More ethics charges

[SuperScout]

Embattled Rep. William J. Jefferson yesterday said he will not resign his seat as government officials probe his ethical conduct. He apologized to his constituents for having to endure negative headlines and asserted: "I certainly did not sell my office."

The Louisiana Democrat, who has not been charged with a crime, criticized the bribery investigation that already has led to guilty pleas from two of his associates. "I wish to say emphatically that in all of my actions here under scrutiny, that I never intended to dishonor my office, or you, the public, and I certainly did not sell my office," Mr. Jefferson said yesterday in front of his New Orleans district office. [What an intersting choice of words: "I never intended to dishonor my office..." Could he be so naive, stupid, or corrupt as to unintentionally dishonor his office?]

Mr. Jefferson's associates testified the congressman took bribes in exchange for lobbying Nigerian government officials on behalf of IGate, a Louisville, Ky.-based technology firm that wanted to operate a broadband network in Africa. Vernon Jackson, chief executive of IGate, pleaded guilty earlier this month and said he paid Mr. Jefferson more than $400,000 in bribes. He testified that he and Mr. Jefferson made a bribery arrangement lasting more than four years that resulted in at least one government contract.

A former aide of Mr. Jefferson's, Brett Pfeffer, in January pleaded guilty to helping to bribe a public official. The congressman was not named in court documents, but can be clearly identified in them. The records also indicate at least one witness in the case wore a wire when speaking to Mr. Jefferson. [So when are we going to see the indictiments?]

Mr. Jefferson, 59, defended his actions and said the government is portraying the facts in the "worst possible light." [Uhhh, EARTH to Mr. JEFFERSON: if the government is presenting the facts, it is them - the facts - that place you in the 'worst possible light.' Dont blame the government for your corruption.]

[Advisor]

Aww, it's really Bushy's fault. We all know that. 415 impartial historians say so.

[Gimpy]

Advisor.............you're learning!.............

[SuperScout]

And hopefully, Mr. Jefferson will learn that a pound of flesh will be extracted from him for his corruption. What will be just as interesting is to see what, if any, actions the Democrat party leadership will take against him.

[SuperScout]

An Alabama teacher who showed 8th grade students a video filmstrip referring to President Bush in vulgar terms was fired by his school board after an investigation found porn on his computer. [I wonder how many conservatives are porn viewers? I seriously doubt very many.]

Following a private hearing last night, the Limestone County Board of Education voted 6-1 to dismiss Steve White, a science teacher at West Limestone High School in Lester, Ala., according to the Huntsville Times. [Wonder who the moral genius was that voted to keep him?]

The teacher, also a Democratic candidate for the Alabama House, has been on unpaid leave since April 7.

The Athens News Courier, which obtained a list of the findings by administrators, said the investigation found White showed videos with sex acts, nudity and other obscene images to students.

Administrators determined that White was showing videos rather than teaching science, the report said. "I think the evidence was clear," said Barry Carroll, superintendent of Limestone County Schools. [Well, duhh!]

The list of findings included showing video clips of sexual activity and "a computer image of a girl exposing her breast."

White drew media attention after parents complained he showed a video that repeatedly refers to President Bush, members of his staff and conservative personalities as "a--holes."

According to the Huntsville paper, parents said White had other inappropriate presentations in his class, including images of beer guzzling; a video of a toothless, bikini-clad Alabama fan; a lewd animated clip of former President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky; fat men in thongs; and an old lady with dirty advice. [And we wonder about the educational olutput of government schools?]

Christy Jackson, the first parent to complain publicly, said White received a reprimand for the Bush filmstrip but continued showing inappropriate material in his science classroom. [Classroom ethics? I don't think so!]

[SuperScout]

FBI agents searched the congressional office of Rep. William Jefferson [DEMOCRAT ] of Louisiana Saturday evening in connection with a public corruption investigation that has already netted two guilty pleas by two associates, authorities said.

The search began at 7:15 p.m. EDT in the Rayburn House Office Building, where Jefferson's office is located, said Debra Weierman, an FBI spokeswoman. It was not clear what agents were looking for and Weierman said she could provide no additional details because the affidavit supporting the search warrant was sealed.

