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With the NRCC pulling money out of races where republican challengers are increasingly showing no chance of winning, the RNC taking out a loan to defend current GOP senators like Norm Coleman (MN) and Elizabeth Dole (NC) facing tough challengers, and Bob Schaffer's worsening numbers, one has the wonder when the other shoe is going to drop. But I have to wonder if Schaffer hasn't already given up and is at least in part time campaign mode for Amendment 47, 49, and 54. I'm only partially kidding, but there are parallels between sweat shop loving Bob Schaffer and the anti-worker Amendments 47, 49, and 54
Schaffer told the breakfast crowd that labor unions agreed to set aside the proposal after "business leaders paid off labor unions."
There has been plenty of chatter from the other side trying to criticize the agreement between the growing number of businesses who are working to defeat 47, 49, and 54 calling the compromise all sorts of breathless, spittle inducing names. But the truth is quite a bit different:
"Labor isn't being paid anything," said Pat Hamill, the Denver businessman most closely involved in reaching an agreement with labor leaders. "We're running our own issue campaign to get things defeated. When people makes these statements, they should check their facts."
You have to wonder about a former Congressman getting in the tank for anti-union and anti-worker ballot measures when his own recent past has him working for Jack Abramoff to assist the Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association to maintain their highly profitable sweat shops run with essentially indentured servitude labor.
We already know Bob Schaffer is a liar about claiming to close down a factory. Despite no evidence ever from the Schaffer campaign on this supposed closed down factory one right wing blogger has tried to claim the proof was in Schaffer's testimony of conditions at a factory called MGM-Dirova. However this factory was actually renamed in 2001 after it failed to get orders due to lawsuits against it. There is absolutedly no evidence Schaffer had anything to do with this. Wendy Doromal even documents lawsuits against this factory long before Schaffer ever stepped foot on the Marianas Islands.
This factory was still operating as recently as 2006 as RIFU Apparel, Inc, where it continued to engage in underpaying and overworking immigrants who've lost their immigration status:
Flores said Han would pay in cash and made the illegal workers sign a logbook to acknowledge payments.
The illegal workers were not paid an hourly rate, but for each piece of completed garment products.
For every 60 to 687 pieces of completed products, the workers would be paid at the rate of $.025 cents per product. For every 688 to 7,134 pieces, the workers would be paid $.035 cents per product.
For any product in excess of 7,134 pieces, the workers would be paid $.04 cents per product, the investigator said.
He said behind the Rifu Building, where the illegal workers were located, was a chain link perimeter fence used as an escape route.
These are the kinds of working abuses businesses crave as they can push workers to the breaking point and pay them next to nothing. I seem to recall reading about conditions like this with children no less in the United States:
From 1908 to 1912, Hine took his camera across America to photograph children as young as three years old working for long hours, often under dangerous conditions, in factories, mines, and fields.
This may pushing the argument here a little, but when Bob Schaffer can claim the workers in Siapan were, "smiling; they were happy." I have to really question his support for these amendments. Amendments meant to weaken the very worker organizers who got rid of child labor, got us the 40 hour work week, and something called the weekend.
Disclosure - I'm working to defeat Amendment 47 because our economy can't afford it.
Okay, it's just one snippet of his life, but what a snippet. If Wadhams really thought the Mariana Islands issues was behind them, he's not a very good campaign manager. I think they actually got it out as early as possible to minimize the damage, or it may have just been that Schaffer has a big mouth. Either way, this is the right time to run this ad. The only question is how much impact this will have given the barrage of other ads running around. I'll have more after an 11am conference call.
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me...
so they can toil in sweat shops and brothels.
Referencing my previous post about this, my other title was simply going to be, "Hey Bob, Booo!" Anyway.
Today Abramoff and Schaffer target Allen Stayman, Mariana Islands human right activist Wendy Doromal, and James Salt of Catholics United came to Colorado to speak directly about Bob Schaffer and the Mariana Islands.
