Gov. Don Siegelman, the Roughly $3.6 Billion, ExxonMobil, and Pissing Off BIG OIL.

[L. Coyote]

GRRREEAATT NEWS!!! Don Siegelman is being released from prison, albeit only on appeal.

This, of course, means he cannot be kept from the press! What are the implications?
Is it time to dig deeper into the Siegelman political prisoner saga? How did it start?

There is a story little told, from before the 2006 prosecution,
before the illegal campaign contributions to Riley from Abramoff and his felonious pals,
before the 2002 AL election theft stole victory from Dems in the middle of the night.

Siegelman's administration sued BIG OIL. ExxonMobil committed fraud and underpaid Alabama
in a contract for natural gas pumped from Mobile Bay. Alabama won that litigation, and a
jury awarded the state a judgment against ExxonMobil of roughly $3.6 billion. Not chump change!

Is that where it starts? This incident is certainly a BIG possible!
Or was this gambling corruption? Or just felonious politics?
How about defense contractors corrupting politics? Possible.
Or, it it another case of "ALL OF THE ABOVE"? Your opinions?

============================
ExxonMobil’s Alabama Paydirt
Scott Horton - Nov 4, 2007 - http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/11/hbc-90001584

Back in 1904, Ida Tarbell published what ultimately was to be seen as the seminal work of the muckrakers, The History of Standard Oil. It appeared first in nineteen installments in McClure’s Magazine, a rather less successful competitor of Harper’s, and shortly after the last installment appeared, Tarbell published the work in book form as well. In her work, Tarbell exposed the dark underside of corporate deal-making, the series of interlocking directorates and manipulations which had allowed John D. Rockefeller to build the oil leviathan and dominate the American market. Tarbell demonstrated that Rockefeller’s success came not so much from business acumen (though she never contested that he had plenty of that) as through a thorough understanding of how to game the system. John D. Rockefeller was a power unto himself. Politicians around the country were made and broken to suit him.

But Tarbell’s disclosures fueled the drive for antitrust legislation and a fairer and more competitive business environment—a drive which was, in its time, championed by progressive politicians of both parties, but particularly by Theodore Roosevelt. By 1911, Standard Oil was broken into thirty companies.

But over time, like the liquid-metal monster in the “Terminator” series, Standard Oil pulled itself back together again. It was aided in this process by a change in attitudes across the political spectrum, but most particularly it was aided by America’s campaign finance system in which politicians standing for election require increasingly larger sums of money to pursue their campaigns, and support from the corporate till is essential. The final act of rebirth occurred when the two principal surviving pieces of the company, Exxon and Mobil, merged at the close of 1999. The resulting behemoth, ExxonMobil, is the largest publicly traded integrated petroleum and natural gas company in the world. It is also the world’s largest petroleum and natural gas company by revenue, with revenues of $377.6 billion in fiscal year 2006.

The State of Alabama believes that it was victimized by ExxonMobil. According to the state’s complaint launched by the Administration of Governor Don Siegelman, ExxonMobil committed fraud and underpaid the state in a contract dispute over natural gas pumped from Mobile Bay. Alabama won that litigation, and a jury awarded the state a judgment against ExxonMobil of roughly $3.6 billion. Not chump change .....

...... http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/11/hbc-90001584 ..............

===============
More. Follow past DU Siegelman threads from this post:
Political Prisoner Don Siegelman: Will the 60 Minutes Spotlight Make a Difference?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[midnight]

1. This is great news...When does he get released on appeal?

[L. Coyote]

2. Looks like, on posting bond! He may be free now. ??

[L. Coyote]

4. Siegelman attorney Vince Kilborn said Siegelman would be released sometime Friday morning.

Siegelman attorney Vince Kilborn said Siegelman would be released sometime Friday morning. "His wife and his daughter, Dana, are driving out to get him," Kilborn said.

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/03/siegelman_to_be_rel...

".... Siegelman has satisfied the criteria set out in the statute, and has specifically met his burden of showing that his appeal raises substantial questions of law or fact," the judges wrote.

"The court did not elaborate on what those questions were. Siegelman's lawyers, among other issues, have argued prosecutors didn't prove that Siegelman and Scrushy struck a "quid pro quo" deal to swap the money for the appointment..... "

[eShirl]

6. thanks for the info!

hope to see it live over the internet

[L. Coyote]

13. Siegelman's attorney: court order questions Siegelman's conviction on all seven counts

Siegelman's attorney speaks on the former governor's release
MyFox Gulf Coast, AL - 48 minutes ago - http://www.myfoxgulfcoast.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?c...

By Cary Chow

MOBILE, Ala. -- It was a good afternoon at the law office off Old Government Street. That's where Vince Kilborn, one member of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman's defense team, received a fax from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "The governor is out," stated Kilborn. "They said he met his burden of providing substantial questions about his conviction."

Around 2:15 Thursday afternoon, the word came down that the former governor would be released. And there was plenty of excitement within the walls of Kilborn's office, but not within the walls of the prison camp. That's because the governor had yet to hear the news; a concept Kilborn couldn't help think about. "They're probably going to feed him in an hour, they're probably all sitting around waiting to eat prison food," said Kilborn.

Kilborn also said the federal court order questions Siegelman's conviction on all seven counts in June of 2006. "This questions the fundamental grounds of the conviction. It's not just Siegelman's lawyer popping off. It's the 11th Circuit judges, the second highest in the land, stating in a well-reasonable order substantial questions of all these counts."

