Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Fed up with Washington, wealthy boycott campaign fundraising:
Fed up with Washington, wealthy boycott campaign fundraising;
My 2 cents
The lack of the people's interest by the Government isn't something that just started, it has been going on for years, we didn't just get this way, the problem is the people elect the politicians, trust them to take care of America's business then turn a blind eye to what they are doing, in other words, No Accountability for the laws they make and then brake, if you had that kind of freedom with the Country Wealth and didn't have to worry about being punished for robbing the country blind you would do it to. America has stood by and let Dirty Politicians do away with just about every write we have, even our Constitutional Rights are under attack, The right to Bare Arms, Freedom of Speech ect... Where does it end? When do the people of America say that's enough? When do we tell our Government you will be held accountable to the same laws as the rest of American, only then will we start to see Honesty in Government...
(Reuters) - They might not be among the jobless protesting against Wall Street, but the rich are angry, too. Furious over U.S. government gridlock, the wealthy have their own form of protest: Refusing to make political contributions.
A number of financial advisers say their wealthy clients have told them they will not make political contributions this year, many for the first time ever.
Bessemer Trust CEO John Hilton says in his 42 years advising ultra high-net worth investors, he has never seen clients so frustrated with the state of affairs in Washington.
He said a number of the firm's clients - who have an average of $30 million in investable assets - say they believe a lack of leadership and political wrangling are the primary cause of recent market problems - and the declines in their portfolios. Because of that, they say they're saying no to requests to make political contributions.
"People are pissed," said Alan Ungar, an adviser with Critical Capital Management Inc. in Calabasas, California. His clients have an average $1.6 million or more in assets invested with the firm. "This isn't about taxes," he said. "It's about the partisan dynamic."
Political contributions from wealthy donors are crucial for presidential campaigns, said Michael Beckel, spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics, a research group that tracks donations and their impact on elections and policy in the U.S.
Thirty-one percent of all individual donations came from people who donated $2,000 or more during the 2008 presidential elections, according to the Federal Election Commission. "We are definitely seeing a slower start in donors giving money than we did four years ago," Beckel said.
In the second quarter of 2007, Republican candidates raised about $115 million from individual donors. In the second quarter of this year, the latest crop of candidates raised about a third of that, according to the Campaign Finance Institute.
ON THE SIDELINES
The frustration among wealthy donors has been building throughout the year.
For months, Congress fought about raising the federal government's borrowing limit. An agreement to raise the debt ceiling and cut spending in August came just in time to avert a possible debt default but concerns about the gridlock and the nation's budget deficits led credit rating agency Standard & Poor's to remove the United States' triple-A rating.
In the weeks that followed, stock indexes have seen wild swings, including a record number of days of 400-plus point swings in the Dow Jones industrial average.
Markets have remained volatile since and the gridlock continues. On Tuesday, the Senate blocked President Barack Obama's $447 billion jobs bill.
One client told Hilton that he was recently contacted by the political party he is affiliated with to make a contribution. He told Hilton that he declined, telling the caller that considering the situation in Washington and with his retirement account down 25 percent partly because of it, he didn't want to contribute.
In the Washington, D.C. area, wealthy donors are often active in fund-raising for presidential campaigns. This year, many are sitting on the sidelines, said Ted Halpern, a Rockville, Maryland-based financial adviser whose average client has more than $2 million in assets.
"My clients are the ones who are usually hosting fund-raisers at their homes," he said. Many have historically been staunch Democrats, but Halpern said this year some say they might vote for a Republican because they hope a change will lead to action of some kind in Washington, Halpern said.
"There is just a lot of resentment out there," he said.
Jim Heitman, an adviser with Compass Financial Planning in Alta Loma, California, whose average account size is $1.3 million, said several of his clients are usually active in their parties. But this year, they're doing less and some are using the money they earmark for political contributions to pay off mortgages on vacation homes or to invest in alternative assets like gold, he said.
"The attitude is increasingly 'a pox on both their houses,'" Heitman said.
