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The Daily Muck

Three months after Logistics Health Inc. hired a Bush appointee who had supervised military health programs at the Pentagon for six years, Logistics won a $790 million medical services contract. Logistics, which is headed by Bush’s former Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, was underbid by two other companies but still won the contract. The two competing firms have filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Office. (LA Times)

Just last month, Senator Robert Menendez’s (D-NJ) former senior aide Kay LiCausi, now a political consultant, was honored as one of the “top forty business people under the age of forty” by NJBIZ magazine. Now, federal investigators are scrutinizing LiCausi’s lobbying contracts with organizations aided by Menendez. (Harpers)

Two former top executives of DBH Industries, the leading supplier of body armor to the U.S. military, falsely inflated the value of the inventory of DHB's top product, the Interceptor vest, according to charges brought yesterday. The two were also indicted on charges of insider trading and tax evasion in a scheme that earned them almost $200 million and could earn them up to 70 years in prison. (CBS)

Responding to charges that they have not policed themselves adequately, federal judges are beginning a revision of ethics rules that is the “most sweeping tightening of federal judicial-misconduct policies in a quarter of a century.” The judges overseeing this process have refused to disclose public comments that may shape the new policies. (McClatchy)

Kids are emerging as an important new class of political donors. A loophole in federal election law, which does not specify age limits for political donations, allows parents to give money in the name of a child. Democrats are taking advantage of this “student” giving. (ABC, “The Blotter”)

Rudy Giuliani says he is being “tortured” while running for president because campaigning has cut into his sleep. Giuliani, who oversaw enhanced policing during his tenure as NYC mayor, joked about the “liberal media’s” concern about sleep deprivation and waterboarding, but former POW John McCain is not laughing. (Think Progress, New York Times)

The American Civil Liberties Union asked a federal judge to declare unconstitutional a part of the PATRIOT Act that allows the federal government to deny visas to people who “endorse or espouse terrorist activity.” The ACLU's lawyer argued that the provision could be used to bar people, such as prominent Muslim scholars, "who have done nothing more than disagree with U.S. foreign policy.” (New York Times)


Comments (6)

Anonymous wrote on October 26, 2007 10:10 AM:

You can't argue with the students thing.

The Bush Administration has spent millions developing government website pages "for kids." Clearly they're an untapped market, even if they can't vote.

www.kids.gov/
www.cia.gov/kids-page/
www.nsa.gov/kids/
www.federalreserve.gov/kids/default.htm
www.nga.mil/ngakids/intro.html
ogc.navy.mil/ogcwww/LAW-4-KIDS.asp
www.ssa.gov/kids/kids.htm
www.va.gov/kids/k-5/index.asp?intSiteID=2

Hell, if kids are worried about Social Security and the Fed, they're certainly worried about funding the politicians that will make those two organizations matter when they're adults?

Blackwater Awareness Week wrote on October 26, 2007 10:23 AM:

Don't forget to help: Report "Misinformation and Fabrications" to Congress. Remember, Blackwater asked for it!

Carolyn wrote on October 26, 2007 10:31 AM:

That was about as much of a nonstory as you could find. The shoe explosive story alongside of it was close to disgusting. Hey, something for Faux Mews to attend to.

johnnydoughey wrote on October 26, 2007 12:00 PM:

"... and could earn them up to 70 years in prison."

Sure it could... but only if they were indigent homeless guys with a drug problem. On the other hand, $200 million will be used to buy attorneys, who will get much of that fraudulantly received money for their efforts in defending these jerks. It's nice to see our criminal justice system ripping off the public... they have been lagging the other government agencies lately...

Mary wrote on October 26, 2007 1:58 PM:

a part of the PATRIOT Act that allows the federal government to deny visas to people who “endorse or espouse terrorist activity.”

So, for example, they can keep people who believe in violent, aggressive, invasion and occupation of a country for illegal regime change and to impose an ideological agenda and visit mass destruction on the resouces and persons - out of the US?

Or people who believe in buying other humans off of warlords in human trafficking transactions?

Or those who believe in kidnapping and torturing Canadians and Germans and biplor chefs and guys with battery chargers?

Or Blackwater mercenaries?

Hmmmmmmm.

anonymouse wrote on October 26, 2007 5:11 PM:

..a part of the PATRIOT Act that allows the federal government to deny visas to people who “endorse or espouse terrorist activity.”

Cases are now being heard in which the "Terrorist" act was environmental in nature.

Also, many spousal abuse cases are including "terrorist" wording.

We can assume that anyone may now be arrested and tried or denied visas... by definition of terrorism...

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