Everything Southern Humboldt and more
In the face of an ethics investigation, Bill Richardson has withdrawn as Secretary of Commerce nominee. Obama has accepted the withdrawal.
The Clinton people, including James Carville, were pissed when Richardson endorsed Obama at a critical moment last March when Obama was reeling from the Rev. Wright revelations.
Just wondering.
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January 4, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Rose
Geez, Eric. and you think I am a conspiracy theorist. It’s ’cause the guy is riddled in scandal. Like most all of Obama’s associates.
A federal grand jury is investigating whether a financial firm improperly won more than $1.4 million in work for the state of New Mexico shortly after making contributions to political action committees of Gov. Bill Richardson (D).
The probe focuses on whether the governor’s office urged a state agency to hire CDR Financial Products. The probe is in a highly active stage at a time when President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Richardson as his nominee for secretary of commerce, according to two sources familiar with the investigation.
The grand jury in Albuquerque is expected to hear testimony today from several key witnesses, including officials at Richard’s political action committees and bankers at J.P. Morgan who worked with CDR on the state’s investments.
The inquiry is part of a long-running nationwide investigation into “pay-to-play” practices in local government bond markets. In other cities, federal investigators are questioning whether financial firms have lavished politicians with money and gifts in exchange for fee-paying work advising municipal and local governments on investments. Authorities indicted the mayor of Birmingham, Ala., this month on charges of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and loans from a firm that led the city into toxic investments and massive bankruptcy.
In the New Mexico case, the FBI and federal prosecutors are investigating how CDR, based in Beverly Hills, Calif., won lucrative fees from the New Mexico Finance Authority in 2004 soon after donating $100,000 to two Richardson organizations.
From 2003 to 2004, CDR Financial gave $75,000 to Sí Se Puede, which paid for expenses at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. CDR’s president and founder, David Rubin, also gave $25,000 to Moving America Forward, which funded Richardson’s efforts to register Hispanic and American Indian voters.
Rubin was generous to Obama’s campaign as well, giving $29,000 to help elect the senator to the White House. Yesterday, the Obama transition office declined to comment on the development.
Then you’ve got Carol Browner On her last day in office, nearly eight years ago, Browner oversaw the destruction of agency computer files in brazen violation of a federal judge’s order requiring the agency to preserve its records. This from a public official who bragged about her tenure: “One of the things I’m the proudest of at EPA is the work we’ve done to expand the public’s right to know.”
Asked to explain her track-covering actions, the savvy career lawyer Browner played dumb. Figuratively batting her eyelashes, she claimed she had no clue about a court injunction signed by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth on the same day she commanded an underling to wipe her hard drives clean. Golly gee willikers, how could that have slipped by her?
According to testimony in a freedom of information lawsuit filed against EPA by the Landmark Legal Foundation, a Virginia-based conservative legal watchdog group, Browner commanded a computer technician on Jan. 19, 2001: “‘I would like my files deleted. I want you to delete my files.” Not coincidentally, the Landmark Legal Foundation had been pressing Browner to fully and publicly disclose the names of any special interest groups that may have influenced her wave of last-minute regulatory actions. Two days before she told her technician to purge all her records, EPA had gone to court to file a motion opposing the federal court injunction protecting those government documents.
And lots of people connected to Rezko – it’s going to be a wonderful 4 years.
January 4, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Eric Kirk
As are pretty much all associates of any president. There’s no such thing as a clean cabinet, and it’s probably always been true. But with modern media technology, everyone’s under a much bigger microscope now. I don’t think there’s an individual in office that doesn’t have a website dedicated to myriads of “scandals.” Usually they surface for political agendas, and Richardson made himself some formidable enemies.
January 4, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Rose
Oh, it’s going to be fun. Make lots of popcorn.
You’ll like this – it goes with your payback is a bitch thing… Was that a hug?
January 4, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Nick Bravo
Lots and lots of popcorn!!