First up was Mr. Salt, who read a statement from Sr. Mary Stella Mangona, who has ministered to the people of CNMI for 10 years. In the statement she says:
In my counseling services, I came in contact with many abused women who had experienced sexual and workplace abuses -- abuses that were taking place on the island during Schaffer's visit. Types of abuse included coerced abortions, human trafficking, coerced prostitution, confiscation of documentation and other widespread labor abuses.
Allen Stayman was next. The same Allen Stayman mentioned by Jack Abramoff in his 1998 proposal email of how to get what Willie Tan and Governor Tenorio wanted for their sweat shops.
Of urgent focus this year will be the effort either to defund or more likely, to severely limit the activities of the Office of Insular Affairs. This office, led by Stayman, has been the main source of difficulty for the CNMI>
Stayman brought documents to back up his assertions, including a memo from the Department of Interior from during the Reagan administration of concerns with immigration on the islands. To claim efforts of reform were partisan in nature is just wrong. Pages 2 and 3 of the letter.
Bob Schaffer may be a Knight of horseys and sepulchres but some Catholics aren't so happy with his past performance. That is, specifically when it comes to human rights. Tomorrow, James Salt of Catholics United, Mariana Islands human rights activist Wendy Doromal, and former Department of the Interior official Alan Stayman will be speaking in front of Schaffer's campaign office Monday at 11am.
Bob Schaffer's headquarters will be getting some unexpected out-of-town guests Monday. Whistleblowers who worked to end the human rights abuses on the Marianas Islands will hold a press conference in front on Bob Schaffer's campaign headquarters to demand explanations and an apology for his role in allowing those abuses to continue.
Allen Stayman was one of the key government investigators who uncovered evidence of abuse of immigrant workers on the Marianas, including squalid living conditions and forced abortions. Wendy Doromal was a teacher in the Marianas Island.
What: Press conference to demand Bob Schaffer's apology for his role in allowing human rights abuses to continue on the Marianas Islands
When: Monday, Sept. 29, 11:00 a.m.
Where: 5950 S. Willow Road, Greenwood Village, Colorado
(Orchard Road, Exit 198 of I-25)
GOP Rep's Ad: I'm Sorry I Went On An Abramoff Trip This ad needs to be seen to be believed. Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), who is facing a spirited challenge from Democrat Suzanne Kosmas, has this new ad in which he speaks to the camera and abjectly apologizes for going on an Abramoff-sponsored trip five years ago:
The Udall campaign's response goes like this:
"Bob Schaffer was up to his neck in the same kind of corrupt dealing with jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff that Tom Feeney was," said Udall campaign spokeswoman Tara Trujillo. "Schaffer took Abramoff's trip and then he took Abramoff's marching orders, turning a blind eye to human trafficking and forced abortions in the process. Tom Feeney is at least taking responsibility for his actions. When will Bob Schaffer?"
I'm guessing Dick Wadhams' response will go something like, "F*cking Tom Feeney Boulder Liberal." Or something.
I'd really to see Schaffer fess up and and say, "Gosh golly gee, I'm really sorry for helping a bunch of sweat shop owners paying a corrupt and now in jail lobbyist to keep the status quo of slave wages, sweat shops, forced abortion, and a thriving sex trade industry." But then, I'd also like a pony.
For a little while now, we've had Colorado Media Matters posting the worst of the worst on SquareState. This one from late last week regarding Bob Schaffer and immigration (two things that when mentioned together should cause out and out laughter) is so bad I had to contribute a little to put this more in perspective.
Summary: While interviewing Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer on Newsradio 850 KOA, the Colorado's Morning News anchors failed to point out the "immigration-reduction" agenda of a website Schaffer cited as giving his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, "F's on immigration." KOA's Steffan Tubbs and Lois Melkonian also failed to challenge Schaffer's false assertion that Denver and Boulder are so-called "sanctuary" cities, despite evidence to the contrary.
On the September 10 broadcast of Newsradio 850 KOA's Colorado's Morning News, co-anchor Steffan Tubbs and guest co-anchor Lois Melkonian allowed their guest, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer, to attack his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, using misleading or false information related to immigration.
