Monday, December 12, 2005
It's Time to Clean House...
"Why," you may ask. Let me recap some recent headlines concerning how the present GOP majority machinery (of which Sue Kelly is a willing cog) "governs" in Washington, D.C.
Let's begin our travelogue with former congressman Duke Cunningham of San Diego, California. As reported in Newsday:
Accepted bribes, huh? hhhmmm. Let's keep that in mind and move along to the recently indicted Jack Abramoff, the K Street Boy Wonder GOP lobbyist who has doled out Native American Tribal money and Corporate Crony Cash like it was candycorn on Halloween...in exchange for, well, er, "favors." Two of his closest associates, Michael Scanlon and Adam Kidan, have both pleaded guilty to all sorts of nasty backroom wheeling and dealing. Abramoff may soon find the heat in the kitchen unbearable, and strike his own deal with the Justice Department. If he does, there are reportedly dozens of GOP House members who will be sweating bullets and returning lots of campaign and PAC money they received from Abramoff and Co. Among those who are already mentioned in the scandal are Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH), Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) and former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed.
Stay tuned for what may be the largest pay-for-play Congressional Scandal in the past 100 years.
Not to be undone by mere House members, Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist, has his own probe going. This one is by the SEC over Frist's stock holdings and potential insider trading allogations...and, oh yes, the obligatiory lying about it.
Now the Executive Branch is also in on the act. You've undoutedly heard about Scooter Libby's trouble with the truth and the FBI and the Justice Department, and "Bush's Brain," Karl Rove, is in legal jeopardy regarding his testimony about outing a CIA undercover agent for political purposes during a time of war.
But all this is just a lead-up to the star of the House, Tom Delay, the FORMER GOP House Majority Leader, best friend of Jack Abramoff and Ralph Reed (previously mentioned) and arguably the most powerful man in Washington, due to his iron fisted grip on the GOP campaign cash machine. He has been indicted on money laundering charges in Texas. Do I really need to tell you about Tom Delay?
At this point, you may be saying, "Wow, NYBri, that's pretty bad. What can we here in the Hudson Valley do about all this?"
A lot. First of all, get involved in this effort to replace Sue Kelly in Congress and, by doing so, say NO MORE to the corruption of one party, majority rule in Washington. You see, Sue has taken Tom Delay's dirty money (more than any other NY State GOP Rep.) and hasn't returned it. As a matter of fact, she has shown incredible loyalty to the Republican Party Line, voting to stick her nose in the Terry Schiavo case, voting to cut taxes for the top 1% while voting to cut funding for student loans, medicare, food stamps and housing to pay for the tax cuts, voting to go to war in Iraq along with its 240 billion in appropriation funds....essentially voting however the GOP leadership has told her to vote. Some say she is a better representative for Tom Delay and Big Donor Cash than she is for the people of New York's Nineteenth district.
Yes, it's time to clean House. If you think the country is headed in the wrong direction, do something about it. Roll up your sleeves and dig in. We've got a lot of work to do.
Let's begin our travelogue with former congressman Duke Cunningham of San Diego, California. As reported in Newsday:
SAN DIEGO -- Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham resigned his office today after pleading guilty to fraud, conspiracy to commit bribery and tax evasion in a political corruption case.
U.S. District Judge Larry Burns accepted the pleas from Cunningham, 63, including the congressman's admission in federal court that he had accepted bribes in exchange for performance of his official duties.
U.S. District Judge Larry Burns accepted the pleas from Cunningham, 63, including the congressman's admission in federal court that he had accepted bribes in exchange for performance of his official duties.
Accepted bribes, huh? hhhmmm. Let's keep that in mind and move along to the recently indicted Jack Abramoff, the K Street Boy Wonder GOP lobbyist who has doled out Native American Tribal money and Corporate Crony Cash like it was candycorn on Halloween...in exchange for, well, er, "favors." Two of his closest associates, Michael Scanlon and Adam Kidan, have both pleaded guilty to all sorts of nasty backroom wheeling and dealing. Abramoff may soon find the heat in the kitchen unbearable, and strike his own deal with the Justice Department. If he does, there are reportedly dozens of GOP House members who will be sweating bullets and returning lots of campaign and PAC money they received from Abramoff and Co. Among those who are already mentioned in the scandal are Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH), Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) and former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed.
Stay tuned for what may be the largest pay-for-play Congressional Scandal in the past 100 years.
Not to be undone by mere House members, Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist, has his own probe going. This one is by the SEC over Frist's stock holdings and potential insider trading allogations...and, oh yes, the obligatiory lying about it.
Now the Executive Branch is also in on the act. You've undoutedly heard about Scooter Libby's trouble with the truth and the FBI and the Justice Department, and "Bush's Brain," Karl Rove, is in legal jeopardy regarding his testimony about outing a CIA undercover agent for political purposes during a time of war.
But all this is just a lead-up to the star of the House, Tom Delay, the FORMER GOP House Majority Leader, best friend of Jack Abramoff and Ralph Reed (previously mentioned) and arguably the most powerful man in Washington, due to his iron fisted grip on the GOP campaign cash machine. He has been indicted on money laundering charges in Texas. Do I really need to tell you about Tom Delay?
At this point, you may be saying, "Wow, NYBri, that's pretty bad. What can we here in the Hudson Valley do about all this?"
A lot. First of all, get involved in this effort to replace Sue Kelly in Congress and, by doing so, say NO MORE to the corruption of one party, majority rule in Washington. You see, Sue has taken Tom Delay's dirty money (more than any other NY State GOP Rep.) and hasn't returned it. As a matter of fact, she has shown incredible loyalty to the Republican Party Line, voting to stick her nose in the Terry Schiavo case, voting to cut taxes for the top 1% while voting to cut funding for student loans, medicare, food stamps and housing to pay for the tax cuts, voting to go to war in Iraq along with its 240 billion in appropriation funds....essentially voting however the GOP leadership has told her to vote. Some say she is a better representative for Tom Delay and Big Donor Cash than she is for the people of New York's Nineteenth district.
Yes, it's time to clean House. If you think the country is headed in the wrong direction, do something about it. Roll up your sleeves and dig in. We've got a lot of work to do.