(Reporting by Jessica Toonkel, Additional reporting by Kim Dixon. Editing by Jennifer Merritt, Martin Howell)
\My 2 cents
The lack of the people's interest by the Government isn't something that just started, it has been going on for years, we didn't just get this way, the problem is the people elect the politicians, trust them to take care of America's business then turn a blind eye to what they are doing, in other words, No Accountability for the laws they make and then brake, if you had that kind of freedom with the Country Wealth and didn't have to worry about being punished for robbing the country blind you would do it to. America has stood by and let Dirty Politicians do away with just about every write we have, even our Constitutional Rights are under attack, The right to Bare Arms, Freedom of Speech ect... Where does it end? When do the people of America say that's enough? When do we tell our Government you will be held accountable to the same laws as the rest of American, only then will we start to see Honesty in Government...
6 killed in California salon shooting:
6 killed in California salon shooting;
8 photos - 1 hr 11 mins ago
Investigators stand near the site where six people were killed and three were wounded …SEAL BEACH, California (AP) — A shooting at a hair salon in a normally sedate California beach community Wednesday left six people dead and three wounded, authorities said.
The six deaths were confirmed and three other victims were taken to a hospital in critical condition, police Sgt. Steve Bowles told KCAL-TV.
Police arrested a man in a traffic stop a half-mile (1 kilometer) from the shooting scene and he was taken into custody, Bowles said. He added that multiple weapons were seized.
The motive was not immediately known.
The shooting was reported at 1:21 p.m. (2021 GMT) in a cluster of small businesses on Pacific Coast Highway.
The quiet beachfront city of approximately 25,000 residents identifies itself as the Gateway to Southern California's Orange County and is located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles.
It is home to Leisure World, a gated senior citizen community of 9,000 people, as well as the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station military complex.
Pat Modell, actress and wife of Art Modell, dies:
Pat Modell, actress and wife of Art Modell, dies;
BALTIMORE (AP)—Patricia Modell, the wife of former NFL team owner Art Modell and a longtime television actress, has died. She was 80.
Mrs. Modell was pronounced dead around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, the Baltimore Ravens announced after being contacted by Modell’s son. She had been hospitalized for around five months.
During a 22-year acting career, Patricia Breslin Modell performed on the New York stage, in motion pictures and on television. She starred in the “People’s Choice” television series with actor Jackie Cooper and played the role of Meg Baldwin in the soap opera “General Hospital.” She also played Laura Brooks on the prime time soap opera “Peyton Place.”
Among her many television other roles, she was a regular on “Twilight Zone,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Perry Mason,” and “Maverick.”
At one point in her career, Mrs. Modell had appeared on more television shows than any other woman in U.S. history. Her record was eventually broken by one of her best friends, Lucille Ball.
She married Art Modell, former owner and president of the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, in 1969. She retired from acting at that time and immersed herself in her family and community improvement.
After Art Modell moved his football team to Baltimore in 1996, his wife served on several boards, including: House of Ruth, Gilchrist Hospice, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and The Walters Art Museum. In addition, the Modells contributed money to the St. Vincent’s Center and the Baltimore Museum of Art.
The Modells also gave $3.5 million to the Lyric Opera House, which was recently renamed the Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric.
The Modells pledged $5 million to help start a public boarding school for disadvantaged students. The SEED School, which opened in the Fall of 2008, recruits middle and high school students from around the state. The gift is believed to have been one of the largest private contributions to a single public school in Maryland.
Born in New York, Patricia Modell was the daughter of Edward and Marjorie Breslin. Her father was a Special Sessions Judge in New York City. Monsignor Patrick Breslin, for whom she was named, was Judge Breslin’s eldest brother.
Mrs. Modell graduated from the Academy of Mt. St. Ursuline and the College of New Rochelle.
She is survived by her husband, two sons, John and David, and six grandchildren.
BALTIMORE (AP)—Patricia Modell, the wife of former NFL team owner Art Modell and a longtime television actress, has died. She was 80.
Mrs. Modell was pronounced dead around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, the Baltimore Ravens announced after being contacted by Modell’s son. She had been hospitalized for around five months.
During a 22-year acting career, Patricia Breslin Modell performed on the New York stage, in motion pictures and on television. She starred in the “People’s Choice” television series with actor Jackie Cooper and played the role of Meg Baldwin in the soap opera “General Hospital.” She also played Laura Brooks on the prime time soap opera “Peyton Place.”
