In the Company of Scoundrels

Grover Norquist and the felonious Jack Abramoff

"Abramoff would have had no value without Norquist," said J. Michael Waller, a scholar at the Institute of World Politics who followed the two men at College Republicans. "Norquist was the pivot, he had the speaker of the House as his friend, all the new leadership, all the visionaries for more than a decade."

Abramoff was convicted of fraud and tax evasion in 2006. He was recently released from prison and now he's busy hawking his new book "Capital Punishment" with includes four pages of fodder pertaining to Alabama, Indian gaming money and influence buying  His long-time friend and money funneler, Grover Norquist, emerged miraculously unscathed from Abramoff's scandalous criminal enterprise and is "living well."

Grover is continuing to wreak havoc on America's political process while earning himself a fat stipend in the process. He's still up to his old tricks that he learned from his galloping days with Abramoff, and hasn't changed his political stripes one bit--even though he really deserves stripes of the black and white hue furnished by the federal penal system.

He's a scoundrel, a mighty mouse motormouth who deceives sheeple voters, conservative groups and willing politicians with red-hot anti-government rhetoric he's paid to deliver by the biggest special interests around: the Koch Brothers. In the republican world 'special interest' is a dirty word, a scourge to be rooted out and banished from existence before it "destroys America"--unless it's on the 'right' side of the equation.

Norquist plays that fiddle with all the dexterity of Nero inciting the right wing masses to dance in rapturous approval oblivious to the fact that real democracy is burning:

Today, GOP politicians who have signed Norquist's anti-tax pledge include every top Republican running for president, 13 governors, 1,300 state lawmakers, 40 of the 47 Republicans in the Senate, and 236 of the 242 Republicans in the House. What's more, the GOP's Tea Party foot soldiers are marshaled by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor – a veteran of Norquist's farm team, who first signed the pledge as an ambitious member of the Virginia legislature. Under Cantor's leadership, Norquist's anti-tax pledge was directly responsible for last summer's debt-ceiling standoff that wrecked the nation's credit rating by leading the nation to the brink of default. "Congress was willing to cause severe economic damage to the entire population," marvels Paul O'Neill, Bush's former Treasury secretary, "simply because they were slaves to an idiot's idea of how the world works."

Grover's undue influence has managed to rope-a-dope numerous Alabama politicians into signing his infamous pledge--a pledge that demands allegiance to Norquist first, and the respective office of the promised politician last.

Some conservative outlets recognize a street fighting omnipotent thug when they see one as Joseph Farah wrote for the ultra-conservative website World Net Daily in October of 2011:

Grover Norquist represents a grave danger to the conservative movement – and thus to the future of America. In my view, if America is to be saved from the gruesome fate of its current projector, the conservative movement will need to play a major corrective role. I simply don't see how that is possible when it is compromised, infiltrated and misdirected by people like Grover Norquist who are covertly promoting an agenda that is not only unconservative but, frankly, un-American.

Alabama doesn't get it and some of our political leaders made a deal with devil by signing Norquist's pledge despite what's known about him. Farah continues:

Over many years, he has carefully constructed a power base for himself inside the movement through relationships, favors, money, introductions. His official resume looks strong. And few of those he has worked with over the years are prepared to defy him, question his funding, investigate his friendships or connect the dots of his many and varied and sometimes seemingly contradictory alliances.

The GOP party in Alabama proudly places a high priority on morals, ethics, religion and keeping the right kind of company, lest they be judged by socializing with unsavory sorts who may tarnish their carefully polished public images. Ironically, those carefully crafted images are being peeled back through Abramoff's confessions and the Norquist element, revealing the gigantic hypocrisy within their party and what really happened in Alabama:

Abramoff's book does not detail how the $20 million was spent in Alabama over the course of five years. Part of his crimes included overcharging his clients and pocketing the extra money.
Abramoff said he "war-gamed" the Alabama strategy with his partner Michael Scanlon, who also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Abramoff wrote that conservative activist Ralph Reed, whom he enlisted to help on the Alabama anti-gambling campaign, didn't want his "co-religionists" to know the operation was financed with gambling money.

The way in for Abramoff's scheme was to rapture the religious right and the Christian Coalition's Ralph Reed was the go to guy to pull that maneuver off successfully:

"It was obvious to me that the only way to stop Siegelman, MacGregor (sic) and the Poarch Creeks was to organize the Christians," Abramoff wrote. "Ralph could do this in his sleep."
"Our efforts for the Choctaw in Alabama were extensive and expensive, and included radio and television advertising," he wrote. "We organized scores of pastors and voters to lay siege to the statehouse and the governor's office." 

Former Alabama Governor Bob Riley (now a Washington lobbyist who's also "living well") was the brains behind anti-gambling in Alabama. Riley's connections to Abramoff's 'injun money' didn't dull the fool's gold shimmer of his own political legacy. Like Norquist, he walked away scot-free--a beneficiary of blind justice and the larger-than-life obvious corrupt behavior, deflected by "I didn't know" weak explanations:

The book does not mention the financial donations that Scanlon made to Republican groups and PACs that in turn made donations to Siegelman's anti-lottery Republican opponent, Bob Riley. Scanlon, who worked for Riley briefly in Congress in 1997, never made a direct personal donation to Riley. But Scanlon's public relations consulting firm gave more than $650,000 during that election cycle to four entities that contributed large sums to Riley's campaign. 

