Does Bush Know This?

Note to lame duck George Bush from the Boston Globe:

"The less successful the war has been, the less plausible it has been for Bush to be stomping around in his cowboy boots," said Ralph Whitehead, a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. "The plausibility of Bush's electoral swagger as the campaigner-in-chief for his party depends to some extent on the plausibility of his military swagger as commander-in-chief of his country's presence in Iraq."

To many of us the idea that such a dim-witted failure of a man could be the commander-in-chief of our military and the leader of a free democratic country has always been implausible.

Brian Bilbray to 50th District - "Up Yours!"

Compare and contrast Democrat Francine Busby's campaign schedule with that of lying, carpetbagger Brian Bilbray (CA-50). Busby is actually taking her case to the people of the district she wants to represent. Bilbray on the other hand hasn't even bothered to update his website since May. Other than carefully scripted events and in-studio television "debates," Bilbray is non-existent in the 50th district. Even though he claims to live here. How very freaking odd.

Bilbray's refusal to campaign in the 50th district is an embarrassment to him and an affront to the voters in the district. Why won't Bilbray speak about the grand jury investigating him for perjury and voter fraud? Why won't he justify his vote for oil exploration off the 50th district coastline? Why won't he answer why his first vote in congress after his election was for a pay raise?

It's time to take out the garbage in the 50th district. What are the chances that we will find Brian Bilbray anywhere near his mother's home?

Witness Confirms Bilbray Grand Jury

According to the North County Times, a witness who testified before a San Diego grand jury investigation of perjury and voter fraud allegations directed at Representative Brian Bilbray (CA-50) has stepped forward and discussed his appearance before the panel.

Carlsbad resident, William Rider, lives near the address Bilbray claimed as his residence just prior to jumping into the CA-50 race when convicted Republican felon Randy "Duke" Cunningham's bribery and extortion scams became public knowledge.

Rider showed reporters court documents and discussed his nearly 90 minutes of testimony before the grand jury on August 29.

Bilbray filed documents claiming that his mother's home in Carlsbad was his primary residence and that he was living there to assist her. However, during the special election campaign to replace Cunningham, Bilbray's assertion that he lived a the address was questioned and at that time a number of resident of the neighborhood told reports that they seldom, if ever saw Bilbray at his mother's residence.

According to Rider, the purpose of the criminal grand jury was to determine if somebody who claimed to live in his neighborhood actually lived there.

He said that on the day he appeared, he was taken into a room at the county courthouse on Broadway and answered questions from [Patrick] O'Toole [special operations division attorney] and others from jurors. Rider said the questioning lasted about an hour and a half. He said that after first admonishing him not to discuss the proceedings outside of the courtroom and telling him that he was not the focus of the investigation, O'Toole said the jury was trying to determine whether somebody in his neighborhood in fact lived there.

O'Toole then proceeded to ask him a series of questions, like:"Did he know where Bilbray's mother lived? If he could see the mother's home from his house? How often he drove by Bilbray's house? If he had ever seen Bilbray helping his mother out of the house."

Rider said that O'Toole asked if he had ever seen Bilbray at the house."I believe I told him I had seen him there once or twice and that was eight or nine years ago," Rider said.

Bilbray claims that all this is driven by politics. Duhh. Bilbray's claim to live in Carlsbad was driven by politics. He could have run for Cunningham's seat, while claiming his Imperial Beach home as his California residence, which he does for tax purposes. That would have been perfectly legal, but it might not have gone down well in the district.

So, Bilbray chose to claim residence in the district, for the sake of political appearance. Now his lie has been exposed and it is indeed all about politics. And, if all politics is local, then it has become clear that Bilbray isn't a local as far as the 50th district is concerned.

Update: The San Diego Union Tribune picked up this story in the afternoon and included it in its on line edition. Now maybe some of the big time journalists who have been sitting on this story will begin to fill in more of the details.

