Tag: Scandals
Was Rudy’s Luxury Command Center Built at WTC So It Could be His Lovenest?
Lovebirds Rudy and Judi at the recent Pepsi 400 in Daytona
Palm Beach Post writer Frank Cerabino contrasted the sexploits of two politicians and found the one involving Rudolph Guiliani not getting nearly enough play.
Palm Beach Post: Was tragic placement of New York City’s emergency command center at ground zero because of its convenience as a cozy private love nest for a mayor-turned- presidential candidate and his mistress-turned- third-wife?
Florida State Rep. Bob Allen (R-Merritt Island) continues to dig deeper holes for himself — now requiring some of that mining equipment going unused in Utah and China. First he demonstrated that getting arrested in a public bathroom for offering $20 for homosexual sex isn’t the worse mistake a politician make. One of Allen’s many defenses for the bust was that he was afraid of the undercover officer he solicited because the man was black.
Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio piled on, criticizing Allen for injecting “a very disturbing element to an already troubling incident.” Rubio stripped him of his legislative committee posts.
Allen promptly put his foot in his mouth again by likening the actions of Rubio, who is the first Cuban-American leader of the House, to Fidel Castro’s.
“That’s a Cuba thing, something Fidel Castro does,” Allen said, before claiming to be greatly misunderstood.
I’m not sure if you have to live in Florida to understand how egregious it is to compare any Cuban-American politician with Castro. If so, then just take my word that it’s a) never been done and b) very, very bad.
But the sex story that actually matters, Cerabino says, is Rudy’s.
Wayne Barrett of The Village Voice has written about the lavish emergency command center that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani fashioned in one of the former World Trade Center buildings.
“Giuliani’s office had a humidor for cigars and mementos from City Hall, including a fire horn, police hats and fair hats, as well as monogrammed towels in his bathroom. His suite was bulletproofed and he visited it often, even on weekends, bringing his girlfriend Judi Nathan there long before the relationship surfaced,” Barrett wrote. “He had his own elevator.”
After the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, some officials had suggested that the city’s emergency command center be built in Brooklyn. But Giuliani wanted it within walking distance of city hall in Manhattan. The World Trade Center command center, which was destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks, has since been constructed at the Brooklyn site Giuliani rejected.
…if there’s even a smidgen of consideration in the tragic placement of New York City’s emergency command center at ground zero because of its convenience as a cozy private love nest for a mayor-turned-presidential candidate and his mistress-turned-third-wife, then I think it deserves far more attention than the amusing fate of an inconsequential Florida legislator.
Republican Florida Lawmaker Bob “Blow Job” Allen Being Squeezed Out by GOP
For Florida State Rep. Bob Allen (R-Merritt Island), denial is not just a river in Egypt. Allen is out on bail on charges that he offered a male undercover officer $20 for oral sex. He has spent this time offering explanations for his behavior as varied as “just checking the bathroom three times because I helped secure funding for the park” to “I was afraid of the guy because he’s black and everyone knows black people are dangerous.”
Well, poor Bob has come up with another totally ridiculous explanation, this one for why he is being stripped of all his committee assignments in the upcoming legislative session.
…because [House Speaker Marco] Rubio wants to give younger lawmakers the chance at leadership positions.
Allen…said he was told that House leaders “wouldn’t do anything to hurt my defense.” “I know the Speaker has talked about giving other younger legislators a chance,” Allen said. “It’s tough to gain experience in the eight years before term limits, and some senior members might serve in another position.”
Riiiight. But others in the Republican wing of the Florida State House wish Allen would not only show up missing from committees, but go away altogether.
Meanwhile, [GOP Chairman Jim] Greer told reporters Tuesday that Allen should consider the best interests of the GOP, as well as his family and constituents, in deciding whether to resign.
“I’m not going to say what’s in the best interest of the party or ask him to step down or resign,” Greer said. “I’m just asking him, as of today, to consider the best interest of the party.”
So far Allen hasn’t considered the best interests of anyone but himself in obtaining homosexual sex, so why would the GOP expect him to consider the best interests of his party? Not only is Allen not leaving quietly, he’s attempting to call in a few political IOUs. After all, one thing all Republicans have on another in abundance is dirt.
When told of Greer’s comments, Allen said he stood by Greer during the “innuendos and nasty politics” hurled during Greer’s campaign for the party chairmanship. “I know Jim appreciated that and I hope he hasn’t lost that memory,” Allen said…
“I intend to show up at the session as a man who is free of this charge and all of this ridiculous politics and be able to get back to what they want me doing during the session,” Allen said. “I don’t think I’ll be bogged down with this during the session.”
We presume that none of those Nile River crocodiles will be shedding any of their famous tears if it doesn’t work out quite that way.
Megachurch Preacher Who Canceled Gay Vet’s Funeral Is In-Law of Top Evangelist Joel Osteen
Many evangelicals consider Pastor Joel Osteen to be a modern-day Billy Graham. Like Graham, Osteen is incredibly popular. He heads the Lakewood Church, the world’s largest megachurch, and is the author of the bestselling power-of-positive-thinking-esque “Your Best Life Now” book series. And like Graham, Osteen tends to focus on positive messages rather than on GOP ideology disguised as theology — particularly the hatred and fear of gay people — that has become an endemic trait of today’s Christian church.