A half-sighted man in dark woods could have seen how unsavory that situation was. The corruption, payoffs and influence buying coupled with the complete disregard for ethics is revolting beyond the pale. Everyone involved with Abramoff is tainted. Not everyone involved with him is in jail. Or judged with the same standards the upright Christian soldiers apply to the democrats and any of their special interest groups.

This is why republicans are the epitome of hypocrisy and ridiculed for their many positions on policy matters--do as we say, not as we do. It's becoming increasingly clear to us that 'Christian' is rapidly gaining the notoriety usually associated with a four-letter word. The more the right makes excuses for, and turns a blind eye to, the systemic and pervasive corruption operating within their own ranks, the less credible they appear on anything.

So Say We The Opinion Board Of The Vincent Alabama Confidential 

*Abramoff interview with Lawrence O'Donnell 
Precursor to Abramoff book from 2009 "So Damn Much Money" 

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Here We Go Again: State Embarassment # ----- (Too High To Count)

Sign of the times outside Montgomery, Alabama on I-65

*Updated October 5th
BAY MINETTE, Ala. -- A civil liberties group (ACLU) said Friday that an Alabama town should not start an alternative sentencing program that would give non-violent offenders a new choice: Go to jail, or go to church.

Translation according to Bay Minette: Attend one of our 56 county approved for your salvation churches or go to hell jail.

This might (emphasis added) be a good solution if the idea included any religious affiliation as a choice, but it doesn't, and we see it as an attempt to force a particular religious view on a 'captive' audience. A better option may have been community service or drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs for substance abusers.

There's just one problem with that according to Bay Minette Police Chief Michael Rowland: "There aren't no thirty-day drug rehabilitation programs." Who needs medically-based treatment programs when you have the Holy Ghost, right?

We acknowledge the intent of offering offenders a choice to attend a "north Baldwin County church for one year" may be borne in good intentions, but it's wrongheaded and feeds into the national perception of Alabama as a bible-thumping, judgmental and intolerant state that only accepts a fundamentalist Christian point of view to the exclusion of any other religions or even atheism.

We believe Bay Minette has adopted a stance that many outside of the south will view as a throwback to Alabama's past that never went away.

Harper Lee's legendary story "To Kill A Mockingbird" was the basis for an essay she wrote on the intolerance of Alabama during the 1930's and the rigid mindset of Christians in the small town of Maycomb, which was fictional in name only:

Religion was an important factor in the life of the town, with “foot washers”, on the way to buy supplies, going through the streets imposing their ideas and ideals on people. The beliefs about how one should live ones life leads to narrow minded bigotry.

Recall the Mack truck sized gaff by Governor Robert Bentley on his inauguration day that blew up in the media with all the fury of a Klan cross lighting and furthered the concept of 'same old Alabama':

''Now I will have to say that, if we don't have the same daddy, we're not brothers and sisters. So anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother."

Alabama does not need anymore black eyes in the bad publicity department. The governor and state economic developers are pushing for foreign companies to come to the state and set up businesses to infuse our failing economy and help reverse high unemployment numbers. Bay Minette is not helping in that endeavor.

Proving to potential corporations that you are a "world class state" and firmly moving forward with the times is a big part of the attraction equation. Where does this archaic idea of 'church or hell jaill' fit into it?

What's next? Bringing back the chain gangs? Governor, what say you? On second thought, maybe you best not. That hasn't gone well in the past.

Church going is vitally important to the Alabama Governor. In fact, it might be, in his righteous minded view of things, what qualified him for the challenges of Alabama's highest public office:

"Listen, if you can be the Chairman of the Deacons for a large First Baptist Church that goes through a minister change and a music change you can do just about anything," Bentley said.

What will his response be to the bad press about Bay Minette's ROC program? Will he excuse it as 'the work of sinful liberals' who "don't understand the ways of the good folks of Alabama" or will he reel them back onto the plantation knowing they're putting him into a 'umm..governor about that..' position again?

That's the irony of this whole mess--foreign countries (and most of America) does not follow the pervasive fundamentalist Christian and Southern Baptist doctrine that accounts for the largest majority of believers in the state. We think Alabama needs to wise up and understand, like it or not, we're in the 21st century and the eyes of the world stage are watching what we do more than they think.

Especially when state officials have been jet-setting around globally, meeting big lobbyists on yachts, and proclamating grand promises (read: state income deleting tax breaks) of handing out incentives galore to entice foreign corporations to 'come on in.'

Bay Minette's local government backed ploy jeopardizes the states 'mission' by assuming no one will really notice 'whut we're doing down heah.' It got noticed alright. Big time.

What does Alabama assume foreign investors and business owners will think when they take notice of a community adopting positions, that for all intents and purposes, demands Christian repentance or burning in hell?

Or maybe this is a smoke-screen of sorts. A carefully crafted what they thought would be  positive PR message. Is Bay Minette really trying to save souls or is the true intention county money for politically connected economic developers? It won't be the first time Jesus was trotted out to pull a fast one over on the folks.

Whatever their real reason is, they stepped in it and there will be hell to pay for it.

