YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK

[Soldier4Christ]

Illinois House passes 'Drew Peterson law'

SPRINGFIELD---The House today voted 109-0 to put into law a bill that could affect a potential prosecution against former Bolingbrook Police Sgt. Drew Peterson in the cases of either one of his last two wives.

The bill, which is backed by the Will County state's attorney's office, would allow a judge to admit hearsay evidence into court for first-degree murder cases if the prosecution could prove that the defendant killed a witness to prevent testimony.

The House vote followed Senate approval a week before. Their votes meant lawmakers accepted changes proposed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich that allowed the law to become effective as soon as the House approved the measure.

Peterson's last two wives had told family and friends that they were fearful of Peterson, who is a suspect in the Oct. 28, 2007, disappearance in his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. In addition, Stacy Peterson also told her minister that her husband had allegedly confessed to her that he killed his third wife, Kathleen Savio, according to the minister.

______________

This law could be treading on some very dangerous ground.

[nChrist]

America's 1st openly transgendered mayor
City leader promises 'change' – in form of breast implants, lipstick, high heels
© 2008 WorldNetDaily


Stu Rasmussen (photo: Stu rasmussen for Mayor)


Oregon voters have just elected the nation's first openly transgendered mayor.

Stu Rasmussen, 60, served as mayor of Silverton, Ore., in 1988 and 1990 – but not while wearing a skirt and high heels.

The new Rasmussen, or Carla Fong, as he calls himself, sports a new pair of breast implants, dresses and makeup.

And 52 percent of town residents re-elected him this month.

"My first two terms, I was a very straight-looking guy," Rasmussen, a software engineer, told the Los Angeles Times. "Now, I write under the name Carla Fong, but basically I'm Stu in Silverton. Honestly, it would be too much trouble to retrain the whole town."

Rasmussen wears deeply plunging tops, as photos reveal on his campaign website. He likes to wear tight miniskirts and long red nails to complement his red mane.

Rasmussen took a break from his position as mayor and spent four years on the City Council. His recent mayoral campaign promised "reasoned discourse … where everybody's going to be participating for a change."

But when he walked into a city council meeting sporting his new look, the dress code was immediately changed to allow only "business casual."


Rasmussen's campaign photo
 

"We're doing business for the city, and he's showing up in outfits that frankly were embarrassing," outgoing Mayor Ken Hector told the Times. "Miniskirts and halter tops to a City Council meeting? Imagine that in Seattle or L.A. When you're dressing, I'm sorry, like a $3 hooker, it's disrespectful to your community."

However, Rasmussen refused to cooperate and cover up.

"He wanted no cleavage, no short skirts, no high heels," he said. "He'd made his point; he'd won the game. So I just proceeded to ignore it."

The new transgendered mayor enjoys showing off his new look.

"If I could have a face transplant, it'd be perfect. A face like this, only a mother could love," he told the Times. Then he glanced down at his cleavage and said, "But people overlook the face now because there's all this other real estate."
---------------
My son, who lives not far from Silverton, has friends who have seen this guy and tell him that it's pretty freaky.

I saw this on the news and thought I would fall out of my chair. This isn't funny at all - JUST SAD, and it's simply more evidence of a SICK AND DYING SOCIETY.

[Soldier4Christ]

First the Fairness Doctrine and Now the Government Comes After the Bloggers?


Wash. regulators ask: Can blogging be lobbying?

Blogger beware? State regulators are wondering whether online political activism amounts to lobbying, which could force Web-based activists to file public reports detailing their finances.

In a collision of 21st century media and 1970s political reforms, the inquiry hints at a showdown over press freedoms for bloggers, whose self-published journals can shift between news reporting, opinion writing, political organizing and campaign fundraising.

State officials are downplaying any possible media rights conflict, pointing out that regulators have already exempted journalistic blogging from previous guidelines for online campaign activity.

But the blogosphere is taking the notion seriously. One prominent liberal blogger in Seattle is already issuing a dare - if the government wants David Goldstein to file papers as a lobbyist, it will have to take him to court.

