“Today I weep for my country. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. … Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned. We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. After war has ended the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America’s image around the globe.”
Senator Robert Byrd, March, 2003

I dare Senator Robert Byrd, Democrat from West Virginia, to greet PFC Jessica Lynch with these exact words on her return from Germany, where she is recuperating after having been captured while “injuring” America’s image, as he says.

We will see if he is a man of convictions, or just another politician spouting his party’s line, hoping it will hurt our Commander in Chief, George, W. Bush.

Will he show the same courage this young 19 year old girl has and say what he REALLY thinks of America, our military, and the Commander in Chief?

Don’t hold your breath. But even if he doesn’t . . . we can read above, what he has already said, so obviously believe. And it is up to West Virginians to remember these words the next time he is up for election.

Oh, and someone should remind him that the people he says mistrust us . . . are not our friends.

Everyone holds their breath until the shopping days before Christmas to see if the economy is strong or not, as though that one period of extreme buying is a reflection on the strength or weakness of the overall economy. Well, I would suggest the economic advisors and money mavins get a new yardstick of spending confidence.

Christmas became commercial when very smart businessmen, years ago, realized that the adherents to a belief in Christ, his birth, death and resurrection, took this one time of the year to celebrate the beginning of their religion by giving gifts. It’s a birthday, gifts are given . . . albeit, not to the birthday boy, but to each other in honor of Jesus.

For years many people who still think Jesus is a little plastic baby in a feeding trough, jumped on the bandwagon and used this holiday as a great reason to shop, decorate, sing carols, fire up yule logs, and generally share good cheer and happiness with friends and family.

They were never offended by the term Christmas, because well, it was Christmas. The season was not being celebrated because it was a winter holiday.

If that was the case, why not take Dec. 21 off which is officially the first day of winter. And then, why give gifts or sing of Christ the new born king, born in Bethlehem, with angels we have heard on high hovering over three kings from the Orient bringing gifts to a little baby in a feeding trough?

It seems so interesting to me that the birth of arguably the most perfect man to walk the earth is now considered controversial to the point of whitewashing the meaning, replacing it with drivel that has meaning for no one.

What can “winter holiday” possibly mean for someone in Miami or San Diego? What does “season’s greetings” have to do with shopping?

Everyone is supposed to tip toe around the indiscretions of Mohammed for fear of inciting more terrorist attacks from people who insist their religion is based on peace and love while also claiming they are charged with killing anyone who disagrees with it. But when the discussion turns to Jesus, all bets are off.

He is the father of a religion that has beget the most hateful, prejudiced, bigoted, mean spirited group of people since the beginning of time. Sort of like those innocent Baptist, Christian doctors who were gunned down in Yemen by a, gasp, peace-loving Muslim. And their crime? They had given their lives serving their fellow man the way Christ commissioned those who followed Him to do.

They had saved thousands of childrens’ lives and never once asked what religion they or their parents practiced.

Even though we have proof that thousands of Americans and billions of US dollars have been sent overseas to help even our political enemies, a sitting US Senator, Patty Murray, says we can learn a lesson from the humanitarian efforts of Osama Bin-killing-Americans Laden. Patty, Patty . . . an Osama thug shot and killed these Baptist doctors who were doing humanitarian work in a country that has harbored terrorists.

He wasn’t there on a humanitarian mission to make lives better.

I hear deafening idiocy emerging from the same self-righteous groups who demanded Trent Lott’s head.

Trent Lott talked about a US Senator’s past and implied segregation was good and the rest of the world filled in the blanks.

Another US Senator, Patty Murray, can state without reservation that the US has much to learn from the man who murdered 3000 innocent Americans and excuses are made for her stupidity, and that giant hushing sound is turned on, reminding us not to say anything that might offend those peace loving Muslims.

You know, the ones who didn’t like that a journalist spoke the truth about Mohammed’s healthy and natural penchant for lovely women, so they burned the paper down and killed over 200 people. You’re right . . . that’s peace loving. And those same hushed tones seem to always abound when another Christian church is bombed, or Christians are targeted for death by those same, yes, peace loving Muslims.

In all of this murder and mayhem, Christians are not allowed to even suggest that this is wrong, because that then becomes judgmental and the blame shifts to them for not being open-minded and accepting of the proclivities of a certain religion. To question them is divisive and is the REAL reason why these people feel compelled to kill innocent Christians. They were provoked.

Oddly, you don’t see Christians lobbing grenades into packed mosques, or gunning down Muslim doctors who have committed their lives to helping save the lives of innocent Christian children.

So this brings me back to Christmas and the sagging economy.

Our very enlightened left, who gave us communism, socialism, fascism, political correctness and hypocrisy has unilaterally determined that the Christians are to blame for every ill to befall mankind, and should be summarily silenced, ridiculed, marginalized and penalized. And the Muslims are the new cause Celebes who have been mistreated and misunderstood, ala Patty Murray’s explanation of why so many Muslims love Osama ben Laden, thus justifying his terrorist attacks.

So Christmas is now determined to be just a little too religious and makes people feel uncomfortable, so we are going to arbitrarily change the name to Winter Holiday.

Can you imagine this same group of dictatorial knuckle draggers suggesting we change the name of Rhammadan because it is offensive to none Muslims? Or changing “Kwanzaa,” that new invention to further divide the races in the name of unity?

So Christmas is now winter holiday. Instead of carols celebrating the birth of Jesus, we have songs about snowmen and reindeer. Instead of churches reminding us of why we are spending so much time shopping for people we don’t really care about, we have multicultural displays guaranteed to confuse even the most ardent atheist. And the economic experts wonder why this was one of the worst “Christmas” buying seasons ever?

It’s because it isn’t about Christmas any more . . .and when it stops being about Christmas, there is no longer a reason to celebrate . . . or shop. And when that day comes, which will be either by attrition or dictate . . .

I hope there is something else out there stimulating the economy, otherwise we will end up like all those other countries that unwisely rejected the reason for the season.

If I were to draw a cartoon, of the democrat candidates for president, it would be a quick sketch of a bunch of little puppies attacking the pant legs of a man calming and quietly, going about his business. Each one of these little guys would have the names of all the men who think that attacking Bush will win them the hearts and minds of the American people. And the more they are tuned out, ignored, and smiled at, the more shrill they get.

These pups continue to blast Bush for his military victories, security successes, and solid leadership . . . because they have nothing concrete to complain about. Yet, these are the same people who supported their hero, Bill Clinton, no matter how much shame and disgrace he heaped upon us. They shrugged at the knowledge that Clinton had several opportunities to apprehend Osama Bin Laden, which would have prevented the disastrous attack on America, September 11. They yawn at the idea that the Clinton Administration led an unprovoked, preemptive attack on several sovereign nations with not one whisper of discontent from these little pups.

They continue to claim that Republicans want tax cuts for the rich without acknowledging that all their big spending programs should be cut as well. They complain that the homeland is not protected when they held up the appropriations and approval for months while they insisted that it all be unionized. They are hoping beyond hope that America is attacked again so that they can incorporate a disaster into their daily carping strategy. They are praying for an “I told you so” opportunity to stress to the American people that they would be the best person to guarantee a secure future for us.

They still refuse to acknowledge that saving millions of people in Iraq from oppression and control by a vicious dictator was a good thing, insisting though that they support our military. They revile the Commander in Chief . . . but support the military . . . but not necessarily what the military does, or the justness of their cause. Talk about fence sitting. They are scared to death that the military is in full retreat to the Republican party and resort to chastising the President for visiting them on board the USS Abe Lincoln. An act that every president before him has done in one form or another to honor our troops.

The problem with little puppies, as cute and entertaining as they can be . . . you still need to pick up after them because they are not yet house trained. There is not one that is emerging as a statesman. They are all politicians, regurgitating a failed and antiquated line by their disenfranchised party. There is not an original idea that doesn’t have a huge price tag attached to it, that would further erode individual choice. They want nationalized health care so that when this exorbitant idea is rejected, they can point to the Republicans as being heartless. When extended unemployment benefits are rejected . . . because they want to keep that unemployment figure high, for at least another year . . . they claim the Republicans are heartless.

When they fight tax cuts for every single tax payer in the country, no matter how little they make and pay, they claim it is a risky scheme by the Republicans to pay off their wealthy friends . . . all 92 million of them. The simple answer to that debate is let it be a voluntary tax cut. We would then expect to see every single democrat, demagoguing on this issue, to refuse their portion of the tax cut. Right? Right.

We shouldn’t be surprised that puppies do what puppies do. They have no vision and only see the immediate leg in front of them and feel they are accomplishing some great and significant task by attacking it. But in reality, they are showing they have no leadership skills, they have no vision or purpose in their desire to be president, and they could care less about the future and health of the nation . . . as long as they get elected, and stay in power, that is all that matters.

But the real danger is, when the pack of puppies grows up, has real teeth and can reach the jugular. What is cute and entertaining today . . . could be deadly tomorrow.

So, Senator Trent Lott’s clumsy choice of words, honoring a man whose life has spanned almost three centuries, is the new standard for forced resignation.

Fine then, let’s roll up the sleeves and get going. Ted Kennedy should be in jail for the death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick.

Robert Byrd should be tarred and feathered, with his old KKK hood, for using the “N” word in THIS century.

Bill Clinton should be drafted for declaring he “loathes” the military.

This is after he has served time in jail for lying under oath, as many other citizens who have committed the same crime are now doing.

His wife should have to tell the truth for once about what her husband knew about the potential attacks on America instead of demanding to know what George Bush knew, when it was her husband who let Osama Ben Laden get away.

Al Gore should be forced to write 500 times on a black board “I will not lie,” for every wacky exaggeration that has ever issued from his confederate mouth.

He should of course have to apologize publicly for his father’s support of racial segregation, because he is accountable for his father’s actions, much as Trent Lott is accountable for Strom Thurmond’s political positions.

