The San Francisco Chronicle
Warm, fuzzy, corporate
- David Lazarus
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
In most ads, a company is trying to sell you a product, or a brand, or some oxymoronic notion of corporate philosophy (as if the pursuit of profit wasn't credible self-justification in a capitalist marketplace).
But flipping through a recent copy of the New Yorker -- the Sept. 5 issue, to be precise -- I came across several ads for leading companies that spoke to a relatively new trend in corporate outreach.
Although the companies in question collectively touch nearly all U.S. consumers and are together worth billions of dollars, they're not selling products here, or their respective brands, or even a clear declaration of philosophy.
What these companies -- Chevron, Altria and Starbucks -- are selling is their own thoughtfulness.
"They're trying to elevate the conversation above what it is they do," said Steve Manning, managing director of Igor, a San Francisco brand consultant. "They want to be thought of as something bigger than just goods and services."
This approach, he added, should be a red flag for most consumers.
"Honest people don't tell you they're honest," Manning observed. "Cool people don't say that they're cool. We should all be wondering why these guys feel a burning need to tell us how good they are."
The first ad that caught my attention was a two-page spread for San Ramon oil giant Chevron. Similar versions have appeared recently in other publications (including this one).
The ad depicts a bulletin board with a variety of images tacked on, most related to energy and exploration, along with, for reasons that aren't clear, a prominent photo of smiling black children.
"The world consumes two barrels of oil for every barrel discovered," the ad says. "So is this something you should be worried about?"
Chevron offers no direct answer to its own question. But it indicates that a transition to alternative fuel sources is needed. "Consumers must demand, and be willing to pay for, some of these solutions, while practicing conservation efforts of their own," the ad says.
It refers readers to a Web site, willyoujoinus.com, that features an online forum on energy issues. The site's rules say discussion moderators can block any posting that is, among other things, "threatening, abusive, libelous" toward a specific corporation.
As such, I couldn't find any messages addressing the seeming disingenuousness of an oil company that pocketed $6.4 billion in profit during the first half of the year positioning itself as a catalyst for conservation and alternative fuels.
But Chevron's ad leaves no room for doubt that the company is thinking long and hard about these things. It notes that Chevron is "committing over $100 million every year on renewable energies, alternative fuels and improving efficiency."
It's unclear what this "commitment" entails or how much money is spent on renewable energies and alternative fuels as opposed to "improving efficiency." (In any case, $100 million represents just 0.7 percent of Chevron's record $13.3 billion in earnings last year.)
Nicole Hodgson, a Chevron spokeswoman, declined to give a breakdown for the $100 million figure. But she acknowledged that the company isn't actually spending this amount on new fuel sources.
Hodgson said Chevron is improving operations at its refineries and along pipelines, and such changes will result in energy savings for the company. "That's included in the figure," she said.
Hodgson said the goal of Chevron's ad is to "create a dialogue" about energy issues. "We're not trying to solve these issues," she said. "We just want to bring people together to discuss these issues."
In Altria's case, the cigarette and snack-food behemoth is reaching out to consumers in the form of an introspective personal essay.
"The value of seeing the whole forest," the company's ad says. "By the parent company of Kraft Foods, Philip Morris International and Philip Morris
USA."
Under a photo of lush, green trees, the brief text basically describes Altria's vast retail offerings, from Velveeta to Virginia Slims, and the company's awareness that it must "strive to meet the expectations" of shareholders, customers, regulators and society.
"For a company as newsworthy as ours," it says, "at times it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. But to look beyond immediate challenges and position our company for long-term success, we have to keep the whole forest squarely in sight.
"And that's a vision we feel is worth sharing," the ad concludes.
What vision? What are they sharing?
"I don't get it," commented Suzie Ivelich, head of strategy at the San Francisco office of brand consultant Wolff Olins. "They say they're thinking about something, but I'm not sure what it is."
Tara Carraro, an Altria spokeswoman, explained that even though Philip Morris changed its name to Altria more than two years ago, "there's still a significant number of people out there who don't know what Altria is."
For this reason, she said, the ad is intended to convey that "we're not just a tobacco company."
That's not much of a vision, though.
"Well, it's our vision," Carraro replied. "It's important to us."