Update: Coincidently, the Union Tribune has a feature story about Bilbray whistle-blower William Rider, a Vietnam veteran, who now works with Marines returning from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan to help them through the symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Bilbray and Abramoff

For those of us who live in the 50th congressional district, it is hard to find one piece of truth that has come out of the mouth of our carpetbagging congressman, Brian Bilbray. Bilbray remains under investigation by a grand jury for his lies under oath regarding his place(s) of residence. Bilbray lies that he represents the wishes of the people of the 50th district and then votes to allow oil exploration and drilling off the district's coast.

Perhaps Bilbray's biggest lie is about his relationship with convict felon, Jack Abramoff. Bilbray says he hardly knew Abramoff, yet in 1996 Bilbray and his wife took an all expenses Abramoff funded and led trip to the Marianas Islands. While in the Marianas, Bilbray did a little sight seeing, played a little golf and, apparently missed any clues to practices like forced labor and child prostitution. Of course, it was in an effort to keep those two grand Republican practices alive in the Marianas that led Abramoff to invite Bilbray along on the trip in the first place.

On his return for the Marianas, Bilbray become a staunch supported of the Abramoff position and even produced legislation to insure that, despite being a United States trust territory, exploited residents of the Marianas would not be subject to the protection of the Constitution.

Here is a timeline of Bilbray's sell out to Abramoff from the Democratic Underground:

Dec. 13, 1996 – Bilbray prepares to take a trip to the Marianas that will be illegally funded by Jack Abramoff, who at the time is NOT under contract to the Marianas government. Bilbray is warned by the House Committee on Conduct that a planned trip to the Marianas may only take place only if it is a government expense and not paid for by lobbyists. “He received the invitation from the governor of the islands, because the islands were struggling to come to grips with foreign guest workers who were giving birth to children while staying there and then claiming birthright citizenship for their children, Bilbray said. Before he went on the trip, he also requested that the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct give its approval for the trip, he said.

In a Dec. 13, 1996, letter to Bilbray, the committee approved his request ---- with qualifications.

"Assuming the Committee's understanding regarding payment of the costs of the trip is correct, you may participate in the trip under this provision," the letter stated.”

Despite the warning, Bilbray goes on the trip either knowing Abramoff paid for it--or not checking exactly who was paying the enormous bill.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/02/05/news/top_sto...

1996 – For New Year’s Eve, Republican Congressman Brian Bilbray flies to the Marianas and back in the same plane as Jack Abramoff, along with gang member Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA), John Duncan (R-TN) and their wives. Abramoff invoices show that he paid for the trip, over $10,000 per Congressional couple. Once there, after a perfunctory sweatshop tour, it was golf, fun in the sun, and more golf (and who knows what else). All three Congressmen agreed that the Marianas were a “little experiment” in capitalism, from which Washington could learn a lot. Bilbray tells his Marianas audience “You’re the cutting edge, socially and economically…” He said the Marianas has a very “progressive approach to immigration issues. The Northern Marianas has a lot of answers for the rest of the American family.”

“Abramoff billed numerous trips to his personal credit card or the firm, the records state, and then pressed the islands to reimburse him to avoid violating the new ban on lobbyists giving gifts to House members”. - April 28, 2005 Atlanta Journal-Constitution

1997 – Bilbray does not disclose the Marianas trip on his financial disclosure forms as required, saying later he thought the Marianas government paid for the journey, making it a US government expense. After the Republican trip, the Marianas government re-hires Preston Gates and reimburses Abramoff for the plane and hotel bills.

1997 – Around 200 babies become US citizens per year in the Marianas, complicating matters for the crooked sweatshop owners and their partners in crime at Marianas immigration, who always threaten non-citizen workers in numerous ways. Bilbray writes a bill attempting to limit the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, so that babies born on US soil in the Marianas can become US citizens only if at least one of their parents is a US citizen—and only for the Marianas!

October 1997 – Bilbray, Rohrbacher, Royce and Duncan hold luncheon for Marianas Governor Tenorio to fight against Clinton’s attempt to repeal the islands’ “Made in USA” label status and take away local immigration authority unless reforms were made on the sweatshop, forced prostitution and forced abortion issues.

1997 – Led by Tom Delay, Bilbray and The Abramoff Gang in Congress votes against bill requiring Marianas sweatshop owners to raise the minimum wage past $3.05.

