The. Biggest. Scandal. Ever! Phony Front Companies Cycle Millions to GOP! House Staffer, DELAY

 
Brent Wilkes & Mitchell Wade - Bagmen in the Successful Plot to Take Over the United States and Enrich GOP Officeholders

The Duke Cunningham scandal goes much deeper than just the $2.4 million in bribes being reported by the media. There is a lot the media is not telling you.

Ever wonder why the Republicans have SO much money in every national election?

And what did the Dukester do to get his Rolls-Royce, anyway?  Whose Lear Jet was he flying around in?

If you were a totally crooked neo-con former CIA financier Republican who hangs with the corrupt Delay-Abramoff crowd, what would be the most unethical, diabolical way to funnel SO much money to the Republican Party and neo-con schemes that you could take back the government from the Democrats?

Easy!  

With your corrupt Republican buddies, form a slew of your own brand-new Defense Companies, submit bids on things the Pentagon never even asked for to the Delay/Cunningham network and Bingo!--those contributions to the GOP and K Street will flow in like never before.  You can then even give to Presidential candidates like George W. Neo-Con.

Then you and your criminal gang take over the United States of America with your ill-gotten gains.  Once in power, you can use your connections to weasel your way iuto intelligence agency contracts so you can help said Neo-Cons cook up a case for the Iraq War by a phony analysis of some aluminum tubes.  The War on Terra is on!

Even more money for you and the GOP then.

It's a simple plan--one even the average American can understand.

Here's how Wilkes and Wade, with the help of the Culture of Corruption, made all of themselves wealthy with taxpayer money.

Here's Wilkes former life as a CIA financier of black bag operations to introduce him, from Cannonfire:

Much evidence supports the contention that Wilkes became a Legitimate Businessman in one of the networks outlined above: He was not of the Agency, in the sense of drawing a regular paycheck, but he became one of those "outside" businessmen who prospered by aiding the Agency, or a faction within it.

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, one of his early business ventures was very, very noteworthy:

Wilkes had moved to Washington, D.C., and opened a business named World Finance Corp. about three blocks away from the White House. One of his chief activities, sources say, was to accompany congressmen -- including then-Rep. Bill Lowery of San Diego, whom Wilkes met during his participation in the SDSU Young Republicans organization - to Central America to meet with Foggo and Contra leaders.

WFC still exists: http://www.downtownaugusta.com/...

ADCS, the company Wilkes headquartered in Poway, was founded on software designed by a German firm called VPMax. I think we should see VPMax's role in this as analogous to that of the Romanian concern which provided those wool uniforms to Saddam Hussein. As I suggested earlier, Wilkes empire is largely a collection of false fronts built on a small foundation of "real" products, usually taken from other, smaller players.

And from there, we enter the current scandal. About which, more to come soon.

Now Cannonfire on the current scandal:

Wilkes' firms received millions of taxpayer dollars; Daniel Hopsicker puts the amount at $700 million, although mainstream journalists speak of a much lower figure. Regardless of the amount, sources agree that the Defense Department did not really like or need his document conversion services. And Wilkes' list of companies included obvious fakes.

Defense contracts are a matter of public record. A reader named John Dean (no, not the Watergate-related John Dean) has been going through some of the records related to Wilkes -- a job which ought to be done by congressional investigators. On one form, the given address does not relate to the massive Wilkes complex on Stowe Avenue in Poway. Instead, the address is 15092 Avenue of Science, San Diego CA 92128,

That, we are told, is the address of a defense firm called Mirror Labs, allegedly a leading firm in the field of testing military equipment. They are referenced in this edition of the Homeland Defense Journal. Their website, we are told, is www.mirrorlabs.com.

That URL goes nowhere. Google has no cache of anything ever being there.

However, this archive page reveals that they once did have a site up, from 2001 to early 2004, at which point the firm, such as it was, seems to have become defunct. The web pages speak of a company with branches in Virigina and Panama. But the only satisfied customers mentioned are a couple of small-ish private companies (real companies) who had some software beta-tested. Google presents no external evidence that a San Diego company named Mirror Labs has ever done anything related to defense, or that it had Virginia and Panama branches.

A background check on www.mirrorlabs.com shows that the URL address was registered by Group W Media, Wilkes' fake ad agency. The listed administrative contact is PerfectWave Techonologies, another fake company.)

I believe that, for all practical purposes, there is no Mirror Labs, although a firm by that name may well have performed an actual service at one time. So where did the money go? When that nice fat check filled with taxpayer dollars was sent to 15092 Avenue of Science, who opened it? And what did they do with the money? Here is the organization that really has -- or had -- offices at that address: ADCS PAC! That's where the money went.

Apparently, Wilkes felt queasy about housing his PAC at the same address as ADCS proper, so he set up a small office in a San Diego business park. Someone must have put down the wrong address on one of the applications.

So which candidates got chunks of that taxpayer money earmarked for "defense"?

Henry Bonilla, Roy Brown, Rick Clayburgh, Duke Cunningham (of course!), John T. Doolittle, Maria Guadalupe Garcia, George W. Gekas, Lindsay Graham, Duncan Hunter, Darrell Issa, Samuel Johnson, Thaddeus G. McCotter, Constance Morella, Devin Nune, Steve Pearce, Bill Van de Weghe Jr., Jerry Weller.

All Republicans, of course. As the scandal unfolds, the pundits will try to convince us that "both sides do it." That simply is not true.

The donations amounted only to $5000 or so. But ADCS Pac was hardly the only mechanism by which Wilkes could distribute the Christmas candy. Remember, Perfect Wave Technologies, Pure Aqua Technologies, Group W. Advisors and other "subsidiaries" were also used as funding mechanisms.

By keeping the donations small, and by maintaining the illusion that the donors are numerous, the conspirators could line many a pocket with relative safety. Clever, eh?

Other recipients of Wilkes' largesse: President Bush, Katherine Harris, Tom Delay, Virgil Goode Jr. and Elizabeth Dole...

And then there's Republican Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, who ordered continued funding of ADCS even after the DOD raised objections.

Obviously, Hunter and Lewis must go under the microscope. Even so, you're missing the point if you waste much time castigating the above-named politicians for receiving the money. What is significant is the device itself -- using "false fronts" to translate IRS-collected revenues into Republican campaign commercials.

Much evidence indicates that Wilkes is but one of many villains involved with such schemes.

http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/

While I believe that the Wilkes Corporation (also known as ADCS and Group W Advisors) intended to hire enough people to give his firm a more convincing veneer of legitimacy, the available evidence indicates that Wilkes' company existed primarily as a way-station for political pay-offs.

Remember the go-go days of the internet? Remember when a snazzy web page could make a tiny, under-financed company appear to be a massive conglomerate -- even when the firm conducted little actual business?

Update that scenario to the post-9/11 era, and you have the Wilkes corporation. Apparently, they did provide the military with document services -- which means, basically, that they scanned a lot of hard-copy pages that had been yellowing in file drawers. For example -- and this may be the only example -- ADCS worked on a project involving digitizing documents related to the building of the Panama Canal.

...

Is the Pentagon truly willing to pay three-quarters of a billion dollars to anyone who wants to run some old docs through a scanner? I know quite a few people who would volunteer to take that gig...

I still have yet to discover any evidence that the other "defense-related" enterprises operating under the Wilkes umbrella were genuine businesses. "Group W Media," the advertising agency with no discernable clients, was a front for something -- I don't yet know what. "Group W Transportation" amounted to a time-share arrangement involving a Lear jet. "Al Dust Properties" and "Group W Holdings" supposedly owned properties -- but I can't trace any holdings beyond the impressive building which the Wilkes Corporation called home. (It's now up for auction, by the way.) MailSafe Inc. supposedly offers "mail decontamination, digital capture, and electronic distribution to government and commercial entities." But the web site has disappeared, and the company seems to have left zero imprint on corporate America. Where is the evidence that it actually provided any services to clients?

"PerfectWave Technologies" has (or had) what seems, at first, to be an impressive web page advertising speech recognition devices for the military. (That page is really little more than a ghost, since the official Wilkes Corp. site no longer points to it.) Look closer: The site does not specify any PerfectWave products. Neither do we encounter any named personnel or development teams. No order information. If this company makes battlefield-ready high-tech equipment, why doesn't the the web site mention any departments, managers or employees? All we get is a single phone number and a fax number. Now conduct a Google search: Aside from channeling funds to politicians, PerfectWave hasn't done anything to warrant a mention.

"Pure Aqua Technologies" another Wilkes operation, seems to be pure snake oil. No address, no telephone number, no nothing -- except this stupid web page, which is a joke.

This from a Kossak, LieparDestin:

And thats when things start to get interesting for me. Take a look at the Group W Media site again. For an advertising firm, thats like... no substance. No nothing. Just a single phone number and a mysterious login form.

Then take a look at another site owned by Wilkes, this time a company by the name of Archer Logistics. Noting any similarities? A little substance, a smokescreen mostly. No employee names, ceo names, nothing.

On to Acoustical Communication Systems. A bit more substance to this company on first glance, but after a mere look around you'll notice its all filler. No news, no employee names, no nothing. A Google or two will turn up that this and other companies listed, apparently never did anything of substance at all. Notice the address of 13970 Stowe Drive

Poway, CA 92064, the same as that Group W Media and ADCS.

How about Liberty Defense Tech.

AkamaiInfo Tech thanks to archive.org is a bit interesting merely for the fact that the name is so similar to that of Akamai Tech, who's CEO was on one of the flights that crashed into the WTC.

Now my favorite so far is PerfectWave Technologies Look at that site! Fancy Smancy, at first glance you think you have something. Second glance even. But try one more time, notice the address: LOCATION

13970 Stowe Drive, Poway, CA 92064. Notice the lack ways to contact them. Lack of employee information or any media releases, etc. Google and Yahoo turn up nothing from this company except donations to the GOP.  All these high-level companies, all in this 11 million dollar building , but at the same time this article says that only 100 people work at the building. But anyhow, more on PerfectWave. Political Money Line has these contributions listed:

Gelwix, Max D  

5/12/2004 $1,000.00  

Poway, CA 92064

Perfect Wave/Pres/CEO [Contribution]

RELY ON YOUR BELIEFS FUND

2 . Gelwix, Max D  

9/26/2003 $1,000.00  

Poway, CA 92064

Perfect Wave/Pres/CEO [Contribution]

FUTURE LEADERS PAC

3 . Gelwix, Max D.  

6/9/2004 $2,500.00  

Poway, CA 92064

Perfect Wave Technoligies/President [Contribution]

REFORM PAC

4 . Gelwix, Max D.  

8/14/2003 $5,000.00  

Poway, CA 92064

Perfect Wave/Pres/CEO [Contribution]

AMERICANS FOR A REPUBLICAN MAJORITY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

5 . GELWIX, MAX P MR.  

6/26/2003 $2,000.00  

POWAY, CA 92064

PERFECT WAVE/COO [Contribution]

BUSH-CHENEY '04 (PRIMARY) INC

Try using the same site to search for ADCS, Wilkes (Brent and Regina), MZM etc.  

Now I dont know if Im misinterpreting all this but to me it looks like: Wilkes and Co payoff Cunningham to get them DOD contracts. Wilkes and Co (guessing) subcontract these to whomever it is they subcontract them to, and skim a load off the top, funneling it into dummy business's to turn around and donate it to the GOP & GOP related causes.

Oh almost forgot the oddest for last The Poway Mafia. Another site owned by Wilkes. Definately creepy.

Most of Wilkes Companies, when you go into those sites above, HAVE THE SAME ADDRESS AND EVEN HAVE THE SAME FAX NUMBER: 858-848-0400!! They are obviously fake fronts for laundering taxpayer money into GOP TV ads.

Now Mitchell Wade, from Cannonfire:

unlike Wilkes, kept the MZM Pac housed in the very same office. (We must presume that they didn't have a great deal of office space, since unrelated tenants are in the same building.) When we look at the data on MZM Pac and its activities in 2003-2004, we learn that the population of this company has grown by leaps and bounds.

The PAC now lists roughly 100 names. A close scan of the names indicates that wives and children were recruited to the cause -- the cause being, of course, donations to G.O.P. candidates. (One of the named donors is "Joe Dollar." That can't be real -- can it?) Nearly all the donors are listed as employees of MZM Inc., and many have grandiose titles -- Chairman of this, VP of that. MZM employees, we learn, were told they had to make the donations or be fired. I believe there are laws against that sort of thing.

Frankly, I'm not at all sure how MZM transformed itself from a two-man law office into a go-go defense and intelligence firm.

For that, it would seem, is the final incarnation of MZM. According to the Center for Public Integrity

MZM Inc. is a high-tech national security firm based in Washington, D.C. The private firm provides intelligence gathering, technology and homeland security analysis and consulting for both international and domestic governments and private-sector clients. The firm also provides consulting on political and public message strategies. Its government clients include Congress, the White House, the Defense Department, the U.S. intelligence community, the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force and state and local governments, according to the company's Web site. MZM refused to provide any information, however, about its corporate structure, including names of other principals.

In addition to its D.C. headquarters, MZM has field offices in Miami, Tampa, San Antonio, San Diego and Suffolk, Va. The company employs about 70 people.

Following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, MZM expanded its counterintelligence and national security efforts. It soon experienced an influx of government contracts. The company now predicts a growth rate of more than 35 percent in the 2003 fiscal year. Mitchell Wade, president and CEO, reportedly expects to increase sales from $25 million to $120 million and to hire 230 more employees over the next five years. Wade told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that recently the company has "come out of a flat period" with defense industry contracts.

In September 2003, MZM collaborated with 16 other organizations, called the General Dynamics team, as part of a five-year, $252 million contract to provide engineering and information warfare services to the Air Force Information Warfare Center at Lackland Airforce Base in Texas.

In November 2002, MZM opened a computer center in Charlottesville, Va., to house classified engineering intelligence in a digital mapping and architecture analysis system. Twelve employees in that office are developing the program for the Pentagon. It is designed to provide digital maps of thousands of buildings worldwide. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that the mapping system will help soldiers and planners know details of buildings -- even which way doors open and close.

At least we are given some indication of what the firm actually does.  The data page goes on to name a number of individuals involved with this work -- intelligence analysts, generals, the kind of people whom we would expect to be involved with such an enterprise. Cornelison seems to have disappeared.

But how much of this data is on the level? One would think that so august a firm would have a web site. However, the listed URL -- www.mzinc.com -- is blank, as is Google's cache for that page. Interestingly, Dean found an MZM contract with the DOD dated February 13, 2003 in which MZM states that it has zero employees and zero revenue. The contract is for a mere $12,740,000.

http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/

Update [2005-12-10 12:47:8 by Sherlock Google]: Found out more about MZM being investigated for intelligence work for the agency that cooked the aluminum tubes story, used as an excuse to invade Iraq. From the Washington Post:

The NGIC is a critical Army intelligence center with a staff of 900, three-quarters of whom are civilian scientists, engineers and intelligence analysts. The other one-quarter are active military.

Most NGIC employees work at a relatively new facility near Charlottesville, where they produce the Army's primary intelligence analyses of foreign armies, their force structures and capabilities. Others conduct scientific and technical studies on foreign weapons and technologies.

The NGIC, which is facing an inquiry by the director of national intelligence for its prewar mistakes in analyzing Iraq's weapons programs, has been drawn into the federal investigations of MZM, according to Army and Justice Department spokesmen.

The NGIC was criticized in March by the Silberman-Robb presidential commission for "gross failure" in its analysis of Iraqi arms. The commission said the center was "completely wrong" when it found in September 2002 that the aluminum tubes Iraq was purchasing were "highly unlikely" to be used for rocket motor cases.

That inaccurate finding bolstered a CIA contention that the tubes were meant for nuclear centrifuges and were evidence that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was reconstituting a nuclear weapons program. Two NGIC analysts who produced the inaccurate finding have received annual performance awards each year since 2002. Officials said the bonuses were for their overall activities.

Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the deputy director of national intelligence, told reporters June 29 that his office would conduct its own inquiry into the Silberman-Robb finding.

When Parker, the center spokeswoman, was asked last week about Rich, his son and NGIC personnel going to work for MZM or MZM employees working at the NGIC, she said in a statement that "due to the ongoing investigation on MZM, we must refer all questions concerning MZM, its employees and activities" to the Justice Department.

The MZM investigation is being carried out by the FBI, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. attorney's offices in the District of Columbia and San Diego, according to one law enforcement official. That official would not say where the intelligence center may fit in.

MZM Involvement in Aluminum Tubes LIE!

Update [2005-12-10 16:54:41 by Sherlock Google]: Found by Rockmoonwater downthread, here is a look at the Group W/Perfect Wave Lobbying Report in which they report less than $10,000 income for Group W. Looks fishy, less than $10,000. Also shows how they split everything up at Group W to no doubt avoid certain disclosure.

Group W Lobby Reports and Registrations

These Wilkes and MZM companies were mostly frauds, bull, a sham, counterfeit, simulated, false. They were fronts to collect quid pro quo contracts from fellow GOP wingnuts.

The taxpayer money went straight from the US Treasury to the Wilkes and MZM PACS and from there cycled back to the GOP campaigns and the GOP K Street Cartel.

All the while, DoD never asked for these contracts and even complained about ADCS and was ignored!

Kudos to LieparDestin on this one, whose diary scrolled off before we could realize what Cannonfire and this John Dean fellow had uncovered.

Oh and RECOMMEND like you've never recommended before. Read it out loud to your family and friends for fun and enjoyment. Send the link to blogs, lists, etc. We need a Blog Swarm!

Update [2005-12-11 17:14:40 by Sherlock Google]: A house staffer, Eric Massa, said this is what is going on and explained further when asked if the phony front companies were true: "This has been going on since "K Street"

Yep, the scam works just the way that the San Diego union has been reporting it in the Cunningham case. First, a member of Congress slips a "member add" into the budget (wether appropriations or authorization) and then once that money comes through for the company - the pay offs begin. It has now been laid bare by Cunningham and I suspect that there will be others involved. The interesting point is that this will be a Republican issue in that they control both Houses of Congress and therefore have total and complete control over the budget process. In fact, the Republican leadership under Delay have told companies that if the talk to Members on both the sides of the isle then they cannot request anything from the Republicans - and since they are calling the shots 100% of the time in the budget process then they write out any company that even talks to a Democrat. It's all very public and very out there and will only be more so now that Cunningham has admitted to the entire scam. Stand by for more from that case

Massa added another comment that Rumsfeld could be taken down too by all this.

Rumsfeld is Fungible

Update [2005-12-11 19:12:36 by Sherlock Google]: Delay got Wilkes' money:

Cunningham case casts new light on donations

•  Sherlock Tip Jar!

  Raking Muck is "HARD WORK"!

  by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 08:49:00 AM PST

  •  Good work. But it isn't exactly "news"

    back in 1972, the GOP was doing and had been doing - exactly the same thing for a long time. And using the threat of having to comply with environmental cleanup regulations if the Democrats got power, to seduce over formerly-D big businessmen to the Dark Side:

    (From my blog, a post on Dec 1. $750,000 is over $3 million in today's dollars.)

    Since his return from Miami, Bernstein had become obsessed with the $89,000 in Mexican checks that had passed through Bernard Barker's bank account. Why Mexico? According to the GAO investigator, Maurice Stans had said the money had originally come from Texas. But no one at the GAO had been able to understand why $89,000 in campaign contributions were routed through Mexico.

    In mid-August, Bernstein had begun calling all the employees of the Texas Comittee for the Re-election of the President. [P@L - aka CRP] A secretary at the committee's offices in Houston said that the FBI had been there to inteview Emmett Moore, the committee treasurer.

    "They questioned me about how money was transferred to Mexico," Moore said. "They said there had been allegations to that effect - that money was transferred to and from Mexico."

    Moore immediately sought to make clear to Bernstein that the FBI agents were not interested in his own actions, but in those of the Texas committee's chairman, Robert H. Allen, who was also president of the Gulf Resources and Chemical Co. of Houston. The agents had expressed particular interest in Allen's relationship with a Mexico City lawyer, Manuel Ogarrio Daguerre, who represented Gulf Resources' interests in Mexico.

    The Mexican connection. What did it mean?

    Moore, who said he had been as unnerved by the FBI's visit as by Bernstein's call, knew nothing of the reasons for moving money across the border.

    Bernstein began leaving messages for Robert Allen on his home and office. They were not answered. Finally, on the morning that Maurice Stans summoned the GAO's auditor to Miami, Bernstein got up at 6:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m. in Texas - and called Allen at his Houston home. Allen sleepily declined to discuss the matter, "because it's before the grand jury."

    Using his primitive high-school Spanish, Bernstein intensified his search for Ogarrio and for any information on the elusive Mexican lawyer. Gradually, the enterprise became the object of good-natured office ridicule. Bernstein was unable to construct anything other than disjointed school-book phrases in the present tense. Ken Ringle, a reporter on the Virginia staff who sat next to Bernstein, would shout, "Bernstein's talking Spanish again," and reporters and editors would walk over to offer appropriate commentary. The calls went to bankers, relatives of Ogarrio, his former law partners, his clients, Mexican banking commisioners, the police, law schools. Nada. The standing office joke had it that Bernstein heard the whole Watergate story and didn't understand it.

    Not surprisingly, the Nixon campaign's Mexican connection was uncovered in English.

    On August 24, Bernstein called Martin Dardis in Miami. The chief investigator said he was coming up with pretty good information on the Mexican checks, really weird stuff that he didn't want to talk about on the telephone. Dardis assured Bernstein that it would be worth his while to fly down to Miami again...

    ...Bernstein asked him what he had learned about the Mexican checks.

    "It's called 'laundering,'" Dardis began. "You set up a money chain that makes it impossible to trace the source. The Mafia does it all the time. So does Nixon, or at least that's what this guy who's the lawyer for Robert Allen says. This guy says that Stans set up the whole thing. It was Stans' idea. He says they were doing it elsewhere too, that Stans didn't want any way they could trace where the money was coming from."

    Dardis said he had learned the whole story from Richard Haynes, a Texas lawyer who represented Allen. Haynes had outlined the Mexican laundry operation to Dardis this way:

    Shortly before April 7, the effective date of the new campaign finance law, and the last day anonymous contributions could be legally accepted, Stans had gone on a final fund-raising swing across the Southwest. If Democrats were reluctant to contribute to a Republican presidential candidate, Stans assured them that their anonymity could be absolutely assured, if necessary by moving their contributions thorugh a Mexican middleman whose bank records were not subject to subpoena by U.S. bank investigators. The protection would also allow CRP to recieve donations from corporations, which were forbidden by campaign laws to contribute to political candidates; from business executives and labor leaders having difficulties with government regulatory agencies; and from special-interest groups and such underground sources of income as the big Las Vegas gambling casinos and mob-dominated unions. To guarantee anonymity, the "gifts," whether checks, security notes or stock certificates, would be taken across the border to Mexico, converted to cash in Mexico City through deposit in a bank account established by a Mexican national with no known ties to the Nixon campaign, and only then sent on to Washington. The only record would be jealously guarded in Washington by Stans.

    From Houston, Haynes confirmed the operation to Bernstein. An operator familiar with the rough-and-tumble of Texas politics, Haynes spoke in the breezy, swashbuckling style that had earned him the nickname "Racehorse" in courthouses from Dallas to Austin.

    "Shit, Stans has been running this operation for years with Nixon," he said. "Nothing really wrong with it. That's how you give your tithe."

    Robert Allen, the head of the Nixon campaign organization in Texas, was merely the conduit for the funds moving to Mexico, including the $89,000 that had gone into Barker's bank account, Haynes said. Ogarrio was the money-changer, converting the checks and notes given him by Allen into American dollars, both in cash and in dollar drafts drawn on his account at the Banco Internacional.

    Haynes estimated that $750,000 raised by Stans and his two principal fund-raisers in Texas had moved through Mexico in the final weeks of the pre-April 7 campaign.

    "Maury came through here like a goddamned train," said Haynes, "he was really ballin' the jack. He'd say to the Democrats, the big money men who'd never gone for a Republican before, 'You know we got this crazy man Ruckelshaus* back east who'd just as soon close your factory as let the smokestack belch. He's a hard man to control and he's not the only one like that in Washington. People need a place to go to, to cut through the red tape when you've got a guy like that on the loose. Now, don't misunderstand; we're not making any promises, all we can do is make ourselves accessible..."

