Fame or self. Which matters more?

Self or wealth. Which is more precious?

Gain or loss. Which is more painful?

He who is attached to things will suffer much.

He who saves will suffer heavy loss.

A contented man is never disappointed.

He who knows when to stop does not find himself in trouble

He will stay forever safe.

Tao Te Ching (Ch-44)

...the safest course is to do nothing against one's conscience. With this secret, we can enjoy life and have no fear from death.

Voltaire

JOHN ENSIGN

So what is Senator John Ensign to do? No drunk driving charge, BUT one would think he would find himself in some sort of travail. Do you not agree? When he was a congressman he voted to impeach my President. And he made it clear that Clinton deserved to be impeached for the adultery itself which demonstrated that Bill was not fit for public office.  At least that is what Ensign was saying in '98 & '99.

But here is a great line: Ensign told the AP on Wednesday that he can understand how some people might "have a problem" with the fact he called for Clinton's resignation but won't resign himself.

I mean at least Ensign knows that some people might have a problem with all of this.  How forthright of him.

Sen. John Ensign told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his affair with a friend's wife was different from former President Bill Clinton's relationship with a White House intern because he didn't lie about it under oath. "I haven't done anything legally wrong," the Nevada Republican said.

"President Clinton stood right before the American people and he lied to the American people," Ensign said. "You remember that famous day he lied to the American people, plus the fact I thought he committed perjury. That's why I voted for the articles of impeachment. "I think it would be inappropriate to start any other way than to say I'm sorry," he said. "I've said I'm sorry. I can't say I'm sorry enough. I made a big mistake in my life and I apologize once again to all of you."

First he is sooooooo very sorry. Yes, he is one of the sorriest sons-of-bitches I ever saw.

Second, anyone can see that there are huge differences between his actions and those of President Clinton. If you recall, Monica was not married at the time. Ha!!! So Bill Clinton was lying to at least one less person than Senator Ensign.

Third, there may a problem with those silly forms a Senator has to fill out sometimes. For instance, one has to file special forms concerning campaign funds; demonstrating where they came from and where they are going. Oh, and do not forget that if you lie on even one of these forms, you are guilty of a felony. But we are to think:

Ensign's attorney has also said that Ensign's parents paid the woman and her family $96,000 after learning about the affair. Ensign once called on President Bill Clinton to resign after his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky erupted in 1998, declaring: "The truth must come out."

Did you also realize that you can be as guilty accepting bribes as you would be paying them?  Or was our favorite Nevada Senator guilty of paying for extortion? I forget. But I know that mommy and daddy and sonny boy were all on the employment rolls for awhile.

"But if you look at the times ... I was in the House of Representatives but basically was sitting in judgment of the president evaluating the case. I was basically a jurist at that point. I thought there was a violation of a felony," he said.Later Wednesday he toured a U.S. Forest Service project at Lake Tahoe aimed at thinning forests to reduce fuel loads in an effort to reduce wildfire threats. On Thursday, he is scheduled to host the 12th annual Tahoe Environmental Summit that Clinton and Vice President Al Gore first hosted in 1997.   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/19/ensign-i-did-nothing-lega_n_263499.html

I really include this gem because every time repubs speak of the environment they discuss the importance of 'thinning the forests' because only lumber interests can prevent forest fires. Do you realize that if we just stripped the forests bare, we would not have any forest fires at all.  Goddamn greenies!!! (Blesses himself) The more trees we have, the more trees we have to burn down. It's a dirty job but someone has to do it. This is just another example where Senator Ensign was trying to help us all out.

CREW is one of those organizations that is seeking an investigation by the Senate into Ensign's campaign books as well as his personal accounting

Melanie Sloan, CREW's executive director, said Ensign's distinction between his situation and that of Clinton was essentially an attempt to claim his affair was less contemptible. "Isn't that a little like saying, 'It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is?'" she said in a statement Wednesday. "One politician comparing his illicit affair to another's is a sure sign his career is in trouble."

MARK SANFORD

Okay. I mean who the hell would not fall in love with a beautiful woman named Maria Belen Chapur?  And besides, she does strike a resemblance to his own wife.

(But)... this is the kind of stuff that could still end up costing him his job. Using Freedom of Information requests, an Associated Press investigation has found that Sanford took 35 flights on private planes, which he failed to list on ethics forms or campaign filings. South Carolina law requires him to report any gift over $25 received in a single day, or anything received over the course of a year worth at least $200, "if there is reason to believe the donor would not give the thing of value" but for his position.

In what is apparently a misguided effort to exonerate his boss, Sanford spokesman Ben Fox explains that political groups and longtime friends paid for the flights. Says Fox, "That was our standard operating procedure."

See, I figured he would get off too. I mean standard operating procedure and stuff. We must remember that SC attempted to secede from the Union twice and they were going to actually let all the South Carolinians go but how the hell would you get from North Carolina to Georgia without SC. I mean you would really have to go the long way 'around'.  Where was this standard operating procedure for Bill Clinton when Sanford voted as a Congressional Representative to impeach him? 

Oh wait a gosh darn minute here. Why Governor Sanford never lied under oath? Did he? Well wait another gosh darn minute here.

Sanford's travel habits have already attracted attention for their ethical implications, but his lawyer, Butch Bowers, says that it's up to the governor to make the call on what kind of friendships are the state's business. "That's inherently subjective, and that subjectivity is necessarily grounded in the person doing the reporting." Fox, the governor's spokesman, adds that maybe the groups flying the governor around should have to do the reporting. http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/?last_story=/politics/war_room/2009/08/21/sanford_ethics/

You know I would just bet that the good gov might have had to fill out some forms with regard to these 'official trips' providing chits and such. Some sort of substantiation for his government paid junkets.

HORACE COOPER

The Justice Department issued a five-count indictment Friday against a former aide to then-Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) in the ongoing influence-peddling investigation tied to disgraced ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Horace Cooper, who worked on the Hill from 1994 until late 2001, is charged with conspiracy, fraudulent concealment, false statements and obstruction of an official proceeding.

According to the indictment, Cooper accepted more than $5,000 worth of gifts from Abramoff and his colleagues between 1998 and 2000, during which time he served as director of coalitions in the Majority Leader's office. The gifts included tickets to professional sporting events, as well as concerts such as 'Nsync and the Dixie Chicks.

I got to stop here a minute. I have some serious questions about all this. WHAT IN THE FUCK IS A REPUB GOING TO A DIXIE CHICK CONCERT FOR ANYWAY? No wonder he ends up being indicted. The Republican National Committee frowns upon these types of goings on you know.  If it was a Chuck Norris movie or something; but jeeeeeeeeeeeez. No wonder he could not find a good lawyer.

The indictment also charges Cooper with accepting an additional $9,000 in similar gifts during his subsequent tenure as an official at Voice of American and then the Labor Department. Those gifts also included meals at Abramoff's now-defunct Signatures restaurant. Cooper is scheduled to appear in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Sept. 9  http://www.rollcall.com/news/37889-1.html?ET=rollcall:e5376:80074465a:&st=email

Can you imagine the phone call that must have taken place during all this?

Cooper:  Hello? Dick is that you?

Armey:   Who is this anyway?

Cooper:  Why it's Coop. Horace Cooper.

Armey:    Never heard of you. (Click!!!)

Tickets to games and concerts?  Guess which one of these three crooks faces the hammer of Justice in this country?

Why those lower down the scale, those with lesser power.  Talk about the Scales of Justice!!!!