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Thu Oct 6 2005
Safavian, Abramoff, DeLay, And The K Street Project
The separation of the Bush political machine from organized crime is often like the thin layer of rock between a seemingly ordinary surface and volcanic activity rumbling below. Sometimes, the lava spews forth and the illusion of normalcy is shattered.
In the weeks ahead, a dangerous eruption is again threatening to shake the Bush family’s image of legitimacy, as the pressure from intersecting scandals builds.
So far, the mainstream news media has focused mostly on the white-collar abuses of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay for allegedly laundering corporate donations to help Republicans gain control of the Texas legislature, or on deputy White House chief of staff Karl Rove for disclosing the identity of a covert CIA officer to undercut her husband’s criticism of George W. Bush’s case for war in Iraq.
Both offenses represent potential felonies, but they pale beside new allegations linking business associates of star GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff – an ally of both DeLay and Rove – to the gangland-style murder of casino owner Konstantinos “Gus” Boulis in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2001. These criminal cases also are reminders of George H.W. Bush’s long record of unsavory associations, including with a Nicaraguan contra network permeated by cocaine traffickers, Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s multi-million-dollar money-laundering operations, and anti-communist Cuban extremists tied to acts of international terrorism.
Safavian, Former Chief Procurement Officer for the OMB
On October 5th, 2005, David Safavian, was accused in the federal grand jury indictment of making false statements to investigators. Safavian was arrested on September 19th, three days after resigning from his job as the chief procurement officer for the Office of Management and Budget. The charges against Safavian go back to his former position as chief of staff at the General Services Administration. While he was in that position he is accused of taking gifts from Jack Abramoff and covering up help he allegedly gave Abramoff, who was pursuing land deals with the General Services Administration. As Chief Procurement Officer for the OMB, Safavian helped create the rules for federal reconstruction contracts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Jack Abramoff, Lobbyist & Republican Activist
Abramoff is a central figure in a series of high-profile political scandals linked to the Republican Party. He is currently under investigation by grand juries in Washington, D.C., for his involvement in the Abramoff-Reed Indian Gambling Scandal, and by a grand jury in Guam over a separate matter. He was indicted on August 11, 2005, by a third grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for bank fraud arising out of an unrelated business deal.
Abramoff also is under investigation for his ties to the murder of Konstantinos Boulis; in September 2005, police charged three men in the 2001 gangland-style slaying of the Florida businessman who was gunned down in his car months after selling a casino cruise line to a group that included Jack Abramoff. Two of the three men charged had been hired as consultants by Adam Kidan, one of Abramoff's partners in the SunCruz Casinos venture. The men accused of the murder are allegedly connected to the Gambino crime family, but had received money from Abramoff in the months before the murder.
The investigations and indictments of Abramoff have taken on significant national importance because of the lobbyist's close political connections with leading national Republicans, including President of the United States George W. Bush. Congressman Tom DeLay, former Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, has called Abramoff one of his “closest and dearest friends.” Abramoff also has been a leading George W. Bush political fundraiser.
Tom DeLay, Former House Majority Leader
On September 28th, 2005, a Texas grand jury indicted House Majority leader Tom DeLay (R - Texas) and two political associates, charging them with a conspiracy to violate Texas campaign finance laws.
The K Street Project
The K Street Project is little known outside the Washington beltway and its effectiveness as a political stratagem is only possible because of the unique importance of campaign finance to American politics. DeLay, together with Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and some conservative activists conceived the notion 10 years ago that they should use the Republican majority in the House as a lever to ensure that the lobbyists, law firms and trade associations that inhabit Washington's K Street, heart of the industry, should only employ Republicans or sympathisers. It worked. The most influential Washington lobbyist is Barbour, Griffiths and Rogers; it employs not a single Democrat. Last year, in a classic operation, House Republicans let the Motion Picture Association of America (the film industry lobby group) know that appointing a Democrat, Dan Glickman, as its head would mean $1.5 billion of tax relief for the film industry was now in peril. Glickman staffed up the MPAA with Republicans, but the threat remains. In 2003, the Republican National Committee could claim that 33 of the top 36 top-level K Street positions were in Republican hands. Today, it's even closer to a clean sweep.
