I am reminded of the old saying, "I'm either against government corruption or want more opportunities to participate." The problem in Mississippi is that so many people have so many opportunities to participate.
Mississippi is not a state. It's a club. And the club of Mississippi doesn't really want things changed. Too many people have the opportunity to participate.
Small town corruption or "good ole boy" politics may not be on the small scale as the north but its gone on unchecked in most places for over a hundred years. Its one of those not talked about things.
Texas is huge with corruption as well. The most corrupted state at the moment . only because of all the indictments and bust which means other states might just be better at not getting caught .
Oh...you thought I forgot. When it comes to this bet, NJ will never let me down. Like the kanye west song from first album
one thing I've found....one thing I've found...NJ will let me down....down...down...down..
Judge Orders Release of Secret 'Bridgegate' Names By NICK RUMMELL
TRENTON, N.J. (CN) — A secret list of unindicted co-conspirators involved in the state's "Bridgegate" scandal could be released as soon as Friday, following a ruling by a federal judge. The list, which has been kept under lock and key, is thought to include additional elected officials who had knowledge of the 2013 lane shutdowns leading to the George Washington Bridge that led to a massive traffic jam. The judge hearing the case found arguments that the list is essentially already public knowledge persuasive. Further, the names on the list are likely elected or appointed officials, the judge ruled, which makes the list in the public interest. "The underlying events that gave rise to the indictment have been extensively covered by the media, such that even persons tangentially involved have already been identified and exposed in the press," Judge Susan Wigenton wrote in her May 11 ruling. "There is very little that is private about the lane closures or the lives of the people allegedly connected to them." The so-called Bridgegate scandal stems from a five-day shutdown of several lanes leading onto the George Washington Bridge that snarled traffic for hours. Bridget Anne Kelly and William Baroni Jr. were charged with conspiracy and fraud for their alleged roles in shutting down the lanes as political payback to Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, who had declined to endorse Gov. Chris Christie in his re-election bid for governor. When asked if he thought his name would be on the list of unindicted co-conspirators, Christie told reporters Wednesday "I don't believe so, but I guess no one knows until they actually put the list out."
A federal judge Friday put the brakes on releasing the names of the suspected Bridgegate conspirators.
Judge Susan Wigenton delayed the release until Tuesday after lawyers for a "John Doe" filed a last-minute motion to stop it from being revealed.
They contended that would unfairly tar their client as part of a criminal conspiracy to punish the mayor of Fort Lee for not endorsing Gov. Chris Christie's re-election by deliberately tying up traffic on the George Washington Bridge. They noted that this person had not been charged with a crime.
It's a long shot. Wigenton, in her earlier ruling, pointed out that the names on the list belong to people for "whom the Government has sufficient evidence to designate as having joined the conspiracy."
The judge added that while "privacy for third-parties is indeed important," she said that was outweighed in this case by the public's right to know about the shocking scandal that arguably put a big dent in the once-popular Republican governor's presidential ambitions.
Wigenton had ordered the list released on Tuesday after a consortium of media outlets that includes NBC Universal pushed to make it public. U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman could have appealed the decision. Notably, he didn't.
Christie has already said it's "highly doubtful" his name is on the list. But most of the people suspected of being part of the scheme are believed to be his allies.
BF, I read the articles.In EVERY jail or prison, corrections officers bring in contraband...I can't help but think that some convict set them up....like Avon did in the Wire.
Bridgegate co-conspirator list is supposed to be released tomorrow, so enjoy your lead.......for now.
Gets, Contraband smuggling is going to be a major pipeline throughout the country's penintenuary like you said and it also comes down to who the major players within that pulling strings. The chicago mobs & AB are doing the most behind bars in my state.
Updated 1 hr 15 mins ago NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- A federal appeals court has decided not to allow a list of unindicted co-conspirators in the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal to be released Tuesday.
