Jan. 21, 2003 - 21:21 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Like A Duck

I am beginning to wonder just who all are pulling the strings on the Bushwhacker organization. Money, Money, Money to my way of thinking. And done so blatantly.

Pete Yost of the Associated Press tells about Assistant Commerce Secretary Nancy Victory's big party. Pete Yost says in his column, "A copy of the invitation was obtained by the AP, clearly names at the top lobbyists Brian Fontes of Cingualar Wireless, Pricilla Hill-Ardoin of SBC Telecommunications and Rich Barth of wireless phone manufacturer Motorola."

He goes on to say, "The October 14, 2001 party was paid for by six hosts, including lobbyists for three companies with a stake in wireless communications and an attorney from Victory's old law firm, where her husband is a partner specializing in communications law." Regardless of her words (she considers the lobbyists her friends) - - "Ten days after the catered reception at Victory's million-dollar home in great Falls, Virginia, she asked the FCC to immediately repeal restrictions that Cingular, SBC and other major cellular companies had long complained about." "The FCC voted two weeks later to phase out the limits on how much of the spectrum individual carriers could own in a geographic area."�

All the smoke and mirrors, blithering blather does not disguise nor excuse the actions of Mrs. Victory. I cannot for the life of me understand that kind of activity between anyone in the administration and lobbyists. That is my personal slant on something like that.

Oh, oh, she might get her wrist slapped Mr. Yost says, "She did not report the October 2001 party as a gift on her government ethics disclosure form."

And Mr. Yost says that Mrs. Victory said in an interview with the Associated Press, "My friends paid for this party out of their personal money."

With friends of the administrators such as those, the taxpayer has all the enemies he can possibly handle.

Administration after administration important people of the administration are wined, dined, partied and taken on vacations by who ? ? ? lobbyists. There is a fine line there that seems to me to be often crossed. Catching a Congressman in the lobby of the chambers and talking to him is what a lobbyist can do, and the only thing he can in my book. Anything more from a lobbyist to an administration official in my book should be classified as a felony and considered a felony on the part of the goverment representative also. The government men and women are not given carte blanc as near as I know.

A felon is as a felon does, if it walks Like A Duck . . . . . . . .

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