Goldstein, publisher of the widely read horsesass.org, wants to know how his political crusades could be subject to financial disclosures while newspaper writers, radio hosts and others in traditional media get a pass.

For most bloggers, Goldstein said, the work "is a hobby, a sideline. And yet they contribute greatly to the public debate and to the new journalism."

"When you start talking about regulating Internet activity, you open up a Pandora's Box," he said.

Political money in Washington is regulated by the state Public Disclosure Commission, which compiles reports on candidates' and lobbyists' finances and makes the information available to the public.

The agency was created after voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure in 1972. A second measure in 1992 added contribution limits and other reforms, leading to a set of rules that the state calls "one of the most exhaustive disclosure laws in the country."

Under the law, lobbyists must register with the state, and submit regular reports about who pays them, how they spend money, and which issues they're working on.

Groups that don't fit the traditional definition of "lobbyist" also have to file reports, provided they meet certain spending thresholds while leading public campaigns intended to influence public policy.

Earlier this year, the PDC was asked by some lobbyists whether calls to action made over the Internet fell under any lobbying regulations, and the agency began probing the topic.

advertising

"One of the issues was the grass roots involvement, in terms of prompting individuals, in a call to action, to contact legislators, to send in letters," said Doug Ellis, the PDC's assistant director.

Business interests asked, "Can we do the same kind of thing? Is it proper? Do we have to report it?" Ellis said.

The question of blogging soon entered the picture. For online political junkies like Goldstein, stirring up the public and urging readers to sound off about public policy is a key part of the mission.

But, as Goldstein pointed out in a recent public meeting on the topic, the same could be said for newspaper editorialists or radio commentators - and they're exempt from reporting their income and spending under an exemption created to protect the media.

"What you're basically saying is, if you want to raise any money at all, now you have to report," Goldstein said. "It's treating us entirely different than other media outlets."

Much of the discussion about blogging as lobbying boils down to the evolving distinction of who is and is not a member of the media.

While blogs and other online-only information sources are showing greater influence, traditional outlets - particularly newspapers - are struggling with a deeply wounded business model.

"Our definitions of all of this are changing so dramatically, right in front of our eyes," said Sree Sreenivasan, of Columbia University's journalism school.

Laws have often defined media by describing the form in which the information is delivered - a newspaper, a magazine, or a licensed TV or radio station. But the Internet is eroding those tried-and-true distinctions, making such definitions sound hopelessly outdated.

In this environment, Sreenivasan said, regulators facing a question about who qualifies as media might need to undertake a much more detailed examination of the content being produced.

"It's very hard to put them in a box: 'This is OK, this is not OK,'" Sreenivasan said. "It's a waste of everybody's time. I'd say, what is the work they're doing?"

The PDC's Ellis doesn't expect commissioners to impose financial reporting for bloggers who a perform a journalistic function. Since that type of activity was excluded in campaign finance rules, he said, "I don't see any reason why they would veer from past practice."

Lobbyist Steve Gano, who represents business clients in Olympia, said he's not troubled by activist bloggers who practice a form of journalism. But the increasing presence of Web-based advocacy groups are a different story, he said.

If an online group doesn't have to report the type of activities that would otherwise be considered lobbying, Gano asked, why shouldn't lobbyists just close up shop and relaunch their efforts online?

"There's a new business model out there," Gano said. "I can just sit at home, e-mail folks from here, and never have to disclose who my financial backers are."

Next will they go for anyone talking politics over a cup of coffee?

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

We still have FREEDOM of speech, press, and RELIGION in this part of the world - AND the government is STILL a SERVANT of the people. We also still have LAWS and CONSTITUTIONS that we should ALL DEMAND TO BE ENFORCED. Our form of government can't be changed without a VOTE OF THE PEOPLE and LEGAL PROCESS ETCHED IN GRANITE. I've said this before, but I want to say it again, ANY PORTION OF OUR GOVERNMENT THAT ATTEMPTS TO VIOLATE OUR LAWS AND CONSTITUTIONS MUST BE REMOVED AND IMPRISONED UNDER DUE PROCESS OF LAW! Nobody is going to be allowed to remove our rights and freedoms EXCEPT by LEGAL DUE PROCESS.

