Posted on 12/26/2006 4:31:41 PM PST by lowbridge
Posted by Noel Sheppard on December 25, 2006 - 12:58.
For months before Election Day, Americans were brainwashed by the media concerning a Republican “culture of corruption,” and the need for the Democrats to clean it all up. Unfortunately, in the middle of this web of lies, the press chose to ignore the misdeeds of any politician with a “D” next to his or her name.
Now that the elections are over, and the press got the result they wanted, exposés about liberal politicians are suddenly acceptable again. On Christmas Day, roughly seven weeks after it helped pull off one of the largest bait and switches in campaign history, the Washington Post published corrupt revelations about one of its heroes, Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pennsylvania).
Sadly for America, some of the content in this front-page article by Jonathan Weisman has been available for almost a year and a half. But, investigative reporting like this that might out a Democrat was specifically verboten by members of the drive-by media before November 7 (emphasis mine throughout): “For a quarter of a century, Carmen Scialabba labored for Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), helping parcel out the billions of dollars that came through the House Appropriations Committee, so when the disabled aide needed a favor, Murtha was there.”
A quarter of a century, huh? And the Post is just getting around to publishing it now? Regardless of the suspicious timing, the article continued:
In 2001, Murtha announced the creation of Scialabba's nonprofit agency for the disabled in Johnstown, Pa. The next year, with Scialabba still on his staff, Murtha secured a half-million dollars for the group, the Pennsylvania Association for Individuals With Disabilities (PAID), and put another $150,000 in the pipeline for 2003, according to appropriations committee records and former committee aides. Since then, the group has helped hundreds of disabled people find work.
But the group serves another function as well. PAID has become a gathering point for defense contractors and lobbyists with business before Murtha's defense appropriations subcommittee, and for Pennsylvania businesses and universities that have thrived on federal money obtained by Murtha.
Lobbyists and corporate officials serve as directors on the nonprofit group's board, where they help raise money and find jobs for Johnstown's disabled workers. Some of those lobbyists have served as intermediaries between the defense contractors and businessmen on the board, and Murtha and his aides.
That arrangement over the years has yielded millions of dollars in federal support for the contractors, businesses and universities, and hundreds of thousands in consulting and lobbying fees to Murtha's favored lobbying shops, according to Federal Election Commission records and lobbying disclosure forms. In turn, many of PAID's directors have kept Murtha's campaigns flush with cash.
For a little perspective, former Congressman Tom DeLay was indicted and forced out of the House for allegedly transferring $190,000 contributed to the Texas Republican Party over to the Republican National Committee. Yet, even though Murtha’s activities involved potentially billions of dollars over the years, the press were totally disinterested – until after the elections, of course. The article continued:
But to some watchdogs, including Taxpayers for Common Sense, Democracy 21 and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, PAID looks a lot like the cozy nexus between lawmakers, lobbyists and business interests that Democrats railed against in the midterm campaigns.
Its board of directors includes Scialabba and five government contractors who have received millions of federal dollars through appropriations measures obtained by Murtha. Its advisory council includes three lobbyists from KSA Consulting, which employs Scialabba and employed Murtha's brother, Kit. Its honorary board members include still more defense contractors.
Hmmm. Murtha’s brother Kit was involved. Think that’s a new revelation? Think again, for this was reported by NewsBusters in – drum roll please – November 2005, almost twelve months before the elections:
Not the least of these articles was a front-page, 2,200 word expose in the June 13, 2005 Los Angeles Times by Ken Silverstein and Richard Simon. The headline set the tone: “Lobbyist's Brother Guided House Bill; A family member's ties to special interests raise questions in the case of Democrat John Murtha.” The crux of the article is that Murtha’s brother is a senior partner in a company called KSA Consulting. Said consulting firm received $20.8 million in defense contracts in 2004 (Times link expired):
“When Congress passed the $417-billion Pentagon spending bill last year, Rep. John P. Murtha, the top Democrat on the House defense appropriations subcommittee, boasted about the money he secured to create jobs in his Pennsylvania district.