    * William D. Ruckelshaus, then head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

    But the message was indelible, said Haynes. "Maury's a right high-type fellow; he would never actually threaten any of those guys. Then he'd do his Mexican hat dance, tell them there'd be no danger of the Democrats or their company's competitors finding out about the contributing, it would all get lost in Mexico...If a guy pleaded broke, Maury would get him to turn over stock in his company or some other stock. He was talking 10 percent, saying it was worth 10 percent of some big businessman's income to keep Richard Nixon in Washington and be able to stay in touch."

    That was Saturday, August 26, three days after the President had been nominated. In Washington, Woodward had just received the gAO report, finally released for Sunday's papers. It listed 11 "aparent and possible violations" of the new law and referred the matter to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. It also stated that Stans maintained a secret slush fund of cash in his office totalling at least $350,000. At one time the fund included the cash that had come from the $25,000 Dalhberg check and the four Mexican checks totalling $89,000.

    Woodward wrote the top portion of a story from the GAO report. From Miami, Bernstein dictated an account of the Mexican laundry and Haynes' estimate that not $89,000 but $750,000 had been washed across the border.

    After several lengthy conversations, Bernstein and Woodward decided not to refer to Stans' other fundraising tactics that Haynes had described. Both were wary of the lawyer's language. Hayne's description of the "Stans shakedown cruise" as he called it, was filed for further investigation. The GAO investigator confirmed the subtance of the Mexican laundry operation to Woodward.

    Three days later, Tuesday, August 29, the President scheduled a press conference at his oceanside home in San Clemente, California. Reporters waited under large palm and eucalyptus trees on a sunny morning.

    "With regard to the matter of the handling of campaign funds," the President said, "we have a new law here in which technical violations have occurred and are occurring, apparently on both sides."

    What are the Democrats' violations? a reporter asked.

    "I think that will come out in the balance of this week. I will let the political people talk about that, but I understand that there have been [violations] on both sides," Nixon remarked calmly.

    Stans, the President said, is "an honest man and one who is very meticulous." In fact, Stans was investigating the matter, the President said, "very, very thoroughly, because he doesn't want any evidence at all to be outstanding, indicating that we have not complied with the law."

    The President rejected suggestions that a special prosecutor, independent of the Justice Department, be appointed, and disclosed that his counsel, John W. Dean III, had conducted a Watergate investigation: "I can say categorically that his investigation indicates that no one on the White House staff, no one in this administration, presently employed, was involved in this very bizarre incident. What really hurts in matters of this sort is not the fact that they occur, because overzealous peole in campaigns do things that are wrong. What really hurts is if you try to cover it up.*

    Woodward, in Washington, wrote a story from the transcript of the press conference, and listed some of the people under investigation who, as the President had been so careful to point out, were not "presently employed" in the administration: Hunt, Liddy, Stans, Sloan and Mitchell.

    *John Osborne, the highly respected Nixon watcher for the New Republic, wrote, a week later: "The thing I'll always remember about Mr. Nixon's first 'political press conference' of 1972 was his handling of the funds and bugging matter and our failure to handle him as a vulnerable candidate should be handled. It was a lesson in the msemerizing power of the presidency."

    --from Chapter 3, All The President's Men, ©1974 Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward. All transcription errors mine.

    Many of the people involved went on to remain respected community leaders - I found one of them was getting a building at Texas A&M named after him, the Mexican lawyer's company is involved in a case with big multi-nationals in Europe, all of these people go on on, plutocrats and their trusted minions, while like in the days of Jean Valjean, steal $10 bucks and you're a criminal who deserves death according to Scalito...

    by bellatrys on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:01:57 AM PST

    •  Agreed.

      And, I've been stating this simple rule on the neo-con Rethug war machine:

      U.S. Taxpayer => Treasury => Iraq Defense Contractors => Republicans.

      CONCLUSION:

      Any Dem who is supporting Iraq is authorizing the continued financing of Republican causes for the next 50 years.

      by maxschell on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:10:58 AM PST

      •  Gotta watch those purchasing agents! n/t

        by mattes on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:16:48 AM PST

        •  Indeed.

          I should also add a clarification to my "agree": yes this problem has been around along time, but Dems used to profit almost as much as Rethugs.  That has changed...dramatically and thank you to Sherlock Google for highlighting this.

          The more light that is cast on this the better...well done Sherlock Google.

          by maxschell on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:32:18 AM PST

          •  I noticed that very clearly

            when I was building my "Matrix" last year, there was more than just the buying of idea-mongers and meme-manufacturers going on - the fact that looking at the amounts of money donated via Open Secrets and Buy Blue by big business to both Republican and Democratic pols and parties, you could see an extreme disproportion. some of which you could attribute to the fact that the GOP is currently in the WH, but not all of it.

            But the fact remains - that a) yes, Democrats on the whole are just as in hock to the Big Money Devil as Republicans, even if they did get cheated on the whole (I can imagine a whole skit of Politicians in Hell, built around the idea of the Damned kvetching as they wait outside Lucifer's Sulphury Gates, and finding out how much or how little each one went for) and b) this is always the problem with democracy, and the fate of republics - that how do you stop corruption, when the enforcement of anti-corruption laws depends on the people who enforce them not being bought out by those who stand to suffer by them?

            And also, the "See, the Democrats do it too!" is an old, old tactic of the Nixonians - and again, it was partly valid. The Devil lies with half-truths in the old stories; in this case, the Republicans get away with murder by pointing out that their opponents have been wielding the brass knuckles too...

            by bellatrys on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:03:41 AM PST

      •  Exactly!

        U.S. Taxpayer => Treasury => Iraq Defense Contractors => Republicans.

        My mother coined the phrase "lying looters" to refer to this administration, and not all of it is as blatant as this story or necessarily even illegal. First send large amounts of money to organizations managed by people whose politics are in line with those of the Party for services delivered or not, often called "consulting" if it's not clear that the recipients are actually doing anything for the public. These people notice they get big government contracts and get rich when the Party is in power and the Party sometimes explicitly tells them the other party will take away their gravy train, so they donate to the Party to keep it in power. Some will hit the legal limit in donations and lean on their family, friends, work associates, congregations, etc to send more. When you're throwing around billions of dollars, even a fraction of a percent of it going back to the Party is a huge advantage over the competition. You don't even need a spoken conspiracy, although I'm certain this administration is rife with them.

        Now look at this administration's use of private businesses for all sorts of things that used to be done internally within the government, under the guise of competition and efficiency but often ending up costing more than it used to. Look at the K Street Project, threatening lobbyists who used to donate to both parties to only donate to Republicans or else their bills won't pass. Look at the faith-based initiative to funnel money into churches explicitly to use for spreading their faith and with financial oversight removed. The Bush Administration is creating a significant class of upper-middle income earners who are dependant on the Republican Party for their livelihood and have the desire and financial means to keep it strong. For all the Republican whining about government workers' unions all voting Democratic (stop trying to cut their wages then), this is bigger.

        Quick history lesson: After the revolution, all the banks in New York were owned by Federalists who refused to give loans to Republicans. Aaron Burr, who played both sides but had Republican sympathies, created the Bank of Manhattan to break this partisan hold on capital and finance his own political movement. The Burrite political movement later became known as Tammany Hall, whose influence any student of US politics should be familiar with. The lesson: money matters. Most of us know about the "five sisters" and the multimillions spent annually by big-business foundations and big cults like the Moonies and Focus on the Family to push right-wing views since the 1970s. Add a zero or two to that and you'll understand what we're facing now. The Bush Administration's partisan looting of the federal treasury could ensure right-wing Republican dominance of US politics for the next fifty years unless the Democrats and independents realize what they're up against and figure out how to defeat it.

        by Cecrops Tangaroa on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:36:46 PM PST

      •  Neocons

        Could someone please inform me what a neocon is? I am so confused because I was under the impression the "neocons" were some idealogical apostles of the late Scoop Jackson (a Democrat) and his hawkish view of foreign policy, and found a friend in George Bush. Now neocons are associated with the corrupt scandals surfacing around Jack Abramoff and the Duke. I think it is important to differentiate neocons from the fundamentalist far right religious movement and corrupt politicians. There are neocons who are probably caught up in all the corruption as well as neocons who are not. To me, this is a republican thing, not a neocon thing. Joe Lieberman can be considered a neocon today.

        by tazz on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:12:38 PM PST

    •  Who is getting the building at A&M?

      As a Former Student, I would like to know...

      by TXRNott on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:57:01 AM PST

      •  Robert H Allen.

        Story here.

        Also, in my blog post from which that exerpt comes I tried to link to some relevant bit of information about each person mentioned. (The helpful Florida DA  frex came up in a local history taking on a local bribery scheme 2 years later!)

        by bellatrys on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:17:46 PM PST

    •  Didn't Pepsi give Nixon $500K in walking around

      money?

      I seem to remember that from Watergate.  Nixon needed a big slush fund to pay burgulars and wiretappers and such and Pepsi and a couple of other companies ponied up the dough.

      by KevinNYC on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:14:44 PM PST

      •  and guess who was in Dallas

        on 11/22/63 giving a talk to Pepsi executives? Why, Richard Milhouse Nixon of course.

        And, surprise, surprise, George Bush the Senior was in Dallas that day as well. Golly but there was a lot going on that day.

        by gnat on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:41:59 PM PST

        •  When you look back...

          George Bush Sr. was a player in just about every dirty deed done in the past 40 years.

          In my opinion.

          Plus, he was a eugenist... I think W's childhood was more fucked up than most people seem to understand.

          Imagine having Barb as a mom?!? Vomit...

          by Lode Runner on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:42:19 PM PST

          •  Bush Eugenics?

            If that's the Master Race, then I'll take my chances as a mongrel, thank you very much.

            by Gareth on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:49:07 PM PST

          •  Would you

            point me in the direction where I can find out more about the Bush as a Eugenist? I'm working on an op ed about the Bush-Hitler link and need to shore up a point I made about the "master race" they both believed in.

            by Maine Atticus on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:42:51 PM PST

            •  Here's one via Google (george bush eugenics)

              http://www.tribalmessenger.org/...

              by hipvictor on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:04:39 PM PST

      •  was it pepsi who told nixon

        to make the Chilean economy "scream" before the election so Allende would supposedly not have a chance to win the election there?
        Wasn't it under nixon that the cia directed coup, murder of allende and installation of the torturer perot take place?

        This part of american history....large corporations getting their guys elected in order to dictate foreign policy so that american resources, taxes and sometimes our young people in the military take over (reshape life in) third world countries to benefit the bottom line of those corporations....turns my stomach.
        That's why i hope that democrats will demand a PROGRESSIVE foreign policy from their candidates and make it part of the democratic platform.
        (this has gone on under dems and repubs, albeit in less obvious ways sometimes.)

        by eve on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 04:50:52 PM PST

        •  Not Pepsi, it was ITT.

          ITT had big holdings in chilean copper and a huge investment in the mining regions.

          I recently saw a History channel presentation listing Chile under Pinochet as being considered a genocide.  I am leery of calling the Pinochet years that, but I would call it a brutal, fascist military junta and Pinochet himself was scarcely beyond the level of a common mob boss.

          by boilerman10 on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:39:33 PM PST

          •  thanks for

            your kind response and for pointing out that, of course, it was pinochet, not peron, who was the vicious tyrant (our guy) in chile.
            

            by eve on Mon Dec 12, 2005 at 07:48:14 AM PST

    •  if you ever want even more dirt,

      and proof of massive corruption that goes right to the top, look at the number of former CIA leaders who now run wall street banks. and vice versa.

      
      October 9, 2001 - Although uniformly ignored by the mainstream U.S. media, there is abundant and clear evidence that a number of transactions in financial markets indicated specific (criminal) foreknowledge of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In the case of at least one of these trades -- which has left a $2.5 million prize unclaimed -- the firm used to place the "put options" on United Airlines stock was, until 1998, managed by the man who is now in the number three Executive Director position at the Central Intelligence Agency.  

      Until 1997 A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard had been Chairman of the investment bank A.B. Brown. A.B. Brown was acquired by Banker's Trust in 1997. Krongard then became, as part of the merger, Vice Chairman of Banker's Trust-AB Brown, one of 20 major U.S. banks named by Senator Carl Levin this year as being connected to money laundering. Krongard's last position at Banker's Trust (BT) was to oversee "private client relations." In this capacity he had direct hands-on relations with some of the wealthiest people in the world in a kind of specialized banking operation that has been identified by the U.S. Senate and other investigators as being closely connected to the laundering of drug money.  

      Krongard joined the CIA in 1998 as counsel to CIA Director George Tenet. He was promoted to CIA Executive Director by President Bush in March of this year. BT was acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1999. The combined firm is the single largest bank in Europe.  And, as we shall see, Deutsche Bank played several key roles in events connected to the September 11 attacks.
      

      I can only imagine what Paul Wolfowitz is now doing over at the World Bank to totally screw the American people, and the rest of the world, out of as much money as possible.

      by Drezden on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:43:09 PM PST

      •  Not only that, but the missing trillion dollars

        The Dept. of Defense is missing over $3 trillion dollars. From an earlier post of mine

        Nah, they just transfer out of the DoD to themself (none / 0)

        Literally trillions are missing:

        In a report to the DoD comptroller, Undersecretary of Defense Dov Zakheim, acting Assistant Inspector General for Auditing David Steensma wrote: "We reported that DOD processed $1.1 trillion in unsupported accounting entries to DOD Component financial data used to prepare departmental reports and DOD financial statements for FY2000. For FY2001 we did not attempt to quantify amounts of unsupported accounting entries; however, we did confirm that DOD continued to enter material amounts of unsupported accounting entries to the financial data."

        What this gibberish means is that the DoD still cannot account for at least $1.1 trillion from fiscal 2000 under former president Bill Clinton, and the assistant inspector general of DOD wouldn't even touch the unsupported money expenditures for fiscal 2001 because "material amounts" still couldn't be accounted for properly in the year George W. Bush came to power. The trillion-dollar question is how much is "material amounts"? Because the auditor would not "quantify" the amount, some fear it's worse than the previous year's unaccounted for $1.1 trillion.

        So in addition to tax breaks for the rich, while pissing on the middle-class and letting the poor die, they are taking trillions of remaining tax dollars directly out of the Defense Dept. And no one cares.

        Rumsfeld testified to this in front of the House Armed Services Committee, including Duke Cunningham. That's like years of DoD budgets that our SecDef and Comptroller of the Defense admitted they just can't account for.

        And that fucking blows me away that it just kind of gets ignored by virtually everyone.

        by bewert on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:23:03 PM PST

        •  THAT is precisely what they BANK on...

          ...people's willingness to TRUST others with their MONEY...

          it's time to wake up to the MACHINE that's been devouring us all.

          by qrswave on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:49:01 PM PST

          •  surely you refer to

            a big chunk of that $8,000,000,000,000 national debt piechart that the US people now owe the Federal Reserve (over 40% of the above number - and the Federal Reserve is not federal, but actually a private corporation of nine banks, seven of which are foreign banks)?

            Call that a heist?

            And now that they've sold off manufacture and IT services, what the ^&^& are we ever going to pay it back with?

            These people need to be lined up, tried, and punished for treason.  Rethugs and Dems combined.  They refuse, all, to explore the guts of that $8,000,000,000,000+ national debt - PUBLIC national debt.

            Look at those numbers.

            Think the rethugs didn't know they were overspending?

            They more certainly planned an economic holocaust for the US public than 9/11, for sure.

            You can't mispend that much and not know it.

            Or foresee the consequences.

            Hence the true vehicle of the fascist totalitarian neocon takeover.

            You watch.

            by stonemason on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:25:33 AM PST

        •  The trillion dollar bill

          was given to C. Montgomery Burns for safekeeping, America's richest, and therefore most trustworthy citizen.

          by paraphrase on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:26:43 AM PST

      •  Typical...throughout the AGES, to find the devil..

        ...you need only follow the MONEY...

        by qrswave on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:43:58 PM PST

    •  Wilkes' shell corps share a fax number:

      http://www.pureaquatech.com/ Fax: [phone]
      http://www.perfectwavetech.com/  Fax: [phone]

      Note the "dot" separators in the former, the hyphens in the latter.  What a hoot!

      by kaliope on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:50:17 PM PST

  •  I am that "John Dean fellow"

    The kudos really belong to Joseph more than anyone, but I'm glad that I was able to help him for a few days and find some good dirt.  I've already captured lots of great screen shots digitally with Firefox, but the more people who capture the evidence and help propel this growing snowball, the better.

    Sincere thanks to Sherlock and all Kossacks now involved!

    John

    by Bozos Rnot4 Bush on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:49:25 AM PST

    •  Woah! This is John Dean himself, folks!

      I can tell by the cut of his jib!

      Do give this brother a 4!  Please add to this thread, John, as it will likely be up all weekend...

      Three Cheers for Dean!  Hip-Hip Hoorah!  (Repeat 3X)

      (Dean--Where have I heard that name before?)

      by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:01:50 PM PST

      •  LOL thanks!

        I'll go ahead and post a small summary of where/how Kossacks can fact-check and verify the evidence I found.  I'm not so sure this is the biggest scandal ever, but I'm positive it's a big one, and it could use an "outing Gannon" kind of effort like SusanG and others pulled off months ago.

        John
        

        by Bozos Rnot4 Bush on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:22:14 PM PST

        •  Tried to point folks to Cannonfire 8 days ago.

          I tried to point a few folks to Cannonfire a week ago Friday but I guess it takes a Sherlock Google at the Big Orange to get people excited about Cannonfire's posts on Cunningham/Wade/Wilkes/etc. Glad it's finally getting the attention it deserves.

          by wanderindiana on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:39:07 PM PST

          •  Welcome to the Kleptocracy

            Outstanding digging in the dirt, Sherlock and Dean! Do you think we are exporting our Kleptocracy to the Middle East, picking their pockets over there so we can pick them easier over here?

            by DEFuning on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:46:43 PM PST

            •  You mean

              kleptotorship?

              by Ruffledfeather on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:32:13 PM PST

      •  Links and information to verify/fact-check

        Upfront, I want to emphasize that ADCS's business address is 13970 Stowe Drive, Poway, while their PAC address is 15092 Avenue of Science.  However, ADCS's business address used to be 15092 Avenue of Science, so this could easily explain why some older contracts have both addresses shown.  As I pointed out to Joseph Cannon on more than one occasion, fact-checking is very important.

        In order to look at contracts, you need to register with the Federal Procurement Data System, so you can view summaries of contracts.  Use "Advanced Search," make sure you remove the default dates in the search window each time you search, and enter the company you want to search on where it says "Vendor Name."

        Other good sources for information include open secrets.org and campaignmoney.com.

        This link to a cache' from eleader.org is also very interesting, but I found out eleader is a right-wing thing, and it looks like they've scrubbed their site of PAC info.

        These    links  to 2 contracts show the PAC address in the Description of Requirement field - just scroll in the actual field onscreen to see it.  There are many contracts that show the PAC address in this field, yet show the Poway address at the top.  Like I said, this could be nothing more than older contracts, later entered into the database, showing the older address in one field and the newer address in another.

        This link is also interesting because it shows a lot of ADCS-related folks in Poway giving money.

        This link to a Homeland Defense Journal PDF talks about Mirror Labs.

        I want to emphasize that there is a lot of smoke here, and Cannon's latest update regarding Wilkes involvement with Aimco is good stuff, but it's hard to understand all of this, not everything is perfect at this stage, and the research needs to be refined and become error-free.

        Regardless, Cannon's instincts in this story are correct IMO, and I know he'd appreciate any help, fact-checking, etc., that Kossacks are able to give.

        by Bozos Rnot4 Bush on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:41:21 PM PST

        •  For what its worth

          Those two buildings are not in the same neighborhood, but they're not far away from each other. Probably less than a 10 minute drive apart.

          by Kane in CA on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:02:34 PM PST

    •  Mr. Dean.

      I guess if it's really you, I'd like to request a detailed post about your thoughts on Watergate, Woodward and all the inconsistencies I've heard you talk about on Countdown. It's fascinating stuff and we could all use some brushing up on our history.

      For the record, I remember being in 3rd grade watching the hearings -- even though I protested -- my parents told me I would appreciate one day watching history being made. I suppose they were right, but it wasn't nearly as cool as the moon landing.

      Thanks in advance,

      hink

      by MrHinkyDink on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 06:03:39 PM PST

      •  Sorry but I'm not THAT John Dean (n/t)

        by Bozos Rnot4 Bush on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:11:46 PM PST

        •  Jesus Christ!

          How many fucking John Dean's are there?

          Okay, I'm an idiot.

          hink

          by MrHinkyDink on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:10:00 AM PST

  •  Finally get to rec. a diary of yours

    You finally have found something with some meat to it to dig deep on. Keep going on this one SG.

    Mitch Gore

    January 20, 2009... the end of an error.

    by Lestatdelc on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:24:34 PM PST

    •  left-handed compliment n/t

      by ksh01 on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 02:45:48 PM PST

      •  Not left-handed

        (well I am left handed) but rather an honest one, with a tinge of back-handedness towards some of the more off-base conspiratorial ones in the past.

        Mitch Gore

        January 20, 2009... the end of an error.

        by Lestatdelc on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 03:05:32 PM PST

  •  WTF?

    We as a nation are getting seriously screwed.

    by kharma on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:28:44 PM PST

    •  Wow!

      That's putting it mildly!

      by kathika on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:02:41 PM PST

    •  It is a Cesspool of Fraud,

      compliments of the Culture of Corruption.

      Absolutely astounding.

      by attydave on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 08:54:11 AM PST

  •  You might want to check out Laura Rosen's blog

    War & Piece

    She's a friend of Josh Marshall's who's been doing a lot of DC following on Wilkes-Wade-MZM recently, with promises of more to come: apparently Wilkes has been casing out Belize (was looking to do a runner implicit), and there are other congressmen involved, and more CIA connections, and it just is a mess.

    She also points out that prosecuters generally start with the little fish, and in this case, they started with Cunningham, which also indicates that there's a lot more where he come from.

    by bellatrys on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:42:48 PM PST

    •  Irony alert

      Good government types have long advocated the idea that election campaigns ought to be publicly financed.  Well, it looks like the GOP has finally embraced that idea, in their own unique fashion: they're now financing their election campaigns with money they've stolen from the federal government.

      by Thomas Kalinowski on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:24:07 PM PST

  •  Why the Dems aren't doing anything

    They're afraid of Blowback.

    Also, it's not just privately enriching people like Cunningham - one big thing that I wish people would follow up on, who have access to the sources necessary, is where that money went on out from. So we have DeLay giving money that Abramoff got him illegally, to other Republican candidates down the hierarchy, as far away as my own state of NH. And it turned out that Cunningham was doing the same thing, using it to fund smaller supporters on a local scale in California.

    Soft Money Redistribution, on a grand scale, for political office-holding - Houston, we have a problem...

    by bellatrys on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:59:23 PM PST

    •  yes.

      and we should also remember why GEOGRAPHY is important here...and the military industrial complex is the model.  defense contractors sited their bases in every congressional district so that no congressman could cross them.  same thing here...spread around the corrupt money, and you ain't gonna get any investigations.

      by maxschell on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 03:50:05 PM PST

  •  As Deep Throat said,

    "Follow the money"

    by Brother Dave on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:31:24 PM PST

  •  No shit, Sherlock!

    I just wanted to say that I admire your work here. "The. Biggest. Scandal. Ever." -- Classic.

    Your deft coverage of the Louisiana Levee Bomb Massacre was also high quality work. My question is, how do you maintain such a steady supply of top rate material? How do you rake muck so good!?

    by Molly Lipton on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:44:25 PM PST

    •  I've been looking for a good place to say

      "No Shit, Sherlock" but had resisted so far.  Thanks for saying it, just so I didn't have to.

      Excellent reporting, as usual, Sherlock.  Thanks!

      by beemerr90s on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:52:12 AM PST

    •  now we know why

      Ray Nagin, New Orleans mayor, got dumb stares in Washington and empty pocket stories when he showed up three weeks ago asking where the $$$ went.

      not ONE dime has come to NO yet, not one.

      We are bankrupt.  

      by stonemason on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:33:30 AM PST

    •  paul rosenburg's assessment

      at [MLW].

