Re: What's next? Debtor Prisons?

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/5/2006 7:49:34 PM Pacific Standard Time,

quackadillian@... writes:

When are they going to start simply auctioning off politicians and

decisions to the highest bidder? I heard last year that 96% of

elections for national offices (mostly the Senate and House) are won

by the candidate who spends the most $$$

I think they already have.

_8 years, 4 months

Cunningham's war heroics cited in reduced term

_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060304-9999-1n4duke.ht\

ml) * _Video_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060304-9999-1n4duke.ht\

ml#video)

March 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

Randy “Duke†Cunningham's tailspin from highflying war hero to corrupt

politician culminated yesterday with a federal judge sentencing him to eight

years and four months in federal prison.

Cunningham faced a maximum of 10 years under a plea agreement, but U.S.

District Judge Larry Alan Burns cited Cunningham's heroics as a Navy pilot

during

the Vietnam War in imposing the lesser sentence.

____________________________________

March 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_From hero to halls of Congress, and disgrace_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060304-9999-lz1n4duke.\

html) : Dec. 8, 1941

Randall Harold Cunningham is born in Los Angeles and later grows up in

Shelbina,

Mo.

March 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Once-honored name now tops list of infamy_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060304-9999-1n4scale.h\

tml) : At one time, Randy “

Duke†Cunningham's name was spoken in the rarefied air of the elite: war hero,

fighter pilot, Top Gun. Now, Cunningham's name tops an ignominious list of

shame: He admitted accepting more in bribes and appears to have been punished

more severely than any other member of Congress convicted of corruption in

office.

March 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Little sympathy found at VFW gathering_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060304-9999-1n4reax1.h\

tml) : The war stories flowed

freely last night at VFW Post 2422 in Coronado as war vets sucked down beers

and munched on fried fish. This is the kind of place where Randy “Dukeâ€

Cunningham once held court, where old buddies would have slapped him on the

back,

bought him a bourbon-and-water, and listened raptly as the swaggering fighter

jock regaled them with tales of shooting down Vietnamese MIGs.

March 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_No. 3 CIA official investigated on ties to Wilkes_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060304-9999-1n4foggo.h\

tml) : The CIA said

yesterday it is investigating the connection between the agency's No. 3

official and a co-conspirator in the bribery case of former Rep. Randy

“Dukeâ€

Cunningham. The CIA's executive director, “Dusty†Foggo, is a lifelong

friend of Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes. Federal prosecutors say Wilkes

is the unindicted co-conspirator who, according to court documents, gave

Cunningham $630,000 in bribes in exchange for federal contracts.

March 4 (COPLEY NEWS SERVICE)

_Congressional chorus takes ex-colleague to task_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060304-9999-1n4dc.html\

) : WASHINGTON – Former

congressional colleagues of Randy “Duke†Cunningham showed little sympathy

yesterday for the convicted Rancho Santa Fe Republican, with GOP lawmakers

saying his jail sentence was deserved and Democrats suggesting the case could

become a campaign issue. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, called Cunningham's

eight-year, four-month sentence “an appropriate punishment for someone who

used a

position of public trust to achieve personal enrichment.â€

March 4 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Anatomy of a bribe: ex-lawmaker's web of cash, contracts_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060304-9999-1n4anatomy\

..html) :

Imagine buying a Dell computer off a store shelf for $150 and then selling it

to

the federal government for $600. Apply that generous markup to stacks of

computers and other high-tech equipment and you can picture one of the many

lucrative deals that former Rep. Randy “Duke†Cunningham structured to

benefit

Wade and Poway businessman Brent Wilkes, the two leading

co-conspirators

in the Cunningham corruption case.

March 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Jet fighter, 'Jet Plane' singer forged a bond_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060303-9999-7m3yarrow.\

html) : Yarrow is a

famous folk singer and peace activist, an old flower child, exactly the sort

of person Randy “Duke†Cunningham might be expected to disdain. Around the

time Cunningham was flying sorties over Vietnam as a Navy F-4 pilot, Yarrow –

the frontman of , & – was singing the group's single “Eugene

McCarthy for President†at anti-war rallies around the country.