January 4, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Eric Kirk
I don’t think any scandal will have traction for the first year or so, not while people are worried about making rent and mortgages. It has to be pretty bad and pretty basic to bring a president down these days. Until then, they’ll get play on the opposition blogs. But I suspect Obama’s teflon will be Reaganesque, even if people around him go down. By 1983 over a hundred of Reagan’s cabinet and staff had been under investigation, about a fourth of them under indictment. Doonesbury came back from a hiatus and dedicated a week of strips having Mark Slackmeyer listing them all on his radio show. But nobody remembers any of that now, not even the liberals, except maybe James Watt, but he was canned for putting his foot in his mouth too many times. He wasn’t convicted of any crimes until the 1990s.
January 4, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Nick Bravo
that’s right eric. if no one can prove a crime that means it didn’t happen. Also, if no one wants to admit a crime it means it didn’t happen.
January 4, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Jane Fish
The basic assumption that it is being reported correctly is the wrong foundation to start. Lawsuits and investigations are tools of a dysfunctional political machine. They have become almost meaningless in the long run except as tools to cast doubt and sling mud wherever it is most useful for political purposes.
It would be nice to go back to the standard of guilty until proven innocent. History can and often is rewritten for political gain and then presented in a specialized way to obscure what the truth may be or make people so sick of hearing about the subject that they make an early conclusion.
Bill Richardson also was known to be coveting the position of Secretary of State. There are pundits who believe that the position of Secretary of Commerce was beneath his political aims. Maybe he realized that he didn’t want the job after all and this was an easy out for now and he can survive the political slime machine in the long run.
You have to look at more than just words printed in the press.
January 4, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Eric Kirk
It would be nice to go back to the standard of guilty until proven innocent.
Technically speaking, in Anglo history that’s at least about 320 years, and probably longer in stated practice if not formal law.
January 5, 2009 at 12:13 am
Nick Bravo
jane, are you freaking serious???? people fought and died to change that kind of a legal system into one we have today.
January 5, 2009 at 12:21 am
Eric Kirk
Hmmm. This article suggests that the presumption of innocence dates back at least to Ancient Greece and possibly Deuteronomy (doesn’t quote verse).
January 5, 2009 at 6:39 am
hcn
Eric could you name 10 of the 25 of Reagan’s appointments that you say were indicted by 1983? If not 10 how about 5 ?
January 5, 2009 at 6:49 am
Nick Bravo
Bush witness to republican sex crime caught on video!
January 5, 2009 at 7:02 am
Nick Bravo
Naked Al Frnken caught masturbating in couples home!
January 5, 2009 at 7:28 am
Mr. Greenjeans
Rose says: “Oh, it’s going to be fun. Make lots of popcorn.”
Yes and its going to be fun as the the Barak Hussein Obama administration throws all the criminals from the Bush administration in jail. Lots and lots of popcorn.
January 5, 2009 at 7:41 am
Nick Bravo
Keep dreamin greenjeans. The parties cover each others asses.
January 5, 2009 at 8:47 am
Eric Kirk
hcn – I believe I have the Doonesbury strip in a collection at home. I’ll look it up tonight.
Obviously some of these people came after the Doonesbury strip, but here’s a list of those eventually convicted.
January 5, 2009 at 8:48 am
Rose
One thing is for sure – you will see Obama’s hair turn white as he learns all that there is to know as President. He’ll suddenly understand all those “criminal” acts.
He is more likely to surprise and impress me than please you guys who voted for him. Like I said, it will be fun…
Think he’ll pardon Rezko as his first act of business?
January 5, 2009 at 8:49 am
Eric Kirk
This source puts the total number at 225.
January 5, 2009 at 9:50 am
Eric Kirk
Think he’ll pardon Rezko as his first act of business?
Extremely doubtful.
January 5, 2009 at 11:06 am
Mr. Greenjeans
Think he’ll pardon Rezko as his first act of business?
No.
I wonder if Bush will pardon Cheney before he leaves office. I also would be surprised if he didn’t pardon Irven Lewis Libby. It won’t matter too much because as you already know Bush commuted his sentence when Libby was suppose to check into his jail cell.
January 5, 2009 at 11:14 am
Nick Bravo
obama will learn to obey his masters or will be the black jfk. Obama gunna be gud haus nigga who luvs his mastas.
he’ll learn real quick how to follow orders, just like bush did.
January 5, 2009 at 11:17 am
Nick Bravo
Richardson states” I’m not accountable to you slack jawed yokels! I’m important and cannot be questioned.
