Letters to the Editor
-
Is there a US Attorney Who Will Prosecute?
Or has the Gonzales cull sent the message that there "isn't enough evidence."
-
What else is new?
Just another Repugnican evildoer.
-
United States Attorney for the District of Alaska
"I am thinking about moving south to spend more time with my family in Florida."
-
It depends on what the meaning of "presented" is
"We paid all the bills that were presented to us."
Every quote I've heard has Sen. Stevens saying "presented to us" or some variation on that including the word "presented".
So, maybe all of the bills for the remodeling weren't "presented" to him?
-
Questions begging:
If the all-powerful Alberto Gonzales can quash DOJ investigations any time he likes and if the FBI and the IRS can't even take a crap without getting permission from the White House, then why are we being entertained with Senator "Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens' persecution and humiliation? I can understand that the Louisiana swamp rat, Congressman "Cool Cash in the Freezer" William Jefferson is having his world rocked by the Feds. After all, in addition to being a greedy crook, he's a Democrat.
But why go after Stevens when there is almost a 50-50 tie in the Senate? If Stevens is hamstrung and has to resign, that would weaken the hostage-holding ability of Senator "Tel Aviv Joe" Lieberman to threaten Democrats.
-
Pinch me
A senior Senator with an (R) after his name being investigate for his ties to Big Oil? I must still be asleep. Either that or I lack enough information to work out how this master strategy is meant to play out. Granted, I don't think Deep Blue could work out this particular political chess match enough moves in advance either.
-
What is so surprising
Why are you so surprised when Veco remodels a house. This is no odder than Mitchell Wades defense contracting firm getting into the real estate business buying a house from a U.S. representative. Come one folks, we've seen this before. It's called 'being diversified"...
B.M.N.
P.S. Though others call it 'covering all your bases'
-
A Note to the "Ho-Hum" crowd
Would you prefer that stories like this not be covered or written about at all? What's your point exactly, other than to paint yourselves as jaded and superior in that "I'm-sooo-cool....I've-seen-this-a-million-times" way? It's not a matter of anyone being "surprised." More importantly, it's necessary to document every single one of these Republicans' excesses and corruption during their reign over the White House and Congress. So spare us the condescension, please. None of us is shocked by these stories, and none of us is surprised. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't illuminate it or discuss it. Not by a long shot.
-
Ted Stevens and the FBI
It wouldn't surprise me in the least if this administration has targeted Ted Stevens, right-wing Republican that he is, for his position on global warming, which is the polar opposite of Bush's position. This is not an administration keen on allowing its "friends" to stray too far from message. "Rein him in, Bobby!" (Robert Mueller)
-
My proposal
Give ol' Ted a proactive pardon and hang a medal of freedom on his scrawny neck. He set millions of dollars free from programs like Head Start and Medicare so that they could be used to buy champagne and caviar for his friends.
Anyway, everybody knows that Republicans don't steal, they misappropiate for which they are very sorry and it will never happen again.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS COUNTRY?????
-
You forgot one standard Republican excuse, DoubleDave....
"It was a youthful indiscretion!" And if Ted Stevens is 83, well, that shouldn't prevent him from saying that.
-
At least he wasn't caught having sex
With a gay male Caribou escort and a bag of meth.
-
Great Quote
"This investigation should proceed to its conclusion without any appearance that I have attempted to influence its outcome," the senator said in statement. (emphasis added)
Note that he didn't say that he hasn't influenced the outcome, just that it shouldn't appear that he has done so. Give me a break, this guy's house should have been spotless ... they've been telegraphing this investigation openly enough in advance.
Regarding references to other congressional criminality related to bribery ... I wonder if anyone has done a thorough investigation into Ted Stevens' many ties to California? It might be worth looking into his common interests with Duke Cunningham and Jerry Lewis.
-
The Washington State Connection
A little background story to the "Uncle Ted" follies..
VECO, Anchorage, AK, made big bucks from the government contracts Sen.Ted Stevens funneled to them and eyed a small firm in Bellingham, WA named Hallinger Engineers. They bought it and increased a 20-man outfit to over 200. Across from the San Juan Islands on the Washington coast and just below Canada, Bellingham was perfect for transporting the experienced talent of Hallinger's engineers to "service" the contracts on the Valdez, AK pipeline. This goes back from the early 90's.
It is with chagrin and outright humiliation for the Hallinger boys to know how they've been used in VECO's con game.
The unfolding Ted Stevens' story, to include his kid under active investigation for the same thing as an AK state legislator, is not small potatoes.
After VECO's guilty plea to bribery, their cooperation fingered , specifically, Uncle Ted. The unprecedented FBI and Treasury raid on the Girdwood property was not a stab in the dark, nor just a fishing expedition without concrete justification.
-
Stevens, Young, Alaska legislature corruption goes way back
Senator "Uncle" Ted Stevens may be toast. His son Ben certainly is. He's yet unindicted, but he is described though not by name in indictments. This has to do with for-profit prisons, fisheries and of course, oil companies.
With Alaska's biggest oil service and construction company owner/executives taking plea bargains, anyone could wind up in the pokey.
Don Young certainly is a candidate for a striped suit.
The prison corporation, Cornell Corrections, tried to get the Bridge to Nowhere built for free, way back in 2001-02, so they could build a prison on Gravina Island. They wanted a $75 million electrical intertie thrown in with the deal.
Two former legislators go to trial next month and a third, recently resigned, is going to have to explain why he starred in all that Cornell consultant's videotape over the last few years.
A Cornell lobbyist pled guilty months ago, but has yet to be sentenced.
This won't be the end of it.