Free Republic

To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor Contact: Connie Julian, 917-449-9064, Janet Yip 212-941-8086 or commission@nion.us News Advisory: From: International Commission of Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration WHEN: January 10, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. WHERE: The White House, Walk-in Gate, across from Lafayette Park WEBSITE: http://www.bushcommission.org An unprecedented series of indictments alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity, in five separate areas, on moral, political, and legal grounds, will be delivered by a citizens' tribunal to President Bush at the front gate of the White House this Tuesday, January 10th. Named in the indictments are: President of...

San Francisco -- Lawyers for a death row inmate, including former Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr, sent fake letters from jurors asking California's governor to spare the man's life, prosecutors said Friday. The jurors denied they thought Michael Morales deserved clemency because some of the testimony at his trial may have been fabricated, said Nathan Barankin, spokesman for Attorney General Bill Lockyer. "We showed each person the declaration on their behalf and they all said they didn't say that," Barankin said. San Joaquin County prosecutor Charles Schultz also said the letters sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week were "untrue"...

HOJAS DE COCA PARA EL ENVIADO DE BUSH La hoja de coca selló la distensión que Evo Morales propicia con Washington. Thomas Shannon, enviado especial del presidente Bush y subsecretario de Estado para asuntos del Hemisferio Occidental, recibió con sonrisa complaciente las hojas de coca que le obsequió el presidente boliviano horas antes de su toma de posesión. Hace unas semanas, el vicepresidente Alvaro García Linera dijo que Morales pronto daría señales claras de cambio. No hubo que esperar mucho para que se advirtieran que algo nuevo empieza en Bolivia. Evo no sólo hizo que Shannon aceptara la cita en...

The Next Crisis By Oliver North January 13, 2006 Official Washington has the attention span of a fruit fly. A "crisis d'jour" momentarily captures the attention of the so-called mainstream media, politicians and government bureaucrats. For a few days -- occasionally for a few weeks -- the potentates on the Potomac will focus on "the problem," hold hearings, introduce some legislation, devise a way to spend more of our tax dollars, initiate an "investigation" -- and move on when they are "shocked," "stunned," and/or "surprised" by the next catastrophe or scandal. Like a pan of soup on a hot stove,...

As he took office yesterday, Bolivia's new president, Evo Morales, railed against "radical neoliberalism" and hailed revolutionaries such as Che Guevara with an enthusiasm that confirms he has joined the growing legion of leaders tilting Latin America leftward. The new leaders in countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay join the region's two veteran leftists and U.S.-bashers, Cuba's Fidel Castro and Venezuela's Hugo Chávez. Later this year, leftists will have a shot at the top spot in Mexico, Peru and Nicaragua, where candidates include the Sandinista revolutionary dinosaur and former president, Daniel Ortega.

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) -- Leftist coca grower Evo Morales, a fierce critic of U.S. policies who helped topple two of his predecessors in deadly street uprisings against Bolivia's ruling elite, was inaugurated Sunday as the nation's first Indian president. The former llama herder and leader of Bolivia's coca growers union raised his fist in a leftist salute just before he swore to uphold the constitution during the ceremony in the ornate Legislative Palace Morales wept and bowed after he was presented with the yellow, red and green presidential sash -- the colors of the Bolivian flag. Outside, tens of...

WASHINGTON -Washington's antidrug trafficking and aid policies face challenges in Bolivia from the incoming leftist government of Evo Morales. When Bolivia's Evo Morales is sworn in as president on Jan. 22, analysts say he's likely to challenge two policies long cherished by the Bush administration -- that U.S. aid must be tied to investment-friendly policies, and that coca crops must be eradicated. A former coca growers' leader, the fiery Morales toured France, Venezuela, Cuba, Spain and China -- all not exactly friendly to the Bush administration -- and in Venezuela vowed to join the ``anti-neoliberal, anti-imperial fight.'' So far, the...

What does the rise of Evo Morales as president of Bolivia mean for the average American? More than you might think. Less than you might be inclined to have nightmares about. Here are the core facts. First, Mr. Morales is committed to legalizing coca growing, implicitly supporting cocaine and coca paste syndicates in rural Bolivia's Chapare regions. If real, such a policy would accelerate coca growth all over the nation, upending longtime gains and U.S. policy. Bolivia's tottering economy would face the sort of self-inflicted wound not seen in decades. It would last years. Coca legalization, if really pursued, would...

PRETORIA, South Africa - Bolivia's leftist President-elect Evo Morales extended a conciliatory hand to the United States on Wednesday, saying he forgives past humiliations and welcomes dialogue even as he believes U.S. officials may be plotting against him. Bolivia's first elected Indian leader criticized Mexican President Vicente Fox, telling The Associated Press in an interview that Fox was hostile toward him and all indigenous peoples in the Americas, including those of Mexico. Morales said he believes claims by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez that the United States is plotting to overthrow Morales, but welcomes reports that U.S. officials are interested in...