I think that it's far past time for citizens to FILE CIVIL AND CRIMINAL ACTIONS against rogue portions of government violating our Laws and Constitutions. This would give other portions of government PAUSE before attempting something they already know is WRONG! YES - they already know! On the part of the citizens, it's simply a matter of determination and DEMANDING our servants be held accountable to the full extent of the law. We might need some legal help in getting this done, and I think that the legal help is standing in line waiting to volunteer their services.

[Soldier4Christ]

Pentagon to deploy 20,000 troops in U.S.
Trained to help state, local officials respond to attack, catastrophe

The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials.

The long-planned shift in the Defense Department's role in homeland security was recently backed with funding and troop commitments after years of prodding by Congress and outside experts, defense analysts said.

There are critics of the change, in the military and among civil liberties groups and libertarians who express concern that the new homeland emphasis threatens to strain the military and possibly undermine the Posse Comitatus Act, a 130-year-old federal law restricting the military's role in domestic law enforcement.

But the Bush administration and some in Congress have pushed for a heightened homeland military role since the middle of this decade, saying the greatest domestic threat is terrorists exploiting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, dedicating 20,000 troops to domestic response -- a nearly sevenfold increase in five years -- "would have been extraordinary to the point of unbelievable," Paul McHale, assistant defense secretary for homeland defense, said in remarks last month at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But the realization that civilian authorities may be overwhelmed in a catastrophe prompted "a fundamental change in military culture," he said.

The Pentagon's plan calls for three rapid-reaction forces to be ready for emergency response by September 2011. The first 4,700-person unit, built around an active-duty combat brigade based at Fort Stewart, Ga., was available as of Oct. 1, said Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., commander of the U.S. Northern Command.

If funding continues, two additional teams will join nearly 80 smaller National Guard and reserve units made up of about 6,000 troops in supporting local and state officials nationwide. All would be trained to respond to a domestic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high-yield explosive attack, or CBRNE event, as the military calls it.

Military preparations for a domestic weapon-of-mass-destruction attack have been underway since at least 1996, when the Marine Corps activated a 350-member chemical and biological incident response force and later based it in Indian Head, Md., a Washington suburb. Such efforts accelerated after the Sept. 11 attacks, and at the time Iraq was invaded in 2003, a Pentagon joint task force drew on 3,000 civil support personnel across the United States.

In 2005, a new Pentagon homeland defense strategy emphasized "preparing for multiple, simultaneous mass casualty incidents." National security threats were not limited to adversaries who seek to grind down U.S. combat forces abroad, McHale said, but also include those who "want to inflict such brutality on our society that we give up the fight," such as by detonating a nuclear bomb in a U.S. city.

In late 2007, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England signed a directive approving more than $556 million over five years to set up the three response teams, known as CBRNE Consequence Management Response Forces. Planners assume an incident could lead to thousands of casualties, more than 1 million evacuees and contamination of as many as 3,000 square miles, about the scope of damage Hurricane Katrina caused in 2005.

Last month, McHale said, authorities agreed to begin a $1.8 million pilot project funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through which civilian authorities in five states could tap military planners to develop disaster response plans. Hawaii, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Washington and West Virginia will each focus on a particular threat -- pandemic flu, a terrorist attack, hurricane, earthquake and catastrophic chemical release, respectively -- speeding up federal and state emergency planning begun in 2003.

Last Monday, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates ordered defense officials to review whether the military, Guard and reserves can respond adequately to domestic disasters.

Gates gave commanders 25 days to propose changes and cost estimates. He cited the work of a congressionally chartered commission, which concluded in January that the Guard and reserve forces are not ready and that they lack equipment and training.