Finally, we have an attention-getting ad for Starbucks in which an actual coffee filter is attached to a magazine page. "What makes coffee good?" the ad asks. Printed on the filter is the answer:
"Fresh beans. Filtered water. The right equipment. Expertise. Health coverage for part-time employees. Plushy chairs. Sustainable agriculture. Micro-loans. Community programs. Shade. Concerts. Book drives. Impeccable technique. Tree plantings. Music. Personal relationships with farmers. Smiles. Giving back. Looking forward. And sometimes, milk and sugar."
This is Starbucks, mind you, a company that all but pioneered the $3 cup of coffee and in July reported quarterly net income of $126 million, up 29 percent from a year earlier.
Those profits are pouring in from more than 9,500 coffee shops worldwide -- virtually one on every street corner (or so it seems).
"There's been a lot of negative perception about the 'Starbuckization' of America," said Paul Parkin, a principal at Salt Branding in San Francisco. "I think what they're trying to say is that they like who they are, and they want you to like who they are too.
"I'm not sure what they're selling in this ad," he added, "except that they're part of the world and that they care about it."
Sanja Gould, a Starbucks spokeswoman, said the ad is "designed to communicate to our customers who we are and what we stand for."
"Consumers increasingly want to know what a company stands for beyond the product they purchase," she said. "We are a values-based company, and believe we have something to say that consumers want to know."
Manning, Igor's managing director, said companies tend to fall back on vague generalities when they don't have specific accomplishments to point to.
"These companies are each depicting themselves as having deep thoughts," he said. "But if they were serious, they would demonstrate what they mean instead of telling you that they're thinking about these things."
Manning said that since the war in Iraq broke out, he has noticed more of a "warm and fuzzy thing" in corporate messages.
"I'm not sure what they're all trying to say," he said, "but it looks like everyone wants a group hug."
David Lazarus' column appears Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Send tips or feedback to dlazarus@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/21/BUGVHEQULV1.DTL
This is a rural area of the country. Small Town America is in trouble fiscally. Federal social programs are under attack. If the fed cannot prove wrong doing they use intimidation to reduce assistance to the poor.
The Star Press - East Central Indiana
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Winchester to have hearing tonight on license branch closings
WINCHESTER - The public is invited to comment during a hearing tonight on the proposed closings of two Randolph County license branches.
The hearing will be at 7 p.m. at the Beeson Community Building, 900 S. Beeson Drive.
The Parker City and Union City license branches - the latter already closed since a fire damaged its building in April - are both being considered for possible closure under a state plan.
(For more on this story, including live coverage of tonight's hearing, check http://www.thestarpress.com/ later today, and Thursday's print edition of The Star Press.)
http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/3/047023-3633-061.html
HUD demands answers, remedies from city and redevelopment group
By RICK YENCER
ryencer@muncie.gannett.com
MUNCIE - East Central Reinvestment Corp. has violated conflict-of-interest rules and possibly other regulations when using federal housing funds to rebuild the historic East Central neighborhood, according to the federal government.
While a federal investigation found no criminal offenses and initially sought no repayment of funds, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ordered Muncie's Community Development agency to suspend federal housing funds to ECRC until the issues are resolved.
http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/4/047017-8804-001.html
Enrollment declines at some schools; others see boost
By OSEYE T. BOYD
MUNCIE - This fall's enrollment drop of about 33 students at Delaware Community Schools was expected, but it's too early to tell how the district's state funding will be affected, Supt. Steve Gookins said.
"I anticipated that we would drop in enrollment because the county in general has lost population," Gookins said.
While some East Central Indiana school districts, like Del-Com, experienced enrollment losses this fall, others noticed slight or even significant increases in student population.
Enrollment for Del-Com is 2,747.5, according to the official count taken last Friday.
http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/8/
Tax amnesty gives last shot to pay off
By RICK YENCER
MUNCIE - Thousands of East Central Indiana businesses and individuals have one more chance to pay delinquent taxes without penalties this fall.
Gov. Mitch Daniels kicked off the state's tax amnesty program last week in an effort to collect over $1.3 billion in unpaid taxes.
The Indiana Department of Revenue will allow businesses and individuals to pay off the base amount of delinquent taxes without penalty, interest or civil or criminal prosecution through Nov. 15.
http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/5/046977-3465-002.html
Winds damage property in Henry County
By JOY LEIKER
jleiker@muncie.gannett.com
NEW CASTLE - Brent and Sherry Hammond were getting ready to sit down to dinner with their two young children Monday night when gusty winds, pouring rain and a deafening boom sent the whole family to the basement.