      Please don't take offense at the reference to your bad date diary in the comment on my part, honestly, I consider that diary a total classic, not least because of the excellent defense of it based on the fact that they are called diaries, and I'm not kidding, I believe that entirely.

      by pyrrho on Mon Dec 12, 2005 at 12:59:45 PM PST

      •  link

        http://www.myleftwing.com/...

        by pyrrho on Mon Dec 12, 2005 at 01:00:14 PM PST

  •  Good job -- but it's down the street, too

    Literally.  It's not just shell corporations and a lack of adequate oversight caused by punishing people like Bunnatine Greenhouse.

    It's a lack of oversight by the public of other institutions like their state and county road commissions, turnpike authorities as well as other departments like state workman's compensation pools.

    What do Florida and Ohio have in common, besides f'd up elections?

    Road/turnpike commissions without much oversight or public accountability.

    Follow the money.

    by Rayne on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:40:47 AM PST

  •  Who Will Pick It Up?

    The question is; who will pick this up. Fox? Don't think so. Air America? Maybe. Whoever picks it up will ideed have to take some Prozac before doing it.

    Well, do you know what? I think the French or the will air it.

    Do you remember what happend to Michel Moore and his book? It was the librarians that saved his ass. But this..oh no.

    by New Sweden on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 09:05:56 AM PST

•  Awesome Post Sherlock

  I've been reading over at CannonFire about this... just unbelievable.  Hope Fitz is reading here and there too... ;)

  by herenow on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 08:50:53 AM PST

•  Connection

  I've been saying that the Cunningham affair was just one bad apple -- embarrasing to the GOP right nw, buthardly comparable to the Delay scandal or teh Abramoff scandal. (Those are seperate scandals, even though Delay was involved in the Abramoff scandal.)

  Now, this data, shows that I was wrong.

  This is big, and deep. What broke Watergate form a minor burglary to an indictable offense was that some of the money used for dirty tricks was laundered in the same account that laundered some illegal (then, the law was immediately changed to mske them legal) campaign contributions.

  by Frank Palmer on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 08:58:44 AM PST

  •  add in the Noe graft

    that leads right to Taft and Bush/Cheney 04... we see a real pattern of taxpayer funded political graft.

    by debraz on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:59:50 AM PST

    •  Bingo

      Once you've perfected a process, you keep going.
      Once upon a time, I was being heavily recruited by RW think tanks.  At the core of their propaganda/message was that the Democrats and the New Deal were just a mafia style takeover of the federal government by "poverty pimps [meaning african americans] and union thugs [Catholics]" who then taxed "decent [rich WASP pigs]" Americans to pay for their continuing control of government.  I think some of these guys actually beleived this stuff.  So it isn't at all surprising that they would engage in shameless large scale theft of taxpayer money to fund their political operations- they probably see themselves as heroes for doing it too.

      by Myrkury on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:05:22 PM PST

      •  Of course they see themselves as heroes

        they don't think the government should have the money in the first place, so they figure they're doing the taxpayers a favor by stealing it.

        by Thomas Kalinowski on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:29:10 PM PST

  •  Oh these guys have been robbing the

    Federal Treasury and just you wait... With Cunningham in deep with the Dept of Defense on this one we are one step closer to seeing the Haliburton / KBR connection fold in.  Bunnatine Greenhouse has already pointed out the dubious nature of the procurement process with respect to their government dealings.  

    I've been waiting for these connections to come to light and suspected it mostly because when you look at all of these cases individually - including DeLay's Texas case - and how the money flowed there is a common "technique" or meathod if you will of stealing the money.  If they were "isolated incidents" they would more than likely have at least slightly different modus operandi.  They are all working off the same playbook.

    by inclusiveheart on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:02:28 AM PST

    •  I fear the Flu Propaganda

      and 9/11 Recomendations will just end up being one more avenue to steal money from the Treasury. Just like Katrina. With little accounting of the money.

      by mattes on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:27:39 AM PST

      •  No the bird flu and 9-11 are there to distract you

        Like a magician, while he performs his slight of hand.

        by pinche tejano on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:57:30 AM PST

        •  No, he's right

          It came out recently that Rumsfield is on the board of the makers of Tamiflu. So it's both - a scare tactic and a profiteering opportunity.

          by bellatrys on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:37:46 PM PST

          •  That's why I called it propaganda.

            Remember SARS and West Nile, I wonder how much money was spent there.

            by mattes on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:16:52 PM PST

            •  Profiganda?

              n/t

              by Myrkury on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:07:23 PM PST

              •  Good one. I'm stealing it. n/t

                by beemerr90s on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:55:29 AM PST

                •  give it a good home

                  if you want to go semiotically loaded for bear, try on propheganda for a little religious right flava.

                  by Myrkury on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 10:36:22 AM PST

          •  I do remember

            reading somewhere recently that a paper is being published that says Tamiflu has very little  preventive or ameliorative effect on the avian flu virus.
            
            

            by dwahzon on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:34:31 PM PST

            •  ..as I recall..

              ..though a link would help me remember, it wasn't that it wasnt effective, but rather in one young Vietnamese patient it showed to be ineffective.  Not exactly proof one way or the other.  

              Relenza (no affiliation) has shown promise too.  I've purchased both for the home cabinet.

              by sandmancan on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:36:47 PM PST

    •  you write

      "Oh these guys have been robbing the (4.00 / 7)

      Federal Treasury"

      Make that a past tense.

      $8,000,000,000,000 public debt now?

      This is a worse attack on the US public than Pearl Harbor and 9/11 combined.

      They mean to break our economic necks. The knife is at the jugular.  They'll punch in when it suits them, to realize the Patriot Act.

      Get them Sherlock, everybody.  Damn their thefts, we don't have much time left.

      All kinds of people foresee global economic collapse due to rethug deficit spending, but nobody seems to get the end game.

      We, the US public, will be on the vortex of the bottom of the dogpile once that collapse occurs.

      Then, with the help of Patriot III, public opinion won't even matter.  Per PNAC, they WILL rule the earth, and pipsqueak overpaid "BUD's" (broke, useless and depressed citizens, as the Bush family privately call us) who believe in democracy and have guns to back themselves up will amount to no threat at all.

      The undoing of the public financial picture is deliberate.  
      

      by stonemason on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:40:15 AM PST

•  murder, incorporated

  it's what the republican party is, a thoroughly criminal operation willing to kill, if necessary, to further their predation.

  by Beyond God on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:04:58 AM PST

  •  If necessary?

    These thugs will kill if it's just politically expedient, don't kid yourself.

    by Shadan7 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:20:16 AM PST

    •  just politically expedient?

      These guys will kill you just to relieve the tedium of counting all that stolen loot.

      by Thomas Kalinowski on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:32:10 PM PST

•  sent a link to this diary

  and the whole text of your entry to Buzzflash and Josh Marshall. Looking for others. This is like a wooden stake blessed with holy water over the heart of this monster. Awesome work, SG!

  by Jim P on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:22:54 AM PST

  •  Spreading the word

    (Parenthetically, MadCow is a "out there," but I make sure to check them cause from time to time they are right on the money)

    Sent link & full text to MemoryHole, SmokingGun, Democratic Underground, Huff Post, Capitol Hill Blue.

    Suggest others find someone to send this to. It deserves be the main topic of conversation everywhere by Monday morning, Tuesday at the latest.

    by Jim P on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:35:27 AM PST

    •  also sent the links and summary

      to a talk show host in the Bay Area (KGO radio)
      Some questions like: "What is the connection between Wilkes, Wade, Cunningham, and Abramoff?" might help get more play for the story.

      This story is the tip of the iceberg...and I can only hope the Republican Party's playing the role of the Titanic!

      by greatbasin2 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:16:13 AM PST

      •  I too sent link to local AAR host

        Charles Goyette in Phoenix.  He is the morning drive-time celeb and he has a very large listening audience...been around for years...I've heard people calling in from Canada, France, and all over the USA.

        For some reason (haha) he seems to mention purt-near everything I send him, so let's hope that he digs into this...!!!

        I'm also thinking that Olbermann would be a good one to send to, no?

        by Shaking the Tree on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:56:54 PM PST

        •  I'm hoping that

          some folks in the "right side" of the broadcast business have the resources to check out the sources--and perhaps find good resources themselves--to see if there really is a good causal link between the money "going in and the money coming out."  

          I provided the information and links in question form, asking if they knew anything about this issue, and if so could they investigate possible connections.

          While I'd dearly love instant results, I don't know that I necessarily want them. I'd prefer that some of the professionals do some checking, see what's out there, and find out what the facts are.  I think we can guess, but right now I'm at the "speculation" level of knowledge and assistance is always appreciated.

          by greatbasin2 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:43:48 PM PST

    •  air america, pronto!

      by periphrastik on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:55:58 AM PST

  •  Buzzflash linked to here

    under the heading "Phony front companies funnel millions back to GOP in massive scandal? "

    by Jim P on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:14:25 PM PST

•  recommended

  n/t

  by MN camera on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:23:59 AM PST

•  Jesus

  this is the kind of thing (and I'm only responding to you first question: "Ever wonder why the Republicans have SO much money in every national election?") that makes you go, How can I be so stupid? Every cent of every campaign coffer should have been scrutinized from every angle a thousand times. We know they're crooked. We know they'd steal to win. We know. We know all this and we've known it for a while. Why has this not been found out so long ago? God, we are blank and blunt and dim and shitstains sometimes.

  by Earl on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:27:01 AM PST

  •  They have

    so much money in every campaign because they are the party of the rich, as well the superrich. Of course, when you're that rich, too much is never enough, so why not steal some more. And more. And more.

    by drewfromct on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:40:28 AM PST

    •  Exactly what I'm saying

      they are the party of the rich and super-rich--but that alone doesn't explain the mountains of money. And we should expect scorpions to be scorpions--and watch them more closely.

      by Earl on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:42:36 AM PST

    •  You've hit on something...

      The super rich are so rich, they don't even have to stoop to the level of handling something like a germ-infested dollar bill -- one that, gasp,  any lowly peon could have handled before them. Yucky.

      Money isn't real to them. It's like Monopoly money.

      by ilona on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:49:47 AM PST

      •  why use your own money

        when you can use taxpayer money?  Isn't it a two-fer? Defund government while enriching yourself and enriching the politicians who will continue to enrich you.  A sustainable cycle of corruption.

        by debraz on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:03:00 AM PST

        •  Out of the Mouths of Hubbies

          I was reading this thread aloud. When I got to this, my husband replied with:

          "Well, CLEARLY, this shows the Republicans support tax-payer funded elections!"

          by mataliandy on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:00:28 PM PST

    •  They are rich because they don't pay tax

      and they don't contribute large amounts of money, obviously everyone else's tax dollars pays to re-elect their chosen candidates

      Isn't time to clean out the money lenders from the temple?

      What would the US equivalent of a velvet revolution be?

      by ranz on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:08:19 AM PST

    •  Yes...and they are devoted to using OPM

      Really.

      Truly.

      It's one of their favoritist mantras.  Use OPM.

      Other People's Money.

      In this case, ours.

      They're using OUR money to fund THEIR politicians (the ones they buy) to get their politics... and at least as important... more money.

      by ogre on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:56:25 AM PST

      •  You got it !

        Why the hell use MY money when I can use yours !

        Sooo many Republicans, so few Grand Juries.

        by fedupinca on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:20:30 PM PST

      •  Inheritance Cap!!!!!!

        just to honor thier tireless efforts to end the "death tax", amoungs othe rscams, don't allow anyone to inheret more than $30 million. Poor babies will only be able to never work a day in their life while partieng like Tommy Lee, instead of like all members of  Motley Crue.

        by McGirk SF on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 05:35:51 PM PST

    •  That's not exactly correct

      The Republicans are the party of the upper middle class and the rich.

      The Democrats are the party of the super rich.  When you are super rich, you stop to care about taxes and the like, and start to care about trying to enrich the world.  If you have an infinite amount of money, you start to not give a shit about losing some of it via taxes or whatever.

      Thing is, there are only so many people who are so rich that they basically have an infinite amount of money.  If you total up all the upper middle class and the rich's money, you get a much higher sum than the super rich.  Also, the super rich are prohibited from directly contriubiting super large sums of money (hence the existance of MoveOn.org et al), while the larger numbers of mere rich can contrinbute merely large sums of money each.

      by Geotpf on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:00:33 PM PST

      •  I should add

        That there are plenty of super rich people who are Republicans, because they still think like mere rich people.  But mostly, after a certain point, super rich people become Democrats.

        by Geotpf on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:02:26 PM PST

  •  It was laid out at length, in detail in 1974

    by Woodward & Bernstein in All The Presidents' men (see my comment above.)

    Particularly note that the big "hook" was telling Democratic businessmen that they'd protect them from the EPA, license to pollute, if they donated soft money to Nixon.

    Instead of worrying about the "Southern Strategy," the left should have been paying attention to the "Corporate Strategy" all along. Follow the money.

    And today, the Koch brothers - megapolluters, megafunders of "libertarian" think tanks that spend an inordinate amount of energy talking about how Kyoto's bad for business, no problems with global warming, overpopulation, etc etc - are out from under their EPA fines for massive oil/benzene spills - given a slap on the wrist by former bought'n'paid-for AG John A$hcroft...

    by bellatrys on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:10:54 AM PST

•  Great work

  Though I'm surprised the Matt & Katie have gotten to the bottom of this yet. <snark>

  by Hotspur18 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:27:37 AM PST

•  highly recommended

  excellent compilation!
  recommended
  recommended
  recommended

  by greatbasin2 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:30:56 AM PST

•  If what you say is true

  then this is the biggest corruption scandal in history.  

  Follow the money.  Our government has been bought and sold, and it should outrage every patriotic American.

  by conntexdem on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:31:05 AM PST

  •  sadly it's par for the course

    a) BCCI (terrorist bank)
    b) Savings and Loan
    c) BNL (Vatican bank)
    d) Riggs Bank (CIA bank)
    e) Iran-Contra
    f) Enron

    are just SOME of the financial scandals that the Bush family has been DIRECTLY implicated in over the years. Add to them the CIA-Wall Street ties, Halliburton, and Carlyle Group, and you get a picture that's none too pretty.

    Check out the book "How Much Are You Making on the War, Daddy?" by William D. Hartung, for a quick lo at some of this.

    Then ask yourself why 9/10/01 insider trades on United and American were never claimed, or why M. Atta visited the Sun Cruz offshore casino tied to the mob and Abramoff...

    the Octopus is alive and well.

    by gnat on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:58:57 PM PST

    •  We need an org chart,

      (a big one) to keep track of all this. This is  mind boggling. And all the while I keep thinking about how Rummy wants another $150B to run the Iraq disaster for next year.

      Hey boys ! The doors to the treasury are wiiiiide open, but ya gotta have a membership card to get in.

      So many Republicans, so few Grand Juries !

      by fedupinca on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:31:50 PM PST

      •  This is the US Treasury

        funded by China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, etc.  These people aren't just robbing us, they're robbing borrowed money!!

        by kathika on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:15:20 PM PST

•  Keep pulling the threads

  and unravel the great GOP playbook.

  Great stuff.

  I'll do some nosing around later and see what I can dig up.

  by jorndorff on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:32:37 AM PST

  •  Go sit on the Group W Bench Arlo

    With the Mother-Rapers--and the Father-Rapers!  Go sit next to the Biggest Founding Father-Raper of them all...

    ...and see if you can find out anything about Group W.  Were they involved with the phony news stories in Iraq?  Maybe they didn't do anything at all!

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:38:05 AM PST

    •  One quick link

      Group W Advisors, the lobbying firm, is represented in DC by one Alexander Strategy Group. Just last year alone, Group W gave $320k to ASG lobby in its interests.

      The Alexander Strategy Group is fun by Ed Buckham, ex-chief of staff to Tom DeLay. Another former DeLay aide, Tony Rudy, is manager of government relations and once lobbied alongside Abramoff. Incidentally, Tom DeLay's wife also receives a paycheck from ASG.

      Guess who helped fledgling ASG get off the ground in 1998?

      Enron.

      by jorndorff on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:09:03 AM PST

      •  That would be

        run by Ed Buckham.

        by jorndorff on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:09:47 AM PST

        •  Diary that

          The Tom Delay Link, it will get lost here.

          by pinche tejano on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:02:03 PM PST

    •  It's a mass-a-cree

      is what it is.

      by The Crusty Bunker on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:11:23 AM PST

      •  And the BIGGEST Founding Father-Raper of them

        all came and sat down next to me on the Group W Bench and he asked "What You In For Kid?"

        by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:17:07 AM PST

        •  An' I said ...

          litterin' ...

          I think we both know the rest of what happened on that Group Dubya Bench!

          by The Crusty Bunker on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 06:43:56 PM PST

    •  Group W and Morality

      I wonder whether they caught the joke when they named the company, or just used Wilke's initial?

      "Group W is where they put you if you may not be moral enough to join the Army, after committing your special crime..."  
      Arlo Guthrie, Alice's Restaurant Massacre.

      
      

      by RepubAnon on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:16:29 AM PST

    •  not to mention

      litterin'...

      by beemerr90s on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:00:46 AM PST

      •  And I should mention AGAIN

        That I should finish reading a thread before posting a comment, thereby avoiding redundant repetition.

        by beemerr90s on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:07:04 AM PST

  •  Duke cracked

    Randy "Duke" Cunningham confessed to everything. You can bet this was tied to a plea deal, it wasn't some outbreak of conscience, he had to have cut a deal to reveal all in hopes of not spending serious time in a not so friendly federal prison.

    A few years of soft time in Allentown Minimum in exchange for giving up Wade and Wilkes? A dead cinch. Do either of those guys look like they are willing to spend decades in jail to protect Congressmen? Some of the gang around Cheney might take a bullet to protect the PNAC dream of American Empire, but the web of people around DeLay and Abramoff were all in it for the money, and guys like that hate wearing tan overalls day in and day out.

    It is sad but at the same time beautiful that none of this is being spearheaded by the Democratic Party leadership. They get no credit, but they get no blame for the outing of corruption. In fact we can expect a certain amount of blowback, somebody with a 'D' after his name is almost certain to be drawn in. But chances are it will be a 'D' practically identical to your typical 'R', the typical leftist Democrat has been isolated in the Forest of Powerless for so long they are not even worth bribing.

    And the timing is perfect. We want the economy to do well, we hope beyond hope that some exit strategy from Iraq will bring the troops home, if our stomachs can handle it we can even accept Bush getting some credit for either. He is a lame duck and the policy gains are worth it. But having the entire Republican House leadership under indictment is priceless, and if 10% of what Sherlock Google has found comes to the attention of the American people a certain Mr. Rove can kiss his dream of 'Permanent Republican Majority" a few decades down the road.

    by Bruce Webb on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:11:19 AM PST

•  Abramoff is the key

  If he finds himself in deep trouble, he WILL turn state's evidence.  Men like Abramoff are more afraid of going to jail than anything else.  He's not a criminal out of necessity or circumstance; he's a criminal out of sheer greed and desire for power.  Men like that, when threatened with losing it all, have no courage, and when threatened with 20-to-life, he'll talk faster that the guy on the MicroMachines commericals.

  Honestly, this time last year, I was ready to give up hope in our system's ability to overcome these crooks and nutjobs from the GOP, but now, I feel a lot better.  Eventually, the media will have to pay attention.

  by TheCrimsonKid on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:33:10 AM PST

  •  Media will pay attention if we demand it

    but really the MSM are partners of the crooks and nutjobs, they aren't going to rock the entire system unless they are forced to, so spread the word....

    by Jim P on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:37:44 AM PST

  •  Yes, but ...

     ... the trick is to get him to reveal a lot.  Not only do men like him "flip", but they are constantly weighing their options and working the angles in order to get away with as much as possible -- that's the reason they "flip".  Do not think for a second that the threat or jail, or even death, will suddenly convert him to an honest man, willing to "come clean".  His character is that of a delinquent 14 year old boy.  You know the kind:  I didn't do it!  It didn't hurt anyone!  I wasn't there!  She was barely hurt!  It wasn't my knife!  They made me!  

    Every revelation, every name, every date, every cash handout will have to be worked out, bargained for, and negotiated.  Anything he can keep hidden he will keep hidden.  Everything he can save to use as leverage or power at a later date he will.  This is going to be a long, slow, gritty crawl down the pathways of corruption, and there is little chance each and every vein and seam can be mined.

    Ponder this:  why did hand-in-the-cookie-jar Dukestir come clean on the 2.5 MILLION dollars?  Just that -- or was he saving some further, more criminal revelation from coming out?

    There is only one appropriate attitude going into this mess:  trust none of them to speak the whole truth, or to be helpful in any way.  Assume that they have more to hide and will do anything to hide it.

    by Yellow Canary on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:55:49 AM PST

    •  That's a dangerous game

      Once you plea you are essentially powerless. Playing cat and mouse with a Federal prosecuter is a recipe for a bus ride to a different prison or even a different facility in the same complex. Your roommate may be a polite guy that sold fraudulent tax shelters or a guy that shot his buddy to death for cheating on the split from a Meth deal, and the key to the cell door is controlled by the prosecuter.

      Your post assumes that once Abramoff flips he will retain some ability to bargain every point. I don't see it. Successfully hiding criminality would work in theory, but unsuccessfully hiding it ends up buying a particularly unpleasant roommate.

      You are not talking hardened terrorist or some Mafia capo that knows testifying means his brother and son being found headless in the river. Abramoff has already been reported as being pretty dejected at how fast his former friends disowned him, and Cunningham can't be pleased with the comments Hastert and others have directed his way over the last week. And it is a long time to midterms.

      Jackgate will be the gift that keeps giving. Abramoff is just a little too close to a coconspirator to capital murder charge. Juicy details here: Man held in Boulis slaying incriminates fellow suspects . And Abramoff's partner who allegedly ordered the hit?  About ready to plea in Federal charges relating to that same business deal gone bad. And testify against Jack. Plea Deal Near With 2nd Abramoff Associate: Kidan Has Agreed to Cooperate in Probes  Jack would not like hard time in a Florida State prison after a murder conviction, at this point Federal prosecuters may be the only friends he has left.

      by Bruce Webb on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:41:18 AM PST

      •  I appreciate the correction ...

         ... and the details.  Cheers (if that's appropriate).  I still don't see them peeling back all the layers, or turning over all the (video)tapes.

        by Yellow Canary on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:57:56 AM PST

      •  Not to mention the severe risk...

        of having flipped substantially--enough to be anathema to his old friends, really...

        and being caught holding out.

        A prosecutor can easily go get a judge to agree that the plea agreement has been violated, and the deal's off.

        But that doesn't mean that the prosecutor can't use the information against the buddies.  Or that information and witnesses found using that information can't be used to tack the plea agreement violator's hide to the courthouse door.

        If you cut a deal with the prosecutor... keep it.  In letter and spirit.  Because--at least until the case is all closed up... he holds your leash, and one significant screw-up and you're in hot -- and likely hotter -- water.

        by ogre on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:00:59 PM PST

    •  San Diego, Americas' Most Rotten City

      The first idea floated was that Duke was trying to dodge the more serious charge of extortion, that he solicited the bribes. Of course Wilkes and Mitchell would fare a good deal better in court if they were the victims in all this. So that reason is probably a diversion, but it still merits some thought. Wilkes and Mitchell are San Diego boys, Hilltop High, class of 72.
      Wilkes set up a hospitality suite in Washington, which may have been used for gay trysts, according to the Washington Blade, which rates Duke a closet player. Duke's ex-wife is sueing for half the proceeds from the RSF mansion, which is pretty ballsy.
      All of this makes you wonder who set up Zucchet and Inzunza, the two councilmen caught in stripper-gate, and why the US attorney is going to try to overturn Zucchet's aquittal by judge Jeffery Miller. The greater question is what was the FBI doing chasing these guys around for shoplifting while Cunningham was walking off with the store.
      The FBI set up a three year sting, and never proved a quid pro quo. Zucchet merely forwarded the request for Malones request to the City Attorney. The judge cited testimony by Galardi, strip club owner, as unreliable. There was also a charge of weapons dealing against the Vegas players, which fell off the radar. What was the FBI role in all this? Were Galardi and Malone already in trouble, and turned to doing some dirty work to save their skins?
      Zuchett was the deputy mayor when Mayor Dick Murphy resigned, and would have filled the vacant seat at least in the interim.

      by agent double o soul on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:46:12 PM PST

  •  Now that's a flashback

    
     he'll talk faster that the guy on the MicroMachines commericals
    

    aww.. memories.

    by Super Pretzel on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:26:35 AM PST

•  Dude, answer this

  why is it a scandal? In today's world, honesty would be a scandal. It's business as usual.....get used to it.

  by Ruffledfeather on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:38:32 AM PST

  •  With the mainstream media....