Bert B. Tussing, director of homeland defense and security issues at the U.S. Army War College's Center for Strategic Leadership, said the new Pentagon approach "breaks the mold" by assigning an active-duty combat brigade to the Northern Command for the first time. Until now, the military required the command to rely on troops requested from other sources.

"This is a genuine recognition that this [job] isn't something that you want to have a pickup team responsible for," said Tussing, who has assessed the military's homeland security strategies.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the libertarian Cato Institute are troubled by what they consider an expansion of executive authority.

Domestic emergency deployment may be "just the first example of a series of expansions in presidential and military authority," or even an increase in domestic surveillance, said Anna Christensen of the ACLU's National Security Project. And Cato Vice President Gene Healy warned of "a creeping militarization" of homeland security.

"There's a notion that whenever there's an important problem, that the thing to do is to call in the boys in green," Healy said, "and that's at odds with our long-standing tradition of being wary of the use of standing armies to keep the peace."

McHale stressed that the response units will be subject to the act, that only 8 percent of their personnel will be responsible for security and that their duties will be to protect the force, not other law enforcement. For decades, the military has assigned larger units to respond to civil disturbances, such as during the Los Angeles riot in 1992.

U.S. forces are already under heavy strain, however. The first reaction force is built around the Army's 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, which returned in April after 15 months in Iraq. The team includes operations, aviation and medical task forces that are to be ready to deploy at home or overseas within 48 hours, with units specializing in chemical decontamination, bomb disposal, emergency care and logistics.

The one-year domestic mission, however, does not replace the brigade's next scheduled combat deployment in 2010. The brigade may get additional time in the United States to rest and regroup, compared with other combat units, but it may also face more training and operational requirements depending on its homeland security assignments.

Renuart said the Pentagon is accounting for the strain of fighting two wars, and the need for troops to spend time with their families. "We want to make sure the parameters are right for Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. The 1st Brigade's soldiers "will have some very aggressive training, but will also be home for much of that."

Although some Pentagon leaders initially expected to build the next two response units around combat teams, they are likely to be drawn mainly from reserves and the National Guard, such as the 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade from South Carolina, which returned in May after more than a year in Afghanistan.

Now that Pentagon strategy gives new priority to homeland security and calls for heavier reliance on the Guard and reserves, McHale said, Washington has to figure out how to pay for it.

"It's one thing to decide upon a course of action, and it's something else to make it happen," he said. "It's time to put our money where our mouth is."

[Soldier4Christ]

Homeland Security: Turn to God in time of terrorism
State law stresses 'dependence on Almighty' for protection from threats

To whom should Homeland Security officials turn when faced with terrorist threats?

They should turn to God, according to one state's law.

When Kentucky formed its state Office of Homeland Security in 2006, it listed the department's initial duty as "stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."

According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Homeland Security must proclaim God's protection in its reports. The office also features a plaque at its Emergency Operations Center declaring, "The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God."

State Rep. Tom Riner, D-Louisville, included the stipulation to acknowledge God in an amendment to the legislation. Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved it, according to the report.

The office is now required to put God above all else – including allocation of government grants and threat-risk analysis.

Riner, a Southern Baptist minister, told the Herald-Leader giving God glory for his protection is of utmost importance.

"This is recognition that government alone cannot guarantee the perfect safety of the people of Kentucky," Riner said. "Government itself, apart from God, cannot close the security gap. The job is too big for government."

Under Gov. Ernie Fletcher, Homeland Security mounted the plaque as directed and gave God credit in its annual reports – until last month.

Now the office of current Gov. Steve Beshear is saying it did not know about the plaque. Regardless, Homeland Security Chief Thomas Preston said he has no plans for its removal.

"I will not try to supplant almighty God," Preston said. "All I do is try to obey the dictates of the Kentucky General Assembly. I really don't know what their motivation was for this. They obviously felt strongly about it."

While God is not mentioned on Homeland Security's website or in its mission statement, Riner said he would like to see references to Him.

"We certainly expect it to be there, of course," he said.

