What? Modern Day Vote Fraud? And in Stodgy old England?
I'm shocked, shocked!!!
Telegraph | News | Electoral fraud 'on a massive scale': "Corruption and vote rigging ahead of next week's local elections are taking place on a 'massive' scale, the Respect MP George Galloway has claimed.

Postal voting forms
He says his party has uncovered evidence proving that hundreds of postal votes have gone astray in the London borough of Tower Hamlets.
Special Branch are investigating the claims and police are looking into similar allegations in six other parts of London including Harrow, Kensington and Chelsea, Merton, Southwark, Hounslow and Barnet.
Their inquiries come after a 50-year-old woman was bailed in Birmingham a day after her arrest on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud. The arrest came after a raid allegedly recovered a 'large quantity' of postal voting forms.
Allegations of postal vote fraud surrounded local elections in Birmingham in June 2004. A subsequent inquiry found that ballot-rigging in two of the city's wards 'would have disgraced a banana republic'."

Kaavya Viswanathan. Oh my god! I just can't stop reading about this sordid tale. do I feel sorry for the poor little rich girl, angry that she did something so wrong?
Stop me before I google again, but meanwhile, read this from Slate.
My failed fling with a book packager. By John�Barlow: "Half a million! I read it. I said the words out loud. Then I glanced at the sales figures for my own novel, which had just made its spectacular debut on the Lower East Side of the midlist. I felt sick. A 17-year-old high-school student, Kaavya Viswanathan, gets a half-million-dollar advance through a book packager that I also wrote for, doing the self-same thing. Only I didn't get the half mil. Nor the acres of publicity. Then again, neither did I get accused of plagiarism. This is how it happened."

Kaavya Viswanathan learns a lesson. Maybe not the one she intended.
The issue with chick lit author wannabe Kaavya Viswanathan has opened a window into the world of book packagers: finally an explanation of how this business works, packaging plot and characters into something like a TV serial drama between book covers.
And they have been very successful.
But here, as I said in an earlier post, we have the worst of all worlds, commodification of a young and naive writer, for her background and race, not her talent, an obscene advance, and a formulaic product which gets pay to play coverage from the NYT.
so, with the agent, the connections, the NY address, the book moves on up the NYT list, along with its sister creations from Alloy, the company that also owns Delias, a clothing and lifestyle retailer in the pre-teen girls market. "This Sunday, books created by Alloy will be ranked at Nos. 1, 5 and 9 on The New York Times's children's paperback best-seller list."

First, Plot and Character. Then, Find an Author. - New York Times: "Nobody associated with the plagiarism accusations is pointing fingers at Alloy, a behind-the-scenes creator of some of the hottest books in young-adult publishing. Ms. Viswanathan says that she alone is responsible for borrowing portions of two novels by Megan McCafferty, 'Sloppy Firsts' and 'Second Helpings.' But at the very least, the incident opens a window onto a powerful company with lucrative, if tangled, relationships within the publishing industry that might take fans of series like 'The It Girl' by surprise.
In many cases, editors at Alloy � known as a 'book packager' � craft proposals for publishers and create plotlines and characters before handing them over to a writer (or a string of writers)."

Commodification
I am posting agin on this, inspired by another blogger, Tish. "They saw a very marketable commodity--young, Asian-Indian, Harvard, pretty."
in other words, its not about the writing, its about commodification of this youg person for her attributes, as away to crack a market, as many another blogger also suggests. and as they also hint, what's next? did she actually write the book?

Snarkaholic: A Case of Immaturity and Irresponsibility: "The problem, then, is not with her, but with a publshing house--Little Brown-- assumed a young person to be someone that she is not--mature enough to pen a spotless novel. The publisher rushed someone to press who should possibly have knocked around a bit, publishing in small presses, going to college, reading her stuff to peers.

That rush, perhaps, comes from a need for money--not a concern for quality work nor for the reputation or life of a young person. They saw a very marketable commodity--young, Asian-Indian, Harvard, pretty. The didn't see a young person who may have needed time to learn."

