Richard Mellon Scaife, Influential U.S. Conservative, Dies at 82

[SecularMotion]

Source: NY Times

Richard Mellon Scaife, the Pittsburgh philanthropist and reclusive heir to the Mellon banking fortune, whose support for right-wing causes laid the foundations for America’s modern conservative movement and fueled the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton, died on Friday. He was 82.

Mr. Scaife’s death was reported by the The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, a newspaper he owned. No cause of death was given.

Decades before David and Charles Koch bankrolled right-wing causes, Mr. Scaife and Joseph Coors, the beer magnate, were the leading financiers of the conservative crusade of the 1970s and ’80s, seeking to reverse the liberal traditions of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society.

Mr. Scaife (pronounced Skayf) inherited roughly $500 million in 1965, and with more family bequests and income from trust funds and investments in oil, steel and real estate, nearly tripled his net worth over his lifetime. But unlike his forebears, who were primarily benefactors of museums, public art collections, education and medicine, he gave hundreds of millions to promote conservative political causes.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/05/us/richard-mellon-scaife-influential-us-conservative-dies-at-82.html

[billhicks76]

1. Finally

I don't relish anyone's demise but the world is better without him.

[nxylas]

2. Sadly, I suspect the world will be much the same without him

As the news report notes, others have taken on the baton of bankrolling fascism in the USA.

[rurallib]

6. there are always plenty to take up the flag of ignorance and hate

[WhiteTara]

15. they just don't have as much money to spread

that hate.

[loudsue]

28. The Koch brothers have ten times the money Scaife had, and they are equally

as screwed up....each of the two of them is as screwed up as one Scaife.

[warrant46]

68. Time to grave Dance on this Pervert

[jmowreader]

70. The difference is, the Koch Brothers don't own a newspaper

They TRIED to buy some, but Scaife has had one for a very long time.

[n2doc]

3. Hell rings in another guest n/t

[Betty]

75. Hopefully not a guest

But a permanent resident.

[n2doc]

85. I think of it like the Hotel California

"Relax, " said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! "

[eShirl]

4. n/t

[littlemissmartypants]

5. I won't believe it till I

See the photos. Sorry y'all I couldn't resist.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

7. .

[kelliekat44]

8. Even with all his money and evil planning, he didn't get all that he wanted.

And death is the great equalizer. Out of sight, out of mind.

[Historic NY]

9. Next.....

[joshcryer]

10. Only a matter of time.

[trumad]

11. The first Koch.

[loudsue]

29. It can't happen soon enough.

But both would be mo better.

[WinkyDink]

12. And Hell just got a little hotter.

[Paladin]

13. It's a start. (nt)

[corkhead]

14. I saw this gif in another thread and although it might be the wrong person

it demonstrates my present state of mind at hearing this news:



tip of the hat to rockitivity

[WhiteTara]

16. Christy in his skinny days! nt

[MH1]

17. Ugh, that gif should come with a "graphic" warning.

Now I have to go bleach my eyes.

[Owl]

25. My thoughts exactly!

[Cooley Hurd]

18. The Arkansas Project

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

The Arkansas Project was a series of investigations (mostly funded by conservative businessman Richard Mellon Scaife through his staff at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) that were initiated with the intent of damaging and ending the presidency of Bill Clinton.[1] Scaife spent nearly $2 million on this anti-Clinton project.[2]
The investigations included the reexamination of the death of White House aide, Vincent Foster (who committed suicide), the investigation of a 1970s' real estate investment that Bill and Hillary Clinton had made in a development known as Whitewater and the re-opening of allegations that then Governor Bill Clinton had sexually harassed an Arkansas state employee.

<snip>

Helluva legacy there, Scafie...

[PeoViejo]

19. Good riddance

No tears for that Assh0le.

[The Wizard]

20. Now he's worm food(NT)

[Ruby the Liberal]

21. About 6 weeks ago, he announced he had untreatable cancer

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/richard-mellon-scaife-cancer-106804.html

[ChairmanAgnostic]

48. Iam very surprised that any cancer would find him palatable.

[HelenWheels]

22. Good news, bad news

Good news: Richard Mellon Scaife died.

Bad news: it wasn't one of the Kochs.

[lastlib]

23. We should only speak good of the dead.....

Good. He's dead. It's good that he's dead.

