"Going to church no more makes you a Christian than sleeping in your garage makes you a car."~~Garrison Keiler

I have reported many times about how the Republican Parties in Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky were about the most corrupt political establishments in America. One that I have been missing is the Alaska Republican Party. I think it is time I turn northward to discuss what is going on in Alaska.

At the epicenter of Alaska corruption seems to be the Alaska oil services company Veco Corp. Veco, until its recent buyout, was an oil pipeline service and construction company. Perhaps Veco would like to be best known for the fact that it carried out a great deal of the clean up efforts after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. But this is not the only thing they were known for. They were known for illegal influence on Republican politicians.

For those who are focused on Congress, you might be surprised to learn that Alaska may be among our best shots at picking up one Senate and one House seat. Keep an eye on Alaska. Republican corruption has been exploding, with four State level politicians arrested, some pleading guilty. One Alaska Senator and their single House Rep are also  implicated. This gives us a great shot at winning the state. Alaska may turn blue this year if we pay some attention to it.

On a personal note, I have a new scientific paper coming out in the Journal of Cell Biology. This comes from work I did more than two years ago! My current work is going slower, but overall looks promising. I hope to write up my current work within a year.

This week I discuss the Bush family's endorsement of John McCain, re-enforcing my assertion that McCain offers nothing but a Third Bush term. I also discuss Republican corruption in Alaska and voting irregularities in NYC. And I continue to highlight local events in all the states where I have had a good number of readers. I also highlight some peace rallies, alternative energy events and impeachment events around the nation. Don't forget to visit an advertiser or two and if you want more, please visit Culture Kitchen.

Everyone's talking about the newest Republican scandal unfolding in Nevada, but in case you haven't had the time to think much about it, I'd like to highlight the following...

First, this NEW scandal will refocus the national spotlight back to the seemingly infinite stream of Republican improprieties giving one final push to the image of the corrupt Republican party - just in case it was slipping anyone's mind.

Second, this will clearly shift momentum from Gibbons to his Democratic challenger for Nevada Governor, Dina Titus.

Already, Titus is fighting the good fight but trailing Gibbons by about 6 points.

The average of the last 5 non-partisan polls looks like this:

Jim Gibbons (R) 47
Dina Titus (D) 41

Expect this latest episode of Republican greed, self-entitlement, and hypocrisy to induce a HUGE swing in favor of Titus -- yet another Governorship in the Democrat's column.

Also to be considered is the battle between Jill Derby (D) and Dean Heller (R) for Nevada's 2nd congressional district -- the one being vacated by Gibbons.

The only two non-partisan polls conducted show a close race.

Mason-Dixon - 9/19-21/06

Jill Derby (D) ~ 42
Dean Heller (R) ~ 45

Research 2000 - 9/5-7/06

Jill Derby (D) ~ 37
Dean Heller (R) ~ 45

With the high-profile Republican incumbent crashing and burning in scandal, there is a high likelihood that there will be some negative energy weighing on his would-be Republican successor. It may only be for a few points but in a race this tight, a few points are all you need.

Also note that it's too late to take Gibbons name off the ballot, so if this continues in the direction that I think it will, that will mean Jim Gibbons' name will be sitting at the top of the ballot reminding the good voters of Nevada of the scandal, corruption, dishonesty, criminality, perversion, and hypocrisy that the GOP has wrought upon this land.

It will be a fine reminder that it's time for a change.

Jim Gibbons is the Republican Representative from Nevada's 2nd District as well as the GOP's candidate for the state's governorship.

His wife, Dawn Gibbons, was running for the congressional seat he's leaving vacant -- that is, until she was soundly defeated in the Republican primary.

Both have long been known as being 'tough on illegal immigration', but now the Gibbons are being taken down by their own former employee -- an illegal immigrant from Peru.

Patricia Pastor Sandoval worked for Jim and his wife Dawn for several years, starting in 1987. During that time, Sandoval claims the Gibbons knew of her illegal status and took pains to cover it up, occasionally requiring her to hide in the basement to conceal her illegal status. To boot, the Gibbons family dismissed US laws by:

• paying Sandoval only $4 per hour, less than the $5.15 per hour federal minimum wage

• knowingly employing an undocumented alien

• paying her 'under the table'

• and failing to pay employer taxes.

[Alternate Title: Bush Weakness Empowers North Korea, Iran, and Russia to Action]

International leaders have begun to notice a widening crevice between the Bush Administration's persistent gunboat diplomacy and their realistic ability to follow through.

They see that President Bush has wedged the U.S. Military -- and thus U.S. national security -- between Iraq and a hard place.

As long as we're strapped to Iraq, they know that Bush's actions have impaled both the quality and quantity of America's diplomatic and military options.

And now they're taking advantage of that weakness.