“But the bill Murtha helped write also benefited at least 10 companies represented by a lobbying firm where his brother, Robert ‘Kit’ Murtha, is a senior partner, according to disclosure records, interviews and an analysis of the bill by The Times.
“Clients of the lobbying firm KSA Consulting -- whose top officials also include former congressional aide Carmen V. Scialabba, who worked for Rep. Murtha for 27 years -- received a total of $20.8 million from the bill.”
As such, Murtha’s corrupt activities, along with his connection to Carmen Scialabba, and someone bearing his own last name answering to the oh so cute moniker “Kit,” have been known since at least June 2005. Yet, as the media were complaining about the Republican culture of corruption, this all got conveniently buried until seven weeks after Election Day. Just imagine how some of these WaPo revelations might have impacted the results on November 7:
Murtha repeatedly intervened on behalf of PAID to help Kuchera expand.
After PAID's founding, Scialabba approached Kuchera to get involved. Kuchera jumped, not only joining the group's board but ramping up hiring of disabled workers, who now compose a third of the 200 employees in his company's defense business. The federal government picked up Kuchera's $7 million training bill. This year, Murtha earmarked $1.3 million for Kuchera's chemical and biological weapons detection research.
Kuchera employees donated more than $31,000 to Murtha in the past three election campaigns, according to federal election records. Between 1990 and 2000, contributions totaled $1,000. And congressional lobbying disclosure forms tally $140,000 in payments since 2001 from Kuchera to Ervin Technical Associates, whose chairman is former representative Joseph M. McDade (R-Pa.), a close Murtha ally.
The Kuchera experience is not unique. Ed Washington, another PAID director, hails from MTS Technologies, an Arlington defense contractor that recently secured $8.9 million in federal funds to expand its Johnstown facility. MTS's lobbyist, the PMA Group, has disclosed some $300,000 in fees from the company since 1998. And PMA has returned the favor: Since 1989, the firm's employees have given Murtha $107,500.
Daniel DeVos, an honorary PAID board member, represents Concurrent Technologies, whose employees have lavished Murtha with more than $53,000 in campaign contributions and PMA with $820,000 in fees. That may sound steep, but the rewards have been substantial: a $150 million contract to operate the Navy Metalworking Center; a $4 million contract from the Army to evaluate fuel-cell systems; and $1.7 million for a weapons of mass destruction response laboratory, among others.
Another PAID director, Jim Estep, is a central figure in an investigation of Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-W.Va.), a Murtha ally and fellow member of the Appropriations Committee. Estep heads the West Virginia High-Technology Consortium Foundation and the Institute for Scientific Research, two nonprofit organizations that Mollohan helped set up and has plied with federal funds.
Think this all would have been revealed before the elections if Murtha was a Republican? Of course it would. But that's not the real disgrace, for Murtha's activities have been known for years. In fact, he is considered by most ethics watchdog agencies to be one of the most corrupt politicians in Washington, D.C.
Yet, because he's a Democrat, nobody cares. That includes the broadcast networks, CNN, MSNBC, the holier-than-thou Keith Olbermann, Dan Rather, the supposed muckrakers of "60 Minutes," and all the sanctimonious members of the Netroots such as Markos Moulitsas, Arianna Huffington, Jane Hamsher, and Jerome Armstrong.
While such folk feign superiority and political morality with virtually every word they utter and/or publish, one has to wonder whether they know they are part of the very hypocrisy they regularly express such public disdain for. Or, is there something preventing them from smelling the sewage they are clearly swimming in?
bump
Yes...And what about the print media, especially the local print media in the PA 12th Congressional District, it seems like it was ignored by all.
Right, now that the election is over.
It will continue to be ignored. You dont really expect Queen Nancy of the Bubbled Eyes to bring this before an ethics committee do you?
Not that any ethics committee led by democrats would do anything anyway.
Sadly, you are probably correct, sgt.
Every conservative blogger is pissing and moaning (pardon my French) that this is coming out after the election and Keith Olbermann won't cover it and the Democratic Congress won't do anything and generally whining like a bunch of losers.
