High Crimes and Misdemeanors Club

The Entrenched devoid of Moral Standing

Americans lacking principle, distracted constantly from reflective thought, enthralled with one or another personality, political party or prejudice may well deny this. Nevertheless an important truth holds:

The USA’s (entrenched politicians’) “legalized” pay-to-play elections, overt and covert PAC / Super PAC political campaign financing, nepotistic and interminable office terms, think-tank / private / public revolving-door, lobbying system of governance have built and sustained a mound of rot. And this decades-long portrait in governance offers a textbook demonstration of bribery and related crimes. Some just take criminality further than others.

T

he current billionaire buyer of executive office enthusiastically joined Federal Washington’s criminal (status quo) club.

In his usual over-the-top showman’s temperament, instead of hiding (“lipsticking”) his membership, he essentially (figuratively) bought a highway billboard and boldly plastered (or ordered his immigrant employees to plaster) on it his Club Criminal Card.

This display effectively called the hand of Washington’s old-line criminal club members, exposing their lack of moral standing to call foul.

All are “members in ‘good’ standing” of the high “legalized” crimes and misdemeanors club. And one of their favorite crimes is extortion and/or bribery.

T

he new boys (and girls) on the block may be publicly strutting, calling to the rafters their high crimes; but the legalization and unchecked practice of graft and far-reaching high crimes and misdemeanors did not begin with the newest officials and partners in public office.

Capitol Hill, White House

Legislative, Executive, Judiciary officials

Create, Sustain Crime Club 

Endemic and Evident in Executive, Legislative, Judicial offices’ policy, legislation, resolutions, executive orders, foreign relations, staffing, appointments, court rulings

BRIBE / Bribery:

“Money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust”; “something that serves to induce or influence”

Think the whole of Federal Washington and individual states and municipalities

EXTORT / Extortion:

“To obtain something by pressure or intimidation”

Think United States inordinate power and exercise of bullying, abuse of power against nearly 200 member states of the United Nations

PAYOLA / pay to play (paying-piper calls tune / taker plays tune):

“Undercover or indirect payment” for a “favor”

Think the whole of Federal Washington and individual states and municipalities

Think code speak and winks and nods among public officials and partners

QUID PRO QUO

“Something for something”; “something given or received for something else.”

Think the whole of Federal Washington and individual states and municipalities.

C

orruption by any name is still corruption. Crime by any name, committed by any person or group is still crime. And while U.S. officials and friends might claim to be pressuring other states and nations to end their crimes and their corruption — what you can believe is this. 

Americans have written the books, given the lectures; and brazenly, repeatedly and with impunity demonstrated that which, by any objective standard, can only be termed unethical, unconscionable, criminal corruption.

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Legislative Public Service Award Winner loses Ga. Governorship won by Rogue-53,000 Exec

How insider Maneuvering, Incompetence compounds Corruption, festers, feeds ROT and Regress

Two Georgia Contenders

Qualification

K

emp, Brian Porter: business sector employee, demagogue, expedient partisan

Graduate: Athens Academy (K3-12 private college prep., former segregation academy), University of Georgia

Career in construction and development, former Georgia State Senator (2003-2007), appointed Georgia Secretary of State appointed (2010) overseeing elections and election data

A

brams, Stacey Yvonne: American politician, legislator, lawyer, writer

Graduate Spelman College (1995, political science, economics, sociology BA magna cum laude), University of Texas, Austin (1998 public policy, LBJ School of Public Affairs Master of Public Affairs), Yale University (1999 law degree, Juris Doctor)

Career: Law and Public service: Legal Practice (early 2000s): Deputy City Attorney for Atlanta, Georgia (2002)

Georgia General Assembly: Georgia House of Representatives Member (2007-2017): 84th district January 8, 2007 – January 14, 2013; 89th district January 14, 2013 – August 25, 2017

Georgia House of Representatives Minority Leader (January 10, 2011 – July 1, 2017) (Legislation focused on issues such as criminal-justice reforms; improved public transportation, healthcare, public education)

Reputation

Well known: Abrams has received numerous local, state and national public service awards and fellowships

Well known: Kemp has established a record of alleged Criminal Acts and Conflicts of interests

K

emp’s off-the-police-blotter Rap Sheet

Conflict of Interest, Secret Insider Dealing

Owns companies owing “$800,000+ in loans (terms secret) to a community bank where he is a founding board member and stockholder.”….  “‘[I]insider loans’ are legal” IF the bank extends “the same terms” “to any other lender.” Kemp refused to make public his loans’ terms.