Randy "Duke" Cunningham and Brian Bilbray, two corrupt Republican liars. When will Republicans in the 50th district figure out that they are being played for suckers by their own party. Cunningham and Bilbray's job isn't to represent the 50th district, it is to support the lobbyists like Jack Abramoff, whose money is the life-blood of the Republican Party.

The 10 Worst In Congress

Thank you Rolling Stone. Nine Republicans and one Democrat. The Democrat, Bill Jefferson (LA-2), appears to be a greedy crook, but the nine Republicans surrounding him have higher aspirations than a freezer full of cash. Most of them want to make sure that the Constitution is trashed, while they rake in millions in graft and kick-backs.

Here is the Congressional Hall of Shame:

1) Denny Hastert (R-Ill.):

“Most of us aren’t speaker of the House, and most of us don’t have a $200 million earmark running through our back yard. Hastert does, and he made a fortune from it.”

2) James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.)

“He treats us all equally,” says Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.). “He treats us all like dogs.”

3) Don Young (R.-Alaska)

When Sen. John McCain proposed that Young redirect his prized pork money to help rebuild New Orleans, Young accused his detractors of “ignorance and stupidity.” The victims of Katrina, he suggested, “can kiss my ear!“

4) “Dollar” Bill Jefferson (D-La.)

Despite his unethical behavior, Jefferson is cruising to re-election. “In Louisiana, they have a long tradition of corruption — a Huey Long tradition.”

5) Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.)

Even Brent Wilkes — the defense contractor whose payoffs sent Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham to prison earlier this year — has complained about Lewis’ shakedown operation.

6) Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.)

“He’s got the best track record in Congress,” raves Gordon Baum, head of the Council for Conservative Citizens, a “pro-white” group that lauds Tancredo for protecting America from a “full-scale invasion” of Latin immigrants.

7) Dick Pombo (R-Calif.)

“Dick Pombo is the most dangerous member of the House,” says Carl Pope of the Sierra Club. “There’s no one who represents the threat to our public lands that he does.”

8) Curt Weldon (R-Penn.)

“Curt Weldon has outlived his usefulness to the country,” says House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. “He’s seeing ghosts and conspiracies.”

9) Hal Rogers (R.-Ky.)

He has placed the interests of his own district ahead of defending the nation from Al Qaeda, prompting even the archconservative National Review to call him a “congressional disgrace.“

10) Marilyn Musgrave (R.-Colo.)

“She doesn’t like the idea of one gay person,” says Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts. “So obviously the idea of two of us hanging out makes her very unhappy.”

Time to toss this crew of corrupt crooks out.

Bilbray Favors Censorship

I was going to start this by calling Brian Bilbray (CA-50) by his official title, "Representative," but as far as I know Bilbray has nothing to do with representing the 50th congressional district. Bilbray continues to hide from his constituents.

He had made no actual campaign appearances in the district. Instead he makes pronouncements and shuttles from his secret hideout outside the district to safe events inside the borders of the 50th. Thursday it was a meeting of chamber of commerce groups, a safe Republican audience. Before that, he met with a group of children in a private home to hear them plea for a Department of Peace. He listened, took time for a photo opportunity and then read them a chapter of "My Pet Goat."

Yesterday Bilbray ventured out of the bunker in his Imperial Beach (inside CA-51) green zone compound to downtown San Diego (inside CA-53) where Bilbray called for censorship of CNN for showing a video of Iraqi insurgents attacking American troops. Bilbray wants CNN punished for having the temerity to show the consequences of the actions of the Bush Administration and the Republican rubber stamp congress, of which Bilbray is a member in good standing.

“This is nothing short of a terrorist snuff film,” said Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Carlsbad. “I think CNN should recognize it made a terrible mistake and pull it.”

Bilbray, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asking him to yank any CNN reporters embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq.

Exercising our Constitutional rights is something that these Republicans just can't abide. They know that when the American people see the truth about the Republican's war on terror, they will respond by tossing out the posturing fools and self-serving career politicians that have been using the lives of American soldiers own purposes. Brian Bilbray is just one more of those rubber stamp Republicans, more interested in preserving his place at the feeding trough than in serving the needs of his constituents.