So far, the mainstream news media has focused mostly on the white-collar abuses of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay for allegedly laundering corporate donations to help Republicans gain control of the Texas legislature, or on deputy White House chief of staff Karl Rove for disclosing the identity of a covert CIA officer to undercut her husband’s criticism of George W. Bush’s case for war in Iraq.
Both offenses represent potential felonies, but they pale beside new allegations linking business associates of star GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff – an ally of both DeLay and Rove – to the gangland-style murder of casino owner Konstantinos “Gus” Boulis in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2001. These criminal cases also are reminders of George H.W. Bush’s long record of unsavory associations, including with a Nicaraguan contra network permeated by cocaine traffickers, Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s multi-million-dollar money-laundering operations, and anti-communist Cuban extremists tied to acts of international terrorism.
Safavian, Former Chief Procurement Officer for the OMB
On October 5th, 2005, David Safavian, was accused in the federal grand jury indictment of making false statements to investigators. Safavian was arrested on September 19th, three days after resigning from his job as the chief procurement officer for the Office of Management and Budget. The charges against Safavian go back to his former position as chief of staff at the General Services Administration. While he was in that position he is accused of taking gifts from Jack Abramoff and covering up help he allegedly gave Abramoff, who was pursuing land deals with the General Services Administration. As Chief Procurement Officer for the OMB, Safavian helped create the rules for federal reconstruction contracts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Jack Abramoff, Lobbyist & Republican Activist
Abramoff is a central figure in a series of high-profile political scandals linked to the Republican Party. He is currently under investigation by grand juries in Washington, D.C., for his involvement in the Abramoff-Reed Indian Gambling Scandal, and by a grand jury in Guam over a separate matter. He was indicted on August 11, 2005, by a third grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for bank fraud arising out of an unrelated business deal.
Abramoff also is under investigation for his ties to the murder of Konstantinos Boulis; in September 2005, police charged three men in the 2001 gangland-style slaying of the Florida businessman who was gunned down in his car months after selling a casino cruise line to a group that included Jack Abramoff. Two of the three men charged had been hired as consultants by Adam Kidan, one of Abramoff's partners in the SunCruz Casinos venture. The men accused of the murder are allegedly connected to the Gambino crime family, but had received money from Abramoff in the months before the murder.
The investigations and indictments of Abramoff have taken on significant national importance because of the lobbyist's close political connections with leading national Republicans, including President of the United States George W. Bush. Congressman Tom DeLay, former Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, has called Abramoff one of his “closest and dearest friends.” Abramoff also has been a leading George W. Bush political fundraiser.
Tom DeLay, Former House Majority Leader
On September 28th, 2005, a Texas grand jury indicted House Majority leader Tom DeLay (R - Texas) and two political associates, charging them with a conspiracy to violate Texas campaign finance laws.
The K Street Project
The K Street Project is little known outside the Washington beltway and its effectiveness as a political stratagem is only possible because of the unique importance of campaign finance to American politics. DeLay, together with Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and some conservative activists conceived the notion 10 years ago that they should use the Republican majority in the House as a lever to ensure that the lobbyists, law firms and trade associations that inhabit Washington's K Street, heart of the industry, should only employ Republicans or sympathisers. It worked. The most influential Washington lobbyist is Barbour, Griffiths and Rogers; it employs not a single Democrat. Last year, in a classic operation, House Republicans let the Motion Picture Association of America (the film industry lobby group) know that appointing a Democrat, Dan Glickman, as its head would mean $1.5 billion of tax relief for the film industry was now in peril. Glickman staffed up the MPAA with Republicans, but the threat remains. In 2003, the Republican National Committee could claim that 33 of the top 36 top-level K Street positions were in Republican hands. Today, it's even closer to a clean sweep.
Mon Oct 3 2005
Harriet Miers Nominated To US Supreme Court
On October 3rd, 2005, President Bush nominated his personal lawyer Harriet Miers to the US Surpreme Court. Miers has never served as a judge and her stance on legal issues are unknown to all except perhaps Bush's inner circle.
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Harriet Miers' Enron problem
With Roberts as Chief Justice and Miers likely to get confirmed, there could be significant changes in the US legal system. Among the cases coming before the Court in the next session are Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood, which deals with abortion rights, Gonzales v. Oregon, which deals with euthenasia, Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, which deals with military recruiters in schools, and Hudson v. Michigan which deals with deals with police searches. There are also likely to be cases that deal with military tribunals in Guantanamo and the right of the President to declare US citizens enemy combatants, allowing indefinite imprisonment without a trial.