If the Schaffer camp were smart (I know, I know) they wouldn't mention immigration after Schaffer opened his big old mouth about how much he loves the sweat shop and forced abortion policies of the Mariana Islands. You'll remember that during his time in Congress he worked on behalf of now jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the sweat shop owners of the Mariana Islands to continue those worker abusive policies and keep them the status quo.
This made national news for weeks. For the news anchors at KOA to not bring this up during a discussion of immigration policy with Bob Schaffer shows just how much they're nothing more than flacks.
So, what's this site giving Udall F's? According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (you know what territory we're getting into when they're the source):
NumbersUSA executive director Roy Beck, a long-time friend of Coe's, adopted a more moderate tone when he addressed his guests and told them what they should be doing to end the current immigration regime.
It would be better, Beck counseled, if their attempts to lobby legislators that week did not appear to be orchestrated by NumbersUSA. For their campaign to be effective, he said, it "needs to look like a grassroots effort."
Grassroots - or AstroTurf?
To be sure, this was no grassroots effort. Nor is NumbersUSA, in any sense of the word, a grassroots organization.
And a bit about their funding:
In fact, the vast majority of American anti-immigration groups - more than a dozen in all - were either formed, led, or in other ways made possible through Tanton's efforts.
The principal funding arm of the movement, U.S. Inc., is a Tanton creation, and millions of dollars in financing comes from just a few of his allies, far-right foundations like those controlled by the family of Richard Mellon Scaife.
Oh, BTW, the overall grade these guys actually gave Udall, is a C-.
Finally, Schaffer lies about Udall and his support of the American Dream Act (HR 1275) saying:
this Hernandez guy, Mark Udall introduced, sponsored legislation that would give this guy your tax money to pay for his college tuition.
The truth however is that the American Dream Act, HR1275 establishes states rights for residency with respect to instate tuition and also requires:
(A) the alien has been physically present in the United States for a continuous period of not less than 5 years immediately preceding the date of enactment of this Act, and had not yet reached the age of 16 years at the time of initial entry;
(B) the alien has been a person of good moral character since the time of application;
The latter means no criminal record. Thus, "this Hernandez guy" with at least 12 arrests would not qualify. But, why let little things like facts get in the way, eh Bob?
So while Bob Schaffer says one thing about immigration, his actions show where his priorities lie.
Sure, Labor Day is almost over but let's be honest, far more of you are going to read this while at work on September 2nd anyway. I had actually forgotten Labor Day was coming up. The weekend is also Julie's and my wedding anniversary. Sure, I know Labor Day has been around a lot longer, but I began to think of it as an extra day to spend with my lovely wife. This week however, I ran into Elana Levin, from UNITE HERE who mentioned how she was looking forward to writing about The War on Labor Day.
Every time a Right to Work (for less) ballot initiative cooked up and paid for by the richest corporations in the world ends up under consideration, those plutocratic wolves dressed in sheep's clothing have declared war on labor day.
Every time members of Congress vote against the Employee Free Choice Act, they have declared War on Labor Day.
Every time lawmakers support unfair trade deals that reward employers who ship jobs overseas to countries where workers have no real right to organize, those lawmaker have declared War on Labor Day.
Every time a story about the middle class squeeze is run in the corporate media and they fail to mention that union's created the middle class and that unions are fighting to restore it-- well maybe that's not a declaration of war but that's giving comfort to the enemies of Labor Day.
And every time we let corporations exploit their workers and deny their right to unionize and we remain silent, we are complicit in the War on Labor Day.
I suppose in some sense I'm part of the War on Labor Day in forgetting about it, or maybe just a casualty.
It's beyond laughable that Ross Kaminsky has written a series trying to defend Bob Schaffer. But then, I expect that. He's on the right wing, he's going to try to defend his guy. Of course, actual documents show that his arguments are nothing more than a pixelated bunch of hot air, but that's a whole other story. What's sad is that the the new media site of the Denver Post, Politics West, would allow such a guy to spew his fantasies.
I first contacted the Politics West Producer, Monnie Nilsson, who referred me to her editor Stephen Keating. After some phone tag we caught up this week on the phone. I wanted to understand the relationship or agreement Kaminsky has with Politics West that allows him to attack a reporter from the same organization.