...............

[lonestarnot]

37. So today? Woohoo!

[Peace Patriot]

3. They did it in California with the recall election against Gray Davis--the first

big CA use of electronic voting, run on "trade secret," proprietary programming code, owned and controlled by rightwing Bushite corporations, with virtually no audit/recount controls. The Davis administration had sued Enron to recover the $10 billion California budget surplus that Enron had stolen. The CA recall campaign--and the voting system--were designed to remove Davis from office before that lawsuit could reach fruition, and while it could still be stopped (which Schwarzenegger promptly did). THEN, an even more interesting series of events occurred. The new Sec of State, Kevin Shelley--who had been in office less than a year when the recall occurred--started seriously sniffing around the electronic voting machine vendors and their secret code. In May '04, he sued Diebold for lying to him about the security of their touchscreen voting machines, and demanded to see their source code. And, before that lawsuit could come to fruition, they harassed Shelley with entirely bogus corruption charges, all over the corporate shitrags, and drove him from office, just after the 2004 election. Corruption charges such as this, as described in the corporate shitrags: "misuse of federal election money." But what was really going on was that Shelley was denying those funds to corrupt county election officials for purchase of the highly insecure touchscreen voting machines. To Bushites, that might look like "abuse." To the rest of us, however, it's protection of our right to vote! They used black ops, they used plants, they used spying, they used innuendo, they used every tool in the Rovian arsenal, to paint Shelley as corrupt--when, in truth, he was one of the last honest public officials in the country. And they never proved any of it. No charge against him held up. But he couldn't do his job, and furthermore had no money to hire lawyers for his personal defense (which tells you a lot about Shelley). And the Dems in the state legislature either joined in on this witch hunt, or hid under their desks. It was appalling!

This story--from the Davis recall to the Shelley "swift-boating"--strikes me a hauntingly similar to the Seigelman story--with the difference that Siegelman actually ended up in prison on cooked evidence. I just hope we get the bastards who did these things some day.

[L. Coyote]

5. Says it all: "Davis administration had sued Enron to recover the $10 billion ..."

Time to start fitting the jigsaw puzzle sections into a unified whole! Big Oil Corrupts!

[varelse]

7. It is good to have that information

Do you have any links? I voted against the recall, but never felt I understood the issues at the time, only thought that the recall was a waste of our money and a naked grab for power on the part of the man who initiated and funded it.

[L. Coyote]

8. Apparently, Arnold stole the prize from the Corrupt Rs that started the recall.

The isea was to put the Jerry Lewis, Darrell Issa, Cunningham, Doolittle CA Rs in control.

You have to wonder if the Kennedys mobilized their R in-law to put a STOP to the CA Corrupt Bastards Club??

[varelse]

9. Yeah, the goal was to put the foxes firmly in place as guardians of the henhouse...

I remember hearing how disappointed the "hit" man was - even heard he got a bit emotional when announcing his withdrawal from the election after Arnold stepped up. I have to say, our governator has surprised me on several occasions with his strong support of legislation aimed at resolving the global warming issue. Especially the lawsuit against a federal agency, that really took me aback - and I'm guessing that this was NOT the outcome that the "CA Corrupt Bastards Club" was looking for out of that recall effort

[L. Coyote]

10. VIDEOS: Sen. Kerry on Dan Abrams = Excellent Siegelman Case Overview

Watch for upcoming video posts, and please link them here.

Hissyspit Mar-06-08 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
Sen. Kerry on Dan Abrams 3/06 - Excellent Siegelman Case Overview

MORE VIDEOS linked here, includiong 60 Minutes and Bush Justice:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[L. Coyote]

41. ABRAMS: Siegelman Freed From Prison = Scott Horton and Artur Davis

ABRAMS: Siegelman Freed From Prison = Scott Horton and Artur Davis
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[L. Coyote]

42. Google VIDEO: Don Siegelman on 60 Minutes = all 14 min 20 sec

CBS - 60 Minutes - donsiegelman.org
14 min 20 sec - Feb 25, 2008
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-45119717991621...

[Supersedeas]

46. yep...thanks for the link

[L. Coyote]

11. HOUSE JUDCIARY: Jailed Ex-Governor Sought for Testimony

I am so looking forward to a LiveBlog of this hearing! This news broke before the court order for Don's release on appeal, so ignore the travel plans in custody. The Gov. will be free tomorrow morning.

=============
Jailed Ex-Governor Sought for Testimony
By BEN EVANS – 6 hours ago - http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ie-FT6LMZaKgicF8Lk2e...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Judiciary Committee asked the Justice Department on Thursday to allow imprisoned former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman to testify before Congress about possible political influence over his prosecution.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey indicated that he would not support the request for a temporary release but said that officials might arrange for Siegelman's testimony in some other way.

Under the committee's plan, Siegelman, a Democrat sentenced to serve more than seven years in a Louisiana prison, would travel to Washington in May under guard of the U.S. Marshals Service, said Melanie Roussell, a spokeswoman for the committee.

...

Traveling in California, Mukasey said of the request: "I suppose if they really want to talk to him, there must be a way to do it by remote hookup. ... We generally don't let people out of jail."

A member of Siegelman's defense team, meanwhile, said the former governor has agreed to testify. "He's delighted to cooperate," attorney Vince Kilborn said. "There are no restrictions on questions they can ask him."

