Hastert - what no gleeful thread from .....

[This_person]

I am proud to say I STILL have NO clue who that is.

That's surprising. Your post just moments before (tongue in cheek, I'm sure) was with respect to priests accused of sex crimes. Duggar is well-known because he has a bunch of brothers and sisters, so a TV show was made about them, and they are devout Christians. Duggar admitted to a sex crime over a decade ago as a teen. I would think someone who believes Christians are appropriately lumped together based on their religion when speaking of sex crimes would be all over the Duggar thing.

 

[Larry Gude]

That's surprising. Your post just moments before (tongue in cheek, I'm sure) was with respect to priests accused of sex crimes. Duggar is well-known because he has a bunch of brothers and sisters, so a TV show was made about them, and they are devout Christians. Duggar admitted to a sex crime over a decade ago as a teen. I would think someone who believes Christians are appropriately lumped together based on their religion when speaking of sex crimes would be all over the Duggar thing.

Ok, I think I did hear a bit about that. An all in the family thing???

 

[Larry Gude]

T I would think someone who believes Christians are appropriately lumped together based on their religion when speaking of sex crimes would be all over the Duggar thing.

Well, that's not me. I make allowance for faiths to have their sex crimes as they see fit.

 

[stgislander]

Hell of a cost to fix that I'd say.

Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[Larry Gude]

Hindsight is 20/20.

Yup. Looking where we're going is helpful, too. Especially when we have LOTS of experience to draw on.

The FBI was all over Atta and company WELL before Bush took office, let alone 9/11. Had their boss said so, they probably would have prevented 9/11. Almost certainly. The 9/11 Commission was nothing but a massive CYA exercise that needed to have some 'end product' so, in a situation where too much bureaucracy was the problem, we added more.

9/11 didn't happen because the Coast Guards budget sucked. It happened because the FBI wasn't allowed to do their job and they were not allowed to do their job because they were not allowed to use information they got from CIA. DHS just added a whole new layer of bureaucracy where too much existed before. In my view.

 

[Gilligan]

And here's a question: How is it that Hastert has/had the millions of dollars in the bank to pay all that extortion money? Those congress-critters like Hastert, Pelosi, Reid, etc sure must be exceptionally frugal...putting most of their salary in savings for all those years. mm hmm.

 

[stgislander]

9/11 didn't happen because the Coast Guards budget sucked. It happened because the FBI wasn't allowed to do their job and they were not allowed to do their job because they were not allowed to use information they got from CIA. DHS just added a whole new layer of bureaucracy where too much existed before. In my view.

Never said it did. From the Coast Guard's standpoint, it was a chance to correct a long standing funding problem. When I first looked at the makeup of the new DHS, I could see how those "external" agencies brought in could benefit from being under the same umbrella, at least from a funding standpoint.

What I never realized at the time was the scope of "internal" DHS departments created. It's almost like the USA's version of the "secret police".

 

[Tilted]

And here's a question: How is it that Hastert has/had the millions of dollars in the bank to pay all that extortion money? Those congress-critters like Hastert, Pelosi, Reid, etc sure must be exceptionally frugal...putting most of their salary in savings for all those years. mm hmm.

Reportedly he's been a fairly (financially) successful lobbyist since he left office. That wouldn't surprise me.

I've been working under the assumption - admittedly, one that may well be mistaken - that that, in part, explains the timing of the blackmail effort. His supposed victim may have waited until Mr. Hastert would have had plenty of money to pay him off with, and until Mr. Hastert was less in the spotlight and might more easily avoid scrutiny than was the case when he was the Speaker.

 

[SamSpade]

His supposed victim may have waited until Mr. Hastert would have had plenty of money to pay him off with, and until Mr. Hastert was less in the spotlight and might more easily avoid scrutiny than was the case when he was the Speaker.

My gut reaction is that they waited until he was out of public office - since the efforts to extort him came after he left public life. Maybe it's easier to blackmail someone when they're not in elected office.

 

[This_person]

Ok, I think I did hear a bit about that. An all in the family thing???

Mostly, it seems. Every one involved was a minor, so it is next to impossible to be sure, but it seems at least one victim was not a family member.

 

[Larry Gude]

N It's almost like the USA's version of the "secret police".

It is, isn't?

 

[Gilligan]

Maybe it's easier to blackmail someone when they're not in elected office.

I would bet so...I'm pretty sure the attempted extortion of a member of congress brings a lot more alphabet soup agencies down on the extortionist than is the case for John Q Public...

 

[Tilted]

My gut reaction is that they waited until he was out of public office - since the efforts to extort him came after he left public life. Maybe it's easier to blackmail someone when they're not in elected office.

That was part of the point I made. But it would also help if Mr. Hastert had more money, which reports have lead me to believe he did several years after he left office. I don't know how true that is, but it seems plausible enough.

 

[b23hqb]

I would bet so...I'm pretty sure the attempted extortion of a member of congress brings a lot more alphabet soup agencies down on the extortionist than is the case for John Q Public...

Yup. The investigation would be a complete spot lite anal exam - on all allegedly involved..