LiveBlog for Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Mornin'! Happy Birthday, Jim!
Hey, bloggers, here's a gossip tidbit from a good friend of mine. This happened before Dick Cheney held public office. The Cheneys hired a caterer and crew, which included my friend, for a party at their vacation house. My friend didn't know who the Dick was, but he scared her sufficiently to request that someone else serve him. She said he smiled crookedly and never blinked. After the party, the caterer had to pay the wait staff, as the Cheneys would not pay for them. It goes without saying that there were no tips for the wait staff.

All Regan CIA liars and convicts

Thomas G. Clines, Central Intelligence Agency agent—Indicted February 22, 1990, on four felony counts of underreporting his earnings to the IRS in the 1985 and 1986 tax years; and falsely stating on his 1985 and 1986 tax returns that he had no foreign financial accounts. On September 18, 1990, Clines was found guilty of all charges. U.S. District Judge Norman P. Ramsey in Baltimore, Md., on December 13, 1990, sentenced Clines to 16 months in prison and $40,000 in fines. He was ordered to pay the cost of the prosecution. The Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., on February 27, 1992, upheld the convictions. Clines served his prison sentence.

Alan D. Fiers, Jr. , Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency's Central American Task Force during the Reagan administration—Pleaded guilty July 9, 1991, to two misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress about secret efforts to aid the Nicaraguan contras. U.S. District Chief Judge Aubrey E. Robinson, Jr., sentenced Fiers January 31, 1992, to one year probation and 100 hours community service. Fiers was pardoned December 24, 1992.

Clair E. George, Deputy Director for CIA Operations —Indicted September 6, 1991, on 10 counts of perjury, false statements and obstruction in connection with congressional and Grand Jury investigations. George’s trial on nine counts ended in a mistrial on August 26, 1992. Following a second trial on seven counts, George was found guilty December 9, 1992, of two felony charges of false statements and perjury before Congress. The maximum penalty for each count was five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth set sentencing for February 18, 1993. George was pardoned on December 24, 1992, before sentencing occurred.

Joseph F. Fernandez, CIA station chief in Costa Rica —Indicted June 20, 1988 on five counts of conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstructing the inquiry of the Tower Commission and making false statements to government agencies. The case was dismissed in the District of Columbia for venue reasons on the motion of Independent Counsel. A four-count indictment was issued in the Eastern District of Virginia on April 24, 1989. U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton dismissed the four-count case November 24, 1989, after Attorney General Richard Thornburgh blocked the disclosure of classified information ruled relevant to the defense. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Va., on September 6, 1990, upheld Judge Hilton’s rulings under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA). On October 12, 1990, the Attorney General filed a final declaration that he would not disclose the classified information.

. Duane R. Clarridge, career CIA officer —Indicted November 26, 1991, on seven counts of perjury and false statements about a secret shipment of U.S. HAWK missiles to Iran. The maximum penalty for each count was five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. U.S. District Judge Harold H. Greene set a March 15, 1993, trial date. Clarridge was pardoned December 24, 1992.

Oliver L. North, National Security Council staffer in the Reagan administration and point man in the Iran-Contra scandal—Indicted March 16, 1988, on 16 felony counts. After standing trial on 12, North was convicted May 4, 1989 of three charges: accepting an illegal gratuity, aiding and abetting in the obstruction of a congressional inquiry, and destruction of documents. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerhard A. Gesell on July 5, 1989, to a three-year suspended prison term, two years probation, $150,000 in fines and 1,200 hours community service. A three-judge appeals panel on July 20, 1990, vacated North’s conviction for further proceedings to determine whether his immunized testimony influenced witnesses in the trial. The Supreme Court declined to review the case. Judge Gesell dismissed the case September 16, 1991, after hearings on the immunity issue, on the motion of Independent Counsel

Caspar W. Weinberger, Secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration until 1987—Indicted June 16, 1992, on five counts of obstruction, perjury and false statements in connection with congressional and Independent Counsel investigations of Iran/ contra. On September 29, the obstruction count was dismissed. On October 30, a second indictment was issued, charging one false statement count. The second indictment was dismissed December 11, leaving four counts remaining. The maximum penalty for each count was five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan set a January 5, 1993, trial date. Weinberger was pardoned December 24, 1992.

Robert C. McFarlane, National Security Advisor to President Reagan from 1983 to late 1985 —Pleaded guilty March 11, 1988, to four misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress. U.S. District Chief Judge Aubrey E. Robinson, Jr., sentenced McFarlane on March 3, 1989, to two years probation, $20,000 in fines and 200 hours community service. McFarlane was pardoned December 24, 1992.

I added North out of a feeling of nostalgia and McFarlane and Weinberger to keep Rice and Rumsfeld on edge.

Thanks for the SM Show.

Stephanie is my muse. I wrote a song for my dog about the Bark Park. You can read her story here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/5/19/733149/-My...!

Happy trails to you,
until we meet again

Happy trails to you,
keep smilin' until then

Great show and blog (as always).

Have a great birthday, Jim!

Everyone else, have a great day as well.

See you all tomorrow! Happy B-day Jim!

wasn't me -- have a great day, all!

Bye all! Party til at least 7:30 Jim!

"Same Time, Next Election"??

FoxSting meets SMS DramaSting? - Greta?

311-Yup!

Larry King, a pretty spry old fart!

I went out to dinner last night (before seeing Star Trek) with an old and dear friend who has been everywhere and done everything. She's an amazing person. And she told me a story about Dick Cheney last night that I will share with you all tomorrow. This is before political office.

Larry King is awesome. Be afraid, Stephanie. Be very afraid. Chris, leave town.

Congrats on your Spartaness, Skyhawk! *bows*

Glad you could Sparta today.

Thank you ladies.

#277 - how much fun will it be to have the Lar in Steph's studio?

And... ProducerChris is fallible? - NO WAY! Impossible. :p

Woo-Hoo! Whew! Nice kill, Skyhawk!

Skyhawk did it! Congratulations!

Three cheers and a Sparta for Me!

Sparta!

SPARTA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JIM

A Sparta for you!

SPARTA?

The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane West Wind

289. We ho's are too!

Sparta, Sparta, and more Sparta

The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the witch of November come stealing.

Close to Sparta.

Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ships bell rang
Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.

Larry's stories... inspiration for Abe Simpson's 'Onion Belt' tale?

Sparta - HELLO!

Are ya bastids gonna make it to Sparta, or what?!?!

S-P-A-R-T-A

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconson
As the big freighters go it was bigger than most
With a crew and the Captain well seasoned.

S-P-A-R-T

With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.

S-P-A-R

S-P-A-R

S-P-A

S

Good morning, Sarah!

S-P

Predicting that Larry will bring Chris' error up again when he's in-studio next week.

Good morning, remarkable bloggers

S

270- So my point again is, since the pictures of Auschwitz and Dachau were so inflammatory - they shouldn't have been shown (anti-German sentiment is still strong 64 years later)?
And I really think GITMO is our Auschwitz. Why is it that only illegal things American's do should not see the light of day, but the rest of the world is held to a higher standard. We get to choose whether or not to acknowledge our bad behavior?

Slim chance for Sparta today.