Among her many television other roles, she was a regular on “Twilight Zone,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Perry Mason,” and “Maverick.”
At one point in her career, Mrs. Modell had appeared on more television shows than any other woman in U.S. history. Her record was eventually broken by one of her best friends, Lucille Ball.
She married Art Modell, former owner and president of the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, in 1969. She retired from acting at that time and immersed herself in her family and community improvement.
In Cleveland, Mrs. Modell served on the board at Ursuline College and was active in the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Cleveland Musical Arts Association, the Cleveland Ballet, the Playhouse Square Foundation, and the Cerebral Palsy Association. She actively supported the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and she started and funded, along with her husband, the Hospice of the Western Reserve in Cleveland.
After Art Modell moved his football team to Baltimore in 1996, his wife served on several boards, including: House of Ruth, Gilchrist Hospice, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and The Walters Art Museum. In addition, the Modells contributed money to the St. Vincent’s Center and the Baltimore Museum of Art.
The Modells also gave $3.5 million to the Lyric Opera House, which was recently renamed the Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric.
The Modells pledged $5 million to help start a public boarding school for disadvantaged students. The SEED School, which opened in the Fall of 2008, recruits middle and high school students from around the state. The gift is believed to have been one of the largest private contributions to a single public school in Maryland.
Born in New York, Patricia Modell was the daughter of Edward and Marjorie Breslin. Her father was a Special Sessions Judge in New York City. Monsignor Patrick Breslin, for whom she was named, was Judge Breslin’s eldest brother.
Mrs. Modell graduated from the Academy of Mt. St. Ursuline and the College of New Rochelle.
She is survived by her husband, two sons, John and David, and six grandchildren.
Underwear bomber pleads guilty:
Law enforcement officials guard the Federal Courthouse in Detroit where Umar Farouk …
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab pictured in this 2009 booking photograph released by the …
A Nigerian man dubbed the "underwear bomber" pleaded guilty Wednesday to trying to blow up a US-bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009, saying he had sought to avenge the killing of Muslims.
In a six-minute speech to a shocked courtroom on the second day of his high profile-trial in Detroit, Michigan, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab insisted his actions were righteous and that the true crime was US foreign policy.
"I am guilty of this count in US law but not in the Koran," the 25-year-old Nigerian said as he reversed course in the trial and confessed to trying to kill 289 people on a packed transatlantic flight using explosives hidden in his underwear.
"The United States should be warned that if they continue and persist in promoting the blasphemy of Mohammed and the US continues to kill and support those who kill innocent Muslims then the US should await a great calamity through the hands of the Mujahedeen... or God."
Passengers and crew members were able to restrain Abdulmutallab and put out the fire as the Northwest flight from Amsterdam made an emergency landing in Detroit on December 25, 2009.
The eight terrorism counts he pleaded guilty to cumulatively carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Republicans capitalized on the missteps and the revived fears to paint President Barack Obama as weak on terror, as well as to undermine his plans for shutting down Guantanamo Bay and prosecuting Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other high-profile "enemy combatants" being held there in US civilian courts.
Attorney General Eric Holder hailed the guilty plea for removing "any doubt that our courts are one of the most effective tools we have to fight terrorism and keep the American people safe."
The abrupt end to the trial means that many questions -- including the degree of involvement of slain Al-Qaeda preacher Anwar al-Awlaqi -- remain unanswered.
Abdulmutallab kept his description of how he carried out the plot to the absolute minimum required to satisfy the judge that he was indeed guilty of all charges. Every admission included an accusation.
Abdulmutallab said he "had an agreement with at least one person" to attack the US in retaliation for US support for Israel and in revenge for the killing of innocent Muslims in Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and beyond.
"I attempted to use an explosive device, which under US law is called a weapon of mass destruction, which I call a blessed weapon to save the lives of innocent Muslims for the US used weapons of mass destruction on innocent Muslims," he told the court. He is to be sentenced on January 12.
His court-appointed standby counsel said he had urged the young man to see the trial through but Abdulmutallab was not interested in trying to avoid spending the rest of his life behind bars.
