At Georgia Legislature, a test of ethics
Charlie Harper, a conservative Republican writing at PeachPundit.com, raises an important parallel that I hadn’t remembered.
In the late ’90s, state Rep. Ralph David Abernathy III, son of the civil rights legend of the same name, ended up serving 13 months in state prison. As Harper notes:
“Abernathy was found guilty of five counts of theft by taking, five counts of false statement, five counts of violating his oath of office, two counts of forgery and one count of influencing a witness. According to a press release still found on the Georgia attorney general’s office website, ‘These charges involved submitting false expense reimbursement requests to the Georgia General Assembly, forging documents to substantiate the expenses, and subsequently receiving reimbursement money from the state of Georgia.’
That attorney Ggeneral was Thurbert Baker, also a Democrat. Abernathy was prosecuted by members of his own political party.”
On Wednesday, the Senate Rules Committee will meet to consider evidence that state Sen. Don Balfour, Republican chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and one of the most powerful people in the Legislature, has also filed repeated false claims for travel reimbursements and committee-related pay.
As Harper puts it:
“Meanwhile, the Republicans who used Ralph David Abernathy and Charles Walker as convenient whipping boys to gain power continue to pretend to see nothing wrong with the behavior or expense reimbursements of Don Balfour. It seems that if there is no investigation, no finding of ethical violation, no indictment, and no conviction then we as Republicans can continue to claim we are better than they were. We are not.”
Ethics reform and ethics enforcement is not and should not be a partisan issue. And while neither party is immune, it is the party that holds power that is more likely to be seduced and tempted, and also more likely to feel more or less immune by virtue of the authority that they wield.
It was the Democrats back then; it is the Republicans today. It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out.
– Jay Bookman
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176 comments Add your comment
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
2:41 pm
Jay, has there been any evidence coming to light against Balfour?
Steve - USA (I support "None Of The Above")
May 1st, 2012
2:41 pm
I thought we already established they failed the test?
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 1st, 2012
2:42 pm
Meanwhile, the Republicans who used Ralph David Abernathy and Charles Walker as convenient whipping boys to gain power continue to pretend to see nothing wrong with the behavior or expense reimbursements of Don Balfour.
IOKIYAR
Pass the Cheesy Grits Please
May 1st, 2012
2:43 pm
“It’s not worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person,”
Mitt Romney
“I do not concur in the words of Barack Obama in a plan to enter an ally of ours…
Mitt Romney
“It was the right decision to go into Iraq. I supported it at the time; I support it now.”
Mitt Romney
“Well, if we knew at the time of our entry into Iraq that there were no weapons of mass destruction — if somehow we had been given that information, why, obviously we would not have gone in.”
Mitt Romney
Matti
May 1st, 2012
2:44 pm
Crony Corruption: Thy name is Georgia!
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
2:44 pm
K’Chak, while I agree with you in spirit, I’d like to know the specifics about Balfour’s case.
It could be more clear-cut than Abernathy’s, or more murky, or about the same in terms of what evidence there is.
Brosephus™
May 1st, 2012
2:45 pm
On Wednesday, the Senate Rules Committee will meet to consider evidence that state Sen. Don Balfour, Republican chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and one of the most powerful people in the Legislature, has also filed repeated false claims for travel reimbursements and committee-related pay.
Not guilty by reason of party affiliation….
That’s my prediction.
Martin the Calvinist
May 1st, 2012
2:46 pm
Repubs should be leading the way with true ethics reform, but alas they are not. that sucks! dem’s should’ve has strong ethics reform when they had the power. they didn’t want to enact reform either. Yeah it was good they punished one guy way back then, didn’t motivate them to make ethics a priority. that sucks too!
Normal Free, Plain and Simple
May 1st, 2012
2:47 pm
Off topic, but funny…
http://news.icanhascheezburger.com/2012/05/01/political-pictures-if-browsers-were-presidents/
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
2:47 pm
M. Calvinist — “Repubs should be leading the way with true ethics reform, but alas they are not. that sucks!”
IIRC, Speaker Ralston talked a big game about ethics when he took up the gavel, but he sure hasn’t delivered on that.
Union
May 1st, 2012
2:50 pm
awww… were doing quotes…
‘Now, what we’ree doing, I want to be clear, we’re not trying to push financial reform because we begrudge success that’s fairly earned. I mean, I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money.”
—Barack Obama, on Wall Street reform, Quincy, Ill., April 29, 2010
”The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system.”
