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December 18, 2008
Yours in the struggle, dudes.
Usually, and as important as they are, observances like Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week, 2008 make me feel like: (a) I died and went to Hallmark, (b) I should give up everything and join Che and his guys in the hills, waiting for the right time to eradicate bourgeois fascist death forms (at least Indianapolis), or (c) I should at least learn to play the lute. But Blawg Review's hosts this week, The Legal Satyricon, did it all such justice at Blawg Review 190: Bill of Rights Day that I am feeling guilty about voting for John McCain last month. I am also thinking about giving up acting for corporate Europe and America, and representing the oppressed, and real street crime defendants under the CJA program, and helping poor people, maybe. This is a very fine Blawg Review performance, and WAC? will check in with this blog a lot in the future. Moxie everywhere, humor, and these folks can write. They get the Constitution and its first ten amendments--the most important Thing Western In Ink. And, like me, they think it's important. Bravo.
Read revolutionary Blawg Review 190.
Posted by JD Hull at 11:59 PM | Comments (1)
Say it ain't so, Europe.
It's ironic, perhaps, but Europe may also "lag behind" America in bribery prosecutions. In yesterday's The Economist, read "The Siemens Scandal: Bavarian Baksheesh":
When Siemens, Europe’s biggest engineering firm, adopted the slogan “be inspired” in the mid-1990s, bribery was not what it had in mind. But no one can accuse its managers of lacking inspiration when it came to devising novel ways to funnel huge sums in backhanders to corrupt officials and politicians across the globe.
On Monday December 15th Siemens pleaded guilty to charges of bribery and corruption and agreed to pay fines of $800m in America and €395m ($555m) in Germany, in addition to an earlier fine of €201m.
There is something almost touching about the candour and trust with which Siemens went about a very dirty business. Take the three “cash desks” it set up in its offices, to which employees could bring empty suitcases to be filled with cash. As much as a €1m ($1.4m) could be withdrawn at a time to win contracts for its telecoms-equipment division, according to America’s Department of Justice. [more]
Europe could learn a thing or two about law enforcement from America. Above: Citizen Thompson on duty.
Photo: Anita Bejmuk
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 05:19 PM | Comments (0)
Madoff scandal: Madoff-Jack Warden link?
Former American fund manager and NASDAQ chairman Bernard Madoff, and the late actor Jack Warden. Hey, are these two New Yorkers brothers? Should someone call Oliver Stone?
Madoff (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
Warden, with attorney-writer Scott Greenfield (seated) of Simple Justice. (Warner Bros.)
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 05:11 PM | Comments (1)