But state Sen. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington disagreed. She said the office should concern itself with terrorist threats rather than evangelizing.

"It's very sad to me that we do this sort of thing," she told the Herald-Leader. "It takes away from the seriousness of the public discussion over security, and it clearly hurts the credibility of this office if it's supposed to be depending on God, first and foremost."

[Soldier4Christ]

Obama effigy case heads to grand jury
No criminal charges filed in other political cases, including Sarah Palin

Two Kentucky men who previously apologized for hanging an effigy of President-elect Barack Obama on the University of Kentucky campus want their case heard by a Fayette County grand jury.

Defense attorney Fred Peters said Joe Fischer, 22, and Hunter Bush, 21, waived their right to a preliminary hearing on Monday, opting instead to go directly to grand jurors in hopes they will dismissed the charges.

Fayette County Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson declined to comment Monday on whether he will present charges to a grand jury.

"We haven't officially gotten the case," he said.

Campus police charged the men after they admitted to what Peters described as "a political prank." He said they did nothing illegal.

"They're certainly not guilty of a felony," Peters said.

Peters said on Oct. 31 the two men were "extremely sorry" for hanging the effigy on the campus.

Fischer and Bush were arrested in late October after the effigy — an Obama mask atop a stuffed shirt and pants — was found hanging from a tree with a noose around its neck.

Charges included theft and burglary for allegedly taking the shirt and pants from the Farm House International Fraternity. The men were also charged with disorderly conduct for hanging the effigy.

Peters said both men are former members of the fraternity. He disputed allegations by campus police that they didn't have permission to take the clothing.

The effigy was the second of two found on college campuses in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 4 election. George Fox University, a small Christian college in Oregon, punished four students who confessed to hanging a likeness of Obama from a tree there.

No criminal charges were filed in other cases of political effigies displayed leading up to the election, including a likeness of GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin that hung from a tree in a California man's yard.

Peters said news of the Palin effigy prompted Fischer and Bush to display the Obama effigy in Lexington.

[Soldier4Christ]

Illinois governor taken into custody
FBI alleges Blagojevich conspired to sell Obama's Senate seat

Illinois Governor Arrested on Corruption Charges
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff were arrested in Chicago Tuesday on two counts each of corruption charges relating to trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested Tuesday morning in Chicago on two counts each of federal corruption charges stemming from allegations Blagojevich was trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder.

The arrest is part of a three-year probe of "pay-to-play politics" in the governor's administration. The criminal complaint by the FBI says each man was arrested on two charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery.

The charges also relate to allegations that Blagojevich and Harris schemed with previously convicted defendants and Obama associates Antoin Rezko, Stuart Levine, Ali Ata and others to arrange financial benefits in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state employment, state contracts and access to state funds.

Blagojevich and Harris will have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court Tuesday.

A statement by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Robert Grant said Blagojevich and Harris "allegedly conspired to sell U.S. Senate appointment, engaged in pay-to-play schemes and threatened to withhold state assistance to Tribune Company for Wrigley Field to induce purge of newspaper editorial writers."

"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," Fitzgerald said in a statement.

"Blagojevich put a for sale sign on the naming of a United States Senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism," he added.

Grant noted that Blagojevich was elected in 2002 after Illinois Gov. George Ryan retired in the face of federal corruption charges. He was convicted and sentenced in 2006 to six and a half years in prison.

"Many, including myself, thought that the recent conviction of a former governor would usher in a new era of honesty and reform in Illinois politics. Clearly, the charges announced today reveal that the office of the Governor has become nothing more than a vehicle for self-enrichment, unrestricted by party affiliation and taking Illinois politics to a new low," Grant said.

Federal authorities were permitted by a judge to record the governor secretly before the November election after raising concerns that a replacement for Obama would be tainted.

Fitzgerald's office said the 76-page FBI affidavit alleges that Blagojevich was taped conspiring to sell or trade Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat for financial and other personal benefits for himself and his wife, including an annual salary of $250,000-$300,000 at a nonprofit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions.