—Barack Obama, in remarks after a health care roundtable with physicians, nurses and health care providers, Washington, D.C., July 20, 2009
‘It was also interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There’s a lot of — I don’t know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling and dealing.”
—Barack Obama, confusing German for ”Austrian,” a language which does not exist, Strasbourg, France, April 6, 2009
”The Middle East is obviously an issue that has plagued the region for centuries.”
—Barack Obama, Tampa, Fla., Jan. 28, 2010
”In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died — an entire town destroyed.”
—Barack Obama, on a Kansas tornado that killed 12 people
”I’ve now been in 57 states — I think one left to go.”
—Barack Obama, at a campaign event in Beaverton, Oregon
my favorite… “Ok, look, you know, when I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point.”
thats when i realized i liked Mr Obama.. :p
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 1st, 2012
2:53 pm
Joe Hussein Mama
From Jay’s provided link:
The mileage claim is significant because Balfour claims to have traveled to and from his Snellville home every one of these days, despite the fact that on some of these days he was not in the state. Even when in town, it is hard to explain why Balfour keeps a $2,100 per month condominium in Midtown Atlanta if he drives home to Snellville every day as his expense reports indicate. Georgia code 16-10-20 makes signing the false claim for any mileage reimbursement a felony. The same felony charge that sent Ralph David Abernathy to jail.
Evidently he was charging for miles everyday whether he drove from Snellville or not. Other evidence states that he charged mileage from Snellville to Atlanta when he wasn’t even in the State.
Union
May 1st, 2012
2:54 pm
joe.. mama.. looks pretty clear cut.. seems to be a little “something something” going on over there..
mr bookman is spot on with this one..
Jefferson
May 1st, 2012
2:54 pm
Romney will kill for profit, otherwise just bankrupt it and walk away with equity.
Jm
May 1st, 2012
2:54 pm
When u don’t have any ethics it is difficult to fail an ethics test
Brosephus™
May 1st, 2012
2:54 pm
IIRC, Speaker Ralston talked a big game about ethics when he took up the gavel, but he sure hasn’t delivered on that.
We’re more likely to see the Democratic Party retake control of the entire state before the GOP enacts the ethics reform that the majority of the residents of Georgia really wants to see enacted.
Just my opinion…
Jay
May 1st, 2012
2:56 pm
Yes, Joe. It has been well-documented that he repeatedly billed the state for traveling back and forth from his Snellville home to the Capitol on days when he wasn’t even in the state. We know that because he was listed as accepting lobbyist meals/hospitality in places like New Orleans, San Antonio, Orlando and Destin on those days.
Balfour has since repaid the state $800, but the real total may be quite a bit higher. Again, we only know about the false submissions because we accidentally happened to have lobbyist reports filed on those same days. Were there additional days for which he also filed for compensation, days in which we do not have lobbyist reports to contradict him?
The odds are pretty high that there were.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
2:56 pm
Durrrrr . . . thanks for that, K’Chak. I didn’t even see the link and I scrolled right past it.
And now, an afternoon cuppa joe. For the awakeness, you understand.
Jefferson
May 1st, 2012
2:56 pm
GA has not changed anything for the better lately.
Towncrier
May 1st, 2012
2:57 pm
Whatever people may say about 2012 Obama’s campaign slogan, to me it illustrates a longstanding problem with his administration – namely, he seems to have a lot of people working for him who are not circumspect or judicious. Given how some conservatives have played up his earlier Marxist or socialist leanings, one would not expect his campaign to employ a slogan that “…carries a special meaning in socialist political terminology. It has been frequently used as a name for socialist, communist and other leftwing newspapers and publications. For example, Vpered (Russian language for ‘Forward’) was the name of the publication that Lenin started after having resigned from the Iskra editorial board in 1905 after a clash with Georgi Plekhanov and the Mensheviks.” (from the Wikipedia). Do people now use the phrase “gay time” to advertise an upcoming (non-homosexual) celebration? Very odd, in my opinion.
ByteMe - Political thug
May 1st, 2012
2:57 pm
the Senate Rules Committee will meet to consider evidence that state Sen. Don Balfour, Republican chairman of the Senate Rules Committee
Prediction: they’ll be more interested in their own political hides if the evidence isn’t overwhelming. They’ll also move to keep the information from the public.
ByteMe - Political thug
May 1st, 2012
3:00 pm
he seems to have a lot of people working for him who are not circumspect or judicious. Given how some conservatives have played up his earlier Marxist or socialist leanings, one would not expect his campaign to employ a slogan that “…carries a special meaning in socialist political terminology.
