Is Cuccinelli's Campaign Seeking to Intimidate and Have Police Watch Bloggers?

 

I am hardly the only Virginia blogger who is seeking to educate readers and others as to the severe danger Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli poses to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the rights and liberties of its citizens, especially those Kookinelli despises: gays, blacks, women and non-Christians for starters.   One such blog is called Cooch Watch 2013 which is reporting on (i) the growing Star Scientific scandal, (ii) Kookinelli's anti-women agenda, and (iii) and all of the other regressive and Christofascist agenda items so loved by Kookinelli.  A post in Blue Virginia suggests that Cuccinelli may not be too happy with such scrutiny and raises the question of whether or not Cuccinelli may be preparing to use the police to harass those who want the public to know all they need to know about Cuccinelli.  Here are excerpts:

Wow, this does not look good at all [see image above]:

An anonymous Cooch Watch supporter got into Ken Cuccinelli's Henrico Field Office and sent us this picture. We did our own research and this is real, folks. Cooch's minions have "Cooch Watch Watch" up and running in cooperation with the police.

In sum, according to the "Cooch Watch" folks, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is alleged to be coordinating with local police in Henrico County to keep an eye on a bunch of bloggers who pose absolutely no threat to anyone. If this is really what's going on here: wow. 

So, let's summarize Cuccinelli's unethical behavior over the past couple years: 

*"U.S. Navy Veterans Association" scam/Bobby Thompson scandal? Check.
*Using the powers of the AG's office to persecute a scientist he didn't agree with (Democratic AG candidate Mark Herring has called that behavior by Cuccinelli "UnAmerican," and he's right!)? Check.
*Using Virginia taxpayers' money to have a state employee ghost write his book? Check.
*Crony investing with a slimeball company that pushes "tobacco candy" to kids? Check.
*According to CoochWatch, having the police keep an eye on a bunch of bloggers who don't want him elected? Check. 

P.S. One person on the "Cooch Watch" Facebook page wrote, "[I] just called the 501-5000 number. [T]he lady who answered the phone professed ignorance about the possibility that a sitting politician is abusing state power by asking one of the coercive agencies of the state (the PD) to spy or harass a women's health advocacy group. She also verified the 328-2570 number as an east end PD office number."

I will let readers draw their own conclusions.  Personally, in my opinion, such conduct would be very much in keeping with Cuccinelli's fascist inclinations.  His definition of "freedom" and "liberty" translates to extremists and Christofascist like himself imposing their beliefs on all citizens.  The man is in my opinion mentally ill and is a would be Hitler at the state level - although his ambitions extend far beyond Virginia.  He needs to be roundly defeated in November.  

University of Missouri-Kansas City Created Scholarship for Gay Students

All too often young LGBT individuals continue to find themselves disowned by family and cut off from financial resources as they seek to further their education and enroll in college.  I have personal friends who suffered this sad fate and this reality is part of what motivated me to provide the initial endowment for the George D. and Marion Phelps Hamar/HRBOR scholarship nearly 2 years ago to aid LGBT students in financial need.  Apparently, the University of Missouri-Kansas City seemingly recognized the unique needs of LGBT applicants who have been cast out by "godly Christian" parents and left to their own devices for financing their education.   The result is a scholarship at that university.  Here are highlights via the Kansas City Star:

For all the increasing public acceptance of same-sex marriage (in Washington and elsewhere), for all the backlash against antigay bullying, for all the popularity of a TV show like “Modern Family,” which features a same-sex couple …

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/08/4169302/tuition-and-tolerance.html#storylink=cpy

It’s still not always easy being gay. Even on a college campus.  After all, if your parents just found out you’re gay and aren’t exactly cool with it, your days on that campus might be numbered. Especially if they’re footing the bills.

University of Missouri-Kansas City officials started talking about what they could do to help in that situation, and four years ago created a scholarship for gay students who suddenly find themselves facing a financial crisis. Two students got the scholarship in 2009-10, the first year. The following year: one. This school year? Three.

“This year was the greatest need we’ve seen,” says Kristi Ryujin, UMKC’s assistant vice chancellor for diversity, access and equity. “We have a long way to go still.”

The Pride Empowerment Scholarship is thought to be fairly unusual. The annual breakfast that raises money for it is Thursday; the event is sold out.  National Public Radio White House correspondent Ari Shapiro, who was on campus in March for a pride event, tweeted afterward: “Real privilege to speak at UMKC tonight. The school raises $ to help students whose parents kick them out for being gay. Bravo.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/08/4169302/tuition-and-tolerance.html#storylink=cpy

Since the scholarship was first offered, eight students have been awarded it. Files says he’s aware of the situations of this year’s other two recipients. One family basically said, “Don’t call us anymore.” The other was of the we’re-cutting-you-off variety.