A couple of hours later, the Hammonds emerged to find trees down on both sides of their home, including a 60-foot-tall tree that crashed into the family's sports utility vehicle parked in the driveway. The dashboard is mangled, the windows shattered and parts of the SUV's body are crushed.
With piles of tree limbs and leaves taking over the yard, and friends and neighbors stopping by to help, Sherry Hammond said she couldn't help but think her family was fortunate.
http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/0/046976-7150-002.html
Band benefit raises $1,000 for Katrina victims
Last weekend's benefit show (Sept. 10) at CenterStage raised more than $1,000 for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Muncie rocks.
Big pats on the back go out to the bands that donated their time, the CenterStage staff who volunteered to keep the beer and pizza's coming; the two tireless volunteer sound guys (Ralph and Fred); the kind folks who worked the door (Susan and Rod Humphrey); the "tambourine guy" who donated free dogs and chips, and the music lovers who came out for a good time and a great cause.
http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/1/046545-4041-026.html
Cheney Observer
Roberts: artful dodger turned stonewaller
Viewpoint
By Darrell Salomon
Published: Monday, September 19, 2005 9:43 PM PDT
The U.S. Senate should retreat from its bedazzlement over Judge John Roberts and soberly reconsider whether it really wants to confirm as chief justice of the United States a man about whom it knows nothing.
At least Judge Robert Bork, in his failed confirmation hearings decades ago, candidly expounded upon his writings. Roberts has no writings of his own to defend. And his smooth-sounding testimony has not been candid.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/09/20/opinion/20050920_op03_viewpoint.txt
U.S. Profits Rise More-Than-Expected 14 Percent in 2nd Quarter
Aug. 1 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. corporations posted better-than- expected profit growth of 14 percent in the second quarter, led by growth at energy companies including Halliburton Co.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial three weeks ago estimated profits would rise 6.6 percent in the quarter. Of the 375 companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index that had reported as of July 29, 275 posted higher results than a year earlier.
Profit at energy companies rose 40 percent, followed by a 28 percent increase at profits at materials companies including Dow Chemical Co. and Phelps Dodge Corp., the world's third- largest copper producer. Those companies will continue to have large profits because of rising demand from China and India, said Barbara Marcin, who helps manage $28 billion for Gabelli Asset Management.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aCXh5xiJrhsg&refer=us
Global Development & Environmental Resources Issues Letter to Shareholders
LAS VEGAS, NV -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 08/01/2005 -- Global Development & Environmental Resources, Inc. (OTC: GDVE) released a letter to shareholders today.
Investors:
It is with a great sense of excitement that I communicate with you in this letter to shareholders. Upon our entrance into the public markets last week, we opened a new chapter in the story of our company. We look forward to having a positive relationship with our shareholders and commit to providing available information on a timely basis.
Our Business
For investors new to the company, our firm is comprised of 3 primary divisions: Professional Services, Product & Technologies & Financial Services. The Professional Services division focuses on environmental assessments, investigations and cleanups. Our Product & Technologies group develops environmental friendly products that can be used for numerous environmental applications. The Financial Services division works both internally and with outside clients in the areas of Acquisition, Divestiture and Valuation of environmentally sensitive real estate projects. A much more detailed description of our operational divisions can be reviewed on our corporate fact sheet. This investor tool is available free of charge at www.firstcapitalinvestors.com/factsheets/gdve.pdf.
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=92054
And Then There Was Bechtel In Bolivia-An Addendum
By Sandy Leon Vest
In an article entitled, Taking Back the Power: The Real War on Terror, (July CP), I make the statement that, "In Bolivia, Bechtel's takeover of that country's once publicly-owned water works has brought the country to its knees..." The statement is misleading. I neglected to specify that this incident occurred in Cochabamba, Bolivia's third-largest city and more importantly still, that Bechtel was forced to withdraw from Cochabamba due to a popular citizen uprising. This omission is especially glaring in light of the article's premise - that when citizens take action and responsibility, they can "take back the power" from corporations.
http://www.coastalpost.com/05/08/04.html
Romania: Bechtel to resume works at Brasov-Bors highway
11:27 - 01 August 2005 - The Ministry of Finance will raise a 100 million euro foreign loan to finance the construction of the Brasov-Bors highway, Romania's Prime Minister, Calin Popescu Tariceanu announced. The Romanian government has chosen Austria's Raiffeisen Bank and France's Calyon Corporate and Investment Bank to provide the loan with a 12-year maturity and a 4-year period of grace.