Or maybe — like the birth certificate nonsense — it’s really intended to get the crazy to respond and go overboard, because the crazy can’t help themselves. It’s working, too. I’ve seen this same nonsense on numerous blogs today and it just helps “out” the crazy for the rest of us to laugh at.
(ir)Rational
May 1st, 2012
3:01 pm
Kam & JHM – There is an easy explanation for the condo downtown. Can be explained in one word: Goomah.
arnold
May 1st, 2012
3:02 pm
The only method we have to correct the ethics in government is the vote. Other than the vote and demonstrating, I can’t think of an acceptable alternative. It’s the only way to “stand our ground”.
Martin the Calvinist
May 1st, 2012
3:02 pm
Joe, I agree, it frustrates me when politicians are really in politics for themselves not the people they represent. I think it’s a right wing and left wing problem……
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
3:02 pm
Crap, PeachPundit blocked for me. Guess I’ll have to read it when I get home.
Thanks to K’Chak, Union and Jay for shaking me awake.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 1st, 2012
3:04 pm
11 posts in on a thread about State politics and we get but…but…but…Obama.
Not a record, but worthy of note.
Then there’s the piling on about Marxism.
Predictable.
Geez….
Towncrier
May 1st, 2012
3:04 pm
“Or maybe — like the birth certificate nonsense — it’s really intended to get the crazy to respond and go overboard, because the crazy can’t help themselves.”
Perhaps…but Obama used the same slogan just after taking the presidency to suggest optimism in view of the economy (and not for the reason you suggest). So I think you are wrong here.
“It’s working, too. I’ve seen this same nonsense on numerous blogs today and it just helps “out” the crazy for the rest of us to laugh at.”
I guess November will tell the tale. I think it is politically risky to use that slogan.
ByteMe - Political thug
May 1st, 2012
3:07 pm
I think it is politically risky to use that slogan.
I think it’s crazy to care about stupid stuff. You’re free to do that, of course. Just don’t expect the rest of the sane world to care about it.
ty webb
May 1st, 2012
3:09 pm
“11 posts in on a thread about State politics and we get but…but…but…Obama.”
and the Romney comment came even before that.
ByteMe - Political thug
May 1st, 2012
3:11 pm
and the Romney comment came even before that.
It’s why — as it gets closer to the election — I’ll end up dropping off the blogs to get away from the nonsense. For now, it’s a good way to take the temperature of the committed.
Towncrier
May 1st, 2012
3:11 pm
“I think it’s crazy to care about stupid stuff. You’re free to do that, of course. Just don’t expect the rest of the sane world to care about it.”
Crazy or sane…is that how you categorize the voting public? Are people who have divergent views “crazy” to you – is that how you resolve the conflict, by name calling? I guess that will persuade some but not all that many.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 1st, 2012
3:11 pm
and the Romney comment came even before that.
Ah yes, the “but Timmy did it first” defense.
Doubling down on teh stoopid.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
3:13 pm
K’Chak — “11 posts in on a thread about State politics and we get but…but…but…Obama.”
“Then there’s the piling on about Marxism.”
It’s fascinating, isn’t it? They seem to communicate with each other solely via dog-whistle political phrases.
Fly-on-the-Wall
May 1st, 2012
3:14 pm
Corruption and deflection – the way of the Republican Party here in Georgia.
ByteMe - Political thug
May 1st, 2012
3:14 pm
Are people who have divergent views “crazy” to you – is that how you resolve the conflict, by name calling?
No… people who make up nonsense and expect everyone to go along with them… that’s crazy. People who get all worked up over something without checking their facts: crazy.
Basically, those people are LOOKING for a reason to get worked up, even if the reason makes no sense. And that’s just crazy.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
3:16 pm
Towncrier — “Crazy or sane…is that how you categorize the voting public? Are people who have divergent views “crazy” to you – is that how you resolve the conflict, by name calling? I guess that will persuade some but not all that many.”
I switched parties for good in 2003, after voting Republican for over 20 years. And I’ve been called more names by conservatives in the last nine years than I was called by liberals in the 20-odd years prior to that.
If you’ve got an issue with political namecalling, then I suggest you call people out on it wherever and whenever you see it — not just when the other side does it.
Brosephus™
May 1st, 2012
3:16 pm
“11 posts in on a thread about State politics and we get but…but…but…Obama.”
and the Romney comment came even before that.
