Investigations Matter

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Saturday May 16, 2009 · 12:03 AM PDT

2009/05/16 · 00:03

For years at DKos, I have written about the Culture of Corruption in Washington. The focus of my research and work was Jack Abramoff and the horrific human rights abuses on the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Island, a US Territory in the Western Pacific. And it still is, but it is a hobby—something I do in the spaces between a full time job and family life. Lately those core obligations have left me with very little time to research and craft new Diaries.

That’s too bad in a way because a lot is going on and I wish I had the time to write and publish the Diaries that I have been thinking about and researching, but like most folks I have to work for a living and "my hobby" does not pay the bills—these days it is a luxury to have any time for it.

And yet, every now and then I read something that inspires me to make the time. This happened yesterday when I read a recommended Diary by Cenk Uygur.

To the jump...

dengre

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Thursday April 02, 2009 · 10:29 PM PDT

2009/04/02 · 22:29

There are a lot of variations when it comes to Republican Hypocrisy and recently their diversity of hypocrisy has been on daily display. It is hard to keep up with the jaw dropping flip-flopping lying-to-your-face audacity of their mendacity. One could get a Doctorate in Anthropology studying the crafting and spreading of their fables and categorizing the various types of Republican Hypocrites.

Of them all, my least favorite is the "Good Government Republican Hypocrite". These weasels present themselves as "cleaners" of the system. They are "shocked", "shocked" to learn that lobbyists were paying to play in Washington now that their party is out of power.

Of all of the examples of this type of Republican Hypocrite, perhaps it is Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona who is the worst.

Lately he has been trying to force an investigation into a lobbying scandal concerning the PMA Group, Jack Murtha and possibly others. Yesterday he said something that proved his effort was mere partisan hackery. He claimed the PMA Group scandal was "bigger" than the Abramoff Corruption Scandal.

It is time to call Jeff Flake out.

To the jump...

dengre

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Monday March 30, 2009 · 9:00 PM PDT

2009/03/30 · 21:00

I am a product of Detroit. My family traces our roots back to when Cadillac established the city of my birth.

I grew up in the city. I went to school there. Detroit formed me and crafted my understanding of the world. Decades ago, I found this notebook at a drugstore:

It is a treasure. It reminds me of the hope, promise and troubles of Detroit.

It was in Detroit that my progressive liberal values were formed, tested and hard-wired into my soul.

I have now been away from Detroit for most of my life—another domestic economic immigrant moving about America. It is a common story.

I’m from a large family and most siblings are still living within the city limits. I will be up to visit in a few weeks.

When I listened to President Obama this morning, for the first time in decades, I felt hope for Motown.

To the jump...

dengre

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Thursday February 19, 2009 · 10:50 PM PST

2009/02/19 · 22:50

For over ten years I have been researching the culture of corruption in Washington. I’ve been writing about my research on Dkos since 2004. Jack Abramoff and his web of scandal were the story that became my core sample as I tapped into a glacier of Republican Corruption. This research revealed many creeps, scoundrels and villains. They all have decided that the "ends" always justify the means—no matter which laws are broken and how often they violate their purported "values". Every now and then, a character in the story crosses the line from corruption and criminality into an embrace of evil. These are the worst of the worst.

Tonight, one of these failed human beings is in Washington DC.

His name is Benigno R. (Ben) Fitial. Thanks to Abramoff, he is the Governor of the CNMI.

Can we arrest him now?

To the jump...

dengre

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Friday February 13, 2009 · 12:30 AM PST

2009/02/13 · 00:30

We were lucky.

A few weeks ago on a Friday, Todd Boulanger pleaded guilty for his role in the ongoing Abramoff corruption scandal. He was a key member of Team Abramoff and before that he worked for former NH Senator Bob Smith (one of Jack’s go-to Senators). Boulanger’s plea identified a Legislative Director for a US Senator as "Staffer F" and laid out the many favors Team Abramoff did for this staffer and some of the deeds done in return.

Over that weekend, a network of scandal researchers had concluded that "Staffer F" was Kevin Koonce and that the Senator was Judd Gregg. The rumor was that Gregg would soon be nominated to be President Obama’s Commerce Secretary. It was too late for Gregg’s link to scandal to filter up and stop it. The day after Gregg was nominated; the Koonce story broke in the AP, Washington Post, NYTs and elsewhere.

Today, Gregg backed out and we dodged a bullet.

OTOH, Gregg and the GOP still have some problems.

Let’s jump...

dengre

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Thursday February 05, 2009 · 11:13 PM PST

2009/02/05 · 23:13

It is not a slow news week. A lot has and is happening. It is easy for an important story to slide by quickly. That is just what happened in the last 24 hours.

On Tuesday, President Obama named Republican Senator Judd Gregg to be his Secretary of Commerce. Yesterday, it was reported that a former staffer of Senator Gregg is linked to the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal.

This story was buried in an avalanche of other news and missed by the posts and comments on Daily Kos. I guess I’ll have to take care of that.

Judd Gregg brings the taint of the Abramoff Scandal with him to President Obama’s Cabinet. Senator Gregg needs to answer some questions about Abramoff’s influence on his staff and policy positions. The role of his staffers in this scandal must be explored in his Confirmation Hearings. Some hard questions should be asked and answered.

But more than that, we need a commitment from President Obama to fully investigate this ever expanding corruption scandal. We need a Special Prosecutor.

To the jump...

dengre

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Thursday January 22, 2009 · 9:36 PM PST

2009/01/22 · 21:36

The Republican Party and the conservative movement are terrified by Eric Holder and stopping Holder has become a matter of self-preservation for the Party of Failure. They are afraid that an active, engaged and independent DOJ will actually investigate political corruption, torture and the other crimes of their recent years in power. If ongoing investigations (like the Abramoff scandal) are freed from political restraints, many current and former elected Republicans, their staffers, funders and lobbyists could find themselves under indictment.

