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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bruce L who wrote (154041)	12/15/2004 3:04:48 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 281500

Kerik's 'Nannygate' Was the Least of It ________________________ by Robert Scheer Published on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 by the Los Angeles Times How revealing that the nomination of Bernard Kerik as Homeland Security chief should be derailed not by the former New York City police commissioner's alleged violations of conflict-of-interest laws, mob connections and post-9/11 security industry profiteering, but rather by his rueful admission that he paid no taxes for his "illegal immigrant" baby-sitter. Since harassing, detaining and deporting productive and otherwise law-abiding immigrants without proper residency papers has been the main task of the Homeland Security Department, the tough law-and-order booster of President Bush at the Republican National Convention could have claimed his nanny connection as research. Instead of admitting that this "lovely woman," entrusted for years with the care of his children, was part of that essential but exploited mass of "illegal aliens" whose drudgery permits the powerful to shirk family responsibilities and strut unencumbered on a larger stage, Kerik could have claimed he was merely infiltrating the ranks of the enemy. Of course, labor law violations are to Big Business what the nickel-a-swear-word jar is to adult visitors to Grandma's house — no big deal. But woe to the political aspirant who doesn't remember the ghosts of Nannygates Past: The law is the law — as Kerik's chief backer, ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, observed in reluctantly agreeing that Kerik had to withdraw — or at least it is once the media find out it has been broken. So Kerik tried to save a few bucks by hiring an undocumented worker and has paid a certain cost. However, by bowing out now, he may have saved himself a passel of future trouble. NYC's media have been raising issues about potentially far more consequential legal transgressions by Kerik, which Giuliani should have known about before recommending his protege for the national security post. This rough-around-the-edges high school dropout's profligate ways led to personal bankruptcy and, ultimately, some very dubious dealings with shady characters. Yet "America's Mayor" liked what he saw in the undercover cop with six diamond studs in his ear — a young blood whose wild style earned him the name "Mayhem Magnet" — and plucked him out to be the Big Apple's top cop. Once his act went national, however, cracks in Kerik's facade started to look a lot worse. One of the most detailed exposes stressing Kerik's alleged ties to New York mobsters ran in the New York Daily News on Sunday. Why didn't those in the administration who vetted Kerik for this job know any of this? Giuliani told Time magazine after Kerik's withdrawal that although he knew there were black marks on Kerik's record, "everything seemed pretty normal, at least by Washington or New York standards." Talk about your moral relativism! Or family values. On Monday, the N.Y. Daily News reported that Kerik had juggled two extramarital affairs while police commissioner. Bottom line: A smart guy like Giuliani should have suspected something in 1998, when his wife and his deputy mayor attended Kerik's lavish wedding, which was dotted with mob-connected characters. This was two years before he appointed Kerik to head the New York City Police Department. To be fair, it would be only later that the Daily News reported the wedding was paid for with money from folks with city contracts and mob connections, some of whom were later indicted. But anyone knowledgeable about Kerik should have known that he could not afford his sumptuous lifestyle, given his bankruptcy and, according to Newsweek magazine, a contempt citation for failing to pay a debt in a business dealing. Kerik soon learned to play the game with the big boys, though. After gaining celebrity for his prominent role during 9/11, he shot through that infamous government/private sector revolving door into a key position working for Giuliani's firm. Kerik also lent his prestige to stun-gun manufacturer Taser International, which — surprise! — has a contract with Homeland Security. Never mind, though, as Kerik cleared out his Taser stock options last month with a $6.2-million windfall, ready to be flipped by kingmaker Giuliani right back onto the taxpayer payroll. Giuliani, of course, was trading his own crucial support for Bush's campaign to give Giuliani Partners what would have been some Halliburton-grade access to the White House. Why wouldn't Giuliani push his onetime chauffeur and now a senior vice president in his firm to be Homeland Security czar, overseeing 22 federal agencies with a combined budget of $37.7 billion? The war on terror is a mother lode to be mined by those who are connected. Come to think of it, Kerik shouldn't have been rejected by the Bushies. If they were honest, they would celebrate him as the prototypical GOP operator, playing the people for a profit. ______________________________ Robert Scheer, a journalist with more than 30 years' experience, has built his reputation on the strength of his social and political writing. His columns appear in newspapers across the country, and he is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, where he teaches a course on media and society. © 2004 Los Angeles Times commondreams.org

To: Bruce L who wrote (154041)	12/16/2004 12:52:12 AM
From: Siva Uppalapati	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Bruce, That is a pretty detailed report and I know it takes a lot of effort to do that. Most of the things you state are correct except for some facts. (But those are not that important to the main observations). Being from India, I have a hard time agreeing to most of your conclusions (what you said is a possibility which I cannot deny). Siva

To: Bruce L who wrote (154041)	12/16/2004 8:47:20 AM
From: arun gera	Respond to of 281500

>BOTTOM LINE: I see little cause for optimism. At best, India seems destined for a breakup like Yugoslavia. Probably a good thing.> Looks like your first visit to India. Like the leaning tower of Pisa, modern India has always looked like it may be falling. Comparing India to Yugoslavia is the wrong analogy. India is like Europe. With more population than the entire Europe and greater variations in culture and languages. Compare the failure of India with the modern history of Europe. In the context of Europe/India comparison: 1. How many people were killed in World War I and II? 2. How does the number of jews and gypsies killed in the holocaust compare to the number of people killed in religion-based riots in India? 3. And of course all that carnage in Yugoslavia was in Europe. 4. How come half the Europe was under a communist system and its industies were decaying? 5. How many dissidents did the communist Europe send to the Gulag? 6. How is Europe doing in accomodating its Muslim population? How come India with as many as 150 million muslims contributes so few to the Islamic terrorist groups? 5. Do you know that Christianity has been in India longer than it has been in many parts of Europe? A significant portion of the christians in Kerala are Syrian christians. 6. Do you know that Parsis in India were forced out of Persia and took refuge in India several centuries ago? 7. You mentioned thet 40 million tribals. How come there are 40 million tribals in India? How come they were not converted by the dominant classes. USA finished off their tribals very fast or put them into reservations. -Arun

To: Bruce L who wrote (154041)	12/16/2004 10:29:16 AM
From: kumar	Respond to of 281500

appreciate the perspective. there are factual errors. example : Gujarat is not "just south" of Kashmir. To have done such a report - I aplaud you. not many bother.

To: Bruce L who wrote (154041)	12/16/2004 8:30:02 PM
From: kumar	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Indians ace immigrant groups in America TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2004 10:19:49 PM ] WASHINGTON: Indians are the best-educated and highest-earning people among all major ethnic groups in the United States, including native-born Americans. They are also the youngest and most likely to be white collar professionals. These are among the bragging rights conferred in a new study "We The People: Asian Americans in the United States" released on Wednesday by the US Census Bureau. Based on the year 2000 census, the report provides a handsome snapshot of the fastest growing immigrant community in the United States. According to the study, Asian Indians (so termed to distinguish them from American Indians) numbered 1.65 million in the 2000 census when counted alone, and 1.85 million in combination with other races (say mixed with Americans or Africans). About 75 per cent of Indians are foreign-born and 24.6 per cent are US-born. In comparison, and reflecting their older immigrant status, nearly 60 per cent of Japanese in America are US born. Around 54 per cent of Indians entered the US after 1990, marking the '90s as the boom decade for Indian immigration. ....... timesofindia.indiatimes.com