"He wanted to say something for some time and that was satisfying to him," Anthony Chambers told reporters.
GOP senators vote to defeat Obama's jobs bill:
GOP senators vote to defeat Obama's jobs bill;
President Barack Obama gestures while speaking about jobs, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, …
President Barack Obama arrives to speak at the International Brotherhood of Electrical …
President Barack Obama speaks at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers …
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky returns to his office during …
US ties Iran to plot to assassinate Saudi diplomat:
Attorney General Eric Holder holds a news conference to deliver the results to date …
This undated image provided by the Nueces County Sheriff's Office shows Manssor Arbabsiar.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration accused Iranian government agents Tuesday of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in the United States and immediately used the thwarted plot to ratchet up sanctions and recruit international allies to try to further isolate Tehran.
Two men, including a member of Iran's special foreign actions unit known as the Quds Force, were charged in New York federal court with conspiring to kill the Saudi diplomat, Adel Al-Jubeir. Justice Department officials say the men tried to hire a purported member of a Mexican drug cartel to carry out the assassination with a bomb attack while Al-Jubeir dined at his favorite restaurant.
"The idea that they would attempt to go to a Mexican drug cartel to solicit murder-for-hire to kill the Saudi ambassador, nobody could make that up, right?" Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Clinton was blunt in saying the United States would use the case as leverage with other countries that have been reluctant to apply harsh sanctions or penalties against Iran. Clinton said she and President Barack Obama called world leaders to tell them of the developments.
"This really, in the minds of many diplomats and government officials, crosses a line that Iran needs to be held to account for," Clinton said. She said she and Obama want to "enlist more countries in working together against what is becoming a clearer and clearer threat" from Iran.
The U.S. criminal complaint said the Iranian plotters hired a would-be assassin in Mexico who was a paid informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and told U.S. authorities all about their plot, which they code-named "Chevrolet."
FBI Director Robert Mueller said many lives could have been lost. But Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said no explosives were actually placed and no one was in any danger because of the informant's cooperation with authorities.
Attorney General Eric Holder, appearing at a news conference with Mueller and Bharara, declared, "The United States is committed to holding Iran responsible for its actions."
Shortly afterward, the Treasury Department announced economic penalties against Arbabsiar and four Quds Force officers it says were involved.
Asked whether the plot was blessed by the very top echelons of the Iranian government, Holder said the Justice Department was not making that accusation. But he said the conspiracy was conceived, sponsored and directed from Tehran. The U.S. describes the Quds Force as Iran's primary foreign action arm for supporting terrorists and extremists around the world.
The White House said Obama told al-Jubeir in a phone call that the foiled plot to assassinate him is a "flagrant" violation of U.S. and international law. Obama also told al-Jubeir he is committed to ensuring the security of diplomats in the United States, the White House said, and met with his national security team to thank them for disrupting the plot.
The Obama administration has often said that no option is off the table with Iran, a position that a U.S. official said had not changed Tuesday. But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the policy publicly, said the emphasis now is on increasing diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran.
The State Department warned Americans around the world of the potential for terrorist attacks against U.S. interests following the exposure of the alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador.
The alleged target was Al-Jubeir, a commoner educated at University of North Texas and Georgetown who was foreign affairs adviser to Saudi King Abdullah when he was crown prince. A month after the 2001 attacks, in which 15 of the 19 Arab hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, Abdullah sent al-Jubeir to the United States to rebuild Saudi Arabia's image in the United States. He was appointed ambassador in 2007.
Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia are the Mideast's two most powerful countries and have long vied for power and influence across the region. Saudi Arabia and other countries like Bahrain have accused Iran of trying to create dissent in their countries this year, during democracy movements across the region.
The Saudi Embassy said in a statement that it appreciated the U.S. efforts to prevent the crime. "The attempted plot is a despicable violation of international norms, standards and conventions and is not in accord with the principles of humanity," the statement read.
Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old U.S. citizen who also holds an Iranian passport, was charged along with Gholam Shakuri, who authorities said was a Quds Force member and is still at large in Iran. The Treasury Department listed addresses for Arbabsiar in two Texas cities — the Austin suburb of Round Rock and the Gulf city of Corpus Christi — and prosecutors say he frequently traveled to Mexico for business.
The complaint filed in federal court says Arbabsiar confessed that his cousin Abdul Reza Shahlai was a high-ranking member of the Quds Force who told him to hire someone in the narcotics business to target Al-Jubeir. U.S. authorities described Shakuri as Shahlai's deputy who helped provide funding for the plot. Shahlai was identified by the Treasury Department in 2008, during George W. Bush's administration, as a Quds deputy commander who planned the Jan. 20, 2007, attack in Karbala, Iraq, that killed five American soldiers and wounded three others.
Arbabsiar, Shakuri and Shahlai and two others — Qasem Soleimani, a Quds commander who allegedly oversaw the plot, and Hamed Abdollahi, a senior Quds officer who helped coordinate — were sanctioned Tuesday by the Treasury Department for their alleged involvement. The department described all except Arbabsiar as Quds officers.
The complaint alleges this past spring that Arbabsiar approached the DEA informant, who he believed was associated with a well-known Mexican drug cartel with access to military-grade weapons and explosives and has a history of assassinations. Justice Department officials say Arbabsiar initially asked the informant about his knowledge of plastic explosives for a plot to blow up a Saudi embassy. But through subsequent meetings in Mexico over the past six months in which they spoke English, secretly recorded for U.S. authorities, Arbabsiar offered $1.5 million for the death of the ambassador. He eventually wired nearly $100,000 to an account number that the informant provided, authorities said.
The DEA informant is no stranger to criminal activity — the criminal complaint reveals he was charged with violating drug laws in the United States but the charges were dismissed when the informant cooperated with several drug investigations. The complaint said the informant has continued to provide reliable information that has led to numerous drug seizures and is paid for his work.
According to transcripts of their recorded conversations cited in the complaint, the informant told Arbabsiar he would kill the ambassador however he wanted — "blow him up or shoot him" — and Arbabsiar responded he should use whatever method is easiest. The plot eventually centered on targeting Al-Jubeir in his favorite restaurant and Arbabsiar was quoted as saying killing him alone would be better, "but sometime, you know, you have no choice." Arbabsiar dismisses the possibility that 100-150 others in the restaurant could be killed along with the ambassador as "no problem" and "no big deal."
Arbabsiar was arrested Sept. 29 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and was ordered held without bail during his brief first court appearance Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors said he faces up to life in prison if convicted.
The complaint said that after his arrest, Arbabsiar made several calls to Shakuri in which they discussed the purchase of their "Chevrolet," and Shakuri urged Arbabsiar to "just do it quickly."
No one answered the door Tuesday at Arbabsiar's two-story home, decorated for Halloween, at the end of a cul-de-sac in the Austin suburb of Round Rock. A neighbor said he frequently saw Arbabsiar walking around smoking cigarettes and talking on a cellphone in a language the neighbor didn't understand. Public records show Arbabsiar has been married at least twice and has a history of arrests in Texas for offenses that include evading arrest and theft.
David Tomscha told The Associated Press in an interview that he and Arbabsiar once owned a used car lot together in Corpus Christi, Texas. Tomscha said Arbabsiar was likable, but a bit lazy, and "sort of a hustler."
Iran called the accusation both false and baseless. In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mihman-parast condemned such acts and said "such worn-out tricks which are upon old and hostile policies of the U.S. and the Zionist regime is a comic show in direction of making special scenarios with the aim of sowing discord."
Members of Congress were quick to condemn Iran over the plot. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said if it was indeed sponsored by the Iranian government, "this would constitute an act of war not only against the Saudis and Israelis but against the United States as well."
"This is dangerous new territory for Iran," said Rep. Mike Rogers, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. "It is the latest in a series of aggressive actions — from their nuclear program to state sponsorship of terrorism, from complicity in killing our soldiers in Iraq to now plotting hostile acts on U.S. soil."
___
Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Desmond Butler in Washington, Will Weissert in Round Rock, Texas, Danny Robbins in Dallas, and Karen Matthews in New York contributed to this report.…
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