It is no surprise that Bilbray didn't have the courage or courtesy to actually come to the 50th district to make his case for censorship. He hasn't made a case for any of his congressional decisions, from voting to allow oil drilling off the district's coast to giving himself a pay raise, to his constituents.

Brain Bilbray's Porn Loving Contributor

Gee. Brian Bilbray (CA-50) has found a porn loving Republican sugar-daddy to help bankroll his candidacy in his race against Democrat Francine Busby. Bilbray has offered his unwavering support to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Manboysex) and now is apparently taking money from anybody who will write him a check.

The contributor in question is Craig T. Schelske, the latest sanctimonious Christian Republican to be outed as a wannabe Rick James. Schelske is the husband and former manager to Nashville singer and Dancing With the Stars contestant Sara Evans. He is also a failed Republican congressional candidate, the executive director of American Destiny, which seeks to teach children about "the role of God and Christianity in America's story," and chairman of CRAIGPAC, a vanity political action committee that gives to Republican candidates.

Last week, Evans filed a bombshell divorce complaint [PDF] against Schelske in Tennessee, accusing her husband of being, well, a porn-loving, adulterous, abusive drunk who likes to advertise on Craig's List for three-ways and anal sex and takes naked pictures of himself standing at attention. In addition to cheating on her with their nanny, Evans said, Schelske "frequently watches pornography on each of [the family's] three computers," has "at least 100 photographs of [himself] posing with his erect penis" and "several photographs showing [himself] having sex with other women."

That's our congressman, always willing to take a handout from a fellow Republican.

Whoops.............CA-50 In Play

Apparently, Brian Bilbray's (CA-50) strategy of hiding out until after the election and then going back to his home in Virginia isn't quite working out as intended. Over the last few weeks, Bilbray has lost what once was a double digit polling lead over Democrat Francine Busby.

A SurveyUSA poll released yesterday shows the election as a statistical dead heat. Busby has made up 11% points on Bilbray since the last SurveyUSA poll on September 13.

Bilbray has lost 5 points and Busby has gained 6 points. Bilbray had led by 14 points, now leads by 3. Bilbray gets 85% of Republican votes. Busby gets 87% of Democrat votes. These numbers are similar to last month's. Most of the shrinkage in Bilbray's advantage is because the Republican edge in the composition of CA50 likely voters has decreased from 14 points to 6 points. See the supplemental analysis box below. Among Independents, Busby has gone from 2 points behind to 9 points ahead.

Bilbray continues to take hits due to an on-going grand jury investigation that, although, still not credible in the main stream media due to its anonymous sources, highlights both Bilbray's lack of veracity and the fact that he has never and still doesn't live in the 50th district.

Bilbray's lack of visibility in the district makes his stance regarding debating Busby even more troubling. He is seen as an outsider, intent on making his home in congress not the North County. North County Times columnist Gale Chatfield, today, asks will Bilbray won't debate the issues in front of 50th district voters. She points out that Bilbray does have time for fund raising at expensive Rancho Santa Fe restaurants. You know Rancho Santa Fe, that's where convicted Republican felon Randy "Duke" Cunningham chose to live once he began pulling in the big bribery money.

Yes, Brian Bilbray did tell this paper that he would try and accommodate challenger Francine Busby as much as possible, sarcastically adding that he would give "face time" to Busby "as long as she agrees the debate can be done in English."

He also said that this campaign is not his "No. l priority right now" because he is extremely busy doing what he was elected to do. What Bilbray was elected to do was serve the constituents of the 50th District until November's election. Congress even gave him and other members time off to campaign in their home districts.

It's not that he hasn't been asked. Back in June, the AARP invited Bilbray and Busby to debate on the Saturday morning of Oct. 7 at the Encinitas United Methodist Church. The night before the debate, Bilbray declined the invitation. He did likewise to an invitation from local radio station KLSD.

It's not that he doesn't have the time. Bilbray recently had time for cocktails, conversation and fundraising for the invited few at Rancho Santa Fe's Mille Fleurs restaurant.