One of this year’s recipients had been living in a “camp space,” Ryujin says.  The scholarship goes beyond financial assistance. Ryujin’s office keeps tabs on students and connects them with other campus resources, such as the university’s counseling center. UMKC also has an LGBTQIA Resource Center and a Pride Alliance student group.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/08/4169302/tuition-and-tolerance.html#storylink=cpy

Kudos to the  University of Missouri-Kansas City!  Meanwhile, if any readers would like to contribute to the scholarship I founded, click on the image of my parents on their wedding day at right and make a contribution via the Hampton Roads Community Foundation which administers the scholarship.  Be sure to identify the Hamar/HRBOR scholarship as the intended recipient of the tax deductible donation.

The Secret of the Seven Sisters - The Cartel That Contols the World's Oil

For newer readers, in my initial years out of law school I worked first for a private law firm that did a huge amount of oil and gas work and later I was in-house counsel for the then largest independent oil company in America out side of the so-called "Seven Sisters" - Exxon, Shell, BP, Mobil, Texaco, Gulf and Chevron - the biggest oil companies in the world.  Hence, I have known the oil industry from the inside - both the good and the bad.  And, despite the rise of OPEC and set backs in some nations where thy saw their assets nationalized, in part often because of poor stewardship, the Seven Sisters (now diminished in numbers due to mergers) still have largely still ended up on top and still wield immense power.   When you hear advertisements lauding the job creation by the oil industry or attack ads against politicians who want to tighten up on the oil industry - often run by the American Petroleum Institute - you are hearing the Seven Sisters at work.  Interestingly  enough,  Al Jazeera is running a four part series on the history of the Seven Sisters and how they continue to control the world's oil supply.  Here are some highlights (go to the article to view a video clip):

On August 28, 1928, in the Scottish highlands, began the secret story of oil.   Three men had an appointment at Achnacarry Castle - a Dutchman, an American and an Englishman.

The Dutchman was Henry Deterding, a man nicknamed the Napoleon of Oil, having exploited a find in Sumatra. He joined forces with a rich ship owner and painted Shell salesman and together the two men founded Royal Dutch Shell.

The American was Walter C. Teagle and he represents the Standard Oil Company, founded by John D. Rockefeller at the age of 31 - the future Exxon. Oil wells, transport, refining and distribution of oil - everything is controlled by Standard oil.

The Englishman, Sir John Cadman, was the director of the Anglo-Persian oil Company, soon to become BP. On the initiative of a young Winston Churchill, the British government had taken a stake in BP and the Royal Navy switched its fuel from coal to oil. With fuel-hungry ships, planes and tanks, oil became "the blood of every battle".

The new automobile industry was developing fast, and the Ford T was selling by the million. The world was thirsty for oil, and companies were waging a merciless contest but the competition was making the market unstable.

That August night, the three men decided to stop fighting and to start sharing out the world's oil. Their vision was that production zones, transport costs, sales prices - everything would be agreed and shared. And so began a great cartel, whose purpose was to dominate the world, by controlling its oil.

Four others soon joined them, and they came to be known as the Seven Sisters - Exxon, Shell, BP, Mobil, Texaco, Gulf and Chevron - the biggest oil companies in the world.

In the first episode, we travel across the Middle East, through both time and space.

"We waged the Iran-Iraq war and I say we waged it, because one country had to be used to destroy the other. As they already benefit from the oil bonanza, and they’re building up financal reserves, from time to time they have to be bled." - Xavier Houzel, an Oil trader

Throughout the region's modern history, since the discovery of oil, the Seven Sisters have sought to control the balance of power.

They have supported monarchies in Iran and Saudi Arabia, opposed the creation of OPEC, profiting from the Iran-Iraq war, leading to the ultimate destruction of Saddam Hussein and Iraq.

The Seven Sisters were always present, and almost always came out on top.  Since that notorious meeting at Achnacarry Castle on August 28, 1928, they have never ceased to plot, to plan and to scheme.

Am I being cynical?  I do not think so.  One need only remember that Dick Cheney's Halliburton before all else was (going back many decades) and is a major oil services corporation totally intertwined with the Seven Sisters.  The America public was played for a bunch of suckers and fools by Messrs Bush and Cheney.