A federal judge ruled last week that the list should be released, but one of the people on the list has challenged that to a federal appeals court, arguing that his due process rights will be violated if the list is published and he would be branded a criminal. "John Doe" was granted a stay, and the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia will take up the appeal, with oral arguments scheduled for June 6.
Bruce Rosen, an attorney for media organizations fighting for the list, has rejected the anonymous man's claims.
Two former allies of Gov. Chris Christie have been indicted and face trial this fall. A third pleaded guilty.
Here are some things to know about the list and its contents, from the Associated Press: ___
WHAT'S AN UNINDICTED CO-CONSPIRATOR?
An unindicted co-conspirator is someone who was involved in a conspiracy to commit a crime but hasn't been criminally charged. It is not, experts say and contrary to some interpretations, someone who merely knew about a conspiracy.
"A co-conspirator means you're part of the criminal conspiracy - you're in it like the others," said Bradley Simon, a white-collar defense attorney and former federal prosecutor.
Also, just because unindicted co-conspirators aren't facing criminal charges now doesn't mean they couldn't eventually, Simon said. ___
WHY DO PROSECUTORS USE THEM?
Unindicted co-conspirators can be people who were involved in a conspiracy but whom prosecutors don't feel they have enough evidence against to gain a conviction. They also can be people who haven't been indicted because they are cooperating with the government.
Of greater importance to prosecutors, Simon and other defense attorneys say, is that under an exception to the hearsay evidence rule, statements by an unindicted co-conspirator can be allowed at a trial without having to put the person on the witness stand. ___
RELEASING THE NAMES: PROS AND CONS
An attorney for John Doe, who is seeking to block the list's release, argued in court filings that publishing it would unfairly brand her client as a criminal without giving him the chance to prove otherwise, in violation of due process protections.
Attorneys representing several media organizations, including The Associated Press, have argued that the public interest in seeing the list outweighs privacy concerns and that due process doesn't extend to protecting a person's reputation.
In a letter Monday to the judge who originally ordered the list's release last week, attorney Bruce Rosen requested that, if the appeals court sides with John Doe, the list be released with his name redacted. ___
WHAT COULD THE LIST OF UNINDICTED CO-CONSPIRATORS REVEAL?
If the list is made public, it could provide insight into the government's case against two former allies of Republican Gov. Chris Christie who were indicted last year and face trial this fall.
It also could contradict the findings of a taxpayer-funded report by a Christie-hired law firm that placed most of the blame on former Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly, one of those indicted, and former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official David Wildstein, who has pleaded guilty.
The conclusion of the 360-page report issued by Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher in 2014 exonerated Christie and found "no evidence that anyone else in the Office of the Governor, besides Kelly, had any advance knowledge of the lane realignment or was otherwise involved in orchestrating or approving it."
Several key players, including Kelly, Wildstein and Bill Baroni, the former Port Authority executive indicted with Kelly, declined to be interviewed by the law firm.
If the list includes current or former officials of the Port Authority, the operator of bridges, tunnels, airports and ports in the New York region, it could further damage the reputation of an agency whose public image has been battered by the bridge scandal and several spinoff investigations into possible conflicts of interest and backroom dealing. Related Topics:
I've heard this story from 3 different people about N'awlins.
They went down there for convenstion or concert or something. They got a ticket or some citation while there. Before they boarded the plane...here was an agent checking IDs and if you didn't pay the fine/fee...you couldn't board the flight.
First time I heard the story,I thought it was made up. How can anybody stop you from a domestic flight for a ticket? But heard it two more times.
Came to N'awlins on new years eve.ha/ got stuck and couldn't leave.ha/ it was hard to breathe.ha/
"This office has more special agents and employees working corruption per employee in the division, than any other division in the country. Corruption here is profound," Sallet said.
If a am to understand the rules correctly, the state with the most convictions for public corruption (local, state, city, parish, county) officials wins?
In other words the state with the most convictions by government officials for the year 2016 wins?
We could do monthly, weekly, etc.
Count me in, we are referred to as a banana republic, third world country for a reason!