Holder will be an excellent Attorney General and so, they fear him. He needs our support and we need to push back on this latest Republican effort to obstruct justice.

Yesterday at 1:22 pm EST, President Barack Obama (yes, I do love typing that) issued an Executive Order on Presidential Records.

Within minutes, the GOP announced they would block Holder’s confirmation for at least a week.

There is a link.

To the jump...

dengre

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Wednesday January 21, 2009 · 8:17 PM PST

2009/01/21 · 20:17

I will keep this unusually short (for me anyway).

Eight years ago I was not celebrating. I spent Inauguration Day 2001 protesting a stolen election on the cold wet streets of Washington DC. The next day I was outraged that Bush was in the White House. The passage of time only made it worse.

In the spring of 2001 I went to a Progressive conference in DC and heard Howard Dean speak. He got my attention.

In 2003, when most Democrats were bowing to Bush/GOP bullying I desperately wanted somebody to lead. Into the void came Howard Dean.

He was an imperfect candidate. He made mistakes, but he lit a fire—a fire that blazed the way to yesterday’s celebration.

He has had some kind words directed his way. He has also been ignored by some and dissed by others. So it goes.

I know what he did. And so do you.

Thank you Howard Dean!

You can count on me for support in the future.

Cheers

The Peace Corps needs your help...

dengre

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Friday January 16, 2009 · 9:56 PM PST

2009/01/16 · 21:56

While I’ve never been a volunteer, I have a stake in the Peace Corps.

I think it is one of the best programs ever created by our Nation and it has a simple mission:

Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.

Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.

Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans

Of the three goals, it is the third that has been the least successful.

For almost fifty years, The Peace Corps has been inspiring some of the best and brightest to travel to far away lands and give real service for little pay—and often under some difficult conditions. These volunteers meet the needs of interested Countries and do a fantastic job of representing what is best about America.

These are amazing people and they need your help. We need to support a Bigger, Better and Bolder Peace Corps.

It is time to end the chronic underfunding of this program.

Your support is needed.

To the jump...

dengre

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Monday January 12, 2009 · 12:44 AM PST

2009/01/12 · 00:44

Senator Arlen Specter is taking the lead in a disingenuous attack on Obama’s Attorney General Nominee Eric Holder.

It is not a surprise that Karl Rove is orchestrating this fear and panic based attack. I’ve been told by several sources that he is in the sights of the Abramoff Scandal task force and I suspect that Karl faces serious legal jeopardy from several other ongoing DOJ investigations into the corruption of the Bush years. This may or may not be true, but Karl is attacking Holder like a man who fears an Attorney General with a long and aggressive record of pursuing corrupt political figures regardless of Party or patronage.

So far, the Republican attacks on Eric Holder are a classic Karl Rove political play—identify your opponent’s strength and then spin them into a weakness. So of course, the Republicans spin Holder’s integrity and long career of prosecuting corrupt public officials as meekness. And it is appalling display of Rovian chutzpa to equate Holder with Rove’s partner in crime Alberto Gonzales. The only odd thing is that this time out Senator Specter is the one dancing to Rove’s tune—but not that odd.

To the jump...

dengre

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Monday January 05, 2009 · 9:00 PM PST

2009/01/05 · 21:00

I’ve been a member of the Daily Kos Community for a long time. I started coming here as a reader back in 2003. By April 2004 I posted my first Diary. It was one of those short ones that now-a-days gets a "this is a comment, not a Diary" comment, except back then nobody commented on it. Over the rest of 2004 I posted about half dozen Diaries. On January 1, 2005 I posted my first Diary about my longtime research project, Jack Abramoff and the Culture of Corruption. Since then most of my Diaries have been on that subject. I guess you would classify me as one of those writers here who mainly sticks to a specific subject—a Dkos specialist if you will.

I’m often tempted to weigh in on other issues, but I’ve found my Abramoff Diaries to be a great way to advance my research, sharpen my understanding and expand awareness of a subject that is way too easily lost in the din of the issues of the day. So I’ve disciplined myself to keep to the focus I have chosen, but occasionally I am drawn into another discussion.

This is one of those moments.

It’s time to say a word about that I/P situation...

dengre

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Saturday January 03, 2009 · 2:02 AM PST

2009/01/03 · 02:02

Yesterday I posted a Diary that looked at the active and expanding investigation into the massive scandal known by the name Abramoff. Tonight I want to take a look at the man behind that name, Jack Abramoff.

Earlier this week the Court released a transcript of Abramoff’s Sept. 4, 2008 Sentencing Hearing. It is a fascinating document. When he addressed the Court, Jack Abramoff admitted that he was an ass and apologized (we’ll get to that on the jump). He also managed to state the core problem of the modern conservative movement:

"And perhaps it was out of an arrogant self righteousness, wanting the things I thought were right to happen, and slowly losing bearing, losing track of the means to make those things happen and allowing corruption and bad behavior and things that ran right to the core -- against the core of what I did believe to take over all in an effort to believe that the ends would justify the means, and they don't."

Let's go to the jump...

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Investigations Matter

Time to call Jeff Flake’s bluff...

A son of Detroit and the news of the day...

A Pirate is in DC. Can we arrest him? Pretty Please... UPDATE: Is he going to the WH?

Judd Gregg & his Abramoff Problem

Judd Gregg, Jack Abramoff and Barack Obama

Why they FEAR Eric Holder (and President Obama)...

Thank You, Howard Dean!!!

The Peace Corps needs your help...

Arlen Specter’s grudge against Eric Holder...

Jumping in: a Word on that I/P situation...

Jack Abramoff apologizes and admits that he is an Ass...