They also allege Blagojevich is heard on tape demanding a corporate board seat for his wife worth as much as $150,000 a year; promises of campaign funds, including cash up front; and a Cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself.

The Chicago Tribune was first to report the arrests. Informed Monday of the wiretap, Blagojevich told reporters that his discussions were "always lawful" and he defended a close confidant, John Wyma, who turned on him. Wyma as "an honest person who's conducted himself in an honest way," Blagojevich said.

"I should say if anybody wants to tape my conversations, go right ahead, feel free to do it," he said.

However, the Tribune was also named in the affidavit because tapes allegedly play Blagojevich directing Harris to inform the newspaper's owners and advisers that "state financial assistance would be withheld unless members of the Chicago Tribune's editorial board were fired, primarily because Blagojevich viewed them as driving discussion of his possible impeachment."

The Tribune Company, which declared bankruptcy on Monday, owns the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Cubs, and had explored the possibility of obtaining assistance from the Illinois Finance Authority as part of the effort to sell the Cubs and finance the sale of Wrigley Field.

Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Solicitation of bribery carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. Both carry a maximum fine of $250,000.

[Soldier4Christ]

The only thing that surprises me about this is that he was arrested. Gov Blagojevich has long been doing things against the people of Illinois and has been suspected of involvement with racketeering for some now. His ties with Obama have been quite questionable also. I certainly hope that the FBI has their case put together quite strongly on this.

[Soldier4Christ]

FBI: Blago wanted payoff to give Obama adviser Senate seat

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was captured on tape saying that unless he received “something real good” for the appointment of a top adviser to Barack Obama to fill the president-elect’s Senate seat he would appoint himself, according to the criminal complaint.

“Unless I get something real good [for Senate candidate 1], ****, I’ll just send myself, you know what I’m saying,” Blagojevich was taped saying on November 3rd, the day before Election Day.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, added that the Senate seat “is a ******* valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.”

The complaint does not mention her name, but the description makes clear that Blagojevich is referring to Valerie Jarrett, a senior campaign adviser to Obama who has been tapped as a top White House aide.

And on November 7th, three days after the election, Blagojevich made clear what he wanted in exchange for appointing the Obama adviser to the Senate: the Department of Health and Human Services.

In a discussion with John Harris, his chief of staff, and another adviser that was taped by the FBI, the governor said if Obama picked him to serve as Secretary of HHS he would appoint “Senate Candidate 1.”

Harris responded that the “ask” had to “be reasonable and rather than. . .make it look like some sort of selfish grab for a quid pro quo.”

Blagojevich also tried to shake down a union in exchange for appointing a senator who was favorable to the union, prosecutors allege.

Obama’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Obama was not accused of any wrongdoing.

The charges upend the process of filling the open Senate seat and threaten to subject the president-elect to an onslaught of press scrutiny about what he knew about the investigation.

The governor and his chief of staff John Harris were also charged with demanding the firing of members of the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board in exchange for helping the Tribune Co. with the sale of Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Additionally, Blagojevich sought a seat for his wife on corporate boards where she could reap significant salaries.

The complaint details conversations between Blagojevich and Tony Rezko, a major Chicago fundraiser and one-time benefactor to Obama.

"I want to make money," the affidavit quotes the governor as saying.

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a statement that "the breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering."

"They allege that Blagojevich put a for sale sign on the naming of a United States senator," Fitzgerald said."

The Illinois Republican Party called on the governor to resign his office effective immediately.

“If Governor Blagojevich does not resign his position, we urge the General Assembly to move swiftly with impeachment proceedings,” the party said in a statement. “Furthermore, Governor Blagojevich should not, under this cloud of extremely serious allegations, appoint a United States Senator. While there is a presumption of innocence, in these troubling economic times, the people’s work should be placed ahead of Governor Blagojevich’s legal troubles.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read U.S. attorney's statement
Patrick Fitzgerald known for his prosecution of Plame case

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/acrobat/2008-12/43789468.pdf

[Soldier4Christ]

Ill. Governor Arrested by Feds, Media Ignored Connection To Obama


Media ignored Guv’s party today, but also links to Rezko corruption and Barack Obama and his chief strategist David Axelrod during presidential campaign.

