Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Proof that John Kerry is Unfit for Command -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: longnshort who wrote (26875)	10/17/2006 7:26:39 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27181

"Leading Evangelist Who Met with Hastert to Hold Major News Conference to Offer Details Religious Leader Upset Speaker Hastert Broke 7 Day Commitment News Advisory: Dr. K. A. Paul, the evangelist who met and prayed with House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) at his home in Plano, Ill., will hold a news conference on Wednesday to outline what Speaker Hastert said to him about a 7-day commitment he made during the meeting. The Sun-Times called the meeting a "serious security breach," but a spokeswoman for the Capitol Police, which is responsible for Speaker Hastert's security, said "this wasn't a security breach," according to the Capital Hill newspaper, Roll Call. With the midterm elections next month, Paul has launched a crusade to save America from the wrath of God and Republicans abusing their power and mired in scandal. Paul has been supported and endorsed by major Republican and evangelical leaders across the country. He prayed with President Bush and mobilized thousands of voters in Florida to help him win the 2000 presidential election and has counseled more than 60 heads of state around the world. DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 18 TIME: 10 a.m. PLACE: Hilton Towers Joliet Room, 720 South Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. K. A. Paul, evangelist and president, Global Peace Initiative Dorothy Brown, clerk, Cook County Circuit Court Dr. Jacob Agepog, Archbishop-elect

To: longnshort who wrote (26875)	10/17/2006 7:28:13 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Respond to of 27181

"Colorado authorities have opened a criminal investigation into whether an attack ad run by GOP Rep. Bob Beauprez against his opponent for governor illegally used confidential information from a federal law enforcement database. Democrat Bill Ritter's campaign has suggested the information was taken from the computerized crime records. But John Marshall, the congressman's spokesman, said Tuesday that the details came from an informant he refused to identify. He said the campaign is cooperating with investigators.... The governor has asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to expedite its investigation. Use of the federal criminal database for any purpose other than law enforcement is a crime punishable by fines and up to a year in prison.

To: longnshort who wrote (26875)	10/17/2006 7:28:49 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Respond to of 27181

"Overseers of the House page program this week discussed a camping trip that Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz. took with two former pages and others in 1996 — an outing now under review by the Justice Department, a congressional source said Tuesday. The House Page Board, consisting of three lawmakers and two senior House officials, did not have any new information beyond recent news stories on the Kolbe trip. The source is familiar with the discussions but is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter."

To: longnshort who wrote (26875)	10/17/2006 7:29:37 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27181

"New details are popping up about the Feds' interest in Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) for his ties to Jack Abramoff. But Doolittle is doing his best to put as bright a face on that as possible. In a statement yesterday, Doolittle said that he "has no reason to believe that he is the target of an investigation." As we've noted here before, the "not a target" line is a beloved one for mucked-up pols (Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) used it just last month). It is, of course, a relatively meaningless statement that sounds exonerating. Subjects of an investigation typically only receive target letters from prosecutors as a prelude to indictment. So Doolittle might as well be bragging that he hasn't been indicted yet. We've known that Doolittle was under investigation for approximately two years. In 2004, investigators subpoenaed the records for his wife's consulting company (Julie Doolittle worked for Abramoff for two years). And since last November, Doolittle has consistently made the short list of lawmakers reportedly under investigation for their ties to Abramoff (as to why, see here). Doolittle, via his spokeswoman, also revealed to The Sacramento Bee Monday that his lawyer has spoken several times with the Justice Department.

To: longnshort who wrote (26875)	10/17/2006 7:30:47 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27181

"Lester Crawford, the former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner who resigned after two months on the job, was charged in federal court for conflict of interest and making false statements related to his investments. Crawford, 68, falsely stated in a 2004 government filing that shares of Sysco Corp. and Kimberly-Clark Corp. had been sold when he and his wife continued to hold them, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor said in the charging documents. Crawford also failed to disclose income from exercising stock options in Embrex Inc., the documents said. Crawford was chairman of the FDA's Obesity Working Group, formed to study the link between weight and health in the U.S., while owning shares of Sysco, a distributor of snack foods, and Pepsico Inc., the world's No. 2 soft drink maker, Taylor said.

To: longnshort who wrote (26875)	10/17/2006 7:32:29 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27181

"Federal agents raided the home of the daughter of U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon (R., Pa.) this morning. The agents departed Karen Weldon's three-story brick home on Queen Street in Philadelphia with arms loaded with boxes. A government car pulled into the alley to the back door of the house and loaded boxes into it. Three agents standing in an alley declined to identify themselves."

To: longnshort who wrote (26875)	10/17/2006 7:32:40 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Respond to of 27181

"For five years, Allen Stayman wondered who ordered his removal from a State Department job negotiating agreements with tiny Pacific island nations — even when his own bosses wanted him to stay. Now he knows. Newly disclosed e-mails suggest that the ax fell after intervention by one of the highest officials at the White House: Ken Mehlman, on behalf of one of the most influential lobbyists in town, Jack Abramoff. "Mehlman said he would get him fired," an Abramoff associate wrote after meeting with Mehlman, who was then White House political director. Asked about his relationship with Abramoff a few months ago, Mehlman said, "Abramoff is someone who we don't know a lot about. We know what we read in the paper."

To: longnshort who wrote (26875)	10/17/2006 7:35:06 PM
From: Mr. Palau	Respond to of 27181

"Foley to reveal name of alleged abuser BRIAN SKOLOFF Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley, who claimed he was sexually abused by a Roman Catholic clergyman when he was a teen, will reveal the man's identity to the Archdiocese of Miami, his attorney said Tuesday. No criminal charges can be filed because the statute of limitations on sexual assault expired long ago, but the archdiocese requested information about Foley's accusations, attorney Gerald Richman said. "We're talking about issues that happened 36 to 38 years ago," Richman said. "This is all part of the healing process for Mark Foley. He thinks it's important to go ahead and bring this information out and hope and encourage other people who have been similarly abused to go ahead and come forward." Richman said that when details are released they would deflate critics who have accused Foley, 52, of making up the abuse allegation shortly after he was confronted last month with sexually explicit electronic messages he had sent to teenage male pages. "It's going to be very clear in the coming days that it is a fact as opposed to any possible allegations that it was a fantasy or something made up for political purposes," Richman said. Richman said Foley has not told him the name of the clergyman but has told another attorney. He said the clergyman is still alive. Archdiocese spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta said the church had urged Foley to identify his abuser but said she was not aware that any meeting with Foley had been scheduled. She said the archdiocese's attorney is on vacation and not immediately available. Foley, a Florida Republican, abruptly resigned last month over the sexually explicit Internet communications he had with teenage boys who worked on Capitol Hill. He has since entered an alcohol rehabilitation program at an undisclosed location. His criminal defense lawyer, David Roth, has said Foley was an alcoholic and gay but denied any sexual contact with minors. He has not been charged with a crime. Foley's departure left behind an Internet-age sex scandal that shook Republican confidence - and poll numbers - little more than a month before elections at which their control of the House will be tested. It also threw the spotlight on House Speaker Dennis Hastert regarding conflicting claims about what senior lawmakers knew, when they learned it and what they did about it. Before the scandal, Foley was a popular incumbent who was easily expected to defeat Democrat Tim Mahoney. Now Mahoney is the favorite in the race. Foley's name will remain on the ballot, but votes for him will count for state Rep. Joe Negron.