Joplin Globe Edits Oped to Enable Rep. Blunt, Corruption

[usregimechange]

The Joplin Globe published my editorial today about the corruption of US 7th Congressional Congressman Roy Blunt. What is significant is that when they did so they edited out a small but important portion of my comments. It is the same portion that suggests that Blunt may have engaged in criminal activity.

The edited version reads: “He accepted money from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.” The sentence I sent them on Thursday, November 23, 2006 9:20 AM reads: “He accepted money from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff while doing official favors for him.”

Jack Abramoff pled guilty to among other things “conspiring to bribe lawmakers.” Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) explain: “If, as it appears, Rep. Blunt was accepting campaign contributions from Mr. Abramoff in exchange for using his official position to support a view of gambling law that would benefit Mr. Abramoff’s client, he would be in violation of the law.” CREW also notes that the GOP leaders that did these official favors for Abramoff’s Louisiana client “represented districts far away from Louisiana.”

Details of when Abramoff’s contributions were accepted relative to Blunt’s official acts benefiting his clients should be enough to make any media source stand up and take notice (at least media sources that are more interested in public service than political or profit motives). From CREW’s PDF report: “In fact, Rep. Blunt was a signatory on a total of three letters sent to Secretary Norton, including a May 2003 letter as well as the June 2003 letter, opposing any extension of tribal gambling. Around the time of the May and June letters to Secretary Norton, Mr. Abramoff contributed $1,000 to Rep. Blunt’s PAC, Rely on Your Beliefs Fund, and his lobbying firm contributed another $2,000 to the PAC. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Rep. Blunt received a total of $8,500 from Mr. Abramoff between 1999 and 2003.”

Not only has the Joplin Globe’s coverage of Roy Blunt’s thug-like behaviors been woefully lacking, they have actively enabled him by stating that he “successfully navigated through the torrent of corruption” in their “Congrats to Roy” editorial (Joplin Globe, Nov. 21 2006). The media has a much greater responsibility than selling papers or pandering to political constituencies. For the sake of our society, we should make sure they take such responsibility seriously.


Sources:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/siteSearch/apstorysection/local_story_325003108
http://www.joplinglobe.com/siteSearch/apstorysection/local_story_333014348.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/03/AR2006010300474_pf.html
http://www.beyonddelay.org/summaries/blunt.php
http://www.beyonddelay.org/files/Blunt.pdf

[KingFlorez]

1. He's got them in his pocket

A lot of these Congressman end up having their local newspapers become total lackeys for them, it's ridiculous.

[Doctor_J]

2. That's right - the Chicago Tribune endorses every repub

candidate in every election. It's pretty silly, but no one pays any attention to them anyway.

[usregimechange]

3. You would think that would be unwise in Chicago.

[usregimechange]

4. They had a good thing going.

[OzarkDem]

5. Same thing with the Plain Dealer here

They'll bend over backwards every time to avoid talking about GOP corruption.

Not surprising Joplin's paper would do the same.

[usregimechange]

6. What town is that paper in?