News:
In a ruling that could have big implications for whistle-blowers, as well as for the oil and gas industry, a federal judge in Denver has overturned a jury’s verdict in favor of former Interior Department auditor Bobby Maxwell, who revealed that the Kerr-McGee Corporation cheated the government out of millions of dollars’ worth of royalties for oil and gas pumped in publicly owned coastal waters. The judge did not dispute that Maxwell had uncovered cheating by the company, nor the fact that Mr. Maxwell filed his lawsuit as a private citizen after senior Interior Department officials ordered him to abandon his findings. The judge did, however, rule that Maxwell was ineligible to sue Kerr-McGee as a private citizen because he had gathered most of his evidence while on the job, deciding so last week after consistently rejecting that same argument from Kerr-McGee throughout the trial.
Ok who
Put this judge on the bench? He is legislating form the bench and it is against everything that is good in the world.
FREE LEONARD PELTIER
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By rlm_dcbApril 3, 2007 - 9:33amHe's a BUSH nominee -- perhaps his record should be
looked at?
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. " -John F. Kennedy
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By HobbitGoddessApril 3, 2007 - 9:40amWhy look at his record?
Just look at his actions. It is so obvious when these types of issues, and conflicts come up we can see for ourselves the disparity between what's good for the country and us tax payers vs. big business.
All that is wrong with America has its roots in business.
Oh, not to mention religion. Hanging and burning people didn't go over that well either.
Screwing everyone and stealing tax payers dollars seems to be the norm for business here. Sorry I don't play along.
Homey don't play that game. Go to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $2,000,000.00 tax breaks.
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By BastiatApril 3, 2007 - 8:02pmBecause his RECORD is a public RECORD of his CRIMES
Bastiat -- his actions and his record are interchangeable.
Like most neandercons, he can be hoisted on his own record. These arrogant putzes don't think they've done anything wrong - but his record proves otherwise.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. " -John F. Kennedy
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By HobbitGoddessApril 3, 2007 - 8:24pmOMG! A judge legislating from the bench???
Those damn liberals, changing laws with a maverick judge. It makes me soooooooo mad....wait...you say he actually ruled FOR the business and against that traitorous whistleblower...the judge is a conservative...God, I love this country!
My apologies for any sarcasm overdose you may have suffered from this post!
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By UffdaguyApril 3, 2007 - 9:47amOkay
So the verdict's overturned. That means the Interior Department can't collect the back royalties.
Any chance of the IRS coming in and doing a full audit now? Maybe collecting some back taxes and penalties? Those might add up to the same amount previously judged owed.
*knocks* Anyone awake in there, IRS? You're up...
For the ordinary American, the price of "New Democracy" in other countries is the death of real democracy at home. ~~~Arundhati Roy
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By nonexistent manApril 3, 2007 - 10:16amThe US Atty in DC just botched an IRS case
sighted the wrong statute and lost $100,000 of taxes owed.
Until we clean out the appointed "loyal bushies" we have no fargin justice system.
"The attitude is we live and let live. This is actually an amazing change in values in a rather short time and it's an example of freedom from religion."--Thomas Wolfe UI
One election at a time......
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By pb_trueApril 3, 2007 - 10:20amAnd did he get to keep his job?
If yes. WHY? HOW? Says who?
More of this funny business and I might just..............go get another beer.
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By BastiatApril 3, 2007 - 8:07pmJust another case of screw
Just another case of screw the consumer, we all should just walk away from everything for a day no electricity, gas, water, nothing. see what happens then. BIRKEYES SUCKS!
We don't have to change HUMANKIND in order to survive.
We only have to change a single culture.--Daniel Quinn-The Story Of B,1996 bantam books
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By bigbluenat4April 3, 2007 - 2:09pmNATIONAL STRIKE.
This certainly is NOT the issue to press... but we should all consider the tactic of a NATIONAL STRIKE to cause the voice of the people to be heard loud and strong.
I DO NOT ADVOCATE IT... as it is a sign of a dysfunctional society.
CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS instead.
.
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By A GApril 3, 2007 - 2:38pmWonder how much this clown was paid ... and by whom.
"I encourage you all to go shopping more." George "Chimpy" Bush, 12/20/06.
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By Pookie2112April 3, 2007 - 2:52pmIn other words,
it is up to the "Justice" department to do so. We will have to wait for a democratic administration to provide justice to the taxpayers, assuming it is not Hillary anyway.
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By AntillectualApril 3, 2007 - 5:36pmThis news item has
A very high Twilight Zone content.
Meet Bobby Maxwell. He seems like a normal Interior Department official. Just doing his job like every other day. Until he encounters Kerr-McGee and a Republican judge in...
The Twilight Zone
Te te dee dee te te dee dee...
Poor Bastard. He does everthing right and gets clobbered. He should be a hero.
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By patfanApril 3, 2007 - 7:41pmApril 3, 2007 — The
April 3, 2007 — The security situation in Baghdad has improved enough that the Iraqi government is going to shorten the capital's imposed curfew.
Residents will be allowed on the streets until 10 p.m., which adds two hours to the cutoff time that existed when U.S. and Iraqi troops began neighborhood sweeps in February.