So Say We The Opinion Board Of The Vincent Alabama Confidential 

 *Update--"Alabama town's church or jail now awaits Attorney General's opinion"
*photo credit: tumblr.com

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The $7 Billion Dollar 'Plan' from Brent Buchanan of Public Strategy Associates, Ameri-Metro and Alabama Toll Facilties, Inc

*Updated 9/22

In a story that ran on September 20th, in north Alabama's Decatur Daily, Shah Mathias CEO of Ameri-Metro (AM) "working with a well-known Montgomery political consultant, Brent Buchanan" issued a press release for a "$7 billion dollar highway and rail project" connecting Orange Beach, Alabama to the Tennessee state line. The contract for the project was claimed to be "awarded by Alabama Toll Facilities, Inc. to an AM subsidiary, Global Transportation and Infrastructure, Inc."

Alabama Toll Facilities was granted rights to build the 300 mile road by the Alabama legislature through a Senate Joint Resolution-SJR56 signed by Governor Riley on June 15, 2007.

The news stories on AM's proposal are chock full of visions of grandeur that bear an uncanny resemblance to another similar April 2000 scheme from Alabama's past: Motivity, Inc.

That pie-in-sky-idea, exposed by the Mobile Press-Register's Connie Baggett, claimed to be capable of constructing a "multi-billion dollar transportation corridor connecting Chicago to the Alabama coast by toll road and high speed rail." Motivity assured officials they wouldn't require any money from state or federal sources and would "fund the project through bonds" and backing from "unnamed European investors."

Former Alabama Governor Siegleman went along with the idea initially, in addition to the legislature, who passed a resolution allowing private toll road companies to enter into projects with the state.

It turned out to be a "hazy dream" scheme.

To Alabama's credit, they did catch on to the ruse and Motivity, Inc. moved on to Tennessee where they left officials there "shaking their heads" about the "unusual consortium of little known-businesses" involved in a M3 superconductor plant they claimed they were near completion on in 2001.

Similar to the AM project, a small town LLC from Scotsboro, Alabama was involved by way of Motivity, Inc. Did Mr. Buchanan, AM and Jack Garrison, owner of Alabama Toll Faculties, Inc. come up with this brand-new-same-old shell game ploy on their own, or are they simply trying the same trick again with a different approach?

Jeff Amy, from the Press-Register, writes in a September 21 news story that "Alabama Toll Facilities secured a nonbinding state legislative resolution supporting the project in 2007" during the Riley administration.

Nothing about this project makes a lick of sense, but it has appearances of the smoke and mirrors moves that we would expect from Alabama governmental relations agencies like the Public Strategy Associates and its founding partner Mr. Buchanan.

Who is Alabama Toll Facilities, Inc.?

According to GuideStar, it's a small company run out of a house located in Hartselle, Alabama (see below pic) that hasn't got very much in the way of assets and capital according to the last three IRS filings under a 501 (c)(3) status:

2006

2007

2008

Where are the subsequent years filings for 2009 and 2010? How much money is being donated to this company and by whose authority are they able to "award a $7 billion dollar contract" to anyone? 

Mr. Garrison tried this ploy once before, according to a story in the Times Daily by Bernie Delinski from August 26,1993. Garrison was aided by then state Representative Johnny Mack Morrow-D Russellville in his push for a statewide toll road that would have "run from Huntsville to Mobile."

"The entire project is expected to create about 150,000 construction jobs, as well as 2,000-3,000 permanent jobs, Garrison said. "Imagine all the businesses springing up from this," he said.

It never materialized.

We wonder what Mr. Buchanan's take in all of this is. Alabama republicans are so desperate to adhere to their "handshake with Alabama" and privatize everything in sight that they often forget to exercise basic sound judgement in their zeal to rebuild the state economy. Buchanan's pedigree puts him smack in the center of the Alabama Republican machine according to LinkedIn:

Business Council of Alabama, Alabama Broadcasters Association, EMERGE Montgomery, Young Montgomerians' Business Club, Capital City Young Republicans, Alabama Council of Association Executives, Alabama Republican Party, State Lobbyists and Government Relations Professional Networking Group

This project could be one of those do anything to make the public think we're doing something right for unemployment and economic development despite red flags aplenty, but so far, most state officials are standing on the 'Who and what are you talking about?' platform.

If this proposal is on the up and up, then fine, be more transparent about it Buchanan and company. If it's not, and we suspect it isn't, then how do you explain your deep involvement? Since PSA considers itself a "top tier" organization of professionals one would think your "experienced professionals" would spend more time researching your clients and projects before becoming so intimately involved with their business proposals.

Considering who PSA has helped elect to public office in Alabama that may be a bit too much to hope for granted.

How do you gentlemen propose to acquire the vast amount of land the highway and rail lines would require? Eminent domain perhaps? That should float with all the buoyancy of a lead-filled balloon over the heads of the affected populace.

From where we sit, this has all the trappings of a scheme to fleece the people of Alabama (and probably federal taxpayers too) to the tune of billions. It looks more like the work of a flim-flam man in cahoots with an unusual emporium of shady characters than men with a clear vision of reality.