[L. Coyote]

12. HORTON: Court of Appeals Sets Governor Siegelman Free As Congress Calls Siegelman to Testify

Court of Appeals Sets Governor Siegelman Free As Congress Calls Siegelman to Testify in Continued Probe of Political Prosecutions
March 27 - http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/03/hbc-90002739


Today was a news double-header for former Alabama Governor Don E. Siegelman. In an order issued by the Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Siegelman’s request to be set free pending his appeal was granted. The court noting that it had reviewed the decision of District Court Judge Mark Fuller for “clear error” and had considered legal issues de novo stated that:

Siegelman has satisfied the criteria set out in the statute and has specifically met his burden of showing that his appeal raises substantial questions of law or fact.

Meanwhile in Washington, the House Judiciary Committee made clear that it was far from finished with its probe into allegations of prosecutorial misconduct in the Siegelman case.

Committee investigators express concern about the Justice Department’s continuous obstruction of efforts to investigate political influence in the Siegelman case and a group of others in which prosecutors have adopted unprecedented theories in an effort to take down prominent Democrats. In the Siegelman case, Justice Department officials have refused to provide evidence under oath, claiming privilege, they have answered written queries with misleading and openly false statements, and they have refused to turn over documents requested by the Committee. Attorney General Mukasey has been repeatedly asked by members of both the House and the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine the extraordinary evidence of misconduct ..............

[L. Coyote]

30. Team Chertoff and the Art of Political Prosecution

Chertoff and the Politics of Prosecution
Team Chertoff and the Art of Political Prosecution
by Scott Horton - 07 Sept. 2007
http://www.pacificfreepress.com/content/view/1640/81


Current and former Justice Department officials I have interviewed have consistently identified Michael Chertoff, his successor Alice Fisher and his protégé Noel Hillman, as figures with a strong interest in political prosecutions. Each apparently took an interest in the Siegelman case for all the wrong reasons, I am told, and each had regular communications with the White House throughout this period.

But the Siegelman case was only one of many cases with political overtones which were closely dogged by loyal Republican Party activists at the top of the criminal process at Justice. Today the Los Angeles Times is offering more evidence linking Chertoff to political vendettas using the prosecutorial resources of the Department of Justice.

David Savage and Tom Hamburger report (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ch... ):

Shortly after President Bush took office in 2001, Michael Chertoff, then head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, met with the conservative group Judicial Watch. It wanted criminal charges brought against Hillary Rodham Clinton ....

The Los Angeles Times report concerning the highly political vendetta prosecution of Rosen greatly strengthens the accusations made by a Michigan attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, in a case with strong parallels and similar political circumstances. It also casts a strong light on the mindset and working relationships within Justice at the time the chase after Alabama Governor Siegelman began.

[seemslikeadream]

14. $3.6 billion reasons why Siegelman was sitting in jail

Siegelman's administration sued BIG OIL. ExxonMobil committed fraud and underpaid Alabama
in a contract for natural gas pumped from Mobile Bay. Alabama won that litigation, and a
jury awarded the state a judgment against ExxonMobil of roughly $3.6 billion. Not chump change!

[L. Coyote]

15. And, AL Supreme Court overturned the judgment, ALONG PARTY LINES!

Politicization of Justice in AL is about a lot more than one case!!

[L. Coyote]

16. NY TIMES: Ex-Governor of Alabama Is Ordered Released

Ex-Governor of Alabama Is Ordered Released
ADAM NOSSITER - Philip Shenon contributed reporting from Washington.
March 28, 2008 - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/us/28alabama.html?bl&...


MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Donald Siegelman, former governor of Alabama, was ordered released from prison ....
Text: Court Order - http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/national/2008...

.... Siegelman’s lawyers maintained that — as is standard in many white-collar crime cases — the veteran Democratic politician never should have been imprisoned in the first place while he appealed his conviction. “He should not have been manacled and taken off in the night,” said his lawyer, G. Robert Blakey, also a professor at the University of Notre Dame ...

Mr. Siegelman’s case has been cited by Democrats here and in Washington as Exhibit A in their contention that politics has influenced decisions by the Justice Department ... Siegelman has picked up some outside support for his claims of political prosecution. The House Judiciary Committee has held hearings on his case, and 44 former state attorneys general, Democrats and some Republicans, signed a petition last summer urging Congress to look into the conviction.........

Democrats in Alabama were jubilant on Thursday, and Mr. Siegelman’s lawyers took the appeals court order as a rebuke to the government’s position that there was no basis for the ex-governor’s challenge to his conviction. “It’s a huge step, but its not the final step,” said Vince Kilborn, one of the lawyers. “They specifically state his appeal raises substantial issues. It certainly throws cold water on the Justice Department position that there was nothing to his appeal.”......

In June 2006, he was convicted by a federal jury here of taking $500,000 from Richard M. Scrushy, ex-chief executive of the HealthSouth Corporation, for an appointment to the state hospital licensing board. The money was to retire a debt from Mr. Siegelman’s campaign for a state lottery to pay for schools. The government maintained Mr. Siegelman was liable for the debt, because he was a co-guarantor; his lawyers said he would never have been expected to pay back the loan personally.

[L. Coyote]

26. P.S. Artur Davis and the new Siegelman hearing = Go after Karl Rove

P.S. Artur Davis and the new Siegelman hearing
Mary Orndorff - March 28, 2008 - http://blog.al.com/sweethome/2008/03/ps_artur_davis_and...