At the top of the issues list for auhors is the chick lit scandal involving the Harvard Undergraduate who was given a $$$500,000 advance by Little Brown, and then turned out to have "internalized" 30 or 40 paragraphs from another chick-lit paragon.
Too lazy to put my own thoughts together on this, I found another blogger who hits all of the high points, namely, why would any publisher give a 17 year old a 6 figure advance? and is anyone really that good a writer? does publishng these days really have anything to do with good writing? or is it all about who you know?
The unfortunate author of the blog shares the same last name as the perpetrator, but I think she is right on the mark that this is really not about the author, it is about the cultural bankruptcy and corruption in the world of big New York publishers.
the lawyer writer: A Viswanathan By Any Other Name: "So this is How Kaavya Got Published, and Got Caught. But who cares? The only child of two doctors, with access to private Ivy League consultants and a Harvard business degree awaiting, she can put the money in the bank and toddle off. Because she's underage when she wrote the book, it'll be pretty hard to sue her for libel or slander. Only the truly vengeful--or, alternatively, Ms. McCafferty--should care enough to do so. As for the editors/agents/adults? Indian journalist Nilanja (yes, that sounds like my name too) S. Roy notes in The Business Standard that 'Kaavya�s editors were comfortable admitting that Opal Mehta needed more work and more �inputs� than most manuscripts, though they gave her credit for an �original� idea' and that the public 'did have a fair idea of the many processes that went into the manufacture of this book, complete with the advance, the hype, the deal.'

The truth is, this is solely at the feet of the publishing industry, thinking that writing is some sort of game that anyone can play, if they get enough high-powered advance press on their side. Writing, even in this age of publishing, should be for writers--trained, experienced, accomplished writers who understand the business of publishing. (I hope to be one). Throwing a half million dollars at a kid with only her own judgement to guide her is irresponsible, offensive to those who work at our craft, and just plain dumb in terms of business. Kaavya's agent agrees with me 100% arguing--in her defense no less, that 'teenagers tend to adopt each other's language' and 'as a former teenager myself, I recall that spongelike ability to take popular culture and incorporate it into your own lexicon.' Great. I applaud your emphathy, baby, but why are you"

Systemic Corruption
Is systemic corruption bred by political machines? what is a political machine anyway? Is it a function of one party rule? or is it fostered by tolerance of corrupt practices? Attorneys general seem to isagree.
Illinois called 'petri dish' for corruption: "News Archive
Illinois called 'petri dish' for corruption
April 25, 2006
BY DEANNA BELLANDI ASSOCIATED PRESS


A convicted former governor and scandals at Chicago City Hall earned Illinois the dubious distinction of 'petri dish for corruption' at a national meeting of state prosecutors Tuesday.
The conviction last week of former Gov. George Ryan on federal racketeering and fraud charges was a backdrop for the National Association of Attorneys General's one-day summit in Chicago to talk about ways to stamp out public corruption.
'Illinois is apparently a petri dish for corruption. It is a real breeding ground,' Illinois Campaign for Political Reform director Cynthia Canary told the group.

But Illinois is not alone when it comes to public corruption.
'Louisiana is famous, if not infamous, for its corruption,' said Jim Letten, U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Louisiana and a native of New Orleans.
He said Louisiana's reputation for being tolerant of corruption has kept some people from seeking public office and kept businesses away.
But Letten said"But Letten said that climate has started to change, beginning with the corruption conviction six years ago of former Gov. Edwin Edwards.

Edwards was convicted in a case that stemmed from the licensing of riverboat casinos during his final term as governor in the 1990s. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, his earliest release date is in 2011.

In Illinois, Canary said, some reasons for corruption are a lack of political competition due to the dominance one political party in some areas, such as the Democrats in Chicago, and because there are no state limits on campaign contributions.

"It is very hard for the public to tell the difference between a campaign donation and a bribery," she said.

University of Illinois at Chicago political science professor Dick Simpson warned the attorneys general that they won't end corruption if they don't rid their states of political machines.

"You cannot have political machines and end corruption," Simpson said. "Political machines breed corruption just like garbage breeds flies."

Steering Contracts-
yet another corrupiton scandal related to steering contracts-
details sadly similar..what is it about the glitz and the luxury vacations anyway?
Connecticut News from The Hartford Courant ::: State, National, & World News On courant.com: "In a legal document expected to become public Monday, federal authorities lay out details of the cash-filled envelopes, luxury vacations, limousine trips, fancy dinners with girlfriends and visits to high-priced strip clubs that allegedly fueled a conspiracy to steer millions of dollars in state contracts."

does "privatizing" really mean, open for graft and fraud? Confirming all of our worst suspicions, seems like this is the case. In fact historically, states and municipalites have been open to corruption especially at the points where contracts and franchises are let, bid, opened, etc.
if one made a database of all of the politicians convicted for fraud or corruption, and exactly what they were convicted of, it seems to me that the vast majority would fall under graft, related to contracts.
Throughout the Republican Revolution, we have been subject to the mantra that "privatizing government functions will save money,"
Anyone who contracts out the governments business knows that this is only the case to the extent that there is adaquate oversight.
In the case of Iraq and many others, not only was no money saved, but the money which was spent failed to even complete the jobs which it was expended for.