Gotta bury him quick. I don't think even the vultures would eat his putrid corpse. Worms might, but they're bound to get indigestion.

[left is right]

24. who knows

if he had died in the 90s the US might be a better place now. Hw was among the first of the toxic 1%ers

[Pharaoh]

26. Good Riddance

Now if the Kochs would just die........

[secondvariety]

27. More inherited money.

Do any of these 'Influential U.S. Conservatives" actually make their own way? Scaife, Coors, Koch, Bush-at best they'd be employed at Safeway if it wasn't for Daddy's (or Granddaddy's) money.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

34. He was a self-made man.

After the first $500 million starter gift, he was on his own in the world, but he somehow managed to thrive. #hebuiltthat

[DBoon]

47. He chose his parents well

Sort of like "making your own luck".

[jmowreader]

69. $500 million would go a long way toward self-making anyone

[JVS]

30. Wow, the Charles Foster Kane of Ligonier is dead.

I hope the newspaper improves.

[DFW]

65. He was from Ligonier?

Wow, does THAT bring back memories!

The first girl I ever fell head over heels in love with was from the midwest, and she then moved with her family to Ligonier. Gorgeous countryside. Strong family of Republicans, she dumped me for some hotshot at Yale, and then ended up marrying a German banker who was then credited with being a one man Lehman brothers, half wrecking the German Economy in 2008. He got off with a golden parachute of €150 million euros, and they now commute, if I have heard correctly, between Switzerland and Florida.

Considering the woman I DID end up marrying, she helped me dodge a major bullet (someone sing me "Pamela Brown&quot , though I didn't realize it at the time. Sounds like Ligonier must have something in the water.......

[JVS]

66. The big Mellon estates are out there. And his newspaper (Tribune Review) was from Greensburg...

until there was a newspaper strike in Pittsburgh that opened up an opportunity for him to move into that market.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

84. "... someone sing me "Pamela Brown"...."

Since you asked:

There are several choices, in more than one key.

I have several LK albums. Great guitarist. Thanks for reminding me.

I'd love to be able to play like that, but other than a pact with the devil or voting Republican, I don't think it's going to happen.

[DFW]

91. I'm an LK fanatic, and am not ashamed of it.

Even to the point where I sought out his guitar builder at one time (1977), Božo Podunavac, and had him make me a few guitars to help me attain Kottke's sound. It actually worked to some degree, and I learned to play quite a few of Kottke's tunes, including this one.

[Warren Stupidity]

31. Good.

[valerief]

32. One life-sucking asshole down. How many more to go? nt

[HERVEPA]

33. Awww

[6000eliot]

35. RIP, Asshole.

[happyslug]

36. Mention his Mother, Father and sister but not his bother in law!!!!

Who Scaife killed in the early 1970s. Robert Duggan, his brother in law, was killed by Scaife while hunting together. Robert Duggan was just put under a Federal indictment when he was killed. Duggan's wife, Scaife's sister said her brother murdered her husband but the killing was ruled "accidental".

[navarth]

37. One of the traitorous bastards that tried to overthrow FDR

Thank the Godz for General Smedley Butler.


My last words to Mr. Scaife: 'Good Riddance, Mother Fucker'.

[maddiemom]

60. Wasn' he too young back then? Was it his dad?

[Aristus]

38. Goodbyyyyyyyye, mother-fuckerrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Too bad there's not an "I-piss-on-your-grave" emoticon.

One of my greatest pleasures in life is simply outliving these shitheads...

[LiberalElite]

39. You may want to

substitue one of these: http://memegenerator.net/Calvin-Peeing

[NJCher]

40. sister

Hmmm, the article doesn't mention how he beat his liberal sister out of her share of the inheritance. Yes, indeed, history would be a lot different had she gotten her fair share.



Cher

[Archae]

41. One of the Clinton accusers, "Justice" Johnson...

Shot himself in 2010.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_D._Johnson

[Divernan]

42. He endorsed Hillary in 2008; donated to Bill's Global Initiative.

I would expect some members of DU to be capable of a more sophisticated and nuanced analysis of this complex man's life. There ARE people in the world who are pure evil - I'm looking at you, Dick Chaney - but Scaife was not one of them. I would certainly appreciate it if any of Hillary's or the Clintons' supporters would provide links to any comments either of the Clintons made upon Scaife's passing. Hillary sought a meeting with Scaife in 2008, and made enough peace with him to request and receive his news chain's endorsement in the Democratic primary. At separate meetings, Bill charmed Scaife into donating to the Clinton Foundation.