As folks in Illinois were waking up or just getting to work, news hit like an avalanche that Governor Rod Blagojevich had been taken into custody by federal authorities this morning. The news was flying hot and heavy, and still is, over what the feds are alleging that Blago (as we call him in Chicago) did. There are reports of wiretaps, solicitations for bribes, mail and wire fraud… the list is long and shocking.

But one thing seems to be missing from many of these news reports. You guessed it, the fact that Blago is a Democrat seems to have slipped under the radar. But also his connections to Obama and his associates has continually gone unnoticed.

Now, as usual, we cannot really smack around the home papers or TV reports. After all, people in Chicago and Illinois already know that their governor is a Democrat. But it is the news wires and outlets outside Illinois that should be questioned.

News outlets like CNN, AFP, MSNBC’s First Read Blog, The AP, have mysteriously forgotten that Blago was a Democrat.

So, what did Blago do to get snapped up by the feds?

As of now, it concerns Blago’s choice for a replacement for Obama’s Senate seat. Apparently Blago had some pay back in mind from whomever he was to appoint. The feds are alleging that he wanted…

    * a substantial salary for himself at either a non-profit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions;
    * a spot for his wife on paid corporate boards, where he speculated she might garner as much as $150,000 a year;
    * promises of campaign funds — including cash up front;
    * a Cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself.

… and that is all they are saying now. There is probably more to come.

We know it’s worse than that. In Chicago we have been informed that Blago has been under the cloud of an indictment for at least a year. The feds had what they were calling “Public Official A” in their sites for quite a while and no one in the state doubted that the “A” was spelled “Rod Blagojevich.”

Blagojevich has been linked to some very shady business deals with convicted back room wheeler-dealer and corruption merchant Antoin “Tony” Rezko. Just recently we’d also found out that federal officials had admitted that they had incriminating taped phone calls with Blago, too. (Check out Obama’s link to Rezko, too.) 
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/21/080721fa_fact_lizza?currentPage=3

Blagojevich is also a close associate of Barack Obama and Obama’s chief strategist David Axelrod.

Few national media outlets, though, ever mentioned the thicket of corruption that Blago had been wallowing in, nor that he was linked to Obama, Rezko, or Axelrod. All throughout the election as everyone in Illinois knew how corrupt he was, not a word of it seemed to be brought out in the national media during Obama’s campaign. It was as if the media thought Obama had never even met Blago.

[nChrist]

The only thing that surprises me about this is that he was arrested. Gov Blagojevich has long been doing things against the people of Illinois and has been suspected of involvement with racketeering for some now. His ties with Obama have been quite questionable also. I certainly hope that the FBI has their case put together quite strongly on this.

I'm listening to a press briefing about this very case on Fox News right now. I'll just say that it appears some folks are going down hard with triple the nails they needed for each coffin. It's been a long time since I've heard a briefing like this with so many blunt details. Lots of other folks are going with them to Federal Prison, and the number at this time would be a wild guess. WHO KNOWS WHERE THIS WILL GO AND HOW IT WILL END?

[Soldier4Christ]

Now if we can only get a person of integrity in this office because of this situation.

[Soldier4Christ]

Cyber cops on their way?
Obama urged to establish new office for regulating Internet

A panel of web experts from government, private and the military sectors released a report yesterday urging the next president to establish a new office of cyberspace security and begin federal regulation of the Internet.

The report, "Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency," from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank established during the Cold War, alleges that the Department of Homeland Security has failed to secure the Internet and that new measures are needed – despite inevitable concerns about online privacy – to keep America safe.

"We still have an industrial-age government that was organized a century ago," said Jim Lewis, one of CSIS's directors, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. "The DHS has a 1970s-style solution to a 21st century problem."

