UNDERNEWS Sam Smith August 12, 1999 The Progressive Review 1739 Conn. Ave. NW Washington DC 20009 202-232-5544 Fax: 202-234-6222 E-MAIL: [EMAIL PROTECTED] INDEX: http://prorev.com RECENT UNDERNEWS: http://prorev.com/indexa.htm TODAY'S HEADLINE NEWS: http://prorev.com/altnews.htm THE REVIEW FORUM: http://prorev.com/letters.com DONATIONS AND ORDER FORM: http://prorev.com/order3.htm UNSUBSCRIBE: Reply with 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. For a free subscription to our e-mail updates send your postal address with zip code. Copyright 1999, The Progressive Review. Matter not independently copyrighted may be reprinted provided TPR is paid your normal reprint fees, if any, and is given proper credit. Because of its quantity, TPR's mail is not always answered, but it is always read. The editor is cheered or remorseful as appropriate and posts some of the more interesting messages at http://prorev.com/letters.htm ---------------------------------------------------------- LAWYERS PARTY WITH HOODS (Cont'd) Our report on W.J. Clinton and Webster Hubbell being invited to speak at the convention of the American Bar Association left out the key fact that Hubbell was a guest of the White Collar Crime Committee. Perhaps the lawyers were looking for a few tips from Hubbell who not only overbilled his clients but has so far gotten away with not paying nearly $900,000 in federal, state, and local taxes. Meanwhile, White House FBI whistleblower Gary Aldrich thinks the ABA would have done better inviting John Gotti rather than Clinton: "John Gotti has more honor, and maybe more common sense. At least Gotti never sent his attack goons after federal law enforcement officers who were only trying to do their jobs -- trying to enforce the law. Clinton and his 'family' have federal law enforcement officers threatened, suspended, demoted, transferred, investigated and castigated if they show disloyalty by seeking the truth." CLINTON SCANDALS NEW YORK TIMES: An independent counsel has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to seek grand jury indictments in the investigation of Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt's role in his department's rejection of an Indian casino application, several lawyers knowledgeable about the inquiry said Wednesday. The independent counsel, Carol Elder Bruce, reached the decision two weeks ago after a spirited debate among lawyers in her office over whether an indictment should be sought, a lawyer with knowledge of the discussions said. ASSOCIATED PRESS: A former defendant in one of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's prosecutions lost a legal battle to have the government pay her attorneys' fees. U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton rejected the arguments of Julie Hiatt Steele that Starr's case was ``vexatious, frivolous and in bad faith.'' JUST POLITICS NEW YORK POST: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich - who led the charge against President Clinton for his affair with Monica Lewinsky - is romantically involved with a much younger congressional staffer, sources said. Gingrich began seeing Callista Bisek, 33, at least three years ago - and their relationship was ongoing while Gingrich was denouncing Clinton for his sex-and-lies fling with Lewinsky. PANAMA CANAL WASHINGTON TIMES: Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott recently wrote to Defense Secretary William S. Cohen that a Chinese shipping company is gaining broad authority over the Panama Canal and could deny passage to U.S. ships. "It appears that we have given away the farm without a shot being fired," the Mississippi Republican said in the Aug. 1 letter requesting Mr. Cohen's security assessment. It was the first time a congressional leader has raised questions about growing Chinese influence over one of the world's most strategic waterways. For TPR coverage, search "Panama Canal" at http://www.prorev.com/ indexa.htm LAND OF THE FREE Washington is the latest city with an anti-democratic, anti-youth curfew. It starts September 7. Court challenges have so far failed. FEEDBACK SB POINTS OUT THAT the White House - cocaine connection precedes Clinton, namely George Bush Sr.'s involvement with the Iran-Contra drug running operation. This means that if either of the current front-runners win, we will be in our third administration run by someone who has either been an illegal drug user or directly involved with drug traffickers. GL ON THE BABBITT-RUBIN CASE: The BIA has been screwing the Indians for longer than it's been called the BIA, and that has been mostly at the behest of Congress. The issues in the trial predate Clinton's birth, let alone his presidency. As for the "contempt" trial and the attorneys fees Lamberth has ordered, the Plaintiffs have demanded documents which it will cost the government over S10 million to collect, and they are being collected. The problem is that no one understood how many documents there were and how hard it was going to be to collect them, since the situation dates back so far. And remember, we're talking about one of the most underfunded agencies in the federal government, and Congress has never wanted to spend one thin dime on record-keeping. It's one thing to say that the Indians deserve money they don't have or deserve better treatment, and the BIA admits that. It's another thing to blame a century of mistreatment on the individuals currently in office. And finally, remember this. The trial was filed following the suggestions of a certain rich white man, who contacted certain rich white attorneys, who contacted some rich Indians, and those white attorneys filed suit before a rich white judge, asking the white judge to take management of the programs away from an agency which - finally - is over 80% Indian and - finally - is dispersing control of programs to agency offices on the reservations, and give management to a white trustee with a white staff here in Washington. So while this is a fabulous public relations opportunity for those who are out to expose Clinton (who needs exposing), it's a dirty one to use in this manner and it slams a lot of innocent people trying to deal the effects of - not to mention remedy - centuries of white oppression of Indians. PACIFICA CRISIS Pacifica National Board member Jewelle Taylor-Gibbs, a sociology professor at the University of California, has resigned abruptly from the Pacifica board. Taylor-Gibbs had tried to serve as intermediary between board chair Mary Frances Berry and the KPFA staff and community. Meanwhile, Kevin Cartwright, training director at KPFA, has also resigned. This means a total of four key African-Americans have left KPFA during Dr. Berry's supposed "diversity" campaign -- program director Lawrence Shorter and producer/anchor Sheryl Flowers having quit earlier. LETTER FROM WAL-MART [An activist in the shorter workweek movement received the following letter] I am a department Meat Market Manager for Walmarts. I have made their company a lot of money since coming to work for them. Before I came there, I was established in another company in the same city. I have a good reputation for running a great market .... I am on salary at this store. They have me working 53 hours a week. I am suppose to take lunches, which I rarely get because the work load is so heavy, and the store manager insist I do employees work to keep down the work labor per employee. The manager is suppose to manage, but I spend my mornings wrapping the meat, as well as cutting, and cleaning and then I still have to do all the market manager's real duties, such as ordering, keeping the paper work, and directing the employees to their jobs. I am there from 7am until 6pm 4 days a week, and 10am to 10pm one day a week. I am exhausted when I get home. I am not able to be a good father or husband. So often I am depressed, as no matter how much I give the company, it is never enough. They keep cutting labor, and insisting I fill in the gaps. I want to know what my rights are, or if I even have any. It does not seem right that an employer can work you like a slave because you are on salary! .... I am definitely NOT alone in this complaint. There are many in this company just like me .... Can't take much more. ECO NOTES ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS SERVICE: Safety has been compromised at nuclear reactors throughout the United States, with more than 90 percent of the country's reactors run in violation of government safety regulations over the last three years, a study by the Washington, DC based watchdog group Public Citizen has found. THE PROGRESSIVE REVIEW 1739 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC 20009 202-232-5544 202-234-6222 Fax [EMAIL PROTECTED] Editor: Sam Smith INDEX : http://prorev.com RECENT UNDERNEWS : http://prorev.com/indexa.htm TODAY'S HEADLINES: http://prorev.com/altnews.htm THE REVIEW FORUM: http://prorev.com/letters.htm For a free trial subscription to both our bi-monthly hard copy edition and our regular e-mail updates send e-mail and terrestrial address to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To order "Sam Smith's Great American Political Repair Manual" (WW Norton) direct from Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0393316270/progressiverevieA/