Jessie Jackson should have to wait tables for a year and promise not to spit in anyone’s salad, no matter their race, creed or religion.

He can afford to do that with all the money he has extorted from corporations by playing that tired, old race card.

And Alec Baldwin should have to spend the same weekend with Henry Hyde’s family that he has incited people to drag them out of their home to be stoned.

It would be fun to see how discriminating that crowd would be when tossing stones in hate and anger.

Gee, this is a long list . . . where does it stop. It doesn’t, until every single person who is capable of speaking and uttering words that are not always pleasing to every listener, are added to this list. Because it is everyone.

If Jessie Jackson, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, et al, want to cast their stones, then let the games begin. But in the interest of things more important to a nation, I would suggest they back off, and get their own houses in order.

This is not the time for rank hypocrisy and political posturing.

You can read a myriad of things into what Senator Trent Lott said, like you can read a myriad of things into Hillary Clinton blaming the vast rightwing conspiracy for her husband having sex with a girl her daughter’s age.

You could say she is in denial, paranoid, nutty, not fit for public office, deserved what she got . . .etc. etc.

Or you could say, ok, this was a hurt woman who was embarrassed by her jerk husband and can’t really face that he would humiliate her like this in public.

So the vast right-wing took it in stride, even laughing at the image of them ushering Monica into the Oval office and giving them a how-to manual.

So, in the spirit of Christmas, let’s remember the words of the One whose birth we are celebrating . . . .”Let him without sin, cast the first stone.”

 

 

As we analyze the results of this midterm election, it is important to remember a few key incidents that highlighted the distinctions between the two parties, and specifically pointed to blatant hypocrisies by one.

For two years, the Democrats continued to beat that old dog of a stolen Presidential campaign, even though every single, heavily monitored, recount, showed that George W. Bush did indeed win, in spite of the games played with the absentee ballots.

The assumption was that every Floridian believed the Democrat spin and was just as outraged as Al Gore, who implored people all over the country to “remember where they were when the race was stolen from him.”

Well, now the playing field has been leveled with a legitimate hand of voter fraud dealt to the Republicans in New Jersey.

They can now, forever, trump the bogus claim of an election being stolen, with the historic proof that a Senate seat was not only stolen, but the Supreme Court drove the getaway car.

And while the Democrats beat the drum of a failed economy, the stock market kept rising. But the lock-step unions assisted in giving the appearance of a sagging economy by staging work stops across the country to allow a visual for the Dems to point to when placing the blame of unemployment at the door of the Republicans.

And speaking of that . . . the claim by the Dems that special interest groups were the force behind the Republicans, was lost on the populace who had witnessed millions and millions of dollars pouring into their states from national special interest groups like NARAL, labor unions, environment groups, anti-gun and anti defense groups, etc.

They got no traction on the corporate scandal claim because the head of their party, Terry McAuliffe looked like the poster boy for insider trading with his $100,000 investment in Global Crossing suddenly re-merging as an $18 million dollar profit.

No one begrudged him the profit, although it was hard for the average American squaring their favorite decorator maven, Martha Stewart sitting behind bars while a man who seemingly committed the same crime, is running around calling all Republicans crooks and in the pocket of large corporations.

The hypocrisies just kept piling up in the race and the American people diligently held their noses, picking through the false accusations to find the morsels of truth.

It was very difficult to weigh the accusation against the Republicans of dishonoring the fallen Senator Wellstone by even suggesting that whomever the Democrats chose to take his place should debate Norm Coleman.

The Dems stood in aghast at this highly irregular, and very insulting suggestion while they proceeded to gleefully dance on his grave, giddy with the prospects that now, they might actually have a shot at the seat.

The most interesting aspect of this celebration of death was that it allowed the country to see the party without makeup, without spin-doctors, handlers and typical media sycophantry.

Even the media were temporarily appalled. It was an unglossed view of the leadership of the Democrat party, which has co-opted a party that had traditionally been known for compassion.

But even that mantra has been wearing thin through the years as the country has witnessed the billionaires in Hollywood, and corporate America almost solely finance a party that parades the “little guy” out during an election, and when they are a useful statistic for increased spending.

They serve as a useful prop in an agenda that does not include improving the plight of the working class because it would shift the power base from being categorized as depending upon government handouts to realizing that the opportunities for personal growth are the true solutions to moving from dependency to self-determination.

Another issue that quietly rallied people to the polls to pull the lever for the Republicans was the blind assumption that all women are pro-abortion, thus pro-Democrat. With over 40 million abortions since 1972, that means there are almost that many women who have been touched, personally by the government’s indifference and politicization of a very heart-rending and intimate decision.

When rich white men stand up demanding a show of support for women by proudly espousing a women’s “right to choose,” he is saying a number of things.

He is saying he is in the pocket of a special interest group that has convinced him that this is not an emotional issue and that his callous attitude hits at the hearts of over 40 million women when he dismisses it as a given that all women should feel like he, a man, does on this issue.

There is no compassion in a blanket statement by a man who says, “I support a woman’s right to choose.” What he is saying, is I support the right of men to continue having free sex with any woman he wants without consequences of that union.

At least that is how millions of women, Democrat and Republican, hear it.

So this issue is beginning to backfire on the Democrats, especially as pro-life people are summarily silenced and dismissed by them. So much for tolerance.

The American people are witnessing a bulge in the pockets of Democrats special interest groups, forcing them to tolerate and even embrace all types of divergent lifestyles, beliefs, proclivities and perversions, while they are marginalized and ridiculed if they quietly present a list of beliefs and ideologies they would like to have honored by the left.

And the constant claim by the Democrats that the Republicans are controlled by the religious right, what ever that is, fell short of their intended affect when Americans saw a party so hungry for power that they aligned themselves with every far left, socialist group and cause in the country.

There are environmentalists from both parties, but when the environment is more important that the farmer who grows our food . . .that is extreme.

There are animal rights people and then there are those who believe animals should be given the same constitutional rights as people, yet they have no problem killing a viable human baby in the womb.

This strikes most Americans as a tad bit hypocritical and yes, quite extreme. They claim to hate assault weapons and all things ballistic, yet actor, Alec Baldwin can go ballistic on national TV, screaming that we should drag Congressman Henry Hyde from his house and kill him and his whole family and he is applauded. OK, he didn’t say shoot them, but it certainly wasn’t a display of the kind of touchy feeling compassion the left would like to be known for . . . and counts on being known for.

And probably one of the biggest reasons the Republicans prevailed over the Democrats was the issue of taxes. Almost every bill, across the nation, calling for a rise in taxes, was soundly defeated.

In spite of the constant claim by the Dems that only the top one percent of the people received a tax rebate, millions of Americans at home, remembered where they were when they deposited that check, knowing they, by no means were in that “rich” category the Democrats kept trying to put them in.

And as every American is forced to balance their own check book and manage their own affairs, they no longer buy the argument that taxes are the answer to fiscal problems, they reply that perhaps a cut in spending would be more in line with the way most of us live our lives.

So a serious analysis of the election needs to be done by both parties and lessons learned all around. When people see positive, hopeful leadership, they respond. When they see candidates who believe in something beyond popularity and regardless of power, they are inclined to vote for integrity and substance over political blather and partisanship.

So what are we going to see from both parties in the next two years as they both posture to either regain or take over the Congress and the White House?

Watch the Democrats pull out the old “it’s the economy stupid” page from their ancient handbook and do what they can to make the economy “seem” worse than it is.

They will resort to class warfare, pitting the wealthy Barbara Streisand’s of the world against their maids and the people who clean their houses.

They will play the race card and point to Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Clarence Thomas as examples of how the Republicans never include African-Americans in positions of power.

They will point to corporate greed while counting on their contributions to their party and candidates and turning tiny investments into bonanzas while claiming to be the party of the poor and downtrodden.

They will talk about tolerance and compassion while trashing Christians, pro-lifers, gun owners, and even homeschoolers. They will continue to insist that they know best how to run your kid’s lives and if you disagree they will tar you as a right wing fanatic.

And the Republicans, hopefully will write a new playbook that begins with the word “courage.”

They need to finally exhibit courage in the face of the onslaught of dirty tricks and power plays and draw the line in the political sand and say, enough is enough.

They need to put their banner clearly in the ground to show people what they truly stand for to provide a welcome contrast to the divisiveness and class warfare that motivates the Democrats.

They need to be inclusive but not moderate their beliefs. They need to be consistent in their message but flexible and open to new ideas.

They need to just show leadership and cajones and understand that politics is a full contact sport.

They need to stop being shocked and amazed by the Democrat dirty tricks and understand that the Clintons will not slink away quietly into the sunset and will stop at nothing until they “control” the country again.

And the Democrats have a choice to wrench that self-appointed power from them, or allow them to continue to co-opt a party, redesigning it with an unmistakable socialist agenda.

And the voters . . .bless the voters who have graduated from the “push-over” class, and are now able to deftly and courageously tip toe through the minefield of politics, and spot hypocrisy, double standards and inconsistencies in mid-stride.

They are the future of a democracy that would be hijacked by a party that has nothing but disdain for anyone who does not follow lockstep in line with their ideologies, and displays total intolerance of real diversity.

But voters have shown they are not so easily duped or categorized and they let their voices be heard on November 5, 2002.

And these voters are the future of America . . . not the politicians.

 

 

All weekend long, the Democrats have been on national TV basically daring the Republicans to campaign in Minnesota following the death of Senator Paul Wellstone. Every spokesman for the party repeated the claim that the Republicans lacked the decency to respect the memory of this poor man and his family and were dishonoring him by even discussing his replacement pawn candidate, Walter Mondale.