.... there is still a lot we don't know about what the committee Democrats have in mind for event: exact date, the list of witnesses other than Siegelman, and what prompted the committee's aggressive push to arrange for the then-inmate's trip to Washington.

Turned out Rep. Artur Davis didn't know either, based on his interview with reporters yesterday ....
"The committee did not inform or seek input from me," Davis said, a point he reiterated several times in response to questions about the committee's agenda. Had they asked, Davis said he would have recommended instead calling former White House political adviser Karl Rove to the witness table.

"If Karl Rove influenced that decision (to prosecute Siegelman) then that's a very serious thing," Davis said. "The committee should hone in on that question."

[L. Coyote]

17. Carpetbagger: "A few other angles to consider in light of Siegelman’s release:"

After having been railroaded by Rove machine, Siegelman released
Steve Benen - March 28th, 2008 - http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15036.htm...

.............

A few other angles to consider in light of Siegelman’s release:

* Just yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee asked the Justice Department to free Siegelman temporarily so that he could testify in a hearing about his case. Though now released, it’s not clear if Siegelman will be able to travel to DC to give testimony.

* Siegelman is out from behind bars, but the court has not yet thrown out the charges or ruled on the merits. It’s certainly encouraging, though, that the court agreed with the basis of the appeal, rejecting the Justice Department’s argument. He may be vindicated yet.

* Even if he is vindicated, he’ll never be able to get back those nine months of his life, when he was improperly incarcerated by a Bush administration intent on punishing Democrats for being Democrats.

* Siegelman hasn’t been able to give media interviews about his dilemma while behind bars. That’s about to change, hopefully raising the profile of this scandal.

[L. Coyote]

18. dKOS TheOpinionGuy: Hatch Act Violations for the Prosecutors?

Why did Rove and Gonzales resign? Are these laws they broke?

==============
Hatch Act Violations for the Prosecutors?
TheOpinionGuy - Mar 27, 2008 - http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/27/18156/5660/...

....

The question I have is: "Can the people involved be brought to justice?" .....

The Hatch Act of 1939, originally ... "An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities,"
strictly prohibits partisan political activities at the Federal and State level by government employees.

According to the Hatch Act for Federal Employees:

Federal and D.C. employees may not-
# use official authority or influence to interfere with an election
# solicit or discourage political activity of anyone with business before their agency
# solicit or receive political contributions (may be done in certain limited situations by federal labor or other employee organizations)
# be candidates for public office in partisan elections
# wear partisan political buttons on duty
# engage in political activity while:
# on duty
# in a government office
# wearing an official uniform
# using a government vehicle

Employees of the following agencies (or agency components), or in the following categories, are subject to more extensive restrictions on their political activities than employees in other Departments and agencies:

# Administrative Law Judges
.....
# Criminal Division (Department of Justice)
.....
# Federal Bureau of Investigation.....

[L. Coyote]

19. DonSiegelman.org: CALL CONYERS & thank him for his efforts!

CALL CONYERS & thank him for his efforts!
24/ 7 Congressional Switchboard:

800-828-0498
800-459-1887
800-614-2803
..............................
E-mail Congress
Ask for a full investigation by a Special Prosecutor.

Hon. John Conyers, Chairman,
House Judiciary Comm.
[e-mail]

Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman,
Senate Judiciary Comm.
[e-mail]

<Other ways to help> .... http://www.donsiegelman.org/

[L. Coyote]

20. Karl Rove's next move

Most of this article is irrelevant, paparazzi-esque pictures of Karl's new home,
but the following excerpts say a lot about Rove and AL politics:

===========
Karl Rove's next move: A million-dollar home on Florida's Emerald Coast
Lindsay Beyerstein and Larisa Alexandrovna - March 28, 2008 - http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Rosemary_Beach_Karl_Roves...

.....

Rove has deep roots in Alabama. In 1994 the Business Council of Alabama hired Rove as a consultant for a judicial campaign. Rove worked alongside Republican activist/lobbyist Bill Canary, now the CEO of the Business Counsel of Alabama, to help deliver Alabama's Supreme Court to the Republicans. In 1998 Rove advised William Pryor in his successful bid for Alabama Attorney General. It was Pryor who would go on to certify the ballots for Baldwin County that would give Bob Riley the margin of victory in his bid to unseat Democratic Governor Don Siegelman.

.....

Rove's political ties to Alabama didn't end when he joined George W. Bush's administration as Deputy Chief of Staff. Rove continued to advise Alabama politicians, including Gov. Bob Riley, according a Republican activist who recounted Rove's four-year covert involvement in a campaign to neutralize Siegelman to Raw Story in November, 2007.

.............

[L. Coyote]

21. MADSEN: The McCain/Rove defense contractor shake down game = $$ 30 BILLION $$

Remember the million dollars in mysterious European payments to Abramoff?
The fruit is ripe and fell from the tree, it seems, as a 30 Billion $$$$ contract.

BIG OIL, BIG MONEY, same MO!!

===============
The McCain/Rove defence contractor shake down game
Opinion, Wayne Madsen Report (WMR), March 10, 2008 - http://www.lebanonwire.com/0803MLN/08031013WMR.asp


... Air Force tanker deal enriched campaign coffers of McCain and pockets of Karl Rove.

The recent major Air Force award of the KC-45A tanker contract to European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co ... and Northrop Grumman involves political payoffs and dubious lobbying by top Republican officials, including GOP presumptive presidential nominee John McCain, according to knowledgeable sources who spoke to WMR on the condition of strict anonymity.

