Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Corrupt Bastards Busted

"I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"

Wow. Here I go and ignore the larger world for a week* and once again, all hell breaks loose.

What to offer about the recent arrests of Veco's CEO Bill Allen and its VP for Community and Regional Affairs Rick Smith, along with Representative Kohring, and former reps Kott and Weyrauch? Is anyone surprised? Can anyone actually be surprised, given that Ben Stevens (who is likely to be in a pair of handcuffs sooon) has for years worked as a consultant for VECO all the while refusing to say exactly what it is he did?

Well, for one thing, might we here at FBH suggest that when one is engaged in illegal activity, you ought not to have commemorative hats made? The term "Corrupt Bastards Club" will become a shorthand for arrogant corruption in the future, I think.

Also, can anyone be surprised to find out that Big Oil was corrupting our government? Is anyone still that naive? Face it, we're the Appalachia of the West, and not just because of the yard art and 'No Tresspassing" signs one finds surrounding some of the homes out here in Squarebanks. Big Oil is King Coal. It wields just as much influence as the latter did in the coal mining states, but with the added touch of a continual diet of propaganda slickly produced print and television ads fed to the populace.

This sucker is being followed extensively in the ADN and Rachel D'Oro's story for AP has been picked up internationally. But more later, if Flic doesn't beat me to the punch.

*I'm up to 1.5 jobs for the summer.

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