We constituents deserve more than "face time" with this conveniently transplanted North County resident. We need a public forum where we can ask tough questions of every candidate.

Bilbray's invisibility in the district has independents looking at Busby again. Bilbray's support of the Republican agenda, Bush's Iraqi war and Dennis Hastert's failure to protect 16 year olds from a sexual predator all factor into this changing public mood.

Remember, too, Bilbray's support among Republican conservatives is luke warm at best and the impact on a GOTV effort that doesn't utilize the conservative and religious base will be a reduction in the number of Republicans delivered to the polls on Election Day.

Brian Bilbray - Carpetbagging Liar

Here is the full statement from Democrat Francine Busby's press conference yesterday. The facts are clear and simple. Lobbyist, carpetbagger Brian Bilbray (CA-50) is being investigated by a grand jury in San Diego. Bilbray lied about his residence status in sworn statements and now he is under investigation. The mainstream media considers this a "he said/she said" until someone who has either been before the grand jury or who has first hand knowledge of the grand jury spills the story. In essence the media, including some serious journalist is waiting to have the story handed to them. So much for investigative journalism.

Is Bilbray The Target Of A Grand Jury Investigation?

Statement From Francine Busby, Candidate - Fiftieth Congressional District

Thank you being here today. These are difficult times, and grave circumstances.

I want to recognize the honor and courage of our Republican District Attorney, Bonnie Dumanis, for doing the right thing - for rooting out corruption wherever it lies, without regard for partisan politics. This is what leadership is all about.

If Brian Bilbray is indeed being investigated by a criminal Grand Jury with the District Attorney's office, the voters of the 50th District deserve to know. They have a right to know because they have endured the Cunningham scandal. They have endured a year without effective congressional representation and they have endured a series of very difficult elections that cost over $15 million dollars. All because an elected official refused to be honest with voters and fully disclose the facts in a timely fashion.

Now, we find ourselves in similar circumstances. The citizens of the 50th District deserve no less than the full truth before casting their votes on November 7. Brian Bilbray must tell the voters of the 50th District if he is being investigated by a criminal Grand Jury for fraud. The people of this district have been through enough. They deserve nothing less.

Statement From Ray Drew, Campaign Manager:

Around Labor Day weekend, I received a call from a person who said he was a neighbor of Brian Bilbray’s mother. He had testified in front of a criminal Grand Jury with the District Attorney’s office in an investigation of Congressman Bilbray for fraud. This witness stated that he was asked questions regarding where Mr. Bilbray lived, whether he lived with his mother, and if he had ever seen him at his mother’s house. He stated that at least 5 of his neighbors had also been subpoenaed to testify before the Grand Jury.

Since then I have heard from other neighbors, confirming this report and adding additional details. They have all stated that they were heavily warned by the Grand Jury, not to repeat their testimony to the press, under penalty of contempt of court.

These neighbors have confirmed that Bilbray does not live there.

Just this past Monday, an attorney contacted me and asked to meet with me. He confirmed that he represented a client who had been subpoenaed and had testified in front of this Grand Jury. This witness felt compelled to let us know about the Grand Jury. He stated that the public should know that Bilbray is being investigated, especially given that this District has had to deal with so much scandal and corruption in the last few years. But he could not risk coming forward to the press.

This attorney had spoken to a Deputy DA and confirmed that indeed the District Attorney’s office was investigating Bilbray on charges related to fraud. Mr. Bilbray signed his voter registration form, under penalty of perjury, stating that he lived with his mother on Unicornio Street in Carlsbad.

Brian Bilbray did not have to establish residence in the 50th district to run for congress. It was a choice he made. He could have run from his Virginia home or his Imperial Beach address. It was his decision to pretend he lived in Carlsbad, the middle of the 50th district. So the lies and deceptions are his and his alone.

There is some limited local media coverage, here and here, but, let's face it, no 16 year olds are being raped by congressmen and Bilbray's association with Jack Abramoff, though real, isn't likely to end up in an indictment, so the media doesn't really give a shit.

