Senator Ensign Ethics Investigation Expected: Justice Department

Let's see if the U.S. government has the decency to punish a clear case of political corruption, and abuse of power.

The Justice Department and the Senate Ethics Committee are expected to conduct preliminary inquiries into whether Senator John Ensign violated federal law or ethics rules as part of an effort to conceal an affair with the wife of an aide, current and former officials said Friday.

“Whenever allegations of improper conduct are brought to the attention of Senate Ethics Committee, we open a preliminary inquiry,” said Natalie Ravitz, a spokeswoman for Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California and chairwoman of the committee.

The inquiries will most likely examine whether Mr. Ensign, a Nevada Republican, or Douglas Hampton, his one-time administrative assistant, broke the law after Mr. Hampton, immediately upon leaving his Congressional job last year, began to lobby Mr. Ensign’s office. Mr. Hampton, as a senior aide, was subject to a one-year lobbying ban, lawyers who specialize in ethics law said.

“It is difficult for me to imagine they would not look into it,” said Kenneth A. Gross, a former associate general counsel at the Federal Election Commission. As a lawyer at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Mr. Gross has represented Washington officials in ethics investigations.

Mr. Ensign could be legally at risk if he knew that Mr. Hampton was violating the one-year ban, or if he actually directed him to do so, as Mr. Hampton has said, ethics lawyers said.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Ensign, Rebecca Fisher, said he would not resist any investigation. “He plans to cooperate with any official inquiries,” Ms. Fisher said, adding that the senator for now is “focused on working for his constituents in Nevada.”

Mr. Hampton and his lawyer said they welcomed the inquiry — even though Mr. Hampton appears to face the greatest legal jeopardy. “There are real questions as to whether rules and laws were violated as a result of Senator Ensign trying to cover up the affair,” said Daniel J. Albregts, Mr. Hampton’s lawyer.

The Senate Select Committee on Ethics had already started a preliminary review in response to a complaint it received shortly after the affair became public in June.

The complaint that initiated this inquiry focused on whether Mr. Ensign improperly used campaign money in April 2008 to make a $96,000 severance payment to Mr. Hampton and his wife, Cynthia Hampton, who once was treasurer of Mr. Ensign’s campaign. At that time, Mr. Hampton and his wife, who was still having an affair with the senator, were forced out of their jobs.

So far, no evidence has surfaced that the money for this payment came from the government or from campaign money. But the new accusations, detailed in an article that appeared Friday in The New York Times, appear to be a more serious threat to Mr. Hampton and Mr. Ensign, ethics lawyers said.

Mr. Ensign, after requests from Mr. Hampton, appealed to officials at the Department of Interior and the Department of Transportation to take up issues raised by Mr. Hampton’s lobbying clients, NV Energy, a Nevada power company, and Allegiant Air, an airline based in Las Vegas.

Mr. Ensign has said he took these actions without regard to the lobbying by Mr. Hampton.

Officials at the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation declined comment on the matter. But law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the F.B.I. was likely to open a preliminary investigation into the new accusations to determine whether a full investigation was warranted.

Ten US Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan

The President needs to start making decisions now. Either he pulls out or reinforces our troops. Otherwise, he won't be any different than Bush in terms of loses of American troops. The only real answer is for us to pull back and provide reinforcement for the central government in Afghanistan. We must continue to launch raids against Taliban and al Qaeda positions, including into Pakistan. We need to continue the heavy use of Predators. But the loss of American troops should be minimized. And support of the Afghan government should not be a priority. Killing Jihadists should be the main objective.

Ten American troops were killed at the weekend in two surprise attacks that caused alarm in Nato’s US-led coalition.

In one, hundreds of insurgents attacked a pair of isolated outposts in eastern Afghanistan, killing eight US soldiers and several Afghan policemen in the deadliest battle in 15 months. Scores more Afghan policemen were reportedly captured by the Taleban.

In the other an Afghan policeman opened fire on the American soldiers with whom he was working in central Wardak province, killing two and injuring three.

It was unclear whether the policeman was working for the Taleban or simply ran amok but the attack fuelled the distrust that many Nato soldiers already feel for the Afghan security forces that they are supposed to be working with and training as part of the coalition’s eventual exit strategy.

Army Chief says Defeat in Afghanistan Unthinkable

This guy sounds like Bush or a neocon. The fact is that the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars are recruiting tools for the Jihadists. In addition, our involvement in Afghanistan is de-stabilizing Pakistan.

The new head of the army warned of the "terrifying prospect" of defeat for international forces in Afghanistan and supported calls for more troops, in a newspaper interview Sunday.

General David Richards told the Sunday Telegraph the risks to the West would be "enormous" if NATO failed to stabilise the violence-torn country.

He said defeat for the international coalition would have an "intoxicating effect" on Islamic militants everywhere.