As a caveat a second competition could include the most stupid, least amount, greatest amount and just sheer humor in " I almost got away with it"
The former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey pleaded guilty Thursday in a long-running probe examining whether he used his office for personal gain.
David Samson, a former appointee and close political ally of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, has been under investigation for nearly three years by federal prosecutors for allegedly trading official actions for the resumption of a direct flight to an airport near his country home in South Carolina.
Mr. Samson pleaded guilty to a single felony bribery charge in federal court in Newark on Thursday afternoon, more than two years after he resigned as chairman as the federal investigation mounted.
Mr. Samson, 76 years old, sighed heavily as he left the courtroom, but said nothing. His attorney, Michael Chertoff, told reporters from an elevator, “The next you’re going to hear from us will be at sentencing.”
As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors could seek a sentence ranging from probation to a maximum of 24 months in prison for Mr. Samson.
Judge Jose Linares set sentencing for Oct. 20.
================================
They put a LOT of pressure on this guy to cooperate and flip on Christie, but he didn't do it. The timing of this story surely hurt Christie's chances of being selected running mate for Trump though.
Okay okay, Mississippi is the poorest, fattest, most racist and corrupt state. Now forget about us and leave us alone while you other modern and progressive states vote on boys using girls bathrooms and late term abortions. Leave us in the good ole days.
And here's to the government of Mississippi In the swamp of their bureaucracy they're always bogging down And criminals are posing as the mayors of the towns And they hope that no one sees the sights and no one hears the sounds And the speeches of the governor are the ravings of a clown Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
Me too. Born and raised 89. North Mississippi. Columbus.
You from Mississippi, you know we get a bad rap as a racist state. That is not the truth though. I've never experienced it in my 35 years. I'm a white guy and I've always treated everyone with respect. Any any black person I've come in contact with always treats me with the same respect I show them.
Yes, This is my home state ( It's been in my location section btw) and of course we will always have that stigma. Ever since Mainstream media covered the civil rights , brutal hate crimes victims, and these country folks in the counties that's what immediately comes to people mind.
I will immediately point out that their state have as much biogtry as well. But that's mainstream news for you. Whatever reputation your state or city gets then it takes time to remove the bias image.
While I get my tallies in order, so that NJ can take the crown, thought I'd weigh in on the topic of Miss. and racism.
I'm not from there, never set foot there but I grew up with people from all over the deep south including Miss.They were first generation northerners. When their relatives came up to visit with pictures of where they were from I got curious and wanted to know why people would leave areas so nice and spacious to live in what was a northeast 'hood. Part of it was the jobs available up north and some if it was the institutional racism down there. The laws on the books, practices, etc
People realized that the could move to a different part of the country where they could enjoy more of the freedoms that all Americans had. This is what was told to me as a kid and what I read about whenever I read about the "Great Migration".
I'm sure things have changed greatly since the Fed. govt basically forced Southern states to legally treat all Americans the same in the mid 60s. It's been only 2 generations since the Civil Rights Acts and I think we'd all agree that racial attitudes developed over centuries aren't going to change completely in 50 years.
I have to say that if your not raised here than you'll have to lived here just a couple of years to understand it. The main difference is tolerance and acceptance overall. Being that I'm Black I'm speaking from my perspective, Whites here show their opinion of bigotry through subtitle ways or directly. The acceptance is letting you know all the info on such and such. The bigots are just going to be mindful of you per say. Any actions taken is generally going to be in their favors ( ganging up, discreet location, drunk or homeless scenarios).
I'm not trying to paint a bias picture just laying down the difference of attitude amongst Whites. There's a plethora of neighborly Whites here that wouldn't hesitate to help Blacks. Now what's noticable, just like nationwide, is that public & private schools is one of the most visible seperation here. After the 60s, Private schools popped up like ant hills statewide. Large amount of White students goes private and Blacks to public. Also displays the social class difference, cost more to go private. So the whites that can't afford it send their child to public ( or don't see no problem with public).
