Family Values

The story of my corrupt congress crtitter Rick Renzi just keeps getting better:

Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., allegedly defrauded dozens of pro-life organizations for hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund his first congressional bid, according to an analysis of the recent indictment against him, a state insurance claim and an interview with an insurance lawyer involved in the case.

When federal prosecutors indicted Renzi, 49, on 35 felony counts two weeks ago, many reports focused on alleged crimes stemming from a complicated series of land swaps the congressman facilitated.

But the indictment also accuses Renzi, who ran an insurance firm before coming to Capitol Hill, of misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance premiums and using the money to fund his congressional campaign.

Organizations such as Arizona Right-to-Life, the Hope Crisis Pregnancy Center and the Wickenburg Pregnancy Resource Center paid insurance premiums to Renzi's insurance firm, Renzi & Company, but received notices their insurance coverage was going to be cancelled for nonpayment, according to a 2003 complaint filed with the State of Arizona. The complaint was first reported by the Phoenix New Times.

According to the indictment, Renzi funneled those payments -- totaling more than $400,000 -- through various accounts and finally to his campaign.

Nothing says "family values" quite like stealing from your "pro-life" supporters. This should enhance his role in the campaign of "straight shooter" McCain:

For Clinton detractors, Norman Hsu is a huge deal. For Obama detractors, Tony Rezko is incredibly important. But where does Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.), a member of Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) National Leadership Team and a co-chair of his Arizona Leadership Team, fit into the mix?

Renzi was, of course, recently indicted on felony counts of extortion, wire fraud, and money laundering, among other transgressions. Despite the charges, McCain hasn’t distanced himself from Renzi at all, saying he doesn’t know the “details” of the indictment, so he won’t criticize his political ally. McCain wouldn’t even comment on whether Renzi would remain a part of his campaign leadership, saying the issue “doesn’t matter.”

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/14824.html#more-14824

Rick, your ongoing crimes have earned you another pig:

National Shame

What country did I wake up in today? Shrub is telling the world "yeah, we engage in torture. And we're gonna torture more people." OK, he didn't say it that clearly. Here's what he said:

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Saturday he vetoed legislation that would ban the CIA from using harsh interrogation methods such as waterboarding to break suspected terrorists because it would end practices that have prevented attacks.

"The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror," Bush said in his weekly radio address taped for broadcast Saturday. "So today I vetoed it," Bush said. The bill provides guidelines for intelligence activities for the year and includes the interrogation requirement. It passed the House in December and the Senate last month.

"This is no time for Congress to abandon practices that have a proven track record of keeping America safe," the president said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080308/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_torture

This is an outrage beyond measure. Waterboarding is a violation of international law, and basic human decency. For an American president to embrace and advocate brutality is unthinkable. Yet here we are. Shrub has taken a stand against basic human rights, and it looks like no one is going to stop him. In a just and decent America he would be impeached, arrested, and jailed for crimes such as torture. But he's getting away with it.

Today America is a nation shamed.

Must Be Friday

The Friday boobie.

It's McCain

The 'thugs have their candidate in John McCain, and he's going to have another hug with shrub today. McCain has already picked up the media endorsement, being characterized as the "maverick straight shooter" despite his pandering, corruption, and war mongering. What is really scary is that he stands a very good chance of winning, giving us four years of shrub on steroids.

I admit that I have really strong anti-McCain feelings. He's from my state, so I see a lot of him. I think he's going senile, and the droop of the right side of his face looks like a symptom of a stroke or other brain injury. Given that he's already promised America "more wars", and his commitment to staying in Iraq, he strikes me as the worst possible choice.

And he might win.

(BTW, sorry about the lack of posts lately. I've had a lack of anything original to say or energy to say it. Maybe McCain can motivate me into a state of blogger outrage.)