And the dutiful Republicans sincerely agreed that yes, the man should be honored, and even Norm Coleman, unilaterally suspended his race out of respect for the family. Well boy were the Republicans sucker punched . . . again. The Democrat party used the occasion of his death . . . to party. The memorial was full of cheers and applause, campaign speech and political rhetoric. It was basically a deplorable display of hypocrisy personified. Everyone was glad-handing and smiling, while King and Queen of the Democrats, Bill and Hill sat laughing and applauding as though . . . well, as though this was an occasion of great victory for their party. (They almost beg the average viewer to ask the question in the midst of such revelry . . . “WAS it an accident?”) Even one son, who has lost his mother and father and sister spoke of his deceased dad like a friend who had left the room to get a coke. It was the most appalling, despicable display of unvarnished, shameless politicizing in the history of our country.

You feel shame for them and for everything they stand for and quietly realize that no one is safe in this country when these people want you destroyed. They have ice water running in their veins but have banked for years on the compassion currency which has covered their personal and ambitious indiscretions for too long. Like the handwriting on the wall, they have been weighed in the balance, before the eyes of the world, and they have been found wanting. The true nature of the beast has been exposed for all to see and sadly for America . . . it is an ugly, disgusting picture of greed, power, hypocrisy, deceit, phoniness and dilution. I can only hope the American people saw this horrific display of grave dancing and realize that not only is the Democrat party bankrupt of ideas, it is bankrupt of a soul.


Three reasons why the Democrats have abandoned the gutter

© Exegesis 2002
http://www.page1news.com

In case you’ve lost count, or haven’t yet learned to ignore the mainstream media, in two years, there have been two election campaigns, two plane crashes, two consequential deaths of two Democrats about to lose a close Senate race, and two replacements to safeguard the seat for the Democrats.

The stakes are high: control of the Senate and, as a result, control of the next decade or more of many judicial and especially, Supreme Court decisions. Behind the scenes lurk two infamous people: America’s notorious Ceaucescus. He may be out of office, but she’s not, and they both still run things at the Democratic National Committee, via their hand-picked front man, Terry McAuliffe. The United States is too genteel a nation to make the Clintons share the fate of the late Romanian dictator and his wife, whose just desserts were dispensed by a firing squad after a national uprising against them. The best we can do is to help expose the facts.

Nobody is suggesting that the Wellstone and Carnahan plane crashes were anything but tragic accidents. However, there is no evidence to prove that yet, so we must reserve judgment until the real facts are known. Don’t hold your breath: nearly 40 years later, we’re still waiting to find out who killed President Kennedy. Given the manner in which the Clintons ran America, no event from which they could benefit can be regarded as an accident. After their unparalleled record of plane crashes, “suicides”, church burnings, bombings and the miscellaneous deaths of many of their political and business associates, we know that nothing is beyond the capabilities of this ultimate power-crazed couple, whose every action is solely designed to garner them more power.

Is the very idea of the Clintons’ machinations too harsh for our cultivated ears? Maybe so, but, faced with breathtaking incarnations of evil, what are good Christian folk supposed to do? Just smile sweetly and pour another cup of tea? Ignoring the truth is an act of folly, especially when everything in which we believe is at stake.

Would the Democrats, under their present management, really do this kind of thing? Absolutely. They got away with breaking the law in New Jersey by replacing a losing sleaze-tainted candidate with a 78-year old retired Senator, well after the deadline for changing candidates had passed.

They maligned Montana’s Senate Republican candidate so badly that he quit the race in disgust. And now they plan to replace the late Senator Wellstone, who was heading for defeat in Minnesota, with former Vice-President Walter Mondale, the distinguished party elder who brought America Geraldine Ferraro as his running-mate, and who brought upon himself the worst electoral defeat in modern presidential elections. Of course, Minnesota voters may not fall for the sympathy game again, and might just thwart their plans. We’ll see.

When the game goes against the Democrats, they simply change the rules. And it is an illustration of the party’s redundancy that when things get difficult, they turn to their golden oldies. It isn’t just their dull, collectivist policies which have made them outdated. It’s the ethics, stupid! Frankly, theirs are reminiscent of the mafia, which is why it’s so easy to detect the guiding hands of Bill and Hillary behind the scenes.

These manipulations are crucial when you’re trying to hold on to a fraudulent single-seat majority in the Senate. It’s a majority they shouldn’t have had in the first place, and one they obtained only because two years ago, they cheated in Missouri by electing a deceased candidate, and got away with that too. And because they then used vast amounts of taxpayers’ money to bribe Jim Jeffords into betraying his party. Even the Florida Supreme Court acquiesced in their attempt to steal the presidency, but fortunately Chief Justice Rehnquist and his genuinely moral majority saved the nation, another good reason why Supreme Court appointments are so important.

The Democrats’ tactics are interesting to observe, not merely for those seeking lessons in mischief and deception, though they certainly afford both. Why have they had to resort to this kind of behavior? Oh sure, vote rigging is nothing new for them – look at the way they run things in Chicago, Hillary Clinton’s home town, a city as synonymous with illegal voting as is Florida’s Miami-Dade County, over which Janet Reno long presided, for vote-counting fraud.

Yet we have to look beyond all their petty crimes and misdemeanors to discover the real reason why the Democrats have had to make their recent ethical descent from the gutter into the uncharted depths of the sewer. There are three plausible answers.

The first might be to suggest that the concept of tax and spend, over-bloated, centralized liberal government has been revealed as an outdated delusion. And indeed, that would be correct. Socialism has been tried and tried, and it has failed and failed. And it will always fail because, among other things, it quenches the human spirit and the basic human yearning for liberty. In short, their raison d’etre has expired. But that’s not the whole answer.

The second answer might be to suggest that the unethical excesses of the Clinton era have made the party unpalatable for voters with moderate to weak stomachs. That too would be correct, but again, their ethical shortcomings do not represent the real reason either.

The third and real reason is the overwhelming imperative to maintain the great delusion of the two-party system, the Hegelian dialectic which has fooled the American people into believing they can elect anyone – just so long as it’s a Republican or a Democrat.

On November 10, 1998, we wrote: “In reality, America has become a one-party state with two emphases, which are rigidly maintained by the power-brokers in order to perpetuate the delusion that voters have a choice.” Should this delicately balanced duopoly be disturbed, it is argued that discontent with the two-party system might be manifest. And that, in turn, might ruin the cozy one-party-disguised-as-two arrangement with all its bought-and-paid-for politicians, and that might endanger the prospects for global government and the New World Order. That’s the underlying reason why events happen as they do. For those who pull the strings, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Those who cannot see, those who refuse to see, and those who are skeptical will dismiss all this as non-conformist nonsense, and will take their comfort from the Three Stooges on the so-called Nightly News, those airheads of the air who imply that Americans really secretly yearn for socialism and for its dull stifling of the nation’s creativity. Contrarily, we believe Americans actually yearn for liberty, less government, little or no taxation, an ordered, well-educated, low-crime society, with due reverence for God and the Constitution.

Meanwhile, the truly enlightened will do what comes naturally: fall to their knees, and pray for themselves, America and the world.

As we celebrate All Saints’ Day, we recall the life and example of great Christians of the past. Centuries later, the saints we often remember are those who displayed great courage, great compassion or both. Those are precisely the qualities we need to emulate as we stand together to reclaim the America we love.

True, it’s more comfortable to remain in blissful ignorance. And there is risk in the heat of battle. But, the Bible has a word for us: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) And as we recall the fine examples of those who have gone before us, and thank God for His grace and mercy to us, let us ask for His power and His Kingdom to be manifest in our lives.

Steve Myers × Editor

Thank you for the opportunity to address this Committee on the issue of self-determination and sovereignty for the people of Western Sahara. The first time I addressed this body, my son was running around in diapers. He is now studying Algebra in 7th grade. And the wisdom of children is such that he has asked why should it cost 500 million dollars, and 10 years, to register 85,000 people to vote.

You might cluck and say, well, we don’t expect a child to understand the bureaucratic machinations of such a comprehensive and complex body as the United Nations, nor the intricacies of the issue we are discussing. But it does seem that a child, removed from the machinations of this august body has a greater grasp on the pure elements of the problem than perhaps the participants of this distinguished body have. Granted, many of you are new to the issue and perhaps have not heard the arguments through the years so I will reiterate some of the points I have made in the past.

Originally, the controversy surrounding the potential, and never materializing referendum, was, who should be allowed to vote as an officially recognized citizen of Western Sahara. In 1974, the Spanish Census showed that there were 74,000 Saharawi. Based on the birth rate, and existing mortality rate, I determined that even if ever single woman of child bearing years, gave birth to one child every 9 months, it still would not have increased the original number in the census by more than 30,000 people. And of course, that does not mean 30,000 new voters, it just means new inhabitants. The voters would be determined within a much smaller group. So, instead of the 170,000 that the Moroccan government insisted upon, the UN, after screening over 200,000 individuals, determined that about 85,000 were certified as genuine Saharawis, in keeping with the natural statistics and demographics of the people.

The referendum was delayed, year after year, in order for the Moroccan government to manipulate the outcome of this finding, trying to certify people who had not lived in Western Sahara for years, or people who had only passed through.

The other questions, that I have posed to this body in hopes of drawing clarity to the issue, concern the origins of Western Sahara as a colony of Spain. If Western Sahara had always been a part of Morocco, why then, over a hundred years ago, when the Spanish invaded Western Sahara to annex it as a colony, did Morocco do nothing to prevent it from happening? Why did they not take up arms with their brothers and fight back the invading forces? And Why, if they were the same country, was Morocco never considered a colony of Spain? The boundaries were clearly drawn and can be seen on a variety of maps around the world, some even referencing the current Western Sahara, as Spanish Sahara.

Why was it only during the decolonization of Western Sahara in 1974 did the Moroccans suddenly realize that this was part of their territory? They had not previously questioned the control by the Spanish, but now that they were withdrawing, they saw a perfect opportunity to interject their rule on this country that was being decolonized under the watchful eye of this very Committee.

What it looks like from this observer’s position, is that this body has been manipulated and controlled by a country that never had intentions of abiding by the findings of a referendum or acknowledging the certified voters as being eligible to determine their own destiny.