'A free-fraud zone': "Tuesday's guilty plea by an American businessman to being part of a massive bribery and bid-rigging scheme run by members of the U.S. reconstruction effort in Iraq confirmed the worst fears about that privatized dud of a program.
'There was no oversight anywhere near them,' said the inspector general who broke the case, which involved $8.6 million in contracts, $2 million in bribes and several phony companies. 'They considered it a free-fraud zone.' "

The worst example is to contrast the health clinics and electrical plants being built for the Iraqui citizens, with the un-holy expenditures and special security measures being taken to construct the new American Embassy in Iraq. Chalmers Johnson's Sorrows of Empire coming to fruition before our eyes.
The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) Blog: Guess which Iraq reconstruction project is on time and on budget?
The $592 million facility is being built inside the heavily fortified Green Zone by 900 non-Iraqi foreign workers who are housed nearby and under the supervision of a Kuwaiti contractor, according to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report. Construction materials have been stockpiled to avoid the dangers and delays on Iraq's roads.

"We are confident the embassy will be completed according to schedule (by June 2007) and on budget," said Justin Higgins, a State Department spokesman

And Guess which newspaper this notice appeared in?
NYT? Nope, WaPO? Nope, it was USA Today. Only.

The george Ryan Case is classic example of racketeering
Amazingly, this type of racketeering has characeterized the practice of corruption since the late 19th century.
This is almost the classic definition of corruption-
George Ryan Case is Classic example of Racketeering
Amazingly, this type of racketeering had characterized the practice of corruption since the late 19th century.
However, we need to keep in mind that, as Robin Theobold writes, the concept of corruption is predicated on the western ideal of a public sphere which is separate from private sphere, and furthermore, the existence of a disassociated secular, professionalized bureaucracy.
As articulated by German sociologist Max Weber, the perfect state embodies “the ideal of rational legal bureaucracy run by hierarchically ordered corps of officials who are recruited and promoted according to objective critera, paid a regular salary, with clear jurisdictional areas governed by clear rules and procedures.”
Has the American system really ever lived up to this ideal? Are some systems inherently corruptible?

Ex-Governor of Illinois Is Convicted on All Charges - New York Times: "After more than five months of sometimes complicated testimony in his federal case, and after five weeks of still more tangled deliberations, a jury convicted Mr. Ryan, a Republican, of granting state business to associates in exchange for cash and presents for himself, his family and his friends. "

March for Immigrant Rights: Rallys take place across the country,
I joined the march in Tucson. We did not do the whole five miles, but watched the main mass of marchers pass for nearly 20 minutes, then joined in. I estimate about 10,000, nearly all Mexican/Hispanic. what a turnout! it was very impressive, people of all ages, grandmothers and grandfathers, babies in strollers, families, veterans, and more and more and more.
This is really very historic, the first time that these workers have really stood up to claim their rights. We are the workers, they are saying, and they are.
Si Se Pueda: Yes We Can
AquiEstamos: No Nos Vamos!
We are Here, we are not Leaving
"All we want is to work and to have a better future for our children,''

I am trying to accumulate the numbers from all of the demonstrations around the country:

Atlanta 50,000
Boston 8,000
Dallas 500,000
Houston 10,000
Los Angeles 4,000
New York 125,000
Oakland 2,000
Phoenix 00,000
Providence 5,000
Sacramento 1,000
San Diego 50,000
San Francisco 5,000
San Jose 10,000
Seattle 15,000
St. Paul 30,000
Tucson 12,000
Washington 500,000
1,527,000

Daily Kos: 200,000+ March for Immigrant Rights in Phoenix

Political Crack-up Imminent?
one can only hope so. I veer between determination to get the word out by participating in blogging, letter writing, etc, and merely standing safely on the shore, watching the wreckage go by in the flood-tide.
meanwhile, I am heading off to the big immigrant rights march downtown tucson, this is going to be a big one.
the xenophobia and white rights undercurrents of those opposed to the immigrants is getting all too obvious. And those pandering to the haters are exposed for what they are.

Political Crackups: "The spectacle in Congress is no prettier. One cannot regret the fall of Tom DeLay, who combined a mastery of politics with a complete indifference to its purpose. Really, what did this man seek public office for? It's said that he was inspired by his conviction that the Environmental Protection Agency is like the Gestapo, but I suspect this theory is too kind. Unlike Newt Gingrich, who bristled with policy ideas, DeLay never seemed to care about anything beyond counting votes and cultivating links to the moneybags on K Street"

The Po'Boys Myth-
its true that lately those on the right hav been trying to portray boys as victims. Makes you wonder doesn't it. I have been meaning to craft a pity response, thank goodness Caryl Rivers and Rosalind Chait Barnett did such a good job first. and with a great history lead, too.
read the whole thing, really.