The 2nd rule of blogxygen says that one shouldn't link to silly little neo-cons who think none of us notice they're lying their butts off, thus drawing other's attention to their blather. The 5th rule of blogxygen is that there may be times when the claims are that outrageous as many people possible should see the neo-con electronically depantsed. (The first rule of blogxygen submits we should not tell the other side about this idea, but in this case, I'm thinking the 5th rule is more important.)
BTW, this is the same idiot, that the Denver Post's new media site, let post twice about this topic here and here.
So I'd first like to draw your attention to this passage.
Riley then moves on to try to taint Schaffer with the unpopular Tom DeLay, mentioning that DeLay had helped Ben Fitial become Speaker and mentioning an aide of DeLay's who "was later mentioned in plea agreements...involving Abramoff." What any of this has to do with Schaffer's friendship with and endorsement of Benigno Fitial is beyond my grasp.
This all started when Bob Schaffer opened his big mouth mentioning the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a US protectorate famous for it's garment industry sweat shops, as a model for a guest worker program. As Bob Schaffer took a trip there in 1999 while a Congressman, this prompted investigation by myself and others including the Denver Post here, here, and here. Nearly two months later a local conservative blogger, Ross Kaminsky began a series defending Bob Schaffer starting with this piece in the Denver Post's new website Politics West.
What opportune timing. Between the Bill Orr trial, trying to prove who gave him that earmark, and so many other political scandals and events, I wasn't sure when was the right time to reveal what else we dug out of Bob Schaffer's Congressional archive. But, now that Ross Kaminsky has started his belated by two months defense of Sweat Shop Bob Schaffer, he's given me the right opportunity to bring this up again. I'm going to show how his attempt to get to the "truth" is the furthest thing from reality.
Media Matters is already on the case pointing out that he's ignored Preston Gate's involvement here, and an article referenced by the Denver Post from the Washington Post detailing how the Traditional Values Coalition worked with Jack Abramoff for quite some time to launder money.
To discount Abramoff's involvement by saying Preston Gates is a large firm just ignores the facts. According to a lobbyist disclosure form from 1999, the first lobbyist listed for the client Western Pacific Economic Council is none other than Jack Abramoff. For 1999, there are no other lobbyists listed than those on this form or other lobbying firms working for that client or any client related to the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. The database is here. The House Lobbyist database shows nothing for those clients or Abramoff until 2001 when he was with Greenberg Traurig. This is the very same Western Pacific Economic Council listed on page 2 of Schaffer's agenda that he was to be meeting with on his first day on the islands. In later files, you'll see Abramoff was also the lead lobbyist for this client with many others working for him.
click images for full size
This is just hilarious. Bob Schaffer now has a website up. I mean a real one, with text and everything. From his "Bob on the Issues" page: (no blogxygen link following)
Growing a Stronger Economy
Coloradans consistently tell Bob how they've lost trust in their elected federal officials, especially because of their lack of attention to the economy. Bob agrees and wants to build the kind of prosperous economy Americans deserve.
You mean like George Bush, Dick Cheney, John McCain, and Wayne Allard? It was John McCain's economic adviser, former Senator Phil Gramm, who's policies of deregulating the mortgage industry that directly lead to the mess we're in now.
This, while our continued meddling in Iraq costs now $12 billion with a B per month.
BTW, the future's price for a barrel of oil just peaked at over $130.
When the head of Schaffer's party took office, the price of a gallon of gas was about $1.50, and that same barrel of oil was $25 in 2002.
Curbing Wasteful Federal Spending
Bob Schaffer agrees with Coloradans who tell him it's time to hold government accountable for its spending.
You mean like earmarks to friends who use it to line their pocketbooks? That was too easy.
This post over at Udall V Schaffer should be higher on google's search list for Bob Schaffer. In short:
President Bush today signed a bill that overwhelmingly passed both houses of Congress to extend U.S. labor law to the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In the most notorious Washington lobbying scandal in recent history, the islands hired jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff to represent them in opposing the change, and Abramoff enlisted the help of Republican members of Congress including Bob Schaffer, who carried out a strategy that had been literally designed by Abramoff himself.