How difficult is the question, “Would you, after being separated from your family, denied the right to travel freely, forced to live in a refugee camp with the bare necessities, suffering inhuman treatment at the hands of those who would be your conqueror, vote on a referendum that would allow that body to control your destiny?” And at every step of the process the Moroccans have known this simple and most obvious fact. So for them, the most effective way to insure that this referendum does not take place is to stall the process until they can convince the powers that be of another means by which they can subject themselves into the will of this sovereign nation.

It seems as though the process has accommodated Morocco’s patience by creating what is known as a Draft Framework Agreement, that essentially gives them five years to move people into the area, set them up in residency for one year, while the territory is under the sovereignty of Morocco, and THEN issue the referendum. First, if it has already taken ten years for a referendum, why do they think it will happen in another five, unless this time, they are assured of the outcome, and the body that has been prolonging the inevitable is also satisfied that that will be the outcome? The problem is, the Draft Framework Agreement contradicts the UN resolutions on Western Sahara, and the verdict of the International Court of Justice, Oct. 16, 1975 which states: “The materials and information presented do not establish any tie of territorial sovereignty between the territory of Western Sahara and the Kingdom of Morocco. Thus the Court has not found legal ties of such a nature as might affect the application of General Assembly resolution 1514 in the decolonization of Western Sahara and, in particular, of the principle of self-determination through the free and genuine expression of the will of the peoples of this Territory.”

Despite that ruling, Morocco invaded and has been there ever since.

Now, it becomes clear to the casual observer that there are a number of international bodies that have been established through the years to prevent just this sort of hegemony, but unfortunately, they don’t seem to be effective in preventing it. So what is the solution?

Well, it appears that the UN Secretary General has given the participants in this conflict four options available to the Security Council without seeking the concurrence of both parties, which, in basketball terms, means it is a slam dunk for the aggressor.

Morocco rejected the options of Implementation of the Settlement Plan and the referendum process, and the option of partitioning the territory. They prefer the Draft Framework Agreement which virtually guarantees their acknowledged dominance over the sovereign nation of Western Sahara.

The fourth option, which is to proclaim the failure of the United Nations and withdraw the UN mission from Western Sahara, serves as a redundancy to an obvious fact. But the question is, would that be a viable option? It is quite evident that the citizens of Western Sahara would vote for sovereignty if given the chance, so why not apply that de facto conclusion to the original International Court of Justice ruling in 1975, and determine that yes, indeed, Western Sahara is a sovereign nation, separate and apart from the sovereign nation of Morocco, and they have a right to self-determination, apart from the dictates of a world body that has been ineffective in reaching this logical conclusion about their de facto status.

It is tempting when addressing a distinguished body such as this to rely on eloquence, and the international language of diplomacy. But often times, a more simplistic, understated approach is best to make a point. So, I would ask you to indulge this mother an analogy that many of you might relate to.

A mother has two young sons who are arguing over the boundaries in their room, because their older brother has moved out and now just the two of them share the room. The younger one had been forced to share a bunk bed with his older brother who usurped it a few years ago, but now it was all his. The middle brother sees that one of the beds has been bandoned, and decides to establish residency. The younger brother protests and a fight ensues. The mother comes into the room and tries to resolve the conflict. But instead of doing what is right, by telling the middle son to go back to his side of the room, she allows him to take over part of the younger son’s portion of the room, set up a berm in the middle so it is impossible to move around, and take all the toys of the younger son. She then tells the younger son he has to wait until his father gets home to resolve the problem. But ten years pass, and no one in authority comes home. And now, the younger son is older and wiser and says, I don’t need someone telling me how to resolve this problem. I will solve it myself and in my own way.

What can she do? What can you now do when you have determined that one of the four options is for the United Nations to proclaim failure and withdraw from the area? You too must realize that you have squandered the authority given to you by this small, besieged nation who has only asked for one thing from this distinguished body, and that is an opportunity to fairly, and openly, choose their own destinies through a referendum that would determine that they are indeed a sovereign nation.

Even Secretary James Baker told the Security Council in February of 2002, “that an independent Saharawi state would be viable and would contribute to the creation of stability in the Maghreb.” So that demonstrates an understanding that the child has grown and can function fully, and productively as an autonomous state, if given the chance.

So it seems that the most logical solution to this situation is to go back to the original ruling by the International Court of Justice and abide by that decision which states that Western Sahara is indeed a sovereign nation, and allow these people to get on with their lives. They have been in limbo for almost 25 years hoping and praying for closure, while the rules of the game keep changing.

When my son asks me what the outcome of this hearing is, he will expect an answer that suggests that adults see problems and create solutions in a relatively short period of time. It will be hard to continue explaining to him that after 10 years and 500 million dollars, that it was impossible for such a grand and distinguished body of world scholars and leaders to register 85,000 people in a very small geographic area, and allow them to vote for what they have all been fighting for, and praying for, for 25 years. He will expect me to have an answer. But more importantly, the people whose lives have been hanging in the balance for a quarter of a century, will expect you to have an answer . . . or will determine that there never was a question.

Thank you

Pick a Title . . .Title 1: Weapons of Mass Destruction Exist only if Democrats Say they Do… Title 2: Senators Carl Levin and John Kerry are Lying.

Every time I hear a democrat claim that President Bush deceived us about Weapons of Mass Destruction being hidden in Iraq, I think of my son’s 8th birthday. Isn’t the mind a wonderful thing . . . two totally unrelated issues are drawn together on one common thread. While we were passing out party hats and serving ice cream, almost five years ago, the Senate Armed Services Committee was sending a letter to President Bill Clinton containing a resolution supporting military action “if diplomacy did not succeed in convincing Saddam Hussein to comply with the United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning the disclosure and destruction of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.”

The letter goes on to say, “Despite a brief interval of cooperation . . . Saddam Hussein has failed to live up to his commitments. On August 5, Iraq suspended all cooperation with UNSCOM and IAEA. . . . Iraq has consistently sought to limit, mitigate, reduce and, in some cases, defeat the Security Council’s resolutions by a variety of devices.”

It further states that they are happy the Security Council is taking action, but doubt that Saddam will heed the message. They also said . . . “More deeply, we are concerned that without the intrusive inspections and monitoring by UNSCOM and the IAEA, Iraq will be able, over time, to reconstitute its weapons of mass destruction programs.” They then urged President Clinton to take action by saying . . . “After consulting with Congress and the US Constitution and laws, [we urge you] to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraq sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq’s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction program.”

So . . . what happened to that program that they and the UN were so convinced existed in 1998? Are they now saying it was a lie then and there was no threat from Iraq posed to the American people? Did they lie to the American people like they are claiming President Bush did by including a 16-word intelligence phrase about uranium sales from Niger to Iraq that is still being confirmed by British Intelligence?

This letter to President Bill Clinton, in 1998, constitutionally authorizing him to attack Iraq was signed by 27 senators, including . . . Chris Dodd, Carl Levin, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Mikulski, Tom Daschle, Daniel Inouye, Mary Landrieu and . . . John F. Kerry.

And in December of that same year, details emerged revealing Iraq’s con-compliance with getting rid of its WMDs. Clinton responded by saying, “Iraq repeatedly blocked UNSCOM from inspecting the sites, they restricted their ability to obtain necessary evidence, and they tried to stop the UNSCOM biological weapons team from videotaping a site and photocopying documents and preventing Iraqi personnel from answering their questions.” He pointed out that Iraq had failed to turn over virtually all documents requested by the inspectors. Documents that they obviously all agreed existed.

At the time of his statement, there were 15 U.S. warships, 97 aircraft . . . 70 aboard the USS Enterprise, and more than 12,000 military personnel in the area near Iraq. The ships were within easy striking distance of Baghdad, and were carrying more than 300 cruise missiles. So why did we have that much fire power in the area if we weren’t seriously concerned about what Saddam was up to? And as history will remind us, on the eve of the Impeachment vote against Clinton, for lying under oath and breaking his oath to uphold the Constitution, he orders a military strike against security targets in Iraq to “attack Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors. . . . Saddam Hussein must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison or biological weapons.” So, let me see if I understand . . . there WERE nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in 1998, and one strike by Clinton destroyed them ALL? Amazing.

Clinton goes on to explain the timing of the attack stating that while it is true there are many other nations that “possess weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles, with Saddam, there is one big difference: He has used them. Not once, but repeatedly . . . unleashing chemical weapons against Iranian troops . . . civilians, and Kurdish civilians in Northern Iraq.”

He went on to justify his unilateral, preemptive attack on Iraq by saying, “The international community had little doubt then, and I have no doubt today, that left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will use these terrible weapons again.” He then outlines, in detail, the failings of Iraq to comply with the UN inspectors, and the decision he made to attack them, militarily, hitting innocent civilians, and projecting the imperial powers of the United States on this poor, defenseless country. Oh . . . sorry, we never heard any of that rhetoric from the left when Clinton dropped bombs did we?

This was about weapons of mass destruction that every Clinton liberal believed existed in Iraq, who now insist were never there. What is it with liberals? Can facts change that quickly to justify an attack to hide one President’s indiscretions, but then vaporize when another President relies on the same intelligence to do precisely the same thing but for entirely different motivations? Remember . . . and we must continue to remind Clinton liberals who love to readjust history to suit their needs . . . September 11, 2001 occurred after 8 years of winking and nodding at terrorist acts and eviscerating our CIA and overseas intelligence ops. The CIA, FBI, NSA and other security agencies were riddled with Clinton appointees that had not yet been replaced on September 11, including the new head of the CIA. The vast majority of the intelligence that President Bush was receiving, was from Clinton holdovers. Are we to assume that they deceived the American people with the same mischievous intentions that they trashed the White House, stole the keys from computer key pads, and totally rewired the phone system so that it cost taxpayers millions of dollars to sort out the mess and clean up their vandalism?