Some public schools have a fair balance between Black and White while the rest are majority one or other. My High school was mostly Black ( I'm guessing 55-57% with whites at 40ish) at the time but I don't know what's it is now.
I have to say that if your not raised here than you'll have to lived here just a couple of years to understand it. The main difference is tolerance and acceptance overall. Being that I'm Black I'm speaking from my perspective, Whites here show their opinion of bigotry through subtitle ways or directly. The acceptance is letting you know all the info on such and such. The bigots are just going to be mindful of you per say. Any actions taken is generally going to be in their favors ( ganging up, discreet location, drunk or homeless scenarios).
I'm not trying to paint a bias picture just laying down the difference of attitude amongst Whites. There's a plethora of neighborly Whites here that wouldn't hesitate to help Blacks. Now what's noticable, just like nationwide, is that public & private schools is one of the most visible seperation here. After the 60s, Private schools popped up like ant hills statewide. Large amount of White students goes private and Blacks to public. Also displays the social class difference, cost more to go private. So the whites that can't afford it send their child to public ( or don't see no problem with public).
Some public schools have a fair balance between Black and White while the rest are majority one or other. My High school was mostly Black ( I'm guessing 55-57% with whites at 40ish) at the time but I don't know what's it is now.
Guess I am one of the poor whites then. I couldn't even name a private school around where I live. My grandparents, parents, myself, and my kids all go to public schools. We all had black classmates and we never had any trouble with them or they with us. We always treated each other with respect. We always sat at different tables at lunch, but that was our choice and their choice. I can't tell you why it was that way. Here it is 2017 and black people sit with other blacks at my company and whites with whites. It's just the way it is. If I went to eat lunch at their table they would think it was odd, but wouldn't run me off. They might bust my balls or make jokes, but if they came to our table we wouldn't say anything. Bust their balls and have our lunch together. That's why I thinks it's a bunch of BS.It's the media stirring up racial tensions more than it is racial tensions itself.
Besides media outlets, it's these groups ( Both Black, White, & Others) pushing for that cultural backlash as well. It's one thing to be involved in a cultural group for whichever yours interest than an entirely different being involved in a Supremacists ( Any ideology/philosophy similar) group. We can learn from each other without antagonist behavior.
When you mentioned the table scenario I have seen it throughout my life as well. I think it some mutual interest to it. Some white guys talk about fishing, hunting, & tailgating which some Blacks can relate and add to the conversation. Others are just plain lost in that talk and just talk sports, sneakers, rap industry and etc.
Besides media outlets, it's these groups ( Both Black, White, & Others) pushing for that cultural backlash as well. It's one thing to be involved in a cultural group for whichever yours interest than an entirely different being involved in a Supremacists ( Any ideology/philosophy similar) group. We can learn from each other without antagonist behavior.
When you mentioned the table scenario I have seen it throughout my life as well. I think it some mutual interest to it. Some white guys talk about fishing, hunting, & tailgating which some Blacks can relate and add to the conversation. Others are just plain lost in that talk and just talk sports, sneakers, rap industry and etc.
I agree with some of your statement. A lot is cultural. Even though we sit at different tables we still cut up and bullshit. And most important we don't talk politics or racism or any of that shit and we all give each other the utmost amount of respect. Mississippi gets a bad rep from people that don't live here. It's all media shit. Mississippi Burning, Ghosts of Mississippi. I've never seen or even knew of a Klansmen in my life. It's all BS. Focusing on Negative shit.
Besides media outlets, it's these groups ( Both Black, White, & Others) pushing for that cultural backlash as well. It's one thing to be involved in a cultural group for whichever yours interest than an entirely different being involved in a Supremacists ( Any ideology/philosophy similar) group. We can learn from each other without antagonist behavior.
When you mentioned the table scenario I have seen it throughout my life as well. I think it some mutual interest to it. Some white guys talk about fishing, hunting, & tailgating which some Blacks can relate and add to the conversation. Others are just plain lost in that talk and just talk sports, sneakers, rap industry and etc.
