Because you can never have enough scandal or corruption in this administration. Everything is a personal slush fund in the GOP whether it's Iraq or doling out federal contracts.
Jackson has faced calls for his resignation after lawmakers have said he behaved improperly in awarding federal contracts.
The Federal Housing Administration, overseen by HUD, runs the largest government program to aid home buyers and is seen by many lawmakers as the key to a federal effort to stem foreclosures.
It's hardly a surprise considering all of the other areas of corruption and missing millions and billions. So far for each story of failure and missing money, the result from the Bush administration (and Congress, for that matter) has been a shoulder shrug. We continue to throw money in to that pit, allowing Republican talking points to dominate the discussion and rule the day. Somehow, we expect a different end result despite no evidence that suggests anything has changed. If the administration is afraid of taking action, why would Iraqi ministers change their behavior? Either way, as the bill for the Wall Street bailout hits home, American opinions on more spending in Iraq is going to change. When the question is bailout at home or bailout of Iraq, who do you think Americans will choose?
Who is the hypocrite now? Heaven knows we would never want to allow whistleblowers to expose corruption. It's simply not done in proper circles.
An international website that claims to blow the whistle on corporate and governmental fraud vowed yesterday to defy attempts by a US court to close it down. Wikileaks allows whistleblowers to anonymously post documents in an attempt to expose corruption and wrongdoing. Its owners said yesterday that a Californian judge had ordered that the site be taken offline last week, after an injunction from a Swiss bank.
Saudi Arabia's rulers threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted, according to court documents revealed yesterday.
Previously secret files describe how investigators were told they faced "another 7/7" and the loss of "British lives on British streets" if they pressed on with their inquiries and the Saudis carried out their threat to cut off intelligence.
Prince Bandar, the head of the Saudi national security council, and son of the crown prince, was alleged in court to be the man behind the threats to hold back information about suicide bombers and terrorists. He faces accusations that he himself took more than £1bn in secret payments from the arms company BAE.
Environmentalists have successfully used images of cute panda bears and other animals to attract people to the issue of conservation. In the case of sharks, the story has been much more difficult because of our image of them as man-eaters. (I wish Spielberg would be more involved, as his movie Jaws played a large role in this fear.) I'll admit to walking on water the first time I encountered a reasonably sized (5-6 ft. +/-) reef shark while diving in Honduras, but I quickly realized that the shark was as afraid of me, perhaps more. Elsewhere I have encountered Zambezi sharks (aka bull sharks), ragged tooth sharks (sand tiger) and great whites while in the water. They may be intimidating because of preconceived ideas, but like many others, I wasn't bothered by them.
While cage diving with great whites, I had to go in the cage without air because it would spook the sharks despite all of the visitors that day being 10-15 feet in size. Yes, the air bubbles scared the feared great white. Consistently sharks are curious though very cautious with humans and for good reason. Sharks are often casualties of long line fishing fleets or worse still, caught, fins cut and thrown back into the sea to die. American Rob Stewart has a documentary out about the global problem of rapidly declining shark populations and the link includes a movie trailer. They may not necessarily be cuddly, but sharks are critical to the oceans.
So forget about the billions that have gone missing, even though they were US tax dollars. (You know, the tax dollars that Bush and the GOP like to tell you is yours.) It's just as though it never happened if the contract fraud occurs overseas. No matter how corrupt or how mismanaged, Bush says it's all OK in the name of spreading democracy or whatever that's supposed to be over there. Clearly we lost billions after Katrina due to mismanagement but Iraq has been a black hole, littered with charges of corruption, fraud, rape, theft, murder, you name it. This is what Bush and the GOP want to condone, as if none of it ever happened.
And to think people around the world think Bush and his talk of freedom and democracy sounds so fraudulent. That would be because it is.
Shocking. Who could even imagine the pharmaceutical industry being connected to such activities? At least we can be sure they will work with our new president in a fair manner when we overhaul the health care system.
Birds of a feather... Another phony who loved to talk about spreading freedom and democracy but couldn't stand the thought of it for his own country.
Government memos stamped "Secret" reveal that the then attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, twice tried in vain to stop Blair interfering in the criminal investigation.
His chief of staff told the cabinet secretary, Gus O'Donnell, on October 3 2006: "The attorney general is of the firm view that, if the case is in fact soundly based, it would not be right to discontinue it."
The Bush administration now acknowledges it is trying to recover nearly $500 million from people who improperly received federal aid money intended to help victims of two deadly hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, along the Gulf Coast two years ago. It said the amount may increase further.
“This is a moving target and not finite,” said James McIntyre, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The government’s newest estimate of improper aid represents $494 million FEMA paid to 134,000 people who were ineligible for the aid they received. More than half the money went to people who couldn’t prove residency, according to FEMA figures. Overpayments and duplicate payments account for most of the remainder.
The amount had exceeded $500 million, but the agency wrote off nearly $27 million because of appeals or hardship waivers. The $500 million figure would represent nearly $1 of every $10 in government aid intended to help storm victims.
