briefly noted
Dec. 14th, 2003 02:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sisyphusshruggedThe Times allows as how Captain Yee has suffered enough to punish him for whatever public humiliation his accusers have had to deal with for railroading him when he didn't do anything.
Making Light finds interference from time travellers with overactive whimsy glands
The Pragmatic Progressive has more on Saddam's labor laws and how we've chosen not to free the Iraqi people from them
Leave no child behind. We will, however, leave them in shelters. Forty percent of the inhabitants of New York's shelter system, for instance.
More on Gov. Rowland, from whom the fish rots
Note: all the politicians listed are Republicans, and Mayor Giordano's correspondents were ten and eight. Note also that Gov. Rowland ap0logizes for lying and for the "appearance of impropriety," and not for spending state money on sweetheart contracts for people who gave him presents worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Lieberman, Clark campaigns in dustup
Lieberman campaign doesn't like Clark's post-military lobbying efforts. Clark campaign responded that Lieberman and a former aide working on his campaign were in bed with Enron. I'm thinking Clark took this one. Can Lieberman go away, please? The rest of us would really like a Democrat who isn't him to win this, and he seems to be determined not to let that happen. Since he has no chance at all to win, this is not a good strategy for the party, I think.
Apparently Chalabi is under the impression that we're handing Saddam over to him.
Lauryn Hill jumps on the Sinead train. Alarums to follow, I'm sure.
Avedon's other weblog has a really egregious Republican fundraising letter.
Orcinus discusses today's Times OpEd about our homegrown terrorists
Adam Felber tries to explain satire to some of his readers from the right, who returned with dispatch to explain that they still don't get it.
Counterspin on Dean on taxes
slacktivist: Evangelism as Hospitality
No More Mister Nice Blog on early endorsements
Body and Soul thinks we'd have more credibility if we didn't think we were always right
Israel's vice premier says Israel should dismantle many settlements
Judge to Allow Amtrak Employees to Strike in Dec.
Counterspin on Halliburton
TBogg on that nice Mr. Nethercutt and his plans
slacktivist on the Faded Glory of Wal-Mart
A Bush Aide Criticizes Israel for Not Doing More for Peace
A Clinton Guide To the Universe
Suburban Guerrilla wonders exactly how religious Our Fearless Leader really is
Through the Looking Glass is concerned about pretribulationist predispensational millenarianism, which slacktivist has been doing quite a bit on lately. Definitely check out his exegesis on Left Behind.
Wampum has added new categories for the Koufax awards, one of which is Best Underappreciated [lefty] Blog. You are explicitly allowed to nominate yourself. Strikes me as a good place to promote your blog, if you want more people to take a look. (Note: this is not a subtle hint. I feel entirely as appreciated as I can cope with now. That part is an unsubtle hint.)
TBogg wonders what's going to happen now in Iraq. So does Corrente.
Making Light finds interference from time travellers with overactive whimsy glands
The Pragmatic Progressive has more on Saddam's labor laws and how we've chosen not to free the Iraqi people from them
Leave no child behind. We will, however, leave them in shelters. Forty percent of the inhabitants of New York's shelter system, for instance.
More on Gov. Rowland, from whom the fish rots
Note: all the politicians listed are Republicans, and Mayor Giordano's correspondents were ten and eight. Note also that Gov. Rowland ap0logizes for lying and for the "appearance of impropriety," and not for spending state money on sweetheart contracts for people who gave him presents worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
the Republican governor acknowledged last week that he did not pay for these improvements to his cottage. Instead, he relied on gifts -- of time and money -- from a prominent state contractor and several of his closest governmental aides. And he acknowledged that he lied when he claimed on Dec. 2 that he alone had paid for the improvements.
This, Rowland acknowledged, was not acceptable. "I provided information that was incorrect and incomplete," he said in a released statement. "I regret doing this and I am sorry I did it."