Wednesday Morning Male Beauty

Coming Out to One's Anti-Gay Father

 

One thing that continues to strike me is the irony that many of the most vociferous homophobes are the parents of gay children, e.g., Phyllis Schlafly is but one example.  Another is Charles W. Socarides, M.D., the father of gay rights activist Richard Socarides.  The elder Socarides not only is anti-gay, but was a founder of NARTH, which continues to maintain that homosexuality is a form of mental illness that can be "cured" through psychotherapy despite the positions of every legitimate medical and mental health association.  Personally, I believe that the only mental illness involved is that on the part of parents who cannot accept their gay children, especially those like Schlafly who blame sexual orientation on poor parenting.  In The New Yorker Richard Socarides has an interesting article that looks at his situation with his father.  Here are highlights:

Ever since I first knew I was gay, which for me was early on—as a teenager—I have been conflicted about talking about my father and our relationship. By the time I was in high school and felt the first attraction to other boys, he was a renowned New York psychiatrist—Dr. Charles W. Socarides, M.D.—famous mostly for being an early proponent of the theory that homosexuality is a mental illness that can be cured through psychotherapy.

I was never interested in changing my sexual orientation. For some reason, despite my background, I always considered it a gift and just a part of who I was.

There were challenges. Often, especially before I was out of the closet, I felt I had to hide my sexual orientation in order to avoid the notoriety that would have accompanied such a disclosure by the son of one of the founders of so-called gay-conversion therapy.

As I became an advocate for gay rights, I wanted very much for that work to stand on its own, and not viewed in the context of my father’s reputation. I was also sometimes embarrassed for him, as his professional reputation became interconnected with a theory that was, over time, wholly discredited. And it was just plain irritating to be asked, over and over again, if I was related to that crazy anti-gay doctor (and to have to say yes). With this backdrop, it was difficult, over the years until his death in 2005, to hold on to the residual affection I had for him as just my dad.

I think that coming out is the strongest and most important political act any gay person can take. It lets others know who we are, and, as I learned in politics, if you personally know a gay person, it is harder to support any kind of discrimination against him or her.

I don’t think my coming out to my dad was harder or easier than anyone else’s. I didn’t come out to the founder of conversion therapy. I came out to my father.

Richard Socarides talks about his coming out to his dad here:

Full 4th Circuit Unanimously Rejects Cuccinelli’s Bid To Reinstate Anti-Sodomy Law

A week or so ago this blog looked at the petition files by Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit - one of the most conservative circuit courts - requesting a rehearing en banc after a three judge panel of the Court struck down Virginia's sodomy statute as unconstitutional.  The statute, which was indirectly ruled unconstitutional in the context of consensual gay sex by the decision in Lawrence v. Texas, basically makes anything other than "missionary position" sex between opposite gender individuals a felony.   It goes without saying that the Christofascists and the hate merchants at The Family Foundation LOVE the sodomy statute.  This reality, combined with Kookinelli's obsession with regulating other people's sexual activity and gay sex in particular, are the likely reason for his petition for a rehearing en banc - a hearing by all of the judges on the 4th Circuit rather than a mere three judge panel.  Now, the 4th Circuit has responded and basically told Kookinelli to take a hike.  Here are excerpts from Think Progress: 

Late last month, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) filed a petition asking the full United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to reinstate Virginia’s “Crimes Against Nature” law, which makes oral and anal sex a felony. A three-judge panel of that same court had struck down the law, noting that it cannot be squared the Supreme Court’s decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which prohibits laws criminalizing non-commercial sexual activity between consenting adults. Yesterday, the Fourth Circuit issued an order rejecting Cuccinelli’s request. Notably, not one of the court’s judges requested a poll of the court to consider Cuccinelli’s petition, so his petition received no support whatsoever from the court’s members.

As ThinkProgress noted last week, this case involved a felony prosecution of a 47 year-old man charged with soliciting oral sex from a 17 year-old girl. While a blanket ban on oral sex is unconstitutional under Lawrence, Virginia is permitted to pass laws criminalizing sex with people who are underage. Indeed, the Virginia legislature considered a bill which would have done exactly that, by bringing the “Crimes Against Nature” law in compliance with Lawrence, in 2004. Cuccinelli voted against that bill because he wanted to keep an outright ban on gay sex on the books, even if that ban was unconstitutional.

In other words, if Cuccinelli had not refused to bring state law into compliance with the Constitution, he wouldn’t have lost his case before the Fourth Circuit.

The question now becomes whether or not Kookinelli files an appeal with the U. S. Supreme Court and squanders more tax payer  money.  Given his pattern of filing losing lawsuits, I suspect that he will now turn to the U. S. Supreme Court which hopefully likewise kick him to the curb.  The man, in my opinion, is certifiably insane.