Some people simply refuse to acknowledge the proven bullsh*t at the end of their nose just to point out crap 5 miles away….
kayaker 71
May 1st, 2012
3:16 pm
Up date on the last thread about the Cleveland occturds. It has been confirmed by the Cleveland press today that all of these young men who wanted to blow up that bridge were present and participating in the Cleveland occuturd sit in. BOOM!!! That’s the Tampa Bay Convention center going up in flames. What does it take liberals?
Steve - USA (I support "None Of The Above")
May 1st, 2012
3:19 pm
“and the Romney comment came even before that.”
Yeah he didn’t call out anyone on that. Not surprising.
Thulsa Doom
May 1st, 2012
3:20 pm
Ethics? A lesson on ethics from the party of guys like Eric Holder, Jon Corzine, and more locally the corrupt Bill Campbell mayorship here in ATL,etc. Hilarious. They should line up guys like Marion Barry and Kwame Kilpatrick to give ethics lectures.
ByteMe - Political thug
May 1st, 2012
3:20 pm
For example, Vpered (Russian language for ‘Forward’) was the name of the publication that Lenin started after having resigned from the Iskra editorial board in 1905 after a clash with Georgi Plekhanov and the Mensheviks.” (from the Wikipedia).
Interesting that Wikipedia is about to delete the page as being unsourced and unreliable.
And do you happen to know the official state motto of Wisconsin?
ty webb
May 1st, 2012
3:20 pm
“Doubling down on teh stoopid.”
nah, and I’m not defending it…just pointing it out…You seem to be rather accepting of at least half of it. Rah rah!
Steve - USA (I support "None Of The Above")
May 1st, 2012
3:21 pm
“Some people simply refuse to acknowledge the proven bullsh*t at the end of their nose just to point out crap 5 miles away….”
….and some people seem to think their crap doesn’t smell but everyone else’s does. Clean up your own act before you point fingers. It’s not that hard a concept.
Matti
May 1st, 2012
3:22 pm
Ask not whom your legislators represent: Unless you’ve got big money or make big noises, it isn’t you. As not whom your governor serves. It’s never been you. Today he put his signature on a big government intrusion into the medical profession here in Georgia. No, not restricting how much botox a quack can pump into your face on the promise of making you young again! (FYI: y’all look ridiculous.) No, no. He allowed lobbyists and untrained legislators to insert THEIR will into a doctor’s life and death decisions about his or her patient. That’s right! In Georgia, the biggest medical decisions are made by people who never went to medical school.
Intheholynameofsmallergoverment, amen. What a big rotting crock of pig shizt!
kayaker 71
May 1st, 2012
3:22 pm
Thulsa, 3:20,
Not to mention that stalwart VP candidate with the big hair and the illegitimate daughter. It appears however, that he is close to betting prison haircuts for the next few years.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
3:23 pm
K71 — “Up date on the last thread about the Cleveland occturds. It has been confirmed by the Cleveland press today that all of these young men who wanted to blow up that bridge were present and participating in the Cleveland occuturd sit in. BOOM!!! That’s the Tampa Bay Convention center going up in flames. What does it take liberals?”
Seems like it took some good investigative and police work to stop ‘em.
Oh, that wasn’t the answer you were looking for? Shrug.
Brosephus™
May 1st, 2012
3:24 pm
Clean up your own act before you point fingers. It’s not that hard a concept.
Was that directed at me personally???
Thulsa Doom
May 1st, 2012
3:26 pm
kayaker,
I knew I was leaving someone out. What a punk. Seems several of these Dem bigwigs got love kids- Edwards, the Reverand Jesse, etc. I think their ethics are comparable to that of a rat.
Towncrier
May 1st, 2012
3:26 pm
“No… people who make up nonsense and expect everyone to go along with them… that’s crazy. People who get all worked up over something without checking their facts: crazy.”
Then by your own definition, you are crazy. If there were absolutely no evidentiary basis for Obama’s earlier socialistic leanings, then how did at least four books get published that talk about this? To argue that he did not, in fact, lean that way in college is to be willfully ignorant I would say. I don’t mind the name calling as much as I mind name calling to avoid an argument one might lose.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 1st, 2012
3:26 pm
“Ethics reform and ethics enforcement is not and should not be a partisan issue.”
Again, this is one of the very few (if only) things you and I can agree on.
Nail ‘em to the wall !