This decision comes to smooth out tensions that resulted from the government's repeated threats to re-negotiate, or even terminate, the contract with US Bechtel to build the highway. These threats had led to Bechtel freezing works.
http://www.reporter.gr/fulltext_eng.cfm?id=50801112709
Blowing the whistle can lead to harsh aftermath, despite law
By Jayne O'Donnell, USA TODAY
David Windhauser speaks from experience when he says pursuing a whistle-blower complaint under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is not for the faint of heart.
David Windhauser with his wife, Jeanne, and son, Ryan, 14.
By Kevin Rivoli for USA TODAY
The former controller for Trane, a heating and cooling company, last fall became the first employee under Sarbanes-Oxley to obtain a Labor Department order for his former employer to rehire him. But instead of doing so, the company spent months fighting the order before settling with Windhauser in April. For the 58-year-old finance executive, who says he suffers from heart disease and diabetes, it was just another blow in his 18-month battle.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2005-07-31-whistle-usat_x.htm
Taxpayers still being soaked by Big Dig leaks
The Big Dig leaks not only water, but money — millions of dollars — and the taxpayers of Massachusetts will forever be contributing to repairing the shoddy work that was done by the contractors on the job.
A new audit commissioned by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority said it will cost about $39 million to repair leaks in the tunnel under downtown Boston and that officials are optimistic about recovering most of that money. We don't share that optimism.
The primary contractor, Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, has resisted covering some of the costs of its faulty work and it will become harder to get the company to pay as time goes by. State officials, especially from the Turnpike Authority, bear a lot of the responsibility for not being aggressive enough in demanding refunds from the contractors and for not keeping a closer eye on the project as it progressed. The only good news is that responsibility for tracking cash for overcharges and repairs has been dumped in the lap of the attorney general, who has more incentive to be aggressive in doing the right thing for taxpayers.
http://enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2005/08/01/news/opinion/opinion01.txt
Cheney's Nuclear Drumbeat
Commentary: How the vice-president fits into the Plame case.
By Jim Lobe
August 1, 2005
From filibustering Frist to taking a stand on Darfur: Our annual roundup of college campus activism.
Introduction by Tom Engelhardt.
In a recent piece, The Media's Roving Eye, trying to establish a timeline that would offer context for the Plame case, I wrote the following:
"Vice President Cheney started the administration's atomic drumbeat to war in Iraq with a series of speeches on Saddam's supposed nuclear capabilities and desires beginning in August of 2002. (The crucial role of Cheney, whose eye was first caught by a Defense Intelligence Agency report on the Niger uranium documents back in February 2002, in the events that would become the Plame case, has been poorly covered...)"
As I soon found out, I did not stand apart from most others in poor coverage of Cheney's role. Jim Lobe, whose pieces for Inter Press Service I've quoted from, linked to, and recommended endlessly over the last years, sent a few lines my way to tell me that I, too, was off in my Cheney timeline, that the Vice President had started in on the subject of Saddam Hussein's supposed nuclear program significantly earlier than I realized, and that this mattered greatly in understanding the nature of the events to follow.
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2005/08/cheney_drumbeat.html
Bush Cheney Business Failures: Failing Upward
by AL MARTIN
(8-1-05) The history of the top members of the Bush Cheney Regime in their capacity as private businessmen should be better known.
There is a commonality they all share.
They are all failures in private business.
The American people then, in their capacity as taxpayers, savers, investors and consumers, have lost billions because of the actions of the various members of the Bush Cheney Regime, not only in their public capacity now, but in their previous capacity as businessmen.
George Bush Jr., for example, has run 5 businesses in his lifetime, ranging from public companies, like Harken Energy, to a professional sports franchise -- all of which he has run into the ground.