But she indicated the search could take several hours. FBI agents searched Jefferson's homes in Washington and New Orleans last August, hauling away boxes and bags from one of the residences.

Jefferson, a Democrat in his eighth congressional term, declared his innocence Monday during news conference outside the federal building in New Orleans and said he will not resign in the face of the investigation that has resulted in guilty pleas from two people who implicated him in a bribery scheme.

"I would take full responsibility for any crime that I committed, if that were the case. But I will not plead guilty to something I did not do, no matter how things are made to look and no matter the risk," Jefferson said the news conference. [Earth to Jeff: there has been no charges mentioned, yet, but I guess it doesn't hurt ot start practicing statements of denial.]

He took no questions and said he was there "to declare, among other things, my continued intention to serve." Jefferson said if indicted he was "prepared to answer these charges formally when and if the time comes." [Uh, yeah, that's how the legal system works, Skippy - first you're indicted, then tried.]

Jefferson said he was addressing the situation because he believed his constituents deserved to hear some response to recent publicity about the case.

He said the guilty pleas in federal court in Virginia came from friends who succumbed to enormous pressure from the federal government. [Or could it be just the slightest tinge of being guilty, and they wanted to get the best dealthe government offered?] "In order to protect themselves, they have now characterized their relationship with me, or with my family, in ways that fit neatly within the government's mistaken legal theories," he said. [Can you be more clare: what's the 'government's mistaken legal theories'? ]

In January, former Jefferson aide Brett Pfeffer pleaded guilty to bribery-related charges, saying Jefferson demanded money in exchange for help in brokering two African telecommunications deals. [Why would an aide plead guilty to some charge, unless there was overwhelming evidence?]

Vernon Jackson, chief executive of iGate Inc., a Louisville, Ky., telecommunications firm, subsequently pleaded guilty to bribery, admitting he paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to Jefferson and his family members in exchange for the congressman's help obtaining business deals in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon.

The House Ethics Committee has opened an inquiry into the case.

[SuperScout]

WASHINGTON ? A congressman under investigation for bribery was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded, according to a court document released Sunday. Agents later found the cash hidden in his freezer. [The serialnumbers on the bills in the freezer matched those recorded earier by the FBI. Let's see how this Weasel William slithers out of this bit of evidence!]

At one audiotaped meeting, Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., chuckles about writing in code to keep secret what the government contends was his corrupt role in getting his children a cut of a communications company's deal for work in Africa.

As Jefferson and the informant passed notes about what percentage the lawmaker's family might receive, the congressman "began laughing and said, 'All these damn notes we're writing to each other as if we're talking, as if the FBI is watching,"' according to the affidavit. [Uhhh, Jeff Baby, Mr. FBI agent is peeking over your shoulder, but your greed and stupidity have combined to block your vision ports. Bet you'll be able to see from between your prison bars better.]

[Gimpy]

Funny as hell Scout.

Your pathetic attempts to undercut the OVERWHLEMING amout of corruption and unethical behaviour within your party of 'choice' (Repubs) by continually harping about ONE (or even a few) Democrats will NOT change the fact that these 'new' republicans are without a doubt the MOST unscrupulous, unethical, dishonest and corrupt bunch to EVER set foot it Washington, D.C!...............

But don't worry, after the election next year we won't have to worry about them, will we????

[SuperScout]

Ethics, or the lack thereof, is probably more accurately measured by the number of convictions following valid indictments, rather than what an election might produce.

[Gimpy]

"Ethics" are measured by honesty, dignity, morality, self-discipline and accepted professional standards of conduct. Very, very little of which appears evident in this 'new' republican bunch of misfits now running the GOP. So says the overwhelming majority of the citizens of this country. To the 'tune' of about seventy-one percent (71%) I believe.

The "number of convictions" from "valid indictments" follows from a course of judicial tribulations and evidence accumulated that proves guilt. Of which there ALSO appears to be a large number of previously mentioned 'misfits' eligible and in waiting within the current republican party for THIS distinction as well!

Now then, I hope this little 'lesson' of accurate identification of the above described items wil sufice to further your 'self-discipline' to continued improvements of your embarrassingly obvious lack of knowledge of descriptive language.

As always, I'm here to help you in any way I can in this endeavor.