What one minute. I thought the dirtbags involved in this disgraceful activity with Iraq were limited to France, Germany, Putin and everyone else who was against the US invasion of Iraq. The second largest oil company in America settles for $30 million to put this scandal behind them though it's much more of a whimper compared to the venom spewed by the media and administration just a few short years ago. Who would imagine that a good old Texas company was involved in such a program?
Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX - News) agreed to pay $30 million to resolve criminal and civil liabilities related to procurement of oil under the United Nations oil-for-food program, U.S. prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Chevron, the No. 2 U.S. oil company, obtained Iraqi oil under the program from third parties that paid secret, illegal surcharges to the former government of Iraq, prosecutors said.
Chevron will not be prosecuted and will continue to cooperate with investigators, prosecutors said.
This is what happens when BushCo contracts out his military misadventures. Your tax dollars are being burned on this:
Private security contractor Blackwater USA has had to fire 122 people over the past three years for problems ranging from misusing weapons, alcohol and drug violations, inappropriate conduct, and violent behavior, according to a report released Monday by a congressional committee.
That total is roughly one-seventh of the work force that Blackwater has in Iraq, a ratio that raises questions about the quality of the people working for the company.
The North Carolina-based Blackwater has been paid over $800 million dollars by the State Department to perform security work. In the 15-page report detailing Blackwater's record, the firm had more shooting incidents that the other two security firms (Dyncorp, Triple Canopy) combined.
Previously undisclosed information reveals (1) Blackwater has engaged in 195 “escalation of force” incidents since 2005, an average of 1.4 per week, including over 160 incidents in which Blackwater forces fired first; (2) after a drunken Blackwater contractor shot the guard of the Iraqi Vice President, the State Department allowed the contractor to leave Iraq and advised Blackwater on the size of the payment needed “to help them resolve this”; and (3) Blackwater, which has received over $1 billion in federal contracts since 2001, is charging the federal government over $1,200 per day for each “protective security specialist” employed by the company.
Several investigations are already under way because of Blackwater's role in an incident on September 16 when 11 Iraqis were killed in a shoot-out involving Blackwater guards. The company claims the guards acted in self-defense; Iraqi witnesses said Blackwater rent-a-cops opened fire without provocation. Hearings are being planned.
The culture of corruption through the Bush II/GOP Congress years is sinking to new lows every day. Why are Republicans always so concerned about tax money when it's their friends at the top but for most Americans who are stuck funding the bulk of this war, the problems never are resolved? Oh sure, there's outrage and plenty of talk, but what has to happen for the GOP to take action as they do if we're talking about a tax cut for the wealthiest Americans? Then it seems to be critical and the world will end in five minutes of tax cuts are not launched that very second. Meanwhile, we have problems such as this over and over and over.
Military officials said Thursday that contracts worth $6 billion to provide essential supplies to American troops in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan — including food, water and shelter — were under review by criminal investigators, double the amount the Pentagon had previously disclosed.
In addition, $88 billion in contracts and programs, including those for body armor for American soldiers and matériel for Iraqi and Afghan security forces, are being audited for financial irregularities, the officials said.
Taken together, the figures, provided by the Pentagon in a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, represent the fullest public accounting of the magnitude of a widening government investigation into bid-rigging, bribery and kickbacks by members of the military and civilians linked to the Pentagon’s purchasing system.
* Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-NM) * Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) * Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) * Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) * Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) * Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-CA) * Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) * Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) * Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) * Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-LA) * Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) * Rep. Gary G. Miller (R-CA) * Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV) * Rep. Timothy F. Murphy (R-PA) * Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) * Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM) * Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) * Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY) * Rep. David Scott (D-GA) * Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL) * Rep. Heather A. Wilson (R-NM) * Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
The two to watch are:
* Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-ID) * Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)
Ten years after Congress ordered federal agencies to have outside auditors review their books, neither the Defense Department nor the newer Department of Homeland Security has met even basic accounting requirements, leaving them vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse.
An Associated Press review shows that the two departments’ financial records are so disorganized and inconsistent that they have repeatedly earned “disclaimer” opinions, meaning that they simply cannot be fully audited.
“It means we really can’t put any faith in the numbers they use,” said Ross Rubenstein, who teaches public administration at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School.
It's amazing that we have managed to discover the numerous cases of corruption and over-billing considering the chaotic state of these federal agencies though the trend during this administration is blatantly obvious. The positive angle here is that it makes it easier to understand how so much of our taxpayer money has gone missing in Iraq and why Petraeus skipped over that little issue when suggesting Iraq was good for the US arms business even though so much of those funds disappeared. Ignorance is bliss...not to mention SOP at the Defense Department.
Major scandal brewing over criminality in Iraq. This is what happens when there is no oversight of the war. What were Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman as Chairs of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee for the past five years? They were too busy championing Bush's war to question anything:
Several federal agencies are investigating a widening network of criminal cases involving the purchase and delivery of billions of dollars of weapons, supplies and other matériel to Iraqi and American forces, according to American officials. The officials said it amounted to the largest ring of fraud and kickbacks uncovered in the conflict here.