We all know the ideological leanings of the Colorado Springs Gazette: it's firmly on the right wing of politics and pro-Republican. They long ago failed on their claim to being Libertarian, otherwise we would have seen op-ed after op-ed going after Bush's treatment of our Constitution. It seems many 'round here who call themselves Libertarian just can't face being called the Republicans they really are.
But still, news is news and a race for an open senate seat should be big news all over the state. It isn't at the Colorado Springs Gazette.
This Sweatshop Schaffer roundup has about 15 stories detailing Bob's hijinks. A search of the Gazette's site turns up nothing on any of these.
Even Bob's Lambornesque statement that "In five days, I did not observe a forced abortion or meet anybody who had any knowledge of them" didn't make the pages of our fine newspaper. Wow.
An anti-abortion group is blasting Bob Schaffer, Republican candidate for a Colorado U.S. Senate seat, over his defense of human rights conditions in the Northern Mariana islands, an American territory where allegations that factory workers must undergo forced abortions are common.
Colorado Right to Life accused Schaffer of closing his eyes to reports from Chinese workers on the islands about forced abortions.
"The pro-life movement will no longer give a pass to candidates like Bob Schaffer who look the other way when Chinese women are forced to abort their children," said Steve Curtis, spokesman for the group and former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party.
Ruh-roh!
Really, I don't see what the big deal is. In one sense he is sticking to his stance. Bob Schaffer is still anti-choice in that these women weren't given a choice.
The Washington freaking Times also did a story on Schaffer. This story isn't going away.
U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall took $1,500 in contributions from two firms that once employed disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Uhm. Read between the lines here people. "Pay no attention to that scandal over there. Look, look at the pretty ball; look, it's so shiny."
"Bob Schaffer took an Abramoff-sponsored trip and turned a blind eye to forced abortions and human trafficking of guest workers, while Mark Udall was co-sponsoring three pieces of legislation to fix problems in the Marianas," West said.
West said the issue is Abramoff's attempt to thwart reforms and Schaffer's willingness to assist him.
"That is a bald-faced lie and Boulder liberal Mark Udall should be ashamed of himself," Wadhams said.
Looks like the RockyMountainNews is willing to print whatever Dick Wadhams says. Heck, why bother with a reporter. Why not just give Wadhams his own op-ed column. It would be more efficient.
This game was already played out when the redirect was to try to say that Democrats are just as corrupt as all the republicans who carried Abramoff's water: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.c...
There was a big difference then and there's a big difference still. Taking money from someone and doing their bidding is completely different than taking someone's money and doing the opposite of what they want. Heck, if the argument is over who got Preston Gates and Greenberg Traurig PAC money, then Schaffer is just dumb. He didn't get any of their money but still let them pull his strings. You'd think a corrupt politician who enables sweat shop owners to continue to exploit guest workers - who must agree not to go to church, are forced to get abortions, in a country with sex slavery, would at least get a lot of money for it. That's just corrupt and dumb.
Perhaps Preston Gates should have given Udall a little more. The National Education Association loves Mark Udall having given him over $32k since '98. How much to Bob Schaffer? Zero, zilch, nada, nema, and rein de tout.
At the end of the day, this was never about who gave money to whom or even who knows Jack Abramoff, it's about what one did with their time in Congress when they were supposed to be representing their district. We know what Bob Schaffer did:
Wendy Doromal is a human rights activist who lived on the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands between 1984 and 1995. She worked for the Department of the Interior in 1998 investigating labor abuses in the territory. Recently, Doromal received the Spirit of Service Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service, presented by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Ms. Doromal has a thing or two to say about Bob Schaffer's important role in the legislative cover-up of the situation there.
Schaffer, a true foot soldier for the A-Team, followed the lobbyist's play book as outlined in the "secret memo." [Link added] Schaffer and his wife visited the CNMI on one of the Abramoff junkets a month before the September 16, 1999 hearing. The timing was important as the memo noted:
"With the cancellation of the Young trip, it would be wise for the CNMI to host a group of Resources Committee members at some time prior to the hearings. Otherwise Miller will be the member of that committee most recently in the CNMI and this will place us at a distinct disadvantage."