"If Al-Qaeda and the Taliban believe they have defeated us -- what next? Would they stop at Afghanistan?" he said.

"Pakistan is clearly a tempting target not least because of the fact that it is a nuclear-weaponed state, and that is a terrifying prospect.

"Even if only a few of those weapons fell into their hands, believe me they would use them.

"The recent airlines plot has reminded us that there are people out there who would happily blow all of us up."

- Discuss whether we should continue to fight in Afghanistan

Global Warming is Advancing Quicker

From Greenpeace:

• "A new report, released last week by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) forecasts that the planet will warm by 6.3 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century. This new revelation is much faster than forecast just two years ago."
• "Human activity is damaging the earth’s climate. Already in the United States, farmers are struggling with worsening droughts and crop failures. Firefighters are battling historic blazes in the West. Our country’s best scientists warn us that we're approaching a tipping point, and that unless we act immediately, the crisis will only get worse and future generations will inherit a planet dramatically different from the one we grew up in."

Conservative Conference Attendees Cheer U.S. Not getting 2016 Chicago Olympics

This scum hate Obama so much that they cheer America's defeat. Thanks to Think Progress for this post:

McCain Top Adviser: Palin "Castastrophic" Pick in 2012

And he would know:

Calling Sarah Palin a potentially "catastrophic" choice for the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, John McCain's former chief campaign strategist Steve Schmidt said today the Republican party needs to look more toward the center.

"I think she has talents, but my honest view is that she would not be a winning candidate for the Republican party in 2012," he said. "Were she to be the nominee, we could have a catastrophic election result."

Palin, the former Alaska governor and Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate in the 2008 election, has fueled speculation that she could vie for the Republican nomination in the next presidential election with the upcoming release of her new book, "Going Rogue." When asked today at The First Draft of History conference in Washington, D.C. how he would be portrayed in Palin's book, Schmidt replied, "I think it may say I was anti-rogue in the running of the campaign."

- Take the Poll: Who will be the Presidential Nominee of the Republican Party in 2012

Rush Limbaugh: Olympics Committee ‘Bitch-Slapped’ the Obamas

- Discuss this post and more hate related, anti-Obama speech.

Afghan Policeman fires on US Troops, Killing 2

When the people that are supposed to be on your side start shooting at you, it's time to get out:

An Afghan official says a policeman conducting a joint operation with U.S. soldiers opened fire on the Americans, killing two of them.

The U.S. military said two American troops were killed in a firefight in Wardak on Friday, but provided no other details.

A third U.S. service member died Friday of wounds from a bomb attack in Wardak the day before.

Shahidullah Shahid, spokesman for the Wardak provincial governor, said Saturday the policeman fired on the Americans, killing two and injuring two before escaping. He did not give a reason for the shooting.

- Discuss whether we should still be in Afghanistan

Video: Pregnant Women and the Swine Flu (H1N1)

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Video: David Letterman Admits Blackmail over Sex with Staff Members

Study: Disabled more Likely to be Victims of Violent Crime

No surprise. We live in dog-eat-dog world. That is why we should have governments: to protect the weak.

People with disabilities are 50 percent more likely to be victims of violent crimes than are people without disabilities, according to a government study released Thursday.

The first national study of its kind found that a wide range of disabled people -- including blind, deaf, developmentally disabled, and others with physical and mental limitations -- were victims of assaults, rapes and robberies in 716,000 cases in 2007.

The study by the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics said instances of violence against disabled people occurred overall 1½ times the rate of those without disabilities, but the numbers varied by age group.

The most vulnerable groups were disabled people ages 12 to 19 and 35 to 49, for whom victimization occurred at nearly twice the rate of non-disabled persons.

Video: Top Republican Denounces Glenn Beck

Lindsey Graham is one of the few Republicans with any decency:

• " Glenn Beck is not aligned with any party as far as I can tell. He's aligned with cynicism, and there's always been a market for cynicism."
• "Only in America can you make that much money crying,"

More:

• Asked how he deals with fringe elements in his party, Graham said, "I go to a town hall meeting and say 'you're crazy' - in a respectful way." He said the so-called "birthers," who doubt that Mr. Obama was born in the United States, fall into that catergory.

Birthers are "crazy"

Political Scientists: American Standing in the World is in Decline

And won't get any better under this President. Bush almost destroyed us by himself. But this has been in the works for some time. The events of 9/11 was the turning point. Ever since then we've been headed towards demise. We are a nation that is literally falling apart. The current Republican strategy of divide and conquer is plunging a dagger in whats left of this nation. Unless we make a dramatic change, America will cease to be a great nation. It can be argued that we are headed the way of the Roman Empire. Chaos and barbarism await.

The United States' standing in the world declined in the past decade to below Cold War levels, according to a leading group of political scientists.