Any lack of verifiable and accurate information that President Bush was receiving or not receiving at that time has to be placed on the door step of Clinton’s intelligence sources who, for eight years, continually lied to the American people about everything from the nuclear program in North Korea, to the secrets being sold to China.

But when there is proof that comes out of Iraq, that there are, or were, weapons of mass destruction, the Clinton liberals deny it and say that it is not enough to justify the liberation of those people. They ignore the pictures of the gassed Kurds, and the buyback plans for the nuclear waste barrels that the citizens were dumping out and using to store their food and water in. We have Iranian diplomats confessing that these weapons are now being sold on the black market because many were smuggled out . . . probably during the negotiating process with the UN and the world community. They have found mobile units with traces of biological weapons. Think about it . . they are developing weapons that are so powerful, even a few grains can kill you. Do you think they are storing them in a way that a few grains will be escaping? And what about the chemical experts they have captured that have verified, that yes, they were responsible for the production of such chemicals?

So what is it? Are there weapons or not? Was Clinton lying once again to cover himself and dropped bombs on innocent people to distract from his indiscretions? What about the silence from the usually vocal war protesters could be heard around the socialist circles of the world back in 1998. And are all these senators who signed that October 9, 1998 letter, seasonal in their concern for the safety of America and the world? Do they only rally to the cause of defeating tyranny when a fellow democrat is in power? Can they be trusted again? So who is being deceptive now?

But I think a very important question to ask every one of the democrat spokesmen who blindly follow the talking points they are handed is . . . ok, what do you want us to do? Let’s say there are no WMDs . . . if that is your big issue. Let’s say that Clinton, the democrat members of the US Senate, and even the current administration were all lying about the weapons of mass destruction. Let’s just have a do-over. Let’s invite Saddam and his sons back in, let’s re-open the prisons and roundup all those little kids we freed and put them back in the blood-soaked chains. Let’s re-hang the people from the meat hooks and plug in the plastic shredding machine. Let’s rebury all the victims of his tyranny back in those mass graves, let’s put all the ammo back in the schools were we found it and reinstate all the Republican Guard so they can now round up every person who waved at a US soldier, held and American flag, received a piece of candy or played soccer with one and have them all shot.

Let’s pull all the Iraqis off the USS Comfort and take out their IVs and remove their bandages and send them home. Let’s unplug the information system that for the first time brings real news to the people, and gives them the freedom to think for themselves. And let’s disband the diverse group of leaders who for the first time will provide democratic representation for all Iraqis.

Oh, and for all the liberal democrats who had no problem with Clinton doing exactly what Bush is doing, I want you to visit the homes of each one of the brave men and women who lost their lives to liberate these people and tell them they died in vain. Tell them that we are replacing the people they died to liberate, under the same tyrannical rule and shutting the door to their future and freedom. I want these compassionate liberals to look these grieving parents in the eye and tell them, because they don’t think we have moved fast enough to discover weapons, that they agreed were there before, that their son or daughter died in vain, because according to liberal democrats, it was only about the weapons.

Clinton stated in his address to the UN on September 21, 1998 that, “First, terrorism has a new face in the 1990s. Today terrorists take advantage of greater openness and the explosion of information and weapons technology. The new technologies of terror and their increasing availability, along with the increasing mobility of terrorists, raise chilling prospects of vulnerability to chemical, biological, and other kinds of attacks, bringing each of us into the category of possible victim. This is a threat to all humankind.”

Well I guess it is not that big a threat now, even though we have proof in the way of a gaping hole in New York City, a scarred Pentagon, and over 3,000 lost lives. Perhaps a bigger threat to mankind is a political party that is so consumed with power that it will do anything, say anything, believe anything, even if it means allowing murderous dictators to roam the earth and threaten our very existence, while claiming they want them destroyed, only if they are the ones doing it. The democrat party has become so desperate, so duplicitous, so riddled with hypocrisy that the only cause they have in any election is to destroy who is in power, at any cost, get elected, spin and distort history with double standards by denying they did or said what they did to get to power. Gee . . .that sounds a lot like tyranny.

The most recent evidence of the smoldering hate against women by the Democrats is their refusal to even vote on Texas Supreme Court Justice, Priscilla Owens, who has been nominated for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. She joins a long list of other women who have been summarily dismissed because of the great crime of having compassion for unborn children and the women who are intimidated and coerced into aborting them. Women such as this, who oppose the exploitation of women are ridiculed, belittled, sabotaged and rejected by the Democrat party. If you are pro-children, pro-family, and pro-life, you are not welcome in this good old boys club that has determined on several levels that women are mere chattel created merely for the enjoyment and pleasure of men.

They have determined this by refusing to prosecute hard core pornography that demeans and debases women and children. They have belittled the role of mothers by determining that the government knows best in how to raise these children and that their little boys should be taught that women are not worthy of their affections, but other men are.

The good-ol’ boy network of the Democrat party has summarily silenced every woman who dares contradict their strict litany of philosophical edicts. Not only are they silenced, but they are made to suffer if they in any way complain that these chauvinists are harassing them or silencing them with intimidation tactics, i.e., Paula Jones, Monica Lewinsky, Kathleen Wiley, Jaunita Broderick, etc. And the women of the Democrat party have become the sweet little women who stand three paces behind their men allowing them to reduce women to nothing more than statistics to be dragged out when discussions of health care and welfare surface.

Democrat men, and their dutiful little women in power have taken women to a time and culture where women are nothing more than chattel. Their ideas, if they contradict or condemn those of the men are dismissed and ridiculed. Their very person is described and marketed as a package for sexual pleasure, while at the same these men claim to protect, feed and care for them like you would a pet poodle.

When a qualified judge, such as Priscilla Owens is denied an opportunity to be considered for another position in the same profession . . . .because she is principled, effective and qualified enough to be recommended by the ABA, it can only mean one thing . . . Democrats have no respect for women who are not Stepford Democrats, scurrying behind their men with their heads down, and their opinions labeled as irrelevant and insignificant.

Is this the great legacy that the feminist movement has left America? Is this where the champions of equal rights and justice imagined women after thirty years of struggling to get women acknowledged as being as capable, as intelligent, as worthy of advance as men? All this to find that if they do not adhere to the strict dictates of Democrat men and women in power . . . then they are castigated and discarded as so much excess baggage on society.

Where are the feminists with heart? The ones who understand that divergent views were not something to fear but a challenge to embrace? Where are they?

Let me guess. They are now members of the American Library Association lobbying for unfiltered internet access for children, and no restrictions at all on child pornography. They are the teachers who feel girls are too dumb and sexually driven to be able to abstain from sex so they might as well go straight to the “how to” manual. They are the ones who turned a blind eye to Bill Clinton exposing himself to women, cheating on his wife and daughter, seducing young girls and sexually harassing countless others. They are the ones who refuse to give women an informed choice before she makes a decision that will change her life, could render her infertile and even kill her.

So what was the feminist movement all about? It was a failed experiment that has turned back the clock on women and placed them at a point in time where women had no say, no rights, no control, no power, no meaning, and no respect.

What hope does a young pro-life women in law school have in a world that has relegated her to a position lower than the rest of society? Is she supposed
to abandon her principles in order to secure a job in the profession she has given her time and money to enter? Should she be denied access because of her beliefs? Should she be discriminated against because she does not follow the dictates of a party controlled by men who claim to know what is best for women? This is discrimination of the worst order, in a free country where divergent views are expected, applauded, promoted and . . . protected.

What kind of political party promotes the actions of a president who demeans the office, is impeached for lying under oath, is caught, literally with his pants down as he is sexually harassing innocent women . . . while at the same time they are destroying the reputation of a woman who has held to the highest standards of civility, intellect and professionalism? It can only be a political party that hates women, and applauds the actions of men who demonstrate they hate women.

The Democrats find it offensive and discriminatory to profile people who might be involved in terrorist activities, when these terrorists are easily identified, but they consistently resort to philosophical profiling. If you are pro-life in this country you are made to either sit at the back of the political bus or are denied a seat on the bus altogether. And where are the open minded liberals who embrace any and all ideas, behaviours, actions, beliefs, and claim to abhor any and all discrimination? Why on this very issue of life, that has claimed over 40 million Americans, and personally affected more than half the nation, do they make an exception to their very hard and fast rule against discrimination? Are there no liberals or Democrats who believe in free speech and real choice? During the civil rights movement, it was not only blacks that saw the incredible injustice in racism . . . whites marched against it too even though they had never felt its sting. Where are men and women of courage who are bold enough to face this leviathan of discrimination that segregates and labels pro-life people as less than full citizens, having fewer protected rights and privileges, no matter how qualified or honorable they may be? Where are the new women to challenge this paradigm?

Enron’s chairman did meet with the President and the Vice President in the oval office.

  • Enron gave $420,000 to the President’s party over 3 years.
  • It donated $100,000 to the Presidents inauguration festivities.
  • The Enron chairman stayed at the White House 11 times.
  • The corporation had access to the administration at its highest levels and even enlisted the Commerce and State Departments to grease deals for it.
  • The taxpayer-supported Export-Import Bank subsidized Enron for more than $600 million in just one transaction.

This appears to be a major scandal that could turn into a criminal investigation of political as well as business leaders. BUT… The President under whom all this happened wasn’t George W. Bush, It was Bill Clinton!

Is that why the Enron scandal has fallen off the front pages?  Can Anyone Prove the RNC Wrong on This?


THE CLINTON-GORE ADMINISTRATION HELPED ENRON WITH NUMEROUS BUSINESS DEALS

President Clinton Took A Personal Interest In An Enron Energy Deal. “On Nov. 22, 1995 . . . Clinton scrawled an FYI note to [Chief of Staff Mack] McLarty, enclosing a newspaper article on Enron Corp. and the vicissitudes of its $3 billion power-plant project in India. McLarty then reached out to Enron’s chairman, Ken Lay, and over the next nine months closely monitored the project with the U.S. ambassador to New Delhi, keeping Lay informed of the Administration’s efforts, according to White House documents reviewed by Time. In June 1996, four days before India granted final approval to Enron’s project, Lay’s company gave $100,000 to the President’s party.”

