Back on August 7, I posted a brief diary entitled “Jerry Falwell Jr. Its not the shorts, its the yacht.” In it I speculated that the boat pictured in the imfamous Trailer Park Boys picture was big and expensive. Kossacks had a lot to say about the subject, which sparked hundreds of comments. Since that writing, we’ve learned that in fact , Mr Falwell and his wife’s assistant were pictured on the 164 foot long yacht owned by NASCAR owner Joseph Riddick "Rick" Hendrick III.
I’m not writing to say “I told you so.” I’m writing because recent news reports have revealed a virtual armada of republican culture vultures planning the destruction of American Democracy from the polished teak decks of what one correspondent calls BWB s (Big White Boats.)
Let’s begin with Steve Bannon. Dapper Steve was arrested last week while on board the 152 foot long “Lady May.” see www.forbes.com/… The Lady May belongs to Guo Wengui, “one of China’s most wanted fugitives, who is wanted in Beijing on fraud, blackmail and bribery charges,” see nypost.com/…
Mr. Bannon, now on the docket in the SDNY, was hanging out with a fugitive of law when federal authorities nabbed him from the deck of the 28 million dollar yacht. Mr Bannon’s crimes include fraud. The victims of this fraud were all good republicans hoping to advance (p)resident Trump’s wall project.
Brian Kolfage, the founder and public face of We Build the Wall, and Bannon’s co-conspiritor used money he stole from donors to buy a relatively small 40-foot Jupiter Marine 41 SB fishing boat. For a modest $529,900.00, you too can buy one of these (From Yacht World). So, natavist , xenophobic, Trump fans so wanted a wall on the Mexican Border, that the would put their own money up to pay for it. Mr Kolfage wisely determined that roghly 2% of all donations should go to a sport fishing boat so that it could be used to patrol the Mexican Border.
NRA Vice President Wayne Lapierre has also been noticed in the Sovereign District of New York.
“The complaint outlines that LaPierre took at least eight family trips to and from the Bahamas since June 2015, stopping in Nebraska on most of these trips to pick up and drop off his niece and her relatives along the way. On many of those trips, LaPierre and his family were allegedly allowed to use a 107-foot yacht owned by NRA vendors that have received over $100 million from the gun rights organization in contract services such as mailing, the printing of literature, fundraising, and public relations.” www.vox.com/…
The NRA may lose it’s non-profit status and be forced to disband as a charitable organization due to the sytematic and rapine abuse of NRA donor money. Some folks in this country really really care about their gun rights to the point where it defines them. They dutifully sent money to the NRA to protect those rights. Mr LaPierre needs to ride on expensive boats to protect those rights.
Now, if you own a boat, you need a place to keep it. And if you can screw the poors doing it, all the sweeter. (P)resident Trump is bragging on the campaign trail abou all the money he gave the poor in his gigantic tax scam. So a portion of the Trump tax giveaway slated for poor communities was given to a couple of ultra wealthy donors including the heir of Blockbuster Video and a part owner of the Miami Dolphins to create an enterprise zone just north of Mar-aLago. www.salon.com/… What enterprise would this tax brealk stimulate? The construction of a mega-yacht marina with Luxury condominium towers. The marina is intended to handle yachts up to 300 feet. So, all those poor Floridians must feel better knowing that one of Trump’s mega donors is bringing enterprise investment into the state. My favorite quote from the article “ “What’s better than owning a yacht, owning a yacht with a helicopter of course!”
I like boats, and I like boaters. I think successful people who also like boats should be able to enjoy the lifestyle around boating. My beef is that the people who run non-profit, tax exempt organizations should never be allowed to use charitable funds to play keeping up with the Joneses with the uber rich. My beef is that the tax code should never be bent to subsidize a life of extreme luxury. My beef is that people of modest means, who care so passionately about political issues, should not be preyed upon by their nominal leadership. The NRA has been spent into near bankrupcy supporting the false promises of Mr LaPierre. Even if the use of a boat is a favor from a supporter, you cannot be niave that those favors come without conditions. The super wealthy identified a few issues the Trump base cares deeply about, and harnessed that passion to grift as much money as possible out of the public they serve. If you run a Charity, you have no businees living like a Tycoon.