The Myth of 'The Boy Crisis': "It was the early 1900s, and boys were supposedly in crisis. In monthly magazines, ladies' journals and books, urgent polemics appeared, warning that young men were spending too much time in school with female teachers and that the constant interaction with women was robbing them of their manhood. In Congress, Sen. Albert Beveridge of Indiana railed against overeducation. He urged young men to 'avoid books and in fact avoid all artificial learning, for the forefathers put America on the right path by learning completely from natural experience.'
What boys needed, the experts said, was time outdoors, rubbing elbows with one another and learning from male role models. That's what led -- at least in part -- to the founding of the Boy Scouts in 1910."
N"ow the cry has been raised again: We're losing our boys. The media have been hyping America's new "boy crisis" in magazine cover stories, a PBS documentary and countless newspaper articles."
But are American boys in academic free fall? Not really, if we look closely. Nor do they need special boys-only classrooms to teach them in ways tailored for their unique brains.

The boy crisis we're hearing about is largely a manufactured one, the product of both a backlash against the women's movement and the media's penchant for continuously churning out news about the latest dire threat to the nation.
The alarming statistics on which the notion of a crisis is based are rarely broken out by race or class. When they are, the whole picture changes. It becomes clear that if there is a crisis, it's among inner-city and rural boys. White suburban boys aren't significantly touched by it. On average, they are not dropping out of school, avoiding college or lacking in verbal skills. Although we have been hearing that boys are virtually disappearing from college classrooms, the truth is that among whites, the gender composition of colleges is pretty balanced: 51 percent female and 49 percent male, according to the National Education Association. In Ivy League colleges, men still outnumber women.

Republican Family Values in Action:Lobbying Cases Shine Spotlight on Family Ties - New York Times: "The company's records show that the $2.3 million was received from another consulting firm, GrassRoots Interactive of Silver Spring, Md., which was established by Jack Abramoff and where he directed some of his huge lobbying fees. Billing statements prepared by Aeneas do not show what service Robert Abramoff provided to warrant millions of dollars in payments from his brother's company.
Robert Abramoff did not return phone calls for comment. His apparent entanglement in his brother's business is an example of what investigators say is something remarkable about the criminal inquiry centered on Jack Abramoff and his Washington lobbying network.
To a surprising degree, the spouses and other family members of the investigation's central targets are being caught up in the inquiry, dealing with subpoenas and interviews with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with at least the possibility that some of them could face civil or criminal charges themselves."

Blackmail??? or just extortion?
federal investigation into whether a longtime contributor for the Page Six gossip column — the avidly read daily log of wrongdoing, double-dealing and sexual indiscretions by celebrities both minor and major — tried to extort money from a California billionaire, according to a spokesman for The New York Post.
In Page Six Inquiry, Gossip Swirls Around Gossips - New York Times: "Several people involved in the investigation said the reporter, Jared Paul Stern, had been captured on a video recording demanding a $100,000 payment and a monthly stipend of $10,000 from Ronald W. Burkle in return for keeping negative information about him out of the paper. "
"Those who say they know what is on the tape said Mr. Stern named Harvey Weinstein, the co-founder of Miramax films, and Ronald O. Perelman, the chairman of Revlon, as being among those who have had their coverage on the page finessed."

Earmarks back in the target zone-
Earmarks again lead to kickbacks and cronyism. Another congressman, on the house apropriations committee, more "non-profits" funneling money to cronies and relatives.

Congressman's Special Projects Bring Complaints - New York Times: "The most ambitious effort by the congressman, Alan B. Mollohan, is a glistening glass-and-steel structure with a swimming pool, sauna and spa rising in a former cow pasture in Fairmont, W.Va., thanks to $103 million of taxpayer money he garnered through special spending allocations known as earmarks.
The headquarters building is likely to sit largely empty upon completion this summer, because the Mollohan-created organization that it was built for, the Institute for Scientific Research, is in disarray, its chief executive having resigned under a cloud of criticism over his $500,000 annual compensation, also paid by earmarked federal money.
The five organizations have diverse missions but form a cozy, cross-pollinated network in the forlorn former coal capitals of north-central West Virginia. Mr. Mollohan has recruited many of their top employees and board members, including longtime friends or former aides, who in turn provide him with steady campaign contributions and positive publicity in their newsletters.
The conservative National Legal and Policy Center in Falls Church, Va., filed a 500-page complaint with the United States attorney for the District of Columbia on Feb. 28 challenging the accuracy of Mr. Mollohan's financial disclosure forms. The forms show a sharp spike in assets and income from rental properties from 2000 to 2004.
Federal authorities said yesterday that they were reviewing the complaint, which was reported in The Wall Street Journal.
The case has led several Republican leaders to call for Mr. Mollohan's removal from the House ethics committee, where he is the senior Democrat."