Thulsa Doom
May 1st, 2012
3:26 pm
occutards= terrorists.
Mr_B
May 1st, 2012
3:28 pm
Yaker: I’d have to see the building plans to know for sure. but about 20kg of Semtex would probably be a fair start.
kayaker 71
May 1st, 2012
3:28 pm
Matti, 3:22,
Yeah, like all of those Harvard academics in Bozo’s administration that have never had an honest job or met a payroll, or started or run any kind of business, but who are laying down all the rules for business in this country. A President with no military background who is the commander in chief, a Treasury Secretary that owes money to the IRS, an Energy Secretary who doesn’t even own a car…… you mean that kind of experience?
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 1st, 2012
3:28 pm
Joe Hussein Mama:
This is from way back !
“I have been looking for you. I hadn’t seen that post but you were correct on the facts of the account and I owe you an apology.
The “intell.” involved something else that in fact turned out to be wrong. However, at the time Colonel West did not know that and I still support he was acting in the best interest of his men based on what information he had.”
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 1st, 2012
3:29 pm
Was that directed at me personally???
No, SoCo/Bro.
That’s my leg he’s humping.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 1st, 2012
3:29 pm
Thulsa:
You are incorrect.
Occut*rds=Terrorists
Thulsa Doom
May 1st, 2012
3:29 pm
How about them mugs on the occutard terrorists. Might as well have just painted loser on their foreheads. All 5 are white. I’ld bet at least 2 of them come from upper middle class or above families and just have too much time on their hands.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 1st, 2012
3:29 pm
Rightwing Troll:
“I was unawares that Dan Rather engaged in a pattern of bribery, wiretapping, and cell phone hacking of dead children. Would you provide examples and details please?”
I suppose you have forgotten how he humiliated and disgraced what little journalistic ethics he had left by trying to introduce false documents to the American people just days before the Bush/Gore contest.
What a hypocrite !
kayaker 71
May 1st, 2012
3:30 pm
mr_B, 3:28,
Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp could do it with less.
ty webb
May 1st, 2012
3:30 pm
Rape, scheming to blow up bridges…I long for the days when these occusquatters only took dumps in public.
Mr_B
May 1st, 2012
3:31 pm
“I’ld bet at least 2 of them come from upper middle class or above families and just have too much time on their hands.”
Damn, they got Romney?
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 1st, 2012
3:34 pm
But…but…but…Obama
KABUL — President Obama made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday, landing on the one-year anniversary of the attack that killed Osama bin Laden and during a pivotal moment in U.S-Afghan relations, as the two countries look to define their military and economic ties beyond 2014.
Campaigner-in-chief comments in 3…2…1….
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
3:35 pm
Towncrier — “If there were absolutely no evidentiary basis for Obama’s earlier socialistic leanings, then how did at least four books get published that talk about this? To argue that he did not, in fact, lean that way in college is to be willfully ignorant I would say.”
So what if he did? Given how he’s handling business now, it’s manifestly obvious that whether he ever was a socialist in the past, he’s not one now.
Besides, for all the handwringing you’re doing over what Obama might have been at one time, doesn’t it disturb the conservative rank and file that most Republican Presidents over the last *generation* had been avowedly pro-choice earlier in their lives?
Thomas
May 1st, 2012
3:35 pm
As usual, great piece on local government. If all of us stopped spending time and energy fighting each other and laser focused on both sides of the aisles we would get out of the red and into the black. Speaking of which, loved the AJC story brown (chicken) thighs are better- if you haven’t tried it you should.
Towncrier
May 1st, 2012
3:35 pm
“Interesting that Wikipedia is about to delete the page as being unsourced and unreliable.”
I agree this is interesting, especially since (ironically) at least six of the eight named publications cited in support of the relatively short article are links to unquestioned Wikipedia articles:
Avante!, of the Portuguese Communist Party
Eteenpäin, Finnish-language newspaper in the United States
Forverts/The Forward, a Yiddish/English newspaper from New York
Új Előre (’New Forward’), a Hungarian-language newspaper in the United States
Vorwärts, organ of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Vorwärts!, published from Paris in 1844 and associated with the Communist League
The plot thickens, it would seem.
Normal Free, Plain and Simple
May 1st, 2012
3:36 pm
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 1st, 2012
3:29 pm
Never mind that he was set up by Cheney’s machine, just like Kerry.
kayaker 71
May 1st, 2012
3:36 pm
Doom, 3:29,
They all look like they could use a bath, especially the one with the beard. And I am sure that Queen Nancy, Dirty Harry, Bozo and all of those occuturd backers out there are still behind the movement. This is grass roots American, folks, participating in their God given right to protest the ills created by capitalism and free enterprise….. and if that doesn’t work, just blow ‘em up. Not a word from any of these liberal losers. Nothing.
