Thank God Seattle P-I columnist Joel Connelly joined us once again last night, otherwise our panel of Podcasting Liberally regulars would have drowned in our own mediocrity. (Not to mention our beer.)
Joining Joel and me (Goldy) in our weekly, ethanol-fueled punditry was Mollie, Will, Gavin and Carl.Topic’s of discussion included former VA Governor (and possible presidential candidate) Mark Warner, current King County Executive (and possible cabinet appointee) Ron Sims, former insurance industry lobbyist (and future insurance industry lobbyist) Mike McGavick, plus mass transit, gas prices, the Iraq war, global warming and other trivial stuff like that.
The show is 57:09, and is available here as a 35.7 MB MP3. Please visit PodcastingLiberally.com for complete archives and RSS feeds.
[Recorded live at the Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally. Special thanks to Confab creators Gavin and Richard for producing the show.]
Amazing that Obese Joel was able to get to the bar and speak without collapsing.
Kerry’s Tire-Slashers Sentenced
[Democrats at play……..Nothing like a little felony from a few of the black Democrats’ finest!!!!!!!!! Read on!! I wonder if Jesse and Al will show up to bitch and whine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
A congresswoman’s son and three Democratic campaign workers were sentenced Wednesday to four to six months in jail for slashing tires outside a Bush-Cheney campaign office on Election Day 2004.
The men pleaded no contest in January to misdemeanor property damage. A fifth worker was found not guilty.
“This case had to be a public example of what can happen when you interfere with voters’ rights,” said Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Michael Brennan, who rejected prosecutors’ recommendation of probation for the four men.
The state Republican Party had rented more than 100 vehicles to give rides to voters and poll monitors on Nov. 2, 2004. The cars were parked outside a GOP campaign office when the tires were punctured. The vandalism left the drivers scrambling for new vehicles.
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Among those sentenced Wednesday were Sowande A. Omokunde, the son of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wisconsin, and Michael Pratt, the son of former acting Milwaukee Mayor Marvin Pratt.
“I love my son very much. I’m very proud of him,” Moore said. “He’s accepted responsibility.”
Omokunde was sentenced to four months in jail; Pratt and Lewis Caldwell of Milwaukee were sentenced to six months; and Lavelle Mohammad of Milwaukee
Remember those unhinged Dem operatives in Milwaukee who slashed the tires of GOP get out the vote vans on Election Day in 2004? Finally, some justice:
Four Democratic presidential campaign workers were sentenced to jail time ranging from four months to six months Wednesday for puncturing the tires of Republican vehicles on Election Day 2004.
The men had pleaded no contest in January to misdemeanor property damage. A fifth worker was found not guilty.
Those who pleaded no contest were Sowande A. Omokunde, the son of Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee; Michael Pratt, the son of former acting Milwaukee Mayor Marvin Pratt; and Lewis Caldwell and Lavelle Mohammad, both from Milwaukee.
They originally were charged with felony property damage but accepted plea deals on the lesser charge.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Michael Brennan rejected prosecutors’ recommendation of probation and no jail time.
“This case had to be a public example of what can happen when you interfere with voters’ rights,” Brennan said.
The men faced a maximum nine-month jail term and fines of $10,000.
I am pleased that Judge Brennan ignored the pathetic recommendation of the Milwaukee DA’s office that the tire slashers merely receive probation.
I believe the imposition of jail time will make anyone, of any party, think twice before engaging in such behavior.
I truly believe that had this been a case of Republican operatives, including sons of two prominent GOP elected officials, slashing the tires of Democrat party voter shuttle vans, that the case would have been ratcheted up to the federal courts as a civil rights case.
It’s also fair that Brennan give these men work release privileges, so they can earn money. They have fines and restitution to pay.
It will be mere moments before we hear the cries of injustice from the apologists [JJ/ Al] for these men.
When will we see justice for the tens of thousands of uselessly slaughtered Iraquis, the thousands of US soldiers killed in an illegal war, the billions stolen from Americans via this crooked war, our crooked president, our crooked VP, our crooked Republican congress, our crooked Supreme Court, our crooked corporate overlords, the crooked stolen Republican elections?????
[JCH]: If convicting a few tire slashers gives you the inner peace that tells you “alls right with the world”, then God bless you for the blissful, empty-minded idiot you are!
