Why do Californians distrust politicians? Ask Randy "Duke" Cunningham!

Some people get it, thoes that don't get supeonas...


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"The 'Still in the Dark' award - A raspberry to U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Escondido, for reneging on a promise he made to his constituents to release financial records relating to his rent-free stay aboard a defense contractor's boat for more than a year.

Duke promised June 23 to compile and release information about the more than $13,000 in dock fees, service and maintenance that he says he paid in lieu of rent to live aboard Mitchell Wade's wonderfully named "Duke-Stir" boat. But Cunningham's lawyers are advising him against releasing the records, in light of a grand jury investigation and a federal probe into charges that Wade bribed the congressman to win Pentagon contracts.
That's sound legal advice. But Duke knew he was under investigation in June, and he had lawyers advising him then. That promise to come clean about his time in the "Duke-Stir" looks increasingly like unsupported spin designed to reassure his constituents that he was living in Wade's boat, not his pocket. The jury's still out, of course, but North County's eyebrows are raising ever higher.
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Seven Weeks of Governator SPIN

Are you ready? The mailers, the television ads, the articles, the news radio narrow-casts...

Are you ready?

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Not surprisingly, the governor was cheered wildly at the GOP convention when he announced he was supporting Prop. 75. Polls show it is the only one of the four "reform" initiatives currently enjoying majority support.

But by adopting the measure as one of his own, Schwarzenegger faces a steep challenge. He must spend the next seven weeks convincing voters ---- especially Democrats and Independents, who have abandoned him in droves ---- that public employee union "bosses" are the real obstacles to meaningful reform. And he must somehow do this without stigmatizing rank-and-file workers.
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The problem with that strategy is that the campaign isn't starting now. It started months ago, after Schwarzenegger announced his "year of reform" measures and a coalition of labor unions took to the airwaves, undermining his message before he had the chance to deliver it.
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This is California politics. Republican Governors (Schwarzenegger, Wilson, Regan, etc...) have used the initiative process to circumvent how California makes laws. The current Governor is being co-oped by big business, coporate interest, and extreme Republican idealoges. To push an anti-union agenda that is unacceptable in the state legislature. The Governor is not supposed to create law as a king or monarch would. It is the responsibility of the Governor to enforce and promote the rule of law. To oversee that law and it's requirements have been satisfied.

This is what is wrong with our initiative process. Currently, Republicans are using the initiative process to bypass our elected body and push poorly worded, groundless, and unproven ideas and create law.

Get ready. You have been warned.

Admission of failure...

I'll right. I admit it. I have failed you. I haven't been updating... I'm sorry.

I'd like to take this opportunity to promise, proper updates on a regular basis.

...Look at it this way. I admitted it.

Can George W. Bush admitt his failures?

Hurricane Katrina

The War in Iraq

The Lies of Weapons of Mass Destruction

Failure to Capture Osama Bin Laden

The 911 Comission

September 11th, 2001


He has failed to admit that he has failed at anything of the above. I, on the other hand, did.

Cunningham family to sue government over ill-gotten real estate.

Yet another gem and here I thought I regular Americans suffer from delusions of "entitlement" from the government and civic communties.

Yet, Congressman Cunningham expects to be compensated for inconvenience of possibly breaking the law.

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"Rep. Randy 'Duke' Cunningham and his wife contend that the federal government violated their due process rights by moving to block the sale of their Rancho Santa Fe estate and are asking for monetary damages.

The couple also argue that the action to block and eventually move to seize the proceeds of a sale has resulted in 'low-ball' offers far below the $3.5 million they are seeking for the property.

In July, the government attempted to block the sale by filing what was initially a secret notice of its interest in the property. U.S. attorneys contend that Cunningham, R-Escondido, bought the home in part with money obtained in violation of bribery statutes."
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When the U.S. attorney voluntarily unsealed the civil suit against the couple's Rancho Santa Fe home two weeks ago, the document revealed that federal prosecutors are alleging Cunningham "demanded and received" the inflated payment from Wade in violation of bribery laws.

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Let us think this through.
Cunningham demands a inflated payment for his property, which is a violation of bribery law. Cunningham then uses that money to purchase a new home. U.S. attorneys find out, investigate, and file charges. Properties are searched, finances are examined - Sale of home? Frozen by the U.S. attorney. Why? The home may have been purchased with bribe money. Bribe money = illegal. Home = Evidence. Depending on the outcome of the crime the house will be sold, auctioned, or given back.

It's analogy time.

Duke has a 2 stolen car. He demands and receives 200 dollars for his stolen car. Duke uses his 200 dollars to buy a new car. Duke is arrested for illegaly obtaining funds through stealing. Now Duke wants to sue the government because they are not allowing him to sell his new car - because of an on going investigation regarding his illegal activities involving. This is what we like to call EVIDENCE.

http://www.cpr4democracy.com/

Just a heads up for people that don't know... Jenni Criscenzo is running for Congress against Darrell Issa. Talk about uphill - If there is anyone who will do it - Jenni has the gumption.

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"Tempers flared and criticisms of the White House were hurled Tuesday afternoon at Oceanside City Hall during a meeting that was billed as an 'open discussion' of the pros and cons of withdrawing American troops from Iraq.

But the positions that were staked out at the meeting were almost entirely one-sided, as all but one of the residents who spoke railed about the reasons and rationale for the war in Iraq, called for the troops to come home as quickly as possible, or both.

'They brought us into this war on lies, and our kids are over there dying,' said resident and Congressional hopeful Jeeni Criscenzo."
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Labor: what is its future here? North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County News

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"Unemployment is almost as low as it can be ---- 4.4 percent.

That ought to be comforting news to labor, if by that word one means working men and women. When unemployment is low, jobs are supposed to go begging, and those mysterious market forces that economists point to all the time are supposed to operate to drive up the price of work.

But in North County, and in fact almost all over the country, that's not happening: At the low end of the wage scale, where small pay raises make the most difference, pay rates are stuck."
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This is a great article. While it covers the Labor Movement and it's own issues - I like how it puts these facts in the light of the Bush Administration. It's sad... really sad. The remainder of the article points out how labor could help, but also how our local area stacks up.

The issue?

Our middle class jobs are flying out of America and the cost of living is going up. Fewer middle class? How do you afford to send your kids to college, health care, or save to buy a home - when everything costs more and your pay check isn't moving upward. This means, more wealth for coporations and businessmen and middle class America is missing the boat.

How do we change this and what can be done? For one stop bickering about illegal immigration and start getting pissed about the illegal immigration of our jobs to other countries like India, or Pakistan.