Lists of Upcoming Supreme Court Cases And Issues
With Roberts as Chief Justice and Miers likely to get confirmed, there could be significant changes in the US legal system. Among the cases coming before the Court in the next session are Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood, which deals with abortion rights, Gonzales v. Oregon, which deals with euthenasia, Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, which deals with military recruiters in schools, and Hudson v. Michigan which deals with deals with police searches. There are also likely to be cases that deal with military tribunals in Guantanamo and the right of the President to declare US citizens enemy combatants, allowing indefinite imprisonment without a trial.
Lists of Upcoming Supreme Court Cases And Issues
On September 29th, John Roberts was confirmed as America's Chief Justice. The Senate voted 78-22 with 22 Democrats crossing the aisle. Read More
Bay Area reproductive rights groups protested John Roberts’ nomination to be Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court as congressional hearings about his confirmation loom. BACORR (Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights) held rallies on September 6th at 5:30 pm at Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office in San Francisco and at the Oakland Federal Building. Coverage of Protest in Oakland
9/5/2005: President Bush has said he will nominate federal appeals court Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to be the nation's 17th chief justice.
On Saturday September 3rd, Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist died.
When Chief Justice Warren Burger retired in 1986, then-President Ronald Reagan nominated Rehnquist to fill the position. Since becoming Chief Justice, Rehnquist has lead the Court's move towards taking a broader view of state powers in the U.S. federal system. For example, he wrote for a 5-to-4 majority in United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549 (1995), striking down a federal law as exceeding Congressional power under the commerce clause. Rehnquist has also led the way in establishing more governmental leniency towards state aid for religion, writing for another 5-to-4 majority in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 536 U.S. 639 (2002), approving a school voucher program that aided parochial schools. Read More On Wikipedia
On July 1, 2005, Justice O'Connor announced that she would retire from the Supreme Court when her successor is nominated and confirmed. Bush has nominated Judge Roberts for the position. With Rehnquist's death, Bush will now have two open positions on the Supreme Court to fill.
Past Coverage Of The Roberts Nomination: Democracy Now Hour-Long Special on John Roberts | Supreme Court Town Hall Meeting and March | Who is Judge Roberts? | Roberts' Interviews with White House Officials Prior to Gitmo Ruling Raise Questions
Bay Area reproductive rights groups protested John Roberts’ nomination to be Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court as congressional hearings about his confirmation loom. BACORR (Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights) held rallies on September 6th at 5:30 pm at Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office in San Francisco and at the Oakland Federal Building. Coverage of Protest in Oakland
9/5/2005: President Bush has said he will nominate federal appeals court Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to be the nation's 17th chief justice.
On Saturday September 3rd, Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist died.
When Chief Justice Warren Burger retired in 1986, then-President Ronald Reagan nominated Rehnquist to fill the position. Since becoming Chief Justice, Rehnquist has lead the Court's move towards taking a broader view of state powers in the U.S. federal system. For example, he wrote for a 5-to-4 majority in United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549 (1995), striking down a federal law as exceeding Congressional power under the commerce clause. Rehnquist has also led the way in establishing more governmental leniency towards state aid for religion, writing for another 5-to-4 majority in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 536 U.S. 639 (2002), approving a school voucher program that aided parochial schools. Read More On Wikipedia
On July 1, 2005, Justice O'Connor announced that she would retire from the Supreme Court when her successor is nominated and confirmed. Bush has nominated Judge Roberts for the position. With Rehnquist's death, Bush will now have two open positions on the Supreme Court to fill.
Past Coverage Of The Roberts Nomination: Democracy Now Hour-Long Special on John Roberts | Supreme Court Town Hall Meeting and March | Who is Judge Roberts? | Roberts' Interviews with White House Officials Prior to Gitmo Ruling Raise Questions
Fri Sep 2 2005
FEMA Directs Hurricane Relief Donations To Pat Robertson
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the lead federal agency in the rescue & recovery operation at work in New Orleans and the Mississippi gulf coast.
FEMA has released to the media and on its Web site a list of suggested charities to help the storm’s hundreds of thousands of victims. The Red Cross is first on the list.