This is a national security issue. Murtha controls defense appropriations. He siphons money away from Pentagon requests and to his compaign contributors so the money ends back in Murtha's pocket.
The Washington Post only revealed the mechanism of Murtha's criminal enterprise. What remains is to show how that enterprise takes money from legitimate defense appropriations and ends up back in Murtha's pocket.
At the very least, anyone who cares should at LEAST contact the Justice Department and demand an investigation.
BY MAIL:
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
BY E-MAIL:
E-mails to the Department of Justice, including the Attorney General, may be sent to AskDOJ@usdoj.gov.
Anyone else have constructive ideas, I'm all ears. But enough with the whining already! This article has put Murtha's blood in the water and all most people on our side are doing is complaining (present company excepted)!
bttt
1. Deny, deny, deny during the election cycle.
2. Admit and publish immediately after the election cycle because it is the furthest point from the next election cycle.
3. Disclose bad news in advance of release.
4. Disclose other bad news when the least amount of people are paying attention (holidays, etc)
5. When exposed, say 'mistakes were made' and move on.
This strategy is effective because it is in full coordination with CBS.NBC.ABC.CNN.CSPAN.NYT.WAPO.LAT.NEWSWEEK.TIME
This just plain sucks. We all knew he is corrupt, the MSM ignored it and the sheeple who pay no attention to the media that counts re-elected him and kicked Curt Weldon to the curb.
DOJ is not the only contacts that should be made, lets get going with at least the conservative media.
Special@foxnews.com (Brit Hume)
e.d.hill@foxnews.com Hannity@foxnews.com
Oreilly@foxnews.com
Studiob@foxnews.com (Shep Smith)
Myword@foxnews.com (John Gibson)
Drudge@drudgereport.com
writemalkin@gmail.com
hhewitt@hughhewitt.com
rush@eibnet.com
Beltway@foxnews.com (Barnes & Kondracke)
Friends@foxnews.com
captain@captainsquartersblog.com
humanevents@humaneventsonline.com (Ann Coulter)
pundit@instapundit.com
powerlinefeedback@gmail.com
CNN@cnn.com
CNN.onair@cnn.com
joe@msnbc.com
Viewerservices@msnbc.com
Letters@Newsweek.com
Letters@NYT.com
Editor@USAToday.com
Webeditor@Washingtontimes.com
Letterstoed@washpost.com
Yeah, it sucks. Big time. I'm going to write a letter to my congressman, Dana Rohrabacher, and tell him that I expect him to make a big stink about this. He's a good dude and is on the right side of the issue about the two border patrol agents that shot the illegal alien drug smuggler. I'll mail it to his office AND to his house. You guys can do the same with your representatives. Emails are easy, but less effective. Spend a few minutes and 39 cents and put something tangible in their mailboxes. Tell them it's an issue upon which your future votes will hinge. Also, compliment them on any good stuff they've already done. It lets them know you're actually paying attention.
By the way, I've heard rumors that an investigation may be underway and the WaPo story is just paving the way. I pray that's true. If there's a chance Murtha will get burned, I want to be there with kindling.
Also by the way, I just got a Google News Alert for this thread. So welcome, lurkers!
Bump.
The Bush justice department wouldn't dare investigate a democrat. It just isn't going to happen.
I hope the WaPo story is just paving the way. I don't like the fact that the story was released on Christmas, to me it's a sign they were trying to give it the least exposure possible, hope I'm wrong.
I'm going to spend some time tomorrow and send emails and letters.
I like Rohrabacher.... I'm a little worried about Trent Franks, he usually votes with Flake and I see Flake is co-sponsoring it in the house.
Just to let the publik know, and that nothing will be done about it, is to condition the publik to accept a higher level of gubmint corruption. The compliant, complicit, narcissistic, Mainly Sleazy Mediots thrive on it as much as our polidiots do..
Now we lost a mid-term election and we're the ones who are turning into the whiners. Seems to me that we have a duty to help bring Murtha down. We at least have to try. What do you have to do that's more important?
Maybe we could use it as a place to keep tabs. See you tomorrow, jaz!
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