Eliminating U.S. Options

When the Bush Administration first invaded Iraq, they believed the incursion would largely fit the template for which our current military was designed -- based on the belief that extended combat operations were an anachronism. More precisely they expected:

Remember when I said this in reference to Democratic Candidate (NY-26) Jack Davis' surging poll numbers:

...the Survey USA polls have Reynolds' totals unchanged from one poll to the next. Davis, on the other hand, has shown a seven-point increase over the course of the week - almost exactly the amount that chose the Green candidate prior to the party's removal from the ballot.

To me, that seems to imply that the effects, if any, of the Reynolds-Pedophile scandal have yet to filter down to the likely voters. That could mean that there are further gains to be had by Davis AND that Reynolds is in DEEP TROUBLE.

Well, now it looks like we're starting to see some of those 'further gains' I was talking about:

Democrat Jack Davis has opened a significant lead over Republican incumbent Thomas M. Reynolds in a congressional contest fueled by Reynolds' association with the Mark Foley sex scandal.

Davis leads Reynolds 48 percent to 33 percent in a new Zogby International poll conducted for The Buffalo News, prompting pollster John Zogby to conclude that Davis poses a genuine threat to the longtime powerhouse from Clarence.

"There is no other way to look at these numbers except to say Tom Reynolds is in trouble," the Utica-based Zogby said.

No, "Reynolds is in DEEP TROUBLE!!!!"

Rep Tom Reynolds (R-NY): I did what most people would do in a work place. I heard something, I took it to my supervisor.

Jon Stewart: "I took it to my supervisor?" Tom Reynolds...Congressman? or Assistant Manager at Applebees?

 -- The Daily Show as Jon Stewart lambastes Rep Reynolds for his cowardice in the GOP-Pedophile Scandal

Will we soon be saying 'Buh-Bye!' to The head of the NRCC? Let's take a look...

Prior to incumbent Republican Rep Tom Reynolds' forfeiture of integrity - brought upon by his protective stance over disgraced Republican pedophile Mark Foley, Reynolds held a slim lead over his opponent, Democrat Jack Davis.

A poll released back on September 28th, by Survey USA, shows Tom Reynolds leading Jack Davis by a margin of 45% to 43% with the Green party candidate receiving 8% support and 4% undecided. Note: the Green Party has since been stricken from the ballot.

Along comes a spider (Foley)...

And Voila! Now, a Dem poll has come along (conducted October 3-4) that shows Davis leading Reynolds by Eight points, 50% to 42%.

Even better, a new (nonpartisan) Survey USA poll showed Davis leading Reynolds by Five points. That's a 50% to 45%. That's a seven-point pickup for Davis since their last poll only one week ago.

So is it Reynolds' Foley-bumbling that put him in the red?

Could be. But notice that the USA Today polls have Reynolds' totals unchanged from one poll to the next. Davis, on the other hand, has shown a seven-point increase over the course of the week - almost exactly the amount that chose the Green candidate prior to the party's removal from the ballot.

To me, that seems to imply that the effects, if any, of the Reynolds-Pedophile scandal have yet to filter down to the likely voters. That could mean that there are further gains to be had by Davis AND that Reynolds is in DEEP TROUBLE.

First, let's get one thing straight. Gays, media, and Democrats are to blame for Mark Foley's and the GOP leadership's reprehensible behavior.

Well... that's the argument being foisted upon the public by 'personal responsibility' Republicans.

And they're probably right.

Clearly it was the media that forced GOP Congressman Mark Foley to spend all those years repeatedly seeking sexual fulfillment with children.

Clearly it was gays who strong-armed the Republican leadership into ignoring the initial evidence of lurid impropriety in order to preserve their majority status in the House.

Clearly it was the Democrats who used their well-known mind-control techniques to thwart the Republican leadership's efforts to come clean with the GOPedophile scandal at a less politically sensitive time way back when GOP leaders first learned about it.

Clearly it was gays, the media and the Democrats who caused Republicans' to do the wrong thing, embrace power, and protect their favorite pedophile at the expense of their honor, integrity, and dignity.

Dems, gays, and Media should be ashamed.

Via DailyKos, we have the latest on the Foley-Reynolds-Hastert-Boeh ner-Shimkus-Alexander-Page Scandal from the subscription-only email newsletter Evans-Novak Political Report:

1. Will the Foley affair affect individual Republican members of Congress and Republican challengers? The immediate answer is that it already has. The President's aggressive campaign on national security and terrorism was a benefit to Republicans. Its sudden termination because of the Foley affair is a negative. The national conversation has already changed, blunting all the momentum Republicans were supposed to have nationally as Congress adjourned and the October campaign season began. Instead of discussing terrorism, Republican House leaders are defending themselves against charges that they covered up Foley's activities. The more complicated answer follows further below.