Now, admittedly, in Bush�s case, some of these failures were �designed� to be failures as part of the great Republican pump-and-dump stock scams of the 1980s.
http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?channelid=49&contentid=2528
Helen Thomas miffed over suicide quote
White House reporter: 'We all say stuff we don't want printed'
Posted: July 31, 2005
9:11 p.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
Helen Thomas
Veteran reporter Helen Thomas is reportedly miffed about the publishing of her suicide threat if Vice President Cheney were to run for the presidency.
"The day Dick Cheney is going to run for president, I'll kill myself," she told the Hill newspaper last week. "All we need is one more liar."
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45540
Helen Thomas in "Living By The Sword"
Okay; last we heard, White House press corps mascot Helen Thomas remarked to Albert Eisele, editor of THE HILL newspaper, "The day Dick Cheney is going to run for president, I'll kill myself. All we need is one more liar. I think he'd like to run, but it would be a sad day for the country if he does."
Now how many times have reporters engaged in the "gotcha" game and printed things that weren't meant for public consumption? Well it would seem if you live by the sword, you die by the sword (pardon the pun...). Now Thomas is bitching that her words for Eisele's ears only.
http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/parks/2005/08/helen-thomas-in-living-by-sword.html
You’ll soon need more to get a license
By NORMA LOVE, The Associated Press
Published: Monday, Aug. 1, 2005
CONCORD – Better have a birth certificate handy – and maybe a passport, too – to avoid problems qualifying for a New Hampshire driver’s license or photo ID under a new federal anti-terrorism law adopted this spring.
The REAL ID Act establishes what amounts to a national identity card starting in 2008.
States must comply with rigorous federal standards or people using their licenses and ID cards won’t be allowed to board commercial flights or enter protected federal facilities such as nuclear plants. Not complying would cause an uproar, a state legislator in the thick of things predicts.
“Citizens in any state would go ballistic if they go to board an airplane and can’t use their driver’s license,” says Sherman Packard, chairman of the House Transportation Committee.
Morgan Stanley, Citadel Chase Profit in Pollution Trading
Aug. 1 (Bloomberg) -- On a Monday morning in May, six brokers, ties askew, were working the phones in the London offices of Natsource LLC, as prices flickered across their computer screens.
These brokers don't trade stocks or bonds or gold or oil. What they trade is pollution. To be exact, they buy and sell the right to foul the air with carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that the U.S. National Academy of Sciences says causes global warming.
For commissions they decline to disclose, the brokers at Natsource help corporate polluters trade the legal authority to belch tons of CO2 into the sky. The price lately: about 29 euros ($35) a metric ton, less than the cost of a tank of gasoline in London.
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=nifea&&sid=acc6gGKx_a5Y
NASA outlines plans for moon and Mars
36 years after Apollo 11, the agency proposes new spacecraft and a lunar base to prepare for the next giant leap -- to the Red Planet.
By Michael Cabbage
Sentinel Space Editor
Posted July 31, 2005
NASA's new road map for the human exploration of space would land four astronauts on the moon by 2018 as the first step toward an eventual six-person voyage to Mars.
View the full-size graphic on the planned steps to get to the moon and back again.
Pioneers would build a lunar outpost, most likely at the south pole, with living quarters, power plants and communication systems. Expeditions would scavenge the desolate landscape for precious supplies such as fuel and water.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/orl-asec-moon073105,0,6715946.htmlstory?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Rove Is Plame Confusing
by Joe Gandelman
It's getting curiouser and curiouser and downright confusing in the Plame scandal, dubbed Rovegate by some, with a Time magazine tidbit that contradicts one of Karl Rove's key contentions:
As the investigation tightens into the leak of the identity of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame, sources tell TIME some White House officials may have learned she was married to former ambassador Joseph Wilson weeks before his July 6, 2003, Op-Ed piece criticizing the Administration. That prospect increases the chances that White House official Karl Rove and others learned about Plame from within the Administration rather than from media contacts. Rove has told investigators he believes he learned of her directly or indirectly from reporters, according to his lawyer.
It's pretty clear by now that this is going to be a fairly long case with the drip-drip-drip of new allegations — some big and some small — that won't be much fun for the White House.
http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1122873643.shtml
The Washington Times is completely bizarre. They have no clue as to what is good for this country but only the inflated propaganda that keeps their tabloid afloat.