... 179 A330 aircraft are to be built in France and shipped to a proposed factory in Mobile, Alabama for retrofitting for tanker use.

The background to the awarding of the contract to EADS lies at the very heart of the GOP corruption in Alabama that saw the political prosecution of former Alabama Democratic Governor Don Siegelman. The award of the Air Force contract to EADS-Northrop was the result of high-level collusion between Governor Bob Riley of Alabama, the White House, and John McCain. It also helped that two senior Bush administration officials, Deputy Secretary of defence Paul Wolfowitz and former Vice President Dick Cheney Chief of Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby once served as highly-paid advisers for Northrop Grumman.

... first required a top lobbyist in Washington to see to its interests. EADS tapped Stewart Hall of the lobbying group Hall, Green and Rupli to lobby for the tanker contract. Hall, Green and Rupli eventually became the Federalist Group with Hall serving as its CEO. .... Rove convinced the Federalist Group to accept a merger with Wayne Berman, the chairman of Berman Enterprises and a member of the Bush-Cheney 2000 Transition Team. The merger was consummated in 2004 ....

Berman is a good friend of Rove and influential as the vice chairman of the London-based private banking firm Jardine Lloyd Thompson and chief lobbyist for Lazard Freres and the Carlyle Group. Berman's wife Lea was Vice President Dick Cheney's social director before taking on the same duties for First Lady Laura Bush. Berman was also a close adviser to then- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and helped steer Reliant Energy funds into DeLay's Texas Republican Majority PAC (TRMPAC). Berman was one of 19 members of DeLay's so-called "Kitchen Cabinet" that also included now-imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff, former DeLay Chief of Staff Ed Buckham of the Alexander Strategy Group, former G.W. Bush Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget and current General Electric Government Affairs director Nancy Dorn (the EADS-Northrop contract specifies the use of GE engines for the KC-45A), American for Tax Reform director Grover Norquist, and former New York Representative Bill Paxon.

Most of the Federalist Group's lobbying contributions ended up in the coffers of Alabama Republican Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican Representative Terry Everett, and Mississippi Senator Trent Lott. ...........

...............

[L. Coyote]

27. USAF Selects Northrop Grumman = 130 refueling tankers = $35 billion contract

No politization of defense spending here. Move along.

Remember what Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the USA about?
WELL, the Military-Industrial Complex certainly is in power NOW.

Following from the COMPILATION:
U.S. Air Force Selects Northrop Grumman to Provide the New KC-45A Aerial Refueling Tanker
Mar-01-08 - http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

==============
U.S. Air Force Selects Northrop Grumman to Provide the New KC-45A Aerial Refueling Tanker
http://www.northropgrumman.com /

February 29, 2008—Northrop Grumman announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to provide the KC-45A aerial refueling tanker for the KC-135 tanker replacement program. The Air Force’s KC-45A is based on the highly-successful A330 commercial airframe, produced by EADS. Read the News Release .....

"Clearly the U.S. Air Force conducted a thorough and transparent competition in choosing their new tanker, which resulted in selection of the aircraft that best meets their current and future requirements," said Gary Ervin, corporate vice president ....

The KC-45A Tanker aircraft will be assembled at new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Mobile, Ala. ...

==============
opensecrets.org NORTHROP GRUMMAN
LOBBYING DATABASE Top Spenders #9 Northrop Grumman = $101,390,474
2006 Total Lobbying Expenditures: $16,729,865

RANDY "DUKE" CUNNINGHAM: Top Contributors #3 = Northrop Grumman $74,250
JERRY LEWIS: Top Contributors #4 = Northrop Grumman $78,250

==========
Sens. Shelby, Sessions, = TOP Senate Recipients of Funding From Missile Defense Contractors
http://www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arms/reports/web_ap...

Top 15 Senate Recipients of Funding From Missile Defense Contractors, 2001-2006

1 = $204,334 = Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) Member, Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense
.. Sparta, Collazo/Colsa, Boeing, Computer Sciences Corp., Teledyne, Miltec, CSC, Northrop Grumman, SAIC, Digital Fusion, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon

2 = $145,250 = Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) Member, Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland Forces, Chairman, Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Member, Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
.. Collazo/Colsa, Dynetics, TRW, Orbital Sciences, Lockheed Martin, Teledyne, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Sparta, Boeing, SAIC

3 = $120,750 = Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO) Member, Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense

FROM: REPORTS
Tangled Web 2005: A Profile of the Missile Defense and Space Weapons Lobbies by William D. Hartung with Frida Berrigan, Michelle Ciarrocca, and Jonathan Wingo

[L. Coyote]

43. Boeing challenges refueling contract = "corrupt and incestuous relationship"

Boeing challenges refueling contract to Airbus
Alexander Fangmann - 27 March 2008 - http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/mar2008/boei-m27.shtm...


Earlier this month, Boeing submitted a formal challenge to the decision by the US Air Force to award a major contract to ... Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautical Defense and Space Company (EADS) ....

... these giant corporations are fighting over which will be able to fatten their bottom lines due to the needs of American militarism. In pursuit of their economic objectives, they have moved the fight beyond the negotiating table and enlisted their associates in government to continue the negotiations on their behalf in the political sphere.

It is unlikely that the Boeing challenge will overturn the decision by the US Air Force. However, the situation highlights the corrupt and incestuous relationship between giant military contractors and political figures. The US spends upwards of $500 billion a year on the military, much of it funneled into the profits of a handful of contractors.