While Baghdad is still rocked by car bombs every day, right in the center of the city a small area of relative calm has emerged, thanks to the stepped-up U.S. patrols and increased Iraqi checkpoints.
While it remains dangerous for Westerners to travel out of doors in the city, ABC's Terry McCarthy has spent the past week visiting five Baghdad neighborhoods where the locals said life is slowly coming back to normal.
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By kaos kaosApril 3, 2007 - 8:26pmMcCain was WRONG -- from the NY Times
“What are they talking about?
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By HobbitGoddessApril 3, 2007 - 8:43pmMcCarthy visited Haifa
McCarthy visited Haifa Street, otherwise known as "Sniper Street," as it has been considered one of the most dangerous parts of the city.
Now, people who live on Haifa Street say the violence is subdued enough that they can venture back onto the street.
At one tea shop a group of men actually asked the ABC News crew to film them to show life as it returns to normal.
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By kaos kaosApril 3, 2007 - 10:00pmYou are a complete and utter fraud.....
...brik. You are not fooling me for a second.
Does the board really need some fake caricature of a con to get things going? No...
We have enough authentic dunderheads posting for that.
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By SgtDApril 3, 2007 - 10:46pmIf he is an AAR shill, his heart isn't in it. We want someone
who REALLY TRIES to piss us off. Not this cheap DT knockoff.
Silence = Acquiescence
Pull the troops out now.
"You're not making the rules. You used to when you had this (holding up the gavel). You don't do this anymore. Elections have consequences. " - Barbra Boxer (my new hero)
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By centeristaApril 3, 2007 - 10:48pmAAR isn't doing it....
...it's one of the regulars I suspect.
McCarthey visits Haifa.....classic.
Theres enough authentic posters to stir the pot....for some reason this imposter torques me.
It's obvious to me but I guess the folks that riff of his crap don't mind their village idiot....
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By SgtDApril 3, 2007 - 10:52pmby SgtD on April 3, 2007 - 9:52pm
He's easy enough to ignore. I see he's taken to just repeating other people's posts. I imagine it's just some little brat that comes here when he's through playing with his G.I. Joe's & torturing small animals.
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By Guy FawkesApril 3, 2007 - 10:57pmDoes the board really need some fake caricature of a con
Does the board really need some fake caricature of a con
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By kaos kaosApril 3, 2007 - 10:51pmNo...
...go away...
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By SgtDApril 3, 2007 - 10:53pmThe security situation in
The security situation in Baghdad has improved enough that the Iraqi government is going to shorten the capital's imposed curfew.
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By kaos kaosApril 3, 2007 - 10:51pmHmmmm.....
Well now that this information is public knowledge, Why can't 'we the people' file a class action lawsuit against the offending energy companies? Any lawyers out there?
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By roadgoddessApril 4, 2007 - 2:00amThe brief heading to the
threat introduction suggested the plaintiff had no standing which means Maxwell's case is dead but the concept of "fruit of a poison tree" being inadmissible has been pretty much ignored by government lawyers in recent years. This principle meant useful, factual information whose gathering possibly involved improper methods was inadmissible in court. The government has gotten its hand-picked and hand packed Repug appointed judges to allow almost any type of evidence if found useful by the government, even if normal people can not. This would suggest that the government can still pursue the case....IF they wanted to but what is the probability of that as long as the US Attorneys who DO play ball with Bushites, the only ones left, are the ones we much rely on to push the case?
Even if Bush is long gone in 08, his legacy of corrupt civil servants, judges, and a whole array of laws will haunt the US for decades. A new administration might be able to appoint new USA's they will not be able to weed out the political hack judges and middle level managers who can stifle any attempts to return democracy to America for a very long time. No president has done more long term damage to the nation than this one, Iraq and mere lies are minor short term offenses compared to what long term effects the systemic corruptions, incompetence, and outright crime that will continue for years.
It might even get worse than better, they still have control of information and "news" media, and have managed to dumb down the entire American populace, whereas the vast majority have no interest or knowledge of what is lost or how things could be. Still the majority, when read sections of the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights claim such words are "communistic propaganda", the work of the devil or whatever. Ask a typical voter to describe without slogans or talking point quotes why they vote a certain way or to support their opinions based on some diligent thought or judgment and they are lost.
Progressive values are not easily reduced to 2-3 word sound bites, a background of social and ethical philosophy is needed and that is sadly missing from the typical voters skill set. Very few people can describe the origins of their opinions coming anything other than blind faith. It might take 50 years to undo the last 6 years assuming all is events are on the most positive side after 08. It might be too late for the US society to ever regain democratic principles or an improved quality of life for the masses. The future might be unkind the the US when so many developing countries and cultures are making wiser moves and show upward trend lines while all measures of personal freedom, quality of life, world knowledge, and personal competency of American life are trending downward. It is sad, that is the real legacy of the Bushites. That will not be reversed by merely putting a new person in the White House.