"The United States must treat cybersecurity as one of the most important national security challenges it faces," the CSIS panel asserts in its report. "This is a strategic issue on par with weapons of mass destruction and global jihad."

To back its claim, the panel cites a litany of cybersecurity breaches that it claims all hit sensitive areas in 2007 alone:

"The unclassified e-mail of the secretary of defense was hacked, and DOD officials told us that the department's computers are probed hundreds of thousands of times each day," the panel reports. "A senior official at the Department of State told us the department had lost 'terabytes' of information. Homeland Security suffered break-ins in several of its divisions, including the Transportation Security Agency. The Department of Commerce was forced to take the Bureau of Industry and Security off-line for several months, and NASA has had to impose e-mail restrictions before shuttle launches and allegedly has seen designs for new launchers compromised.

"Recently the White House itself had to deal with unidentifiable intrusions in its networks," the report continues. "Senior representatives from the intelligence community told us that they had conclusive evidence, covertly obtained from foreign sources, that U.S. companies have lost billions in intellectual property."

To counter these reported attacks, the panel recommends steps that, by the CSIS' own admission, may raise privacy concerns for American citizens.

While acknowledging the benefit of online anonymity, the report nonetheless contends that there must be better systems in place to authenticate Internet users' digital identities.

"Creating the ability to know reliably what person or device is sending a particular data stream in cyberspace," the panel states, "must be part of an effective cybersecurity strategy."

The report continues, "We appreciate that many may be concerned about where this [review of Internet usage laws] may lead."

The panel acknowledges that police may worry new laws might make enforcement difficult, companies may worry that new laws may hinder online business and, "Civil libertarians may worry that, in a world consumed with terrorism, the protection for civil liberties may take a back seat to national security and public safety."

"These concerns are all legitimate," the panel admits. "But in a world where the Internet citizen is about to embrace cloud computing (or, put another way, in a world where a citizen's most sensitive data may routinely be globally accessible and in the possession of third parties), we have a unique opportunity to proactively decide what the right rules should be."

The report sets forth a seven-stage plan of recommendations for implementing its cybersecurity strategy, beginning with the next president.

"This strategy should be based on a public statement by the president that the cyber infrastructure of the United States is a vital asset for national security and the economy," the report recommends, "and that the United States will protect it, using all instruments of national power, in order to protect national security and public safety."

From that first step, the report recommends creating a new National Office for Cyberspace under the Executive Office of the President, partnering with the private sector, limiting the federal government's information purchases to only secure technology, creating a digital ID for both government and private citizens online and reviewing current laws to create a market-sensitive, federally regulated Internet.

The report acknowledges several times that digital identity authentication and federal regulations may be controversial, but, the panel asserts, they are necessary.

"We believe that cyberspace cannot be secured without regulation," the report insists. "Market forces alone will never provide the level of security necessary to achieve national security objectives."

Regarding digital identification, the panel proposes that high-risk situations (such as accessing critical infrastructure controls) require a strong authentication system, while low-risk situations (such as accessing public government data or purchasing a pair of shoes) need not utilize increased identification measures.

Further, the report asserts, "Our discussions made it clear that government programs must provide security while also protecting privacy and civil liberties."

"Greater security must reinforce citizens' rights, not come at their expense," the CSIS report concludes.

The CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization that conducts research and analysis and advises decisionmakers in government, international institutions and the private sector. Based on K Street in Washington, D.C., CSIS has approximately 220 employees and an annual operating budget of $29 million, which comes mostly from corporate, foundation and government sources.

The panel that produced the cyberspace report was chaired by Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Scott Charney, corporate vice president for trustworthy computing at Microsoft Corporation and retired Lt. General Harry Raduege, USAF.

At least five members of Obama's transition team contributed to the report, and the remainder are looking forward to reviewing the recommendations, a spokeswoman told the Chronicle.

The Department of Homeland Security, however, was less enthusiastic.

"We're the first ones to admit that there's more work to be done," department spokeswoman Laura Keener told the Chronicle, "but to stop midstream and reorganize the deck chairs is not an effective use of resources."