The political fight itself has been conducted in the most cynical manner, employing false worry about the fate of the American workers ......

[annabanana]

22. L. Coyote, you amaze me daily!

Everytime I hit one of your lengthy posts, I am sent on a journey that opens door after door of dirty tricks, corporate slime and dastardly doings.

[L. Coyote]

23. It really does add up, doesn't it! And, how it is all linked becomes more apparent

with continued research---and with continuing developments and excess criminal hubris in DC.

The fruits of their corruption are hanging low, fat and ripe, and, even in the midst of the AL scandal,
they could not resist plucking that 30 BILLION $$ fruit that all their coruption has watering and ripening.

What HUBRIS! Do they really think we do not have brains??
Maybe in Ronderland, their up-is-down delusional mind-space,
they are convincing themselves we do not know 2 + 2 equals four

Oh yeah, I "may have" pissed someone off. You should hear my latest phone message:

"F**k you, F**k you F**k F**k, F**k, F**k, F**k, F**k" I must have done something right!

[Jeffersons Ghost]

24. K&R

[L. Coyote]

25. HE'S OUT! Gov. Don Siegelman departed federal prison in Louisiana, spoke briefly to press.

FINALLY! Gov. Don Siegelman departed federal prison in Louisiana, spoke briefly to press.

==============
Former Alabama governor leaves federal prison in Louisiana on bond
March 28, 2008 - http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20...


OAKDALE, La. — Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman left the federal prison at Oakdale on appeal bond today, saying he remains upbeat despite being incarcerated for nine months on his conviction in a corruption case.
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‘‘I may have lost my freedom for awhile, but I never lost faith,’’ Siegelman told reporters.

Leaving the prison in a black sport utility vehicle, he stopped on the road outside the lockup to comment. He wore a ragged shirt that appeared to be prison clothing.

He declined further comment, saying, ‘‘I want to be with my family for a few days.’’ But he said he would make a statement when he reaches his home in Birmingham, Ala.

...............

[L. Coyote]

34. VIDEO: Gov. Don Siegelman Brief Statement to Press Leaving Prison

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[L. Coyote]

28. Telephone INTERVIEW: Freed Alabama Ex-Governor Sees Politics in His Case

Freed Alabama Ex-Governor Sees Politics in His Case
By ADAM NOSSITER - March 29, 2008 - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/29/washington/28cnd-sieg...


MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Former Governor Don Siegelman of Alabama, released from prison today on bond in a bribery case, said he was as convinced as ever that politics played a leading role in his prosecution.

In a telephone interview shortly after he walked out of a federal prison in Oakdale, La., Mr. Siegelman said there had been “abuse of power” in his case, and repeatedly cited the influence of Karl Rove, the former White House political director.

“His fingerprints are smeared all over the case,” Mr. Siegelman said, a day after a federal appeals court ordered him released on bond and said there were legitimate questions about his case.

Mr. Rove has strenuously denied any involvement in the conviction ............

[L. Coyote]

29. DU these LIES: Former Alabama Governor Temporarily Released To Provide Testimony In Congress

Typical R PR Press, this is patently false, albeit the sequence of events is chronologically accurate.
This reporter, Kris Alingod, fails to understand the facts and posts lies.

A. Siegelman was released because he has grounds for appeal... because Judge Fuller erred by jailing him! Not to testify! That is coincidence.

B. Jailed less than 9 months, not a year!

C. "Congress has been investigating the firings of nine federal attorneys. Critics of the Bush administration have said these were part of politically-motivated campaign to minimize opposition in the government." That is pure B.S. Critics say it is criminal!

================
Former Alabama Governor Temporarily Released To Provide Testimony In Congress
March 28, 2008 - Kris Alingod - AHN News Writer - http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010470512

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was temporarily released from prison late Thursday after the House Judiciary Committee said it needed testimony from the Democrat, ...

================
How To Contact AHN and BITCH, BITCH, BITCH:

AHN Media Corporation
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In the United States, call toll-free 1-800-644-0508 or at [phone] ...

You can also call AHN Sales toll-free in North America at 1-800-644-0508 or at [phone]

Editorial
Please email [e-mail] or via the online contact form to contact the AHN editorial department.

[rhett o rick]

31. K&R

[annabanana]

32. All this certainly makes Alabama look like Creep Central of the Republican Party.

(And all this time I thought it was Texas!)

[L. Coyote]

33. And, I'm not even including all the racism!

There is a racist element top this story, but it is too vague to prove.

[L. Coyote]

53. Mississippi Justice: Bush US Attorney targeted my wife, supporters and friends

Mississippi Justice: Bush US Attorney targeted my wife, supporters and friends
Larisa Alexandrovna - April 9, 2008 - http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Diaz_placeholder_0408.htm...


Republican effort jails largest Democratic donor in Mississippi, helps put ex-RNC chairman in governor's chair.

In an exclusive interview with RAW STORY, a former Mississippi Republican state legislator who was later backed by Democrats to win a seat on the Mississippi Supreme Court discussed political prosecutions and what he sees as the corruption and politicization of the Department of Justice.

Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz Jr. was indicted in 2003 on charges relating to his receipt of a loan guarantee from trial lawyer Paul Minor – a personal friend and the largest Democratic donor in Mississippi – to help defray campaign debts. A Bush-appointed US Attorney, Dunnica Lampton, brought charges of bribery against Diaz, Minor and two other Mississippi judges.