Normal Free, Plain and Simple
May 1st, 2012
3:38 pm
kayaker 71
May 1st, 2012
3:36 pm
Got yer good manners, I see…
Brosephus™
May 1st, 2012
3:38 pm
Kam
Ok, thanks. I was trying to figure out where I pointed fingers specifically at one side. I think most every politician is ethically challenged. I just don’t see Georgia politicians doing anything meaningful when it comes to ethics. In regards to Balfour, the GOP tends to protect their own more than they throw them under the bus. I don’t see anything to suggest they would do anything different here.
Thulsa Doom
May 1st, 2012
3:38 pm
Scout,
But but but the occutards are just innocent protestors.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
3:39 pm
0311 — “Joe Hussein Mama: This is from way back ! I have been looking for you. I hadn’t seen that post but you were correct on the facts of the account and I owe you an apology.”
“The “intell.” involved something else that in fact turned out to be wrong. However, at the time Colonel West did not know that and I still support he was acting in the best interest of his men based on what information he had.”
Actually, West didn’t *have* any intel at all. He had a *suspicion* that, according to eyewitness statements (I’ve read ‘em) was not supported by any actual intel whatsoever. IMO, the fact that he didn’t have intel is why he accepted the Article 15 punishment instead of requesting a court martial.
West was then punished for violating orders *and* for doing so in the absence of any persuasive intel. Had he had some, he could have requested and received a court martial and might have even been exonerated of any wrongdoing. As it was, though, he was wrong, he didn’t have any intel and he KNEW it. Thus he accepted the Article 15 UCMJ action.
Thanks for closing the loop, though. FWIW, you can find the eyewitness statements online. They make West seem a little hysterical and unbalanced IMO.
Fly-on-the-Wall
May 1st, 2012
3:43 pm
Kayer – you are a real piece of…….work. I want the drugs you take so you can live in your fantasy world. Are they government supplied too?
ByteMe - Political thug
May 1st, 2012
3:43 pm
If there were absolutely no evidentiary basis for Obama’s earlier socialistic leanings, then how did at least four books get published that talk about this?
Hahahaha… Dude, I’ve had a book published. Long out of print now. I know what it takes to get one published and the biggest thing is this: the publisher believes there’s a market for it and can sell it in quantity. Just because the crazy are happy to buy this stuff and think it’s gospel doesn’t mean it’s still not crazy. And publishers are happy to capitalize on this if it’ll make them money.
How much wasted ink about Obama’s birth certificate, hmmm?
Fly-on-the-Wall
May 1st, 2012
3:43 pm
Sorry, to fast on the keys – that was meant for KAYAKER!
Thulsa Doom
May 1st, 2012
3:44 pm
kayaker,
Like I said the biggest affront of theirs wasn’t pooping on cop cars, rioting, and making general nuisances of themselves. It was they stinkiness. They needed to be hosed down a bit. Get some a that funk off of them. Can you imagine how bad it was for the 4 women who reportedly got raped. On top of such an indigation it was done by a really stinky dude.
Sure glad the tea party didn’t have rapes, attempteded terrorist bombings, and just plain stinky rioting people. Mighty nice of them tea party folks to have paid all their applicable fees and clean up after they left as opposed to trashing places like Woddruff park.
Towncrier
May 1st, 2012
3:44 pm
“So what if he did? Given how he’s handling business now, it’s manifestly obvious that whether he ever was a socialist in the past, he’s not one now.”
First, thank you for acknowledging the truth and not writing me off as “crazy”. Second, look back at my original posts to see what my point in all of this was: the new slogan is ill-advised, in my opinion. Why use something with which your opponents might be able to make political hay? And that get’s to the lack of wisdom of people surrounding Obama.
“Besides, for all the handwringing you’re doing over what Obama might have been at one time, doesn’t it disturb the conservative rank and file that most Republican Presidents over the last *generation* had been avowedly pro-choice earlier in their lives?”
See above. What handwringing? But let me understand you: do you think it is okay for Obama to use this “strategy” against Romney (say, as with being pro-choice) but not vice versa? As for the Republican presidents you mention, I have no problem with someone changing their position just as long as they 1) admit they had it 2) explain why they changed their mind and 3) demonstrate they have indeed changed it. Has Obama done this with his socialistic views? If so, please point me to where I may read up on it.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 1st, 2012
3:45 pm
The plot thickens, it would seem.