We as Americans can not assume the social contract with our government is still in our best interests and we must create a new relationship with the government and our community. Gone is the concept of representative government. Repealing any laws and regulations that give the corporations all the rights of citizens and none of the responsibilities. Corporations have a Super citizen status that is found in the vast majority of law and regulation. Why? That is certainly not needed for business to thrive, if anything it causes business to lose creativity and sense of repsonsibility. US corps are losing ground on every other country's businesses yet they get unbelievable benefit and support from the government. Having that All rights/No responsibility relationship with society has actually damaged US business to make is uncompetitive with the rest of the world and has crushed the wellbeing and spirit of the citizens.
Under current thinking in the US, the oil company in this case has more rights than the citizens who were damaged and harmed. And Americans in general are so used to that view that they tend not to see a problem with it. This is because the Shrubsters have been able to convince the people that rights are derived from the government. Jefferson would shit if he knew how that view had become dominate when the whole concept of the US was that all rights came from the people and government was to be given rights sparingly and non-permanently by the people and only when it was for the good of the people. Any other form of relationship was to be overthrown as over stepping the rights granted by the people. If the people believe there is a right to health care, it is not the governments position to oppose it for example but only to implement it. If corporations are infringing on the wellbeing of citizens, the government is given rights to suppress those actions, not defend the corporations against the people. When corporations were given status above that of human citizens, they became the lords of the government.
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By StanjApril 4, 2007 - 4:54amStan, well said !
You wrote,
Still the majority, when read sections of the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights claim such words are "communistic propaganda", the work of the devil or whatever. Ask a typical voter to describe without slogans or talking point quotes why they vote a certain way or to support their opinions based on some diligent thought or judgment and they are lost.
-------------------------------------------
This rant I targeted at one of our con trolls relates to your above post:
hatemoron,is it the egalitarian part of democracy that you hate?
What parts of democracy do you hate?
Is it the egalitarian parts?
Ya know,the equal justice,race equality,gender equality,enfranchisement equality?
Is it the "equality" part in Jefferson's Declaration?
or is it the word "EQUALITY" itself that throws you cons into hysterical genuflecting regarding Marx?
Me thinks you hate that the economic system of capiatlism is SUBSERVIENT to our political system of DEMOCRACY of WE the PEOPLE !
You cons want it the other way around!
And you cons hate that WE THE PEOPLE have equal rights in voting and making the rules of the game.
According to SANE republican Kevin Phillips, author of “Wealth & Democracy
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By AfricaBambaApril 4, 2007 - 3:16pmDeaths in Baghdad Lowest
Deaths in Baghdad Lowest Rate since early 2005 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/baghdad_navigator/
A major success that has helped to keep sectarian tensions at bay (deaths in Baghdad are at the lowest rate since March of 2005) has been the sidelining of Muqtada al Sadr and the fracturing of his Mahdi Army. We've noted this process has been ongoing for almost a year, and the Sadr's flight to Iran has destroyed his command and control over the militia. "Sadr has had trouble both leading and controlling his movement from afar, [Pentagon Officials] said, as his absence has encouraged subordinates and earlier rivals to move in on his turf," the Washington Post notes today. "It's clear that he does not control all the organization. There are splinter groups that don't answer and won't answer to him, particularly since he is in Tehran now," a senior Pentagon official told the Post. While EFP [Explosively Formed Projectiles] attacks are increasing in some neighborhoods, overall the number of EFP attacks are down. U.S. forces just captured another member of an EFP cell in Sadr City. While many view the splintering of the Mahdi Army as a negative, the fact is that the most extreme elements were never going to accept a political solution, as they answer to their Iranian masters. The more moderate elements are now free from Sadr and Iran's influence. The Mahdi split has weakened Sadr politically and has exposed his operation as an Iranian foil. Sadr has portrayed himself as an Iraqi patriot, but the longer he stays in Iran while the Iranian Qods Force cannibalizes his militia, the more his influence in Iraq will wane. Much like the split in the Mahdi Army, the fault lines within the Sunni insurgency are now becoming apparent. The 1920s Revolution Brigades, which is one of the four most influential Sunni insurgent groups in Iraq, has now split into two factions: al-Jihad al-Islami (Islamic Jihad) Corps and the al-Fatih al-Islami (Islamic Conquest or Hamas). The Hamas branch has sided with al Qaeda in Iraq, while the Islamic Jihad faction opposes joining al Qaeda. Large elements of the 1920s Revolution Brigades in Anbar province have already thrown in their lot with the Anbar Salvation Council, which is actively hunting al Qaeda.The splitting of the Sunni insurgency and the advancement of the reconciliation process is key to isolating al Qaeda and providing intelligence on the network. Coalition forces detained 11 al Qaeda suspects, including six near the Syrian border and five in Karma. Karma has been a hotbed of al Qaeda activity of late.
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By kaos kaosApril 5, 2007 - 12:56ambrikey-boy's cut & paste says
blah, blah, blah....................................................................................................................................................................................
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By Guy FawkesApril 5, 2007 - 2:02amjust scroll right by.....la la la la la la la .........
Watch what cons DO, not what cons SAY !!! (Hypocrisy)
Exposing the CON in CONservative !!!
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By AfricaBambaApril 5, 2007 - 12:49pm