(to be continued as additional details emerge) 

So Say We The Opinion Board Of The Vincent Alabama Confidential

*Update 9/22--Ameri-Metro underfunded--CEO Mathias accused of child sex offenses in Pennsylvania
Toll Roads News--"300 mile $7B Alabama pike gets dream publicity--but is it a dream?"
9/26--Mobile PR's George Talbot's Political Skinny: "Buchanan distances himself from toll road builder" "Toll road a 'fantasy'

Editor’s note—we’ve received emails from someone representing themselves as Brent Buchanan who takes issue with our opinions on this scam project. Mr. Buchanan accuses us of “falsehoods” and requests that we “remove accusations about me from your blog” and stands behind his involvement as “just the guy who hit send” on the press release saying that "If the Ameri Metro project actually happens, good.  If not, it’s a good idea for the future that started a good conversation.”
We’re allowed an opinion on issues in the public’s interest Mr. Buchanan. Which part of the story did we get wrong exactly? The conversation was “good” for whom in your opinion?
The first email from the alleged Mr. Buchanan came in a@ 5:24 PM yesterday. One minute before that transmission, another email came in @ 5:23 PM with an attachment that contained a virus with a surveillance program embedded in the download. We didn’t open either and sent it on to our tech guru who discovered the issue. Are these two events connected? We’re not sure, but the timing is odd.
If Mr. Buchanan is so gung ho about the toll road fiasco and remains comfortable continuing his involvement with the shady group proposing this project, then perhaps he can go onto the comment boards in the newspapers and defend the idea. We don’t expect he’ll do that because the public, judging from the overwhelming comments declaring the whole idea one big scam, would have a field day with him.
In light of the new information emerging about Ameri Metro, perhaps the “Christ follower(s)” time would be better spent praying for the whole thing to just go away.
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The Rachel Maddow Show and Governor Rick Perry's 'Bird Lady'

The mystery of the bird deaths in Arkansas have officially been solved!

On the September 19th edition of the TRMS, Cindy Jacobs of General's International, one of the endorsers of Governor Perry's not so thrilling recent stadium prayer event in Texas, explains how she has it all figured out about why those birds hurled themselves to the ground by the hundreds in the dark of a Beebe, Arkansas night earlier this year.

It sounds like she might also be on to the cause of the mass drum fish die-off that blanketed the Arkansas River by the thousands.

It's all because of "Don't Ask Don't Tell."

Really it is. She's certain of it. 2:06 mark in the segment

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Not surprisingly, Governor Perry polls high among evangelical Alabama voters who like their fire and brimstone hotter than forty hells with a lot of lofty judge-you-oh-yes-I-will on the side for good measure.

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New York Times: "An Alabama State Senator as Polarizing as the Issues" Senator Scott Beason-R

Story by: Campbell Robertson

Published on page A13 of the NYT July 13, 2011

GARDENDALE, Ala. — Newspaper editorials have called him treasonous. The N.A.A.C.P. has called for his resignation. Chamber of commerce groups and civil libertarians have found common cause in disgruntlement, and a Republican sheriff more or less accused him of being an accessory to any deaths that take place in his county. 

Matt Fabian, the managing director for Municipal Market Advisors, said that for years there has been a mutual understanding among investors, bond issuers and politicians that contracts and debts would be honored, no matter what it took. The rise of Mr. Beason and other anti-tax hawks has threatened that understanding, he said. 

“He is the embodiment of that trend that we worry about,” said Mr. Fabian, who has been advising investors to be wary of buying any Alabama debt. 

In the end, Mr. Beason’s biggest liability may rise from his attempt in the casino case, as he described it on the witness stand, to “do whatever I could to help get the bad guys.” Already irked that he wore a wire in closed caucus meetings, some Republicans say that the fallout has seriously jeopardized his leadership of the rules committee, not to mention his future political ambitions.

Read more here

Politics and FBI snitches make for strange bedfellows. The worse the politics, the higher the snitch’s value. Usually.

The FBI focuses its statistics of effectiveness on power, lies and corruption. And politicians are always generous when it comes to scandal. Some are generous when it comes to being turncoats on their own party members.

Kickbacks. Treachery. Buffoonery. All courtesy of “The Candidate-esque” Senator Scott Beason and his greedy band of legislative brothers, like Rep. Barry Mask-R and former Rep.Terry Spicer-D, currently the Superintendent of Elba Schools, along with a few other assorted elected crooks officials. The bed of lies and payola being uncovered in Montgomery is messier than a two-day old hotel room during spring break, but it’s turning out some interesting couplings in Alabama politics that are sure to result in future check-ins at the Hotel Fed before it’s all done.

A few careers will crackle out and political derailment is all but certain for the main player: Senator Beason, who in his zeal to play an under-handed game of gotcha, wound up twisting in his own cover.

For those lucky enough to live outside of the state of Corruptabubba, the following video is a primer on the background of gambling in Alabama, Bingo Bob, smarmy politicians and the decades-old deceit galore that brings us to the trial now going on in Montgomery.

There are connections to indicted criminals MichaelScanlon, a former Riley press secretary, and Jack Abramoff, Riley *email pal, that are difficult to tune out. In a separate report, from Countdown on MSNBC, Senator John McCain became part of the Abramoff/Riley story with McCain acting as a 'protector' for Mr. Riley and his Abramoff tie. (*2:28 mark video link)

The trial in Montgomery is yanking back the sheets on all the dirty dealings from Goat Hill. Potentially explosive scandals, double-dealing and deceit are all being uncovered through the clandestine wire recordings--making for some 'high value' and intriguing pillow talk via the snitches that got in bed with the feds.

Senator Beason tried to parlay his value as an FBI snitch into something more. 