While Secretary of State Declares candidacy for Georgia governorship March 2017

Held simultaneous positions of candidate and his party’s nominee for Governor of Georgia and Georgia’s Secretary of State “responsible for overseeing voter registration rolls and vetting the 2018 election results”

Failed to heed calls, including from former U.S. president/former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter, to resign from the position of Georgia Secretary of State

Fox in Henhouse 

Two days before two-party gubernatorial Election Day his office announces an investigation of “unspecified ‘possible cybercrimes’” by the opposing party.

Firmly ensconced in his appointive then reelected Secretary of State position (2010, 2014) —

His office (2012-2018) cancels more than “1.4 million voter registrations”— erased nearly “700,000” of these “in 2017 alone.”

I

nvestigative journalism group finds  

“…of the approximately 534,000 Georgians whose voter registrations were purged between 2016 and 2017, more than 334,000 (of the people) still lived where they were registered.”

Eight months after he declares his candidacy for the governorship, he oversees removals of registered voters: on “a single day in July 2017,” his office removes more than “500,000 registered Georgia voters from voter rolls”—“approximately 8 percent of Georgia’s registered voters”!

O

ne month before Election Day November 6, 2018

His office has “on hold more than 53,000 voter registration applications”

Post Election results

“

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported that Kemp’s “margin of victory” in the gubernatorial race was “1.4 percentage points” (“54,723” votes more than his opponent, Stacey Abrams).

Road to Rigging 2018

P

aranoia, states’ rights, regression, lockdown, cover-up

Kemp rejects federal attempts “to strengthen the security of (all U.S. states) election systems, including improving access to federal cyber security assistance,” claiming the effort is “an assault on states’ rights” [Georgia languishes as one of fourteen states choosing to use “electronic voting machines,” producing no paper record; thus throwing into question or jeopardizing the integrity, vulnerability, and technical functionality or viability of the election processes and system.]

2015 (October 2015): “the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, under Kemp’s leadership, erroneously distributes personal data (including Social Security numbers and dates of birth) of 6.2 million registered Georgia voters.”

2016 (December): Kemp accuses the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “of attempting to hack his office’s computer network, including the voter registration database, implying that it was retribution for his previous refusal to work with DHS.” Kemp continued to denounce attempts to improve critical infrastructure of voting systems as an “assault on states’ rights.”

2018 (August): Emory University professor Carol Anderson criticizes Kemp as an “enemy of democracy” and “an expert in voter suppression.”

G

eorgia is my birthplace and, this far out, into the 21st century, I am ashamed of what Georgians allow Georgians to get away with.

Partisanship and any other tribalism aside, this man is not only a disgrace, he is a rogue in the house, a criminal or all but criminal in government, who should be placed in another state institution with bars on the doors until he is admits his wrong and is certified as having been rehabilitated. 

If he is not checked and chastised, the rot and regress will continue. And the public will be denied the services of truly able, clean, qualified and caring public servants.

In the meantime, I am encouraged by the November 17, 2018, election-concluding words of the Hon. Stacey Abrams:  

“

Together, we redefined the politics of possible in the Deep South”

Sources

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacey_Abrams

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Kemp

https://staceyabrams.com/

The Hill “Georgia certifies elections results in bitterly fought governor’s race” November 17, 2018 Aris Folley https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/417292-georgia-certifies-elections-results-in-bitterly-fought-governors-race

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US public service Corrupt, Careless, Nonexistent

Boeing, US Officials, Regulatory Failure

Boeing 737 series commercial planes

A

ccidents and incidents Five-year period (2013-2018)

737-100/200 aircraft 

May 18, 2018 – Global Air (Mexico) crashes shortly after takeoff from José Martí International Airport; 112 dead

737 Classic (737-300/-400/-500) aircraft

November 17, 2013: Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363 crashes near Kazan International Airport, Russia; 44 dead

November 22, 2015: Avia Traffic Company Flight 768 (Osh Airport) touches down hard, rips off landing gear, tears left engine from mounting, skids off runway; 8 injured.

August 5, 2016: ASL Airlines Hungary flight QY-7332 (Milan Bergamo’s Orio al Serio Airport) breaks through the airport perimeter fence, a parking lot, a guardrail and comes to a stop on a road 520 meters past the end of the runway, sustaining substantial aircraft damage (loss of both engines, all landing gear legs); captain injured.

March 28, 2017: Peruvian Airlines Flight 112 suffers undercarriage failure, causing a forced landing, then catching fire, aircraft declared total loss; 39 passengers hospitalized.

737 Next Generation (737-600/-700/-800/-900) aircraft

April 13, 2013: Lion Air Flight 904 (Ngurah Rai International Airport) undershoots designated runway and crashes into the sea, fuselage ruptured slightly near the wings; all 108 passengers/crew injured.