Schaffer received campaign contributions from Fitial and Jerry Tan and in return he was a major public supporter of Fitial's bid for governor in 2001. He even took out a full page ad in the Saipan Tribune, the newspaper owned by Tan, boasting to be "Ben and Rita's friend." Read this post to learn about more political friends of Fitial.)
In return, Schaffer provided "bail out" money for the CNMI according to this October 5, 2001 Saipan Tribune story:
"Fitial said he learned from his friends in the US Congress that the CNMI will be receiving a substantial amount of financial assistance from certain departments in the federal government.
"I talked to my friend Cong. Bob Schaffer over the phone and he told me that this assistance will be coming very, very soon," said Fitial.
CNMI’s share of the bailout money is projected to be in the millions, he added."
Continuing to detail the inner workings of the strategy to suppress rights in the CNMI through Abramoff cronies like Tom DeLay, John Doolittle, and others prominently including Schaffer, Doromal turns to the logistics of schaffer's claim that he "inspected" 20 garment factories on Saipan in four days:
What garment factories did Schaffer tour?
Schaffer claimed to have visited 20 factories on his trip to Saipan according this Denver Post article:
"Bob Schaffer, accompanied by his wife, said he visited more than 20 textile factories during the trip to investigate claims of labor violations and found problems in only one. He also described the protectorate's guest-worker rules as a "model" for the U.S. immigration system."
Twenty factories? Really? It would be logistically impossible to visit 20 garment factories considering that he was on the island for four days, and went para-sailing, attended meetings including those with Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association and the Western Pacific Economic Council, and visited historical sites according to the Denver Post article.
And Schaffer's denial of the practice of coerced abortions in Chinese-owned Saipan garment factories?
Here's a little bit more on Bob Schaffer from across the blogosphere. I'll be on the Mario Solis-Marich show again this evening on AM760 talking about Schaffer. Mario's show is live in the Denver area from 4-7pm.
First there's
Wendy Doromal at Unheard No More who is the longtime CNMI Human Rights worker. Wendy recently received the Spirit of Service Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service Learn and Serve America from Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Then there's dengre who's been following Abramoff since 1999. His DailyKos blog post last night quotes Wendy heavily. I can't do either of these posts justice. You simply must read them in their damning entirety. Here's just a taste:
The Global Survival Network brought Nousher to Washington, D.C. to testify at the September 16, 1999 House Committee Hearing. At around 12:30am on the morning of the hearing, I was awakened by a call from Nousher. He was very concerned that Congressman Bob Schaffer had called him earlier that evening to quiz him about how he got to Washington, DC, what kind of visa he had, what he was doing in the states, who helped him write his testimony and similar questions. I thought it was very unusual that a U.S. Congressman would call a witness before a hearing. I had never heard of this before.
The September 16, 1999 hearing was a total mockery of justice. I planned on going, but canceled my flight because a hurricane was set to hit the East Coast. Nousher told me he was drilled relentlessly by Schaffer with questions about federal officials, Department of Interior officials, who paid for protests conducted by guest workers in Saipan. The transcript of the hearing reveals that House Resources Committee Chair Don Young, and members Bob Schaffer and John Doolittle turned the hearing upside down by following the memo's strategy of going after Mr. Stayman and other DOI officials, while ignoring the purpose of the hearing.
"We intend to use the hearings to impeach Stayman and his campaign against the CNMI," Abramoff wrote in a 1998 memo to Willie Tan, a garment manufacturing mogul who operated a number of plants on the islands. The Office of Insular Affairs, "led by Stayman, has been the main source of difficulty for the CNMI," the memo said.
Schaffer had enthusiastically enacted Abramoff's strategy in a 1999 hearing. Schaffer charged that Office of Internal Affairs officials had secretly paid laborers to participate in a protest against conditions on the islands when the Abramoff-organized Congressional delegation (including Schaffer) arrived.
Part 2 of my investigation should be up in another day or two. Drip, drip.....drip
