Politics: Onward from New Hampshire

[Not Me]

Originally posted by sgtclub
I have it on good information that she's dirty on this.

Meaning she did dump the stock on an inside tip or that she lied to investigators/obstructed justice or that she lied to the public to prop up her stock price? Or all of the above? There are 5 separate charges against her if I am remembering correctly.

I haven't been following this all that closely, but I was under the impression that the lie she supposedly told to investigators is that she couldn't remember her conversations with Fanuiel.

[Not Me]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
I was asking whether her statements to regulators/investigators fell outside that doctrine, because you're privileged by the FSA case law to make certain exculpatory statements even when they're flat falsehoods.

I thought her statments were that she didn't remember things.

Does the altered phone log the basis of the obstruction charge?

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by Not Me
Meaning she did dump the stock on an inside tip or that she lied to investigators/obstructed justice or that she lied to the public to prop up her stock price? Or all of the above? There are 5 separate charges against her if I am remembering correctly.

I haven't been following this all that closely, but I was under the impression that the lie she supposedly told to investigators is that she couldn't remember her conversations with Fanuiel.

My source thinks they've got her on all 3. I'm dubious about the 3rd.

[Not Me]

Originally posted by sgtclub
My source thinks they've got her on all 3. I'm dubious about the 3rd.

I found this list of charges and the factual basis for each.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/business/7746861.htm

_False statements: Alleges, among other things, Stewart lied when she told the Securities and Exchange Commission, FBI and federal prosecutors she had prearranged with Bacanovic to sell ImClone when it fell below $60 per share.

The only evidence that seems to rebut this is Fanuiel's testimony.

_False statements: Alleges, among other things, Stewart lied when she told the SEC, FBI and prosecutors that she did not recall being told on Dec. 27, 2001, that the Waksal family was selling ImClone stock.

This seems hard to prove to me. She didn't deny it, she said she couldn't recall. If that is a crime, then Clinton should go to jail for the things he said in the depo during Paula Jone's case.

_Conspiracy: Alleges Stewart and Bacanovic "willfully and knowingly" worked together to obstruct justice and make false statements in the stock-trading scandal.

That is going to be hard to prove unless Bacanovic spills his guts, which so far, he hasn't.

_Obstruction of justice: Alleges that, from January to April 2002, Stewart "willfully and knowingly" tried to hamper the SEC investigation of her stock sale by providing misleading information.

Is this the charge arising from the altered phone log?

_Securities fraud: Alleges Stewart "well knew" her personal reputation was critical to shareholders in her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Alleges she made misleading public statements in June 2002, after news of her ImClone sale broke, and intended to "defraud and deceive" her investors.

This seems like a big loser of a charge.

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by Not Me
I found this list of charges and the factual basis for each.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/business/7746861.htm

This seems like a big loser of a charge.

This is the one I think is bogus, regardless of my source.

[Say_hello_for_me]

Originally posted by The Larry Davis Experience
Wow, do you really think so? That is interesting (not sarcastic). I actually logged on to post that although I'm sure crackpots around the greater Berkeley area were as pissed as I was during some of the things he said, Bush's supporters would find much to like during that speech. I thought he was shooting for a message to the base that he was still the responsible man of action he's always been, but that he doesn't get caught up in the parsing of words that the media for some reason wants to force him engage in.

In other words, I thought it was a politically savvy move at a rough time in his presidency/campaign. But maybe it's rougher than I thought. Not that you're a typical GWB base supporter, but I would have thought a Hannibal Smith-type like yourself would have liked that vibe.

I missed the good tax cut justification, but I was probably predisposed not to hear that one. For general funniness I enjoyed his "It's OK to beat on me, that's politics, but I pity the fool that denigrates the National Guard" riff. For general annoyingness my favorite was this one:

...when the actual annual growth in discretionary outlays was for the last two years was 13% and 12%, both of which were greater than the same percentage for any single Clinton year.
(Ty I would be forever grateful if you could help a technically illiterate brother out and put this table into this post but if not you can click here to see a graph the Heritage foundation put together on this:
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Bud...m&PageID=53575)

Although it's technically true they're declining I'm not sure that is really relevant. And although Russert cites the Heritage Foundation as critical of the admin on this one I guess I'm more confident that their numerical anlysis than in GWB's. I would welcome someone showing me where Bush's statement was derived from, if not these numbers.