Any day indictments may come down against drug dealer and drug addict Lush Flimbaugh according to the Palm Beach Post! HE HE! Maybe the fat deaf turd can share a cell with Delay and Deke!
Gee, if you are a black Democrat who slashes some tires you get four months in jail for “interfering with the right to vote”.
If you are a Republican who threatens voters with legal challenges and possible felony prosecution for voting (too close to the election to get a call through to check out it out), you get a free pass.
And if you are a Republican New England operative with ties to the White House who orchastrate a computerized telephone campaign to jam the Democratic telphone lines on election day, blocking them from receiving calls requesting rides to the polls from the elderly and handicapped, then what happens?
Let’s see how this one really plays out in the end.
Goldy-
Must be a flashback- what a psychadelic moment, Sims an appointee. A laugher.
and you say the local papers aren’t left wing…
yipes, the columnist out drinking w/ the lefties….
where was nicole, danny, jerry and the other oddballs?
-If you are a Republican who threatens voters with legal challenges and possible felony prosecution for voting (too close to the election to get a call through to check out it out), you get a free pass.-
Let alone the President’s own brother, who spent millions of taxpayer dollars to use a GOP firm to toss thousands of voters off the rolls in Florida because their names “sounded black.”
-yipes, the columnist out drinking w/ the lefties….-
Oooo – strong conspiracy argument there, righton. Especially when you take a look at how friendly Connelly is to the likes of McDermott, Sims and Nickels.
Next.
Speaking of disenfranchising voters in Florida…..
Katherine Harris Takes Responsibility For Not Paying For Dinner
ORLANDO, Fla. — U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris took responsibility Friday for her campaign not reimbursing her share of a meal with a disgraced defense contractor at an exclusive Washington restaurant that reportedly cost $2,800.
The report was the latest trouble in the Republican’s campaign to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. The woman best known for her role in the 2000 presidential recount is trailing far behind Nelson in polls.
In a statement, Harris said that she gave a charity $100, “which will more than adequately compensate for the cost of my beverage and appetizers” from the meal with Mitchell Wade. He has pleaded guilty to bribing former U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif., who was sent to prison earlier this month for bribery.
Ed Rollins, Harris’ former chief political strategist in her Senate campaign, told the Orlando Sentinel that he found out that the meal cost $2,800, although he said he didn’t see a bill and wasn’t at the restaurant, Citronelle. He confirmed that account to The Associated Press on Friday.
Harris spokesman Chris Ingram told the paper that the donation was made Thursday to Global Dominion Impact Center. He declined to comment on the cost.
On its Web site, the Jacksonville-based organization says it was founded by Bishop Lewes Jones.
“From this city in Jacksonville they would be able to touch the world with a greater outreach than ever possible,” the Web site said.
The Web site also describes a pastor’s encounter with “Satan” after the birth of her son.
Harris said she met the charity’s operators for the first time during a campaign stop in Jacksonville on Thursday, when they told her about their work helping battered women and orphans.
“I knew they had some financial needs and wanted to do something special for them,” Harris said. “I met them. I knew I wanted to write a check. I was anxious to write a check and their stories were so touching.”
She said the campaign had discussed donating to Habitat For Humanity, but she changed her mind after meeting the operators of Global Dominion Impact Center. Harris said she did not check into the organization’s background other than asking if it was a registered charity.
In his plea agreement, Wade said he asked Harris at the dinner for her support in getting $10 million in federal money for a Navy counterintelligence program involving his company. The plan called for a location in Harris’ Sarasota district.
House members aren’t allowed to accept gifts worth $50 or more and shouldn’t accepting “favors or benefits in circumstances that might create the appearance of influencing the performance of official duties,” according to the House’s Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
The rules also state that members “must never accept a gift that is linked to any official action that the individual has taken, or is being asked to take.”
“While the rules are complicated, as a member of Congress, it is my responsibility to know and obey them,” Harris said. “It has always been my intent to conduct myself in an ethical manner, and I regret this oversight.”
Wade, the former president of MZM Inc., previously said he gave Harris $32,000 in illegal contributions to her 2004 campaign for the House. Harris has said she did not knowingly do anything illegal and said she donated the money to charity.
Speaking of disenfranchising voters in Florida…..
Commentby LiberalRedneck— 4/26/06@ 6:10 pm
When a donk says “disenfranchise voters” they really mean there was not enough democratic voter fraud.