BEIJING -- Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales yesterday met with Chinese President Hu Jintao and called China an "ideological ally," a day after he invited the communist country to develop Bolivia's vast gas reserves. Mr. Morales' visit to China came at a propitious time for Beijing, which is eager to develop links with Latin America. China sees nations like Bolivia as new sources of fuel and raw materials as well as new markets for its exports. China imports an estimated 40 percent of its oil, and analysts expect consumption to surge in coming years.

HAVANA - Bolivia's socialist president-elect got a greeting reserved for heads of state when he arrived in communist Cuba on Friday: a red carpet, a military band and a smiling Fidel Castro. Stepping off the Cuban plane sent to pick him up in Bolivia, Evo Morales said his trip to the Caribbean island was "a gesture of friendship to the Cuban people." Castro embraced Morales, who has visited the island in the past as one of Latin America's leading protest organizers. The Cuban government has welcomed the election of the nationalist Indian activist as an important triumph over U.S. influence...

ETERAZAMA, Bolivia - After striking a conciliatory tone with business leaders the night before, President-elect Evo Morales resumed his anti-U.S. rhetoric at a party with coca farmers.Partying until dawn on Thursday with the coca growers who helped him win Bolivia's presidential elections, Evo Morales had the audience cheering with some anti-U.S. rhetoric. ''We are winning the green battle: the coca leaf is beating the North American dollar,'' said Morales, who leaves today for Cuba, the first stop in a world tour before his inauguration Jan. 22. Morales also won applause the night before with a strikingly different message to Bolivia's...

Bolivia's incoming President Evo Morales could easily become the nightmare for the United States that he boasted about becoming on the campaign trail. He supports the growing of coca, the raw material for cocaine, is an ally of a prominent anti-U.S. firebrand, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and wants to nationalize Bolivia's oil sector. He will undoubtedly do everything in his power to counter U.S. economic and geopolitical interests in Latin America. Interestingly enough, the electoral landslide that will be bringing Mr. Morales to power was unwittingly aided by the architects of U.S. drug policy in Latin America. While it is...

Latin America: It's reasonable to cringe about the election of Bolivia's new president, anti-U.S. leftist Evo Morales. But amid fears of another Castro-ite in the hemisphere, this may not be as bad as it looks. Morales has been the troublemaker responsible for most of the turmoil in Bolivia that has rattled the hemisphere since 2003. The country has had four presidents in three years, and Morales is about to become No. 5. He ran for office on an anti-U.S. platform, vowing to be Washington's "worst nightmare." He openly consorted with Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, who did their part to...

COCHABAMBA, Bolivia — Evo Morales, the socialist coca farmer who would be Bolivia's first Indian president, appeared poised to join the ranks of like-minded leaders who have pushed Latin America's democracies to the left in recent years. With exit polls running strongly in his favor, Morales took an early congratulatory phone call from Venezuela's belligerently anti-American president Hugo Chavez. At a party at Morales' home in Cochabamba, his supporters toasted as the candidate announced that Chavez planned to contact Cuba's Fidel Castro. Said Morales of Chavez: "He's going to tell Fidel the good news" _ eliciting laughs from those nearby....

CARACOLLO, Bolivia - As a little boy in Bolivia's bleak highlands, Evo Morales used to run behind buses to pick up the orange skins and banana peels passengers threw out the windows. Sometimes, he says, it was all he had to eat. Now, holding the lead ahead of Sunday's presidential election, he's threatening to be "a nightmare for the government of the United States." ADVERTISEMENT It's not hard to see why. The 46-year-old candidate is a staunch leftist who counts Cuba's Fidel Castro and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez among his close friends. Moreover, he's a coca farmer, promising to reverse the...

Today on the FreeRepublic Hour on Rightalk Radio, my guest was Joe Connor. Joe's dad was killed in an FALN bomb blast at Fraunces Tavern in 1975. Among the people we discussed were Bill Clinton, who pardoned FALN terrorists to help his wife, William Morales, FALN chief bombmaker being protected by Fidel Castro, and Joanne Chesimard, a cop-killer who is also being protected by Castro. The Bush-hating and despicable women from Code Pink, the group harassing wounded soldiers and families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center every week, will soon be off to visit their pal Fidel in his island...

In military terms, the Western Hemisphere is the strategic rear area of the United States. The U.S. needs a secure and prosperous hemisphere not only to ensure a peaceful neighborhood in which to live, but also to be able to project its power to the farthest reaches of the globe and win the War on Terror. What is happening in our neighborhood? Press reports indicate that a leftist-populist alliance is engulfing most of South America. Some Andean and Central American countries are sliding back from economic reforms and narcotics eradication, and the Caribbean remains irrationally hostile to the U.S. This...