    ....honesty is a scandal. Like, when Howard Dean tells the truth, you have people like Tweety squaking about how he's some out of control liberal. It's pathetic.

    by metal prophet on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:57:06 AM PST

    •  Ha-ha!

      That made me laugh, hard.

      by autoegocrat on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:00:00 AM PST

•  So you would think the dems might

  possibly be wanting to file some complaints before the FEC right?

  by glitterscale on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:39:32 AM PST

  •  The Dems?

    I've heard about them.  Somewhere...not sure where....

    Someone save us!  Please!

    by rockmoonwater on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:03:42 AM PST

    •  We don't need no stinkin' Democrats!

      Leadership that is. This is all rolling out with barely a hint of partisanship. Which is probably a good thing because Pelosi partially aside, our current leadership could barely organize a two-car funeral.

      We have Cunningham on one coast admitting to $2.5 million in bribes, we have a gangland hit on Gus Boulis on the other, and all of it about two degrees of separation from a Republican Majority Leader already under indictment and the only Democrat in sight is Ronnie Earle.

      The last thing we need is National Democrats stepping in and spoiling the show. For the time being they need to be like passing motorists: slowing down to see the carnage in guilty pleasure but moving along all the same.

      by Bruce Webb on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:51:21 AM PST

      •  ROFL

        "couldn't organize a two car funeral"  OHH how right you are!

        by glitterscale on Tue Dec 13, 2005 at 08:31:29 PM PST

•  asdf

  I spent a lot of time on this and now I have to go out and get a Christmas Tree.

  A Chri$tma$ tree? A Chri$tma$ tree? ...and you were doing so good up to that point, Sherlock. [wink]

  Riveting diary, as always...

  by ilona on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:42:54 AM PST

•  I Cringe When I Think

  About the billions and billions of dollars earmarked for the Iraq war and the 'reconstruction' which has dissapeared down the rathole of GOP corruption.

  by GW Chimpzilla on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:45:14 AM PST

  •  try this on for size

    on 9/10/01, the Pentagon quiety announced it had LOST (misplaced) over a TRILLION dollars.

    And that Venice, FL flight school that Atta trained at? Biggest drug bust in Florida history occurred there, and the people running it are known criminals: the owner is a Dutch national unable to return to Holland due to money-laundering charges.

    by gnat on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:06:57 PM PST

    •  citations?

      by Compound F on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:04:23 PM PST

      •  Here you go

        This has pissed me off so much I've been following it. First Rumsfeld mentioned it in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee:

        As you know, the Department of Defense really is not in charge of its civilian workforce, in a certain sense. It's the OPM, or Office of Personnel management, I guess. There are all kinds of long- standing rules and regulations about what you can do and what you can't do. I know Dr. Zakheim's been trying to hire CPAs because the financial systems of the department are so snarled up that we can't account for some $2.6 trillion in transactions that exist, if that's believable. And yet we're told that we can't hire CPAs to help untangle it in many respects.

        
        Link http://www.defense.gov/...  It's 3/4's the way down, search for "trillion".

        The PR alluded to is here http://www.defense.gov/...

        It's titled "SECRETARY RUMSFELD LAUNCHES BATTLE AGAINST BUREAUCRACY"

        It links to the speech, here http://www.defense.gov/...

        An excerpt refers to the missing money:

        The technology revolution has transformed organizations across the private sector, but not ours, not fully, not yet. We are, as they say, tangled in our anchor chain. Our financial systems are decades old. According to some estimates, we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions. We cannot share information from floor to floor in this building because it's stored on dozens of technological systems that are inaccessible or incompatible.

        While I support Rumsfeld wanting to upgrade the DoD to be able to track transactions, I find it hard to believe that they can't share info between floors, especially since in this Diary you can find a comment with a link to view all such contract info.

        Think about it: Somewhere between $2.3 and $2.6 trillion are unaccounted for. Bush's fiscal 2005 DoD budget request was $401.7 billion (see http://www.defenselink.mil/... ) not including supplemental requests for the war in Iraq. This a huge increase over the budget as recently as 2001, when it was $291.1 billion (see http://www.defenselink.mil/... )

        So something like seven or eight years of the Dept. of Defense budget is not able to be accounted for.

        Fucking unbelievable.

        by bewert on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:30:23 PM PST

•  WOW

  Man, all I can say is wow. I have more words but they are all four letter words. WHERE'S THE FUCKING MEDIA! WAR ON MEDIA IN 06!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  by dynamicstand on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:46:55 AM PST

  •  Le Media...

    
     ...c'est Sherlock Google, apparentement.

    Your diaries are what it's all about, SG.

    by howth of murph on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:15:19 AM PST

•  Damn. Reco. Time for RICO.

  I found the same sort of webpage blank wall when I went and looked at Iraq's "North Oil Company" over a year ago. Fake, Fake. Fake.

  by John West on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:55:34 AM PST

  •  Mother of God, is this the end ...

    ... of RICO? Nope, the apparently endless scandals from today's GOP -- and the willingness of media and so-called 'moderates' to look the other way -- only makes sense as a crime syndicate with pre-bought cops and judges running off pesky intruders.
    .
    After years wondering why BushCo scandal after scandal after scandal doesn't change the pulse rate of the usual watchdogs supposedly in place to prevent these abuses, it becomes apparent they get a weekly little brown bag too.
    .

    by Peanut on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:35:17 AM PST

•  Excellent Job Tying The Whole Mess Together!

  I've been closely following the Dukster ever since this broke last summer over at Talking Points Memo.  But tis is the first time I've seen so many different threads woven together to show a complete picture of what was really going on.  Thank you.

  The really scary thing for me is this:  The Dukster's empire unraveled only because one San Diego journalist had some free time one afternoon and did a cursory search on the "life styles of the rich and famous."  This journalist happened to notice Dukster's recent home purchase, thought the price was a little excessive for a meer congressman to afford, and followed the thread.  

  How many other scams are currently being perpetuated by rethugs, that no one has yet caught?

  by redtravelmaster on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:57:45 AM PST

  •  Thanks. That's why I call myself Sherlock

    NOTE TO KOS

    '06 will be a political year, so the guest bloggers need to have that under their belt.

    BUT '06 will also be the Year of Scandal, Scandals that the Media will not want to explore in all it's slimy glory.

    If you appoint a Fifth or Sixth Guest Blogger, why not make it a MUCK-RAKER like myself?

    I have been doing political detective work for 20 years now and know how to do it and then write up a narrative or timeline that makes it easy for the Jury to understand and convict these bastards.

    We need to keep the heat on the media to cover the story.  Otherwise the GOP Wurlitzer will cover it all up again in time for November!

    '06:  THE YEAR OF SCANDAL

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:10:30 AM PST

    •  kinda shameless, no?

      I have to say, I don't find this all that clearly presented. There's plenty of research here by others, but you haven't indicated clearly who you're quoting. I got that the first long quotation is from Mad Cow, and the last is from cannonfire. But the long second quotation, who is the source? Cannonfire? Besides, it would really help if you provided an overview of the main allegations in your own voice before or after quoting extensively. Just some suggestions.

      by smintheus on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:29:24 AM PST

      •  Edited the diary

        Thanks for the comments!

        by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:56:31 AM PST

        •  HEY SHERLOCK!

          Please check out my diary of today - "$8,000,000,000,000 national debt consequences worse than 9/11," inspired by yours.

          May I politely suggest we develop a tag team front here at DKos to out them all, while we still have time.

          Bush is committing economic genocide against us, his own people, and no one seems to get that there INDEED is an endgame.

          While I confess to lack of sleep for potential personal ramifications of the very issues stated in my diary and yours, and a weaker than usual editorial capacity, I think there's enough in my diary to respectfully request your review.

          Can't find an email for you, so I hope you check your comments.

          Thanks.

          by stonemason on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 10:53:41 AM PST

    •  C'mon now...

      I'm a big supporter of your theory, but if you would like to make your case for front page status, your written work product needs to be properly researched, and then written up in a clear and concise manner.  It sounds like this may be what you are aiming for with your call for research assistance, but why not save your request for front page status until after you've produced a good piece of writing (because after all, that's the key requisite for guest blogger).

      In all honesty, what you've done so far is piece together some material from some sources that are somewhat less than superior (to put it kindly).  A well-written piece, if you choose to write it, could be evidence for an argument that you deserve front page status.  

      However, at the moment, I think most Kossacks would agree that this is not writing worthy of that honor.

      by maxschell on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:53:28 AM PST

      •  meow

        Gez - your Max Schell, not Max Perkins

        As always I think Sherlock has served up a very worthy diary which pulls together a lot of disparate  research which he is also generous in acknowledging.

        I don't expect writers here to be Matthew Arnolds or even Susan Sontags.

        For being provocative and insightful Sherlock always gets my vote.

        My two cents

        by padraig pearse on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:12:41 PM PST

        •  No argument from me...

          ...on any of that (:-))...however, while both provocative and insightful is certainly necessary, it is not sufficient.  

          In my view, good, clear writing is an essential qualification for front page status.

          You don't have to be Hunter, but ya gotta be good.

          by maxschell on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:00:14 PM PST

    •  I have an idea

      After you become a front-pager, why don't you write a diary explaining your tricks of the trade? I always thought I was a fairly saavy net researcher, but your diaries consistently put me to shame. I don't seem to get the same results you do.

      I would like to know more about your habits of thought than your research habits, myself. What questions do you ask yourself when you come across a little nugget of information? How do you keep track of all of it in your head?

      Just imagine a burnt orange army of Sherlock Googlers. Just show us the way, and we will get to work.

      by autoegocrat on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:09:31 AM PST

      •  Ah! Good Question!

        But it is the Sherlock side of the name that is more important than the Google side.

        You must know what is the right question first.

        I suggest The Complete Sherlock Holmes: All 4 Novels and 56 Short Stories

        Once you read those, you will know how to look for clues and notice odd things "like the dog that didn't bark".  That's how one comes to great leaps of deduction.

        For example, I was the one who figured out that Richard Clarke and thus Bill Clinton had never been told about Able Danger, so you can't pin dropping the Atta Ball on him.  That was a Sherlockian Hunch that later proved correct--and it changed the whole story.

        (Yes the Able Danger Timeline is coming!)

        Google Images has most pictures and there are some unreliable sites that sometimes quote reliable sources but really the fun of figuring out what's really going on over at Bushco, Inc., is what drives me to investigate for hours and hours.

        There are also some great Basil Rathbone movies you can check out from the video store!  

        Become Sherlocks first, then thou shall know how to Google!

        Tally Ho, Sherlock Googlers!

        by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:44:26 AM PST

        •  Sherlock,

          Ha! You forgot one of your most important assets. ;)

          by sherlockandwatson on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:41:27 PM PST

        •  Opium

          and playing the violin. Can I be a Sherlock without these two hobbies?

          And, a bit off subject but, Jeremy Brett made a better Holmes, IMHO.

          by Maine Atticus on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:21:56 PM PST

          •  Brett

            was the BEST Holmes by far...a shame he passed away at such a  young age.

            by maxschell on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:03:08 PM PST

            •  Perhaps, but

              I still love Basil.  He was pretty good, too...

              by beemerr90s on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:17:46 AM PST

            •  The first time

              I ever saw Jeremy Brett was in "My Fair Lady" (the movie) and he was singing "On The Street Where You Live".

              Years later, when he showed up as Holmes, I didn't even recognize him. At the end, he aged very fast. Yes. A terrible shame. There will never be another Sherlock in my heart.

              by Maine Atticus on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 11:05:00 AM PST

•  A naive question:

  Shouldn't the DOD practice of black budgets (whatever they are called -- the secret ones) be eliminated?  Shouldn't the entire expenditure tree be available to the public?

  Now there's a beast that should be starved.

  End Defense corruption:  cut the budget in half, and make the expenditures public.

  by Yellow Canary on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:01:29 AM PST

  •  I guess you'd need some honest people

    there to do that kind of thing. oh, well...

    by kathika on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:22:58 PM PST

•  A Group W History Page

  I recall the term from my 60's childhood in the Cleveland media market, then one of the very top markets in the country (4th?).

  Is this the same Group W?

  by Gooserock on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:03:44 AM PST

  •  No.

    Different Animal

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:11:39 AM PST

•  speechless! n/t

  -- MLK

  by missreporter on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:04:54 AM PST

•  amazing work, Sherlock Google

  Linked to it at http://www.mouffette.easyjournal.com

  Does anyone know if Wilkes and Wade are under investigation? Is all this still an open case?

  by kgerard on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:14:35 AM PST

  •  Unindicted co-conspirator #1

    In the Cunningham case has been identified as Wilkes. Note that "unindicted" does not mean "unindictable", in fact it is quite the reverse. Cunningham is talking, Wade and Wilkes are lawyering up. It's going to be a bumpy ride which is bound to throw off a couple more congressmen. Google "Wade Virgil Goode" or just click this link: http://www.raisingkaine.com/...

    by Bruce Webb on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:02:20 AM PST

    •  Good eye!

      Virgil Goode is on my list - notice this overlooked diaryfrom June pegged him.

      John
      

      by Bozos Rnot4 Bush on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:10:44 PM PST

      •  Yes, this could be big for the Goode situation.

        The Cunningham guilty plea was already devastating, but if it turns out that MZM is actually a shell company, doing essentially nothing while raking in millions of dollars in taxpayer money, Virgil should be very badly damaged indeed.

        MZM was by far his largest contributor in the 2004 race; he got around $40K from them, out of a total of something like $800K raised.  The second-largest contributor gave something like $12K.  (Going by opensecrets.org; this is employee money, apparently coerced.)

        Further, he made a huge show of his negotiations with MZM and the government to get the company to open an office in the district and to get defense pork shovelled in the company's direction.  He has at least one really prominent photo opp taken with Wade (who looks like a giant wolf lustily eyeing Virgil, about to devour him in one bite).

        If it turns out that MZM is not a real company, Virgil can in no way extricate himself from it.  He will plainly be complicit in the charade, or duped -- and if he has been duped, he has to be the dumbest guy on the face of the earth.

        It's a conservative district (Jerry Falwell's home), but with a lot of loyal Democrats (some very blue towns).  The '04 election went 65-35 for Virgil against a quite liberal challenger.  It would take a very serious hit to unseat him.  But this may be a very serious hit.

        by jem6x on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:38:13 PM PST

        •  You don't run for re-election

          From a jail cell. Plenty of people in electorally safe districts are pretty nervous today. Because somehow I suspect knowing that that fellow Republican (who always was secretly hoping you got hit by a bus anyway) still holds your district is small consolation on a one way trip to Danbury or Allentown Fed.

          A couple of huge turds have been tossed into the GOP punch bowl and plenty of people are going to get splashed. And I couldn't be happier: "revenge is a dish best served cold". It won't bring the dead soldiers back and I still would have like to win the election but little if any of this would have the longterm potential it is likely to have if Kerry had been elected. O'Liely and company would have been spinning their heads off chanting "partisan witchhunt" and probably would have gotten away with most of that.
          

          by Bruce Webb on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 08:07:21 AM PST

•  In a sense, I'm disappointed

  It's all about money, and that's just so mundane. What about world domination? A Christian theocratic America? A genetically improved soldier? A nation-blasting laser? Just a bunch of smash-and-grab artists is all they are, way short on that "vision thing."

  by The Crusty Bunker on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:14:42 AM PST

  •  Ah, but this is how they make all those

    wonderful Neo-Con Dreams REALITY...

    Remember, the Neo-Cons say they make new realities--and then the rest of us have to catch up and deal with it.

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:19:44 AM PST

    •  This is Pulitzer Stuff!

      by mattes on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:21:57 AM PST

      •  I accept the Pulitzer in advance!

        Sherlock Google for FRONT PAGE!  The only nominee to accept in advance the Pulitzer Prize for Blogging!

        paid for by Kossaks for Sherlock

        by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:28:38 AM PST

        •  You forgot to say

          "I am Sherlock Google and I approve this message."

          by autoegocrat on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:11:52 AM PST

          •  Damn, is that an FBEC violation?

            The Federal Blogging Election Commission is going to come after me now...

            by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:46:35 AM PST

  •  honey, it's always about the money

    In the end, it always boils down to the almighty dollar.  What good would it do to dominate the world if ya didn't get da spoils... religion in that context is a means to that end.

    by debraz on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:02:39 PM PST

  •  Ah, but with money comes power

    Think of all that they can buy with our NATIONAL TREASURE!

    The people, the countries, the resources...and  only for themselves.

    And, let's not forget their dream of weaponizing space...there's the laser of death zapping us as we walk down Main Street!

    {{jumping in bed and covering up my head}}

    by Shaking the Tree on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:00:45 PM PST

  •  Money ...

    Money, power, theocracy, sheer hate - each Republican is in it for whatever they can get.  They're happy to use each other.  But it looks like loyalty isn't their strong suit any more.

    by Bob Love on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 08:10:25 PM PST

•  my one and only comment

  ...concerning our current government and all the politicans therein..

  BURN BABY BURN....!!!!

  by Cal45 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:15:49 AM PST

  •  I've never been fully convinced that

    term limits were the answer, but I think I could endorse the meme "Re-elect Nobody"...  There are some noteables that I like very much that would be sacrificed, but all-in-all probably worthwhile.

    But then, the Repubs probably already have a plan in place to both thwart the effort and to benefit from it should the thwarting fail.

    Beam me up, there is no intelligent life here...

    by beemerr90s on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:23:37 AM PST

•  CIA, hunh?

  I wonder what they are thinking about these revelations down  down at George Bush Center for Intelligence?

  I lifted you post in hopes it will warm the hearts of some snoopy readers:

  http://www.livejournal.com/...

  ....Marc

  by ccnwon on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:19:14 AM PST

•  I am not impressed.

  I am less than impressed by the sources used in this posting. The "Mad Cow Morning News", which is apparently a big fan of conspiracy theories (it certainly sells a lot of conspiracychannel.com stuff).

  And the Wilkes background stuff is all from one guy's blog (cannonfire).

  Now, I don't have a hard time believing that there are corrupt Republicans out there (duh), but I'm not impressed by the "evidence".

  It's also scary to see that nobody who commented here even seems to have checked if the sources where somewhat reliable.
  

  by Frank on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:21:23 AM PST

  •  You gotta be kidding me

    Why shouldn't we take something from "Mad Cow Morning News" at face value? I reserve my skepticism for the New York Times and Fox News.

    by makemefree on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:25:38 AM PST

    •  You're right.

      I've found another BIG SCANDAL from a reliable source. RECOMMMEND!
      

      by Frank on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:30:57 AM PST

      •  Ah hah

        Yes, I agree on the sources but doesn't it propose being looked into?

        Such of the info is from other sources, compiled and researched. There's no huge leap in conclusions being made. Just following the money...

        Much of this has been covered by The Hill, The San Diego Union-Tribune, etc. This is hardly wacko fringe material here.

        by jorndorff on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:34:42 AM PST

        •  Sure.

          I'm sure it's been reported that Wilkes is very dirty, and has political/lobbyist ties. And I have no trouble believing that.

          However, I can't make the jump to "Biggest scandal ever!" and "millions to GOP". That seems to come from the sources referenced here, and seems to be pretty speculative.

          by Frank on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:42:36 AM PST

          •  Think you must have missed

            the original Duke Cunningham bribery/resignation story in the MSM.  

            You said: "However, I can't make the jump to "Biggest scandal ever!" and "millions to GOP". That seems to come from the sources referenced here, and seems to be pretty speculative."

            Mr Cunningham admitted to $2.4 million in bribes.  From these companies.  That's just him and it's millions.

            We're still adding it all up but it's likely to go into the tens of millions in campaign contributions to GOP officeholders. From fake companies!  What kind of company shares it's fax number with several other companies?

            This has never been pulled off on such a huge scale, making it The. Biggest. Scandal. Ever!

            Of course lying to go on a war of Conquest is a War Crime, so that's worse--but this is easily the largest corruption scandal in national history.  

            It makes Teapot Dome look like a Tempest in a Teapot.  This is a plan to end our democracy.

            by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:18:25 AM PST

            •  I Don't Think You Use Enough...

              ...exclamation marks.  

              by Dana Houle on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:11:19 PM PST

              •  Sorry!!! I'll try to use more in the future!!!!!!

                by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:31:59 PM PST

      •  Tremendous!

        Bush's Voice of God is Cheney on the intercom! Love it. Thanks so much for that. LOL funny!

        by makemefree on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:46:17 AM PST

  •  did follow the internal links

    Reasons for doubt: (1) We have blogs quoting blogs. Much like the old circle in which the Congressman quotes the Washington Times which in turn quotes the Congressman, this is reasonably questionable. (2) We have some internal quotations in Cannonfire that cite books the veracity of which is difficult to assess.

    Reasons for hope? (1) While some of the more conspiratorial conclusions in the blogs might be questionable, there may be other conclusions that could be reasonably drawn, i.e. that there is a money trail from MZM to Republican fund raising and lobbying activities. Given the recent investigations into Safavian (how come his name doesn't come up more often in the news?) this is not an unreasonable conclusion.
    (2) There are some items that cause skepticism, for example: How does World Finance get so big so fast? How do defense contractors sell the Pentagon things it hasn't asked for?

    We do need to do some "citizen journalism" of the Gold Standard variety. Check the sources, get corroboration, etc. But, we also need to accept that there is a possibility that kernels of truth often plant themselves in unlikely places.

    by greatbasin2 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:37:46 AM PST

    •  Here's how Defense Contractors sell the DoD

      things they don't want.  From the diary above:

      And then there's Republican Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, who ordered continued funding of ADCS even after the DOD raised objections.

      The Culture of Corruption is now Omnipotent and All-Controlling.  Believe it!

      by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:47:56 AM PST

      •  Couldn't he have just funneled the money

        to his Muscular Dystophy telethon?

        by beemerr90s on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:25:54 AM PST

    •  I'd Like This To Be True

      But blogs quoting blogs is a red flag for me also. The important thing to do in these cases is to follow the links at the blogs you want to quote, and see if they end up at a mainstream news source. Then quote the mainstream news source.

      I'd like to see URLs for everything Mad Cow is talking about in this story, but the only URL that goes off the Mad Cow site is the one linking to ADCS, and that's a one-page site.

      The information Sherlock provided on all contacts running to the same the FAX machines is obviously correct, as is his listing of contributions, but nothing else has been proven.

      Once again, I'd love to see the same story with better cites.

      Troutwaxer

      by troutwaxer on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:54:27 PM PST

  •  Much of the research can be fact-checked--

    by going over the same public sources as these researchers. Contracts awarded, addresses, domain registrations, websites, and so on.

    by kgerard on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:56:42 AM PST

    •  THANK YOU!

      by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:01:42 AM PST

  •  It's the Larouche Form of Establishing...

    ..."causality": blend a bunch of facts from reputable sources, toss in a smidgen of complete fabrication attributed to dubious sources, and stir with the intent of showing the biggest something or other of all time that ties everything together into one neat theory that explains how the world works and the evil forces in control of everything.  

    I'm waiting for the hyperlink to the Executive Intellegence Review.

    by Dana Houle on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:12:48 AM PST

  •  maybe because you are a greenhorn at this

    and weren't paying attention (or yet born) during the Iran-Contra affair?

    Look it up.

    These strategies are well-documented enough to be old hat.

    Just that the ensuing generation is BRAINWASHED by the mainstream media enough to think they even had an education.

    by stonemason on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 10:58:21 AM PST

    •  I directed this

      to "Frank" above, who is incredulous at both Sherlock's sources and content.

      Got skewed in comments sequence.

      by stonemason on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 11:00:17 AM PST

•  For this to have legs,

  it needs a bulldog US attorney to follow the money and craft plea deals that lead ever higher.

  Cunningham was practically handed to them on a platter by the press. The next part will be a lot trickier, and more dangerous.

