Indians, Lobbyists and Arizona Politics...OH MY!

TheTownCrier ^ | Jan. 29, 2010 | TheTownCrier

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

Hayworth’s exoneration of any criminal charges, by the US Dept. of Justice is in a letter from them here.

Link direct to the DOJ exoneration letter:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2439408/posts?page=30#30

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

an explanation direct from JD Hayworth:

Yes, the truth will make you free. But sometimes it’s very, very expensive.

My name is J. D. Hayworth, and I represented Arizona as a United States Congressman from 1995-2007. To this day, journalists and bloggers inaccurately refer to my “ties” to Jack Abramoff. Here’s what really happened, and why it’s important for you to know the truth.

After the 2006 election was history, my staff and I were packing up the D.C. office to return to Arizona. As this was happening, an attorney from the Department of Justice called and told us “Don’t throw away anything!” This attorney, his curiousity piqued by press accounts attempting to link me with the criminal Jack Abramoff, had decided to look into these allegations.

Prior to the 2006 campaign, some of my opponents and their allies created a very clever scheme: Link Abramoff to their political targets using a ‘bridge’ of Indian tribes who contributed to people like me.

It’s a simple and very devastating attack strategy: Make a claim through some intermediaries, or off the record, that Abramoff is directing the Indian tribes to make campaign contributions to their opponents. Then force the opponents to waste money, time, and energy fighting that battle instead of the one they should be fighting: for their constituents. As an added bonus, if they can stir the pot enough, they can get official investigators interested in the issue under the guise of “If there’s this much smoke, there must be a fire around here somewhere”. This causes even more distraction, more wasted money, and more wasted time.

Ethical? No.
Effective? Very.

Here are the simple facts:

1. Abramoff contributed a grand total of $2,250 dollars to my political efforts. ($250 in 1996, $1,000 in 1998, and $1,000 to our leadership political action committee, TEAMPAC, in 1999.)
2. I never met with Abramoff concerning any legislation.
3. He never came to my office.
4. He never lobbied me directly on any issue.

Once Abramoff’s troubling activities were revealed, we donated that money to charity (Hurricane Katrina relief). Simply put, we didn’t want it.

Please understand, the Indian tribes were the true targets of Abramoff, I was simply collateral damage. The tribes were his clients and they were defrauded of tens of millions of dollars. Our office offered to return their contributions to them, but tribal officials stepped up to the plate and stated for the record that they themselves had made their own determinations about who they would support with political donations.

In the meantime, we cooperated fully with the Department of Justice, and hopefully our efforts helped in the indictment and conviction of Abramoff. Of course, we will never know that for certain. What we do know is that he is currently incarcerated for defrauding the Indian tribes, conspiracy, and corruption of public officials.

These days, ‘cooperation’ is expensive. Very expensive. In our case, it involved retaining a K Street Law Firm to pore over twelve years worth of my congressional records and correspondance. Twelve years of household records is bad enough, but Congress runs on paper and e-mails, and it was literally thousands of pages and hundreds of computer records that had to be examined, evaluated, and sometimes redacted for security reasons. Then you can add the administrative costs, phone calls, and ‘face time’ the attorneys spent with the DOJ. When all was said and done, the legal bill was over a half a million dollars. And that was to ‘cooperate’ with the DOJ!

In the end, we were completely vindicated. In a letter from our attorneys, they informed us that the Department of Justice had advised us that we “are not now the target, subject or focus [of] any DOJ investigation, case or other proceeding.” Essentially, it was a complete and total vindication that we had done nothing wrong at all - which is exactly what we had been saying all along.

We used all of what was left in the campaign account to partially pay the legal bills, but came up $285,000 short. Recently, the law firm proposed to us that they could accept half the outstanding debt as payment, so we now owe $142,500. But, there’s a catch (there always is one). It has to be paid before January 31, 2010.

So, we established the Freedom In Truth Trust solely to help retire this outstanding bill. It’s not a political thing, so there’s no limit on what you could contribute. On the downside, it’s not tax-deductible either.

I have always tried to be honest and aboveboard in my dealings in private as well as publicly in Congress. As you can see from the above, even being cooperative, honest, and truthful can be twisted against you. So, I am asking for your financial help in getting the legal debt resolved. After that is done, other important decisions can be made with a clear field ahead. As is often said: One step at a time.

Please help if you can. You can contribute online via our secure server or you can send a check payable to “The Freedom in Truth Trust”.

The FIT Trust
P.O. Box 984
Willows, California 95988
http://www.fittrust.org/

[AuntB]

GO J.D. HAYWORTH!