In other news, the Simpsons and Curb Your Enthusiasm were awesome tonight. That is all.

[eta Thanks, Ty.]

As your post indicates, its not the "man of action" part that doesn't appeal to me. It was the mispronounced words, the hemming and hawing, the general tone of his remarks, the Deniro type-squinting, and most importantly, the total BS on the budget. Its time to demand that cities like Chicago put public housing residents to work sweeping streets and picking up garbage, but noooo, they just keep announcing that the money is still coming from the feds. Its no way to treat your political enemies.

Speaking of Chicago, Daley fired the son of his first cousin today in the trucking scandal. There is speculation in Chicago that the Feds are going to go nuts on corruption before the election, though I'm not convinced.

In other news, Boston appointed a chick as commissioner, and she seems quite likable from a distance. I honestly think the argument could be made that she is the best person for the job, and everybody in the city administration should be breathing a sigh of relief that the acting commissioner is out after last week's fiasclo. Menino should not have even bothered trying to justify what happened, it was that idiotic, and the dead guy's mom is tearing him a new orifice in the press because of it. How fucking hard is it to just say "we screwed up with our staffing and our planning, but we didn't kill your kid... a criminal did"?

In other Boston News, can somebody please tell Ben Affleck that he sucks?

Hello

[The Larry Davis Experience]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
In other news, Boston appointed a chick as commissioner, and she seems quite likable from a distance. I honestly think the argument could be made that she is the best person for the job, and everybody in the city administration should be breathing a sigh of relief that the acting commissioner is out after last week's fiasclo. Menino should not have even bothered trying to justify what happened, it was that idiotic, and the dead guy's mom is tearing him a new orifice in the press because of it. How fucking hard is it to just say "we screwed up with our staffing and our planning, but we didn't kill your kid... a criminal did"?

What was this about? I missed this.

In other Boston News, can somebody please tell Ben Affleck that he sucks?

Are there new aspects of his suckiness coming to light or is this more of a cumulative lifetime-achievement-in-suckiness thing?

[Not Me]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
In other Boston News, can somebody please tell Ben Affleck that he sucks?

And while you are at it, please tell him that he is gay NTTAWWT. He needs to stop trying to date women. It is just not right.

[Say_hello_for_me]

Originally posted by The Larry Davis Experience
What was this about? I missed this.

A total of 56 officers citywide for crowd control after the superbowl, along with saturation teams and narcotics personnel on standby *in case they were needed*. The total emergency plan was 15 pages long (it would presumably list the different units, their strength, their responsibilities, their bosses) for the whole city. The acting boss is with friends or family monitoring the aftermath by phone, but does not report to work until early the next morning.

After the game, large-scale mob behavior breaks out. A drunk driver hits and kills an early 20's guy on the street. There are numerous injuries all over the city.

Of course, Boston has seen the large-scale mob behavior in the recent past for similar events, as have almost all cities with victorious teams and many cities with losing teams.

The victory parade plan for the next day (or two days later) is 50 pages long and includes many, many more officers.

Yesterday's (Monday's) Boston Globe has an interview with the dead kid's mom. She's a nobody, but she talks rage good. Menino tried to make it sound like it was no big deal. Ditto the acting boss. From my "sweeper" days, I can tell you that this was pathetic, and many people in the Boston PD knew better... they've been there and done it before. But noooo, the mayor can't just admit that his acting boss and many others dropped the ball completely. He barely admits any error in judgement.

This is one of those events where you issue tear gas to teams, cancel days off, extend shifts to overlap from immediately before the expected end of the game til 3 AM or so, and put 30-45% of your total manpower on the street for riot-duty. I'm serious, that is what's done in almost any other city, and its almost certainly what Boston has done before.

In a very well-run city, this is a blip. But pretending there was nothing wrong is making it into a bigger event than it was.

Anyway, its been in the Globe a lot the last week, and its casting an excellent city and organization into a worse light than should be expected.

Hello

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
It was the mispronounced words, the hemming and hawing, the general tone of his remarks, the Deniro type-squinting, and most importantly, the total BS on the budget.

That sounds dangerously close to calling the man a liar.

As they would say on the FB, off my corner, ho.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
That sounds dangerously close to calling the man a liar.

As they would say on the FB, off my corner, ho.