  Is there such a bulldog in San Diego?

  by devtob on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:22:17 AM PST

  •  Yes there is

    Her name is Carol Lam. She indicted 2 San Diego City Councilmembers for taking bribes. They were Democrats. She won the case but a judge overturned the jury decision on one case.She is going to appeal.

    She went after Cunningham. He is a Republican. And her office has said that the case is "ongoing".

    It is of immense relief to me that there are prosecutors out there
    who are doing their job and are willing to go after the political corruption- wherever it may be. This is the way government is supposed to be.

    by chrisc on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:52:49 PM PST

•  SHERLOCK

  Please email me.  I can add a bit of information I've found in public contracting data sources.

  RenaRF at comcast dot net

  by RenaRF on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:26:06 AM PST

  •  Please post the info below, thanks

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:34:15 AM PST

    •  Sherlock, some info from downthread

      Don't know whether you saw this comment downthread, but here it is again:

      Sherlock, here's some info on the Avenue of Science address in San Diego:

      the Secretary of State's records show the owner, HIR Avenue of Science LLC, as having an address of 1121 SW SALMON ST PORTLAND, OR 97205, and, I believe, being a Delaware LLC.Agent for service of process is CHARLES H SEAMAN, at REED SMITH, TWO EMBARADERO CENTER STE 2000, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111.

      Hope that helps some.

      Strong work - thanks!

      by occams hatchet on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:30:44 PM PST

  •  RenaRF

    can you drop me an email?  i want to compare notes with some of the stuff we're putting together.

    gracias!

    by luaptifer on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:04:49 PM PST

    •  Folks, please get together on this ASAP!

      Luaptifer is my friend, and has been quietly unearthing a lot of good dirt behind the scenes at ePluribus Media, that ties into all of this.

      Anything you got, share it please, and don't forget to have someone else fact check.  Refine, refine, refine, and then blast these fuckers to hell.

      John
      

      by Bozos Rnot4 Bush on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:47:33 PM PST

      •  and

        and log every damn thing you see.  If you use Firefox, check out the Slogger extension.  It logs and timestamps pages you browse, either automagically, or at the click of the mouse.

        We saw the scrubbing that occurred during the Gannon research here.  Diligence is a necessity.  These forums are monitored, and they have much to lose through any exposure.

        This all just feels right.  I hope my head is not in the clouds.

        by dqueue on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:27:13 PM PST

•  Ask your local paper to look into this

  Get busy fighting keyboardists! I just sent an email to the editor of the Seattle Times with a link to Sherlock's blog requesting they assign a reporter to the story. If we write to enough of the independent papers this story should make it into the mainstream. More than one letter or email to every paper should help raise their level of attention.

  by ocooper on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:36:09 AM PST

  •  Two Words

    Toledo Blade!

    by libnewsie on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:46:50 PM PST

•  1. This is exactly WHY

  I no longer read any mainstream publication. This damn diary is more explosive, better written, and better researched than any article in the f'ing New York Times.

  2. It is TERRIFYING to think about what will happen as private companies use the Patriot Act to destroy dissenters.

  3. How the hell do we fight this hydra?

  by grushka on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:40:36 AM PST

  •  #1 Read Kos

    stir and let simmer

    2.  Skim story in NYT days later

    3.  Be gentle with Matt and Katie when they slowly open their eyes, and rub the sandman sleep from their little eyes.

    by 88kathy on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:46:52 AM PST

    •  Too bad there's a perfect inverse

      relationship:

      The more targeted, smart, incisive the online commentary and research, the less it will ever be disseminated to the mainstream.

      by grushka on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:56:17 AM PST

•  Is this the same Brent Wilkes involved in LULAC

  http://waysandmeans.house.gov/...

  by ranz on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:42:27 AM PST

  •  Sorry, it isn't.

    www.lulac.org/publications/annualreport2004.pdf

    by ranz on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:52:40 AM PST

  •  try this link and photo comparison

    Doesn't look like the same person. San Diego paper article on Cunningham and the bribes.

    by greatbasin2 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:52:49 AM PST

•  Sherlock you are amazing!

  Thank you so much!!

  by annefrank on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:44:15 AM PST

•  THanks for the Kudos....

  I've been following the money for the past few days and hope to have a diary up on the subject a.s.a.p.

  Luckily papers are starting to cover the issue a bit more in depth as a search for Wilkes on yahoo news will turn up more and more results by the day. Hopefully the pressure continues.

  by LieparDestin on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:48:50 AM PST

  •  Everybody give this Kossak a 4! - Sherlock

    IF we could total up all payments we can find to the GOP and K Street, we can get the Media's attention finally I think.

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:53:16 AM PST

•  Proceeding with Caution

  I recommended, but am proceeding with caution.  I wish I had the time and talent to follow up on this myself, but I'm not really sure where to go.  The sources are unfamiliar to me -- Mad Cows? -- and I have no way to judge their credibility.  Still, I think it's interesting material and I'm recommending so that it stays a few mins longer on the Recommended list than it would otherwise.

  by bink on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:52:37 AM PST

  •  It is all over liberal sites.

    Just google and you'll see numerous references to the Cunningham case and contributions to Arnie and Katherine Harris bla bla bla.

    Of course these sites could be recycling hack news, but then again, it sounds so plausible.

    by ranz on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:58:28 AM PST

  •  WaPo story

    http/www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content article/2005/11/28/AR2005112800512_pf.html

    by ranz on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:01:25 AM PST

    •  Better Link

      Here's a better link to the story.

      by troutwaxer on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:03:12 PM PST

  •  From the devils mouth

    http://www.foxnews.com/...

    by ranz on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:02:52 AM PST

    •  God knows the blogosphere needs skeptics

      But Scanlon has agreed to plea, Cunningham has apparently agreed to plea, Kidan's plea is scheduled for Dec 15 and I gathered none of that from Mooncow or wherever. Sherlock is a little giddy (and between you and me a little full of himself) but he has done a fantastic job here and deserves every speck of mojo flowing his way.

      It took months before the Watergate Conspirators started to crack, this took weeks and starts with people right in the power center. Cunningham and Abramoff are huge even if a lot of people never heard either's name before last week. It's like cracking a Mafia crime family by getting the Consigliere to go State's Evidence, the Republican machine, like all dead fish, is rotting from the head down.

      Katrina removed Bush's invulnerability, Dukegate and Jackgate in turn are going to rip aside a pretty sleazy curtain hiding the GOP machine. Move over Turd Blossom, Hot Tub Tom needs a seat on that prison bench.

      by Bruce Webb on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 08:21:50 AM PST

•  Procom - one of the satisfied MirrorLab customers

  "But the only satisfied customers mentioned are a couple of small-ish private companies (real companies) who had some software beta-tested."

  http://www.sdreader.com/...

  One of those companies - Procom Technology - was mentioned in a SD Reader article from 2000 which details how Wilkes and others funneled money to San Diego City Council member Ron Roberts.

  Employees of at least one company doing business with ADCS have also been encouraged to support Roberts. According to a sales executive with an Orange County computer-hardware maker, employees at that firm were repeatedly solicited for funds by ADCS executives. Richard Creighton, a Costa Mesa resident who is employed by Procom Technology of Tustin, said in a telephone interview last week that he had been invited to a fundraiser sponsored by ADCS president Brent Wilkes.

  "I got something in the mail to come to a fundraiser. I'm not really that politically savvy. I know nothing about San Diego politics," said Creighton. "All I know is, ADCS is a customer of ours. They sell computer products to the government. Our company makes computer products. They use our products to satisfy their bid. When they win a bid from the government to do a job, they go out and buy hardware and software, and they buy some from us. We make storage devices and most of what they do involves storage."

  Along with Creighton and his wife Avie, four other Procom employees and their spouses, all residents of Orange County, gave the maximum contribution to the Roberts campaign, for a total of $2250. All but one of the contributions was recorded as being made on June 6, 2000. When combined with the directly traceable ADCS contributions, ADCS has been responsible for raising a total of at least $12,000 for Roberts.
  

  by dannyinla on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:07:24 AM PST

•  Sherlock, here's some info on

  the Avenue of Science address in San Diego:

  the Secretary of State's records show the owner, HIR Avenue of Science LLC, as having an address of 1121 SW SALMON ST PORTLAND, OR 97205, and, I believe, being a Delaware LLC.Agent for service of process is CHARLES H SEAMAN, at REED SMITH, TWO EMBARADERO CENTER STE 2000, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111.

  Hope that helps some.

  Strong work - thanks!

  by occams hatchet on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:16:32 AM PST

•  Jesus, Sherlock

  Unbelievable.  Keep up the good work.

  And remember, "Group W Advisors" is where they put you if you might not be moral enough to join the army, burn women, children, houses and villages after being a litterbug.

  by Mark H on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:20:50 AM PST

•  Disturbingly Familiar

  For anybody who thinks this sounds disturbingly like the phony companies set up by John Poindexter and Oliver North to illegally funnel money to the Contras, you'd be right!

  The GOP has been doing (or trying to do) this kind of chichanery for at least 20 years now.  Between crap like this and Watergate, I often wonder how anybody can think the GOP is the "moral party."

  Creepy, but coming from the GOP, entirely to be expected.

  by Harkov311 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:21:45 AM PST

  •  Well..

    Those who actually believe that the GOP is the moral party are simply drunk on the Jesus talk.

    ---

    As an atheist, the more I hear about Jesus, the more I like what he ACTUALLY SAID, and the more I dislike how the fundies simply quote Jesus, under the assumption that he approves of whatever they are doing just because they are fundies.

    that being said, there's no way I'm believing in the whole son-of-God/resurrection thing.

    Frankly, I blame Constantine.

    by Super Pretzel on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:35:02 AM PST

  •  And Jack Abramoff worked with North

    In his role as ED of Citizens for America, Jack helped North organize the Contra speaking tours.

    His involvement in Iran-Contra and its unraveling, was a big part of Jack's early training.

    This has been going on for quite some time. It is likely the the threads that tie Duke/Group W and DeLay/Abramoff go all the way back to the first Reagan term.

    I think it was where today's scandals were born.

    by dengre on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 07:27:21 AM PST

•  a few more details at WMR

  I know a lot of people here don't like Wayne Madsen, but in a December 3 post (at WMR) he wrote this about MZM taking over tasks done by NGIC:

  After NGIC's deputy director, Bill Rich, Sr., retired, he was quickly hired by MZM, which had replaced Battelle as the prime contractor for NGIC. Soon after taking the job with MZM, Rich's son, who had no prior intelligence experience, was also hired by MZM, according to the former analyst. In addition, NGIC's retired Sergeant Major was also hired by the firm, according to the same source. The links between MZM and Cunningham were so close, members of Wade's family also reportedly steered money to Cunningham's campaign coffers.

  "Members of Wade's family steered money to Cunningham's campaign coffers...."  But it doesn't indicate the families were "close," it just indicates their method of money laundering.  I think Madsen's post actually dovetails quite nicely with this diary.

  by vinifera on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:24:38 AM PST

•  Your pics aren't loading

  Your pics at the top of the diary aren't loading for me.

  I have been called Sherlock once. :) Great work! I'm researching some creepy right wingers too, some of my researching is in Dkosopedia already. Mostly nobodys but you never know, and I think we need to archive all the creeps out there into databases like Dkosopedia or the like, save screenshots, etc. All that stuff.

  by patrioticliberal on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:38:57 AM PST

  •  That's because this is such a hot

    and linked diary, judging from the reaction.  We appear to be pressing the server envelope on those poor photo servers.

    Refresh and you should see the ugly mugs that own Total Bastard Industries.

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:55:33 AM PST

    •  Ugh!

      Never mind, I didn't want to see their photos. LOL.

      Keep up the good work Sherlock.

      by patrioticliberal on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:02:08 PM PST

•  This was just posted on TotalFark

  From Cyclometh:

  A bit of digging turned up some very interesting things.

  C:>nslookup
  > www.mirrorlabs.com

  Non-authoritative answer:
  Name: www.mirrorlabs.com
  Address: 12.22.219.140

  Note the IP address above. You'll be seeing it a lot.

  Here's the ARIN information for the IP above. Essentially, mirror labs goes to ADCS.

  The site itself gives the generic "No web site is configured at this address".

  OrgName: ADCS INC
  OrgID: ADCSI
  Address: 13970 STOWE DRIVE
  City: POWAY
  StateProv: CA
  PostalCode: 92064
  Country: US

  NetRange: 12.22.219.128 - 12.22.219.255
  CIDR: 12.22.219.128/25
  NetName: ADCS-INC12-219-128
  NetHandle: NET-12-22-219-128-1
  Parent: NET-12-0-0-0-1
  NetType: Reassigned
  Comment:
  RegDate: 2002-10-25
  Updated: 2002-10-25

  So then we move on to the other sites described in the Kos article:

  Perfect Wave Tech:

  > www.perfectwavetech.com
  Non-authoritative answer:
  Name: www.perfectwavetech.com
  Address: 12.22.219.140

  Same IP as www.mirrorlabs.com.

  Note: Site is (C) 2003, but "News" still says "Coming Soon"? WTF is that about?

  > www.pureaquatech.com
  Non-authoritative answer:
  Name: www.pureaquatech.com
  Address: 12.22.219.140

  Same IP address as the others.

  > www.archerlogistics.com
  Non-authoritative answer:
  Name: www.archerlogistics.com
  Address: 12.22.219.140

  Yet again....

  > www.acousticalcs.com
  Non-authoritative answer:
  Name: www.acousticalcs.com
  Address: 12.22.219.140

  And again.

  Liberty Defense Tech:
  > www.libertydefensetech.com
  Non-authoritative answer:
  Name: www.libertydefensetech.com
  Address: 12.22.219.140

  Now this bit is VERY interesting to me. The site's been up since 2003, it claims, but the login script does nothing but show "Your login credentials are invalid." using javascript, already embedded in the page. It just sets it visible, with a very simple javascript block embedded in the page. If you don't enter a username and password it shows a different message in a popup. The login isn't connected to anything and goes nowhere.

  by rockmoonwater on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:44:40 AM PST

  •  Keep a-diggin!

    These companies are fake, bogus, phony, ersatz, nowhere, baloney, fronts.

    Anybody got any more adjectives?

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:52:02 AM PST

    •  I made the request

      by rockmoonwater on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:55:57 AM PST

    •  Not an adjective

      but silicone works.

      by McGirk SF on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:04:16 PM PST

  •  Here's another one...

    also hosted on the same server: http://www.wilkesfoundation.org/

    The site has no content either like the rest of them.  However, The Wilkes Foundation did give $1,000,000 to the San Diego Children's Hospital.

    http://www.chsd.org/...

    Here's some info on Wilkes:

    Mr. Wilkes, a CPA by training, began his career at the San Diego office of Arthur Anderson & Company. He then became tax manager for Deloitte, Haskins & Sells in Washington, DC. He returned to San Diego in 1990 and began building a network of companies that provided technical support, personnel and other consulting services to the Department of Defense and government contractors. One of those companies was ADCS Inc., a technology company specializing in document conversion and information management. He is also president of Group W Advisors, a California corporation that provides general management and government relations consulting to businesses across the U.S. He serves as Chairman of the Wilkes Foundation.

    The Wilkes actively support organizations throughout San Diego, such as San Diego State University, the Copley YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, After School All Stars of Greater San Diego and many other local organizations.

    by ryder92111 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:15:24 PM PST

    •  Actually it DID have content once...

      That's where the biographical details you quote originate from but all the links have now been pulled from the front page (just as with the associated adcs site).

      But as ever in these cases let the Wayback Machine be your friend.

      Here is the last recorded version of the Wilkes Foundation home page from which you can access a fascinating list of their sponsors which include the following:

      Platinum Sponsors

      AXA Advisors, LLC
      The Wilkes Foundation

      Gold Sponsors

      David & Linda Stecher

      Silver Sponsors

      ADCS Inc.
      Alan & Debbie Gold
      Group W Advisors
      Group W Media
      HST, Inc.
      MZM, Inc.
      Procom Technology
      R.G. Petty Construction
      Perfect Wave Technologies, LLC

      Bronze Sponsors

      San Diego National Bank

      Copper Sponsors

      Dr. Seuss Foundation
      Guy & Jenny Freeborn
      Michael & Kymberly Tedesco
      R.D. & Joan Dale Hubbard Foundation
      Sam and Vivian Hardage
      Union Bank

      Gifts-In-Kind Sponsors

      12th Marine Corps District Color Guard
      Ad Lib Productions
      Congresswoman Mary Bono
      Tom Brady
      Cush Aston Martin
      John Jacobs and Gary McCord
      HST, Inc.
      Ken Grody Ford
      Jack McEncroe
      MPG Productions
      Roy's Restaurant
      San Diego State University
      Stoneridge Country Club
      David Thomson and the New Zealand 20 Team
      Sean D. Tucker
      Unicorn Jewelry

      Board members biographies including the lesser known Joel Combs:

      Mr. Joel Combs is the Director of Business Development for ADCS Inc., a California corporation that provides total information systems solutions, from being an Application Service Provider (ASP) to digitizing documents.

      As Director of Business Development, Mr. Joel Combs is responsible for the development and management of strategic relationships, OEM partnerships, vendor relations, and purchasing. In this capacity, Mr. Combs has secured several OEM partnerships vital to ADCS Inc.'s continued leadership in our industry. In his initial role at ADCS, Inc. Mr. Combs oversaw the largest regional sales territory and was responsible for the development and management of one of the largest installations of VPmaxNT/VPstudio in the world.

      Prior to his role in business development, Mr. Combs acted as liaison to the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) and was directly involved with a $600-million federally funded NIMA program to digitize satellite images and paper maps. These digitized images are used by the Department of Defense and other agencies.

      Mr. Combs has a bachelor's degree in management information systems from the University of Arizona. Mr. Combs is the Fundraising Chairman for the Young Republian National Federation, the National Committee Man for the California Young Republicans, and the Chairman for the San Diego County Young Republicans

      by JohnDrake on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:38:07 PM PST

      •  Wayback Works- Thanks

        Thanks very much.
        I tried one of my old links to the Wilkes Corp
        and got a pageful of links.
        http://web.archive.org/...*
        The photo links are especially nice.

        Will they ever be this happy again?
        www.sdheroes.org/img/02Photos/2.jpg

        by chrisc on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 05:22:13 PM PST

        •  I just tried that picture of Wilkes

          The one at the top of the page.  It said it was prohibited by robots.txt.

          by otto on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 12:27:20 AM PST

          •  Try These

            I'm sorry- I don't know why the URL addresses don't link
            Here are some URLs to use in Wayback

            www.sdheroes.org/img/02Photos/2.jpg
            This is a picture of Cunningham and the Wilkes
            I am not sure how to extract it and post on this site.

            www.sdheroes.org/
            ~8 pages between Jun 18, 2003 and Sep 23, 2004

            www.sdheroes.org/02Photos.asp
            ~4 pages between Jul 13, 2003 and Oct 15, 2004

            www.sdheroes.org/02photos.asp
            ~5 pages between Aug 08, 2003 and Jun 14, 2004

            www.sdheroes.org/02photos2.asp
            1 page from Apr 07, 2004

            www.sdheroes.org/contact.asp

            www.sdheroes.org/event.asp
            ~4 pages between Jul 13, 2003 and Oct 15, 2004

            www.sdheroes.org/foundation.asp
            ~4 pages between Apr 11, 2003 and Jun 05, 2004

            www.sdheroes.org/index.asp
            ~3 pages between Apr 11, 2003 and Apr 05, 2004

            www.sdheroes.org/mission.asp
            ~6 pages between Jul 13, 2003 and Jun 05, 2004

            www.sdheroes.org/sponsorship.asp
            ~7 pages between Apr 11, 2003 and Oct 16, 2004

            www.sdheroes.org/img/02Photos/8.jpg
            1 page from Apr 06, 2004
            

            by chrisc on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 08:15:21 AM PST

      •  More on Joel Combs...

        Here's a really interesting article from The American Prospect.

        Apparently much of the funding Cunningham steered towards Wilkes all went to one company, Archer Logistics, and came in the form of secret "black contracts" for the CIA which are not part of the public record.

        Interestingly enough, Joel Comb's name is mentioned once again.  Not only is he the registered President of Archer Logistics, he is also a registered lobbyist for Wilkes' lobbying group, Group W Advisors.  From their website:

        Joel G. Combs works in the Washington D.C. office for Group W Advisors. In his position he acts as a primary liaison for GWA's clients.

        Mr. Combs has worked in numerous areas on behalf of GWA's clients. These areas include:

        Appropriations - Mr. Combs provides advice to clients and works towards securing federal and state appropriations for those clients. Appropriations include areas such as: Information Technology, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Department of Defense, Counter-Terrorism, Counter-Intelligence, Transportation and NASA.

        Issues Advocacy - Mr. Combs has created coalitions and key associations for clients with subject matter expertise in Information Technology, postal issues in the wake of the Anthrax attacks, signal processing using independent component analysis, and environmental and landfill mitigation cleanup.

        Legislative Analysis - Mr. Combs leads a team of analysts in conducting innovative, thorough research tracking, monitoring and reporting on policy and government issues.

        Public Relations - Mr. Combs has played an integral part in establishing ADCS and Group W Advisor's presence in both San Diego and Washington D.C and has executed public relations strategies and community outreach programs on behalf of these companies, and their government relations clients.

        Not suprisingly, Combs has also been a contributor to several Republican causes:

        According to the Center for Responsive Politics, an organization that tracks political donations, Combs himself has, like Wilkes, given a sizeable amount of money over the years to politicians. (In 2004, he gave more than $12,000 to Cunningham, Representative Duncan Hunter, George W. Bush, ADCS's PAC, and the PAC of Representative John Doolittle, of the House Appropriations committee. A San Diego Reader article from 2000 estimates that Combs had given $25,000 to various politicians by the year 2000.)

        by ryder92111 on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:42:57 AM PST

  •  This is great.

    Their big brother bullshit is backfiring on them.

    They didn't even ghost the IP. Simply shocking.

    by pinche tejano on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:22:26 PM PST

•  You've outdone youself this time, Sherlock.

  And thanks for that. I had been fearing that those Defense contracts were part of a diabolical plot to take over the country, like tyrants. Now I'm relived to find out it was mearly a sneaky plot to take over the country, like the little shits they are.

  by McGirk SF on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:02:34 PM PST

•  I am no longer convinced that you

  are one person.

  by Tirge Caps on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:04:39 PM PST

•  Calling Republicans Corrupt Is...

  ...redundant.

  by wdrath on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:04:47 PM PST

•  You may have already seen this

  Probably have seen this, but

  http://sourcewatch.org/...

  by patrioticliberal on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:04:54 PM PST

  •  The footnotes on that article are the

    motherload!! Took me an hour to read thru them all and each one was more revealing than the one before!

    Good work!

    by mad ramblings of a sane woman on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:33:45 PM PST

•  This really should be main paged

  Just my two cents.  Or, maybe, three.

  by rockmoonwater on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:06:54 PM PST

  •  I hope he is a front-pager soon

    by patrioticliberal on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:35:10 PM PST

•  Amazing stuff

  
  ...but what has this go to do with the War on Christmas, which is clearly putting our Democracy at peril. Good to know MSM has got their priorities straight, by continuing to chase those ambulances.

  by ctsteve on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:10:49 PM PST

•  Start with the little fishes

  Someone should find out who these two jokers were:

  Two NGIC analysts who produced the inaccurate finding have received annual performance awards each year since 2002. Officials said the bonuses were for their overall activities.

  Thos two knuckleheads helped start a war.

  by pinche tejano on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:15:34 PM PST

  •  NGIC?

    Craziness... I nearly took a job there.

    Instead, I'm working for one of the "old line" defense contractors. Never thought I'd feel so clean about it.

    by A Texan in Maryland on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:37:58 PM PST

•  Sherlock, this is just the beginning!!!

  Wait until you see he full extent of this!!!

  sherlock, it's going to blow the nation away.

  Last spring, I posted at Daily Kos and Atrios about some terrible rumors floating around up here about Limbaugh and trouble he is having vis-a-vis money he owes to some very nasty people and the D.E.A.  Pigman is reputed to be caught between a rock and a hard spot over this money, if he pays, he incriminates himself in distribution of narcotics, and if he doesn't pay, well, there are some people that you really don't want to stiff in this world, especially if you are a "fat city" multi-millionaire.  I want to say that these rumors continue to persist, have not gone away and have not been shot down by the authorities, (Afterall it's "just rumor.") nor have these nasty rumors been denied by anyone beyond Limbaugh's lawyers, and even here there has been a sort of dismissive silence that won't directly answer the rumors.  