The inquiry has already led to several indictments of Americans, with more expected, the officials said. One of the investigations involves a senior American officer who worked closely with Gen. David H. Petraeus in setting up the logistics operation to supply the Iraqi forces when General Petraeus was in charge of training and equipping those forces in 2004 and 2005, American officials said Monday.
There is no indication that investigators have uncovered any wrongdoing by General Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, who through a spokesman declined comment on any legal proceedings.
This article is based on interviews with more than a dozen federal investigators, Congressional, law enforcement and military officials, and specialists in contracting and logistics, in Iraq and Washington, who have direct knowledge of the inquiries. Many spoke on condition of anonymity because there are continuing criminal investigations.
The inquiries are being pursued by the Army Criminal Investigation Command, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, among other agencies.
If Gonzales is replaced by Homeland Insecurity head Michael Chertoff, CNN reports sources say that DHS will be headed up by Clay Johnson III, the Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget.
It would be yet another hack appointment, a friend of Bush, completely unqualified to defend the homeland, as it were. Think Progress:
Johnson, who has no homeland security experience, is a professional Bush loyalist. While Johnson may have familiarity with some aspects of DHS's budget, he appears to have no experience in the many responsibilities of the department, including immigration, air travel security, disaster response, and other aspects of our nation’s homeland defense.
Why Chertoff? Officials say he's got fans on Capitol Hill, is untouched by the Justice prosecutor scandal, and has more experience than Gonzales did, having served as a federal judge and assistant attorney general.
A longtime Round Rock pastor was arrested after telling authorities he embezzled at least $500,000 from his church, according to court records.
Donald "Roddy" Clyde, 48, turned himself in to authorities Wednesday and was charged with felony theft of more than $200,000 from the Fellowship at Forest Creek Church. Clyde's bail was set at $400,000, and he could face 99 years in prison if convicted.
Lawrence Swicegood, a church spokesman, said a private investigation is under way to determine how long the church has been missing money and how much might have been taken.
Swicegood said a church accountant noticed some strange charges on the church credit card and bank account about three weeks ago. The church's leadership team then began to look at the receipts and charges, he said. Police interviewed Clyde about the charges Monday, and he stepped down that day.
Ah, it's a bumper crop of new entries for the conservative family values monitor.
Case #1: Minnesota State Rep Mark Olsen. The co-sponsor of a (failed) state marriage amendment to ban gays and lesbians from marrying was convicted by a jury for domestic assault. Olsen cried before news cameras last year when he was charged -- he allegedly shoved his wife to the ground several times. He was not sent to the pokey; he received two years probation and must pay fines and court costs. Bonus points: his campaign literature boasts his support for "tougher penalties for crime" and "holding legislators accountable for unethical/illegal activities." Avidor at Dump Mark Olsen has courthouse video.
Case #2: Angelo Cappelli. In St. Petersburg, Florida, he was hailed as a rising GOP star, with an uncanny ability to raise funds, a hot banking job, lots of friends in the local Republican party and he made it a close race for a seat in House District 52. Unfortunately, Angelo's got a little problem.
After a six-week investigation, police arrested Cappelli on Wednesday morning at his lawyer's office on Central Avenue. He faces grand theft and perjury charges, according to St. Petersburg authorities.
Cappelli, 37, is accused of stealing more than $100,000 from the trust of a deceased bank client. By Wednesday evening, Cappelli was out of jail on $55,000 bail. He could not be reached for comment.
Case #3: Lewis County (Washington State) prosecutor Liam Michael Golden. As reader Paul Barwick noted, "another Republican can't keep it in his pants."
The tomcatting of the elected prosecutor in this conservative rural town has jeopardized as many as four cases brought by his office and prompted a complaint to the state bar association.
Liam Michael Golden, a Republican who ran unopposed for Lewis County prosecutor last November, is facing allegations that he did not properly disclose past sexual relationships with the mother of a victim in one case and the mother of a defendant in another. His office also charged someone with cyberstalking a woman Golden had slept with, though Golden recently turned that case over to a prosecutor from neighboring Thurston County.
Imagine that people in this criminal administration are finally going to be held accountable for their actions. Name the top five 10 Bush administration officials you want to see do hard time (and not in Club Fed). Again, I know this is a tough one, since there are so many of them -- at least I gave you five slots, rather than three this time. :)
This is what happens when BushCo contracts out his military misadventures. Your tax dollars are being burned 
Previously undisclosed information reveals (1) Blackwater has engaged in 195 “escalation of force” incidents since 2005, an average of 1.4 per week, including over 160 incidents in which Blackwater forces fired first; (2) after a drunken Blackwater contractor shot the guard of the Iraqi Vice President, the State Department allowed the contractor to leave Iraq and advised Blackwater on the size of the payment needed “to help them resolve this”; and (3) Blackwater, which has received over $1 billion in federal contracts since 2001, is charging the federal government over $1,200 per day for each “protective security specialist” employed by the company.
A longtime Round Rock pastor was arrested after telling authorities he embezzled at least $500,000 from his church, according to court records.
Case #1: Minnesota State Rep Mark Olsen. The co-sponsor of a (failed) state marriage amendment to ban gays and lesbians from marrying was convicted by a jury for domestic assault. Olsen