Is Bobby Jindal Self-Destructing?

Candidly, I do not like the policies that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has been pursuing in his quest to bolster his image with the national Christofascist and Tea Party crowd.   The irony now seems to be that while he has increased his name visibility at the national level, his popularity is on a sharp decline in his home state where the policies cheered by the knuckle draggers and saboteurs of the Christofascist/Tea Party are proving not so popular with the hometown crowd.  Of course, if one's popularity crashes and burns in one's home state, it makes the likelihood of success nationally far less certain.  Apparently, Jindal should have kept his eye more on the wants and desires of those in Louisiana.  Here are highlights from a Washington Post article:

Jindal’s approval rating appears to be in steady decline. On Monday he dropped his tax reform plan that would have replaced income taxes with higher sales taxes, acknowledging a widespread backlash from the public, religious groups, business and state lawmakers in his own party. ”It certainly wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for,” Jindal said.

That very public failure comes just 16 months ago after Jindal was easily reelected with two-thirds of the vote against minimal Democratic opposition. What happened? The answer is that the policies that have made Jindal an increasingly attractive national candidate have hurt him back home.

Deep budget cuts, particularly to health care and education spending, have been unpopular. Polling suggests that a small majority also opposes the vouchers at the heart of his educational reform plan, which a judge has deemed unconstitutional. While other Republicans gave in, Jindal has held firm in his opposition to a federally-funded Medicaid expansion — an unpopular position, according to a Southern Media Opinion & Research poll.

Jindal’s popularity dip is the price of getting things done, Anderson [a Jindal political consultant] argued. At six percent, unemployment in Louisiana is lower than the national average and low for the region. In 2011 the state GDP ticked up .5 percent. Per capita income has also grown, although it’s still below the national average.

The current slump is hardly the end of the story. Jindal is still pushing for an income tax repeal without the sales tax swap — and his staff is no longer insisting that the package be revenue-neutral. To pass that legislation he needs only a simple majority rather than the two-thirds required to raise sales taxes and it will likely be much more popular (at least in the short term) even if fiscal hawks in the state cry foul. (Republicans control both the state House and state Senate.)

As a presidential contender, Jindal has been touted not just as a reformer but as one who can stay hugely popular while making dramatic cuts. Of late, that’s not been the case, however.

I'm sorry, but anyone willing to prostitute themselves to the Christofascists/Tea Party doesn't deserve a promising political future. Long term, these groups are political poison to the GOP's future.  When will someone grow a spine and stand up to them?

More Tuesday Male Beauty

Democrats Demand Cuccinelli Resign Over Star Scientific Scandal; Did McDonnell Lie About Star Scientific Gift?

It seems that Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli and Bob McDonnell are becoming increasingly ensnared in the web of conflicts of interest and failures to disclose financial interests and gifts.

I noted the other day how the Virginian Pilot ran a scathing editorial calling for Ken Cuccinelli to resign from the office of attorney general.  As noted before, Cuccinelli has been ripping of Virginia tax payers and using state employees as campaign workers - not to mention drawing his own salary while spending almost all of his time campaigning.  Now, with the Star Scientific scandal picking up steam, it is even more appropriate that Cuccinelli resign.  I suspect Cuccinelli will resist as long as possible so that he can maximize the money he rips off from Virginia taxpayers who have no desire to fund his campaign.  As Blue Virginia reports, some leading Democrats have had enough og Cuccinelli's sleazy conduct and are calling openly for his resignation.  Here are excerpts:

 "More than two weeks of news accounts have revealed that Cuccinelli neglected to disclose that he owned Star Scientific stock when they sued Virginia to avoid paying up to $1.5 million in taxes, failed to recuse his office from the case and bought more Star stock after the company filed their suit against the Commonwealth...McEachin, Toscano and Herring will call on Cuccinelli to put transparency and accountability ahead of his personal ambition and resign his office." A few more highlights from the call:

Charniele Herring: Cuccinelli was not elected to use his office as a platform for his personal and ideological agenda, but unfortunately that's what he's done in the case of Star Scientific and Jonnie Williams ("deep pocketed special interests"). So, we're calling on Cuccinelli step down as Attorney General immediately. 

Donald McEachin: This issue is not a partisan issue, it's a matter of what kind of leadership Virginians deserve in their Attorney General. These are not Democratic accusations against Cuccinelli, the news has been reported by the AP, Washington Post, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and the Virginian Pilot. Cuccinelli has put his personal and financial interest over the interest of Virginians. 