  Sherlock, I don't know about how true they are, and admit it.  But the upshoot in this is that Limbaugh is being accused in this of distribution but where is Limmy's haul going in this enterprise.  There is a rumor on that too.....it's being laundered into the Repub coffers a la the coke for dough for guns gimmick during Reagan's time.

  If any of this laundering into the RNC of drug profits is true, I do not want to imagine the explosion that will happen in the minority communities so ravaged by coke, crack, and heroin.

  Keep digging Sherlock.

  by boilerman10 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:15:38 PM PST

  •  follow up.

    Sherlock, I wanted to point out that the Limbaugh rumors are not what I meant when I wrote "it's going to blow the nation away."

    Your digging into this MZM/Wilkes mess (and if we can get someone in the MSM to pick up on this and run with it) would blow the nation away.  Not some rumor in New York State about Pigman in Florida.

    by boilerman10 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:54:49 PM PST

    •  And you follow up

      Limbaugh had perscriptions for way too many pills for any one person to take. I mean I understand the concept of tolerance all too well, but there are simple facts of physiology to take into account. Rush may have stalled this one only to run into a perfect storm.

      This is not a particularly good time to be a Republican pundit under indictment. Because Hot Tub Tom really does not have time to return your calls, still less put in a good word for you over at Justice.

      by Bruce Webb on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 08:30:39 AM PST

  •  Brian Ross at ABC

    was on to the money laundering by Limbaugh story. I wondered, at that time, if some of the money didn't go to help support Gannon/Guckert since G/G was always so quick to quote Limbaugh in his preloaded questions.

    by mad ramblings of a sane woman on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:36:06 PM PST

•  Wow.

  I never thought I would feel morally superior because I work for Northrop Grumman.

  But at this momen, I do.

  It's a good, old-fashioned member of the Military-Industrial Complex, patiently waiting in line for its turn at the trough, not one of these upstart front companies.
  

  by A Texan in Maryland on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:24:24 PM PST

•  someone upthread mentioned

  this is how they financed Iran-contra, but additionally this is EXACTLY how Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling got away with destroying Enron.  They set up a ton of dummy companies with relatives' names as principles, all the while enriching themselves at the expense of the company.  We all know how that turned out. Don't think for a minute in the scandal plagued era of accounting in bed with corporate America that these slick dudes did'nt come up with a way to do the same with the Govt. and in the process steal our money and change our laws to benefit themselves.  And as an extra added bonus, create a self sustaining GOP majority to boot.

  It's all so sad and twisted.  The extra added kicker (as if there needs to be more) is that the media's bottom line is directly related to all this corporate pork, legitimate and otherwise. Why should they want their gravy train to end?  Why do you think they are reluctant to report all the massive scandals engulfing the GOP?  Real companies pay add revenue to the media conglomerates, which pimp for the pro business GOP, which relaxes regulation for said businesses for even more goodies.  In the meantime corruption engulfs the GOP, which happen to be stealing from John & Jane Q. Citizen.  Oops, if we report this my bottom line will suffer.  Ugly, ugly, ugly.

  Great diary SG!

  by Babsnc on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:28:46 PM PST

  •  That's right.

    Enron took the Company plan and went LOUD to disrupt and destablize.

    But I don't think it was Kennyboy or Skilling at the helm.

    by maxschell on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:17:43 PM PST

•  More from TotalFark

  More info was just posted:

  Reverse DNS for 12.22.219.140:

  2.22.219.140 PTR record: www.primevector.com.
  12.22.219.140 PTR record: www.powaymafia.com.
  12.22.219.140 PTR record: www.archerlogistics.com. 12.22.219.140 PTR record: www.libertydefensetech.com.

  From a google cache of Wilkes companies' web sites:

  www.Acousticalcs.com
  www.Adcs.com
  www.Akamaiinfotech.com
  www.Archerdefense.com
  www.Archerlogistics.com
  www.Asap-catering.com
  www.Aztecclassic.com
  www.Aztecgolf.com
  www.Bbqranch.com
  www.Cdpsa.com
  www.Edge-catering.com
  www.Electharman.com
  www.Groupwadvisors.com
  www.Groupwevents.com
  www.Groupwholdings.net
  www.Groupwmedia.net
  www.Groupwoutfitters.com
  www.Ict-sa.com
  www.Libertydefensetech.com
  www.Mailsafeinc.com
  www.Mirrorlabs.com
  www.Ocdllc.com
  www.Pefectwavetech.com
  www.Perfectwavetech.com
  www.Pkmi.com
  www.Powaymafia.com
  www.Powaysc.com
  www.Primevector.com
  www.Pureaquatech.com
  www.Sandiegoheroes.org
  www.Sdheroes.org
  www.W-catering.com
  www.Wilkesclan.com
  www.Wilkescorp.com
  www.Wilkesfoundation.com
  www.Wilkesfoundation.org
  www.Wilkestechnologygroup.com

  Of course, it is not at all uncommon for businessmen to buy up web names which they may never use. However, many of these sites point to more "Potemkin village" firms -- fake companies obviously designed to rake in taxpayer dough for services un-rendered.

  by rockmoonwater on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:31:38 PM PST

  •  And more...

    From Cyclometh:

    But what's interesting is every last one of these sites goes back to that Poway, CA address, and have phone numbers that are nearly identical, in the same area code and prefix.

    by rockmoonwater on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:41:33 PM PST

  •  And you have to see this...

    The US Lobby Registration and Disclosure Page:

    http://sopr.senate.gov/...

    by rockmoonwater on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:46:27 PM PST

    •  Great Find!

      All these companies sure are busy lobbying in D.C.  Amazing!

      by ryder92111 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:00:29 PM PST

    •  Watson! You've Found It!

      Look at those Reports on Activity.  Each one reports less than $10,000 in income.  THis is fishy and at least shows they were trying to split up all the money with fronts and different lobbying names.

      I'll put it in an update.

      Good work Rockmoonwater!

      The Game is Afoot, eh?

      by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:33:17 PM PST

    •  I concur, great find! (n/t)

      by Bozos Rnot4 Bush on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:51:08 PM PST

  •  Well well welll

    I bet ALL those little bogus company receive contracts too.

    by fugue on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:19:37 PM PST

  •  Good List

    I am using the wget utility to capture all these websites. Write me and tell me where I should send them.

    T.

    by troutwaxer on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:18:55 PM PST

    •  Please send them to

      Joseph Cannon at [e-mail], myself at [e-mail], and I would imagine Sherlock Google and LieparDestin want them but I don't know their email addresses.

      John Dean

      by Bozos Rnot4 Bush on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:53:26 PM PST

      •  Sent

        Just sent. You should have them any second. I use Linux so I tarred and gzipped them. If you can't open them let me know.

        T.

        by troutwaxer on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 05:27:25 PM PST

        •  Thanks you Troutwaxer!

          I got your email - will open it after I eat a late dinner.

          My sincere thanks for your help!

          John
          

          by Bozos Rnot4 Bush on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:14:25 PM PST

•  great stuff...and continuation

  This seems like the latest and most scandalous example of the right wing propaganda campaign begun a few decades ago, that, after the right wing has gained power, has continued with them appropriating public dollars, along with their own.

  We had the Armstrong Williams scandal, and all the others, where the Right Wing Media Wurlitzer was using public tax dollars to fund their ideological campaign, but now we're learning of much deeper and more criminal behavior, involving the very subversion of the democratic and voting process itself.

  Here we have what is essentially the creating of "front companies" to receive relatively unaccountable "defense contracts" that result in the "front companies" being "flush with cash" which they use to enrich themselves, enrich the coffers of the Republican party and patronage system, and least important actually do some work to earn that contract.
  

  by freelixir on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:45:42 PM PST

•  Enron writ large

  Now we know why Kenny Boy and Crew are still keeping their stolen loot and walking around free and easy with no fear of ever being held accountable.

  Ultimately I fear that if actually investigated this pattern and practice would extend to both parties, though no doubt majority would go to GOP.

  If this culture of corruption was limited to the GOP -scandals like this would be investigated fully. These criminals would be held accountable. But they are not. By either party.

  We are the Corporate States of America, folks. A government run by the corporations, for the corporations and those who serve them.

  It is sad to see our country being totally destroyed by those who claim to lead it, but those idiots in DC do not believe they work for you or me and their daily actions, policies, and legislation leaves no doubt that they care only about money and power and serving the will of those who line their pockets, buy them jets, yachts, estates, exotic island retreats, and lots o cash.
  

  by wild salmon on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 12:53:52 PM PST

  •  Unless of course you are Martha Stewart!

    Who gave her money to Democrats instead.  Look how quickly she ended up behind bars for a relatively minor crime.  Sad.

    by ryder92111 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:04:17 PM PST

    •  but everyone knows her name

      much more than say Falstow or the CFO from some other b.s. company.

      As a bit player (in the Enron Era) with a big media profile, she offered the perfect distraction.

      This stuff is ongoing. The Enron shake-up changed nothing.

      by gnat on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:21:22 PM PST

  •  Wild Salmon

    Totally OT but...

    if you are the same 'wild salmon' who posted on the Kerry blog, I have to tell you that I know of some people who would dearly love to say hello to you at the DCP.  In fact, your name has been mentioned more often than anyone else's that I can recall when people say, "Remember so'n'so" and it was mentioned again today.

    So go on over and say hello.  You'll absolutely make their day!

    by dwahzon on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:27:09 PM PST

•  REPUBKICKBACKEN .

  sorry.  GREAT  GREAT  WORK  S.G.  you got my vote , everyone HIT the m$m & internets you know what to do .  fucken great work  .

  by cognitive dissonance on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:37:44 PM PST

•  recommended

  The ultimate takeover by the Military-Indusrial complex. Remember them, the ones Ike tried to warn us about?

  by claude on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:50:51 PM PST

•  The Center for Public Integrity

  I find this organization suspicious as well. I would love to see someone take on some deep research into the recent policies and practices of this group--and its probable connections to the Greedy Old Party.

  I watched a representative from CPI for an hour (several weeks ago) on C-SPAN's Washington Journal attempting to convince the public that corruption is practiced equally by Republicans and Democrats.

  The subject was lobbyist bankrolled Congressional travel. The commentator--Republican hack Pedro--kept holding up a chart of extremely misleading, incomplete, out-of-context statistics--stabbing at the highlighted entries with his pen (Democrats who had accepted travel money--didn't matter whether the travel was legal or not)--to encourage the CPI guy.

  Same CPI guy mentioned nearly every time he opened his mouth that his organization was "non-partisan." It became completely embarrassing, as if he was begging the audience to believe him.

  by nehark on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:51:38 PM PST

  •  Actually the CPI is OK

    They are one of the orgs Nader started and you can trust them.

    Anybody here can tell you that.

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:00:04 PM PST

    •  Yep

      the founder, if memory serves, was an investigative reporter with 60 Minutes who left the program to form CPI in order to provide for meaningful research into those in power.

      by jorndorff on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:15:55 PM PST

      •  Memory serves you well ...

        ...Charles Lewis.

        by Meteor Blades on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 05:51:02 PM PST

    •  On Washington Journal...

      ...the gentleman from CPI allowed the moderator to manipulate and misrepresent the data he brought. I knew this organization was begun with the best intentions. I began to suspect it has been corrupted. This is not unheard of.

      by nehark on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:13:07 PM PST

•  Sherlock--You need Bunny Greenhouse's help

  And she may even be interested in helping you, if you can figure out where to get in touch with her.

  by bewert on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 01:51:59 PM PST

•  Sherlock--this is incredible!

  I figured there was something like this, but had no idea it was that pervasive.  No wonder they're so protective of each other.  

  If anyone has the link to Fascism101, would you please post it.  This is one of the 14 characteristics.

  We need Bunny Greenhouse and others who have been pushed out for whistleblowing looking at these.

  by maybeeso in michigan on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:05:29 PM PST

  •  here ya go .

    by cognitive dissonance on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:22:22 PM PST

•  More, more, more...

  This from Cyclometh at TotalFark:

   web site is linked from www.archerlogistics.com, called www.archerbuy.com. archerbuy.com uses ColdFusion pages, and has a login form that actually goes somewhere. I haven't played around with it, I just verified that the form is there and will post to another page as opposed to a javascript block that simply shows a login failed mesage no matter what data you put in.

  Also, Archer Logistics is based in Chantilly, VA. Pretty close to DC.

  Here's the real interesting bit, though. Although www.archerbuy.com resolves to 66.185.161.147, which is a different net than all the others, a quick ARIN lookup reveals that it goes right back to ADCS, this time through a different network provider:

  CustName:   ADCS Inc.
  Address:    15092 Avenue of Science
  City:       San Diego
  StateProv:  CA
  PostalCode: 92128
  Country:    US
  RegDate:    2002-10-21
  Updated:    2002-10-21

  NetRange:   66.185.161.144 - 66.185.161.151
  CIDR:       66.185.161.144/29
  NetName:    NEXTLVL-019-ADCSINC-1
  NetHandle:  NET-66-185-161-144-1
  Parent:     NET-66-185-160-0-1
  NetType:    Reassigned
  Comment:    
  RegDate:    2002-10-21
  Updated:    2002-10-21

  ---

  by rockmoonwater on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:05:34 PM PST

  •  makes sense

    Makes sense.  Disparate networks.  Redundant systems.  After all, some of these guys are spies, or at least work with 'em and like 'em.

    by dqueue on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:29:40 PM PST

    •  If I, uhm, disappear...

      I think I better notify friends and family...

      by rockmoonwater on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:54:04 PM PST

•  Gosh

  And here I thought the GOP was against public financing of political campaigns...
  

  by Redshift on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 02:57:47 PM PST

•  What we need is for

  a congress person or group to request an independent investigation on this.

  Isn't that how most big political corruption cases get going?

  by eaglecries on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:07:07 PM PST

  •  Actually it is being investigated

    by a host of agencies.  It's just that the media won't do any investigating of their own, so we bloggers have to egg them on and humiliate them by showing how just a little googling in your pajamas brings up all these facts on the GOP Illegal Money Machine.

    This is the same case Duke pleaded guilty in and it's also tied into the Abramoff case through Alexander Strategy Group.

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:41:32 PM PST

•  Public financing of political campaigns

  Many have called for this. Who knew that the Republicans would figure out a way to do it before anyone else?

  by Chris Andersen on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:21:11 PM PST

  •  Now we know...

    where the money for our soldiers has gone and why Fema was so unprepared....Repugs have been stealing it

    by Saz on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:37:07 PM PST

•  Crooks

  Amazing but not unbelievable, unfortunately!

  How can anyone in their right mind see Bush's socalled War on Terror as anything but one element in an complex shell game, the main purpose of which is not to promote democracy but to line the pockets of corrupt American politicians?

  by krog on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:45:09 PM PST

•  25% DoD funds unaccounted for

  No wonder!  

  Remember this story that CBS did Jan 2002 about how 25% of what the military spends can not be accounted for:

  http://www.cbsnews.com/...

  They don't want to account for it -- that would end the greatest racket ever known.

  And remember how a female lackey of Ken Starr's was appointed, with no experience, to "oversee" the correct dispensing of contracts?  

  Yep, biggest racket ever.

  by roonie on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:50:34 PM PST

  •  Foxes watching the hen house

    It's easy to "lose" 25% of the DoD funds when the fox watches the hen house.

    The Whitewater perjurer and GOP lackey, L. Jean Lewis was appointed as chief of staff of the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense:

    "Lewis has been given a $118,000-a-year job as chief of staff in the traditionally nonpartisan Defense Department's inspector general office. With 1,240 employees and a budget of $160 million, this office is the largest of its kind in the government.
    It investigates fraud and audits Pentagon contracts,including the billions of dollars being awarded in Iraq to companies like Halliburton and Bechtel."

    http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/...
    

    by roonie on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:59:06 PM PST

    •  Jerry Lewis

      This May I moved into Jerry Lewis' district. I have to say I had NO idea of all the stuff he was into. The worst part? He appears to be running unapposed for re-election.

      We can't allow corruption like this to go unchallanged!

      by Tuba Les on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:40:04 PM PST

      •  yo, tuba....

        ever thought of running for office?

        we've got the ammo and we'll keep ya locked and loaded!

        by edrie on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 02:24:59 AM PST

•  wow.

  I am impressed!

  by MsCasey on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 03:54:19 PM PST

•  I once applied for a job at Mirror Labs in the 90'

  Up until a few years ago when I came back East, I actually lived in Rancho Bernardo which is right there with Poway. I believe that TRW was up there also but they have several locations. It was not in a huge building but a new one and it was a very known company in the area. This was one of those times when you are fed up and go applying for a new job but end up staying where you are which is what I did. I vaguely remember it being a Software Company that sold and serviced it's software by phone. I do not remember if it was on line yet. Just think, it was an Accounting position I was applying for and if I had worked there I would know all the secrets for you. The company had good bennies, paid well, and although I was overqualified for the position, it was close to home and I would have taken the position if offered. But alas, it was not to be. Actually, when I saw Ave of Science, I was thinking, I know that street. Right near Costco and Claim Jumper. I was 20 years in San Diego and my brother is still there. So if you need any local info, just let me know. This whole area you are discussing was a relatively new industrial area developing around the early 90's. The Poway Industrial area came later. Too bad someone can not find the classified ads from around 1990-94. They use to run decent size want ads. Also, as I am thinking about it, I did know someone who went to work there. Now if I can remember who. I can picture the modern bldg or else I am just day dreaming. Woe de me.

  by BarnBabe on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:13:57 PM PST

  •  I just remembered something

    They sold the software by having ads in the trade magazines. And people sent in checks with the ads which were order forms. And apparently it was successful for a few years.

    by BarnBabe on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:12:57 PM PST

    •  Thanks!

      This sounds to me like it was a whole lot less sinister than the diarist, his sources and the vast majority of commentators make out.  Not that it's totally legit, just that it's probably garden variety corruption, juiced with GOP super-growth hormone.  But it's been around for a while, well before 9/11, has a business track record, had a normal hiring process, etc.  

      Naturally, post-9/11 a whole lot of people smelled gravy train.  But that's many a parsec away from The. Biggest. Scandal. Ever!

      by Paul Rosenberg on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:47:15 PM PST

•  I believe

  this is what Ashcsoft gagged Sibel Edmonds over.

  This should be front news on every newspaper!!

  by NeuroticBlonde on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:34:27 PM PST

  •  Um...

    She also had damaging information about the lack of translators, and the poor work of the translators who do exist. That may have had something to do with it as well.

    by mrblifil on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:55:00 PM PST

    •  She also...

      She also spoke of the the nexus of political contributions, drug running, money laundering, criminal elements, politics... she saw the Octopus.

      This is from Break for News who interviewed Sibel during July, 2004...

      "There are certain points..., where you have your drug related activities combined with money laundering and information laundering, converging with your terrorist activities," Ms. Edmonds told BreakForNews.com.
      (Interview - 7:00 min.)

      "Certain investigations were being quashed, let's say per State Department's request, because it would have affected certain foreign relations [or] affected certain business relations with foreign organizations," she said in an exclusive interview. (Interview - 4:00 min.)
      

      by dqueue on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 05:10:42 PM PST

•  Picture links broken

  And I fail to see the need for hyperbole. It's good thorough work, but, again, it doesn't need the hardsell. Makes me feel like I'm on the Home Shopping Network's blog.

  by mrblifil on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:56:11 PM PST

  •  I understand

    As far as theimage links go, you have to right click the image, find the URL, and type it in your browser to see it. Then hit Back to get back here and it should display.

    by patrioticliberal on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 05:08:17 PM PST

•  That really connects the dots!

  There must be a Diebold thread in there somewhere? Otherwise there's always the danger those darn liberals may take the machine back!

  by whenwego on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 05:24:37 PM PST

•  Damn Amazing Stuff...

  Reads like a novel.....Sherlock Google should be the next front pager and some of the supporting cast is doing exemplary work.  

  The problem with information as complex and elaborate as this is that it is practically indigestable to the MSM.....it needs to be reduced to a few concise simple soundbites that can be dessiminated effciently to the various news outlets.  

  Once again, you guys do impressive work

  by surferal on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 06:01:53 PM PST

  •  Paid for By Kossaks for Sherlock for Front Page

    I'm Sherlock Google and I Approved this Message!

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:00:02 PM PST

•  great piece on wilkes

  http://www.sandiegotribune.com/...

  by Cedwyn on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 06:08:01 PM PST

  •  the ca. gov. too. damn .

    THX Cedwyn  .

    by cognitive dissonance on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:35:51 PM PST

•  I'm loving all the sleuthing

  going on on this diary. I find kos much more enjoyable when it's about stuff like this instead of a bunch of drama. Kudos to all the Sherlocks on this diary!

  by sendel42 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 06:22:16 PM PST

•  More

  The San Diego Union-Tribune
  April 9, 2004 Friday

  Governor names 2 to fair board
  SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Wednesday appointed two Poway businessmen, Douglas Barnhart and Brent Wilkes, to the Del Mar Fair board.

  Barnhart, 57, is chief executive officer of Barnhart Inc., a construction company. Wilkes, 49, is president of the Wilkes Corp., which provides consulting and personnel for technology and defense corporations.

  The appointments do not require Senate confirmation, and the fair board members receive no salaries. Both men are Republicans.

  ===
  May 25, 2005 Wednesday
  Fair Board backs plan to give adjacent cities seats
  The San Diego Union-Tribune
  DEL MAR -- The Del Mar Fair Board yesterday endorsed a plan to give Del Mar and Solana Beach a seat each on the board but expressed reservations about the proposed change.

  The plan -- explained in a memorandum of understanding among Del Mar, Solana Beach and the 22nd District Agricultural Association, which runs the fairgrounds -- allows each city to appoint one Fair Board member if a bill now in the state Senate becomes law.

  Yesterday's vote was 5-1, with President Barry Nussbaum and directors Lisa Barkett, Doug Barnhart, Russ Penniman and Fred Schenk in favor and Brent Wilkes opposed.

  Wilkes said he was troubled by a lack of specific language about the size of the new Fair Board and concerned that if the new board had fewer members, the three municipalities bordering the fairgrounds that would get seats -- Del Mar, Solana Beach and San Diego -- would have too much sway.

  "I can't vote for the (memorandum of understanding) if we give three seats away," Wilkes said.

  by patrioticliberal on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:12:40 PM PST

  •  talk about a great way to

    launder money!  "fairs" are big cash cows - with many questionable "deals" - carnies and catch-alls - and a WHOLE heap of cash flowing around all OVER the place - untraceable.

    hmmmmmmmmm  wilkes?  boobengrabber?????  how much does arnie need to run again???

    by edrie on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 02:44:40 AM PST

•  Same guy?

  The Houston Chronicle
  June 26, 2002, Wednesday 3 STAR EDITION

  Politicians put to test by LULAC ;
  Candidates to be sent questionnaire on issues

  SOURCE: Staff

  BYLINE: LORI RODRIGUEZ, Houston Chronicle Minority Affairs Writer

  BODY:
  Leaders of the League of United Latin American Citizens meeting in Houston on Tuesday announced a systematic plan to find out where major political candidates stand on issues critical to their fast-growing but socially lagging community.

  What leaders call "The LULAC Challenge" lists the 10 issues Hispanics consistently have identified as their most important. Topped by education concerns and ranging from political access to immigrant rights, the list also includes specific questions LULAC leaders want candidates to directly answer.

  "We're going to send every single politician in the country who's running for statewide or national office a copy of this document and ask them to respond," said LULAC Executive Director Brent Wilkes.

  SNIP

  by patrioticliberal on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:14:24 PM PST

•  Here are the 29 members of the Founders Circle who

  Here are the 29 members of the Founders Circle who combined to contribute $3.3 million for the renovation of the Torrey Pines South Course:

  <SNIP>

  Brent Wilkes, government contractor

  <SNIP>

  The San Diego Union-Tribune

  February 6, 2002, Wednesday

  by patrioticliberal on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:14:49 PM PST

•  More

  Foundation's heroes gala to honor five from county
  The San Diego Union-Tribune
  November 13, 2003

  (SNIPPETS)

  A foundation dedicated to celebrating heroism will honor a handful of county residents at a fund-raiser Saturday. The Wilkes Foundation of Poway is the sponsor of the second annual San Diego Tribute to Heroes Gala.