It was a gamble that didn't pay off.


Photo credit: Keating's Desk

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Sustainable Ecosystems and Community News--Book Review: "Currents of Deceit"

Amazon.com one-click ordering

On April 20, 2010, the infamous BP oil rig exploded. Americans and the rest of the world alike were in shock and feared how much oil would be released and how much damage it would do. After three months, the spillage of the oil was stopped and restoration has slowly begun. But what if there was a spill of something invisible and the company responsible wanted to keep it a secret. In the book Currents of Deceit, Professor Ronald Perkins writes about such a situation.

Currents of Deceit begins with Scott Simmons, a marine biologist with the Florida Fisheries Commission, and his girlfriend Linda Stevens, a graduate student in biochemistry. Perkins also wrote himself into the book as Dr. Alexander, Linda’s old professor, a character based on his own experiences and interests. In the book, Simmons and Stevens find unusually high levels of PCBs and mercury in fish from the local market They are immediately intrigued and worried by their discovery.

Read more here

Would a company purposefully and knowingly keep a dangerous environmental and public health threat secret in the name of profit? It's a rhetorical question of course because it happens all the time with pernicious consequences. What happens when the governmental regulatory agency, the EPA, participates in this kind of subterfuge by relying on powerful lobbying groups and industry insiders to be the 'scientific' sources for regulatory mandates?

We've seen this happen with coal ash and bio-solids (sewer sludge). The federal regulations for both of these were based on the recommendations of powerful lobbyists for special interests who's only consideration was the bottom line--the proverbial 'profit over people and sensibility' worn-out model they have been using now for decades.

Now big business has turned its sights on doing away with the only federal regulatory agency that stands between us and a repeat of the flaming rivers of the late 1960s.

The EPA is currently under unprecedented enemy fire from the republicans who are calling for de-funding the agency at minimum, and doing away with it all together at most, describing them as a "loony left-wing job killing organization that's hell bent on an environmentalist whacko vision."

There are problems with the EPA we'll agree, big ones, but to consistently fight against the only agency that we have in place to enforce regulations on corporate America is wrongheaded and dangerous. On the other side of the coin, for the EPA to consistently cave-in to special interests and allow the rules to be written by industry is equally disconcerting.

It's a catch-22 situation that illustrates the pressing need for watchdog journalists, environmental groups and citizen advocates to keep a keen eye on the system and its players. Activism is not a dirty word--apathy and indifference might be.

Winston Churchill warned of the age of indifference (paraphrasing): 

'You can only have so many decades and years that are the "last chance" to avoid unalterably horrific effects. We have already passed these points. The age of consequences has begun.'

We would be wise to remember that even though Mr. Perkins book is a 'fictional work' in the literal sense, malefic corporate "Currents of Deceit" are always swirling around our communities and it's incumbent upon us to pay attention.
*Recommended reading:
Paving Paradise: Florida's Vanishing Wetlands and the Failure of "No Net Loss"
"The Ripple Effect": The Fate of Fresh Water in the Twenty-first Century

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Long-time Alabama Lobbyist Massey Admits "I Am A Criminal"

Tweet from BingoTrial coverage Kyle Whitmire/Second Front

Lobbyists call their profession "honorable and responsible" despite what the public overwhelmingly thinks about the industry. Alabama lobbying is a cottage industry of huge monetary proportions and undue influence on an epic scale. No one trusts these paid mouthpieces and suspect they play fast and loose with the law as a rule, not the exception.

Jarrod Massey admits what he is and what he has been doing as a lobbyist.

Massey's revelation on the stand in the gambling trial may only apply to his actions involving bingo corruption, but since he has other clients and he admits acting "corruptly" on behalf of one client, was he doing the same with all the others? It's a fair question.

Whether or not the indicted Jarrod Massey can be considered a credible witness is open for debate, but what he admits to confirms the impression of Alabama lobbyists by most of the general public--they're probably closer to being paid crooks and liars than they are honorable representatives who operate above board in their endeavors.

Many of them have been paid with state dollars i.e. taxpayer funds, which is all the more reason they deserve much harsher scrutiny than the legislature is willing to implement on their activities. 

The same old brand new goats on the hill had a chance to rein in the monetary persuading by passing a reporting requirement on lobbyists funds and expenditures when they enacted the "toughest ethics laws in the nation" last December. Predictably, and likely at the urging of the lobbyists, that requirement was removed from the final version of the ethics laws.

This sounds like a perfect opportunity to take a closer look at Jarrod Massey and his clients for at least the last decade. In fact, let's go one step further and examine the entire system of Alabama lobbyists while we're at it and see how just deep the criminality runs.

Our guess is any honest examination of the system would overload the courts with cases in subsequent indictments. It would be money and time well spent considering the potential benefit on our political process. Isn't "rooting out corruption" one of the grand promises our lawmakers told us they went to Montgomery for?

If they cannot or will not do this, then as far as we are concerned the "Handshake with Alabama" is not "a promise kept" it's a promise denied.

So Say We The Opinion Board of The Vincent Alabama Confidential

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Show Us The Money Boys--Lawmakers and Their Side Deals Hidden From the Public

How much do our legislators and top republicans really earn from their elected offices and where is the line of ridiculous in the sand?

It raises the question of why we are paying lawmakers a taxpayer based salary, with all the extra income and benefits they receive on the side from lobbyists, business interests, PR firms and state and national political party’s handing out credit cards to top republicans. 