I agree with some of your statement. A lot is cultural. Even though we sit at different tables we still cut up and bullshit. And most important we don't talk politics or racism or any of that shit and we all give each other the utmost amount of respect. Mississippi gets a bad rep from people that don't live here. It's all media shit. Mississippi Burning, Ghosts of Mississippi. I've never seen or even knew of a Klansmen in my life. It's all BS. Focusing on Negative shit.
sell that somewhere else but i applaud your stance on equality
I concede defeat for 2016. No centralized place to track all the arrests and investigations in Jersey. I'm off to an early lead for '17 though because a mayor was indicted yesterday.
The former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey pleaded guilty Thursday in a long-running probe examining whether he used his office for personal gain.
David Samson, a former appointee and close political ally of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, has been under investigation for nearly three years by federal prosecutors for allegedly trading official actions for the resumption of a direct flight to an airport near his country home in South Carolina.
Mr. Samson pleaded guilty to a single felony bribery charge in federal court in Newark on Thursday afternoon, more than two years after he resigned as chairman as the federal investigation mounted.
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — The former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a longtime mentor to Gov. Chris Christie, was sentenced Monday to four years of probation after admitting he pressured United Airlines to reinstate a flight route to give him easier access to his weekend home.
As CBS2’s Meg Baker reported, David Samson also once served as New Jersey attorney general. Now he is a convicted felon – but he will not spend time behind bars. Samson pleaded guilty to bribery last year for the backroom deal, which occurred at a time when United was negotiating with the Port Authority over a new hangar it wanted to build at Newark Liberty International Airport.
“The message that we wanted to send to public is that when people abuse the public trust like Mr. Samson did in this case, that they’re to be punished appropriately,” said U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.
Before the judge pronounced his sentence, Samson apologized to the court, his family and friends, “and to the public, to whom I owe much better.”
“I take full and complete responsibility for my actions,” he added.
The judge also sentenced Samson to home confinement for one year and 3,600 hours of community service. Samson must also wear a monitoring device and pay a $100,000 fine.
Perhaps this year will be a W for you. Started so strong with the NJ mayor being arrested. Only got a Former Southaven mayor , who came out the closet despite being married with kids, being recharged with a different crimes.
Yates and blackfamily,Mississippi,as far as the citizens go they are the best on earth.They still believe in God and country.The system is very corrupt.there are other instances of guards in this jail leaving cell doors open for other inmates to get in and beat other inmates half to death.These co's don't give a shit.Yates,you being from Corinth then you know all about Alcorn Co. and how corrupt it was for many yrs.Maybe still is.i say this but Lousiana,new Orleans specificly is a shit hole and the worse of the worse.As far as Mississppi being the most racist,it has the highest percentage of blacks than any other state but I believe the races here have learned to coexist as well as any state.There are definetly just two cultures it is not the melting pot like in other states.People point out that the confederate flag is still the state flag but history runs deep.
Yates and blackfamily,Mississippi,as far as the citizens go they are the best on earth.They still believe in God and country.The system is very corrupt.there are other instances of guards in this jail leaving cell doors open for other inmates to get in and beat other inmates half to death.These co's don't give a shit.Yates,you being from Corinth then you know all about Alcorn Co. and how corrupt it was for many yrs.Maybe still is.i say this but Lousiana,new Orleans specificly is a shit hole and the worse of the worse.As far as Mississppi being the most racist,it has the highest percentage of blacks than any other state but I believe the races here have learned to coexist as well as any state.There are definetly just two cultures it is not the melting pot like in other states.People point out that the confederate flag is still the state flag but history runs deep.
MemphisMafia,
Thanks for the compliment of my state. I still think it's ambiguous when my state is referred to as the most 'racist' in this country. Contenders for that spot is literally are next door neighbors LA, AL ( sorry dixie LOL), TN (Birthplace of KKK) and even SC. I generally shrug it off since Jim Crow was nationwide. Whites & Blacks are the predominantly but others ethnicities have various effects on the state's culture as well.
. 