Michael Weisskopf, “The White House: That Invisible Mack Sure Can Leave His Mark,” Time, September 1, 1997


 

The Clinton-Gore National Security Council And Vice President Gore Interceded On Enron’s Behalf. “Gas giant Enron Corp.’s plan to develop Mozambique’s
Pande natural gas field appears to have been saved from cancellation last month by a blunt threat from the U.S. National Security Council to cut off future U.S. aid to the country. . . . U.S. sources said [Mozambican Energy  Ministry John] Kachamila then entered into negotiations on [an] alternative proposal . . . [and] began to portray the Enron deal as bad financially . . . . Given the hurdles, Enron is pinning its hopes on a visit to South Africa on Dec. 6 by Vice President Al Gore, who will take in talks with President Nelson Mandela.”

Jonathan Bearman, “White House Rescued Enron’s Deal To Develop Mozambique’s Pande Field,” The Oil Daily, December 1, 1995


 

Enron Received Over $4 Billion In Federal Assistance During The Clinton-Gore Administration. “All told, Enron received over $4 billion from the federal Overseas Private Investment Corp. and the Export-Import Bank for projects in Turkey, Bolivia, China, the Philippines, and elsewhere during the Clinton administration.”

Greg Pierce, “Inside Politics,” The Washington Times, January 14, 2002


 

The Clinton-Gore Commerce Department Had An “Economic War Room” To Aid Enron And Other Corporations. “From . . . [the] Washington war room, the negotiators for the Enron Corporation, the lead bidder in the American consortium, have been shadowed and assisted by a startling array of Government agencies. In a carefully-planned assault, the State and Energy Departments pressed the firms’ case.”

David E. Sanger, “How Washington Inc. Makes A Sale,” The New York Times, February 19, 1995


 

Clinton-Gore Administration Officials Were “Unabashed Cheerleaders” For The Enron Power Contract In India. “Many Clinton Administration officials had been unabashed cheerleaders for the deal, with Energy ecretary Hazel O’Leary warning in June that canceling the Dabhol contract would endanger other private power projects being financed from outside India.”

John-Thor Dahlburg, “India Orders Plug Pulled On U.S.-Run Power Project,” Los Angeles Times, August 4, 1995


 

The Clinton-Gore Energy Department Awarded A Contract To Enron For The Construction Of The Largest On-Grid Photovoltaic System In The United States. (Amoco/Enron Solar will develop the country’s largest on-grid photovoltaic farm–a 10 MW facility on Department of Energy land at the Nevada Test Site – under a power purchase agreement with the Corporation for Solar Technology and Renewable Resources, a DOE-funded nonprofit organization. Although the 10 MW purchase commitment from the Nevada Test Site is a mere 10 percent of the hoped-for 100 MW solar goal, CSTRR president Rose McKinney-James said she was “pleased and encouraged” by CSTRR’s accomplishments to date.”

Libby Brydolf, “Largest PV Farm Set For Nevada Test Site,” The Electricity Daily, November 6, 1996


 

The Clinton-Gore Administration Helped Enron Salvage An Energy Contract In The Philippines. “President Clinton today salvaged a U.S. proposal to ease trade barriers on computer technology by the year 2000 as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum wrapped up its work. . . . Key investors in Subic Bay include Houston-based Enron Corp., which has a subsidiary developing the area’s power source, and Coastal Corp., which has taken over the huge tanker storage area. Enron and Coastal were among the first 94 investors in Subic Bay, which now serves as the Asia hub for Federal Express. Those firms, along with Dallas-based EDS, serve on the APEC Business Advisory Council that met with Clinton Sunday night.”

Nancy Mathis, “Clinton Salvages Motion On Computer Technology,” The Houston Chronicle, November 25, 1996


 

The Clinton-Gore Administration Helped Enron Secure Over $400 Million In Loans For A Joint Venture. “The U.S. will provide up to $400-mil in government-backed loans to support a possible joint venture between Enron and Uzbekistan to develop gas reserves, the U.S.” Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC) said June 24. OPIC’s announcement coincided with a state visit by Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov, who meets with President Clinton June 25.”

Support For Possible Enron-Uzbek Link, Platt’s Oilgram News, June 25, 1996


 

The Clinton-Gore Administration And The OPIC Helped Enron Finance A Gas Pipeline Through Eastern Bolivia And Brazil. “Environmentalists say U.S. government financing is being misused to finance a gas pipeline through a rare forest ecosystem in violation of the Clinton administration’s own policies. American energy giants Enron and Shell, along with the Bolivian consortium Transredes, are hurrying to complete the 243-mile pipeline, which will extend from an existing gas pipeline near the city of Santa Cruz in eastern Bolivia to Cuiaba, Brazil. . . . The $570 million Cuiaba Integrated Energy Project is set to be completed by March, financed in part with a $200 million loan delivered to the companies on June 15 from the Overseas Private Investment [Corporation].

James Langman, Clinton Regime Ripped For Supporting Pipeline, The Washington Times, January 11, 2000


 

The Clinton-Gore OPIC Issued A $200-Million Loan That Helped Enron Construct A South American Gas Pipeline. “The Overseas Private Investment Corporation approved a $200 million loan Tuesday for a gas pipeline in Bolivia, a project opposed by environmental groups and some U.S. lawmakers. . . . In addition, Enron and Shell committed themselves to spending more than $20 million to develop and implement a regional conservation plan for eastern Bolivia over the next five years.”

Harry Dunphy, “OPIC Approves $200 Million Loan For Bolivia Pipeline,” The Associated Press, June 15, 1999


 

ENRON OFFICIALS HAD REGULAR SEATS ON CLINTON OVERSEAS TRADE MISSIONS

Enron Executives Traveled So Often On Trade Missions That The Company Was “Compelled” To Let The World Know That No Employees Were On Ron Brown’s Plane When It Crashed. “Enron officials were so often part of Clinton’s international trade missions that the company felt compelled to issue a news release saying no one from Enron was involved when a plane crashed in Croatia in 1996, killing all aboard, including [then] Commerce Secretary Ron Brown.”

Jack Douglas Jr. and Jennifer Autrey, “Enron Spread Its Political Donations,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, January 27, 2002


 

A Sample Of Clinton-Era Trade Missions That Included Enron Executives: Russia In March And April 1994. Rodney L. Gray, chairman and chief executive officer of Enron International accompanied Brown on [a] . . . trade mission to Russia in March and April of 1994. In Russia, Enron signed a deal to develop a market for Russia[n] gas in Europe.”

Center For Public Integrity Website, www.publicintegrity.org, accessed August 20, 2002


 

India In January 1995. “Kenneth Lay, chairman and chief executive officer of the Enron Corporation, accompanied Secretary of Commerce Ronald Brown on the trade mission to India in January, 1995. In India, Enron signed a contract for a 2,000 megawatt power plant in Dahbol worth an estimated $400 million. Enron also won a contract to build a $920 million power plant on the West coast of India and a $1.1 billion contract for offshore gas and oil production.”

Center For Public Integrity Website, www.publicintegrity.org, accessed August 20, 2002


 

Bosnia And Croatia In July 1996. “The Enron Development Corp. had good reason to be thankful when its president accompanied Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor on a trade mission to Bosnia and Croatia last July. With Kantor’s help in Croatia, Enron signed a memorandum of understanding to construct a 150-megawatt power plant that will cost $100 million or more to build.”

Walter V. Robinson, “Donations Are Linked To Kantor Trade Missions,” The Boston Globe, February 12, 1997


 

South Africa In December 1998. “[F]or every South African and American who cares about jobs, and about making our economies work for all people, this is a very important trade mission. . . . These companies see a new Africa. They want to trade and invest more with countries that are moving from the margins to the mainstream of the global economy. . . . Another company is Enron [represented by Terrence Thorn]. They want to develop a $2,500 million gas pipeline and iron and steel facility in Mozambique that will mean thousands of jobs.”

Then-Commerce Secretary Daley As Quoted In “United States And Africa,” Africa News, December 2, 1998


 

China In April 1999. “U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley’s infrastructure trade delegation to China this week produced several business deals. Some were part of the trade mission and others were timed to coincide with it. . . . Enron International China Pipeline, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Enron Corp. of Houston Texas, signed a memorandum of understanding with China National Petroleum Corporation on Wednesday to jointly develop a natural gas pipeline. The 765 kilometer pipeline, the first onshore pipeline to be built in cooperation with a foreign company, will transport natural gas from Sichuan Province to markets in Hubei Province.”

“Daley’s China Visit Nets Trade Deals For U.S. Companies,” ChinaOnline, April 2, 1999


 

Egypt In October 1999. “A group of U.S. corporate executives headed by Commerce Secretary William Daley arrived here Wednesday hoping to exploit fresh trade opportunities with Egypt after a change of government. The delegation is looking forward to exploring commercial opportunities resulting from Egypt’s economic reforms and ongoing privati[z]ation reforms,” Daley said on his arrival here at the head of a delegation of 12 business leaders. Among the U.S. companies represented were Nortel Networks, Enron Corporation [represented by Richard Bergsieker, Senior Vice President], ProNetLink.com and New York Life International.”

“US Trade Mission To Explore New Privati[z]ation Opportunities In Egypt,” Agence France Presse, October 13, 1999


 

Latin America In February 2000. “Commerce Secretary William Daley left Friday evening for Latin America with 19 U.S. corporate executives on a U.S. business-development mission focusing on information and communications technology, environment, and energy. Among the 19 executives are . . . Terrence Thorn, executive vice president of Enron. The mission will travel for eight days to the Southern Cone countries of Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. The key issue in that region is the privatization of power companies, not just at the federal level, as in the past, but now at the state and local levels, according to a Commerce department official. In addition, the mission will look at ongoing and new opportunities in cross-border oil and gas pipelines.”

