Is Corruption The Greatest Threat To American Society?

Corruption Is Destroying The Soul Of US Society, Warns FBI Agent -- The Guardian

John Gillies attacks crooked officials, financial fraudsters and philandering sports heroes.

One of the FBI's top agents warned yesterday that corruption in the US was increasing and tearing at the fabric of society.

Special agent John Gillies, who has led major anti-corruption drives during his 27-year career with the bureau, focused his words primarily on crooked financiers and unscrupulous officials.

However, he added that sporting heroes such as Tiger Woods were also to blame, letting down children who saw them as role models. The golfer is currently embroiled in scandal since his high-profile car crash on 27 November. "Money can't buy everything," Gillies said.

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My Comment: I have been fortunate in my life to have visited and/or lived in over 40 countries. The countries that I never felt comfortable with were those countries that had a culture of corruption embedded into their society. Russia, China, Mexico and few other Central American states .... these countries were the worst of the lot, and they all shared a common denominator when it came to business and/or dealing with the government.

Corruption and payoffs were the rule, service and contract law delivered as an after thought. The worst perpetrators of such corruption were always those in senior positions in the Government. What made it worse was there was no office to go and complain to .... you either accepted the situation, or you moved on.

The U.S. is rapidly entering this club. When you read stories like this one, one realizes that this type of corruption is impacting our most senior political leaders. When former President Clinton and former Vice President Gore can become centi-millionaires in just a few years after leaving office .... something is wrong. Unfortunately .... there is no one to blame but us ... because let's face it .... we are always electing this bunch.

NYT Dishonestly Distances Biden From Alleged Corruption

Visit: US Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Baghdad on a whistlestop trip.
Photo from The Daily Mail

From The Washington Examiner:

Today's New York Times story on Peter W. Galbraith is a must read. Galbraith is a leading liberal hawk and former ambassador, as well as a former adviser to Senator John Kerry and Vice-President Joe Biden. It seems that Galbraith used his political influence to get rich off Iraqi oil money. The crux of the article is this:

In the summer of 2005, he was also an adviser to the Kurdish regional government as Iraq wrote its Constitution — tough and sensitive talks not least because of issues like how Iraq would divide its vast oil wealth.

Now Mr. Galbraith, 58, son of the renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith, stands to earn perhaps a hundred million or more dollars as a result of his closeness to the Kurds, his relations with a Norwegian oil company and constitutional provisions he helped the Kurds extract.

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My Comment: The best line in this story is the last one .....

Does anyone think that if this story were about an adviser to Dick Cheney profiteering as a nexus between powerful politicians and oil companies that the paper would dishonestly obscure the relationship between the two men?

William Jefferson Sentencing Of 27-33 Years Recommended

The prosecution's sentencing memorandum suggests that William Jefferson, who served 18 years in Congress, may have hidden resources and 'poses a significant risk of flight.' Michael DeMocker / The Times-Picayune

From NOLA.com:

Prosecutors on Friday night issued a memorandum recommending that former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson be sentenced to between 27 and 33 years in prison.

Jefferson, 62, will be sentenced by federal Judge T.S. Ellis III on Nov. 13.

The prosecution's sentencing memorandum suggests that Jefferson, who served 18 years in Congress, may have hidden resources and "poses a significant risk of flight,'' and ought to be immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after sentencing at the Alexandria, Va., courthouse.

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My Comment: He is going away for a very long time.

Report: 237 Millionaires In Congress

From The Politico:

Talk about bad timing.

As Washington reels from the news of 10.2 percent unemployment, the Center for Responsive Politics is out with a new report describing the wealth of members of Congress.

Among the highlights: Two-hundred-and-thirty-seven members of Congress are millionaires. That’s 44 percent of the body – compared to about 1 percent of Americans overall.

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My comment: I am curious to know how much their spouses are worth. In the case of Sen. John Kerry, Sen. John McCain, And Sen. Feinstein, we are talking hundreds of millions of dollars.

Barney Frank Present When Partner Arrested for Pot

Barney Frank

From FOX News:

The Democratic congressman was present for a marijuana bust at his partner's home in Maine in 2007.

Rep. Barney Frank admitted Friday that he was sitting on the porch of his partner’s Maine home when police came to arrest his partner for marijuana possession.

Frank, responding to new reports that he was present during the Aug. 2007 arrest of James Ready, said in a statement he was unaware Ready had marijuana plants.

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My Comment: Yeah right .....

Dems Admit Paying For Daggett Robocalls In NJ

From The American Thinker:

New Jersey Democrats have admitted that a series of robocalls on behalf of third party candidate for governor Chris Daggett were paid for by the Democratic State Committee - final proof that Daggett has been a spoiler for Republican Chris Christie all along.

Matt Friedman of Politiker New Jersey writes:

A Democratic spokeswoman says the party's chairman, Joe Cryan, was not aware of the robocalls when he denied that the state committee had anything to do with them yesterday afternoon.

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My Comment: They are still going to lose tonight. Republican Chris Christie is on his way to win this race.

Gore’s Dual Role: Advocate And Investor

Former Vice President Al Gore, who has become a major voice around the world on the issue of climate change, spoke last month at a forum in Dubai.

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Al Gore thought he had spotted a winner last year when a small California firm sought financing for an energy-saving technology from the venture capital firm where Mr. Gore is a partner.

The company, Silver Spring Networks, produces hardware and software to make the electricity grid more efficient. It came to Mr. Gore’s firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of Silicon Valley’s top venture capital providers, looking for $75 million to expand its partnerships with utilities seeking to install millions of so-called smart meters in homes and businesses.

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My Comment: For someone who refuses to debate his critics .... this is good work if you can get it.