David Toscano: Cuccinelli's "inexcusable conflict of interest" with Star Scientific goes deeper than we knew a week ago. Now, given all that we know about this scandal, Cuccinelli must resign.

Besides being liars, these "godly" men also seem to have an affinity for enriching themselves via gifts from campaign contributors and those seeking political favors.  It looks like Bob McDonnell's ludicrous lie that a $15,000 gift was to his daughter, and not himself may be about to explode in his face. Here are highlights from the Virginian Pilot on McDonnell's apparent lies:

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has said his daughter and her husband paid for their own wedding. So a $15,000 check from a major campaign donor to pay for the food at the affair was a gift to the bride and groom and not to him, and therefore did not have to be publicly disclosed under the law, the governor says.

But documents obtained by The Washington Post show that McDonnell signed the catering contract, making him financially responsible for the 2011 event. The governor made handwritten notes to the caterer in the margins. In addition, the governor paid nearly $8,000 in deposits for the catering.  When the combination of the governor's deposit and the gift from the donor resulted in an overpayment to the caterer, the refund check of more than $3,500 went to McDonnell's wife and not to his daughter, her husband or back to the donor.

The new documents suggest that the governor was more involved with the financing of the wedding than he has previously acknowledged.

The question of who was responsible for paying the catering bill is a key one because Virginia law requires that elected officials publicly report gifts of more than $50. The law does not require the disclosure of gifts to family members.

The comments came as McDonnell faces new questions surrounding his relationship with Williams and his company, which McDonnell and his wife showcased even as they received other gifts and campaign donations. The company has revealed it is the subject of a federal securities investigation.

Williams and Star Scientific provided McDonnell and his political action committee more than $120,000 in publicly disclosed political donations and gifts.

I suspect that right now Taliban Bob is perhaps wishing that he had had a little less upscale affair for his daughter.  He and Kookinelli may think that they are above the law, but time may prove otherwise. 

The Anti-Gay Osmonds - Without Marie

I bookmarked a op-ed in the Salt Lake City Tribune last week and forgot about it until now.  The immediate focus of the piece is an anti-gay rally that the Osmond Family put on - without Marie Osmond who has come out in support of gay marriage.  But the deeper focus of the piece is the harm that the anti-gay bigots do to others, some of whom may be family members and friends.  Sadly, the self-centered, self-congratulatory "godly" folk don't give a damn about the lives they damage or ruin.  To me, if there is a Judgment Day, these individuals will be judged severely and deservedly so.  They truly do not care about the evil they do.  Here are excerpts from the op-ed:

As the country watched the Supreme Court deliberate on the fate of marriage equality the other day, it was heart-wrenching to watch as some of our leaders and elected officials in Utah voiced support for continued segregation.

We must start asking ourselves, how much longer will we continue to hurt our families?

A rally last week against marriage equality was hosted at the Utah State Capitol by the Osmond family, and featured high-profile speakers, including Gov. Gary Herbert.

The organizers sought desperately to keep the tone civil, with multiple speakers claiming they were not speaking out of hatred, but out of love for all.  But what kind of love is it to tell your fellow human beings, "I love you, I just don't want the best for you?" 

We cannot continue to delude ourselves into thinking that denying full equality under the law inflicts no harm on our fellow Americans.

Loving and committed couples are placed into desperate straits without the benefits you and your spouse take for granted. The ability to make medical decisions for each other, not having to go through property disputes with your spouse's family if your spouse were to pass away, being able to gain insurance through your working spouse's employer. These are all things that opposite-sex couples never give a moment's consideration, yet are denied to hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples.

Marriage equality has nothing to do with your religion. Because it is the predominant faith in Utah, it would be remiss not to acknowledge the LDS Church's opposition to same-sex marriage.  .  .  .  .   The LDS Church is free to never perform same-sex marriages within its temples, but that should not infringe upon the rights of others who have no interest in a temple wedding.
As citizens of the United States, we must recognize our sacred duty to uphold the principles upon which our great nation was founded.

"We the People" have had some slips in our history, but one by one we have overcome them. We banished slavery, women achieved the right to vote, people of color became full citizens.

Now is the time, in 2013, to shrug off one of the remaining yokes of segregation and recognize that no two consenting adults can be legally denied the rights and privileges everyone else enjoys. We must all have equal access to the law.

I hope that the Osmond family, the governor, and all who follow them take to heart the lessons taught by Marie Osmond who, in 2009, when her daughter Jessica came out of the closet, said it best: "When it comes to marriage, civil rights need to be for all."

Kudos to Marie Osmond.  Would that others in her family could open their eyes to the evil that they are doing.