundraiser until last
year, following media inquiries about the unpaid check.
Hastert, who wields considerable influence as the top-ranking
Republican in the House, was joined in his letter to Norton by three of
the most powerful House Republican leaders: former House Majority Leader
Tom DeLay, then-Majority Whip Roy Blunt and Chief Deputy House Whip Eric
Cantor, all of whom also received campaign contributions from Indian
tribes represented by Abramoff.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Democratic leader in the Senate, and
Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., were also among recipients of large
contributions from tribes represented by Abramoff. Asked about Abramoff,
Reid told the Las Vegas Sun, "I don't know him. I don't want to know
him. I know nothing about it other than what I read in the newspaper.
.... This is a Republican scandal."
In all, Hastert received $69,000 in contributions from Abramoff and
Indian tribes represented by the lobbyist, according to the Center for
Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that monitors campaign
contributions. Hastert announced this week he would donate the money to
charity.
The close connection between the fundraiser for Hastert and the
letter the speaker sent to the Interior Department was first reported by
the Associated Press in November. But the events take on a new
significance following Abramoff's guilty plea.
Hastert press secretary Ron Bonjean denied any link between the
fundraiser and Hastert's intervention against the rival tribe's efforts
to establish a casino.
Bonjean said that Hastert has regularly opposed efforts by Indian
tribes to establish casinos outside their traditional reservations, as
was the case with the Louisiana casino opposed by Abramoff's clients.
The practice is sometimes called reservation shopping.
"The speaker has had a long history of being against Indian
reservation shopping in Illinois," said Bonjean. He cited Hastert's
opposition to a proposed casino in south suburban Lynwood sought by the
Ho-Chunk Indian Nation of Wisconsin and his opposition to plans by the
Potawatomi Nation to establish a casino in Shabbona.
Bonjean said Hastert waded into the Louisiana casino dispute at the
request of Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La., and that the timing of the
Republican leaders' letter was a coincidence. A spokeswoman for McCrery
did not return phone calls or an e-mail Wednesday evening.
Hastert's letter concerned a tribal dispute that has become one of
the focal points of the corruption scandal swirling around Abramoff.
In January 2002, then-Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster, a Republican,
agreed to allow a plan for a casino sought by the Jena Band of Choctaw
Indians, an impoverished group of about 200 people spread through rural
north-central Louisiana. The tribe had only won federal recognition in
1995. But Foster argued it was a good deal for the state, which would
receive 15.5 percent of the profits.
Two Abramoff clients, however, opposed the casino. The Coushatta
Tribe of Louisiana feared a new casino would cut into business for its
resort, which reportedly took in $300 million a year. And the
Mississippi Band of Choctaws also feared it would reduce traffic to
their casino.
Abramoff recruited prominent Christian conservatives James Dobson
and Ralph Reed to wage a campaign against the Jena Band's casino on the
grounds it would expand gambling, even though Abramoff's clients were
casinos protecting their business. Dobson and Reed have said they were
duped.
At least 33 members of Congress signed letters to Norton opposing
the Jena Band casino and received more than $830,000 in contributions
from Abramoff and tribes he represented between 2001 and 2004, according
to the AP.
McCrery received more than $52,000 in contributions from Abramoff
and tribes represented by Abramoff, the Center for Responsive Politics
said.
In the June 10, 2003, letter that Hastert and the other GOP House
leaders sent to Norton, they urged her to interpret a 1988 law in a way
that would be unfavorable to the Jena Band's plans to start a casino.
The Interior Department initially rejected the Jena Band's request,
citing technical reasons. But the tribe persisted and eventually won
approval. The casino plan is now tied up in an unrelated legal dispute.
--
Fred Stone
aa# 1369
"No, Congressman, Checks and Balances aren't about bribes."
*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***
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