How much extra is enough?

Being elected to office is no longer public service on a modest, civic pay scale. Holding office leads to all types of enormous monetary benefits, and our politicians have become very adept at gaming the system. Their desire to affect change for the public good lands dead last behind their own financial interests. 

Is this what we vote for? Is this the type of party representation we envision?

Former RNC head Michael Steele came under a barrage of fire when it was revealed that donor money was being spent on lavish dinners, strip clubs and a whole host of personal enrichment monetary favors. The firestorm ended in his stepping aside as RNC head after public outcry became too loud for the RNC to ignore.

Why don’t we get this angry when it goes on at state levels?

Both sides of the aisle play the blame game over money—republicans point the finger at democrats on federal spending, and the democrats turn around and blame republicans for being far too lenient with big business in tax breaks and loopholes. But there is a big difference in our opinions—federally spent money is much more open and traceable than hidden money doled out by political party organizations.

How many voters are aware of the credit cards being handed out to select lawmakers?

The GOP has been doing this in all 50 states and until they get caught by a media source that is savvy enough to catch on to the game, they’ll keep doing it. No lessons were learned from the fairly recent scandal to the national GOP party that brought down Steele and others in shame.

It’s incumbent on our media sources to unearth these schemes and expose them to the public at large. We have a right to know the financial behavior of our elected politicians that we entrust with the power to handle our state affairs. If politicians will waste donor money on lavish dinners and expensive haircuts, then that tells us a lot, which we should know, about their fiscal attitudes in general.

The way we learn of these back room deals is through our media informing us and keeping an eye out for these types of charades. That will not happen unless they are willing to set aside their political leanings and act as a public watchdog rather than a political lapdog. Who do they really serve, us or their advertisers?

The media was paying attention in Florida

In 2010, controversy swirled around the use of state GOP issued credit cards to high ranking lawmakers who used them for anything but party related expenses—the intent behind handing out the cards. When demands from the media for access to the statements from the FLGOP on the credit card activity grew louder, the party responded in predictable fashion and circled the wagons around the transgressors. Lawmakers refused to grant access to the statements. What were they trying to hide from their voters?

The fountains of free flowing money aren’t confined to GOP issued credit cards

Last week’s testimony in the bingo gambling trial opened up a can of worms when it was revealed that Representative Barry Mask-R Elmore County has been receiving $10-50K per year for a single client referral to lobbyist Steve Windom. Windom, a former Alabama legislator and party switcher from democrat to republican, gained notoriety for using the senate floor as his personal men’s room in 1999 when he urinated in a jug behind his desk while presiding over the senate fearing if he left the floor he would be stripped of his powers by the democratic majority. 

Windom is one of those politically bendable characters that wouldn’t necessarily be a boost to any lawmaker’s good association list, but Mask, a self-professed upright Christian and would be good steward of the people’s money, sees nothing wrong with his arrangement with Windom. He admitted in testimony this past week that what he is doing is “perfectly legal” even though does basically nothing of consequence for the tens of thousands in yearly ‘thank you’ money from Windom.

The Alabama Ethics Commission seems to be in agreement with this cozy deal. 

How many other Alabama lawmakers have a Representative Mask style deal or party issued credit cards? Why isn’t the state press asking the questions and demanding that the state party admit this is going on in Alabama?  

It's time to put an end to these on the side deals and name the names of who is doing it. If what they are doing is legal as written in Alabama Code, but it's considered very distasteful to the public, then maybe it's time to end the legality of it.

Our ‘new day republicans’ refer to themselves as ‘morally upright and fiscally responsible’ so let’s take them at their word and ask them to release the statements and records to the public view. 

Representative Mask can go first by naming what high value client he referred to Steve Windom that is netting him tens of thousands of dollars per year in addition to his taxpayer based legislative pay. Perhaps he also has a handy explanation for the amounts increasing by ten fold once he took elected office. And maybe Mr. Windom can tell us, during his tenure of public service, if he was approached by a big money bag source who promised a Beason style PR position once he left office for a favorable vote during his career. 

At the very least Windom is a prime example of the reprehensible revolving door practice, so what else did legislative office afford him? We don't send representatives to Montgomery to get rich on the side, we send them to represent us, the people. They all seem to have forgotten what their real purpose is and made political office-holding a career move that pays off better and faster than any private sector job ever would.

If you are going to talk the talk, then walk the walk.

The Alabama republicans stated more than once during their campaigns that “Alabama’s government should have more transparency and accountability.” We think there’s no better place for them to begin than with themselves.

So Say We The Opinion Board Of The Vincent Alabama Confidential 

*NPR Truth in Media

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Senator Harri Anne Smith Calls for GOP Caucus to Ask for Senator Beason's Resignation

Alabama state Senator Harri Anne Smith thinks Senator Beason should resign in the wake of troubling revelations in his recorded conversations where the ghost of Jim Crow drifted in on racially tinged comments.

We agree with Senator Smith. 

What was revealed in his testimony is unforgivable and it's a blight on the state of Alabama, a state that still struggles to escape her painful past.

Senator Beason managed in a weeks time to go from GOP star to radioactive nuke when it was revealed in court that he referred to the primarily minority customers of the Greentrack Casino as "aborigines." 

