What can be said about Republicans from Bush on down who disobey the laws of the land?

This is just the latest example of Republicans who cannot abide by the laws that were created.  From Bloomberg.com reporting:

The November Fund marked the chamber’s first foray into presidential politics. Some of the best-known independent groups in the 2004 presidential election, including Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and America Coming Together, paid more than $3 million in fines.

The commission initially agreed in March 2005 that the November Fund illegally accepted contributions in excess of the $5,000 limit for political action committees and that the chamber made illegal corporate contributions. In November 2007, the commission authorized its counsel to negotiate a settlement, including an agreed-upon fine...

Four new members joined the commission the following year, and in October 2008 the three Republicans balked at approving the final agreement.

“The law has not changed,” Ryan said. “All that has changed is the commissioners themselves.”

What can be said that Republicans will protect scofflaws to the detriment of the body politic?  Republicans thy name is lawlessness and coddling criminals.

A mass grave site in Afghanistan is plundered.  The remains of upto 2000 bodies were removed and disposed of into a near by river.  What is significant is that this atrocity was the subject of a documentary film, "Caravan of Death" by Irish filmmaker Jamie Doran in 2002.

This report by the Timesonline.com states:

The mass grave at Dasht-e-Leili in northern Afghanistan is thought to contain the remains of between 1,000 and 2,000 Taleban prisoners massacred by fighters loyal to the Uzbek warlord General Abdul Rashid Dostum in November 2001. The killings occurred in the remote Leili desert as General Dostum’s forces fought alongside US special forces....

The problem is that there has been no U.S. corporate media coverage of this attempted coverup of a war crime by Afghan warlord Gen. Dotsum.  

Also, there was a U.S. Special Forces unit that was operating in the same area when the massacre of captured Taliban fighters occurred.  Questions have arisen as to how much the 5th Special Forces Group was aware of and if that unit had any knowledge and/or control of the war crime.

I found this from Uruknet.info by Ted Rall:

When the containers were unlocked at Sheberghan, the bodies of the dead tumbled out. A 12-man U.S. Fifth Special Forces Group unit, Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 595, guarded the prison's front gates and, according to witnesses, controlled the facility in the hopes of picking key prisoners for interrogation and possible transportation to Guantnamo Bay. (This is how Lindh was singled out.) "Everything was under the control of the American commanders," a Northern Alliance soldier tells Doran in the film. American troops searched the bodies for Al Qaeda identification cards. But, says another driver, "Some of [the prisoners] were alive. They were shot" while "maybe 30 or 40" American soldiers watched.

Members of OPA 595, interviewed for the PBS program "Frontline" on August 2, 2002, confirm their presence at Sheberghan but cagily deny participating in war crimes. "The prisoners were being treated the exact same way as Dostum's forces were," said master sergeant "Paul." "I didn't see any atrocities, but I easily could have. Some prisoners may have died because they were sick or ill, and Dostum's forces just couldn't give them any care because they didn't have it."

So in the U.S. corporate media there has been a near total black out of this war crime. 

You can see the entire documentary here.

The Frontline documentary transcript here.

A crime committed.  Evidence destroyed.  But it will not be forgotten.

The most recent addition to the GOP dog-pack nipping at the heels of Congresswomen-Elect Betsy Markey, CU Regent Thomas J. Lucero, is having an identity, or at least residency, crisis. According to his CU Regent biography he lives in Johnstown. But, the press release he sent to the Loveland Reporter-Herald includes (R-Loveland) after his name (see the extended text).

According to the Managing Editor of the Reporter-Herald those 10-characters between parentheses are sufficient evidence to tout him as the "home town" candidate.  This is the second time that the Reporter-Herald has announced his candidacy in the past two-weeks crediting him as a Loveland resident.

Since the newspaper doesn’t seem to understand investigative journalism, or even the need to confirm information sent by politicians in a press release, I made a few checks.  First of all other Colorado newspapers have reported Mr. Lucero’s home as Johnstown.  Then there is the information on his CU Regent biography that lists his home as, surprise, Johnstown.

The CU Regent biography goes a little further to specify that Mr. Lucero is a Johnstown businessman and civic leader.  So while it is getting hard to figure out which former dairy farm is now part of Johnstown, or which corn-field is Loveland’s $6 Million dollar investment in the future, a person with ambitions for the US Congress should know what address to go to at the end of the day.