In 2008, Hillary Clinton and Dick Scaife stunned political partisans when they met for a lengthy editorial board interview in the Pittsburgh Trib's office. They got along famously, and he endorsed her in Pennsylvania's Democratic presidential primary.

He met privately with Bill Clinton a year earlier, in an unrelated encounter at Clinton's New York offices, and later donated to the Clinton Global Initiative foundation. After a second meeting, he told friends that he enjoyed the former president and admired his intellect, even if they disagreed on some issues.

Scaife often confounded critics and admirers alike. In January 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. interviewed him for Kennedy's magazine, George. Scaife told Kennedy that he didn't hate Clinton. “I think the Democrats are right about it,” he said of an independent counsel's investigation of Clinton, known as the Starr Report. “Four years and $40 million later, we haven't gotten anything.” He remained fond of the young Kennedy, who died in a plane crash seven months later.

He angered some right-wingers by backing some liberal causes or criticizing conservative ones.

A 2003 Tribune-Review editorial, for example, opposed the pending invasion of Iraq despite Scaife's close friendship with then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other Bush administration figures. His was one of the few major newspapers in the country to do so.

In a 2011 column, he opposed congressional conservatives' efforts to end federal funding of Planned Parenthood, declaring: “On this issue, Republicans and conservatives are dead wrong.”

He enraged many conservatives and Trib readers when he defended Murtha, a Johnstown Democrat and longtime friend who said he believed Marines had committed atrocities in Iraq. Scaife said their friendship, and Murtha's record of backing a strong national defense, mattered more than upset readers threatening to cancel subscriptions.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/6338603-74/scaife-dick-pittsburgh#ixzz36VfJjcLM

Scaife typically shunned publicity while contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to libraries, museums, schools, theater companies, food banks, historical societies, neighborhood associations, and other charities and groups. He individually and through his family foundations donated millions of dollars worth of art to the National Gallery in DC, let alone his contributions of art to other museums.

In 2004, he gave $1 million — one of the three largest individual donations — to Catholic Relief Services to help survivors of a tsunami that swept across several Indian Ocean nations. He explained that he was “shaken by the devastation” seen in news reports.

[blue neen]

78. Sorry.

I believe the harm Scaife did far outweighs the good.

"He donated widely not just to Republican political candidates -- Barry Goldwater's presidential run in 1964 was among the first -- but to the think tanks, research institutes and university departments whose work has been closely tied to the ascendancy of right-wing ideology since the Reagan presidency."

"The public foundations and private trusts controlled by Mr. Scaife have been major backers of the Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Hoover Institute in California and the Georgetown University Center for Strategic and International Studies, among many institutions linked to the right. "He is nothing less than the financial archangel for the movement's intellectual underpinnings," the Wall Street Journal once said of Mr. Scaife."

"Most of those contributions came outside of the spotlight, but Mr. Scaife's visibility grew during the Clinton presidency. He was identified as the key funder of efforts in the non-mainstream media to discredit Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton -- she called his the money behind "a vast right-wing conspiracy" -- by investigating their pre-White House financial dealings."

"In a detailed examination more than a decade ago, The Washington Post estimated Mr. Scaife's trusts and foundations had by then given $340 million to conservative causes."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2014/07/04/Tribune-Review-publisher-Scaife-dies/stories/201407040150#ixzz36YzFCz2R

The ultra-conservative movement that started with Reagan has been so damaging that we may never be able to repair that damage, if at all. Scaife contributed $340 million (that we know of) to the masters of greed, hatred, bigotry, and racism. And that doesn't even begin to account for the brainwashing of western PA by his newspapers (and I use the term "newspaper" loosely).

[nolabels]

79. More like par for course

May or may not have been much of a difference but he probably figured at the time that the senator from NY was more easily influenced by cash.