Money bomb underway.

jdforsenate.com

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Hi AuntB. If you have a McCain ping list, please include me. Good find here. =]

[AuntB]

J. D. Hayworth money bomb!

McCain HAS to go!

http://www.jdforsenate.com/

[AuntB]

In case you care to find out the facts.

Also, GOA just endorsed Hayworth.

Gun Owners of America Endorses J.D. Hayworth - McCain Wrong for Arizona Wrong for America

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2455683/posts

[AuntB]

THis ‘abramoff’ thing is about Indian Tribal money...ONE of John McCain’s biggest donors. J.D. is clean on this, but McCain is dirty as dirty can be.

Buried in McCain/Feingold was a special exemption for Indian tribes, who just happen to line McCain’s pockets.
Mc/Feingold was never about campaign finance reform. It was about getting what McCain thought he needed.

The McCain-Feingold Indian Giving Loophole
by Michelle Malkin (April 11, 2001)

[snip] deep-pocketed special interest group remains curiously silent amid the furor over campaign finance “reform”: Indian tribes. Why?

You might think tribal leaders would be swarming Capitol Hill, joining other business groups and trade associations that are rightly worried about the McCain-Feingold bill’s deleterious effect on their ability to participate in the political process. Under McCain-Feingold, so-called “soft money” donations (which are currently unregulated and unlimited) would be banned. That would presumably be a big blow to Indian tribes, particularly those who run casinos, whose soft-money giving has exploded in the last few years.

Final tallies are not in yet, but analysts say the top individual recipient of Indian gaming money during election 2000 was none other than anti-soft money crusader Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who sits on the Senate Committee of Indian Affairs.

[AuntB]

Ignorance brought us McCain. We need to get smarter...FAST.

Poll after the 2008 election:

Voters Unaware of Candidates’ Immigration Positions; McCain Supporters Farthest Off the Mark

# Only 34 percent of McCain voters, 42 percent of Clinton voters, and 52 percent of Obama voters correctly identified their candidate as favoring eventual citizenship for illegal immigrants who meet certain requirements.
# Of McCain voters, 35 percent mistakenly thought he favored enforcement that would cause illegals to return home, another 10 percent thought he wanted mass deportations, and 21 percent didn’t know his position.
# Voters often held different positions from the candidate they supported. Only 31 percent of McCain voters had the same immigration position as he does[snip]

[AuntB]

Reference note.

It seems Mr. McCain hasn’t always looked out for the best interest of Indians.

John McCain, Indian Agent

[snip]

The justification for Public Law 93-531 passed by Congress in 1974 was that the Navajo-Hopi land dispute is so serious that 10,000 Navajos near Big Mountain, Arizona, must be relocated, forcibly if necessary. It would be the largest forced relocation of U.S. citizens since the relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

But tradition-minded Navajo and Hopi claim there never was a land dispute. They say the dispute was invented to get the Navajos and their livestock off mineral-rich land in the Hopi reservation so it could be developed by mining companies such as Peabody Coal and Kerr-McGee.

The ACSA challenges Senator McCain on his legislative history of Human Rights Violations: “a Skeleton in his closet: UNFIT to hold public office!”

A public research website: http://www.cain2008.org has brought together diverse historical elements of factual proof that Senator John McCain’s was the key “point man” introducing, enacting and enforcing law that removed Dineh-Navajo Families from their reservation on the Black Mesa in Arizona. The McCain revised law relocated them to Church’s Hill, Nevada (a Nuclear Waste Superfund Site, called “the New Lands” in PL 93-531). The Dineh-Navajo, a deeply spiritual and peaceful people, engaged in only peaceful resistance to being moved off lands they’d owned since 1500 A.D. Nonetheless, the Public Press and UN depicted brutalization, rights deprivation and forcible relocation.

- snip -

Senator McCain and his predecessors introduced legislation (S1973-1 and S.1003) which they claimed were justified by what has turned out to be a non-existent range war between the Dineh (mainly consisting of grandfathers and grandmothers in their 70’s living on farmlands that had belonged to their tribe since 1500 AD) and the Hopi (the 3-5 individuals rapidly assembled to assist Peabody Western Group by Senator McCain, Congressman Owens and John Boyden).

Subsequently, as the Dineh were removed from their farms by the “Relocation Commission” authorized by the US Senate at the behest of the revisions to the Public Law 93-531 introduced as S.1973-1 (1996 Partition) and S.1003 (2001 and 2005 accelerated removal of the Dineh by amendment) by Senator McCain, expanded Coal Mining Rights to their lands were granted to Peabody Western who with Bechtel Corp, have been mining the lands formerly occupied by the Dineh, and piping the coal to the Mohave Generating Station in Nevada, which serves the Las Vegas and Reno areas power needs.