March 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Cunningham's day of reckoning_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060303-9999-7m3burns.h\

tml) : The deal Randy “Duke†Cunningham

struck last fall in pleading guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion for

accepting more than $2.4 million in bribes guarantees he won't be sentenced to

more

than 10 years in prison.

March 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Auction of Cunningham items_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060303-9999-2m3auction\

..html) : Randy “Duke†Cunningham's

ill-gotten French antique commodes and other furnishings will be auctioned off

in

three weeks, authorities said yesterday. The commodes – a type of chest of

drawers – drew snickers from late-night comedians when the former congressman

pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion last fall.

WASHINGTON, 5:06 p.m. March 3 (COPLEY NEWS SERVICE)

_Democrats and Republicans show little sympathy for Cunningham_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060303-1706-cnsdc-reac\

t.html) :

Former congressional colleagues of Randy “Duke†Cunningham showed little

sympathy Friday for the convicted North County Republican, with GOP lawmakers

suggesting his jail sentencing might close the book on the scandal and

Democrats suggesting it could become a campaign issue.

SAN DIEGO, 2:43 p.m. March 3 (AP)

_Ex-Rep. Cunningham tells sentencing judge he destroyed own life_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060303-1443-ca-congres\

sman-brib

ery.html) : Former Rep. Randy “Duke†Cunningham told the judge at his

sentencing for corruption Friday that he “ripped†his own life to shreds,

and

asked for time to see his aged mother for the last time before going to prison.

SAN DIEGO, 2:07 p.m. March 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Judgment day for Cunningham_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060303-1407-bn03senten\

c3.html) : Appearing gaunt and shaky as he

entered a courtroom Friday, former U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke†Cunningham faced

his sentencing hearing on bribery charges.

SAN DIEGO, 12:59 p.m. March 3 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Cunningham arrives in court for sentencing_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060303-1259-bn03senten\

ce.html) : Former U.S. Rep.

Randy “Duke†Cunningham arrived in San Diego's federal courthouse Friday

morning for his sentencing on bribery charges flanked by his lawyers and

surrounded by a crowd of news crews.

March 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Past can present a future_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060302-9999-lz1c02duke\

..html) : Tomorrow, Randy “Duke†Cunningham

will go to court and find out where he'll spend the next part of his life.

March 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Letters to the editor: No clemency for Cunningham_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060302-9999-lz1e2north\

let.html) : No

clemency for Cunningham Those who advance the theory that Randy “Dukeâ€

Cunningham's military training caused his criminal conduct have got it wrong.

His

military training made him a hero in a time of war; it was his congressional

training that made him a crook.

March 2 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Editorial: No mercy_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060302-9999-lz1ed2top.\

html) : In the long history of Congress, Randy “Duke

†Cunningham stands alone as the most corrupt lawmaker ever nailed by

federal prosecutors. This singular notoriety must not be overlooked by U.S.

District Judge Larry Burns when he imposes sentence tomorrow on the former

Rancho

Santa Fe congressman.

March 1 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Prosecutors: Greed only motivation_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060301-9999-1n1duke.ht\

ml) : The contracts former Rep.

Randy “Duke†Cunningham browbeat the Defense Department into awarding two

contractors who showered him with money and gifts were not in the nation's

interest, according to documents filed by prosecutors yesterday.

Feb. 27 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Letter from Washington / Friends' reactions_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060227-9999-1m27letter\

..html) : Presented last

week with new revelations about the unbelievable nerve of Randy “Dukeâ€

Cunningham, two men who count the resigned congressman as a friend had decidedly

different reactions.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Contractor admits bribing Cunningham_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060301-9999-1n25plea.h\

tml) : Defense contractor

Wade pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to conspiring to funnel more

than $1 million in bribes to former Rep. Randy “Duke†Cunningham and making

illegal campaign contributions to two other members of Congress.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_One-time wunderkind could get 11-year term_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060301-9999-1n25wade.h\

tml) : Eight months ago,

Wade was a secretive wunderkind with a multimillion-dollar portfolio

of

defense contracts that he had assembled from scratch in little more than two

years. If all had gone as planned, he would have sold off his young empire

by now and walked away with $100 million.