  The foundation says it raised more than $500,000 from its event last year, for beneficiaries that include the dependents of military personnel killed on active duty; military personnel and their families who have suffered economic hardship as a result of deployment; firefighters and police; and children's health care.

  All proceeds from the event will be distributed locally, said Melissa Dollaghan Plescia, a member of the board of directors of San Diego Tribute to Heroes, the group that determines the honorees.

  This year the organization will recognize Congressman Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; firefighter and Army reservist Daniel McClain, who was deployed in Afghanistan this year; Navy SEAL Gary Gallagher, a recipient of the Navy Cross and Silver Star for his Vietnam service; Beverley Mason, a volunteer who coordinates activities with other Marine spouses; and Heidi Martin, a volunteer Navy ombudsman.

  <SNIP>

  The foundation was established in December 2000 by Brent Wilkes, head of ADCS Inc., a privately held software company in Poway and frequent government contractor, and Wilkes' wife, Gina.

  While the gala is almost sold out, Plescia said, tickets are still available. The lowest-priced "copper" donation is $1,000, which includes admission for two people. The event will begin at 6 p.m. at the W Pavilion on Stowe Drive, Poway.
  

  by patrioticliberal on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:21:43 PM PST

•  Wilkes: It's not just a blog thing...

  I appreciate the concern of some posters that this story should not rest on the credibility of Daniel Hopsicker, myself, or any other individual blogger. That's why I have always encouraged others to research this matter. A group effort will increase accuracy.

  On my own site, I have tried to give sources for most allegations. Those who have attempted to double-check what I said about the old Wilkes sites -- and this includes "The Hill" -- have come away finding the whole operation strange and suspicious.

  Inicdentally, I am very grateful to the person who found out the name of the landlord for ADSC PAC. Saved me the trouble of calling the county tax assessor!

  One of the more interesting and potentially fruitful areas of research involves the previous companies Wilkes worked for or was associated with: Aimco Financial, Audre, and Evergreen. All three were involved with securities fraud! That cannot be coincidence.

  (The assertion above is easily checkable; visitors to Cannonfire will find the links toward the top of the page.)

  Wilkes entire work history is questionable. He worked for a bank notorious for laundering drug money. Then he worked for Aimco, run by a guy named Marvin Friedman who has been involved with major fraud for years. Then he went on to the other fraudsters. Then he founded a lot of fake companies.

  How the hell does a guy like this get major defense contracts?

  Next week, I'll also present what I find regarding a local firm which sued Wilkes not too many months ago.

  Acquiring legally bulletproof evidence that Wilkes transferred DOD monies to political candidates may not be easy, but I am persuaded that the Mirror labs angle is one good avenue to pursue. I just do not believe that the firm ever really did anything for the DoD.

  Wilkes firms MAY have subcontracted some work out to other firms -- the military equivalent of drop shipping. That tactic would go some ways toward hiding the scheme.

  Incidentally, the Procom representative seemed a little nervous when I asked him about Wilkes. I still haven't yet been able to reach the contact person who would tell me the full story.  

  -- Joseph Cannon  http://cannonfire.blogspot.com

  by Cannon on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:23:28 PM PST

  •  FOLKS, A STANDING OVATION IS IN ORDER

    This is the man himself, Joseph Cannon!

    Thanks Joseph, and you keep on going!

    John
    

    by Bozos Rnot4 Bush on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:30:47 PM PST

  •  Mr. Cannon! So good of you to join us!

    Everybody give this fellow a 4 and 3 Cheers!

    My big questions:

    Do you know if the investigations have comprehended that the companies are fakes and that so much of eash contract is returned to the GOP and K Street?

    If so, then the media is REALLY covering this up.

    Has ANY media or investigator contacted you or let you know they are looking into the front companies?  OR is it just us bloggers so far on this one?

    THis can't be the only scheme.  How many other Wilkes and Wades are remaining to be uncovered?  How do we find them?  How many hundreds of millions or billions was stolen and given to the GOP and K Street?

    The problem with Grand Juries is they are secret.  That's why it's so important we have the Blogosphere now that the media has been bought out by the Corporatists.

    We have to inform the people.  It's up to us!

    This diary now has double the recommendations of any #1 diary that I have ever posted--which means today is a turning point in this story--and we now have the Kossaks' attention.  They will help you a lot, as they did Susan G on the Gannon case.

    I will update the diary later in the week to include Moon, so it will appear again.

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:48:25 PM PST

•  Multiply this scandal by dozens....

  and one might have an inkling of the enormity of what was done to engineer the fascist overthrow and takeover of our government.

  What other scandals you ask? Well, others keep popping up daily, and I am sure that if an "independent" investigation were conducted into energy companies (like Enron, etc.), one would find that they also delivered millions, "under the table", to the Repuglians.

  What does Ken Lay know? And what do the other major Repuglian contributors know? I'd stake my life on the fact that this is WAY more vast than any of us may think.

  We have witnessed the overthrow of the government of the United States. Period. And the scandals that Sherlock has illuminated (thank you!) are only scratching the surface.

  by Hornito on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:26:19 PM PST

  •  Agree.

    Do or anyone here know of a list of all the scandals and the players involved?

    Would be very helpful to synthsize this.  Isn't there an application that can do this for us?

    by maxschell on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:24:32 PM PST

•  This is what happens when you

  put the wolves in control of the hen house.

  How many times do Americans have to understand Dwight Eisenhower's words about the military industrial complex?

  Where are the Republicans like Ike?
  Are they all dead and gone? {And please. spare me the John "Keating 5" McCain to the rescue routine.}

  Is this any surprise?

  If we could did deep enough, won't we find the same huge feedback loop coming out of Iraq via Halliburton, Bechtel, GE ..

  This is just the tip of a glacier.

   

  by shpilk on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:27:04 PM PST

•  sherlock, you're my hero.

  by The Gnostic on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:32:09 PM PST

  •  Paid for by Kossaks for Sherlock for Front Page

    I'm Sherlock Google and I Approved this Message.

    Ooops sorry, forgot the exclamation point--!

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:56:44 PM PST

•  This Is Idiotic!!!

  Mad Cow Morning News is worse than unreliable--it's the kiss of death.  You destroy any and all credibility by citing them as a source.  

  This is not to say that they might stumble not on something orginal and true from time to time. Stranger things have happened. But the site is clearly conspiracy obsessed, which means it's riddled with associational thinking in place of causal thinking.  

  If you want to use any information from the site, and retain (1) confidence in it for yourself and (2) credibility in the eyes of others, then you must find independent verification from another source that is not, itself, relying on Mad Cow.

  Now, I want to be very clear. I am not saying that there are no conspiracies out there. There most certainly are.  But--to draw a very simple, yet clear distinction--conspiracy obsession consists in explaining the world in terms of conspiracies, rather than explaining the conspiracies in terms of the world.  

  Calling this "the biggest scandal ever" is typical of the constantly over-hyped mindset of the conspiracy-obsessed.  All that it does, in the long run, is make it that much more difficult for those who are trying to do careful, well-researched, and cogently-analyzed reporting.  

  Example of A REAL $Multi-Million Conspiracy

  You should realize, for example, that it is clearly established that hundreds of millions of dollars have been illicitly dumped into the American conservative movement.  These have come from the Korean CIA and Asian underworld sources, and have been poured into the Moonies generally and the Washington Times specifically.  This was not small potatoes. Until Fox News came along, the Moonies were the premier rightwing media conduit.

  Reporting on this has been done by Robert Parry, the reporter who broke the Iran-Contra Affair while working for the Associated Press--only to see the rest of the Beltway media ignore it for 6 months, until it was broken a second time by a Middle Eastern paper.  Parry has a site Consortiumnews where you can find a full range of his reporting on various different aspects of what he calls "hidden history," including a whole section on Moon.  One article, "Mysterious Republican Money" starts off like this:

  If House Speaker Dennis Hastert were really concerned about drug profits being laundered into the U.S. political process, he would not be sliming billionaire financier George Soros with that suspicion. Hastert would be looking at a principal conservative funder: South Korean theocrat Sun Myung Moon.

  While Hastert was unable to cite a shred of evidence that the liberal Soros is funneling illicit money, there is a substantial body of evidence that Moon has long commanded a criminal enterprise with close ties to Asian and South American drug lords. The evidence includes first-hand accounts of money laundering disclosed by Moon confidantes and even family members. Besides those more recent accounts, Moon was convicted of tax fraud based on evidence developed in the late 1970s about his money-laundering activities.

  Since serving his tax-evasion sentence in the early 1980s, however, Moon appears to have bought himself protection by spreading hundreds of millions of dollars around conservative causes and through generous speaking fee payments to Republican leaders, including former President George H.W. Bush.

  Moon himself has boasted that he spent $1 billion on the right-wing Washington Times in its first decade alone. The newspaper, which started in 1982, continues to lose Moon an estimated $50 million a year but remains a valuable propaganda organ for the Republican Party.

  Is the Dukester wired into something larger than this?  Somehow, I sincerely doubt it.  And if he is, you're going to have to assemble the evidence very carefully, very methodically, and without any reliance on conspiracy-obsessed "researchers."

  by Paul Rosenberg on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 07:59:22 PM PST

  •  I somewhat agree

        I understand that the questionable sourcing of this diary makes it suspect.  However, you prove in your post just why this scheme would prove so important to the GOP.  I mean why participate in crowning ceremonies for the Rev. Moon when you can just steal the money for yourself.  The one thing holding the GOP machine back from total domination has been it's reliance on people like the Rev Moon for their money.  You may have noticed the GOP has become increasingly powerful in the last say 10 years.  Do you think this is just coincidental?  Could it have something to do with the fact that they are just stealing all the money they need to take power and to stay there?  It does not take too much of a stretch in my critical thinking to go from highly powerful GOP congressman in charge of giving out the Defense Dept. money is taking large bribes and living the super high life to believing what is in this diary.  It is a shame that the MSM will not investigate this and that we have to guess whether or not this is true.  
        Here is what I know.  Tom Delay and Rick Santorum have led a pro-business revolution on K Street.  This revolution has made a lot of people RICH.  These RICH people then need to make the people making them RICH wealthy as well (and keep them in power).  Unfortunately, we have these silly things called laws that prevent direct BRIBES to Congressmen.  So, they funnel money to people like Wilkes who figure out creative ways to funnel the money back to them so they can be RICH too.  The War on Terror, The Iraq War, 9-11, Katrina relief and other schemes all fascilitate making everybody RICH.  The amount of money being stolen by Haliburton, Bechtel and apparently many other companies like the Wilkes Group is staggering.  Don't you think they may want to think of some shady ways to keep their hands on all this money so they can all stay RICH?

    by jah4168 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:29:03 PM PST

    •  There Is No Substitute For Verified Facts

      This diary dilutes the power of the factual reporting with a plunge into wild speculation.  It's not what I mean by "reality-based."  Capitalizing "RICH" doesn't add anything to your analysis, either.

      by Paul Rosenberg on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:45:13 PM PST

      •  agree with a caveat

        Sometimes those who are interested in getting to the bottom of potential criminality and political scandals are caught in a double bind. Bind One- we need verifiable and corroborated nice hard evidence to piece into a rational picture.  Lacking subpoena power and access to Grand Jury testimony or district attorney office files we're at the mercy of the media to locate this evidence. Which leads to Bind Two-if the media and/or professional journalists aren't paying attention (as they weren't in regard to Gannon/Guckert for example) then there are limited avenues of investigation. There's Pure Speculation and some Causal Magic. And, there's rifling through public documents and websites to find bits and pieces.

        One positive thing that diaries like this one provide are not necessarily the answers they provide, but the questions they intrinsically ask.

        This piece does raise some interesting questions:
        

        • That Cunningham accepted bribes is one half of the story. Who gave him the bribes and are these people connected to others who have misused the public trust?
          
        • Was Cunningham the only individual to have accepted funds and other donations from these people? Who else might have accepted bribes and for what purposes?
          
        • Is there a circular money trail going from bribes to votes to contracts and back to bribes?
          
        • Will the investigation stop with the Cunningham plea or are other investigations ongoing in regard to this issue?

        And, you're absolutely right to demand that further investigation of this possible corruption requires some very careful, well sourced, and thoughtful work.

        by greatbasin2 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:10:15 PM PST

        •  Of Course There Are Questions To Be Asked

          In fact, I'm more than willing to stipulate that  there's more to this story than we will ever know, and there's every reason in the world to try to find out as much as possible.

          The problem is, this is being vastly overhyped, with wild allegations that a far out of line with the meager scraps of evidence that are supposed to support the case being made.  There's no evidence whatsoever that this was a major money operation, anywhere close to the scale of what Abramoff was doing, for example.  

          The relevant lobbying reports show piddling amounts--less than $10k for every report I looked at.  And the amounts being contributed to campaigns were also rather meager.  So it just looks like rather ordinary graft, though perhaps with a bigger take than most.  But hey, we're talking about Congressional graft, so add zeros accordingly.

          What really bugs me about this is the degree to which people are acting like wingnuts, seeing conspiracies instead of taking a realistic look at the ordinary lay of the land:

          Ever wonder why the Republicans have SO much money in every national election?

          Gosh willickers!  I thought it was because the GOP was the party of business!  Silly me!

          by Paul Rosenberg on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:20:42 PM PST

          •  Paul it would be interesting to know

            If there were some sort of reporting or contribution limits that kick in at $10,000.

            BushCo raises hundreds of millions of dollars of hard money in individual contributions that never in theory exceed $2000. $10,000 isn't "piddling" if the donee knows that 50 individual $9,900 donations all come from the same shop.

            It must be uncomfortably crowded in that Poway building. That alone validates most of the speculation here.

            by Bruce Webb on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 08:46:02 AM PST

            •  These Aren't Contributions

              We're talking about two different things. The forms being referred to here are records of lobbying income, not campaign contributions.

              Let me be clear: I have never said that people shouldn't speculate, or shouldn't investigate.  What I'm advocating for is a better grasp of context, and a realization that business as usual--with or without the hidden side deals--is already a recipe for anti-democratic elite rule that has worked just fine (for those in charge) since well before the founding of this country.  

              Investigating fraud and corruption is a valuable public service.  But it runs the danger of reinforcing the illusion that the underlying system is fundamentally fair and sound.  For this reason, these sorts of investigation can have an unintended and unrecognized reactionary effect.

              For my money, the most productive work is that which clearly understands the relationship between what is legal and what is not, and which uses the clear immorality of the illegal acts to call into question the entire arrangement which lets quite similar--often much more powerful--forms of influence persist without questions.  The people pushing this story, however, are fundamentally confused about the structural and historical basics, so they are in no position to educate others.

              They are to be congradulated for their energy and enthusiasm.  But they need to gain a little sense of proportion.  And they could benefit from heeding the words of Bob Dylan: "I'll know my song well, before I start singin'."  

              I'm not saying they should shut up.  Just focus on short, tight ditties, while working up the chops for something longer and more extended.  Walk before you run. That sort of thing.
              

              by Paul Rosenberg on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 07:56:38 PM PST

      •  I still agree with you

        Apologize for the caps...I would love to see this stuff better sourced, but it is most likely never going to happen.  Was 9-11 ever really "investigated"?  Who is putting Rick Santorum adds on my TV?  Where did the $2 million come from?  Maybe one of these "conspiracy theories" will actually be reality-based enough to actually get investigated.  Until then, we appear to be the only ones worried about whether our sources are fact checked.

        by jah4168 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:55:42 PM PST

  •  Thanks for the Comments

    I am a blogger who has read too many Sherlock Holmes novels.  I am not a paid journalist.  However, I noted that no paid journalists were paying attention to Cannonfire's revelations and so I wrote a title sure to grab Number 1 Recommended Diary.  But this title is true.  It is the biggest scandal ever, and hopefully someone in the media will look at this diary and say to themselves: "Hey, I could make a career out of this story--like Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein and Watergate".

    That's all us bloggers can do--is get the media to pay attention if we humiliate them enough into doing a story.  We bloggers have our place in the world--which is to raise questions and hold the media's feet to the fire.

    Sorry the Moonie Scandal, which from your accounts may be a tad bigger but is not direct stealing from the US Treasury to buy GOP ads, has not gotten more press.

    But I am impressed with the Moon contributions and think that by putting the 2 stories together we get closer to the whole hidden conspiracy to undo our democracy.

    Therefore, I will update this diary during the week to reflect your contribution.

    It will include the Moonie money, and the Neil Bush connection.  Hopefully someone in the media will notice it as the title will then be even more apt than before:

    The. Biggest. Scandal. Ever!
    

    by Sherlock Google on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:29:34 PM PST

    •  While you are sleuthing...

      Could you please let me know who is putting the Rick Santorum saved social security adds on my TV??  they are downright creepy and I am sure they are tied up in some of this dirty money.  Americans for job growth my ass!

      by jah4168 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:59:41 PM PST

    •  You Need To Understand 'Business As Usual'

      There's a saying: "The real crime is what's not against the law."  And what you're pointing to here is primarily just a tiny little example of business as usual.  Folks spend $1 million in lobbying and campaign contributions to make $1 billion.  Pretty good return on investments, no?  (Sometimes they only get $100 million back on their $1 million investment. Bummer!) Well, that's why there's a clean elections movement.

      Now, you might think it's outrageous that the Congress passed an expenditure that the Pentagon didn't ask for.  And you'd be right.  But it's hardly a rarity, unfortunately.  And, so what if the Pentagon did ask for it?  The Pentagon asks for all sorts of things it doesn't really need.  Such as, the supposed ability to fight two wars simultaneously without allies. (Notice how well that works?)

      My point is, what we're up against here is a system--a system of plutocracy--the vast majority of which is right out there in the open.  It doesn't have neon signs pointing to it, but neither is it hidden behind closed doors.  If you want to change things, you need to study the system as a whole, not get freaked out by individual examples.

      by Paul Rosenberg on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:36:55 PM PST

  •  Why shoot the messenger?

    When it's more productive to debunk their message if you don't feel it's supported with the data?

    "Conspiracy" is a label that one can tag any source that's not MSM - and is often misused... more oft than not, by the Conservatives.

    I happen to respect the work of both Hopsicker and Cannon on this case because... rather than level trite accusations about 'dubious' sources - they are actually laying the groundwork for a potentially huge story - backed up with evidence. Funny how Hopsicker quotes Robert Parry often in his latest pennings.

    World Finance Corp., the MadCowMorningNews has learned, achieved notoriety during the Iran Contra Scandal for highly questionable activities in Honduras. 

    "It was drugs, it was money-laundering, it was everything," South Florida detective James Rider told Robert Parry of The Consortium at the time. "I know the CIA was in there somewhere."

    "Police and federal prosecutors reported pressure from Washington and CIA headquarters in Langley to back off WFC. Too many of WFC's principals, it turned out, had cooperated with U.S. intelligence."

    by caribmon on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 04:55:50 AM PST

    •  WHAT Data???

      Why shoot the messenger?

      When it's more productive to debunk their message if you don't feel it's supported with the data?

      The problem is: what data?  Sherlock claims:

      I hope you are sitting down when you read this. The Duke Cunningham scandal goes much deeper than just the $2.4 million in bribes being reported by the media. There is a lot the media is not telling you.

      But then offers no evidence whatsoever that substantially more money were involved--except, of course, for the money that went to those offering the bribes, which is, after all, the whole point of the bribes in the first place.

      In turn, the passage from Mad Cow News claims:

      The lobbying firm then gratefully kicked back--at a bare minimum--hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to a Jack Abramoff-directed Washington D.C. lobbying and consulting firm run by two former senior staffers of Texas Republican Tom DeLay.

      But:

      (A) That's penuts in Abramoff's world, as anyone frequenting this site should know.
      (B) No evidence whatsoever is presented to support this claim.  Instead of evidence, we get another grandiose claim:

      But as the extent of the damage to America's national security wrought by the bribes which crossed Cunningham's greasy palm begins to come into focus, the fraud being revealed is orders of magnitude greater than has been hinted at so far.

      Repeating a lie does not make it true.  That's the way Republicans think.

      Let me be very clear:  I am not saying these are nice guys.  I am not saying they did nothing wrong.  I am saying that they are small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, and neither Sherlock nor Mad Cow have presented any evidence at all suggesting otherwise.

      "Conspiracy" is a label that one can tag any source that's not MSM - and is often misused... more oft than not, by the Conservatives.

      Conservatives also claim that liberals are traitors who lie all the time.  Does that mean we should stop worrying about lies and treason?  

      I made a very specific charge against conspiracy-obsessed thinking. And I pointed to an example of a real, live conspirary--one that has been rigorously and substantively investigated, to show the difference.  It will not do to attack me for thinking like a conservative here.  

      My charge is quite simple: you're not talking about a grand conspiracy.  You're talking about a small-time conspiracy nestled into the grand scheme of how things ordinarily work.  And the real crime is how things ordinarily work.  This is not an excuse for or a defense of the activity uncovered, which is how knee-jerk attacks on "conspiracy theories" play out.  Rather, this is a much more profound criticism than the one offered by the likes of Mad Cow Morning News.

      And this gets to the very heart of the matter--the nature of conspiricism as an ideology, which is, itself, essentially conservative. It says that the world, and existing social order is essentially good and just, but that there are powerful hidden forces working to corrupt and destroy it.  The modern Rosetta stone for this sort of thinking is reactionary response to the French Revolution, which blamed it on the non-existent Bavarian Illuminati.  This sort of thinking pervades Mad Cow Morning News, and is reflected in Sherlock's post as well, for example in lines like the diary's subhead:

      ...the Successful Plot to Take Over the United States

      or this:

      Then you and your criminal gang take over the United States of America with your ill-gotten gains.

      As if Wilkes, Wade and Cunningham invented the military-industrial complex!

      Sorry, no.  The United States has long been run by competing elites. Unlike the European democracies, we have never had a party of the working class, much less a government "of the people, by the people, for the people."  That is a wonderful aspiration, but it has never been the reality.  Are the current gang of Republicans out to make it substantially worse?  ABSOLUTELY!  But "take over the United States"?  Dude, wake up and smell the coffee!  They already own and run the United States. They have since day zero.

      p.s. The fact that a total loony quotes Bob Parry does not alter the fact that they are a total loony.  This should be obvious to anyone.

      by Paul Rosenberg on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 09:22:50 AM PST

    •  It is a little strange

      There are many people worried that this information is not valid, as the sources are not reliable, as they are from bloggers rather than the MSM. On other lines of enquiry, consistently people are yelling that the MSM aren't covering things. Why should this story be any different?

      How many of the stories on here have been started by a lone blogger who has had a hunch that something is odd?

      by ceebs on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 10:07:54 AM PST

  •  I'll try again

    I'll try again to respond to this, although my last attempt got lost in the cyber-ether.

    The facts on the ground are the important things. The person who says "Hey, look at this stuff!" is of no importance whatsoever.

    Hopsicker (whom I admire) deserved citation because he came to similar conclusions first. But I worked independently (with the help of some wonderful readers and friends to this blog), and I tried to present the findings in such a way that anyone could double-check them. A lot of people have done so. So far -- despite the usual quibbles over details -- no-one has said "You're all wrong and here's why."

    The best way to insure accuracy is to interest a number of researchers. "Many hands make light work" -- and also more credible work.

    To my eyes, a tale of a do-little defense contractor who funnels money to partisan causes is a tale of taxpayer dollars morphing into Republican ad buys. If you have a differing interpretation of the situation, I am all attention.

    Is this, as some have said, the biggest scandal ever? Corruption is not a sporting event and there is no need to establish a heirarchy. On the other hand, the Wilkes mystery will, I hope, open eyes to the wider issue of military contractor fraud -- and that may indeed be the scandal with the hoariest pedigree.

    At this point, I don't much care about the amounts of money involved in the Wilkes affair. I'm interested the mechanism itself. If you are not -- fine. You have plenty of other things to write about.

    You intimate that attention is better directed toward the Reverend Moon. Do some Googling, and you will find that I have written much on that subject. I just now Googled the words "Paul Rosenberg" and "Sun Myung Moon" and guess what I found? NOTHING.  