Diaz was acquitted of all those charges. A jury acquitted Minor of the charges related to Diaz, but was unable to reach a verdict on other charges. Within days of his acquittal, Diaz was indicted a second time. He was again acquitted.

.................

[L. Coyote]

35. Legal Schnauzer: Siegelman: Free at Last, Free at Last

Siegelman: Free at Last, Free at Last
March 27, 2008 - http://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/2008/03/siegelman-fr...


Turns out the 11th Circuit was going to act all along--the justices were just taking their sweet time. Action finally came today when the court issued a four-page ruling releasing Siegelman from federal prison pending appeal.

The announcement set off much rejoicing among Siegelman supporters and many Democrats and progressives. But the news should have been welcomed by people of all political stripes. Whether you believe Siegelman was innocent or guilty, whether you think his prosecution was honest or tainted by politics, this much is clear: Under the law, he never should have been imprisoned while his appeal was in progress. That Siegelman spent the past nine months in federal prison is a disgrace to our justice system. The rules that allow a federal district judge to take such action need to be examined.

............

So what does all of this mean? Well, here are a few Schnauzer thoughts as we near the end of a most eventful day in the history of American justice:

.........

* Citizens must remember that Don Siegelman was only one of at least four political prisoners in the Age of Rove. The three others--attorney Paul Minor and former Mississippi judges Wes Teel and John Whitfield--remain in federal prison for crimes they did not commit. How do we know they didn't commit the crimes? Because we spent 25-plus posts proving it, and our "Mississippi Churning" series can be reviewed here. In terms of political prosecution, the Minor case is every bit as bad as the Siegelman case. Let's hope the nation and Congress turn their attention to the Minor defendants, who by law must be freed pending appeal.

* Siegelman's release is a testament to the power of alternative media. Without the work of blogger/journalists .... Siegelman would have remained in prison for the foreseeable future. It's impossible to overstate the impact of CBS and its 60 Minutes story on the Siegelman case. But that "old media" story would not have happened without the work of folks working in the "new media."

............

[demobabe]

36. kick

[L. Coyote]

45. "

[L. Coyote]

38. NY TIMES: Freed Ex-Governor of Alabama Talks of Abuse of Power

Freed Ex-Governor of Alabama Talks of Abuse of Power
ADAM NOSSITER - March 29, 2008 - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/29/us/29alabama.html?ref...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Former Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama, released from prison Friday on bond in a bribery and corruption case, said he was as convinced as ever that politics had played a leading role in his prosecution.

Speaking by telephone in his first post-prison interview, shortly after he had left the federal penitentiary at Oakdale, La., Mr. Siegelman said there had been “abuse of power” in his case, and repeatedly cited Karl Rove, the former White House political director. “His fingerprints are smeared all over the case,” Mr. Siegelman said ....

.... one legal expert, previously skeptical of Mr. Siegelman’s arguments, said he was “surprised” by the new ruling, which he characterized as unusual. “It’s quite rare for the appellate court to substitute its view and displace everything that came before,” said the expert, Stephen Gillers, a professor at New York University School of Law.

The ruling was “not a promise of reversal, but it should give him great confidence,” said Mr. Gillers, suggesting that the ruling could have been influenced by “contextual” factors like the firings of the federal prosecutors.

................

[L. Coyote]

54. WA POST: Former Ala. Governor Turns Tables on Justice Department

Former Ala. Governor Turns Tables on Justice Department
Siegelman Connects His Case to Accusations of Interference
By Carrie Johnson - April 13, 2008; A02 - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

....

In the two weeks since his release from prison pending an appeal, Siegelman has sharply increased the volume of his assertions that he was railroaded. He says that Karl Rove, who was a White House adviser, targeted him for prosecution to ensure he did not win reelection to the governor's office and displace a Republican there.

Siegelman is seizing on a theme that is newly popular with politically connected defendants: turning the tables on a Justice Department vulnerable to accusations of interference because of missteps last year under then-Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.

An appeals court panel in Atlanta will decide whether Siegelman, the governor from 1999 to 2003, should win a new trial .....

.... Siegelman pointed to what he called suspicious timing of the charges against him, beginning with a first, failed federal fraud case in 2004 on what he says was the final day such charges could be filed. A second indictment was returned in May 2005 and unsealed that October, nine months after Siegelman announced he would run against Riley the following year. His trial began in May 2006, one month before Alabama's Democratic primary, which he lost. ....

[L. Coyote]

39. Will Karl Rove Testify? Take the Fifth?

Will Karl Rove Testify? Take the Fifth?
Mar 29, 2008 - Wayne Slater - http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/03...


Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman says he wants Bush's former brain Karl Rove hauled before Congress and quizzed about whether politics played a role in his proscution. Siegelman ... said, "It's going to be my quest to encourage Congress to ensure that Karl Rove either testifies, or takes the Fifth."

Rove's lawyer says it's much ado about nothing .... Rove's position has always been consistent: He was not involved in the U.S. attorneys episode, not involved in political dirty tricks in South Carolina against John McCain in 2000, not involved in a political anti-gay whisper campaign against a Supreme Court justice in Alabama, not involved in a political anti-gay whisper campaign in Texas against Ann Richards, not involved in the federal prosecution in 1990 of Texas agriculture department officials in a case that benefited his Republican client.