Supply side of Karl Rove
LAWRENCE KUDLOW
August 1, 2005
If by some distant chance Bush adviser Karl Rove is pushed out of the White House by the Valerie Plame/CIA kerfuffle, it would be to the detriment of pro-growth economic policies and conceivably the stock market and economy too.
What the mainstream media have missed is that the influential Mr. Rove is not simply a political adviser but a key supply-side economic voice in the Bush administration. In fact, many hold Mr. Rove is President Bush's top economic adviser.
Most political insiders believe Mr. Rove was instrumental in persuading George W. Bush to stay with personal-saving-account-type Social Security reform in both the 2000 and 2004 election races. In my interview with Mr. Rove last winter, he was the first senior Bush official to come down against raising the Social Security tax wage cap. He also called the U.S. an IRA/investor-class nation that will never look back.
http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20050731-093601-6434r.htm
Karl Rove: Slightly More Popular Than Gay Marriage
We’re not saying Rove is unpopular, but his mean favorability rating in the new Democracy Corps poll is slightly better than “gay marriage” and worse than “the Iraq war.” Ouch.
Q.9 Now, I’d like to rate your feelings toward some people and organizations, with one hundred meaning a VERY WARM, FAVORABLE feeling; zero meaning a VERY COLD, UNFAVORABLE feeling; and fifty meaning not particularly warm or cold. You can use any number from zero to one hundred, the higher the number the more favorable your feelings are toward that person or organization. If you have no opinion or never heard of that person or organization, please say so.
NAFTA and international trade agreements: 44.3
The Iraq war: 39.5
Gay marriage: 33.9
The United Nations: 47.3
CEOs: 42.0
Federal judges and the federal courts: 54.3
Karl Rove: 38.1
Tony Blair: 65.0
http://thinkprogress.org/2005/08/01/karl-rove-slightly-more-popular-than-gay-marriage/
A little Senate history from the 1960s
By Paul M. Weyrich
web posted August 1, 2005
When I look at the "achievements" of the Minority Party as this First Session of the 109th Congress draws to a close, it brings back memories. I moved to Washington, D.C. for the start of the 90th Congress. President Lyndon Baines Johnson was in the White House. Democrats controlled the Congress as well. I look back at that period as the most enjoyable time I ever had in a serious job. We Republican staff had few responsibilities and I left the Senate office at 6:00 PM daily.
Senator Gordon L. Allott (R-CO), for whom I worked, was not the so-called Ranking Member of the Senate Interior Committee. He was second in line. He was Ranking Member of the Independent Offices Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Henry "Scoop" Jackson
The Interior Committee was chaired by Senator Henry M. (Scoop) Jackson (D-WA). Conservatives may have liked Senator Jackson's foreign policy and his opposition to Communism but on domestic issues he was a strong Liberal. Moreover, he ran the Interior Committee with an iron fist. There was no consideration for the views of the Minority.
http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0805/0805senatehistory.htm
Cheney's boundless Iraq profiteering
The Age - Liberty Forum
July 30, 2005 - Things are going well in Iraq for the invaders. Well, at least for some people, such as US Vice-President Richard Cheney. He is receiving more than $US1 million ($A1.3 million) a year from Halliburton, the company of which he was CEO from 1995 to 2000, in "deferred remuneration" while he is VP. He is worth every penny.
Last week, two Democrat senators and a house member wrote to Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld asking if he knew about Halliburton's latest money-making dodge in Iraq. Keep in mind that Halliburton and its subsidiary, Kellogg Brown and Root, have a nice little earner going in supplying support for the US Army and for, ostensibly, putting out oil well fires. The Centre for Public Integrity in Washington counts Halliburton's windfall at more than $US10 billion - a little bit coming from the US Treasury but most coming from Iraqi oil revenue that is supposed to be used to reconstruct the country for the benefit of the people. The centre counts another 30 members of the Defence Policy Board with ties to American companies with $US76 billion (as of 2002) in largely uncontested and un-auditable military contracts.
The Democrats reckon that Halliburton may have overstepped even its sloppy moral line by making life impossible for another American company that has committed the crime of undercutting the Vice-President's company.
http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m14251&date=31-jul-2005_12:28_ECT
Karl Rove's treasonous act is unacceptable
I would hope that the Palladium-Item will continue to follow the story of Karl Rove's outing of the CIA agent, Valerie Plame.