July 22, 2013: Southwest Airlines Flight 345 (LaGuardia Airport) touches down collapsing nose gear upward into fuselage, causing severe damage to the electronics bay; 15.5 million aircraft was written off; 9 injured.

March 19, 2016: Flydubai Flight 981 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Rostov-on-Don, Russia) crashes on final approach; all 62 passengers and crew dead.

 April 4, 2016: Batik Air Flight 7703 (in takeoff roll) catches fire after striking another plane crossing the runway, seriously rupturing left wing tank and separating vertical tailplane; passengers evacuated via slides.

August 27, 2016: Southwest Airlines Flight 3472 (New Orleans to Orlando Florida) engine fails in flight, damaging airplane fuselage, making a hole, losing cabin pressure; emergency landing in Pensacola, Florida.

January 13, 2018: Pegasus Airlines Flight 8622 (Trabzon Airport) slides off runway

April 17, 2018: Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 (emergency landing Philadelphia International Airport) sustains in-flight left engine failure causing cabin window break and explosive decompression; ejected passenger later dies.

April 29, 2018: Lion Air Flight 892 side tracks runway causing main nose gear collapse.

August 16, 2018: Xiamen Airlines Flight 8667 (crash landing Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila, Philippines) skids off end of the runway, causing left engine and main gear collapse; all aboard evacuated.

September 1, 2018: Utair Flight 579 (landing in Sochi International Airport) overruns runway and catches fire; 18 injured.

September 28, 2018: Air Niugini Flight 73 (Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia to Port Moresby, Papa New Guinea) overshoots runway, lands in a lagoon and sinks; 46 of 47 rescued

737 MAX (737-MAX -7/-8/-9/-10) aircraft 

October 29, 2018: Lion Air Flight 610 (Jakarta, Indonesia to Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia), 10 minutes after takeoff, crashes and falls into the sea; all 189 passengers and crew dead. Boeing’s “deadliest air accident involving all variants of the Boeing 737”

Boeing’s first fatal airline event reportedly occurred on December 8, 1972: United Airlines Flight 553 crashes while attempting to land; 43 onboard and 2 grounds crew died.

The October 29, 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 (737 MAX 8) is recorded as the Boeing 737 series’ largest loss-of-life incident. This plane crashed into the Java Sea and left 189 people dead.

B

oeing Company

Among the largest global aircraft manufacturers, the second-largest defense contractor in the world (2015 revenue base), the largest exporter in the United States (by dollar value), the Boeing Company is a multinational corporation engaged in design, manufacture, and sales of airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide.

2016 recorded sales income: $94.6 billion

2017 estimates

Revenue: US$93.392 billion

Operating income: US$10.278 billion

Net income: US$8.197 billion

Total assets: Increase US$92.333 billion

Total equity: US$412 million

Founded in Seattle, Washington in the early 20th century, Boeing’s corporate headquarters today are located in Chicago, Illinois. The company contains five primary divisions: (1) Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA); (2) Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS); (3) Engineering, Operations & Technology; (4) Boeing Capital; and (5) Boeing Shared Services Group.

B

oeing’s influence on U.S. Government Office and Officials

Open Secrets reports (Center for Responsive Politics)

Boeing Total Lobbying Expenditures: $11,270,000

Boeing Subtotal for Parent Boeing Co: $11,270,000

Boeing Contributions: $3,340,587 (ranked 78 of 17,511)

Boeing Lobbying: 2018: $7,540,000 ● 2017:  $16,740,000 (ranked 10 of 3,757 in 2018)

…to Candidates: $2,567,178

…to Leadership PACs: $259,131

…to Political Parties: $502,801

…to 527 committees: $6,933

…to outside spending groups: $2,335

[527 committees (sky’s the limit), “unregulated under state or federal campaign finance laws because they do not ‘expressly advocate’ for the election or defeat of a candidate or party’”; nevertheless, they are employed “to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office”, all the while being exempted from taxes “under Section 527 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 527).”] 