“Daley Visits Latin America,” The Oil Daily, February 14, 2000


 

Like Infamous DNC Fundraiser Johnny Chung, Enron Also Donated To A Charity For Clinton Energy Secretary O’Leary. Chung said that a Department of Energy
official offered to arrange a meeting with Secretary O’Leary for a Chinese businessman in exchange for a $25,000 donation to Africare, a charity support by O’Leary.” Similarly, after O’Leary included Enron officials on her trips, “Enron showed its gratitude. At Christmas 1995, documents show, it donated an unknown sum of cash in O’Leary’s name to a charity called “I Have a Dream.”

“O’Leary To Testify Before House Panel On Contribution To Charity, Inside Energy/With Federal Lands, December 8, 1997; Michael Weisskopf, “Enron’s Democrat Pals,” Time, August 17, 2002


 

Enron “Seemed To Purchase” Seats On A Clinton-Era Overseas Trade Mission. “In 1995, a $100,000 check from Enron to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) seemed to purchase some highly coveted seats for Enron executives on an overseas trade mission led by then-Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor. Earlier, Enron Chairman Ken Lay accompanied the previous commerce secretary, Ron Brown, to India. Mr. Clinton instructed his chief of staff, Mack McLarty, to help Enron obtain a contract to build a power plant in India, for which the firm received $398 million in U.S. taxpayer assistance. In 1996, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rulings favorable to Enron coincided with another $100,000 contribution from Enron to the DNC.”

Editorial, “Enron And The Clinton Administration,” The Washington Times, January 18, 2002


 

ENRON AND THE CLINTON-GORE ADMINISTRATION: A SHARED VISION ON GLOBAL WARMING

The Clinton-Gore Administration’s Global Warming Agreement Would Have Helped Enron. “The Clinton administration’s interest in an international agreement to combat global warming also dovetailed with Enron’s business plans. Enron officials envisioned the company at the center of a new trading system, in which industries worldwide could buy and sell credits to emit carbon dioxide as part of a strategy to reduce greenhouse gases. Such a system would curtail the use of inefficient coal-fired power plants that emitted large amounts of carbon dioxide, while encouraging new investments in gas-fired plants and pipelines — precisely Enron’s line of business.”

Dan Morgan, “Enron Also Courted Democrats,” The Washington Post, January 13, 2002


 

Enron Shaped The Clinton-Gore Global Warming Policy. At a July 1997 meeting, Enron was part of a select group that shaped the administration’s case for policy action on the theory of man-made climate change.

Christopher C. Horner, “Controlling Hypocritical Authority,” National Review, April 23, 2002


 

Ken Lay Urged Clinton And Vice President Gore “To Back A ’Market-Based’ Approach To The Problem Of Global Warming,” Which Would Be “Good For Enron Stock.” In a White House meeting in August 1997, “Lay urged President Clinton and Vice President Gore to back a ’market-based’ approach to the problem of global warming — a strategy that a later Enron memo makes clear would be ’good for Enron stock.”

Dan Morgan, “Enron Also Courted Democrats,” The Washington Post, January 13, 2002


 

Ken Lay Said The Kyoto Global Warming Accord Would Dramatically Help Enron. Following the White House meeting, Ken Lay said there was broad consensus in favor of an emissions-trading system. An internal Enron memo noted that “the Kyoto agreement, if implemented, would” do more to promote Enron’s business than almost any other regulatory initiative outside of restructuring the energy and natural gas industries in Europe and the United States.”

Dan Morgan, “Enron Also Courted Democrats,” The Washington Post, January 13, 2002


 

Ken Lay Bragged That Gore Had “Solicited” His Views On Global Warming. “In an August 1997 memo by Mr. Lay to all Enron employees, the chairman said Mr. Clinton and Mr. Gore had “solicited” his view on how to address the issue of global warning in advance of a climate reaty to be negotiated at an international conference.” That memo said Mr. Clinton agreed a market-based solution, such as emissions trading, was the answer to reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.”

Jerry Seper, “Enron Gave Cash To Democrats, Sought Pact Help,” The Washington Times, January 16, 2002


 

Enron Officials Pressured The Clinton-Gore administration To Restructure Legislation Relating To Global Climate Change. “Despite the Senate decision,
Enron continued to push the Clinton administration well into 1998 for what the company called a ’restructuring’ of legislation that would have been a “first step to solving the problems of global climate change.” The firm, according to the records, sought laws that would have favored Enron’s natural gas inventory and reduced competition from coal.”

Jerry Seper, “Enron Gave Cash To Democrats, Sought Pact Help,” The Washington Times, January 16, 2002


 

The Clinton-Gore Energy Department “Rework[ed] Its Proposal So That It Was To Enron’s Liking. “Drafting a 1995 plan to help facilitate cash flow and credit for energy producers, it asked for Enron’s input and listened. The staff was directed to “rework the proposal to take into account the specific comments and suggestions you made,” Clinton Deputy Energy Secretary Bill White wrote an Enron official.”

Michael Weisskopf, “Enron’s Democrat Pals,” Time, August 17, 2002


 

Enron Said The Final Gore Global Warming Treaty Was “Another Victory For Us.” An internal Enron memo about the Kyoto Protocol said, if implemented, this agreement will do more to promote Enron’s business than will almost any other regulatory initiative outside of restructuring the energy and natural gas industries in Europe and the United States. . . This agreement will be good for Enron stock!!” Drafted by Enron’s Kyoto emissary immediately upon his return from Japan, it praises individual Kyoto features with “we won,” “another victory for us,” and “exactly what I have been lobbying for.”

Christopher Horner, “Outside View: Caught En Flagrente Kyoto,” United Press International, January 31, 2002


 

THE CLINTON-GORE ADMINISTRATION WAS A KEY SUPPORTER OF ENRON’S ELECTRIC DEREGULATION PLAN

Ken Lay Was A Clinton Golfing Partner And Energy Advisor. Lay played golf with President Clinton and “advised the Democratic administration on energy.”

David Ivanovich, “Power Play,” The Houston Chronicle, November 10, 2001


 

The Clinton-Gore Administration Supported Enron’s Agenda To Deregulate Electricity. “Closer to home, deregulation of the electric-power industry tops the company’s domestic political agenda. To date, electricity deregulation has progressed piecemeal, state by state. Bills in Congress to deregulate the industry nationwide have gone nowhere. Enron officials were able to enlist the support of the Clinton administration, but the legislation failed to move on Capitol Hill, largely because of personalities and turf issues.”

David Ivanovich, “The New Power,” The Houston Chronicle, April 15, 2001


 

A Regulatory Change By The Clinton-Gore Administration Transformed Enron. “Key orders by FERC in 1996 also supported Enron’s transformation into a freewheeling trader of gas, electricity and more exotic products, such as telecommunications services and sulfur-dioxide emissions credits. The new rules ensured that Enron and other merchant companies could buy electricity
from independent power plants and sell it to distant customers, using transmission lines borrowed from utility companies.”

Dan Morgan and Juliet Eilperin, “Campaign Gifts, Lobbying Built Enron’s Power In Washington,” The Washington Post, December 25, 2001


 

Enron Lobbied Clinton To Act On FERC Order 888 And “Allow Wholesale Open Access To The Nation’s Electricity Transmission Grid.” “Gas companies, trade groups and utilities are barraging the White House with support for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Order 888, telling President Clinton that the administration should not delay implementation because of unfounded environmental concerns. . . . Order 888 will allow wholesale open access to the nation’s electricity transmission grid. Also writing to Clinton was a group of 26 trade groups and energy companies that urged that EPA not turn the rule over to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for review. The group includes . . . Enron Corp. . . .

Paul Connolly, “Gas Firms Ask White House To Move On FERC’s Electric Rule,” The Oil Daily, May 14, 1996


 

Clinton-Gore Energy Secretary Federico Pena Urged The White House To Take Action On Energy Legislation Favored By Enron. “Lay met with Energy Secretary Federico Pena to urge White House action on electricity legislation favored by Enron. Pena” suggested that President Clinton might be motivated to act by some key contacts from important constituents,” according to another Enron memo. Taking the cue, Lay, one of 25 business executives on Clinton’s Council on Sustainable Development, wrote to the president the same day.”

Dan Morgan, “Enron Also Courted Democrats,” The Washington Post, January 13, 2002


 

In 1992, Clinton Signed A Major Energy Bill (H.R. 776) That “Set The Stage For A New Wholesale Electricity Marketplace” And The Growth Of Enron. The law “set the stage for a new wholesale electricity marketplace. Trading companies such as Enron could use the transmission lines of regulated utility companies to sell [blocks] of electricity to private customers.”

Dan Morgan, “Enron Also Courted Democrats,” The Washington Post, January 13, 2002


 

Energy Secretary Pena Solicited Comments From Enron On The Clinton-Gore “Comprehensive National Energy Strategy.” “Pena asked Enron officials to keep Energy Department staffers posted on developments in Congress, and solicited comments on the administration’s draft of its Comprehensive National Energy Strategy, an Enron document said. Lay felt the draft was “headed in the right direction” except for a few points, the document said.”

Dan Morgan, “Enron Also Courted Democrats,” The Washington Post, January 13, 2002


 

An Enron Spokesman Said That The Company Was Encouraged By The Final Clinton-Gore Plan. “Houston-based Enron Corp., a gas and electricity utility that has been aggressively pushing into newly deregulated state markets and is increasingly competing with Southern Co., said it was encouraged by the plan. “We like that there’s an absolute deadline for competition,” said
Enron Senior Vice President Steven Kean.”