When he ran for CU Regent Tom knew that he lived in Johnstown.  The Colorado Secretary of State record shows his campaign committee address from the 1997 campaign season as 1015 WS 1ST ST/PO BOX 921 JOHNSTOWN, CO 80534.  That’s the same Post Office box that’s on the CU Regent Biography.

Further evidence of Mr. Lucero’s inaccuracy in the press release to the Reporter-Herald is found through the Dex.com online telephone directory.  No surprise here that there is no listing for Thomas J., Tom or “T” Lucero in Loveland.  This is inconclusive since Dex doesn’t account for the phenomenon of people with only a cellphone and no landline at their home.

Next in my bag of tricks is the Larimer County Assessor website for property records.  It’s reasonable to believe that an independently wealthy pizza magnate would own his home.  Curiously, a search for any person with the last name of Lucero owning property in the County doesn’t show a Thomas in Loveland, but there is one in Fort Collins.  Sorry, for dragging that guy into this mess.

So, I guess it comes down to this.  Almost a month before Betsy Markey is even provided the respect and courtesy of being sworn-in as a Member of Congress ( “MC” as my former Congressman and professor is known to say) we have the curious case of a GOP wanna-be getting ready for the 2010 contest.

The hatred that was flamed during the McCain/Palin campaign is a growth from 2005.  Why would I date it 2005 because Hurricane Katrina happened.  The destruction of New Orleans and the subsequent anarchy that prevailed showed what still lies in the heart and soul of many whites if given a chance to unleash their desires.

The Nation's A.C. Thompson has written a compelling report:

Immediately after the storm, the media portrayed African-Americans as looters and thugs--Mayor Ray Nagin, for example, told Oprah Winfrey that "hundreds of gang members" were marauding through the Superdome. Now it's clear that some of the most serious crimes committed during that time were the work of gun-toting white males.

So far, their crimes have gone unpunished....

Is it any wonder that the racist, neo-Nazi, Stars n Bars lover would do what they desire if there is no society to control them?

Remember there was the conspiracy to assassinate Obama at the DNC by racist neo-Nazis.  But the US Attorney Troy Eid did not prosecute them for that but only on much lesser charges.

When government fails to do its duty then it is a green light for racists.  One can only be vigilant when racists-militia-skin heads conspire to foment a race war.

Isn't this what the effect on America will be- to lower our standard of living?

From AP today:

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined other GOP lawmakers in announcing his opposition to a White House-backed bill that was approved by the House on Wednesday. He called for an alternative that would reduce the wages and benefits of the Big Three automakers to bring them in line with those paid by Japanese carmakers Nissan, Toyota and Honda.

If Republicans believe in America is Number One then why are they following the lead by foreign automakers?  If we have the "highest" standard of living then why do Republican Senators like McConnell, Corker, and Shelby want to lower wages which lowers our standard of living?

Republican Senator DeMint said:

Well, I’m not trying to get rid of the unions, but I am saying that they appear to be an antiquated concept in today’s economy...

But the political aspect of this is most of this is being done to protect unions, uh, it’s not to protect the workers. And what I want to do is make sure we have jobs for these workers and we have first-class American automobile companies. And we’re not going to do it with the barnacles of unionism wrapped around their necks.

The only reason is to break unions for the benefit of companies.  If anyone had seen the nitwit commercial that showed a working dad complaining about his union because it doesn't represent his "values" it is nonsensical.  This is what Republican DeMint is making a case for- to seperate the very meaning of the word union and working individual.  What is a union but the working man and woman united in common cause?

If Republican Senators want to kill Industrial America then let them filibuster the old fashioned way.  No more "gentleman's agreement" but have each and every one Republican Senator get up and talk about how much they hate Industrial America.  The America of industrial might that beat the Axis powers.  The America of industrial might that made for our middle class to be what it was from the 1950's to the 1970's.  Let the Republicans tell Americans how much they want to have another Great Depression when 3,000,000 jobs will be lost when the Big Three go from bankruptcy directly into liquidation.

Remember, the destruction of 3 million jobs means that there will be vast repercussions in all sectors of the American economy.  For example, U.S. advertising will take a huge hit because the Big Three comprise over 5 percent of all advertising spending.  For example, NASCAR and NHRA will be devastated by the loss of financial support.  For example, steel and plastics industries stand to loss hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts.

Republicans want to play with fire but all Americans stand to lose it all because of their petty partisan ideological driven politics of the moment.