Jim sent this in:

The executive director of the Ocean County, New Jersey Democratic Party pleaded guilty in federal court last Thursday, admitting that he accepted two corrupt cash payments from a cooperating government witness in exchange for a promise to make introductions to public officials who might assist the cooperating witness with development interests, according to a report from U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman in Trenton, NJ.

Alfonso L. Santoro, 70, of Beachwood, NJ pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Joel Pisano to  one-count of violation of the federal Travel Act. Judge Pisano released the defendant on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for March 1, 2010.

Santoro had not been previously charged, and Thursday was his first appearance in court. His guilty plea comes as part of the same investigation that resulted in bribery and money laundering charges against 44 suspects — including three New Jersey mayors – last July 23.

During his plea hearing, Santoro admitted that on May 18, 2008 he accepted a $5,000 corrupt cash payment from a government cooperating witness (“CW”) at a Toms River restaurant. Santoro said the payment was in exchange for his anticipated assistance in facilitating introductions and corrupt payments to public officials in Ocean County who could purportedly exercise their influence in favor of the CW’s real estate development interests.

Santoro admitted that, during a phone call on July 17, 2008, he arranged for the CW to meet with a political party official (“the Individual”) who Santoro said could assist the CW in obtaining certain development approvals on a property located in the Waretown section of Ocean Township.

Santoro admitted that he accepted an additional $1,500 cash payment from the CW on August 10, 2008, in Atlantic City. During this meeting, Santoro informed the CW that he would arrange for the CW to meet an elected official who served in the New Jersey General Assembly and could assist the CW in obtaining development approvals.

The charge to which Santoro pleaded guilty — using interstate facilities (a cell phone) in furtherance of a bribery scheme — carries a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In determining an actual sentence, Judge Pisano will consult the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant’s criminal history, if any, and other factors, including acceptance of responsibility. The judge has wide discretion and is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence. Parole has been abolished in the federal criminal justice system.

Jim sent this in:

The United States is no longer fighting the Global War on Terrorism thanks to the denizens of the White House and Democrat Party.

The end of this war did not result in tickertape parades or community events celebrating victory and the return of our fighting men and women. In fact, the end of the GWOT coincided with — and was overshadowed by – the inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. And our troops continue to fight, kill and die in bloody battles in Afghanistan. 

One cannot help but wonder at what moment did the war on terrorism give way to our Overseas Contingency Operations. Or is this merely another example of what George Orwell termed “Newspeak?”

In a report released on September 25 by the Government Accountability Office, this latest euphemism — created by President Barack Obama and his national security team — is peppered throughout the documents submitted to the US Congress. Congress has provided the Department of Defense with $893 billion in supplemental and annual appropriations, as of June 2009, primarily for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO).

DOD’s reported annual obligations for OCO have shown a steady increase from about $0.2 billion in fiscal year 2001 to about $162.4 billion in fiscal year 2008. For fiscal year 2009, Congress appropriated $151 billion in war-related requests.

A total of $89.1 billion has been obligated through the third quarter of fiscal year 2009 through June 2009. The United States’ commitments to OCO will likely involve the continued investment of significant resources, requiring decision makers to consider difficult trade-offs as the nation faces an increasing long-range fiscal challenges such as the recession and projected increases in government health services.

The magnitude of future costs will depend on several direct and indirect costs and, in some cases, decisions that have not yet been made. DOD’s future costs will likely be affected by the pace and duration of operations, the types of facilities needed to support troops overseas, redeployment plans, and the amount of equipment to be repaired or replaced.

DOD compiles and reports monthly and cumulative incremental obligations incurred to support OCO in a monthly report commonly called the Contingency Operations Status of Funds Report. DOD leadership uses this report, along with other information, to advise Congress on the costs of the war and to formulate future OCO budget requests. DOD reports these obligations by appropriation, contingency operation, and military service or defense agency. DOD has prepared monthly reports on the obligations incurred for its involvement in OCO since fiscal year 2001.

As of June 2009, Congress has appropriated a total of about $893 billion primarily for OCO since 2001. Of that amount, $151 billion was appropriated for use in fiscal year 2009. DOD has reported obligations of about $744 billion for OCO from fiscal year 2001 through fiscal year 2008 and for fiscal year 2009 (October 2008 through June 2009).