A camel with a nose under the tent is better than no camel at all

[Divernan]

80. Exactly! But that didn't matter to Bill or Hillary Clinton.

I absolutely agree with you that the harm Scaife did, particularly in supporting Reagan's rise to power, far out weighed any good he did. The primary point I wished to make, was that both Bill and Hillary Clinton were easily able to ignore all that harm if it meant more political support for Hillary or more $$$ for Bill's foundation. I provided enough information in my post to hopefully trigger a discussion of what it meant to seek out Scaife's political endorsement/financial support, as opposed to his charitable support.

If the Clintons have accumulated enough wealth to become part of the one percent, and if their financial wealth and ongoing ambitions distort their perceptions of what it means to be Americans who have always been poor, or who find themselves falling out of middle class security, I can understand that. If they can milk their political power to negotiate huge fees for brief speeches/appearances? Well, that's what sports and entertainment celebrities do as well.

What is extremely alarming - in fact, beyond comprehension - to me, is that they would turn to Scaife for support, remembering the always present quid pro quo which comes with support to political figures. Because then there is no one whom, regardless of how much damage said person/corporation may have caused, the Clintons will not welcome into their circle of influence.

The question asked of Senator Joe McCarthy (namesake for McCarthyism for the younger readers) at the Army-McCarthy hearings was: "Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

My question to those supporting HRC for 2016, is: If she will seek out support from Scaife, is there anyone, at long last, who is so politically indecent as to be unacceptable to her? To all those who excoriate Scaife on this thread, I say, the friend (HRC) of your enemy (Scaife) is your enemy as well.

As to the Trib-Review, I disagree with much of their editorial content. However, the long-time Democratic Pittsburgh Post-Gazette endorsed Tom Corbett for Governor, and strongly supports fracking, not only statewide, but even in areas immediately adjacent to local residential neighborhoods in the P-G's immediate vicinity. I don't feel we have any independent, let alone progressive, newspapers in Southwest PA. When it comes to public service, the Trib does not charge for on-line access, as compared to the P-G's monthly limit (10?) of articles. So when I need to check on local road closings, local news, weather emergencies, basic news - I do use the Trib, and save my 10 PG articles for editorials.

No disrespect to that ancient Chinese philosopher, but I for one am damn tired of living in such interesting times! Let's just get Wolf into the Governor's office in November, and Pennsylvania will have a fighting chance to get Corbett's policies turned around!

[blue neen]

90. Yeah, I cancelled my subscrip. to the Post Gazette when they pulled the Corbett endorsement stunt.

I still wonder if it had something to do with Dennis Roddy going to work for Tom Terrific.

[Shrike47]

43. He is no loss to America. Best ignored at this point.

[The Magistrate]

44. One Should Speak Only Good Of the Dead, Sir. He's Dead. Good.

[bluedigger]

45. He will not be missed.

[hrmjustin]

46. I have nothing good to say so I will leave it at that.

[Fla Dem]

49. And just what good will all his billions do for him when he reaches the Pearly Gates?

It'll buy him a First Class ticket to Hell.

[link:|

[Dawson Leery]

50. He will not be missed.

Scaife caused much harm to this world and committed sedition by openly attempting to remove an elected President.

[TygrBright]

51. meh. He's on the "never will be missed" list. n/t

[Patiod]

57. 5 points to TygrBright for the G&S reference

[McCamy Taylor]

52. Proving that all that money and power don't mean a thing in the end so he wasted his life.

Because you know he isn't taking it with him.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

53. I will join this dance on his grave.

One down and one percent to go.

[liberalmuse]

54. Let's hope...

He can pull some strings and get Cheney, Scalia, Rumsfeld and the Koch brothers down there for a good poker game real soon. Their cards will depict the death and misery they've brought on the earth, and they'll bet with blood money and human tears that the cold drink stand located in the same pit of hell won't take.

[DonCoquixote]

55. Enjoy Hell Mr. Scaife

and may you soon be joined by Anthony Scalia and the Koch brothers!

[NutmegYankee]

83. +1

[question everything]

56. Curious of whether the teabaggers would consider him liberal

Wonder whether he found himself out of the new face of the Republicans.

[eppur_se_muova]

58. "At last this odious man is dead ..."

I posted this template for neocon eulogies/cacologies a little while back:

"At last this odious man is dead. His departure causes his survivors to rejoice, but is bound to distress the dead. They will not be long in becoming fed up with him and sending him back to us. Therefore, place a very heavy stone on his tomb so that we will not run the risk of seeing him again, even as a ghost."

[tabasco]

59. Good riddance to human trash n/t

[yorgatron]

61. burn in hell shitbag

I'll dance on that grave.

[NYtoBush-Drop Dead]

62. good.

[bluestateguy]

63. my condolences

My condolences go out to Bill and Hillary Clinton, and the many people who were harassed by his "Arkansas Project". I wish them well and hope they can rest easier knowing this monster is dead.

[tomm2thumbs]

64. old mindsets are disappearing as the vessels they are in finally waste away

case in point

[BootinUp]

67. I wish I could think of something good to say.

Well goodbye Mr. Scaife, we won't miss you one fucking iota.

[calimary]

71. Um... there's always the Bette Davis way...

You can quote a great and rather pungently-opinionated actress. A true legend and giant of the theater and silver screen.

When her nemesis Joan Crawford passed, Bette Davis was asked for a comment: “You should never say bad things about the dead, you should only say good . . . Joan Crawford is dead. Good.”

http://artsmeme.com/2011/09/16/meow-bette-davis-discusses-her-dear-colleague-joan-crawford/

I LOVE Bette Davis's quotes! What a dame! Off-topic but here's another of my faves, again about the hapless rival:

“She [Joan Crawford] has slept with every male star at MGM except Lassie.”

[wisteria]

88. She did have a biting wit.

[llmart]

72. You mean having a lot of money.....

doesn't help you escape death? Who knew.

There are people who have a lot of money who do good things with it, but he wasn't one of them. Good riddance.

[wisteria]

74. RIP

He was not a perfect man, but he did support Planned Parenthood and Gay rights, gave to food banks and agencies that helped the poor. I lived in the area he did, and I have read the paper he began, I almost always never agreed with the paper's commentary which he wrote and I often called his soap box, but I would never wish anyone to be the victim of some of the cold, and heartless comments I have seen here. Democrats should be above making such low and vile comments about others simply because they disagree with our point of view.

[Divernan]

82. Well said. One of the few thoughtful comments on this thread.

Came across this comment this morning:

Duquesne University law professor Joe Mistick, long a figure in Pennsylvania Democratic circles, had a platform for his views in a weekly column in the Sunday Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

“As a liberal Democrat, much of what I have written for the Trib over the years put me on the opposite side of Mr. Scaife and many of our readers. Not a word was ever changed or a column rejected. He provided a forum for all in service to society. It's a remarkable American life he led,” Mistick said.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/6395404-74/scaife-dick-pittsburgh#ixzz36bFcTyCp
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook


Scaife considered himself a libertarian, and you know what? We progressive Democrats have common ground with libertarians on some important issues. It might be possible to work together on such issues if both sides didn't have knee-jerk responses of total hatred.

[wisteria]

86. ++++ I agree.

[misterhighwasted]

76. Too bad he didn't live long enough to see Hillary AND BILL Clinton back in the White House

[Divernan]

81. HRC & Bill both sought out & accepted Scaife's support.

See my posts above. Yes, at her request (she traveled to his PA office to meet with him) he supported HRC in 2008. What quid pro quo do you think she promised him in exchange? If that doesn't make you think about her identification with the One Percent, what will?

[Jackpine Radical]

77. My first thought was of Steve Kangas.

In a strange twist in the Clinton scandal, Steve Kangas, 37, - former Army intelligence specialist (Berlin + Central America Soviet eavesdropper/analyst) and proprietor of a comprehensive liberal Internet site: "Liberalism Resurgent" (http://www.scruz.net/~kangaroo) was found shot to death, victim of an apparent suicide, on the 39th Fl. outside Pittsburgh offices of philanthropist Richard Mellon Scaife Feb 8 - the billionaire who has given millions to right wing groups trying to destroy President Clinton, including the Heritage Foundation, Landmark Foundation, Free Congress Foun., + Western Journalism Center.

http://msnoh.tripod.com/kang.html

[wisteria]

87. You trying to suggest there was a connection? I never heard of Kangas or his Internet site.

Maybe is some way, Kangas was trying to make a statement.

[Jackpine Radical]

89. Kangas was in the process of a journalistic investigation into Scaife's political maneuvering.

Check this out:

http://surftofind.com/kangas

A letter from John Van Matre

When I first heard that Steve Kangas may have died in Pittsburgh, I searched for an obituary and could find none. I wanted to know about the circumstances. I knew Steve Kangas had written an investigative essay on Richard Mellon Scaife and wondered whether there might be a connection, though I really didn't expect to find one. Finally, someone with Lexus Nexus access verified that Steve Kangas had actually died, and sent me the short obituary from the the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of Feb. 12:

"The body of a 37-year-old man found in a 39th floor bathroom of One Oxford Centre late Monday night has been identified as Steven Kangas of Las Vegas. He died of a gunshot wound to the head. The Allegheny County coroner's office ruled the death a suicide."
I plugged in One Oxford Centre and Scaife -what popped up made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Scaife Foundations
One Oxford Centre
301 Grant Street, Suite 3900
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219-6401
Since then, the questions surrounding the death of Steve Kangas have snowballed. There were two parallel tracks being taken. One track was seeking more information about Steve's death and wanting a further investigation. The other track was bent on smearing Steve's reputation and turning him into everything from an embezzler to a neo nazi to a down and out womanizing drunk to an assassin out to murder Richard Mellon Scaife. For instance Tucker Carlson, in an article "Stalking Scaife" characterized Steve Kangas as, "Kangas, a 37-year-old Internet pornographer from Las Vegas" and Tony Snow, in an article "Steve Kangas Left-Wing Vince Foster" characterized Steve Kangas as, "Squeeky Frohme with intellectual pretensions."

For any who are unfamiliar with Steve Kangas and wish to make up their own mind, I suggest you visit his web page and read through his essays ("The Origins of the Overclass" is the essay that mentions Scaife).

He posted his last essay to his Web site on February 3, just five days before his untimely death. In my opinion, it is not the writings of a man in throes of alcoholism, though people like Richard Scaife have suggested as much and he may well view Steve's work as pornography. See:



There are more questions than answers. Richard Scaife hiring a detective to try and dig up dirt on Steve Kangas raises a red flag. He used the same detective, Rex Armistead, that was used to try and dig up dirt on President Clinton for the Arkansas Project. The Pittsburgh police should have been so thorough. I doubt the police even questioned Richard Scaife, though one report did say they were thinking about it. The systematic attempted trashing of Steve Kangas' raises questions. Discrepancies between the coroner's report, in which Steve was injured when first found, and the police report, with no mention of injuries when he was first found raises questions. The quick cremation and the erasure of Steve Kangas' hard drive raises questions.

If magically I could have three questions about the circumstances around this case answered, I suppose they would be -- (1) Is the checking of the circuit breakers in One Oxford Centre rest rooms sop, and is there a log to prove this? (2) Was the gun that killed Steve empty when found? The news articles infer this, stating 47 rounds were found in his backpack and in one pocket. This is important because if Steve Kangas were in custody of Scaife security, they may have initially taken his gun away and emptied the clip. There may even be prints on the bullets or the clip, if the gun is still in evidence. (3) One intriguing puzzle piece that doesn't fit with the theory of suicide -- the bullet found around the time that Steve Kangas was found. There was a bullet hole found in the window of a street level clothing store. The slug was found inside the store. The bullet got there somehow. The location of One Oxford Centre doesn't appear to be a part of Pittsburgh where random bullet holes would be found. I suspect this may be the first time ever that a bullet hole was found in a window of one of the shops. Maybe some time after all the stores had closed, Steve Kangas had attempted to leave, was stopped by Scaife security, shots or a shot were fired, with Steve Kangas was forced to go back up to the 39th floor. If that bullet is connected, suicide becomes implausible.

I don't know what happened to Steve Kangas on the evening of February 8. I can write several scripts from the facts, as reported in the various newspaper articles. Many of the facts of the case seem suspicious and do not fit well with the theory of suicide. When I started digging on my own, that is what I expected to find. But from the burglar alarm system, to the \$300 gun, to the intensive work he'd been doing on his political web site, that does not seem to be where Steve Kangas was at.

And then there is that bullet hole in the window of the Kountz and Rider clothing store.

For Steve's sake, this case deserves to be investigated further by someone with the means and abilities far greater than I. Hopefully someone, or some agency, will investigate the death of of Steve Kangas in the manner it deserves.

Rest in peace Steve Kangas.

John Van Matre

[True Blue Door]

92. A liar without shame who died too late.