Leave comment

[L. Coyote]

40. Siegelman rejoins family after 9 months

Siegelman rejoins family after 9 months
Balloons welcome ex-governor who wore prison garb
CHARLES J. DEAN, KIM CHANDLER and STAN DIEL - March 29, 2008 - http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/n...


Looking thin and pale, former Gov. Don Siegelman arrived home shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, having served nine months in prison on what he called an unjust conviction. "It's been a long nine months," Siegelman said.

"Nine months ago this evening, I was handcuffed and shackled and brought to the basement of the federal courthouse in Montgomery and then put in a Chevy sedan and taken to the federal penitentiary in Atlanta," ....

The 62-year-old former governor arrived home still wearing the gray sweatpants and torn sweatshirt over a tattered white undershirt that he wore as he left federal prison ..... He repeatedly thanked God for not just his release from federal prison, but for the support of family, friends and political allies on the House Judiciary Committee, specifically mentioning Chairman John Conyers, D-Michigan, and Democrat Artur Davis of Birmingham.

Siegelman .... said the press and public would hear from him soon. ...........

[L. Coyote]

44. ***** Welcome Home Gov. Don Siegelman ***** Official SHOUT OUT Support Thread *****

***** Welcome Home Gov. Don Siegelman ***** Official SHOUT OUT Support Thread *****
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[L. Coyote]

47. usnews.com: Rove Looms Large in Siegelman Case

Rove Looms Large in Siegelman Case
April 01, 2008 - John Mashek - http://www.usnews.com/blogs/mashek/2008/4/1/rove-looms-...


There is a distinct aroma attached to the trial, conviction, and imprisonment of former Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama. The figure of Karl Rove, President Bush's ultimate strategist, looms large in this strange case.

Siegelman ... was released from prison last week by a federal appellate court pending a probe of the matter. It was a rare move by an appellate panel in a criminal case.

Siegelman is unknown to me. If he took a bribe, he deserves hard time. But if he was railroaded on what he claims was an "abuse of power," his accusers should answer for it.

..............

[L. Coyote]

48. Rep. Artur Davis says Siegelman should not testify on Capitol Hill

Rep. Artur Davis says Siegelman should not testify on Capitol Hill
April 01, 2008 - MARY ORNDORFF -
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/n...


WASHINGTON - Rep. Artur Davis said Monday that Don Siegelman should not testify before Congress because it could endanger the former governor's criminal defense and distract the committee from its broader investigation of political influence in the U.S. Justice Department.

Davis, a Birmingham Democrat and leading Siegelman ally, announced his reservations about the testimony in a detailed letter to the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich.

Davis said he feared Republicans would use the opportunity to discredit Siegelman; that his statements could be used against him; and that the committee would be overstepping its mission of oversight.

.............

[L. Coyote]

49. Siegelman appeal could take a year or more to be decided

Siegelman appeal could take a year or more to be decided
Prosecutor suggests 18-month time frame
March 30, 2008 - KIM CHANDLER - http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/n...


MONTGOMERY - Former Gov. Don Siegelman has nine months of prison behind him, but the legal saga ahead of him could stretch out a year or more ....

During that time, Siegelman's quest for a reversal of fortune partly will focus on the legal test for proving a campaign contribution was a bribe and allegations of juror misconduct, according to his attorney.

Lawyers involved in the case gave estimates ranging from six to 18 months on how long the appeal in the government corruption case will take. ....

.... The 11th Circuit did not elaborate on what "substantial question of law or fact" Siegelman raised that merited his release. Kilborn said the defense raised three key issues and at least one was of interest to the appellate judges: Was the burden of proof met for a campaign contribution to be considered a bribe? Had the statute of limitations expired? Was there adequate evidence to convict Siegelman of obstruction of justice?

Defense lawyers will argue ............

[L. Coyote]

50. 60 Minutes VIDEO: Siegelman Says 'No Deal' occurred with Scrushy

Siegelman Says 'No Deal'

Former Ala. Governor Don Siegelman tells Scott Pelley that he did not offer any special deal to HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy in exchange for a $500,000 contribution to an education lottery campaign.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtm...

Siegelman Future Hinges On Appeal
Former Alabama Governor Is Free As Congress Investigates His Prosecution

April 6, 2008

.... Siegelman was in prison in February when he watched the original 60 Minutes broadcast with other inmates.

In an interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, he describes the jailhouse reaction to the broadcast: "Well immediately people were standing up, sayin', 'You got screwed.' And I'd say, 'Well, you know, I think there were a lot of ya'll that got screwed.' And then, one guy stood up and said, 'No, I was guilty. You got screwed.' "

Using different words, a federal appeals court raised the same possibility, agreeing that his "appeal raises substantial questions of law or fact likely to result in reversal" of his conviction. ....

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/04/60minutes/mai...

[L. Coyote]

51. Three Exclusive Video Clips from 60 Minutes

On 60 Minutes: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/04/60minutes/mai...

Exclusive Video Clip #1
Siegelman: No deal with Richard Scrushy.

Exclusive Video Clip #2
Elmer Harris, Alabama Republican and former head of Scrushy's transition team: There was no bribe.

Exclusive Video Clip #3
Siegelman: What next?

60 Minutes, Sunday, April 6, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

[L. Coyote]

52. VIDEOS: 2008.04.08 - Don Siegelman On Abrams' Verdict

Part 1 HERE: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Part 2 HERE: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Part 3 HERE: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...