The $149 billion difference between DOD’s appropriations and reported obligations can generally be attributed to the remaining fiscal year 2009 appropriations; multiyear funding for procurement; military construction; and research, development, test, and evaluation from previous OCO-related appropriations that have yet to be obligated; and obligations for classified and other items, which DOD considers to be non-OCO related, that are not reported in DOD’s cost-of-war reports.

Of DOD’s reported obligations for OCO through June 2009 (about $744 billion), about $570 billion is for operations in and around Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and about $146 billion is for operations in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Philippines, and elsewhere as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The remainder of about $28 billion is for operations in defense of the homeland as part of Operation Noble Eagle. DOD’s reported obligations for Operation Iraqi Freedom have consistently increased each fiscal year since operations began. The increases in reported obligations for Operation Iraqi Freedom are in part due to continued costs for military personnel, such as military pay and allowances for mobilized reservists, and for rising operation and maintenance expenses, such as higher contract costs for housing, food, and services and higher fuel costs. 

In fiscal year 2009, through June 2009, DOD reported obligations of about $89.1 billion, which is more than one half of the total amount of obligation it reported for all of fiscal year 2008. Reported obligations for Operation Iraqi Freedom for the same period continue to account for the largest portion of total reported OCO obligations by operation–about $61.5 billion. In contrast, reported obligations associated with Operation Enduring Freedom total about $27.4 billion, and reported obligations associated with Operation Noble Eagle total about $138.2 million.

With the impending US troop surge in Afghanistan, it would be safe to assume there will be increases in DOD expenditures. Would it be unfair to surmise that Overseas Contingency Operations are more expensive than waging a global war on terrorism?

Jim sent this in:

In a case that appears to be all too commonplace in New Jersey, LaVern Webb-Washington, an unsuccessful Democrat Party candidate for the Jersey City Council, pleaded guilty On Friday to conspiring to commit extortion. She admitted that she accepted corrupt cash payments from a cooperating witness in return for exercising her future official authority in favor of that cooperating witness.

The 61-year old Webb-Washington pleaded guilty in Newark’s federal court, before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares, to conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right.

At her plea hearing, Webb-Washington, a self-described housing activist serving as head of the Webb-Washington Community Development Corporation, admitted that between March 2009 and May 2009, while seeking to win a seat on the Jersey City council, she accepted three corrupt cash payments totaling $15,000 from a cooperating witness.

Webb-Washington admitted that the payments were in exchange for her exercising her future official assistance, as an anticipated member of the city council. Webb- Washington agreed that she would use her future city council position to assist the cooperating witness in obtaining certain development approvals for a purported development project on Garfield Avenue in Jersey City, in return for the bribe payments. Webb-Washington further admitted that she had agreed to accept an additional corrupt cash payment from the cooperating witness after the election.

Webb-Washington’s guilty plea stems from a two-track undercover investigation by the Newark office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation into political corruption and international money laundering which resulted in the charging of forty-four individuals — including three mayors — last July.

The charge to which Webb-Washington pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of Webb-Washington’s guilty plea, she agreed to forfeit the $15,000 in corrupt cash payments.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 12, 2010, at which time Judge Linares will consult the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which recommend sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offenses, the defendants’ criminal histories, if any, and other factors, including acceptance of responsibility. The judge, however, has discretion and is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

Parole was abolished in the federal criminal justice system and defendants who are given custodial terms must serve all — or nearly all — of their prison term.

Last July, the mayors of Hoboken, Secaucus and Ridgefield, the Jersey City deputy mayor and council president, two state assemblymen, numerous other public officials and political figures and five rabbis from New York and New Jersey were among 44 individuals charged  in a two-track federal investigation of public corruption and a high-volume, international money laundering conspiracy.

Arlen Specter is a “RINO”.  check that – was a RINO.  Later today, the senator from Pennsylvania is expected to announce that he is switching from the Republican Party to the Democrat Party and run in the Democratic primary in 2010.

And you know what, folks?  I can honestly say that I am glad to see him leave.  Truth be told, although he was in the GOP for 30+ years, he had the independent streak about him not to mention the fact that he voted for some issues the way that a Democrat would – with one example being that he voted for the stimulus package.

But I also think that Specter saw the writing on the wall when he realized that he was going to – for the first time in his political career – face some actual competition in a primary.  His opponent?  Pat Toomey.  So I am not completely surprised that he switched parties.  Oh, before I forget – he claims that he intends to keep his independent streak going despite switching over to the dark side.

Arlen, no hard feelings coming from me personally; but nonetheless, when you leave, don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.