With and obliging God on your Side, anything is possible,
just happened upon this piece, and its a winner, read the whole thing why not?

Our Pious Babylon: "DeLay's apparently is the most obliging of Lords. He stuck with the embattled incumbent long enough for DeLay to give a 'Texas whuppin' ' to those infidels who ran against him in the Republican primary, only to counsel withdrawal when the polling made clear that a Democrat could still beat The Hammer in the fall."
The broader question is whether such a deity still rules in Washington. As gods go, He was surely more ethically flexible than most. Lesser gods might frown upon bribery, fraud, greed and the abrogation of the democratic process, but this one was willing to overlook such trifles if they strengthened the Republicans' hold on the House and were performed in a spirit of piety.

The latest in the litany of outrageous acts by pious men was revealed in Tuesday's Los Angeles Times, where reporters Tom Hamburger and Ken Silverstein documented the efforts of lobbyist Jack Abramoff to sell his services to the Sudanese government in 2001. Quoting both the Sudanese ambassador and an unidentified former Abramoff associate, they recount how Abramoff offered to improve the image of the quasi-genocidal regime among Christian evangelicals in return for a retainer of $16 million to $18 million. An Abramoff spokesman rebutted the account, insisting that Abramoff merely told the ambassador of his objections to the Sudanese government's war on its Christian population. But the very setting of this encounter -- Abramoff's skybox at FedEx Field during a Redskins game -- casts some doubt on the spokesman's account.

"This persecution has got to stop and -- say, check out that second cheerleader from the right!"

The Delay Delay- a delay in recognizing the total corruption of the Delay K-street protections racket- and still, a reluctance by MSM to call it for what it really is- Pay to Play.
I am tired tonight, so I am just going to copy n all of this excellent editorial from Palm Beach
DeLay legacy: Corruption: "Rep. Tom DeLay is leaving Congress. He blames 'liberal Democrats,' but if he wants to blame someone other than himself - and, of course, he does - Rep. DeLay should blame Republican enablers who were content to let him misuse power so long as they benefited.
Republicans were thrilled with contributions that flowed after Rep. DeLay followed up on the GOP takeover of 1994 with the K Street Project, which coerced lobbying firms to hire Republicans and fire Democrats. That sealed the connection with Jack Abramoff, described by Rep. DeLay as 'one of my closest and dearest friends,' whose dirty contributions now taint so many Republican lawmakers."
Rep. Delay's GOP enablers include Reps. Mark Foley, R-Fort Pierce, and Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale. Rep. Foley served under Rep. DeLay in the leadership and received $5,000 in donations from Abramoff and his clients. Rep. Shaw, like Rep. Foley, supported the unsuccessful candidacy of DeLay protégé Roy Blunt, R-Mo., to replace Rep. DeLay as majority leader.

Consider the favors House Republicans did for Rep. DeLay as he slid into scandal. When three of his associates were indicted on campaign finance charges in Texas in September 2004, they changed the rule that would have required Rep. DeLay to give up his leadership post if indicted. They later changed the rules to prevent the Ethics Committee from investigating Rep. DeLay. Bad publicity forced them to backtrack. But even after Rep. DeLay was indicted in Texas on money-laundering charges, GOP leaders gave Rep. DeLay a plum seat on the Appropriations Committee.

The scandal now has come so close to Rep. DeLay that his colleagues no longer can play dumb. DeLay lackeys who have pleaded guilty to various federal charges include former press secretary Michael Scanlon, Abramoff and, just last week, former deputy chief of staff Tony Rudy, who admitted taking bribes from Abramoff to influence legislation while he worked for Rep. DeLay, R-Texas.

Meanwhile, the FBI has subpoenaed records from the U.S. Family Network created by Edwin Buckham while he still was Rep. DeLay's chief of staff. Turns out Abramoff provided a big chunk of the organization's money, and Mr. Buckham and his wife paid themselves more than $1 million from the pot.

So Rep. Delay, who piously claimed the moral, Christian high ground even as he ruthlessly sought and abused power, is resigning as the immorality of his actions becomes increasingly clear. He is leaving a legacy of corruption that is likely to last until his enablers have left, too, or at least repented.