Feb. 25 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Cunningham lawyers ask for mercy_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060301-9999-7m25term.h\

tml) : Disgraced Congressman Randy “

Duke†Cunningham should have a chance to spend his last days with his family

rather than in prison, his lawyers said yesterday in pleading for mercy from

the judge scheduled to sentence him Friday.

Feb. 24 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Egotism blamed in undoing of lawmaker_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060224-9999-7m24psych.\

html) : A psychiatrist says Randy

“Duke†Cunningham's fall from Vietnam War hero to corrupt politician grew

out of “an outsized ego and a mantle of invulnerability†that allowed him

to

rationalize his behavior.

Feb. 22 (COPLEY NEWS SERVICE)

_Former comrades angered by 'bribe menu'_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060222-9999-1n22duke.h\

tml) : WASHINGTON – The

stunning disclosure that former Rep. Randy “Duke†Cunningham maintained a

“bribe

menu†had some of his former colleagues fuming yesterday.

Feb. 21 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Editorial: Corruption, Inc._

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060301-9999-lz1ed21top\

..html) : The outrage and the sense of

betrayal grow with each new detail revealing the rank criminality of Randy

Cunningham in his last six years in Congress representing San Diego County.

Feb. 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_In disgrace, but not all alone_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060220-9999-1m20dukehe\

lp.html) : Disgraced former congressman

Randy “Duke†Cunningham brazenly breached ethics and the law in his latter

years in the U.S. House of Representatives, but he still has defenders who say

he also was a force for good.

Feb. 20 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_On ranch, old friend again offers shelter from storm_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060220-9999-1m20produk\

e.html) : Separated

from his wife and awaiting sentencing, former congressman Randy “Dukeâ€

Cunningham has been pulling weeds and regaining his strength at his friend Dan

McKinnon's ranch in Lakeside.

Feb. 19 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_A bribery kingpin who was calling all the shots_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060219-9999-1n19duke.h\

tml) : Fresh details of

the crimes of Randy “Duke†Cunningham make clear why he has never cited the

corrupting culture of Washington as an excuse for his behavior.

12:02 a.m. Feb. 18 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Feds seek 10 years for Cunningham_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060218-0002-duke1n18.h\

tml) : Prosecutors are asking a

federal judge to sentence former Congressman Randy “Duke†Cunningham to the

maximum 10 years for taking more than $2.4 million in bribes.

8:45 p.m. Feb. 17 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Prosecutors recommend 10-year maximum sentence for ex-Rep. Cunningham_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060217-2045-dukesenten\

ce.

html) : Prosecutors are asking a federal judge to sentence former

Congressman Randy “Duke†Cunningham to the maximum 10 years for taking more

than $2.4

million in bribes.

Feb. 12 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_Standing in an unwelcome spotlight_

(http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060212-9999-1n12nancy.\

html) : When married

Randy “Duke†Cunningham in 1974, she was a smart, good-looking kindergarten

teacher barely out of school; he was a Navy flying ace whose heroics had earned

him fame and admiration.

Feb. 5 (UNION-TRIBUNE)

_The power of persuasion_ (http://ww

w.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/cunningham/20060205-9999-1n5wilkes.html) :

Long before he was identified as a

co-conspirator in former Rep. Randy “Duke†Cunningham's corruption case,

Poway

businessman Brent Wilkes boasted of his prowess in persuading powerful

lawmakers to help him push contracts through Congress.

[Guest guest]

When are they going to start simply auctioning off politicians and

decisions to the highest bidder? I heard last year that 96% of

elections for national offices (mostly the Senate and House) are won

by the candidate who spends the most $$$

Corportaions should be barred by law from spending their stockholders

money on lobbying, and we need to end corporate personhood - its

completely out of control.

[Guest guest]

There's a lot more where that one came from..

But they would defend what they do.. (the 'fundraising' as legal,

indeed, necessary, 'to keep them elected')

The entire system will remain broken as long as we allow campaign

contributions of any form. Politicians should be given free air time

and web space and then they would be forced to campaign around THE

ISSUES...