With terrorism at an all-time high in western countries, the compromise of our national security should not be taken lightly. During 9/11, we learned a very harsh lesson on the value of proper intelligence and on keeping the lines of communication clear in order to perform. Now we have someone in the current administration, during a time of war, compromising an agent investigating WMDs.
This is an unacceptable act of treason and should be treated as such. My prayer is that you continue to keep us informed of those who seek to do us harm. You are our eyes and ears to the country and the rest of the world. You are as much a part of our national security as any branch of intelligence in our government. Please keep us aware and alert to possible danger, even if it comes from within.
Joseph Green III,
Richmond
http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050731/NEWS03/507310339/1003
DeLay Airfare Was Charged To Lobbyist's Credit Card
By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 24, 2005; Page A01
The airfare to London and Scotland in 2000 for then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was charged to an American Express card issued to Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist at the center of a federal criminal and tax probe, according to two sources who know Abramoff's credit card account number and to a copy of a travel invoice displaying that number.
DeLay's expenses during the same trip for food, phone calls and other items at a golf course hotel in Scotland were billed to a different credit card also used on the trip by a second registered Washington lobbyist, Edwin A. Buckham, according to receipts documenting that portion of the trip.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12416-2005Apr23.html
THE SICKO EXTREMIST STRUGGLE TO REMAIN MORAL WHILE THEY ADVOCATE FOR 'PRE-EMPTION' IN PERSONAL CITIZENS LIVES. WHAT?
A grass-roots doctrine of preemption
By Jeffrey Shaffer
PORTLAND, ORE. – President Bush has never backed away from his doctrine of preemption to justify ousting Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq - and the idea of "hitting them before they hit us" has become a cornerstone of the global fight against Al Qaeda.
As the war on terror continues, I'll be curious to see how the notion of preemptive action percolates into other aspects of American culture.
If there is decisive and compelling evidence that something terrible is about to happen, taking steps to head off the problem before it occurs seems perfectly reasonable. And in the realm of international relations, a high danger level is the standard argument for using preemptive military action.
So, does this philosophy have implications for our everyday lives? I pondered that recently while standing next to an irate customer in a bank lobby.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0729/p09s03-cojs.html
B.C. port walkout strands goods
By Christopher Donville
Bloomberg News
As a work stoppage by truckers at the Vancouver, B.C., port drags into its fifth week, Peter Slupski worries his wine isn't going to make it.
The importer has 26,400 bottles of Australian chardonnay and shiraz, valued at about $277,000, stuck in two nonrefrigerated shipping containers.
"It could all be going bad," said Slupski, president of Vinterra Wine Merchants of Vancouver. "It may be OK if they're at the bottom of the pile. Who knows?"
Independent truckers are demanding higher hauling fees to cover their soaring fuel costs, and their protest is stranding goods from Slupski's wine to Chinese shoes and tires from Japan at Canada's busiest port.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002410553_truckstrike30.html
Karl Rove on Welfare
Karl Rove on Welfare
by Ralph Nader
Remember the day after the election last November, a triumphant newly elected (for the first time) President George W. Bush introduced to a national television audience a beaming Karl Rove as "The Architect" of his winning campaign. Did you know that you, the taxpayers, paid for his salary and benefits while he was running George W. Bush’s political campaign day after day inside the White House?
Isn’t this illegal, you may properly ask? It would be if it were a staff member of a Senator or Representative in the Congress. Any such staffers would have to take an unpaid leave of absence, leave their office and set up shop somewhere else to work on their boss’s re-election campaign. To do this on the Congressional payroll would be illegal.
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=7292
The Repuglicans can start cutting back the budget on programs like this that is nothing but pork with no real meaning for energy or the best interest of the people of this nation.
House OKs energy bill laden with tax breaks Measure seeks to build up domestic oil production
Washington -- The House approved an energy bill Thursday that will provide billions of dollars in tax breaks to boost domestic energy production, over the objections of lawmakers who called the measure a costly giveaway to the energy industry.
The Republican-controlled House easily passed the bill on a 249-183 vote, despite fights over drilling in the Alaskan wilderness and whether to protect the oil industry from lawsuits over the fuel additive MTBE, which has contaminated drinking water in states from California to Maine.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/04/22/MNG45CDDBS1.DTL
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