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- Regions: United States , Vietnam , Nigeria
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{"commentId":131706,"authorDomain":"regbarc"}
Corruption knows no party lines.
{"commentId":131706,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"regbarc"}
- 8 votes
#1 - Sun May 21, 2006 5:23 PM EDT{"commentId":131743,"authorDomain":"brgiant"}
I'm just waiting for the excuses that are going to be made to protect him...
{"commentId":131743,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"brgiant"}
- 5 votes
{"commentId":131757,"authorDomain":"killfile"}
If he's guilty he should be tossed out with the rest of the crooks. Republicans don't have a monopoly on corruption - they're just way ahead of the game.
{"commentId":131757,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"killfile"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":131764,"authorDomain":"phaedrus72"}
Killfile, you just had to throw that last little comment in there didnt you? Republicans are way ahead of the game? Give me a break. This is the second story in as many days that I've seen of Democrats in trouble ethically. Your comment would have been fine without your obvious liberal bias at the end.
{"commentId":131764,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"phaedrus72"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":131976,"authorDomain":"marc"}
Phaedrus72
Your comment would have been fine without your obvious liberal bias at the end.
Some would think that to be true. There also may be some that this section tagged on the end of the AP story is an example of the same thing.
Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California, a Vietnam-era jetfighter ace, was sentenced in March to more than eight years in prison for accepting bribes on a scale unparalleled in the history of Congress.
But of couse there is no bias in the media is there? (close satire tags here)
Anyone recall the name of the accused? Rep. William Jefferson got caught during the Katrina disaster diverting valuable resources instead of saving lives.
Sept. 13, 2005 — Amid the chaos and confusion that engulfed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, a congressman used National Guard troops to check on his property and rescue his personal belongings — even while New Orleans residents were trying to get rescued from rooftops, ABC News has learned.
On Sept. 2 — five days after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast — Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who represents New Orleans and is a senior member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, was allowed through the military blockades set up around the city to reach the Superdome, where thousands of evacuees had been taken. ...
The water reached to the third step of Jefferson's house, a military source familiar with the incident told ABC News, and the vehicle pulled up onto Jefferson's front lawn so he wouldn't have to walk in the water. Jefferson went into the house alone, the source says, while the soldiers waited on the porch for about an hour.
Finally, according to the source, Jefferson emerged with a laptop computer, three suitcases, and a box about the size of a small refrigerator, which the enlisted men loaded up into the truck.
Now we know why. Instead of a local politco showing extreme arrogance and conducting a little petty misuse of government resources it turns out he apparently was attempting to rescue has stash of cold hard cash.
{"commentId":131976,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"marc"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":132069,"authorDomain":"cjlewis"}
Sorry Phaedrus72.. for some reason, I need to throw this here.
Point your mouse on the dots you will see more R's than D's.
{"commentId":132069,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"cjlewis"}
{"commentId":132570,"authorDomain":"phaedrus72"}
Sorry, CJ, that is hardly an unbiased news source and is as biased as they come. Can you do better than that?
{"commentId":132570,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"phaedrus72"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":132626,"authorDomain":"killfile"}
Phaedrus - the bias of CJ's source isn't material in the slightest to this discussion. The spin they do or do not put on the cases in question doesn't matter. It's a simple question of numbers. Count the dots on the map. If you disagree with the count that BeyondDelay offers, produce your own tally and provide your own count. By every tally I've seen the Republicans in this Congress are way ahead of the Democrats as far as corruption and graft goes.
If you have sources that demonstrate otherwise I'd be interested to see them.
{"commentId":132626,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"killfile"}
{"commentId":131766,"authorDomain":"anim"}
Don't worry guys there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this!
Well, maybe not.
{"commentId":131766,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"anim"}
- 1 vote
#2 - Sun May 21, 2006 7:10 PM EDT{"commentId":131770,"authorDomain":"eyeswideopen"}
Another reason why I never vote for an incumbent. (Unless, of course, the opponent is a verified scumbag also.)
Get wise people. Politicians don't care a whit about us and our problems. They'll say whatever they think we want to hear and once they're in office it's like they never heard of us but instead suck up the lobbyists and do their bidding, not ours.
You know those flags that flew over the Captiol that you can get from your Congressman/woman? You know those photos they take of you when you visit? You know those documents with all of the whereases and therefores that they'll send you? All they are is candy for the ego.
Years ago there was a kids' show on radio called "Let's Pretend". On one occasion the announcer finished reading his script and, thinking that the mike was dead, said: "There, that ought to hold the little bastards!" Of course there was an uproar but only because the mike was live.
IT'S THE SAME WITH POLITICIANS! IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THEY SAY ON TV, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE, IN A SPEECH OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN PUBLIC. IT'S ALL S.O.P. AND ONCE IT'S OVER IT'S BACK TO BUSINESS AS USUAL WITH THE LOBBYISTS.
Yeah, once in a while there is a sacrificial lamb thrown to the wolves; but it's only to appease people for the moment while in reality the same thing continues with less of a trail or an uproar.
Are governments in other countries corrupt? Of course; but that's no excuse for going them one better. Yes, we do have the best government money can buy-bar none.
{"commentId":131770,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"eyeswideopen"}
- 2 votes
#3 - Sun May 21, 2006 7:18 PM EDT{"commentId":132114,"authorDomain":"rockman"}
His car was a 1990 Lincoln Town Car? Was it bullet-proofed or something? Why would a crooked politician have a 1990 car?
{"commentId":132114,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"rockman"}
#4 - Mon May 22, 2006 10:47 AM EDT{"commentId":132122,"authorDomain":"lufbery"}
I have not dug into the facts of this case. However, I will say that many countries such as Nigeria operate business using bribes. It's very accepted and necessary behavior for many third world countries. Most Americans do not have visibility into this kind of behavior, but if you want to start a business in one of these countries you have to pay the officials to get the paperwork. I don't know if Jefferson was being the conduit for this or whether he was pocketing cash himself based on this story. I am not defending him at all - as I said I really don't know the facts of the case. I just wanted to make sure everyone realizes that bribes is a way of business and happens ALL THE TIME in these countries if you want to do business in them.
{"commentId":132122,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"lufbery"}
#5 - Mon May 22, 2006 10:56 AM EDT{"commentId":132962,"authorDomain":"marc"}
And you are aware there is a US law that forbids Americans to enter into this practice?
{"commentId":132962,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"marc"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":133055,"authorDomain":"lufbery"}
And you are aware there is a US law that forbids Americans to enter into this practice?
Yes, of course I am, but my point is that is done ALL THE TIME in business. Even in the U.S., it's just called Marketing dollars. For example, company A will give Company B money for "marketing" to get their support or inclusion of Company A products. In other countries, U.S. businesses use third party "brokers" to pave the way - or grease the skids in that country. The money is paid to the broker for "introductions".
Again, I am not condoning the behavior of whatever this Jefferson guy did - just pointing out something that many Americans probably don't realize happen every day in International business.
{"commentId":133055,"threadId":"17800","contentId":"213314","authorDomain":"lufbery"}
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