Favorable attitudes have risen sharply under President Barack Obama with his commitment to "restore American standing," but confidence in him appears to be in conflict with unfavorable attitudes about U.S. foreign policy, the American Political Science Association said in a report released Thursday.

"Many American leaders and citizens worry that this decline, despite a recent upturn, may be part of a long-term trend, one that will be hard to reverse," the report said.

While Obama has raised American esteem, he has not produced more European troops for Afghanistan, secured concessions from North Korea nor made any headway with Iran, the academics said.

Grayson is Right: Republicans Don't Care if we Die

Finally we have a Democratic politician with a backbone:


The non-apology:


- Debate whether Congressman Grayson was right in saying what he did

NY Judge: CIA can Keep 9/11 Videotape info Secret

The fix is in:

A judge cited national security concerns in ruling Wednesday that the CIA does not have to release hundreds of documents related to the destruction of videotapes of Sept. 11 detainee interrogations that used harsh methods.

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said he believed he had an obligation to let the CIA director decide what should be released when it pertains to methods used to make uncooperative detainees divulge information.

"The need to keep confidential just how the CIA and other government agencies obtained their information is manifest, and that has to do with the identities of the people who gave information and who were questioned to obtain information," the judge said from the bench.

Chemical Found in air Outside 15 Schools

It took a news outlet to expose a potential serious threat to our kids. Then again protecting children isn't a priority of the government.

Outside 15 schools in eight states, government regulators have found elevated levels of a substance that — in a more potent form — was also used as a chemical weapon during World War I.

Those findings, based on samples collected for the Environmental Protection Agency, mark the first time the agency has expressed concern about the chemicals it detected as part of an ongoing effort to check for toxic chemicals in the air outside 63 schools nationwide.

Kids of Working Moms Less Healthy, Study says

This an argument for marriages and good paying jobs. Jobs that are disappearing because they've been outsourced.

Children whose mothers work are less likely to eat healthily or exercise as often as children with stay-at-home mums, according to a British study that is likely to raise the hackles of working mothers.

The UK Millennium Cohort Study looked at the dietary habits and physical activity of more than 12,500 children from the age of nine months to the age of five.

It found that, regardless of ethnicity, maternal education or job level, children whose mothers worked part or full time were less likely to eat fruits or vegetables at meals or as snacks.

Especially if they eat candy:

British experts studied more than 17,000 children born in 1970 for about four decades. Of the children who ate candies or chocolates daily at age 10, 69 percent were later arrested for a violent offense by the age of 34. Of those who didn't have any violent clashes, 42 percent ate sweets daily.

Guns to be Allowed in Arizona Bars

This is as stupid as it can get. We're going back to the wild west days. Have we lost our minds in this country? You mix alcohol with guns nothing good can come from that. It also shows the power of the gun lobby.

Under the law, backed by the National Rifle Association, the 138,350 people with concealed-weapons permits in Arizona will be allowed to bring their guns into bars and restaurants that haven't posted signs banning them.

Those carrying the weapons aren't allowed to drink alcohol.

The new law has Shields and other bar owners and workers wondering: What's going to happen when guns are allowed in an atmosphere filled with booze and people with impaired judgment?

"Somebody can pull the trigger, then a bullet comes out, and people get hurt and killed," said Brad Henrich, owner of Shady's, a popular neighborhood bar that sees occasional minor scuffles. "The idea of anyone coming in with guns in a place that serves alcohol just seems ludicrous."

Swine Flu School Closings Could Cost Billions

AP:

Closing schools and day care centers because of swine flu could cost between $10 billion and $47 billion, a report by the Brookings Institution think tank found.

The government is urging schools to close only as a last resort, such as when large numbers of kids or staffers come down with swine flu.

But in the month since classes began, many schools have closed. As of Monday, there had been at least 187 school dismissals across the country affecting at least 79,678 students, the Education Department said.

The report issued Wednesday by Brookings' Center on Social and Economic Dynamics estimated that the cost of closing all schools in the U.S. for four weeks would be between $10 billion to $47 billion. Brookings called that a conservative estimate.

UN: 4 Million People Now on AIDS Drugs

But is it too little too late:

United Nations health officials estimate about 4 million people who need AIDS drugs worldwide are now getting them, according to a report issued Wednesday.

The figure represents a major increase in rolling out the drugs to patients across Africa, where the AIDS epidemic is focused, but an estimated 5 million or more across the globe are still waiting for the drugs.

The numbers, based on incomplete data and modeling, are only a guess. They were released in an annual AIDS report jointly published by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.N. AIDS program.

"There remain uncertainties related to the quality of data reported," officials wrote. Of the U.N.'s 192 member countries, 158 provided government-approved data, most of which were not independently verified.

"Even though some of the data are not fully clear and there are some unanswered questions, this is a dramatic improvement," said Daniel Halperin, an AIDS expert at Harvard University. "It shows that all this money that has gone to treatment has made some difference."