The Rev. Pat Robertson’s "Operation Blessing" is next on the list. Robertson founded "Operation Blessing" in 1978. Robertson’s shell organizations have already collected more than $25 million from the federal government under various "faith based" federal-handout programs. And with millions of distraught citizens looking to FEMA for help in finding reputable organizations to help Katrina survivors, Robertson stands to profit magnificently from the horror that has fallen on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Robertson's extreme fundamentalist views were recently brought to light when he called for the assasination of the democratically elected president of Venezuela.
Besides the American Red Cross, the only other secular group listed on FEMA's Web site is Chicago-based America's Second Harvest, which is one of the nation's biggest hunger-relief organizations.
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"Operation Blessing" Diverts Half of Donations To Christian Broadcasting Network
Mon Aug 15 2005
No Theocracy Day Protest Held in San Francisco
A protest was held on Sunday, August 14th against "Justice Sunday II" in Union Square. Justice Sunday II was "a live nationwide television simulcast by Family Research Council and Focus on the Family Action...(held as) a follow-up broadcast to (April's) "Justice Sunday - Stopping the Filibuster Against People of Faith." The broadcast was designed to "educate values voters across the nation about how the courts affect Americans' every day lives. This broadcast has provided an outlet for debate prior to its airing and sparked national discourse on the state of affairs in Washington, D.C." In other words, the religious right put together a huge tv broadcast in support of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts that was shown in churches and homes all over the country.
The No Theocracy Day protest in San Francisco was organized by the The World Can't Wait: Drive out the Bush Regime campaign. Photos Organziers said, "We will not accept a regime that believes it is on a 'mission from God' and justifies torture, pre-emptive war, and stripping away our rights!" A protest in Nashville, Tennessee was organized by TN Guerilla Women and Nashville NOW.
World Can't Wait is organizing nationally for a day of resistance on November 2nd, the 1-year anniversary of the day when George W. Bush was re-elected. Call to Action in the Revolution Newspaper. Read more about the rise of the religious right at TheocracyWatch.org and the Talk to Action Blog
The No Theocracy Day protest in San Francisco was organized by the The World Can't Wait: Drive out the Bush Regime campaign. Photos Organziers said, "We will not accept a regime that believes it is on a 'mission from God' and justifies torture, pre-emptive war, and stripping away our rights!" A protest in Nashville, Tennessee was organized by TN Guerilla Women and Nashville NOW.
World Can't Wait is organizing nationally for a day of resistance on November 2nd, the 1-year anniversary of the day when George W. Bush was re-elected. Call to Action in the Revolution Newspaper. Read more about the rise of the religious right at TheocracyWatch.org and the Talk to Action Blog
Mon Aug 1 2005
Supreme Court Town Hall Meeting and March
On Wednesday, August 3rd, there was a Supreme Court Town Hall Meeting and March in San Francisco.
The record of John Roberts, President Bush's nominee to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court, has raised concern amongst advocates of women's health and privacy, protection of the environment, and civil rights. The Town Hall meeting will include information about Roberts and what his impact on the Supreme Court and the people of California would be; and how to make sure that Roberts suffers through a difficult interview process with the Senate. Read more
Californians for Fair and Independent Judges | CFIJ Statement About Nomination of Roberts | Supreme Court Watch | Alliance for Justice | Move On's Oppose John Roberts' Supreme Court Nomination Page
The record of John Roberts, President Bush's nominee to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court, has raised concern amongst advocates of women's health and privacy, protection of the environment, and civil rights. The Town Hall meeting will include information about Roberts and what his impact on the Supreme Court and the people of California would be; and how to make sure that Roberts suffers through a difficult interview process with the Senate. Read more
Californians for Fair and Independent Judges | CFIJ Statement About Nomination of Roberts | Supreme Court Watch | Alliance for Justice | Move On's Oppose John Roberts' Supreme Court Nomination Page
Tue Jul 12 2005 (Updated 07/07/06)
Sonoma County Protests Bohemian Grove Gathering
Protests against the Bohemian Grove took place from Friday, July 15th through Sunday, July 17th in the Sonoma County Russian
River community of Monte Rio. (Report) Every year, elite members of the Bohemian
Club in San Francisco gather for two weeks of revelry and
"throwing off the cares of the marketplace" among the redwood
groves along Sonoma County's Russian River. The club's members
include many Presidents, past and present. George H.W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld are
both members, as well as the late Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford,
Richard Nixon, and every Republican President since Herbert
Hoover, except the current inhabitant.