Matthew C. Quinn, “Plan For Deregulating Nation’s Electric Utilities Finally Sent To Congress,” The Atlanta Journal And Constitution, March 26, 1998


 

Provisions In The Clinton-Gore Energy Plan Were “Much To The Liking” Of Enron. “Under the Clinton plan, states would not be compelled to open up their markets to competition. States could retain the status quo if they
decided their consumers would be better off with a regulated, monopoly system, although they would be forced to hold public hearings to explain why competition would not work. That provision is much to the liking of officials at Houston-based Enron Corp., the natural gas and power giant that has led the electricity deregulation push.”

David Ivanovich, “Clinton Power Deregulation Plan Detailed,” The Houston Chronicle, March 26, 1998


 

GORE AND ENRON: DONATIONS AND ACCESS
Former Enron Chairman Ken Lay And His Company Contributed Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars To Assist President Clinton And Vice President Al Gore. “Ken Lay contributed $11,000 to former President Bill Clinton during his two campaigns; Vice President Al Gore got $13,750 from Enron in the 2000 election. During Clinton’s eight years in office, the company and Lay contributed about $900,000 to the Democratic Party.”

Stephen J. Hedges, et al., “Enron ’Players’ Worked D.C. Ties,” Chicago Tribune, January 13, 2002


 

Enron Donated To The DNC Shortly Before Company Executives Met With Gore. Over a 17-month period between May 1997 and October 1998, Enron donated
$55,000 to the Democratic National Committee. “The cash came as Enron reportedly scored meetings with high-level Democrats – including then-President Bill Clinton and then-Vice President Al Gore.”

David R. Guarino, “Outsider” Grossman Got Enron Cash For DNC,” The Boston Herald, February 20, 2002


 

Enron’s Large Donations To Democrats Preceded Its Intensive Lobbying Efforts With Gore. “Enron Corp. donated $420,000 to Democrats over a three-year period while heavily lobbying the Clinton administration to expedite passage of a 1997 global warming treaty that would have dramatically increased the firm’s sales of natural gas. Federal and confidential corporate records show that after donating thousands of dollars in soft money and PAC donations beginning in 1995, Enron received easy access to President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.”

Jerry Seper, “Enron Gave Cash To Democrats, Sought Pact Help,” The Washington Times, January 16, 2002


 

The Ties Between The Democrat Party And Enron Are Deep And Friendly. “Relations with the Clinton White House included Enron chairman Kenneth Lay’s golf outings with the president and Lay’s face-to-face lobbying session with Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. . . . Former Clinton officials working for Enron, included a former chief of staff and a former White House counsel.

Robert Schlesinger, “Enron Ties May Also Tar Democrats,” The Boston Globe, January 24, 2002


 

In April 1995, Ken Lay And His Wife Linda Attended A Clinton White House State Dinner In Honor Of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, President Of Brazil.

Roxanne Roberts, “Dark Night At The White House,” The Washington Post, April 21, 1995


 

President Clinton Selected Enron’s Ken Lay As A “Corporate Citizen” Who Is “Doing Well By Doing Good.” “President Clinton, seeking to ease fears over job security, hosted a conference Thursday to highlight corporate citizens” who are doing well by doing good. . . . “I think it’s good to have an open dialogue,” said Kenneth Lay, chairman and CEO of Houston-based Enron Corp., a $13 billion natural-gas production and distribution firm. “I appreciate the tone that the president has set, trying to address things in a nonemotional way.”

George Rodrigue, “President Salutes Firms That Do Right By Workers,” The Dallas Morning News, May 17, 1996


 

The Clinton-Gore Administration Considered Appointing Enron’s Terrence Thorn To Be Deputy Secretary Of Energy. “Bill White, the campaign chairman for Texas Sen. Bob Krueger’s election campaign, and Terence Thorn, president of Houston-based Transwestern Pipeline Co., are under consideration at the White House for deputy secretary at DOE, several sources said last week. . . . Thorn, described by the source as Enron Corp’s “token Democrat,” has been president of the corporation’s Transwestern Pipeline subsidiary since 1985. Thorn began his involvement with the gas industry in 1975 as a lobbyist for the American Gas Assn., where he was director of congressional relations from 1977-79. He joined Enron’s predecessor, Houston Natural Gas Corp., as the firm’s Washington representative in 1981.”

“Texans Among Candidates For Deputy,” Inside Energy, March 29, 1993


 

ENRON’S PLAN FOR THE GORE 2000 CAMPAIGN: CULTIVATE CLOSE TIES, DONATE, AND HIRE GORE AIDES

During The 2000 Presidential Campaign, Enron Tried To Cultivate Close Ties To Gore. “The Enron Corporation quietly drew up a plan to cultivate close political ties to Vice President Al Gore during the 2000 presidential race and tried to build relationships with his inner circle . . . . In May 2000, shortly after Mr. Gore was assured of the Democratic nomination, Enron hired Sally A. Painter, a public relations executive, who drafted a “six-month action plan for Enron” for “Democratic political outreach in the 2000 presidential election,” the documents show.”

Richard L. Berke, “Enron Pursued Plan To Forge Close Ties To Gore Campaign,” The New York Times, February 18, 2002


 

The Recommended Enron Strategy: Get Involved In The DNC Convention, Help Gore In Swing States And With Inaugural Planning. “Ms. Painter identified influential advisers at the Gore headquarters in Nashville and in Washington whom she said Enron officials should get to know. Her plan called for writing briefs for Mr. Gore’s staff on issues important to Enron and for Enron to play an “active and visible role” at the Democratic National Convention. She also suggested that Enron “actively participate in campaign activities on the ground in a key swing state.” If Mr. Gore was elected, she said, Enron should “participate in senior team for inaugural planning.”

Richard L. Berke, “Enron Pursued Plan To Forge Close Ties To Gore Campaign,” The New York Times, February 18, 2002


 

Enron Hired A Close Gore Adviser As A Lobbyist During The 2000 Presidential Campaign. “In the summer of 2000, Enron hired one of Mr. Gore’s old friends and a longtime financial supporter, Charles W. Bone. Mr. Bone, with contacts in Washington and at the Tennessee Valley Authority, helped Enron settle a bitter contractual dispute with the T.V.A. The suit was settled in January 2001 for more than $200 million. The authority, not Enron, disclosed the settlement.”

Richard L. Berke, “Enron Pursued Plan To Forge Close Ties To Gore Campaign,” The New York Times, February 18, 2002


 

Enron Donated To The Democrats In An Attempt To Curry Favor With Gore. “Former Enron officials said an important part of their strategy to win favor with the Gore campaign was a significant increase in the company’s donations to Democrats.” In 1999 and 2000, the company gave $362,000 in soft-money donations to Democrats.

Richard L. Berke, “Enron Pursued Plan To Forge Close Ties To Gore Campaign” The New York Times, February 18, 2002


 

Enron Sponsored A Private Meeting With Senior Gore Aides During The 2000 Campaign. “In what one Enron official recalled as a desire to have Enron’s
message become part of the energy and telecom policy of the Gore campaign,” Enron organized a dinner in the private Nest Lounge of the Willard Hotel, two blocks from the White House, that included top Gore and Enron officials as well as executives in the high-tech industry.”

Richard L. Berke, “Enron Pursued Plan To Forge Close Ties To Gore Campaign,” The New York Times, February 18, 2002


 

Enron Scripted The Meeting With Gore Aides. “Enron painstakingly prepared for the dinner. Ms. Painter wrote a document of potential questions to consider for the dinner discussion” for the Gore officials, including “How can the vice president and the Democratic Party strengthen its business message” and “What has been your reaction to the vice president’s leadership strategies?” People at the dinner said the discussion roughly followed the questions outlined.”

Richard L. Berke, “Enron Pursued Plan To Forge Close Ties To Gore Campaign, The New York Times, February 18, 2002


 

Enron Drafted Policy Briefing Papers For Gore. “Christopher M. Long, who was a lobbyist for Enron, suggested in an internal memorandum that the company draft issue briefs for Mr. Gore on four policy areas on which Enron has unique experience: electricity deregulation, e-commerce (trading), energy services and broadband.”

Richard L. Berke, “Enron Pursued Plan To Forge Close Ties To Gore Campaign,” The New York Times, February 18, 2002


 

Enron Worked To Hire Gore Aides. “As Ms. Painter was planning more public interaction between Enron and Gore officials, Enron officials said, Mr. Shapiro worked behind the scenes to hire people close to Mr. Gore. In the summer of 2000, they said, Mr. Shapiro wanted to hire Johnny Hayes, one of Mr. Gore’s closest friends and top fund-raisers in Nashville. But Mr. Shapiro could not hire Mr. Hayes because he was already on the Gore campaign’s payroll. After the campaign, Enron hired Mr. Hayes as a lobbyist.”

Richard L. Berke, “Enron Pursued Plan To Forge Close Ties To Gore Campaign,” The New York Times, February 18, 2002


 

Enron “Paid Large Sums” To Gore Friends And Aides. “Records show Enron paid large sums to enlist the lobbying aid of former Tennessee Valley Authority Director Johnny Hayes and another Tennessee friend of former Vice President Al Gore. Enron paid $200,000 to Sideview Partners Inc., a company headed by Mr. Hayes, for lobby work involving TVA earlier this year, according to Mr. Hayes midyear 2001 lobby activities report.” Enron also paid $500,000 to the Nashville law firm of Charles Bone, another longtime Gore friend and fund-raiser. “Also registered to lobby on behalf of Enron this year was former Vice President Gore’s former chief of staff, Jack Quinn. Disclosure reports for the first half of 2001 indicate Mr. Quinn’s lobbying firm, Quinn, Gillespie $10,000.”

Andy Sher, “Ex-TVA Director, Gore Friend Got Large Sums To Aid Enron,” Chattanooga Times/Chattanooga Free Press, December 7, 2001


 

Several Senior Enron Officials “Spent Election Night At Vice President Gore’s Headquarters In Nashville.” “Several senior Enron officials spent election night at Vice President Gore’s headquarters in Nashville.”

Dan Morgan, “Enron Also Courted Democrats,” The Washington Post, January 13, 2002