Looks like the rats are already abandoning cruise ship obama before its even left port.
January 5, 2009 at 11:21 am
Nick Bravo
greenjeans, you suffer from delusions. The delusion you primarily suffer from is that the dems and repubs are actually on seperate aisles.
Watch and learn
January 5, 2009 at 11:31 am
Nick Bravo
Rose, we may need a Censored by Eric Kirk section from you.
The cult-brain worship of David Cobb and the DUHCs has spread from Heraldo into SoHum Parlance, and several other posts were deleted today which talk about the fraudulent fundraising associated with the defense of Measure T. Here’s the latest comment not to make the grade at “SoHum Gagged” today:
“The Humboldt Green Party used to meet in public in three different parts of the county every month, before David Cobb took it over.
The Humboldt Green Party used to allow the public to attend their meetings without harassment, before David Cobb took it over.
The Humboldt Green Party used to posts its agendas, minutes, resolutions and press releases on its website for all to see, before David Cobb took it over.
The Humboldt Green Party used to have active local chapters performing community improvement projects, before David Cobb took it over.
The Humboldt Green Party used to support police review, before David Cobb took it over.
The Humboldt Green Party used to be represented on the state committee of the Green Party of California, before David Cobb took it over.
The Humboldt Green Party used to invite their members to fill long-empty seats (5 or 6 at present) on their central committee, before David Cobb took it over.
The Humboldt Green Party used to hold one General Assembly a year in Southern Humboldt to allow people like Eric to show up, before David Cobb took it over.
The Humboldt Green Party used to support Green Party members running for Arcata City Council, before David Cobb took it over.
The Humboldt Green Party used to allow for on-line discussion and the airing of different points of view, before David Cobb took it over.
The Humboldt Green Party used to raise its own money and sponsor its own events independently from Democracy Unlimited, before David Cobb took it over.
Hard enough facts for you? Or do the 1,100 plus members of the Humboldt Green Party (27%) who’ve voted with their feet, right out of the Green Party, since David Cobb took over not factual enough for you?…this is by far the largest and fastest decline of any county Green Party in the state in its ***1992-present history***, so don’t feed us this “it’s statewide” or “it’s national” trends b.s. arguments, they don’t work. The Green Party is in some trouble across the country too (and Cobb’s “help” to make this happen can also be broached), but nowhere in the entire country has it suffered between 2006 and 2008 like it has in Humboldt County.
David Cobb’s rule has been a disaster by these metrics. Registration numbers, transparency measures, accountable democratic procedures, all in marked decline. Cobb’s apologists like Konkler and Kirk are simply running out of excuses, hence the extensive censorship on display here today.
Don’t worry though, Rose, as the last bastion of free speech in the local blogs, will be getting a full report – so delete away you sad, sad man. Perhaps she’ll have to start a “Censored by Eric Kirk” posting to accompany the “Censored by Heraldo” section.”
January 5, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Rose
I don’t see anything there to argue about or censor, seems to be common knowledge.
And I do want to know how much kaitlin.cobb.duhc RAISED through all their solicitations pretending they were going to pay to defend Measure T. How much? $50? $500? $100,000? And where is it? Are they going to hand it over to the County, who DID have to pay to defend it.
I would suggest a press conference with one of those big lottery-style checks. Throw in a ribbon cutting, but hand it over.
January 5, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Jane Fish
Obviously no one wants the innocent until proven guilty standard unless they are the one who needs it. One concept for everyone else and another for the self. Typical human thinking.
January 5, 2009 at 5:32 pm
hcn
It was just discussed on CNN. B.O. is concerned that Richardson’s lingering “pay to play type thing” just isn’t going away. The smart thing to do is cut him loose. Richardson seemed OK with it.
January 5, 2009 at 5:39 pm
hcn
I just read that site. The 225 number (no documetation to go along with it anything other than Edwin Meese) was pretty broad; it included those that Quit, were Fired, indicted of criminal or ethics violations.
I was looking for a name or two. Something I could check out, research, verify.
January 5, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Eric Kirk
Nick, many of your posts are suspiciously similar to anonymous posts. I find that very disconcerting.