B

oeing Total Contributions to U.S. Members of House and Senate

Cantwell, Maria (D-WA) Senate $46,234

McCaskill, Claire (D-MO) Senate $39,832

Casey, Bob (D-PA) Senate $38,253

Hatch, Orrin G (R-UT) Senate $32,250

Sessions, Pete (R-TX) House $27,200

Nelson, Bill (D-FL) Senate $27,136

Dingell, Debbie (D-MI) House $17,900

Jones, Doug (D-AL) Senate $17,197

Roby, Martha (R-AL) House $15,500

Strange, Luther (R-AL) Senate $15,000

Kaine, Tim (D-VA) Senate $14,700

Estes, Ron (R-KS) House $14,000

Moolenaar, John (R-MI) House $13,500

Heck, Dennis (D-WA) House $13,200

Pope, Tommy (R-SC) House $12,700

Cartwright, Matt (D-PA) House $12,500

Visclosky, Pete (D-IN) House $12,500

Connolly, Gerry (D-VA) House $12,470

Heitkamp, Heidi (D-ND) Senate $12,262

Culberson, John (R-TX) House $12,250

Biggs, Andy (R-AZ) House $11,500

Wagner, Ann L (R-MO) House $11,500

Womack, Steve (R-AR) House $11,500

Nunes, Devin (R-CA) House $11,350

Pelosi, Nancy (D-CA) House $11,341

Moulton, Seth (D-MA) House $11,300

Rodgers, Cathy McMorris (R-WA) House $11,300

Hurd, Will (R-TX) House $11,000

Russell, Steven (R-OK) House $11,000

Stefanik, Elise (R-NY) House $11,000

Kilmer, Derek (D-WA) House $10,750

Heinrich, Martin (D-NM) Senate $10,502

Babin, Brian (R-TX) House $10,500

Davis, Rodney (R-IL) House $10,500

Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA) Senate $10,500

Wilson, Joe (R-SC) House $10,500

Bacon, Donald John (R-NE) House $10,200

Coffman, Mike (R-CO) House $10,200

Rossi, Dino (R-WA) House $10,200

Walters, Mimi (R-CA) House $10,200

Manchin, Joe (D-WV) Senate $10,046

Ryan, Tim (D-OH) House $10,010

Aderholt, Robert B (R-AL) House $10,000

Aguilar, Pete (D-CA) House $10,000

Amodei, Mark (R-NV) House $10,000

Banks, Jim (R-IN) House $10,000

Barrasso, John A (R-WY) Senate $10,000

Beutler, Jaime Herrera (R-WA) House $10,000

Beyer, Don (D-VA) House $10,000

Bishop, Mike (R-MI) House $10,000

Bishop, Sanford (D-GA) House $10,000

Bost, Mike (R-IL) House $10,000

Bustos, Cheri (D-IL) House $10,000

Byrne, Bradley (R-AL) House $10,000

Calvert, Ken (R-CA) House $10,000

Cardin, Ben (D-MD) Senate $10,000

Carter, John (R-TX) House $10,000

Clyburn, James E (D-SC) House $10,000

Cole, Tom (R-OK) House $10,000

Comstock, Barbara (R-VA) House $10,000

Conaway, Mike (R-TX) House $10,000

Cornyn, John (R-TX) Senate $10,000

Crist, Charlie (D-FL) House $10,000

Cuellar, Henry (D-TX) House $10,000

Curbelo, Carlos (R-FL) House $10,000

Diaz-Balart, Mario (R-FL) House $10,000

Fischer, Deb (R-NE) Senate $10,000

Granger, Kay (R-TX) House $10,000

Graves, Sam (R-MO) House $10,000

Hartzler, Vicky (R-MO) House $10,000

Holding, George (R-NC) House $10,000

Hoyer, Steny H (D-MD) House $10,000

Joyce, David P (R-OH) House $10,000

Kaptur, Marcy (D-OH) House $10,000

Katko, John (R-NY) House $10,000

Kelly, Mike (R-PA) House $10,000

King, Angus (I-ME) Senate $10,000

Kinzinger, Adam (R-IL) House $10,000

Knight, Steve (R-CA) House $10,000

LaHood, Darin (R-IL) House $10,000

Lamborn, Douglas L (R-CO) House $10,000

Langevin, Jim (D-RI) House $10,000

Larson, John B (D-CT) House $10,000

Lucas, Frank D (R-OK) House $10,000

Luetkemeyer, Blaine (R-MO) House $10,000

MacArthur, Thomas (R-NJ) House $10,000

McCarthy, Kevin (R-CA) House $10,000

McCollum, Betty (D-MN) House $10,000

Newhouse, Dan (R-WA) House $10,000

Norcross, Don (D-NJ) House $10,000

Rice, Tom (R-SC) House $10,000

Rogers, Hal (R-KY) House $10,000

Rogers, Mike D (R-AL) House $10,000

Ruppersberger, Dutch (D-MD) House $10,000

Sewell, Terri A (D-AL) House $10,000

Shimkus, John M (R-IL) House $10,000

Simpson, Mike (R-ID) House $10,000

Stewart, Chris (R-UT) House $10,000

Swalwell, Eric (D-CA) House $10,000

Thornberry, Mac (R-TX) House $10,000

 

Sources

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_the_Boeing_737

527 Committees or organizations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/527_organization

Center for Response Politics: Open Secrets

https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/recips.php?cycle=2018&id=d000000100

https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=d000000100

https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000000100

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