Bad Deeds for 10-08-2007

FCC Officials Leaked Information to Lobbyists and Corporate Insiders – Federal Communications Commission officials leak information to lobbyists and corporate insiders before the agency’s regulatory decisions are made public, according to a report released Wednesday. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that “multiple stakeholders generally knew when the commission scheduled votes on proposed rules well before the FCC notified the public.” Those with advance information about future agency moves can tailor their lobbying approaches accordingly — but stakeholders without an inside scoop cannot, the report said.

Katie Couric felt pressured by NBC to support war – According to Reality Show, a book by Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz which hits bookshelves this week, CBS’ Katie Couric felt pressured by NBC to ‘lighten up’ on her coverage of the war.

Blackwater crushed car with three kids, old man to avoid traffic
Janessa Gans, a visiting political science professor at Principia College who served as a US official in Iraq from 2003 to 2005, says she witnessed firsthand “over-the-top zeal” of the behemoth US mercenary force. “We would careen around corners, jump road dividers, reach speeds in excess of 100 mph and often cross over to the wrong side of the street, oncoming traffic be damned,” she writes. “I began to wonder whether my meetings, intended to further U.S. policy goals and improve the lives of Iraqis, were doing more harm than good. With our drivers honking at, cutting off, pelting with water bottles (a favorite tactic) and menacing with weapons anyone in their way, how many enemies were we creating?”

Gans describes a particularly “infuriating” incident where the lead Chevy Suburban in her convoy allegedly crashed into a sedan ferrying an older man, a young woman and three children. “As we approached at typical breakneck speed, the Blackwater driver honked furiously and motioned to the side, as if they should pull over,” she pens. “The kids in the back seat looked back in horror, mouths agape at the sight of the heavily armored Suburbans driven by large, armed men in dark sunglasses. The poor Iraqi driver frantically searched for a means of escape, but there was none. So the lead Blackwater vehicle smashed heedlessly into the car, pushing it into the barrier. We zoomed by too quickly to notice if anyone was hurt.”

Bill O’Reilly Says White House Press Corps Has to be Wiped Out – Former Fox News commentator turned White House Press Secretary Tony Snow sat down with Bill O’Reilly to discuss his battle with cancer and his career aspirations going forward. O’Reilly asks Snow what his plan is, career-wise, since he left his job at the White House for “financial reasons.” “You could make a lot of money bloviating, like I do,” says O’Reilly, “get the speeches–You know, you could write a book–I assume you’ll do that, right?” Snow plans on “a lot of speeches,” along with writing about how to deal not only with cancer, but with the unexpected. “You can combine ‘how I deal with cancer’ with ‘how I deal with the White House Press Corps,'” quips O’Reilly, “because they’re both insidious, invasive…they both have to be wiped out.”

Warner Bros President of Production Says, “We are no longer doing movies with women in the lead” – Warner Bros president of production Jeff Robinov has made a new decree that “We are no longer doing movies with women in the lead”. This Neanderthal thinking comes after both Jodie Foster’s The Brave One and Nicole Kidman’s The Invasion (as if three different directors didn’t have something to do with the awfulness of the gross receipts) under-performed at the box office recently.

Another Republican elected official caught toe-tappin’ in the boys room – Joey DiFatta is the chairman of St. Bernard Parish Council and a prominent Republican leader (until 2004 on the GOP state party Executive Committee). He just withdrew from his state senate race, after his arrests for lewd behavior in a public restroom were made public.

Republicans Love Authoritarianism – On The McLaughlin Group, host John McLaughlin let the truth slip out:

McLaughlin: “Look Americans — particularly Republicans like you — they love authoritarianism.”
Blankley: “I don’t love authoritarianism. Even though I love you, John.”
McLaughlin: “Keep quiet now. They don’t want a President. They want an imperialist.”

Regards,

Jim