Bad Deeds for 6-6-2007

Jack Abramoff and His Associates Had 485 Lobbying Contacts with White House Officials Between January 2001 and March 2004 – Abramoff associates having extensive contacts with the White House include Neil Volz and Tony Rudy, who have both pleaded guilty to federal charges; Kevin Ring, a one-time Doolittle aide who is under federal investigation; and Todd Boulanger and Shawn Vasell, both still lobbyists. Susan Ralston, a key aide to presidential political strategist Karl Rove who had worked for Abramoff, resigned last October after the Government Reform report showed she had extensive contacts with Abramoff.

AT&T Planning to Put Up Internet Toll Booths and Cash In (But They’ll Call It Deregulation) – AT&T chief Ed Whitacre handed the keys over to his replacement Randall Stephenson yesterday, but not before giving a rousing pep talk to fellow executives in the company’s San Antonio board room. We just received exclusive video of the AT&T chairman’s parting speech. “There’s a problem. It’s called Net Neutrality,” Whitacre told the heirs to AT&T’s telecommunications empire. “Well, frankly, we say to hell with that. We’re gonna put up some toll booths and start charging admission.” This statement echoes those made in the press by Whitacre and Stephenson over the last two years. Despite claims of poverty whenever pressed to offer better services, these AT&T execs are privately gloating over more than $35 billion in gross profits over the last 12 months. Moreover, Whitacre (and now Stephenson) are pressuring Congress to allow them to provide privileged Web access to their customers to companies that pay them a special fee. “Will Congress let us do it?” Whitacre asks his colleagues. “You bet they will – cuz we don’t call it cashin’ in. We call it ‘deregulation.’ “

Cheney Has Made Iraq Look like Kansas

Several Thousand Turkish Troops Crossed Into Northern Iraq Wednesday to Chase Kurdish Guerrillas – This was predicted in an earlier Bad Deeds several weeks ago.

State Department Short People and Other Resources; Suffering Low Morale – The State Department has too few people to fill increasingly difficult jobs while the Iraq and Afghanistan wars drain off resources, an independent report found Tuesday. The report from the Foreign Affairs Council, which includes retired ambassadors and senior diplomats, also said morale is dropping among diplomats. The council found a severe staff shortage and holds Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice partly responsible. The State Department needs 1,100 more employees, especially since recent staff additions have gone to fill jobs in Iraq, Afghanistan and other difficult posts, the report said.

Most Conservative Presidential Candidates Would Pardon Scooter Libby

Rep. Tom Tancredo Wants to Halt Legal Immigration – Republican Congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo said, “We have to stop all legal immigration except for people coming into this country as immediate family members or refugees.”

Regards,

Jim