Last week, however, Osteen’s brother-in-law and rival, Rev. Gary Simons, who is head of his own megachurch, the High Point Church in Arlington, Texas, made national news when he abruptly canceled the funeral of a Gulf War veteran after he discovered that the vet was gay:
“We did decline to host the service – not based on hatred, not based on discrimination, but based on principle,” Simons told The Associated Press. “Had we known it on the day they first spoke about it – yes, we would have declined then. It’s not that we didn’t love the family.”
[And…]
“Even though we could not condone that lifestyle, we went above and beyond for the family through many acts of love and kindness,” Simons said.
How did Simons show “love and kindness” to the family of the deceased? By equating their loved one with a murderer:
The pastor said that he could imagine a similar situation involving a different sin. Perhaps a mother who is a member of the church loses a son who is a thief or murderer, Mr. Simons said. The church would surely volunteer to hold a service, he said.
“But I don’t think the mother would submit photos of her son murdering someone,” he said. “That’s a red light going off.”
And then, having proved he is totally unprincipled, at least as it comes to Jesus’ message of love and inclusiveness especially for society’s outcasts, Simons sums up: “Can you hold the event and condone the sin and compromise our principles? We can’t.”
What about the sins of hatred and bigotry, Gary?
Chicken Dance Time! Rove is Leaving
As Karl Rove leaves the White House to spend more time with his family and work on his memoir, we can’t help but say, “We knew it!”
The timing is suspect, coming just as the Democrats in Congress are really digging in to how the White House has been run, possibly even finally getting at those deleted emails.
The line that was deleted in later versions: “He’s been talking with the president for a long time, about a year, regarding when might be good to go,” Perino said.
This is the quote you’re seeing in all the stories concerning the “why now” aspect of Rove’s departure:
“I just think it’s time,” Rove told the Wall Street Journal. “There’s always something that can keep you here, and as much as I’d like to be here, I’ve got to do this for the sake of my family.”
But look at how the earlier versions quoted White House deputy spokestool Dana Perino when she made the happy announcement.
“He’s been talking with the president for a long time, about a year, regarding when might be good to go,” Perino said. “But there’s always a big project to work on, and his strategic abilities, and our need for his support, kept him here. He said there’s never a good time to leave, just the ‘right’ time.”
He’s been talking to the president for about a year? My bet is he’s been talking to president about it since last November, when Rove proved dead wrong on the midterm elections. I think he was a hair away from following Donald Rumsfeld out the door back then and has been on thin ice ever since, as Scooter Libby was convicted and as the Alberto Gonzalez scandal continues to grow.
Of course, no matter when Rove leaves, we’re just thanking God and Greyhound that he’s going.
Alaska Republican (A Different One) Suspected of Biggest Earmark Grab Ever
The stench from a recently discovered earmark in the 2005 Federal Transportation bill is making members of the Lee County, Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization board swoon. They are also demanding an explanation.
Back in 2005 — before voters the following year tossed out corrupt Republican politicians by the handfuls — it was business as usual for Transportation Committee Chair Rep. Bob Young (R-Alaska) to pay back a donor with a gift from the public till. He appears to have done just that by slipping into the bill new I-75 exit and entrance ramps to a development project being built by a crony.
“I’ve seen little gimmicks and little tricks used to make sure somebody’s friend or contributor is taken care of but this is by far one of the more underhanded, surreptitious examples I’ve seen — ever.”
Young visited Southwest Florida in early 2005 to attend a town hall meeting.
While in town, Daniel Aronoff, a wealthy part-time Naples resident who owns property east of Coconut Road and would benefit from the interchange, held a fundraiser for Young…
The words “Coconut Road interchange” were not in the federal transportation bill approved by Congress in 2005.
Those words were attached to a $10 million earmark sometime after the House and Senate votes but before the president signed the bill into law.
Young can at least be proud that people are hailing his alleged move as one of the most egregious ever. After all, if you’re going to go then go big. But if he did it, as O.J. would say, then how?
The language within the earmark was changed during a process called “bill enrollment,” when technical corrections are made to legislation before being sent to the president. Such corrections include changes to punctuation, section numbers or updates to reflect final actions taken by the House and Senate.
“This goes beyond the intent of the technical corrections process,” said Keith Ashdown, a researcher for the Taxpayers for Common Sense, a Washington, D.C., watchdog group. “It’s supposed to be about getting your punctuation right, not about making sure that your major benefactor is getting their pork…I’ve seen little gimmicks and little tricks used to make sure somebody’s friend or contributor is taken care of but this is by far one of the more underhanded, surreptitious examples I’ve seen — ever.”
Even after people started getting whiffs of the stinky largess, Young and fellow Republican Rep. Connie Mack tried to make it sound like an offer Naples, Florida couldn’t refuse.
In letters to county leaders, Young and U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, warned that the money could be lost and future funding jeopardized should it be rejected.
In fact, funding reallocations happen all the time.