Most of us old enough to have been reading newspapers and watching television in the mid-1980s remember when the Soviet-backed Marxist-Leninist junta “Sandinistas” were battling the anti-communist guerrilla army of “Contras” in Nicaragua. And who could forget the overblown Iran-Contra affair, the attempt to arm the Contras through a deal to swap arms for hostages with the mullahs in Iran. What might be hazy in the memory after 20 years, however, is the Keystone Kops, I-want-to-play-president role of the freshman senator from Massachusetts, John Forbes Kerry. Still humming his “Give peace a chance” mantra from Vietnam days, Kerry jumped into...

AUSTIN — A lawyer, adviser and friend to former state Attorney General Dan Morales was sentenced to six months in prison today for a fraud that, aided by the politician, would have enabled the attorney to cash in on the state's billion-dollar lawsuit against tobacco providers. Marc Murr's sentencing formally closed the federal case that earlier this year put Morales behind bars for participating in the scheme to divert funds from the tobacco settlement in 1998 and for not declaring campaign funds on his tax return in 1999. Murr, 47, months ago pleaded to one count of mail fraud as...

Former attorney general to serve time in Texarkana Associated Press AUSTIN (AP) - Former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales, who was sentenced to prison last month after pleading guilty to mail and tax fraud, has been transferred to a federal prison in Texarkana to serve four years. Morales had been held in the Caldwell County Jail in Lockhart since his sentencing Oct. 31. Caldwell County Sheriff Daniel Law confirmed Monday that Morales was transferred Friday, the Austin American-Statesman reported in its online edition. Carla Wilson, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, said Morales was moved to...

AUSTIN -- Former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales entered a guilty plea in federal court today to two counts including mail fraud and a tax-related charge. Morales, 46, had pleaded innocent in April to charges that he and Marc Murr, a friend, tried to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees for Murr resulting from the state's $17.3 billion settlement with the tobacco industry in 1998. Morales has agreed to a four-year prison term, which has to be accepted by a federal judge, said Daryl Fields, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton. All other counts against Morales...

Lawyer for former attorney general Dan Morales first rate Associated Press SAN ANTONIO (AP) - The public defender representing former Attorney General Dan Morales in his federal fraud case is viewed as a top-notch lawyer by some colleagues and clients. William Ibbotson, 48, a former military lawyer, is the principal buffer between Morales, who insists he is innocent, and prosecutors, who want to convict the politician on multiple charges including bank and tax fraud. Nearly broke and battling a federal prosecution, New Braunfels businessman Tom Chaffe was in a similar jam. Then, a judge appointed Ibbotson, an assistant federal public...

Morales holed up in a cell all alone Jail seeks to protect ex-top lawyer; papers hint at financial woes  MORE ON THIS STORY   Read past coverage and more information on Dan Morales at statesman.com/morales By David PasztorAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFSaturday, June 28, 2003Former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales was placed in an isolated cell after being booked into the Caldwell County Jail and is being kept away from other inmates, Caldwell County Sheriff Daniel Law said Friday.Law said Morales, ordered to jail by a federal judge while awaiting trial on various fraud charges, is being kept in administrative segregation for...

Morales to remain in jail BY JIM VERTUNO Associated Press Writer AUSTIN - Former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales was ordered to remain in jail while awaiting trial on federal fraud charges after a judge determined Thursday that he may have lied on two recent car loan applications and was a risk to commit financial crimes. "This is beyond stupidity," U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks said from the bench. "It appears he has committed a federal crime." Morales spent Wednesday night in jail after prosecutors said he gave conflicting information on the car applications and sworn financial statements when he...

AUSTIN -- Former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales was jailed Wednesday after prosecutors alleged that while free on bond on federal charges, he may have lied about his income when he bought two luxury cars. Morales, who has been indicted on charges of fraud, conspiracy and lying on a loan application for a home, was taken into custody by federal marshals during a routine court hearing on his case and booked into the Travis County Jail. Prosecutors claimed that although Morales had earlier told the court he couldn't afford to hire a lawyer, he stated on loan applications for a...

School teacher admits making death threat BY ADRIANA ARCE Times staff writer A Zapata elementary school teacher, who threatened to kill government agents, told a federal judge Wednesday he was angry because U.S. Border Patrol agents had caused over $100 in damage to his property. Maurilio V. Morales, 52, entered a plea of guilty before U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison to mailing a threatening communication to a federal law enforcement officer. Federal investigators claimed that the defendant had addressed a letter, dated March 20, to Gene Garza, the interim port director for Laredo under the Department of Homeland Security....