And “forward” is an anagram for “or dwarf”.
Sinister I tells you, sinister.
Matti
May 1st, 2012
3:46 pm
kayaker71 @ 3:28,
Nice deflection. Do you live in Georgia? If so, the corrupt and completely unethical state legislators and executive officials who suckle tax dollars from the bosom of a dying state THANK YOU for ignoring everything they do.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 1st, 2012
3:46 pm
Joe Hussein Mama:
I hear you but “Suspicion” in a combat environment saves lives.
I walked many a “point” in the infantry in Nam. Believe me, suspicion, hunches, erie feelings that you are being watched ……………….. they are all important.
ByteMe - Political thug
May 1st, 2012
3:47 pm
And “forward” is an anagram for “or dwarf”.
That makes it even more scary!
Towncrier
May 1st, 2012
3:48 pm
“Hahahaha… Dude, I’ve had a book published. Long out of print now. I know what it takes to get one published and the biggest thing is this: the publisher believes there’s a market for it and can sell it in quantity. Just because the crazy are happy to buy this stuff and think it’s gospel doesn’t mean it’s still not crazy.”
I think I have you pegged now. You are a political ostrich of sorts. I suspect it is the kind of seemingly close minded people like yourself on both the right and left that will preclude us from solving the problems we so badly need to solve. At least JMH knows enough NOT to dispute Obama’s past. When you decide to start dealing with facts and reason, let me know.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
May 1st, 2012
3:49 pm
ByteMe
I Bidened that from a reader at TBogg’s as he did this yesterday.
Thomas Heyward jr
May 1st, 2012
3:50 pm
800 dollars?……….maybe more?
.
Sheesh.
.
Nail him if you can.
.
But keep in mind………..that’s less than one day’s per diem for a Federal Secret Service thug Chaperone that is supposed to look after a Federal thug Secret Service Agent.
.
Lord only knows what Obama Debt Laden is handing out over in Afghan now to his fellow corrupto-crat.
.
Once again……………………………………..sheeeesh.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 1st, 2012
3:50 pm
Headline: “President Obama will speak on U.S. TV at 7:30 p.m. ET from Afghanistan on the anniversary of the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.”
Sorry, but the Braves are on.
Eustis
May 1st, 2012
3:52 pm
Jay,
same crowd of posters. Just like wrestling fans that believe it’s real.
You must get a kick out of all this.
Towncrier
May 1st, 2012
3:52 pm
” “President Obama will speak on U.S. TV at 7:30 p.m. ET from Afghanistan on the anniversary of the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.”
Wow. That is truly sad. And perhaps, as Jay would say, crassly opportunistic. Why does everything have to be politics with Obama and Romney?
kayaker 71
May 1st, 2012
3:53 pm
Fly on the Wall 3:43,
“Are they govt. supplied too”?. Nope…. pay for them myself.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
May 1st, 2012
3:53 pm
Thomas Heyward jr:
Sorry, but the federal per diem lodging rate for NYC is $241 and meals/other expenses is $71.
http://www.gsa.gov/portal/category/100120
Simple Truths
May 1st, 2012
3:53 pm
Whoa! A politician with ethics issues. Couldn’t see that one coming…
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
May 1st, 2012
3:54 pm
Well, heh, heh, Balfour is a Republican and a good ol’ boy to boot. Which is more than you can say about those two scoundrels. You got to give people with alot of power a little room to
squirmmove around. You can’t be nickle and diming them all the time.Anyhow, Republicans have just been in power in this state for 10 years. When they got 150 years behind them, like the librul Democrats, then maybe you can get a little tighter with the rules.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m all for ethics. But not if it’s going to remove a solid Conservative Republican from office.
Have a good p.m. and night everybody.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
3:56 pm
Towncrier — “First, thank you for acknowledging the truth and not writing me off as “crazy”.
First, I haven’t acknowledged what you so colorfully seem to think is the “truth.” I’m simply trying to engage you politely and respectfully. I quite clearly said that ‘even if’ does not equal ’still is today.’ I think that *you* need to acknowledge that.
Furthermore, your point about books is poorly taken. Have you ever heard of a “vanity press?” Regnery Publishing will print and bind pretty much anything you give them, if you pay them enough, and they’ve been used as a vanity press by conservatives for years. The fact that something’s been printed in a book by no means establishes its veracity, so for you to use that as a supporting argument is really quite risible.