Board members want to get to the bottom of the issue by their Aug. 17 meeting when they will decide how, with all the actual urgent priorities for roads in their area, the money should best be spent.
After Railing against DailyKos, O’Reilly Finally Goes after Rightwing Hate Postings on Free Republic
This video was edited by Freepers, so who knows what was omitted
Update: This story was originally about Bill O’Reilly’s hypocrisy in going after random comments left on DailyKos while ignoring hate-filled comments left on the Free Republic site. Last night, O’Reilly did half-heartedly criticize Free Republic for the hateful postings in its comments section, but really just focused on them briefly in order to provide himself with the opportunity to go through his litany of comments from DailyKos.
Freepers are already claiming that the quotes O’Reilly read from their site were fabricated. And not all of them are O’Reilly fans, which is ironic since he is first and foremost a righwing tool:
Bill O’Reilly has a really silly, pathetic hatred for any site that criticizes him. that is what it is really all about.
And:
I can’t believe O’Reilly is going after Free Republic. Any vile or inappropriate comments on this site seem to be removed within a split second – the moderators here are the best! And I also feel like a dope for all the defending of O’Reilly that I’ve done on this site.
The excerpts that follow are from Free Republic’s comments, with links back to the original sources.
Here’s my original intro from yesterday, followed by the Freeper comments.
Bill O’Reilly has ramped up his fake outrage over DailyKos again yesterday, calling it “that hate site,” “vicious,” “beyond shameful … very offensive” and “haters.”
ALL dims [Democrats] are allies of bin laden and worshipers of satan… no exceptions… they are pure evil and motivated by a hate of GOD and Country!
It strikes me that O’Reilly is purposefully ignoring the granddaddy of all hate sites, Free Republic. But then he could hardly be expected to criticize his core audience.
As usual, O’Reilly’s hypocrisy in going after DailyKos while giving a pass to Free Republic is never mentioned by the “liberal media.” One of his tactics is to have an intern read the DailyKos comments and cherrypick inflammatory excerpts to read on the air.
Taking a cue from Pam’s House Blend‘s regular feature “Actual Freeper Quotes” (see specific examples here and here), I rounded up a small sampler of comments from the Free Republic site.
Keep in mind that Free Republic is heavily moderated, so these comments have been given a pass by the site’s operators:
Republican Scandal #83,196: Ted Stevens’ Mysterious Home Renovations
The man whose name is synonymous with both “bridge to nowhere” and — in reference to the Internet — “series of tubes” is in big trouble. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has been raided.
Stevens, 83, has been under a federal investigation for a 2000 renovation project more than doubling the size of his home in Girdwood that was overseen by Bill Allen, a contractor who has pleaded guilty to bribing Alaska state legislators.
Allen is founder of VECO Corp., an Alaska-based oil field services and engineering company that has reaped tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts.
Agents from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service arrived at the senator’s home Monday afternoon, said Dave Heller, FBI assistant special agent.
Not really a whole lot of doubt what that’s all about.
Stevens, who has been in office since 1968 and is the longest-serving Republican in Senate history, said the interests of justice would be best served if he commented after the investigation.
“I continue to believe this investigation should proceed to its conclusion without any appearance that I have attempted to influence its outcome,” Stevens said.
Well, there’s a first time for everything I suppose.
Tony Snow Whines about Dem Investigations – But the GOP Issued Hundreds of Subpoenas Against the Clintons, Even Investigated Their Cat
“When I was working in the Clinton White House, one committee alone, the House Government Reform Committee, issued a thousand subpoenas to Clinton administration officials 141 different people were subpoenaed.”
— Paul Begala
— Paul Begala
Yesterday, after the Democrats sent two subpoenas to White House officials, including one for Karl Rove, and issued their first formal call for a special prosecutor to look into Attorney Gen. Alberto Gonzales’ apparent perjury in Senate testimony, Fox News/White House spokesman Tony Snow, rushed to the cameras to complain:
“We’ve had more than 600 oversight hearings, 87,000-plus hours spent responding to oversight requests and 430,000 pages made available to Congress for oversight,” Snow said, adding that the investigations have yet to reveal any wrongdoing.
“Look at all the pages here. Look at all the hearings. This is … it is as if they keep throwing mud against the wall, hoping something’s going to stick,” the spokesman said.
“At this point, we have hundreds of hearings that have produced bubkes,” Snow stated. “And what has happened is, that there has generated this idea, ‘Let’s go on a fishing expedition and let’s haul somebody up, and let’s make insinuations without having firm proof.’ And what that does is it creates a toxic atmosphere.”
Dems Call for Perjury Inquiry into Gonzales’ Testimony
Four Democratic senators wrote U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement asking he appoint an independent counsel to examine the truthfulness of Gonzales’ testimony to Congress on such matters as his firing of nine federal prosecutors and President George W. Bush’s warrantless domestic-spying program.
“We ask that you immediately appoint an independent special counsel from outside the Department of Justice to determine whether Attorney General Gonzales may have misled Congress or perjured himself,” they wrote.
The letter was from Sens. Charles Schumer of New York, Dianne Feinstein of California, Russell Feingold of Wisconsin and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, all members of the Judiciary Committee.