2. Blunted momentum is only the beginning of the GOP's problems. As of this writing, there does not appear to be any smoking gun suggesting a cover-up of illegal activity, but things still look bad simply because House Republican leaders did know something, and the public will be unhappy with the fact that they did not cut Foley loose immediately, even though they had no evidence of illegal activity.
The fact is, Foley was reluctant to run for re-election because of pressure over his homosexuality. He was reportedly considering two private-sector jobs already, after the White House had panned him as a Florida Senate candidate, reasoning that he could not win statewide. But National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.) talked a reluctant Foley into staying. Naturally, Reynolds, as the campaign chairman, wants all incumbents to stay in the House and to minimize open seats. Foley filed as a candidate in Florida on May 8 of this year, after Reynolds and other Republican leaders had been made aware of the e-mails by the page's congressional sponsor, Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.), in April. It would have been a good time to ease Foley out, because his district is solidly Republican enough that another candidate could have carried it easily.

As a result of recent ugly revelations reverberating through the offices of NRCC Chairman Tom Reynolds (R-NY-26) and the rest of the Republican House leadership, Tom Reynolds' Chief of Staff, Kirk Fordham has been forced to resign.

According to a senior Republican official in Washington, Fordham, in the spring of 2006, promised both Rep. John Shimkus, the chairman of the page board as well as a staff member in Speaker Dennis Hastert's office, that he would make sure Foley kept his nose clean. Fordham had spent ten years as Foley's chief of staff and is one of his closest friends. He was acting here in two capacities: as a representative of Reynolds, the chair of the campaign committee, and as a friend to Foley.

His assurances were enough to prevent Hastert's staff from recommending any further action. Shimkus decided not to inform the full page board in part because of Fordham's intercession, according to these sources.

But as you might suspect, the BUCK DOES NOT STOP THERE... Developing...

"[Tom Reynolds' opponent ]Jack Davis is interested in protecting the jobs, families and values of western New York. Tom Reynolds is interested in protecting his power and position in Washington."

-- Davis spokesman Curtis Ellis

A poll released on September 28th, by Survey USA, shows Tom Reynolds leading Jack Davis by a margin of 45% to 43% with the Green party candidate receiving 8% support and 4% undecided. However, a court has just ruled that the Green party did not submit enough valid signatures, so their candidate will be stricken from the ballot.

I bet you can see where I'm going with this;)

The machinery is failing. The gears are exposed. The rust is gathering.

NRCC Chairman Tom Reynolds (NY-26), Speaker Dennis Hastert (IL-14), Majority Leader John Boehner (OH-08), John Shimkus (IL-19), Rodney Alexander (LA-05)  -- the Cover-up Kings -- are fighting for their political lives -- with each other.

These are battles that could mean the effective end to the GOP in NY, IL, and OH -- states where the party already struggles as a shell of an age now passed.

And these won't help...

I read the news today Oh Boy, and then I noticed that a good cross section of the top tier of American society, the movers, the shakers, the big money makers in government, business, and the religion game, the very pillars of our community, were in prison, under investigation or actually indicted, awaiting trial or out on appeal, on the prison bus or trapped underneath two large convicts named Leroy and Bubba and I sat back for a moment and smiled somewhat wistfully.

A bittersweet moment and a brief smile because I immediately recognized that what I was looking at was a surface tremor, an advance ripple before the onset of the exposure of a tidal wave of corruption, of civic rot, of a great molting of the fraudulent upper crust, of theft and graft and mendacity in public affairs that this country hasn't overturned since Tammany Hall.

Jeff Skilling found guilty on counts 1-19; not guilty on 9 counts, involving securities fraud, conspiracy, wire fraud, insider trading, and lying to authorities. and wire fraud.

The verdict for Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling is being announced in Houston as I write. Ken Lay was found guilty on all 6 counts.

As you may remember (I know, it's been a long time coming), Ken Lay was charged with 6 counts and Jeff Skilling was charged with 28 counts of conspiracy, fraud, and other crimes.

Here's a timeline of Enron's success and collapse.

Shortly before he entered the courtroom, Ken Lay was "confident" he would be found innocent.

The jury returned a little sooner than expected.  (That usually isn't a good sign for the defense.)

Of course, they'll appeal.

I'll update as more facts emerge.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Washington, DC (UPSI) - After the arrest of Homeland Security Press Secretary Brian Doyle yesterday, an anonymous police spokesperson today stated that he was talking freely and openly with police, which led to yet another arrest late last night of what may be an unwitting accomplice. Police sources refused to either confirm or deny the arrest, but rumors were rampant that the un-named individual may have been very high in the Bush Administration. A grainy photo of the man was leaked to reporters with no name attached. Doyle awaits possible extradition to Florida, and the fate of his accomplice is uncertain.