“Second, look back at my original posts to see what my point in all of this was: the new slogan is ill-advised, in my opinion. Why use something with which your opponents might be able to make political hay? And that get’s to the lack of wisdom of people surrounding Obama.”
How, exactly, does that tie into a discussion of ethics in Georgia state governance, please?
“See above. What handwringing?”
If it’s not handwringing, then how did this come up in a discussion of ethics in GA state governance?
“But let me understand you: do you think it is okay for Obama to use this “strategy” against Romney (say, as with being pro-choice) but not vice versa? As for the Republican presidents you mention, I have no problem with someone changing their position just as long as they 1) admit they had it 2) explain why they changed their mind and 3) demonstrate they have indeed changed it. Has Obama done this with his socialistic views? If so, please point me to where I may read up on it.”
Once again, what does this have to do with a discussion of ethics with respect to Georgia state governance, please?
Towncrier
May 1st, 2012
3:57 pm
“Don’t get me wrong—I’m all for ethics. But not if it’s going to remove a solid Conservative Republican from office.”
Or I guess (in the case of people like Barney Frank) a good solid liberal Democrat. The story is too often true for both parties.
kayaker 71
May 1st, 2012
3:58 pm
So Bozo is going to address the world from Afghanistan on the one year anniversary of OBL’s take down. The ultimate campaign stop. Now all of you liberals out there who didn’t like Mission Accomplished have nothing else to say. Wonder how what’s left of Seal Team Six thinks about this? This clown has no class. Not only will it piss off the whole Islamic world, it just makes him look like an opportunist. Sort of like accepting the Nobel Peace price for doing what? Absolutely nothing.
ByteMe - Political thug
May 1st, 2012
3:59 pm
I think I have you pegged now. You are a political ostrich of sorts
Glad I could help make your mind orderly for you. You’re wrong, of course. I recognize nonsense when I read (and hear) it. Some people couch it as though it were an interesting “discussion”, but it’s still nonsense.
If you think Obama is “Marxist” or “Socialist”, then you also thought W was a “compassionate conservative” (his words, as opposed to the nuttiness being made up about Obama).
Watch what they do, not what they say. They are CORPORATISTS. You’re being played.
josef
May 1st, 2012
4:00 pm
For the love of G-d! These are politicians and elected officials. They are a lying, cheating, self-serving pack of wolves here in Georgia, from the Redwood Forests to the Gulfstream waters, and from one corner of planet earth to the other, It goes with the territory, It’s a job requirement. To pretend otherwise or think we can change the nature of the beast is simply naive. The best we can hope for is to control it. Entrusting that control to the ones doing it….? Get real….
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
4:00 pm
0311 — “I hear you but “Suspicion” in a combat environment saves lives. I walked many a “point” in the infantry in Nam. Believe me, suspicion, hunches, erie feelings that you are being watched ……………….. they are all important.”
I don’t reject that at all, and I completely agree with you.
The knock against LTC West is that he *disobeyed direct orders* based on that hunch and that there was no evidence supporting his hunch — though there was a LOT of evidence that *disagreed* with his hunch. Again, check out the eyewitness statements (I’ve read them online and they’re not hard to find) and I think you might see what I mean.
pogo
May 1st, 2012
4:02 pm
Agree 100% with you Jay. Get rid of the bum.
On another note, some of the nations largest employers are seriously looking at dropping healthcare for their employees under Obamacare. While they will have to pay the $2000 fine, they look to save about 54 billion annually. Was this the way that was supposed to be played out? Especially with the promises Obama gave about people keeping their employer provided healthcare. And who will cover these employees? The taxpayers, that’s who. Obamacare has shifted the cost of health care costs from big business onto the taxpayers. What a f#$%ing loser.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
4:02 pm
Towncrier — “At least JMH knows enough NOT to dispute Obama’s past.”
Did you not even read what I said earlier? Where did I even *remotely* agree with you?
“When you decide to start dealing with facts and reason, let me know.”
Speak for yourself, Champ.
Joe Hussein Mama
May 1st, 2012
4:04 pm
K71 — “Now all of you liberals out there who didn’t like Mission Accomplished have nothing else to say. ”
I do.
OBL’s dead. The “Mission” was NOT “Accomplished” when President Bush made that speech.
Attention to detail, Kayaker. (laughing)