He made a bogus claim that the Navajo and the Hopi were having land disputes, when the truth was, they weren’t. So what was the real intention? It must have been to steal their land and give it “to the coal companies without making any provisions to protect the burial or sacred sites,” because that’s exactly what happened.

Source

The Dineh (otherwise known as Navajo) were stripped of all land title and forced to relocate. Their land was turned over to the coal companies without making any provisions to protect the burial or sacred sites that would be destroyed by the mines. People whose lives were based in their deep spiritual and life-giving relationship with the land were relocated into cities, often without compensation, forbidden to return to the land that their families had occupied for generations. People became homeless with significant increases in alcoholism, suicide, family break up, emotional abuse and death.

- snip -

“I feel that in relocating these elderly people, we are as bad as the Nazis that ran the concentration camps in World War II.”

— Roger Lewis, federally appointed Relocation Commissioner upon resignation

“I believe that the forced relocation of Navajo and Hopi people that followed from the passage in 1974 of Public Law 93-531 is a major violation of these people’s human rights. Indeed this forced relocation of over 12,000 Native Americans is one of the worst cases of involuntary community resettlement that I have studied throughout the world over the past 40 years.”

— Thayer Scudder, Professor of Anthropology, California Institute of Technology in a letter to Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance

That is exactly.

What.

Happened, along with forcibly relocating the elderly and being what Scudder called “one of the worst cases of involuntary community resettlement that I have studied throughout the world over the past 40 years” and what Wager called, “the largest forced relocation of U.S. citizens since the relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II.”

I thought the days of Indian Agents deceptively crafting words to steal land and resulting in forced relocation were long gone, but now there’s a republican presidential candidate running sliming for the highest office in the land,who’s done just that. McCain introduced legislation (S1973-1 and S.1003) and claimed that legislation was justified by a non-existent range war between the Dineh and the Hopi.

http://www.nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/87/

[AuntB]

Reference

McCain Received $100,000 From Firm Of Abramoff Notoriety

[snip]
On the stump, Sen. John McCain has touted his work tackling the excesses of the lobbying industry to bolster his reputation as a “maverick” reformer.

“Ask Jack Abramoff if I’m an insider in Washington,” McCain often contends. “You’d probably have to go during visiting hours in the prison, and he’ll tell you and his lobbyist cronies of the change I made there.”

But how much change did McCain actually effect? And is he all that removed from Washington’s special interests?

A review of campaign finance filings shows that the Arizona Republican has accepted more than $100,000 in donations from employees of Greenberg Traurig, the very firm where Abramoff once reigned.

Those donations include several thousand dollars from registered lobbyists who represent, or have represented, businesses such as NewsCorp, Rupert Murdoch’s media empire; Spi Spirits, a Cyprus based company that has fought with the Russian government for the rights to the Stolichnaya vodka brand name; El Paso Corp, a major energy company; General Motors; and the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition, a group of businesses and trade associations “concerned” about the shortage of lesser skilled and unskilled labor.

All told, McCain has received more than $400,000 from lobbying firms, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And among his major fundraisers (”bundlers”) 59 have been identified as lobbyists by the non-profit organization Public Citizen.

There is nothing illegal about these contributions. But campaign watchdog groups and McCain’s opponents view them as more than just a reflection of political irony. McCain, they argue, has on occasion been far more bark than bite when it comes to taking on lobbying interests.

The document and some government watchdog groups note that while McCain put pressure on Jack Abramoff and several prominent Republicans, he also went out of his way during the Indian Affairs Committee hearing to spare his congressional colleagues.

At well over 350 pages, the report was thorough, exploring layers of corruption that had allowed Indian tribes to part with tens of millions of dollars in search of political favors. But it did not include the names of prominent U.S. Senators with Abramoff ties, such as Conrad Burns and David Vitter, or for that matter Bush strategist Karl Rove, who accepted gifts from and met with Abramoff clients.

And while the report pushed for greater transparency and accountability, towards the end, McCain and the other authors seemingly put the onus for change not on Congress itself, but on the tribes that Abramoff bilked.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/12/mccain-received-100000-fr_n_86245.html

[AuntB]

GO J.D. HAYWORTH!

http://www.jd2010.com/

[AuntB]

John McCain has a long time, well known GAMBLING problem! His support and $ come from questionable people with questionable ties.