Once-mighty Morales could be in for a fall Dave McNeely Thursday, March 13, 2003 In 1998 and again in 2002, the Democrat who had the biggest effect on Texas elections was Dan Morales. Now, he's not only lost last year's bid for the governor's office, he also could join his brother Michael, who's likely headed for federal prison. In 1998, Dan Morales' decision not to run for a third term as attorney general was significant. Former Comptroller John Sharp thinks that had Morales been on the ballot to energize Hispanics, Sharp would have overcome the 68,731-vote deficit by which he...

Morales facing another big fight with federal indictment Associated Press AUSTIN (AP) — Whether it's a state election, a multibillion-dollar tobacco lawsuit or a ruling knocking down affirmative action that agitates his Democratic Party, Dan Morales is no stranger to a fight. The tenacious former attorney general wins some, loses some. Now Morales faces what may be his biggest battle: defending himself against federal charges of fraud, conspiracy and filing a false tax return alleged in a 12-count indictment Thursday. The man who last year hoped to occupy the governor's mansion could end up in prison, if he is convicted....

Morales surrenders on fraud charges; claims his innocence AUSTIN (AP) — Former Attorney General Dan Morales surrendered to authorities Friday on mail fraud and conspiracy charges, the result of a long-standing federal investigation related to his role in the state's $17 billion settlement with the tobacco industry. Morales was released on a personal recognizance bond after he agreed to give up his passport and to not leave the country. Upon leaving the federal courthouse, Morales declared his innocence. "Every single allegation of wrongdoing included in this indictment is false. Every single allegation of wrongdoing in this indictment is untrue," a...

Morales pleads guilty to extortion charge BY JIM VERTUNO Associated Press Writer AUSTIN - The brother of former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge of attempting to extort $280,000 from former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tony Sanchez and his campaign. After entering the plea in court, Michael Morales, 40, said he regrets the blackmail attempt and called it "extremely poor judgment." "We're here to stand up and accept responsibility for this thing," he said. "I'm a passionate person ... I guess sometimes your heart gets over your head." During the hearing, prosecutors detailed the calls...

After he lost the lieutenant governor's race four years ago to Republican Rick Perry, Democrat John Sharp said Texas wasn't a Republican state, just a Bush state. Even with George W. Bush coasting to re-election, Sharp came within 2 percentage points of winning. This year, Bush closed a 15-day national campaign tour in Texas, and Republicans urged a straight-ticket vote to help the president. Bush might as well have been on the ballot, judging from Tuesday's results. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Bush's popularity skyrocketed. It remained high even as Democrats pointed out that the economy was sputtering. Meanwhile,...

From the "Letter to the Editor" Section on 10-15-02" The endorsement of Rick Perry by Dan Morales does not surprise me. Morales has always appeared weak, spooky, undecided, and wishy-washy. He has never been a true Democrat. I suspect sour grapes on the part of Morales because Tonyt Sanchez whipped him in the last election. Morales should resign from the world of Democrats. He is a turncoat with no loyalty, no pride, and no conscience. I support and will vote for Tony Sanchez for governor of Texas. Let's get it on. Xavier "Kid" Perez Corpus Christi, TX former athlete and...

Monday, October 14, 2002 Last modified at 11:44 p.m. on Sunday, October 13, 2002 © 2002 - The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal GMorales to make Lubbock stop to endorse Perry campaign Following last week's surprise endorsement of Gov. Rick Perry, former Democrat gubernatorial candidate Dan Morales will be in the Hub City today stumping for Perry. He will appear at La Fiesta Restaurant, 1519 34th St., at 12:35 p.m., according to a release from the Democrats for Perry organization. In his appearance, Morales will explain why he crossed party lines to support Perry, the release said. He also will be making campaign...

George Rodriguez, a former El Paso County attorney and longtime friend of Dan Morales, was not surprised earlier this week when Morales, a Democrat, endorsed the Republican Perry. "That's Dan Morales at his best. That's him. He's an unorthodox person," says Rodriguez, who was Morales' go-to guy in El Paso 12 years ago when Morales ran for attorney general. He served two terms before retiring. Earlier this year Morales decided to challenge Perry. But Sanchez defeated Morales in the Democratic primary. It was a bruising match. Most politicians probably would've stayed neutral if they couldn't stomach their party's nominee. "Any...

Dan Morales former Democrat Candidate for Texas Governor has scheduled a press conference this afternoon in Houston to endorse Incumbant Republican Governor Rick Perry over Tony Sanchez. ... More as it becomes available

First, the good news. The good news is that Ken Bentsen finished third, ending his hopes of winning Phil Gramm's Senate seat. I believe he was Cornyn's only real threat of competition in the Fall. Bentsen is the type of RAT that McAuliffe is promoting in the South --> liberal to the core but able to fool the yellow dogs into thinking he's conservative (aka. Warner, Edwards). Cornyn will wipe the floor with the winner of the Kirk/Morales runoff. Now the bad news: State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, the biggest RINO in Texas politics, narrowly won re-nomination over Shields, 51-49 %....