    You act as though the books I've cited were unreliable. The authors I've mentioned (in various contexts) were Professor Peter Dale Scott -- a scholar and former diplomat who is always very careful about sourcing -- organized crime expert Hank Messick, and Joseph Trento, whose work on intelligence-related matters is often cited in respected works in that field. Frankly, if those names were previously unfamiliar to you, I think the better question is: Why should anyone listen to YOU?

    You do seem to have a high opinion of Bob Parry, as do I. Maybe the quickest way to resolve the matter is for you to run those three names by Parry. Ask him what he thinks. (Frankly, I'd also be curious to know what he thinks about Hopsicker.) In my experience, Parry answers inquiries.

    That's YOUR task, by the way -- not mine. If I felt obligated to do basic homework for everyone else, I'd have no time to earn a living.

    All that said, we do come to the question of just which experts are worthy of citation. I certainly don't agree with Trento, Scott or Messick on every point. Hell...as my ladyfriend (an art history student) recently pointed out, even the greatest scholar on Rubens in history appears to have made some spectacularly mistaken identifications. In a sense, every writer in every field must be read with suspicion.

    I certainly invite a critical stance toward my own work. Anyone who takes the attitude "Cannon says it; thus, 'tis so" does no favor to either myself or to the truth. That's why I was glad when the Hill and other writers checked out the Wilkes material on their own. And that's why I hope others will continue to do so as further revlations come out.  

     

    by Cannon on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 11:50:07 AM PST

    •  Thanks for that response to Mr. Rosenburg

      When I say it's the biggest scandal ever, we may only be looking at the part we can see right now--but given their history and that this is their M.O., there is certainly far far more to it all than what we currently know.  

      Hopsicker talked of $500 million to $700 million being sheparded by Cunningham and that is what obviously needs looking into.  Then there must be a look at what the books are on the GOP and K Street side.

      by Sherlock Google on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 12:09:45 PM PST

    •  DOA

      The fact that you admire Hopsicker basically makes anything more irrelevent.  If you can't see how far he is from a serious researcher/reporter, and how close he is to a carnival barker, then nothing I say is going to make an impression.

      But others, at least could benefit from a response.

      Doping Out Sources

      First off, it's important to recognize that the world of covert ops is full of duplicity. Writing about and investigating it requires higher levels of skepticism and critical thinking than covering other areas.  So, when you encounter a writer/researcher dealing with such matters, you can save yourself a good deal of trouble by first trying to assess their reliability, based not on what you would like to be true, but on the sort of attitude they display towards the material they analyze.  

      For example, there will always be large areas of uncertainty, and some degree of speculation just comes with the territory.  But that doesn't mean you can't distinguish the speculative from the well-established.  What kind of rationale is presented for valuing one source of information, or one interpretation of events, over another one?

      Another thing to look out for is their attitude toward subject matter that you already know something about.  Of course they could know something you don't know. But when they come off peddling something you know to be dubious at best, and do not bother to address the concerns you have, then that, too, is a dead giveaway.

      But, when all is said and done, once you've spent two or three decades, off and on, dealing with these sorts of things, you simply develop a feel.  The feel can mislead you at times, but when multiple cues overtly point in the same direction, then the feel becomes very reliable.

      Application: So what does all this tell me about Hopsicker?

      (1) The story pointed to in the first place makes a vague, but hyperbolic claim without any hard evidence to back it up.

      the fraud being revealed is orders of magnitude greater than has been hinted at so far.

      As I've explained before, the amount of money spent getting government favors is typically 2-3 orders of magnitude less than the favors received. So this is either a sensationalist presentation of ho-hum information, or it is a wildly unsubstantiated claim, placing this scandal at nearly 3 times the size of Abramoff's (~2 million x 2 orders of magnitude=$200 million ~ 2.5 x Abramoff's $82 million.)

      (2) The story then launches into an explanation of how the scheme operated.  While interesting in itself--though not that unusual for folks with covert backgrounds--this has nothing to do with claims about the scale of the operation.  All it does is confuse matters by introducing other money that is not directly comparable to the amount that Cunningham is on the hook for.  $500 million over 7 years (1994-2001, which is thrown out at one point) is not chicken feed. But it barely makes a dent in the US military budget.

      The carelessness in which money amounts and operational details are tossed out does not comport with a serious effort to inform and empower readers with an integrated understanding of how things normally work--or at least how they're supposed to work, vs. how they are working in this case.

      From there, Hopsicker's story meanders all over the place, and never does deliver the goods it promises.  But it does deliver:

      (3) Entertainment value.  Well, who am I to gripe about that? Why not inject a little levity or whatever into such grim going's on. But the reference to one of the most famous scenes in Chinatown actually misconstrues the lesson to be drawn:

       If you're wondering which company deserves the "credit," you may be missing the point.

      Picture the memorable scene in the movie "Chinatown" where Fay Dunaway explains to Jack Nicholson what may have been a similarly-complicated state of affairs...

      "She's my sister! (Slap.) She's my daughter! (Slap.) She's my sister AND my daughter!"

      See, the pea is under one of the shells; it doesn't really matter which.

      But that's not the point of this passage at all. Indeed, it's the revelation of one of the central secrets of the film.

      In Hopsicker's terms: the pea is under both of the shells; and it matters very much that it does.  A guy who can't get his cultural references from Chinatown right is not a guy you want to trust to decode the meanings of the world of covert ops and secret money deals.     Heck, I don't think I'd want him giving my car a tune-up.  He's just handed you prima facia evidence that (a) he doesn't read--or at least translate--the signals accurately, and (b) he's so clueless about his own shortcomings that he goes out of the way to advertise them. (The whole Chinatown reference was totally unnecessary for the point he was trying to make.)

      (4) Homophobia.  Farhter down in the story we get:

      Del Mar of course was where FBI head J. Edgar Hoover used to vacation yearly as the guest of Texas oil man Clint Murchison. A Senate committee discovered in 1955 that 20 per cent of Murchison's Oil Lease Company was owned by Mob Boss Vito Genovese.

      A sordid episode involving Hoover at Del Mar was relayed to author Anthony Summers in "The Secret Life of J Edgar Hoover," by veteran film producer Joe Pasternak.

      "He was a homosexual," Pasternak told Summers. "Every year he used to come down to the Del Mar racetrack with a different boy. He was caught in a bathroom by a newspaperman. They made sure he didn't speak. . . Nobody dared say anything because he was so powerful."

      If you can tell me what plausible connection Hoover's homosexuality has to the Cunningham case, I will buy you a DVD of Chinatown.  (Through a shell company, of course!)

      (5) Conspiracy warning signs.  Wearying of the story itself, which seems to be 90% detours anyway, I turn my attention to the rest of the webpage and see:

      Kiss of Death #1:

      "Masters of the Universe - The Secret Birth of the Federal Reserve"

      The old international Jewish bankers conspiracy.

      Kiss of Death #2:

      "In Search of the American Drug Lords - The CIA and The Mob" ... A three year investigation into the life and times of one of the most famous CIA agents and successful drug smuggler's in America's history, Barry Seal.

      Barry Seal?  You gotta be kidding!  Anyone who knows anything about the Contra drug operations knows that he was a second banana's second banana.

      Kiss of Death #3 (Barry Seal is the gift that keeps on giving edition):

      Barry & 'The Boys' The Scandal the White House Feared Most

      WASN'T Whitewater...It was Mena.

      The Wall Street Journal called Barry Seal "the ghost haunting the Whitewater probe.

      Based on a 3-year long investigation, Daniel Hopsicker discovered the 'secret history' the American Press was afraid to tell: Seal, the most successful drug smuggler in American history, was also-and not coincidentally- a lifelong CIA agent, one of the most famous who ever lived, active in everything from the Bay of Pigs...to Watergate... to the Kennedy Assassination.

      What can I say?  The Whitewater probe did everything imagineable to try to bring Clinton down--what they did to Susan McDougle alone should keep Ken Starr toasty in Hell for all eternity. But we're supposed to believe--in effect--that Starr was actually in cahoots with Clinton in covering up a conspiracy to smuggle cocaine, just to keep people like you and me in the dark.  

      Let's just say that the efforts to blame Clinton for everyone who ever caught a cold in Arkansas still continue in the mind of Daniel Hopsicker, and that's what makes America a great country.... The fact that Daniel Hopsicker is not Ken Starr. Be thankful for small favors.

      So, those are the sorts of thoughts that I reflect upon when being offered a link to a story to "prove" "The. Biggest. Scandal. Ever!"  And, strangely, I am not impressed.

      Loose Ends

      Now Cannon tells me:

      Is this, as some have said, the biggest scandal ever? Corruption is not a sporting event and there is no need to establish a heirarchy.

      Well, tell that to Sherlock, don't tell it to me.

      But I still sort of think that it's important to note that Duke Cunningham is ONE member of Congress who received maybe a couple of million dollars, while the Abramoff scandal may involve as many as 60, and most certainly involves Tom DeLay, plus a sum of around $82 million.  It's not so much about the need to establish a hierarchy.  It's more about knowing that the starting quarterback is a more important target than the third string place-kicker.

      At this point, I don't much care about the amounts of money involved in the Wilkes affair. I'm interested the mechanism itself. If you are not -- fine. You have plenty of other things to write about.

      I think that's admirable. If everyone involved had kept this focus throughut, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

      You intimate that attention is better directed toward the Reverend Moon. Do some Googling, and you will find that I have written much on that subject. I just now Googled the words "Paul Rosenberg" and "Sun Myung Moon" and guess what I found? NOTHING.

      And this proves????

      You act as though the books I've cited were unreliable.

      I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. To my knowledge I made no reference whatsoever to books cited by you.  Even if I had, I can't see how they could possibly bear on the main subject here--which is the just produced writings on this breaking story.

      The authors I've mentioned (in various contexts) were Professor Peter Dale Scott -- a scholar and former diplomat who is always very careful about sourcing -- organized crime expert Hank Messick, and Joseph Trento, whose work on intelligence-related matters is often cited in respected works in that field. Frankly, if those names were previously unfamiliar to you, I think the better question is: Why should anyone listen to YOU?

      Maybe because I've just laid out my thinking in detail, explaining the basis for the conclusions I've reached.  I know it's a quaint notion.  Relying on your own intellect.  But, hey, somebody's got to do it.

      by Paul Rosenberg on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 02:33:50 PM PST

      •  I took out Hopsicker for you.

        You're right, not needed.

        Thanks for the comments!

        by Sherlock Google on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 03:09:08 PM PST

      •  Cooties

        So now I've got "cooties" now because I said I admire Daniel Hopsicker, even though you do not deny that I did independent research.

        All of a sudden, I am responsible for every damn word Daniel Hopsicker has ever written. I admire Wagner too; am I now responsible for his notorious essay about Jews in music?

        So what does this "cootie" argument amount to? Simply this: Hopsicker's "pea" comment was badly phrased. He writes too colorfully. Hopsicker made a needless foray back into the days of J. Edgar, although you misinterpreted it. In fact, you misinterpreted a lot of things.

        Hopsicker also wrote a book about Barry Seal -- a book which you apparently did not even bother to skim, but which you presume grew out of the Clinton attack squad's work. That's not true. Obviously, you're too young to know that lefties were printing stuff about Seal before the election of '92.

        I admire Hopsicker not because of his style -- which does go overboard and which is often far too discursive. Privately, even Hopsicker cracks jokes about the way he writes. I admire him because he goes out there and gets interviews with people who damn well ought to be interviewed, and because he digs stuff up on Lexis-Nexis that others tend to miss. And I keep waiting for someone to take down his book on Atta (on a factual basis, as opposed to a stylistic basis). No-one has done so.

        In short, I admire him because he's "in the arena," as TR once put it.

        By the way, I do owe one apology: The dismissive comment about the books I cited was not made by you but by one of your yea-sayers.

        At any rate, I've been around longer than you, kid, and I've come to recognise certain types. One is the disruptive type who, when he hasn't command of the facts (or no new facts on offer), decides to make his mark by damning others using guilt-by-association tactics.  

        At no point did I ever say "Take my word for this." At every conceivable point, I begged readers to do their own checking. Anyone who thinks I'm wrong about a specific point (and I very well may be) should address that point so we can thrash out the facts.

        You still haven't done that.

        People who prefer to argue on the level of "I saw you talking to so-and-so, and now you smell like him!" are invariably people too lazy to deal with ground-level evidence.

        When you do some truly new gunshoe work, I'll admire you too, kid. Hell, I'll admire you even if you make an unsuccessful attempt at it. We need a new book on Moon; why don't you try to write it?

        Get in the arena. Dare to succeed; dare to fail. Until then, you are just another screamer in the stands, and I am not sure I see any value in acknowledging your existence any further.
        

        by Cannon on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:39:17 PM PST

        •  No offense

          but this is incredibly patronizing. I understand that the two of you have some, er, issues to work out.... but this sort of name calling helps no one.

          by MonkeyDog102 on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:57:56 PM PST

        •  Your blog

          is a winner. Don't let anyone get to you. You started a ton of people thinking about and researching this issue.

          If shell companies are getting government contracts IMO that is big news. And if those companies are then passing the money on to the GOP it is even bigger news.

          That is how it appears now and it looks like the more research we do, the more those skunks are guilty.

          Thanks to you and Sherlock for bringing this to our attention. And thanks to all those computer savy people that are doing the great research.

          by Kewalo on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:38:38 PM PST

        •  Joe, don't waste your time on this chap

          We all know that Hopsicker revealed the name of Atta's girlfriend the FBI would not interview (Amanda Keller) and all the rest.

          Just work on what you do so well and leave these self-appointed diary police give out their warnings and tickets as they see fit.  So what?

          After all, you personally are helping to crack the biggest scandal ever...

          by Sherlock Google on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 06:58:24 PM PST

        •  I'm Afraid You're Your Own Worst Enemy

          I never said you had cooties. I said what I said. I did not expect you to listen to me. I wrote for others to draw their own conclusions. Your misrepresentation of my argument speaks for itself, and should give people pause in trusting your analysis of other matters.  

          (For example, I never said that the book about Seal "grew out of the Clinton attack squad's work."  That wasn't my argument at all. And if you can't understand what my argument was, then your abilities as an analyst are suspect at best. That's something that people reading this should consider.)

          Likewise, your assumption that I'm a neophyte "kid" is further evidence of a tendency to jump to conclusions that ought to give people pause.  I'm not here to toot my own horn. I'm here to present people with arguments and insights that they can try out for themselves in fairly short order, and then draw their own conclusions.

          by Paul Rosenberg on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 07:40:38 PM PST

          •  Thank you

            for your well articulated points.  They are appreciated.

            by sunsquared on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 10:35:10 PM PST

•  why are we paying our taxes?

  U.S. Taxpayer => Treasury => Iraq Defense Contractors => Republicans

  I've been asking that question since the Iraq debacle began but no one ever answers. Why are we paying taxes to support war, corruption, the redistribution of wealth, and the destruction of our democratic system of government? Why?

  All I hear is complaints about what they are doing with our money, but we keep right on giving it to them, don't we.

  If there are complaints but there are no real consequences for a behavior, what's the motivation for change?

  They keep doing it because they can.

  by sunflight on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 08:37:20 PM PST

  •  the answer

    to both of your questions is jail .the 1st question = would be jail , the 2nd question = should be jail . now back On T .

    by cognitive dissonance on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 08:55:35 PM PST

    •  one half to two thirds...

      of the population thinks this country is headed in the wrong direction and that the government is unresponsive to their priorities.

      Tell me how one half to two thirds of taxpayers could be put in jail.

      by sunflight on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:13:24 PM PST

      •  I am sympathetic..

        ..but it's a far cry from thinking the country is headed in the wrong direction to SPENDING JAIL TIME FOR A TAX PROTEST.

        Now, as you probably know, NO ONE is being audited right now.  NO ONE.  

        So, you might be on to something.   But I certainly won't be discussing it any further here.

        by maxschell on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:31:05 PM PST

        •  discuss what :)

          But seriously, the idea of tax resistance is nothing new.  500,000 people did it during the Vietnam War.  Check this out

          by sunflight on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:50:07 PM PST

          •  i understand your point of view i think .

             starve the dogs of war , or at least make a fucking BIG stink , but this is not the place for it , write a diary ,lets stay on topic this is toooo important.     peace  .

            by cognitive dissonance on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 11:05:37 PM PST

•  Great job (as usual) Sherlock

  It is a sad reflection of reality that nothing that the Neo-Corrupts manage to devise surprises us any more.

  by Alizaryn on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 08:41:39 PM PST

•  Its a free for all

  so kill em all.

  Kill

  Them

  All

  .

  by ThunderHawk13 on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 08:47:23 PM PST

  •  No violence.

    Toss 'em all out, indict 'em all, lock 'em all up.

    by jem6x on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:39:34 PM PST

•  So would this be why Cunningham

  chose not to stand trial?

  (Am I on crack?  Did I mix him up with someone else?)

  by Black Maned Pensator on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:43:42 PM PST

•  My Dogs Are Barking--Such Great Work!

  by Prove Our Democracy with Paper Ballots on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 09:50:08 PM PST

•  Maybe I'm paranoid

  But while reading through this story, I noticed a striking resemblance to the terrorist money laundering operations uncovered by Rita Katz, of the SITE Institute, a story told in her book, Terrorist Hunter.

  Has anyone else read the book and noticed the similarities too?

  by hartboy on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 10:57:55 PM PST

•  Wilkes/Prosser/Weller

  Weller Prosser Wilkes Cunningham

  More of Same

  Belize

  by Kankakee Voice on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 12:15:52 AM PST

  •  oops forgot this link

    Wilkes Weller go way back

    by Kankakee Voice on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 12:30:54 AM PST

•  Legal questions

  Question 1. Is there federal or state law prohibiting some or all aspects of this scheme, which boils down to getting GOP powers to convey taxpayers' money to private shell corporations that funnel the money to GOP powers, while taking a fee.  

  Question 2.  That's one way to frame it.  But here is another way:  John Doe gets his Senator to get his company a Defense Department contract, and does so without bribing his Senator; Doe also contributes some of his newfound wealth to the GOP.  This is lawful and not unethical. What distinguishes one from the other?  Only if Two-Way Mirror Company fails to deliver on its Defense Department contract is it liable for anything obvious.  And who prosecutes?

  Question 3. What about all the Christian organizations, including Pat Robertson's, that have received taxpayers' monies under Bush's "Faith-based initiatives" to build strip malls, administer and change health department public policy, etc.?  Are these organizations funneling our money back to the GOP?  If not, will John McCain and Olympia Snowe complain that they are being cheated?  Will Bill Frist complain that he is being cheated?  Rick Santorum?  

  Question 4.  Where's the money now and who has the power to stop them?

  by marthature on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 12:29:38 AM PST

•  There needs to be evidence of Pay-for-play

  To move this to the MSM there must be direct evidence of a pay-for-play transaction.

  Money to a Congressman for specific legislative action.

  It is a tedious task to match names and donations to the Congressional record, Bills specific sections of passed legislation and appropriations that benefit a specific client.

  One of the reasons that Ney is in trouble is because his comments about SunCruz were uncovered and tied to Abramoff and his many scams.

  That search for the pay-for-play link is what every news organization is looking for in the Abramoff case. It would tell you who are the other Congressmen in jeopardy from their ties to Jack.

  The same will be true with the Wilkes/Wade/Duke scandal.

  Can we tie all of this research work to money for congressional action? Where are the links? Which Congressmen are involved?

  by dengre on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 07:47:46 AM PST

  •  I agree this is the job in front of us and

    we can't trust the media or the DoJ to follow it up.  Showing that the Wilkes companies are just fronts though is a good start to getting those folks interested.

    Hopefully, this will be like Gannon and the Kossaks will go out and start compiling the evidence we need.

    Center for Public Integrity, BTW, could help a lot in this regard.  They have staff and lots of volunteers.  They should be contacted as they have this kind of data in-house or at their fingertips.

    by Sherlock Google on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 07:56:43 AM PST

    •  May I suggest that a Part II thread

      be started? And a summary of what has been uncovered thus far, as well as, what needs to be discovered?

      The comments section is taking a long time to load now with all the comments, and many new connections have been made that one wouldn't know about unless they read each and every response.

      by mad ramblings of a sane woman on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 11:32:52 AM PST

  •  I also think this story has enough to it

    to shock voters.  Since Wilkes gave to ARMPAC, every Rethug who got ARMPAC money would have to return it ASAP or get rightly slammed for taking part in the scheme to defraud America.

    Wouldn't matter if the case had been proved or not.  Just taking tainted money would be enough to sink a Rethug in a close race next year.

    ARMPAC is already tainted I know from Abramoff and Delay, but that is more difficult to understand.  The beauty of this scandal is that it is so simple and SO outrageous.

    And Duke has already pled guilty to outright bribery.

    by Sherlock Google on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 08:04:37 AM PST

    •  So whats next?

      When does this break?

      by environmentalist on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 03:40:56 PM PST

      •  Investigations continuing

        Look at New update for story on who else Wilkes and Wade donated to and the amounts!

        THis will be the big story of next year.

        by Sherlock Google on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 03:58:21 PM PST

        •  Great work!

          I cant wait....!

          by environmentalist on Mon Dec 12, 2005 at 06:42:58 AM PST

•  According to the complaint

  filed by Texans for Public Justice, PerfectWave Technologies contributed $15,000 to Texans for a Republican Majority PAC.  

  TRMPAC failed to report the contribution in their PAC filings.

  by acuppajo on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 08:35:41 AM PST

•  Why don't they

  just sell crack? Oh wait, they probably do. I got it! Heroin from Afghanistan! Now there's some profit! (I suspect they've beat me to that idea too though)

  by Snud on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 08:40:56 AM PST

•  Former HASC staffer

  discussing this topic as he liveblogs here.

  by mikepridmore on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 01:00:15 PM PST

•  Am I looking at this wrong?

  The building doesn't seem to exist in the satellite image for the address.

  by Distaste for Dissent on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 02:54:47 PM PST

  •  One of the above articles

    Stated it was built in 2003, I believe.

    The satellite image may be older.

    by Geotpf on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:29:58 PM PST

    •  This article

      http://www.sandiegotribune.com/...

      Despite the recent negative publicity, ADCS remains in operation. At the company's glass-and-steel headquarters in Poway one day last week, about 20 cars were in the parking lot.

      None of the employees would comment, and company officials shooed a reporter and a photographer away from the property.

      The headquarters building was erected in 2003 at a cost of $11 million when the company was receiving a steady stream of government contracts. According to the architectural firm that built it, the building boasts a 100-seat theater, a 2,000-square-foot kitchen, and 32,000 square feet of office space, including a large sandbox lined with surfboards, which was designed to bring an element of fun into the workplace.

      Sources who have worked at or done business with ADCS say the company has shrunk in size from more than 135 employees at its heyday to about 45 or fewer today. The headquarters is largely empty, the sources say.

      by Geotpf on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 05:33:45 PM PST

•  Sherlock, Joseph - need a hand?

  Sherlock, Joseph, and anyone else who's looking for information on some of these sham companies:
  If you're trying to find out if any of these addresses are a mail drop, attached to another company, or just a vacant lot, I live in San Diego and could go have a look, digital camera in tow. Drop me a line if there are specific addresses that need footwork, I might have a chance at lunch tomorrow(monday) or after work. I've only had a chance to skim some of the 378 comments thus far; if someone else is already doing this and would like to delegate ...

  by HiBob on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 11:04:04 PM PST

  •  Hi Bob

    Go to Cannonfire and work with Joe.  He's doing the real digging locally.

    Thanks!

    by Sherlock Google on Tue Dec 13, 2005 at 08:51:11 AM PST

•  Whoa! Yes, Nixon revisited.

  Bless you.  May sweet justice be served.

  by trupatriot on Sun Dec 11, 2005 at 11:12:12 PM PST

•  AXA Advisors, LLC

  Anyone know why this company would be listed as The Wilkes Foundation's "Platinum sponsor" on their (archived but now unavailable) web site? Along, confusingly enough with The Wilkes Foundation irself?

  by JohnDrake on Mon Dec 12, 2005 at 01:34:50 AM PST

•  Open Secrets is a good source

  For quick lists of who's gotten what on this.

  by steverino on Tue Dec 13, 2005 at 08:27:41 PM PST

•  asdf

  http://www.dailykos.com/...

  by LieparDestin on Wed Dec 14, 2005 at 09:17:24 AM PST