Mafia ties:

In 1995, McCain sent birthday regards, and regrets for not attending, to Joseph "Joe Bananas" Bonano, the head of the New York Bonano crime family, who had retired to Arizona. Another politician to send regrets was Governor Fife Symington, who has since been kicked out of office and convicted of 7 felonies relating to fraud and extortion.

http://www.realchange.org/mccain.htm

McCain's mafia ties go back further than that ... all the way back to Cindy McCain's mafia connected dad, who launched McCain's career and put him on the nipple of Charles Keating and friends. Cindy's dad took the fall for the mafia over illegal liqour distribution charges and was rewarded with a beer distributorship when he got out of the clink. Cindy's dad also helped the mob do some dirty business in the New Mexico horse racing market back in the day.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2008/09/23/mccain_lays_out_bailout_princi.html

McCain Received $100000 From Firm Of Abramoff Notoriety

Feb 12, 2008 ... John McCain has touted his work tackling the excesses of the lobbying industry ... exploring layers of corruption that had allowed Indian tribes to part with tens .... What concerns me more than Abramoff's donations or ...

www.huffingtonpost.com/.../mccain-received-100000-fr_n_86245.html

For McCain and Team, a Host of Ties to Gambling - NYTimes.com

Sep 28, 2008 ... HONING AN IMAGE Senator John McCain, as chairman of the Indian Affairs .....

www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/us/politics/28gambling-web.html?...

[snip]Stumping in New Orleans in June, McCain continued to distance himself from the Bush administration, claiming he 'supported every investigation' into the government's role regarding the hurricane.

http://photo.newsweek.com/2008/2/photos-a-mavericks-path.slide3.html

Why did McCain celebrate his birthday on a Mobster's Yacht?

http://www.thenation.com/images/mccain.j…

The photograph substantiates reports that in late August, 2006, McCain celebrated his 70th birthday aboard a yacht, the Celine Ashley, rented by A-list con man Raffaello Follieri and his then-movie star girlfriend Anne Hathaway.

Follieri, who posed as Vatican chief financial officer in order to win friends and investments, pleaded guilty Wednesday in a Manhattan district court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080911203146AAYURwZ

[AuntB]

BTT

[greyfoxx39]

Thanks for reviving this thread, AuntB.

I think you should send a link to JD's campaign.

[AuntB]

Yes, I did some time back. It would help if some others did also. Thanks.

[AuntB]

BTT

[AuntB]

Hey you McCain kool aid drinkers...read the thread...if you DARE to find out what this old fool is REALLY all about!

[AuntB]

GO J.D. HAYWORTH!

http://www.jd2010.com/

[Jim Robinson]

BTTT!

[AuntB]

FLUSH THE JOHN! McCain HAS to go!
(To the tune of Frankie & Johnny!)

Johnny and Teddy were Senators
On opposite sides of the aisle
They got together and drafted a bill
Guaranteed to make illegals smile
Amnesty was their game – and they had no shame

Johnny and Senator Feingold
Gave campaign finance a try
But then the highest court in the land
Said the 1st amendment must apply
Gotta play by the rules – now Johnny looks like a fool

Johnny and Mr. Obama
They both agree Gitmo should close
But bringing terrorists into the USA
Is a plan that we oppose
No, they don’t belong – and Johnny’s got it all wrong

Now Johnny and Senator Lieberman
Got together on cap and trade
Anemic hands across the aisle
Gonna send the country to its grave
It’s time to let him know – old Johnny’s gotta go

Johnny believes Global Warming
Limousine Liberals and all
Congressional junkets to Copenhagen
Everybody’s havin’ a ball
Just ask Al Gore - Johnny knows the score

S & L Man Charlie Keating
He came to Johnny one day
Said “the government boys are sniffing around
How much to make ‘em go away?”
Did Johnny take a bribe to join the Keating 5?

Now fast-forward 20 years later
Banks are in trouble again
Johnny says, “Let’s bail ‘em out
It’s just a trillion – or maybe ten.
Let’s put some wind in their sails – ‘cause they’re too big to fail.”

We know there’s oil in Alaska
Drilling won’t cause any harm
But Johnny agrees with the tree-hugging geeks
Gas is gonna cost a leg and an arm
Johnny why can’t you see what’s good for you and me?

Now everyone knows about ACORN
They get lots of taxpayers’ dough
Prostitution rings and voter fraud
And home loans to any old schmoe
No matter ACORN’s crimes – Johnny thinks they’re just fine

We’re tired of hearin’ your flip-flops
We’re tired of hearin’ your lies
You may think we’re all dummies but you can’t
Pull the wool over our eyes
You’re career’s hit a snag - so start packin’ your bags

‘Cause Johnny, you’ve worn out your welcome
It’s time to bid DC goodbye
Go write a book or learn to cook
And eat a little humble pie
Just ask Sheriff Joe – he says you gotta go

Yeah, go Johnny, go – it’s time to hit the road.
Good-bye

MUST SEE!! on YOU TUBE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJobkdeho88