Happy Ides of October (Julian Calendar)

[IdesOfOctober]

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1268911/000126891106000030/0001268911-06-000030-index.htm

Ides

[Nickster]

1. Nice! n/t

[IdesOfOctober]

2. Go back and look at the footage...

... of Andy Card's resignation press conference.

He was pushed out the door in a hurry, because this was beginning to break.

Ides

[Swamp Rat]

14. Here's a link to the video:

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=2615

:)

[IdesOfOctober]

17. Thanks for grabbing that link...

... note Card's emotion.

The stories just a week or so prior had been talking about Andy Card going for the record set by Sherman Adams, Eisenhower's Chief of Staff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Adams

Ides

[Tuesday_Morning]

51. thanks for the link...

I like how Imus remarks that Andy Card looks like he'd just been captured by Al-qaeda.

[IdesOfOctober]

52. And they're off-camera...

... ready to pull the trigger.

His body language and everything about his demeanor screamed that he had gone down in flames.

Ides

[blm]

48. Real interesting once the pieces fall into place.

.

[IdesOfOctober]

49. The backstory is Byzantine...

... but once you get it, it's like one of those pictures in the mall - once the dots resolve into the picture, it's there.

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

6. WOW

Double WOW!

[Coexist]

3. What would be the anticipated outcome?

Is this simple cronyism and/or nepotism, or will this be a deeper well to draw scandal from?

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/93751/000126891106000030/enrondocumentpreservation.htm
<snip>
In light of the foregoing, the business judgment of the Directors and executive management is appropriately called into question. Did Mr. Logue do a favor for his friend in high office, rather than look out for the best interests of the Corporation's shareholders? That is the question upon which the anticipated derivative litigation will turn.

[IdesOfOctober]

4. It's the Mother Lode...

... it is the headwaters of a flood. There is no "plausible deniability" to be had here.

Ides

[Coexist]

5. who will be pulled in besides Card?

Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and Labor Solicitor Eugene Scalia? Anyone else?

[Buttercup McToots]

7. There is a reason

and I think it's gonna be a doozie!

[IdesOfOctober]

8. Chao and Scalia for sure, with Antonin stepping down ...

... the prospect of the son of a sitting Supreme Court Justice being put on trial practically begs for Antonin's resignation.

Mitch McConnell will be pulled in, too.

KKKarl was in on it, too.

The goal in early 2002? Regain the Senate at all costs - and the Enron story threatened that goal.

The solution? Bring in the Bushiest Bank of Them All, to help quiet things down just enough prior to the November 02 mid-terms.

Ides

[Coexist]

9. Are you serious - Scalia step down?

Man - now I wish we had a sure shot at the Senate.

If this gets out in Connecticut - and it is put out there that Lieberman helped ruin the Dems chance for an Alito filibuster - those polls could change right quick.

[IdesOfOctober]

11. Nothing focuses the attention...

... quite like a looming deadline. We're less than 2 weeks out. Many voters are just now tuning in, so there's still time.

Ides

[NashVegas]

38. It Sure Did Seem Odd That He Wasn't Picked for Chief Justice

At the time the job was open.

[IdesOfOctober]

45. The word on the street...

... is that Antonin plans to bail and make boatloads of money. He has routinely complained about the pay.

Whether any corporate boardroom in America will want him is anyone's guess.

; )

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

10. Thieving Bloody Bastards

And good...can't stand McConnell.
I want to see this on the MSM tonight!!
Please?
ps...Tell the Hardy Boys to please be careful, k?

[IdesOfOctober]

12. Will do, but I think the hard work ...

... has already been done.

The groundwork for this was laid many months ago.

"Rome wasn't built in a day..."

Ides

[Blackhatjack]

16. I understand 'fiduciary' --what is the significance of State Street being named special fiduciary?

Are you intimating that illegal acts could have been performed for the benefit of individuals and entities other than the benefit of those parties the fiduciary is required by law to promote and protect?

If so, are we talking about the secreting of information and documents in such a way that harmed Enron pensioners and placed the assets of State Street at risk for wrongful conduct and legal liability to those Enron shareholders?

[IdesOfOctober]

18. Yes...

... and yes.

Ides

[Blackhatjack]

19. I am no expert on the Enron debacle, but the key issue would appear to be...

... were there Enron assets wrongfully transferred and hidden which could have been subject to the reach of Enron pensioner claims? or even the claims of Enron stock shareholders?

Then is the gist of the action that there were improper actions taken to name State Street as the 'special fiduciary' and as a result State Street officers and directors acted in concert with Enron officers and directors to defund and defraud those pensioners and shareholders of Enron?

I have always suspected that the 'paper assets' story about offshore Cayman Accounts were a cover for actual Enron assets stolen and secreted away in the names of Enron top dogs.

It is awfully easy to say that these assets were made up, existed only on paper, when you want to end the investigative process that is looking for assets that were missing. Now that Skilling and Fastow have been netted, will they cooperate to lessen their sentences and reveal the location of some of these assets?

[IdesOfOctober]

20. You ask incredibly good questions...

... and the prospect of lightening one's sentence often does wonders for jogging one's memory.

; )

The intersection of the ERISA and securities claims here is explosive - and the Andy Card/State Street connection is downright radioactive for the entire BushCo. enterprise.

[Blackhatjack]

23. So was the Card resignation an attempt to cut the connection b/t WH and ...

State Street actors?

If so, it would appear that Card knew he is about to be accused of being involved, and his relationship with State Street actors outed. Resigning at this late date could not possibly insulate the WH and Bushco from questions about their knowledge and participation.

It would not create 'plausible deniability' for the WH. The timeline gets them.

So why the Card resignation, which just draws more attention to him?

I heard some time ago that Fastow was a 'wealth of information' in his debriefing. I was wondering why he did not have "an accident', and then Ken Lay dies of a heart attack. Fastow got a short sentence, 3 or six years I think --while Skilling got 20 plus for not cooperating.

Fastow knew where the money was 'on deposit' offshore --but the real question is can the money be repatriated back into the US? I don't think so, unless there is pressure on the country holding it. Not going to happen as long as Repubs in power. There is also the possibility that a substantial portion of the cash has already been laundered and is at work in this election cycle as campaign contributions to Republican candidates.

[Blackhatjack]

25. If I were trying to find evid that the Enron $ came back into the country I would look

very closely at Grover Norquist. Not because he was the first person to receive it, but because he is the acknowledged distributor of 'laundered' money.

If you bust Norquist, I would bet all roads lead to 'Rome.' You will find the roadmap for the money laundering network.

[IdesOfOctober]

28. Falling on the ceremonial sword

There are those in DC - indeed, throughout America - who would (still, to this day) believe that Andy Card might have engineered an Enron cover-up to protect the vulnerable first term, without the President's foreknowledge or approval.

"If so, it would appear that Card knew he is about to be accused of being involved, and his relationship with State Street actors outed. Resigning at this late date could not possibly insulate the WH and Bushco from questions about their knowledge and participation."

The name of that game is "plausible deniability," a phrase you might recall from past GOP scandals such as Iran-Contra.

"It would not create 'plausible deniability' for the WH. The timeline gets them."

Only one person needs to be able to claim it: POTUS. (Exhibit A: Reagan)

"So why the Card resignation, which just draws more attention to him?"

The minute that the MSM started batting clean-up on this story, and going back to cover missed ground (in this case, the selection of State Street as the Enron special fiduciary by top Bush officials in the late winter/early spring 2002), all involved in the Executive Office of the President were living on borrowed time. The person with the most direct line connection to State Street? Andy Card. He was the first to go. Elaine Chao will not last in the Cabinet until January, if I were a betting man.

"I heard some time ago that Fastow was a 'wealth of information' in his debriefing. I was wondering why he did not have "an accident', and then Ken Lay dies of a heart attack. Fastow got a short sentence, 3 or six years I think --while Skilling got 20 plus for not cooperating."

Bingo. Skilling may yet play ball, though, and see his sentence reduced further.

"Fastow knew where the money was 'on deposit' offshore --but the real question is can the money be repatriated back into the US? I don't think so, unless there is pressure on the country holding it. Not going to happen as long as Repubs in power. There is also the possibility that a substantial portion of the cash has already been laundered and is at work in this election cycle as campaign contributions to Republican candidates."

In today's day and age of minute record-keeping, all it takes is one ethical banking IT geek...

Ides

[Blackhatjack]

33. You can get the information, but ethics have to be thrown out...

.... all it takes is one to know where another buried the cash.

Knowing where the money went and where it is at today is less of a trick than solving the riddle of how you get the money back. At the same time, you have to survive your very dangerous exploits.

[IdesOfOctober]

43. Divergent, but overlapping, goals...

... plaintiffs' lawyers care about civil recovery, and rightfully so.

Federal prosecutors who grew up admiring Eliot Ness care more about lopping off the head of the syndicates.

"Knowing where the money went and where it is at today is less of a trick than solving the riddle of how you get the money back."

Condition A is sufficient to put them behind bars. Condition B is more of a concern for the plaintiffs' attorneys.

Ides

[conscious evolution]

61. Hmmmm...

'... were there Enron assets wrongfully transferred and hidden which could have been subject to the reach of Enron pensioner claims? or even the claims of Enron stock shareholders?'

I seem to remember reading somewhere that one of Enron's only assets left after the dust settled was some sort of deal where they either owned a piece or had management contracts for a certain pipeline in central asia.A pipeline originally to be built by the Bridas Corp.
I wonder if this has anything to do with anything?

[IdesOfOctober]

62. You could spend a lifetime...

... chasing down this rabbit hole.

Or, like those whose investigations are done or nearly done, you can stand tall and say to the BushCo. cabal: "Why, you're nothing but a pack of cards!"

In the final analysis, that's all they are. The Internet was their undoing.

Ides

[DemReadingDU]

63. THE Google, lol!

[IdesOfOctober]

64. Did you see Bush's interview about e-mail and online maps?

That was so funny, I nearly spewed.

The irony of his expressed caution about e-mail was too rich for words.

Ides

[DemReadingDU]

68. Yeh, Bush said 'THE Google'!

too funny! He is so clueless

[IdesOfOctober]

70. Freudian slip...

... he admitted he'd rather be back at the ranch in Crawford.

Not enough vacation days for him this year?

Ides

[Uncle Joe]

Maybe that's why the network news had a report last night

about internet addiction? You just never know.

[DemReadingDU]

69. oooh, I saw that too

Makes one go hmmm, lol!

[Uncle Joe]

73. And the funny thing was,

they said you could research more about it on our website:rofl:

[IdesOfOctober]

76. Good thing Gore...

... didn't really invent the Internet. There'd be Freepers suing him for creating an addictive product.

; )

Ides

[cosmicdot]

44. Mr. Logue is a director of the Federal Board of Boston

fwiw

RONALD E. LOGUE - director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston


Director since 2000

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of State Street since June 30, 2004, president since 2001, chief operating officer since 2000. Mr. Logue, age 60, joined the Company in 1990 as senior vice president and head of investment servicing for U.S. mutual funds. He was elected vice chairman in 1999. As president and chief operating officer, he was responsible for overseeing State Street’s investment servicing, securities finance and investment research and trading activities, as well as information technology. Mr. Logue is a director of The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership. He received his B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Boston College.

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/93751/000119312506051789/ddef14a.htm

another fwiw
Wellington Managment Corporation, T.Rowe House, and Fidelity (aka FMR) are State Street's Beneficial Owners of 5% of stock or more


prior to Logue, the Chairman and CEO of State Street was

and, another fwiw

DAVID A. SPINA
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of State Street since January 1, 2001.

@ 2003/2004 he held 2,627,829 State Street shares

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/93751/000119312504041566/ddef14a.htm

edited to note that

the Vanguard Group is involved with Wellington Management Corporation, one of State Street's Beneficial Owners of stock

"In 1974 the firm fired its then president and CEO John C. Bogle. Bogle
subsequently founded the Vanguard Group which became responsible for
the administration of most of the Wellington mutual funds, but not the
management.

"In 1979 the firm was acquired by its management and converted to a
private partnership.

"Wellington Management continues to manage the Wellington Fund and
various of other mutual funds for Vanguard. The firm also manages
money for other mutual fund administrators and for private and public
institutions."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_Management_Company


Plaintiff alleges Alito conflict
Says judge should have recused self

By Sarah Schweitzer and Michael Kranish, Globe Staff | November 3, 2005

Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. ruled in a 2002 case in favor of the
Vanguard mutual fund company at a time when he owned more than
$390,000 in Vanguard funds and later complained about an effort to
remove him from the case, court records show -- despite an earlier
promise to recuse himself from cases involving the company.

~snip~

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/11/03/plaintiff_alleges_alito_conflict/

it's a small plutocratic world after all

[IdesOfOctober]

47. Good find - and definitely relevant

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2467612&mesg_id=2477907

Ides

[KittyWampus]

13. Dear Ides, your Julian calender has me giggling... shades of 24 business hours

ala Jason Leopold and Rove's getting charged. ;)

I think there are a lot of civil servants out there who are pulling for our Democracy here in the US.

And also those on Higher Planes but it's impolite to speaker of Higher Intelligences on this forum.

[IdesOfOctober]

15. G

As for "a lot of civil servants out there who are pulling for our Democracy here in the US" - did you see the blue bubble in 2004, matching up to the Beltway?

Who lives inside the Beltway?

Many dedicated - and too often maligned - civil servants, who come to DC out of a desire to further the public good.

Shrubya is a stranger in a strange land.

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

21. Keep talking

I'm listening...
and thinking of all those people who lost everything...
What is State Street doing to those companies that it has infected
besides charging them more money than God has...

[IdesOfOctober]

22. One example: "securities lending" is a nice little racket...

... in which State Street enters into an agreement with a pension plan's trustees, to loan out the plan's securities.

Only entities on the "approved" borrowers' list can borrow these securities, and State Street takes collateral from the "approved" borrowers. When the "approved" borrower returns the securities, the plan makes a small fee, as does State Street, and the remaining collateral is returned to the borrower. It's sold as a "no risk" way to goose a plan's performance.

Sounds pretty benign, right?

1. The "approved" borrowers: do the pension plan trustees really know who the "approved" borrowers are? For example, does State Street proactively disclose to these pension plan trustees whether any of its own joint ventures are on the "approved" borrowers list?

2. Defaults: what happens if an "approved" borrower surrenders the collateral, and keeps the borrowed stock, or - due to a risky use of the borrowed securities (e.g., short selling) - cannot return the shares? Do the plan trustees have any interest in publicizing to their plan participants and retirees that the shares are gone, but a (less valuable) form of collateral remains?

3. Voting rights: who votes the borrowed shares, if they're outstanding during a stockholders' meeting? Does the plan and its trustees retain the shares' voting rights, or does the "approved" borrower get to vote the shares? In close proxy contests (e.g., mergers that cut American jobs), a small swing vote of borrowed shares can make all the difference.

4. Fee split: assuming that the "approved" borrower makes money off the borrowed shares (e.g., through a successful short sale), why don't the plan participants share in the reward from *that* part of the transaction?

That's just one example of many.

Ides

[Mme. Defarge]

24. This all makes me swoon

since I was a white-knuckled fiduciary for a small-time, innocuous company retirement plan. Needless to say, this would be way beyond my risk tolerance!

I have bookmarked this thead for future reference. Thanks.

[IdesOfOctober]

29. You bet...and keep on...

... knitting those names, Madame.

; )

We may not have literal guillotines anymore, but we can still lop off the Hydra heads of this criminal syndicate with a RICO razor.

Ides

[Mme. Defarge]

34. Avec plaisir!

I knit, therefore I am.

[IdesOfOctober]

42. How are your...

... guillotine neckwarmers?

Cozy?

; )

Ides

[Mme. Defarge]

58. Faster to produce

than hoods and shrouds.

[IdesOfOctober]

59. Black and white stripes...

... are classic, and never go out of style for rakish racketeers.

Ides

[Mme. Defarge]

72. Why not red?

Both practical and poetic.

[IdesOfOctober]

75. *gulp*

Remind me to stay on the good side of your knitting needles!

; )

Ides

[Mme. Defarge]

78. Actuellement ...

for the record I am opposed to capital punishment. Except in the case of animan cruelty.

[IdesOfOctober]

87. There's a case to be made...

... that the Democratic Jackass has been cruelly abused!

; )

Ides

[DemReadingDU]

26. Oh my, my head is exploding

appreciate you telling us this background information

[IdesOfOctober]

31. What better way to celebrate...

... the Ides of October, than by sharing knowledge?

; )

Ides

[Blackhatjack]

27. Did Tom Noe of Ohio's 'Coingate' Use this Scheme?

Gets himself appointed as fiduciary of $50 mil from workers comp fund to invest in rare coins, and first thing he does is 'lend' himself and his coin company millions. Purchases some rare coins, but lends them out and borrows other rare coins from those who received part of the $50 million. Coins loaned out go 'missing' and virtual IOUs are conjured to document coins that do not exist. Investigators move in, and before they review the inventory of rare coins, Noe borrows from other dealers over 67% of coins he tries to pass off as owned by the trust. Of course up to that point, nothing had been reported publicly about the losses. And to that point, the profits made off the transfers of the coins was not shared with the trust, nor was a fee paid for their use.

No voting rights issue here, but it becomes a shell game in the buying, selling, lending and borrowing of rare coins, to benefit private individuals and companies to the detriment of the workers comp trust fund.

And the bottom line was that money was funneled to the Republican Party by Noe and his conspirators, and Noe was recognized as a 'bush pioneer' for raising more than $100,000 for Bush's campaign.

[DemReadingDU]

30. interesting, and Noe is currently on trial for coingate

Noe already plead guilty to money laundering - used his money to pay for others to go to expensive republican fundraising dinners.

But this week Noe is on trial for whatever he did with the coingate scandal.

[Blackhatjack]

35. Actually Noe Pled Guilty in Fed Ct to illegal $45,000 to Bush Campaign

...but those in the know believe the dollar amount was much higher. His guilty plea was part of a negotiated plea deal, and his wife tried to sell or barter a videotape to Democrats in hopes of encouraging a State prosecutor to offer a plea deal on the State charges --but no dice.

If the Noe state trial breaks down into a plea, you will know the Feds put out the word that Noe is cooperating with them against bigger fish. Even if the state trial ends in a conviction and stiff prison sentence, his cooperation with the Feds could result in a reduction of his sentence. However, that would mean he did not fully cooperate in advance OR that he is trying to generate 'cover' for his cooperation with the Feds.

[DemReadingDU]

36. ah thank you for the update!

way too many scandals in Ohio, and elsewhere, to keep all these details straight...I need a spare brain, LOL

[IdesOfOctober]

32. Carnie folk...

... could learn a thing or two from the BushCo. shell games.

; )

Ides

[antigop]

37. If State Street is a trustee for my pension plan, should I be worried?

Can State Street do securities lending for both DB (defined benefits) and DC (defined contribution --401(k)) plans?

[IdesOfOctober]

40. For all you ever wanted to know about State Street's securities lending...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22state+street%22+securities+lending

My understanding is that this is done with both DB (traditional pensions) and DC (e.g., 401k) plans.

"If State Street is a trustee for my pension plan, should I be worried?"

"Aware," for sure. Whether you choose to be "concerned" or "worried" depends largely upon how you view State Street's role in such collapses as the Polaroid, United Airlines, and Delphi pension plans.

http://www.erisafraud.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1085

http://www.hagens-berman.com/united_airlines_esop_lawsuit

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=delphi+retirees+sue+state+street

Ides

[Tuesday_Morning]

39. k & r!

[formercia]

41. State Street is in Canada too

On CBC last night, the comedy program 'This hour has 22 minutes' did a skit portraying State Street as gangsters.

[IdesOfOctober]

46. Could you please...

... lay your hands on that, and forward?

Ides

[formercia]

53. here's their site.

http://www.cbc.ca/22minutes/

[IdesOfOctober]

55. Curiously, State Street also maintains a rather large...

... Canadian line of credit:

"We currently maintain a line of credit of CAD $800 million, or USD $688 million, to support our Canadian securities processing operations. The line of credit has no stated termination date and is cancelable by either party with prior notice."

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/93751/000114544306000351/d18466_10-k.htm

Also, FYI: "With $10.12 trillion of assets under custody and $1.44 trillion of assets under management at year-end 2005, we are a leading specialist in meeting the needs of institutional investors worldwide. Our customers include mutual funds and other collective investment funds, corporate and public pension funds, investment managers, and others. In addition to the United States, or 'U.S.,' we operate in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Netherlands, New Zealand, People’s Republic of China, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom."

Ides

[WHAT]

71. I wonder what goes on in Mauritius...

I really had to look for it.

Also, Russia has no connections...Chili only South American country I noticed. I just wonder what the underlying reasons for the expansion...it seems like it would be more than facility of use, accessibility, etc. Maybe someone will see if/why it ties-in politically/geographically.

I guess I got side-tracked by those questions; I really wanted to thank you for the information because I've been very curious about banking and what or who determines the infrastructure.

Just a lay person's curiosity. But thanks again for the information...it just seemed like the pension funds were just too much of a pot of gold to resist. (sarcasm)...but, I do feel vindicated by that hunch.

[IdesOfOctober]

74. The Caymans...

... are where I'd look first, among this list of subsidiaries, taken from the latest annual report:

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/93751/000114544306000351/d18466_ex-211.htm

A little-known Federal agency, FinCen (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network), puts out alerts about known money laundering and "shady banking" havens:

http://www.fincen.gov/

http://www.google.com/search?as_q=money+laundering+caymans&num=10&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=fincen.gov&as_rights=&safe=images

Ides

[IdesOfOctober]

56. Which skit?

http://www.cbc.ca/22minutes/video.html

Thanks!!!

Ides

[formercia]

57. I didn't see it listed but it was to wards the end of the show

I was really surprised. If you Google State Street and Canada, there's some articles on their recent move into Canada.

I wonder if Harper had something to do with it.

[IdesOfOctober]

60. The Canada connection...

"If you Google State Street and Canada, there's some articles on their recent move into Canada."

The line of credit in the latest annual report - along with other forays north of the border (e.g., securities processing) - did not go unnoticed at the time.

Indeed, I wouldn't fall out of my chair in surprise to discover that other countries have "ongoing" investigations under way as well.

Ides

[Jack Rabbit]

50. Why, thank you, Mr. Ides.

. . . and Happy Halloween from me and my black cat, Ike.

[IdesOfOctober]

54. Right back atcha, from my pet...

... jackalope and me.

; )

Ides

[starroute]

65. Any chance of tying this to Abramoff? or to AIG?

In 1996, the Heritage Foundation set up a Hong Kong office under Elaine Chao and Ken Sheffer, who'd formerly served on Reagan's NSC. The nominal purpose of the office was to gather research data for Heritage's Asian Studies Center, but its real function was to help Heritage's corporate donors make business deals in China, which was scheduled to take back Hong Kong from the British on July 1, 1997.

Very shortly thereafter, Chao became head of the advisory council of the Asian Studies Center, while Sheffer and Heritage president Ed Feulner co-founded Belle Haven Consultants as a for-profit lobbying adjunct to the non-profit Heritage Foundation. However, Belle Haven didn't do its own lobbying, but subcontracted it out -- particularly to the Alexander Strategy Group, co-founded by former Abramoff associate (and former DeLay chief of staff) Ed Buckham.

In the summer of 2001, Belle Haven started represented Malaysian business interests, and Belle Haven and ASG co-sponsored a trip to Malaysia for Buckham, Sheffer, Feulner, Tom DeLay, and Malcolm Wallop (then a senior fellow at the Asian Studies Center.) The full set of connections gets very deep and muddled, but Abramoff's old friend Amy Ridenour of NCPPR was brought in to write pro-Malaysian propaganda, while his associate Michael Scanlon got $300,000 from the Malaysians in March 2002.

Granted, that doesn't tie Chao directly to the Abramoff/DeLay axis. But there's also the matter of her and her husband Mitch McConnell's close connections with insurance giant AIG -- which has been deeply involved in China since its founding in 1919, and which persistent rumors implicate in money-laundering. (Some of those rumors can be found here in the Demopedia, including convoluted connections with Enron. See http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/index.php/AIG.)

Finally, I've long had the feeling that Abramoff was probably engaged in far more extensive money-laundering operations than just what he is known to have run through Scanlon's various front companies. For example, the Abramoff-Safavian emails that were recently disclosed indicate that the tentative agenda for their UK junket in 2002 included a meeting with a gentleman named Patrick Spiteri, whose only claim to fame is as a money-launderer and associate of other money-launderers, some of them tied to the Russian Mafiya.

There are a lot of mysteries here, and I'm sure it's asking too much to hope this State Street matter will unveil all of them -- but it would sure be nice if it cast light on some of the most outstanding.

On edit: One other connecting link is Patrick Pizzella, who became Assistant Secretary of Labor under Elaine Chao in 2001. Back in 1996-98, he'd been Abramoff's main guy for promoting the Marianas Islands, leading junkets there for Republican politicians and right-wing pundits. In 1996, he and Amy Ridenour (then Amy Moritz) even appeared together to promote the Marianas at a gathering sponsored by the Heritage Foundation.

[IdesOfOctober]

66. Make no mistake about Elaine...

... she's right in the thick of it.

Ides

[IdesOfOctober]

67. The resources are in place, in several places...

http://www.justice.gov/criminal/pin.html

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

77. Bump...

Fer the Night People

[KoKo]

79. Thanks for the mention of the Ridnours, "starroute"

I remember all the research a bunch of us did here about them. Her husband the "fake Environmental Scientist" mouth piece for Bush Sound Science Policy and their direct mail shop in Alexandria where they turned out scare mailings to Senior Citizens to bilk them out of their retirement money. I've long hoped that they would be brought to justice but the Government wouldn't even investigate them for Postal Fraud because what they were doing supposedly wasn't illegal. Their names turned up with Abramoff Investigation and Amy even testified before Congress. They didn't press her hard and she claimed she had no knowledge of what Abramoff was doing in funneling money through their organization. I thought that the Senate Panel was in cahoots with her they were so gentle in their questioning of her. Some of them probably were indebted to her "mail shop" for campaign money.

Nothing to do with State Street ...but one more piece of the Repug Machine that needs to be investigated further...even if they seem like small potatoes in the grand scheme of the Vast Repug Crime Syndicate.

[Buttercup McToots]

80. Good Morning

:)

[Buttercup McToots]

84. I like these quotes...

These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Thomas Paine, December 19, 1776

We, the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution. Abraham Lincoln

The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. …We have it in our power to begin the world over again. Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776

[rosesaylavee]

85. I like them too.

Thanks for posting them this morning!

[Buttercup McToots]

86. yes

:)

[IdesOfOctober]

90. Thomas Paine was a ...

... Quaker's son. Figures!

: )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_paine

Thomas Paine uplifted the spirit of the colonists at a dire moment in the Revolutionary War. I've always been partial to his pamphlets.

For something a bit more fiery: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=patrick+henry+treason+speech

; )

If you're ever looking for an out-of-the-way, off-the-beaten-path site to visit: http://www.redhill.org/timeline.html

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

91. I

so love our beginning as a country.
Look, I have goose bumps...
An` the Scottish...always always there.
Aye

[IdesOfOctober]

93. Aberdeen...

... I knew ye'd pick up on it.

; )

Ides

[IdesOfOctober]

88. The DU servers...

... are chock full of this sort of data. What a treasure trove it's becoming!

Ides

[boston bean]

81. Is Eugene Scalia, Antonin Scalia's brother or cousin??

He looks like a thin Antonin.

[DemReadingDU]

82. He should, Eugene is Antonin's son

edit to add:

Here is a previous thread what gives some good background info. It links to additional threads for lots of good info...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2442405

[boston bean]

83. Thank you very much for the info! nt

[IdesOfOctober]

89. He's the thieving Justice's son...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Scalia

... and didn't fall far from the corrupt branches of his family tree.

Ides

[DemReadingDU]

92. GOP mad about corruption probe leaks before election

Ides - You wouldn't know anything about this, would you? :)



Republicans are mad about corruption probe leaks before the election and are privately grumbling that "rogue elements" within the Department of Justice are trying to help tip the election to Democrats
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/GOP_mad_about_corruption_probe_leaks_1026.html

[IdesOfOctober]

94. Whistles Innocently

; )

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

95. "rogue elements"

Love those rogues;-)

[IdesOfOctober]

97. They're called...

... career prosecutors, and loyal public servants.

Ides

[DemReadingDU]

96. When the news conference occurs...

Will we be able to see the "rogue elements" :)

[IdesOfOctober]

98. I know one such "rogue"...

... is planning a Podcast.

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

99. Okay

Where did ye go...what are ye up tae?

[Buttercup McToots]

100. You may have the afternoon off, but

I'm still workin`



http://www.pbs.org/nbr/site/onair/transcripts/060817d/

SUSIE GHARIB: President Bush signed the nation`s new pension reform plan into law today, the first major overhaul of the system in three decades. It shores up the pension system for more than 44 million workers and retirees, expands access to 401k plans and forces companies to boost funding for defined benefit plans. It also bolsters the health of the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation. That`s the agency that`s the safety net for terminated pension plans. This afternoon, Stephanie Dhue sat down with Elaine Chao, the secretary of Labor and chairman of the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation. They began by talking about the key goal of the new law.
ELAINE CHAO, SECRETARY OF LABOR: I think the key aspect of the pension bill is to be sure that promises made to workers are, indeed, promises kept. And our country has about $450 billion in under funded liabilities and pension plans, defined benefit pension plans. And of that $450 billion of under funded liabilities and defined benefits, $150 billion of that is with financially ailing companies. The pension bill will ensure that under funded liabilities are indeed funded and that there is a more accurate reflection of what the under funded liabilities really are as well.
STEPHANIE DHUE, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: The act does make it easier for companies to automatically enroll employees in 401k plans. It`s going to be up to the Department of Labor to come up with guidelines so that companies know what the default investments should be. What kind of fund investments do you think are appropriate for average employees?
CHAO: Right now, a lot of people are not saving because when they come into a company, they`re automatically exempt, unless they opt in. And yet so many employers offer so many benefits in terms of long-term retirement security, that this automatic opt-in feature is going to be a great, great incentive and encouragement to ensure that people are indeed saving.
DHUE: But is there, a default option, say as a money market fund, that might not really be the best choice for a young worker. Where do you see the options getting set?
CHAO: I suspect that we`ll start -- first of all, there will be regulations on all of these that will have to be issued. They`ll have to be written and they`ll have to be canvassed around. They`ll be open for public comment. We will receive a lot of comments on how the default options should be structured. I would suspect that, you know, an employer would likely start out with a conservative structure first.
DHUE: Mutual funds, brokers, insurance companies, are now going to be able to give advice to employees. How are you going to make sure that that advice is objective?
CHAO: Well, this is the critical point that had held up passage of investment advice. You know, rich people have investment advisors and middle income people and lower income people should have that option as well. And yet a lot of advisors and employers were reluctant to offer this kind of advice to their employees for fear of lawsuits and litigation. So this makes it very clear that outside investment advisors can come in and there will be an element that will ensure that they`re independent.
DHUE: What is to keep a fund advisor from sticking employees in a high "C" (ph) fund?
CHAO: I think that is going to be something that will be further explored within the regulations. But there`s also market forces at work. If you have unscrupulous advisors, who are not helping employees, then I think there is going to be very swift feedback from the employer, from workers within the company, that perhaps they should seek new investment advisors.
DHUE: Elaine Chao, secretary of labor, thanks for joining us.
CHAO: Thank you.
:think:

[IdesOfOctober]

102. Check out State Street's work with the PBGC, too...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=pbgc+%22state+street%22

Can you say, "no-bid contract extensions, within the past year"?

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

103. Gotcha

you read Skinner's thread?

[IdesOfOctober]

104. About monitoring?

LOL.

The Eye of Sauron's getting awfully twitchy!

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

105. Nasty colour, that eye...

"If all else fails, I will retreat up the valley of Virginia, plant my flag on the Blue Ridge, rally around the Scotch-Irish of that region and make my last stand for liberty amongst a people who will never submit to British tyranny whilst there is a man left to draw a trigger." George Washington, Valley Forge.

[IdesOfOctober]

106. Do you have a date on that letter?

That is one that I've never seen, and I have a few friends who'd enjoy that one.

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

107. No I'm sorry

It's from a list of Scots/American connections...

[IdesOfOctober]

108. The index of George Washington's writings...

... should yield it in short order. I'll tackle this before bed tonight:

http://etext.virginia.edu/washington/fitzpatrick/

http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/WasFi38.html

http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/WasFi39.html

; )

He also spoke of the "sons of Erin" with some admiration!

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

109. Good Nicht...

Tomorrow ia another day.

[IdesOfOctober]

110. Good mornin'...

... I broke out my copy of His Excellency last night, hoping I'd find reference to that great quote you cited.

I can find several online references to his having *said* it - but I cannot yet find the original source who recorded its saying. It's like having a bit of gravel in my shoe.

; )

From the index of his writings, it's pretty clear he held the Scots and the Irish in high esteem, for how quickly they took up the cause of freedom:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=%22erin%27s+generous+sons%22+washington+friendless+standard+was+first+unfurled

Have you read: "How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything In It"?

It's mind boggling (and a great gift for Mr. McToots, if he doesn't already own a copy).

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

111. Good Morning Ides

How are ye today?
Did my mornin` chores, had my tea & toast and now I'm ready fer a beautiful day. The sky is bright blue, the leaves are lovely. The colours are verry vivid in the mornin` sunshine. Life is a good thing.

A quote from American President Woodrow Wilson, "Every line of strength in American history is a line
colored with Scottish blood."
More than 100 governors of pre- and post- Revolutionary America were of Scottish birth or descent.
Others from Scotland or of Scots descent in American history:
35 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, 25 of them are in the Great Americans Hall of Fame.
Almost 1/2 of the Secretaries of U.S. Treasury and 1/3 of the Secretaries of State were Scots.
9 of the signatures on the Declaration of Independence were from Scots descent.
9 of the 13 colony governors made in the new USA were Scots.
James Pollock, of Scots descent, put the slogan "In God We Trust" on American coins!
61% of American Presidents are of Scots or Scots-Irish descent.
A Scot, James Watt, developed the first efficient steam engine and in so doing started the Industrial
Revolution.
A Scot, John Logie Baird, invented the Television.
A Scot, John Napier, invented logarithms and the decimal notation.
A Scot, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, invented the bicycle.
A Scot, John Paul Jones, founded the American Navy.
A Scot, Alexander Fleming, discovered Penicillin.
A Scot, William Paterson, founded the Bank of England.
A Scot, Alexander Graham Bell, invented the telephone.
A Scot, John Chalmers, invented the adhesive postage stamp.
A Scot, John Boyd Dunlop, invented the car tyre.
A Scot, Captain Patrick Ferguson, invented the breech loading rifle.
A Scot, Major General Lachlan Macquarie, know as the 'Father of Australia',
A Scot, Sir John Alexander Macdonald, was the first Prime Minister of Canada under confederation.
A Scot, Thomas Blake Glover, was one of the founding fathers of modern Japan.
A Scot, Henry Faulds pioneered the use of fingerprints as means of undisputed identity of people.
A Scot, Robert Stirling, invented the Stirling engine in 1850. Stirling engines are being studied at NASA
for use in powering space vehicles with solar energy!
The Scots invented Golf.
“History credits the Rev. Elijah Craig, a Baptist minister, with being the first in 1789 to make bourbon.”
He was a Scotsman. Kentucky is the place for bourbon because of the limestone which makes the water almost
iron-free. “The first bourbon recognized by brand outside of Kentucky probably was produced by Dr. James
Crow...a Scotsman who settled near the Rev. Craig’s place.” He was known by the locals as Jim Crow.

The Scottish-American Hall of Fame contains more plaques for the military than any other category. Twenty-
one men are installed including Daniel Boone who is listed as an “Indian Fighter.” The list is as follows:
George Rogers Clark, Frontier hero of the Revolutionary War; Stonewall Jackson; Joseph E. Johnston; Henry
Knox; Arthur MacArthur, army general, father of Douglas MacArthur; George B. McClellan; Alexander Macomb,
general and hero of the War of 1812; William (Billy) Mitchell, controversial air power advocate; William
Multrie; George S. Patton, WWII exponent of mobile warfare; Winfred Scott, Mexican War and Chief of staff;
J.E.B. Stuart, Confederate cavalry general; Christopher “Kit” Carson, frontiersman and explorer; William
Clark, explorer with Merriwether Lewis; Davy Crockett, frontiers-man who died at the Alamo. Two individuals
are listed under the category of “Naval.” They are David Glasgow Farragut, Civil War naval hero, and John
Paul Jones, Revolutionary War naval hero.

Famous Quote: "If all else fails, I will retreat up the valley of Virginia, plant my flag on the Blue
Ridge, rally around the Scotch-Irish of that region and make my last stand for liberty amongst a people who
will never submit to British tyranny whilst there is a man left to draw a trigger." George Washington,
Valley Forge.
Scottish Freemasonry is now officially recognized as being the oldest in the world and is now recorded as
a Guinness World Record.
Scot invented suspenders.
Although the Scots comprise less than one-half of 1 percent of the world’s population, 11 percent of all
Nobel prizes have been awarded to Scotsmen. Quote from "The Mark of the Scots" by Duncan A Bruce.
The world’s first university faculty of engineering and technical science was in Glasgow.
67 US Politicians were born in Scotland that we know off.
There are estimated to be 20,000 Americans living in Scotland and half a million visit each year.
It is estimated that 15% of Canadians are of Scots descent.
Scotland invented branch banking and so brought banking facilities to the people and the world.
"The most casual observer and historian must admit that these early settlers played a leading part in
setting the course in which the Nation travels today.

SCOTS emigres to the US are five times more likely to become dollar millionaires than those from any other
country, according to a study of wealth. Thomas Stanley and William Danko, in their book The Millionaire
Next Door, analyzed the ethnic backgrounds of the wealthiest members of US society and discovered that while
people of Scottish origin make up 1.7% of the population, they comprise 9.3% of its millionaires.
Scottish Explorers and Fur Trappers.

Mr McToots is related to Woodrow Wilson. His Mum, when she was young, received an inheritance from him.
Those bloody Scots are just everywhere aren't they?
Thank Gawd fer `em.

And how is your day going, Sir?

[IdesOfOctober]

112. Goin' swimmingly, thanks...

... the forecast calls for manna from heaven.

; )

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

113. Goody

:bounce:

[IdesOfOctober]

114. Did you see...

... the George Allen stuff I posted in response to your DOJ investigations thread?

Ides

[Buttercup McToots]

115. I'm going now

Thanks

[IdesOfOctober]

116. One way, or another, I don't see...

... George Allen being sworn in again in January (well, not for the Senate seat; maybe for a hearing).

Ides

[CorpGovActivist]

117. I See George Allen in an Orange Jumpsuit...

... very, very soon.

- Dave

[DemReadingDU]

118. This topic was just moved to the lounge!

wonder why the mods did this?

[CorpGovActivist]

119. Good Question...

... maybe Ides asked?

- Dave

[IdesOfOctober]

120. It's a mystery to me...

... no idea.

Ides

[IdesOfOctober]

101. Could tell ye...

... but then I'd hafta...

: )

When I duck out between now and the mid-terms, it's always because I'm "up to no good," depending on your point of view.

Ides