The revelations have prompted two prominent newspapers to call for the resignation of the three-term governor, who has become ensnared in several ethics scandals these past few years. Rowland, 46, turned over about 50 pages of canceled checks and invoices to the U.S. attorney, which along with the FBI has been investigating accusations of contract steering in the state government. Rowland noted through a spokesman that he would have nothing to say on the matter, as he was "continuing to cooperate" with federal prosecutors.
"He's in big trouble. He has enormous problems," state Democratic Chairman George Jepsen said yesterday. "He's been caught lying on important issues to the people of Connecticut, just baldfaced lies."
Several prominent Rowland appointees have tripped into the political muck of late. Earlier this year, Rowland's former deputy chief of staff pleaded guilty to steering contracts in exchange for cash and gold coins, which he buried in his back yard. (That same former deputy helped pay for a water heater at Rowland's cottage).
Another commissioner was forced to resign this year after evidence emerged that he had accepted gifts from businesses working with the state. And four years ago, the former state treasurer -- a Rowland appointee -- pleaded guilty to racketeering and money laundering.
In fact, it has been a bad year for Connecticut politicians, as the former mayors of Bridgeport and Waterbury marched off to federal prison. In the latter case, federal prosecutors had investigated contract corruption in Waterbury when they discovered that Mayor Philip Giordano had forced two girls to perform oral sex at City Hall. This past June, a judge sentenced Giordano to 37 years in prison for the sex crimes.
But Rowland's problems surprised many, as he is a savvy politician with more than two decades in the business. In the past year, he has twice paid fines for violations of state ethics codes. He acknowledged improperly using a Republican Party credit card. Then he admitted receiving a cut-rate rent to stay at vacation homes owned by a prominent state contractor, William A. Tomasso. The Tomasso family holds many state contracts, and they sent their workers to install new gutters and a drainage system in the governor's cottage on Bantam Lake. His appointments secretary, and her husband, the chair of the state lottery commission, paid for the hot tub.
Rowland last week described that work as a gift that touched him. "I am sure they were trying to help my family and did not expect that their assistance might someday embarrass them or me," the governor stated this past week. "I am grateful for their kindness, but am sorry for any appearance of impropriety that was created."
Lieberman, Clark campaigns in dustup
Lieberman campaign doesn't like Clark's post-military lobbying efforts. Clark campaign responded that Lieberman and a former aide working on his campaign were in bed with Enron. I'm thinking Clark took this one. Can Lieberman go away, please? The rest of us would really like a Democrat who isn't him to win this, and he seems to be determined not to let that happen. Since he has no chance at all to win, this is not a good strategy for the party, I think.
Apparently Chalabi is under the impression that we're handing Saddam over to him.
Lauryn Hill jumps on the Sinead train. Alarums to follow, I'm sure.
Avedon's other weblog has a really egregious Republican fundraising letter.
Orcinus discusses today's Times OpEd about our homegrown terrorists
Adam Felber tries to explain satire to some of his readers from the right, who returned with dispatch to explain that they still don't get it.
Counterspin on Dean on taxes
slacktivist: Evangelism as Hospitality
No More Mister Nice Blog on early endorsements
Body and Soul thinks we'd have more credibility if we didn't think we were always right
Israel's vice premier says Israel should dismantle many settlements
Judge to Allow Amtrak Employees to Strike in Dec.
Counterspin on Halliburton
TBogg on that nice Mr. Nethercutt and his plans
slacktivist on the Faded Glory of Wal-Mart
A Bush Aide Criticizes Israel for Not Doing More for Peace
A Clinton Guide To the Universe
Suburban Guerrilla wonders exactly how religious Our Fearless Leader really is
Through the Looking Glass is concerned about pretribulationist predispensational millenarianism, which slacktivist has been doing quite a bit on lately. Definitely check out his exegesis on Left Behind.
Wampum has added new categories for the Koufax awards, one of which is Best Underappreciated [lefty] Blog. You are explicitly allowed to nominate yourself. Strikes me as a good place to promote your blog, if you want more people to take a look. (Note: this is not a subtle hint. I feel entirely as appreciated as I can cope with now. That part is an unsubtle hint.)
TBogg wonders what's going to happen now in Iraq. So does Corrente.