In some of his FBI wire recordings with fellow republicans, where they are meeting and complaining about the casino operators, it's feared the casino owners would put their black customers on "HUD financed buses" and bus them to polls if a statewide vote was allowed on gambling. Beason and the republicans worried a large black voter turnout would keep the republicans from taking over the Alabama legislature.

"Just keep in mind" that if there's a referendum on ballot "every black in the state will be bussed to the polls and that ain't gonna help."---unnamed Alabama senator quote from trial testimony 6/16/2011

These republicans had a keen interest in defeating a March 2010 senatorial committee passage that would allow gambling to be put to a vote by the people of Alabama. Clearly, they were willing to pull out all the stops to kill the initiative. Testimony from Senator Beason and the wire recordings makes that an obvious conclusion.

But they weren't finished. Yet.

Not wanting to deal with the issue again, they plotted the best way to ensure that no other legislation came up was to get the feds involved and shut down the gambling faction and their enablers for good. Through Beason's wire wearing, Representative Lewis' cooperation with the feds and some other elected 'helpers' not yet revealed, they accomplished their goal.

An unexpected consequence of plotting sometimes results in backfiring on the schemers. This plot, and the republicans involved in it, is turning out to be dirtier than the alleged charges that brought on the indictments and the trial.

How much does the complexion of the new legislature influence it?

The state house this year is not only almost exclusively republican, it's overwhelmingly male Caucasian. And deeply southern. There are ghosts of Alabama's troubling past still alive and well in Montgomery. Beason's recordings prove that beyond question and he's handed these 'new day' republicans a huge image problem that won't fade away anytime soon.

Senator Smith says she is "disgusted and disappointed" by Beason's comments and she has "always been for letting the people vote" on gambling. In her own words after Wednesday's testimony:

Video by WELDBirmingham

Senator Beason claims that Smith was involved in a $500K promised future contribution to Beason for a future run as Lt. Governor. All Beason had to do, according to him, was vote for a favorable bill on statewide gambling, but there's no proof that ever occurred. In fact, when Senator Beason first approached the FBI he made no mention of the money or the offer according to testimony, but he is now claiming that was one of the main reasons he went to the feds.

Senator Smith had hired Beason as a political consultant in a previous campaign paying him $10K for 30 days work and a percentage of the media markup fees, which Beason says amounted to "around $6K." Beason approached Smith about a $70K loan to pay off some debt saying she was the only "one I knew who owns a bank." The bank turned him down and he went to Smith for 'intervention.' Smith suggested to Beason that he use a local bank as another option.  Did he expect to get the money without an officially recorded loan? Why was he turned down by Smith's bank and what did he expect her to do if he could not be approved through the regular application process?

In 2008 Smith, a republican state senator at the time, supported a democrat, Bobby Bright over Montgomery businessman Jay Love-R in a runoff election. It cost her a place in the Alabama GOP who quickly disqualified her from running for office as a republican. She was forced to gather signatures to run as an independent to hold onto political office. 

Congressman Spencer Bachus along with many other big wig 'boys club' republicans (Shelby, Sessions among them) did something in 2010 very similar to what Smith was ostracized for and none of them suffered any measurable political blow-back for it. They supported Parker Griffith, a *controversial, long time north Alabama democrat, who switched to the GOP in 2009. Parker's voting record was intensely liberal, but as soon as he changed parties he received praise from some of Alabama's most powerful conservatives. He was as welcome as rain in August to the fold.
*By Alabama's standards and before he switched parties, AL GOP frequently criticized Griffith.

Double standard maybe? Mildly misogynistic sort of?

What's the real motive behind Senator Beason's ax grinding with Senator Smith?

Smith's lawyers probably have a bit more light to shed on that in future testimony.

One of McGregor's Espy's (he has three of them) hinted there is more inflammatory language to come as the trial progresses. We tend to believe he's right and not talking off the cuff. In a new development, the federal judge presiding over the trial ruled the racist remarks are relevant despite vigorous attempts by the prosecution to discredit their importance.

Will the republicans and their core voters persist in defending Beason and his tolerance challenged cohorts maintaining the ends justified the means? The means are showing themselves to be frighteningly ugly.

If McGregor and Co. are guilty then justice must be served, but what about the underlying problem that is overshadowing the charges against them? 

It might be too much to hope for, but maybe we'll get a double shot of justice out of this trial--those that have committed acts of corruption will be justly punished and the 'new day' channelers of Jim Crow will be ousted from the statehouse.

*Update--ADP joins the chorus calling for resignation.
ALGOP leader Bill Armistead defends Beason as "honorable."
Senator Ben Brooks-R tries to unring the bell after being exposed.
Photo credit: MSU

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Day Two of Alabama Bingo Trial Testimony--Senator Beason Gets His Close Up

I'm ready for my close up Mr. DeMille...

*Updated Weds. pm see below
In Tuesday’s testimony of the gambling trial McGregor lawyer Bobby Segall zooms in on the taped and electronic conversations from the wire wearing narcissistic snitch who's throwing every perceived political threat under the bus. Beason claims over and over he was only "role-playing for the FBI." He isn’t really the indiscriminate political turncoat the recorded communications, with a little help from the wily Segall’s masterful questioning, clearly reveal him to be.