January 5, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Eric Kirk
hcn – the one that comes to mind which first hit headlines was Michaed Deaver. Start with that. I’m going to look for my Doonesbury collection after dinner.
January 5, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Anonymous
It’s not a conspiracy, disconcerting or otherwise, Eric. It’s just that people from (at least) three different perspectives, people who agree with you on many other issues (such as the crapola called Measure T) have come to the same conclusions about this DUHC scam. We just wish you would start asking some tough questions instead of giving Cobb a free pass over and over again.
January 6, 2009 at 7:36 am
Mr. Greenjeans
I haven’t had time to check the list but does it mention the criminals who Old Man Bush pardoned before there was ever a trial. Does Iran Contra ring a bell?
January 6, 2009 at 7:43 am
hcn
Why don’t you check Mr. Greenjeans, to insure accuracy? Accurcacy would be nice.
January 6, 2009 at 7:54 am
Nick Bravo
I confess Eric! It is a conspiracy comprised of me , Harmony Groves, Fred, several members of Bohemian Grove and the fat kid from Stand By Me. We’re all plotting to destroy the humboldt blogosphere! We attack with facts knowing that people like you, heraldo, greenjeans, jewish person, s-t-e-p-h-e-n, and many others cannot bear facts and thus will shut down your own blogs when the facts become so obvious that you can no longer self-delude.
January 6, 2009 at 10:26 am
?
bravo,you sound like you would have been happy to have mcpalin win?i noticed too you threw out the n word.so,when does your klavern meet?
January 6, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Crazy horse
So, THE ONE picks out of the blue Panetta for CIA director without discussing or even notifying Feinstein, is this payback for Feinstein’s support of Hillary??
Just wondering.
January 6, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Eric Kirk
No, but it’s the first strong indication of a break from the status quo. I’ll say something more about it later.
January 6, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Crazy horse
Change from the status quo, you mean Leon Panetta ex White House Chief of Staff for Bill Clinton?? That Leon Panetta??
January 6, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Anonymous
If Feinstein is pissed, it’s probably a GOOD sign people, that is, if you want Obama to actually live up to his word for once and stop torture practices.
Of course I’m talking to the same people making lame excuses for the Zionist imperial army shooting children with depleted uranium rounds, but there might be one or two decent people around here still (dare I say, it’s Joel Mielke and Nick Bravo, who’d have thunk it!)..
January 6, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Mr. Greenjeans
Probably change from career spooks at the helm ( who knows if that is good or bad). I heard some interesting reasons why he will be good. The main point was that he will be much more likely to think outside the (spook) box. He was against torture. He is pragmatic and a straight shooter. And I would not be surprised if there was a little payback in not notifying Feinstein. It just seems like it would be obvious to talk to her first and the Obama team does screw up like that by mistake.
I am very interested in how this administration is going to do as is everybody, I’m sure. While Obama has picked some Clinton administration people and inside the beltway people I understand why you need these types because they have to know how Washington works. Even though they are Washington insiders they are good people by almost everybody’s standards. What an impossible job but it would be difficult to screw it up as bad a Bush. Do you know that he ran up more debt in 8 years than every other President in the history of the United States put together. That is an astounding fact. And get this; Reagan did the same thing. And Old man Bush almost did it too.
January 6, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Anonymous
So what, am I auto-blocked now? Is Feinstein so afraid of me?
January 7, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Eric Kirk
While Obama has picked some Clinton administration people and inside the beltway people I understand why you need these types because they have to know how Washington works. Even though they are Washington insiders they are good people by almost everybody’s standards. What an impossible job but it would be difficult to screw it up as bad a Bush. Do you know that he ran up more debt in 8 years than every other President in the history of the United States put together. That is an astounding fact. And get this; Reagan did the same thing. And Old man Bush almost did it too.
All new presidents do it. The problem for Clinton was that the Carter people he pulled in all had to come out of retirement. 12 years is a long time.
January 7, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Nick Bravo
I got sick and tired of seeing the media pile on palin the way hey did. If you look at how they treated hillary in comparison its downright hypocritical.
Palin may very well be a candidate in 2012.
January 7, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Eric Kirk
Palin will serve out her term as governor, then she’ll have her own weekend Fox News show. Fox News is sort of becoming the Hollywood Squares of the right wing.