Uncover fraud by banks, get fired, . . .

well that is how the GOP operates.

FYI the Florida Attorney General is Pam Bondi, a Republican.

Prosecutors Say Florida AG Fired Them For Going After Mortgage Lenders | TPMMuckraker: "Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi"

Former nPR Ombudsman waits until she left nPR to do her job.

Over at Poynert.org nPR's former (not an)Ombudsman, Alicia Shepard, writes about her former emplyer: Former NPR Ombud fact checks new Juan Williams book, ‘Muzzled’ | Poynter.: "NPR selectively used its ethics code with him."

It curious, and sad, that Ms. Shepard waits until after she is no longer on the nPR payroll, to act like an Ombudsman:

"Sometimes I was told that because he was a contractor, NPR’s ethics code didn’t apply. Other times, I was told he had more leeway with the ethics code because he was a senior news analyst."

"NPR selectively used its ethics code with him. "

These two facts where never shared by Ms. Shepard with any of nPR's listners. While the "listeners' representative" to nPR she steadfastly defended nPR's management, with the exception of minor mistakes and ignored listeners' repeated inquiries about Mr. Williams' unprofessional behavior. I know, I was one of the listeners she ignored.

I wrote to Ms. Shepard repeatedly asking for an explanation of why Mr. Williams was permitted violate nPR's Code of Ethics and never got anything but a form email back. Numerous times, I formally requested on her blog an explanation citing the specific sections that Williams (and Mara Liasson) were clearly violating.

Perhaps in her next column she can explain why she defended nPR's Management unprofessional and unethical treatment of Harry Shearer? While also ignoring Mr. Shearer's direct questions:

http://www.npr.org/templates/community/persona.php?uid=5935964

I guess the most important thing you learn after "thirty years of journalism" is keep management happy.

I won't be torturing, er "harshly interrogating" myself waiting for an answer.

Yum, . . .

I wonder why nPR didn't broadcast this story? Were they worried that their agribusiness underwriters (Cargill, Conagra, et al) would get upset?

Got Enhanced Meat? USDA Rule May Make It Easier To Tell : Shots - Health Blog : NPR

"About 30 percent of poultry, 15 percent of beef, and 90 percent of pork are injected with some kind of liquid enhancement before sale, USDA says, and it's usually something high in sodium. Yet consumers are often unaware that a solution has been added."

Texas Brawl: Pickens The Swift Boater vs Koch Brother Birchers

Here in Texas this is may be the political equivalent of King Kong versus Godzilla, I only pray that the Texas GOP is downtown Tokyo.

As reported by Politico:

"An increasingly bitter personal rift between billionaires T. Boone Pickens and Charles and David Koch has morphed into an expensive political battle that is testing the commitment of House Republicans to the tea party principles many of them have publicly embraced.

The fight centers on legislation backed by Pickens that would grant tax breaks to the natural gas industry, and it is forcing Republican members to choose sides between a traditionally GOP-allied industry and the free-market purism of many conservatives."

T. Boone Pickens-Koch brothers feud tests Republican principles - Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com

Best Description of FOX News ever, . . .

In Murdoch scandal reveals exactly what Fox News isn’t | Leonard Pitts - The News Tribune Leonard Pitts Jr. a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Miami Herald, hits it out of the park:

"Fox’s failure to report – and allow viewers to decide – speaks volumes and offers definitive answer to the question of what Fox is.

It is the nation’s leading manufacturer of false outrage and fake fury – War on Christmas! War on Christmas! – the top supplier of bogeymen for those who need to feel terrorized in order to feel alive.

It is America’s No. 1 distributor of misinformation – Hide Nana! The death panels are coming! – a warehouse of conspiracy theories, junk history and dubious “facts” given credit by virtually no one who does not watch Fox.

It is a noisemaker, a box of cacophony from which reason will seldom emerge unscathed. And it is a bovine excreta machine.

But a news organization? No. That is a designation you have to earn."

Who would have guessed, . . .

that a news organization run by Rupert Murdoch would engage in unethical, criminal behavior?

November 16, 2007

"In the latest twist in a long-running New York story, publisher Judith Regan says she was pressured to lie about former lover Bernard Kerik (the former police commissioner) by executives at News Corp. — the owner of Fox News and the HarperCollins publishing house — who are intent on protecting the political viability of former mayor Rudolph Giuliani."

"Kerik was indicted this month on criminal federal charges of conspiracy, tax fraud and making false statements. The story raises questions about Giuliani's judgment when it comes to his calling card, national security. But it's also a headache for Fox News and NewsCorp. A NewsCorp spokeswoman did not return messages seeking comment."

Publisher Regan Says News Corp. Urged Her to Lie : NPR

Heh, . . .

When the National Catholic Report says you suck, you really, really suck.

"When was the last time you heard anything except the most pedestrian conventional wisdom issue from Juan Williams? He shouldn't have been fired from NPR because he said something impolitic. I do think he should have been offered the chance to quit Fox or quit NPR. But, I also have no idea why he was hired in the first place and paid for all those years when his commentary is so stale and boring. And, why would anyone buy his book?"

Juan Williams: Muzzle Him Some More | National Catholic Reporter: "It was a mistake for NPR to fire Juan Williams because of something he said while serving as a commentator on Fox News. It was a bigger mistake to hire Williams in the first place."