The legend in his own mind Senator Beason seems obsessed with creating reality and casting aside as many political opponents as he can, by whatever means necessary, on his way to bigger and better things. He's signaled his readiness for fame and there's an uncanny parallel to the overbearing, wildly narcissistic and delusional character of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.

Here’s some back and forth from today’s proceedings to illustrate our point:

Beason: I was playing a role for the FBI.
Segall: Just like you're playing a role here today?
Beason: I am not playing a role, why would you even say that?
Segall: If we want to know the true Senator Beason, we need to hear the conversations you did not record, right?
Beason in conversation: "I hate the feds, but I know you've got to have a backstop against corruption."
Segall: Did you say “I don't like building a system where evil people can abuse their power and send you to jail?”
Segall: Didn't you tell Rep. Lewis that you don't think the FBI even cares, they just want to send people to prison?
Beason: I don't recall
Segall: You wanted anybody that threatened you politically to go to prison whether they deserved it or not.
Segall: You could have gone to state police?
Beason: Yes.
Segall: But instead you go to the people you describe as evil?
Segall: Instead of going to the Feds - who you've described in such colorful terms - you could have gone to the local police?
Segall: Did FBI Agent Baker tell you who he wanted you to talk to?
Beason: Some of the time.
Segall: And sometimes you chose yourself some to speak to?
Beason: Sometimes if people were talking to me about gambling I would record them, though FBI didn't ask me to record them. The FBI didn't write script. What they said was talk to so-and-so, and I was trying to find out what was going on and to what extent. I thought the FBI were the good guys wanting to do the right thing.
Segall: Is it true that you support a black woman, Yvonne Kennedy, being speaker of the House?
Beason: At one time. Not because she was black.
Segall: Did you support GOP caucus supporting black woman being speaker of house?
 Feb 10, 2010: conversation-- “There's an election coming and if the blacks take over, Yvonne Kennedy will be completely disorganized, she can't raise money from business, republicans can win.”
Beason in conversations says he supported Yvonne not because he liked her, but because she'd be bad and hurt her party. Segall asks him if this is true. Beason says that's part of it.
Segall: Did you want to get Arthur Orr out of office?
Beason: I've never been involved in a campaign against Senator Arthur Orr.
Evidence is a conversation between Beason and Monica Cooper, Jabo Waggoner’s assistant. Cooper said "And they need to take out Arthur." Beason said "Yes, I wish" Beason says he was playing a role for FBI. Cooper supported Beason's rise in AL GOP.
Segall: You wanted to get rid of Steve French, if he was out of Senate?
Beason: That would not have bothered me.
Segall: Were you actively encouraging others to dig up dirt on opponents?
Beason: That was fact finding, a normal part of campaigns.
Segall: Feb 17, 2010 conversations--Segall: Were you talking about running candidates against people who supported Steve French & Jabo Waggoner?
Conversations with Beason and Randy Brinson, head of Alabama Christian Coalition asked is it okay if we go after various Republicans.
Beason to jury: Yes, I would not have minded Brinson working against candidates that were not mine. Including get dirty.
Brinson asks if he can get dirty in conversation, Beason says yes, it’s revealed Beason is trying to ensnare Brinson because he thinks Brinson is associating with McGregor and explains it away, for the umpteenth time as “I‘m playing a role for the FBI.”
Beason: Getting dirty doesn't mean doing something unethical.

In a previous proceeding, Beason, from a recording with "full of crap" lobbyist Jarrod Massey, says he “wasn’t going to settle for so little (i.e. money) like *Jeremy Oden” and then later admitted he had no proof Rep. Oden was involved in gambling brouhaha. That didn't stop the God fearing Beason from casting his own production in the direction of his fellow Christian brother Oden. 
*In the next day's testimony Senator Beason claims he "just pulled Rep. Oden's name out of the air."

What’s emerging in the trial is the hideous picture of a man who's so self-absorbed with his perceived importance that he’s willing to climb over everybody on the political ladder on his way up.

And none of them are safe from his wire wearing got it on tape.

Senator Beason has been described in the press as “Alabama’s newest rising political star” and he wields formidable power over his captive audience on Goat Hill. No bills go anywhere without his approval. And what's he done with that power? He's given Alabama some of the worst bills in modern history and caused another black eye to the state with the harshest anti-immigration bill in the country.

The national audience is not enjoying the show and we're once again the subject of the big media journalists acting as harsh critics. Senator Beason does not care. Instead he's overtly arrogant and haughty about the criticism blaming it all on "liberal media outlets." It's all about him and his judgment and he'll quickly tell you he knows best about such matters.

In contrast, Norma Desmond’s narcissism and delusional fantasies affected only her immediate circle in life and were a part of the illusion of Hollywood.

Senator Beason’s delusional narcissism erodes and corrupts our basic constitutional virtues and has an adverse affect on all Alabamians--not just a movie audience.

The classic movie Sunset Boulevard was once described as a “film about the narcissistic hell hole that is Hollywood.” What we are seeing in the testimony of this trial is the narcissistic hell hole of Alabama politics starring Senator Beason.

So Say We The Opinion Board Of The Vincent Alabama Confidential

*Update--Day three of the trial today went nuclear--Stamford Advocate
Senator Harri Anne Smith-I "Disgusted and disappointed with Beason's remarks" calls for resignation
Senator Ben Brooks-R tries to back away from participation in racist remarks

Photo credit: WKRG

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