An explanation of the interview:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/column.../?id=110004665

But I am thinking there are two kinds of minds in politics. There are those who absorb and repeat their arguments and evidence--their talking points--with vigor, engagement and certainty. And there are those who cannot remember their talking points.

Those who cannot remember their talking points can still succeed as leaders if they give good speeches. Speeches are more important in politics than talking points, as a rule, and are better remembered.

Which gets me to Ronald Reagan. Mr. Reagan had a ready wit and lovely humor, but he didn't as a rule give good interviews when he was president. He couldn't remember his talking points. He was a non-talking-point guy. His people would sit him down and rehearse all the fine points of Mideast policy or Iran-contra and he'd say, "I know that, fine." And then he'd have a news conference and the press would challenge him, or approach a question from an unexpected angle, and he'd forget his talking points. And fumble. And the press would smack him around: "He's losing it, he's old."

Dwight Eisenhower wasn't good at talking points either.

George W. Bush is not good at talking points. You can see when he's pressed on a question. Mr. Russert asks, why don't you remove George Tenet? And Mr. Bush blinks, and I think I know what is happening in his mind. He's thinking: Go through history of intelligence failures. No, start with endorsement of George so I don't forget it and cause a big story. No, point out intelligence didn't work under Clinton. Mention that part of the Kay report that I keep waiting for people to mention.

He knows he has to hit every point smoothly, but self-consciousness keeps him from smoothness. In real life, in the office, Mr. Bush is not self-conscious. Nor was Mr. Reagan.

from there its get more political.

Confidential to Ty: DOJ wants to question Atticus. Please PM me contact info.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
This is one of those events where you issue tear gas to teams, cancel days off, extend shifts to overlap from immediately before the expected end of the game til 3 AM or so, and put 30-45% of your total manpower on the street for riot-duty. I'm serious, that is what's done in almost any other city, and its almost certainly what Boston has done before.

Thanks. We're having the annual "build the sports teams all new stadiums" talks here in MN again, and this sounds like a great reason to shut down the whole idea.

If sporting event are now the new excuse for people to act like shits, let them go to other cities.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me


After the game, large-scale mob behavior breaks out. A drunk driver hits and kills an early 20's guy on the street. There are numerous injuries all over the city.

Did I read the wrong article about the drunk driver? My understanding was a guy in his pathfinder was surrounded by a crowd of celebrators and, when he couldn't move forward or backward, gunned car, and ran people over. Is there anything cops really can do about that?

And, on the theme of bullshit charges, how about the case of Willie Williams (there are probably better articles, but my google-fu isn't in full gear at 9:30). This is the high school football star who wrote about his recruiting visits to FSU, Auburn, Miami, and Florida, with sordid details about the farmer chicks at Auburn and the two-steak, four lobstertail dinner at FSU. So, he goes to Florida on a recruiting visit, evidently hugs a woman allegedly against her will, possibly sets off a couple of fire extinguishers. Okay, some college-kid prank stuff.

Anyway, the day after he announces he's decided to go to Miami (I guess on their early action plan), the police in Gainesville file charges for battery against him. Nice.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by bilmore
Thanks. We're having the annual "build the sports teams all new stadiums" talks here in MN again, and this sounds like a great reason to shut down the whole idea.

If sporting event are now the new excuse for people to act like shits, let them go to other cities.

The best basis for your objection in Minn. is that you built them a new stadium 20 years ago. IF they fucked it up that badly then, that they need a new one 20 years later, why should the city bail them out. Besides, Metropolitan Stadium was as far better place to watch a ballgame.

DC would be happy to take the Senators back.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Confidential to Ty: DOJ wants to question Atticus. Please PM me contact info.

Must be Tuesday. The SS was going to assign me my own branch office, but it turned out to be the one national security line item that got cut. Maybe next year.

In other news, and further to my re: line, Bill O'Reilly is a pussy.

*Of course, we all know Gaius Julius Caesar's last words were probably "And you, child?" pronounced in Greek, or as Suetonius recounts in his Divus Julius, "atque ita tribus et uiginti plagis confossus est uno modo ad primum ictum gemitu sine uoce edito, etsi tradiderunt quidam Marco Bruto irruenti dixisse: 'kai su teknon . . . ." Id. at 82. I hope the board will forgive the use of the undoubtedly more familiar rendering in Latin.