Rest In Peace Noma - We'll Deal With The Republicans

This is a woman, I wish I had had the chance to meet. From today's Union Tribune obits:

Noma L. Salgado
SALGADO, NOMA L. Noma 91, of Escondido passed away peacefully on October 9, 2006. A loving, cheerful mother and grandma to many, she will be remembered for her boundless love and kindness. Noma found great joy being surrounded by family and friends. Noma was an ardent reader and avid seamstress, especially enjoying sewing quilts and dresses for her grandchildren. She feared little in life except snakes, heights, and Republicans. Mom was the root of our family tree, the fabric that made up the quilt of our lives. She will be missed by all whose hearts she touched.Please sign the guest book at obituaries.uniontrib.com

Much like so many of us. Fearing only heights, snakes and Republicans. Of course the difference between snakes and Republicans seems to be shrinking lately.

Bilbray Speaks From Undisclosed Location

Today's North County Times gives us some feedback from lobbyist, carpetbagger Brian Bilbray's (CA-50) undisclosed bunker (you know the place where the surfer congressman lays his head and hangs his wetsuit).

Bilbray tells the NC Times that "he has not been subpoenaed by any grand jury and has no knowledge of the existence of one." As reassuring as that might be, Bilbray seems to have missed the point that many others seem to have discovered: there is a grand jury and it is investigating Bilbray's false statements regarding his place of residence prior to the special congressional election in the 50th district.

Democrat Francine Busby's campaign responded to Bilbray's spin and obsfucation by pointing out that it a large number of people living in the La Costa neighborhood where Bilbray claim residence in his mother's home, have been called before a GRAND JURY to testify as to the veracity of Bilbray's claim. And, to a man/women they have testified that Bilbray is nowhere to be seen at the house where he claims residence.

There is a grand jury and it is investigating Bilbray. That's the reality, despite what Bilbray says. He lied about where he lives, what else will he lie about?

Will The Lapdog Media Cover Bilbray's Grand Jury?

Circling around the story concerning the San Diego grand jury investigation of Representative Brian Bilbray's (CA-50) are a number of main stream journalist. None will publish the story until they receive confirmation from either the district attorney or a witness that the investigation exists.

Credible sources, say the story is true and that there is indeed a grand jury investigation of Bilbray in place. Bilbray's place of residence and time of residence in the 50th district are already a matter of record. While claiming his mother's La Costa home as a residence, Bilbray spent no time at that address and was also claiming legal rights to his home in Virginia.

The bottom-line, Bilbray never established legal residence in the 50th district. He falsified records and made claims on multiple residences, but he never resided in the 50th district. Perjury, voter fraud, the list of potential charges goes on and on.

The main stream media refuses to investigate this story. They are sitting this one out until someone comes forward and hands them the story. Do you think the fact that both major San Diego County newspapers endorsed Bilbray in June has something to do with the editorial reluctance to do their jobs? Sure looks that way.

Bilbray Events

Other than testifying before the grand jury, carpetbagging lobbyist Brian Bilbray (CA-50) is scheduled to speak and do a question and answer session in Escondido on October 19. This event is co-sponsored by the Economic Development Council and the North County Chamber Organization (a group of North County chambers of commerce).

Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Escondido, will speak and take questions during an appearance from 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 19 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

Bilbray's participation was announced in the San Diego Business Journal on September 26. i suspect the odds are pretty slim that any of the chamber of commerce types will ask Bilbray about his grand jury status, so here's the contact information to reserve a space at this free event.

To make a reservation, call the San Diego North Economic Development Council at (760) 598-9311. Alternatively, send an e-mail to info@sandiegonorthedc.org.

Will Bilbray come out of hiding and actually make an appearance?

Bilbray Under Investigation by Grand Jury

Maybe this is why Republican lobbyist, turned carpetbagger, turned member of congress; Brian Bilbray (CA-50) is hiding out from his constituents in the North County. According to this Bilbray is the subject of a grand jury investigation into allegations of perjury and voter fraud relative to his place of residence. Please remember that Bilbray never lived in the 50th district and only claimed residence here after the initial story about Randy "Duke" Cunningham's real estate deals broke.

The San Diego Democratic Party requested an investigation of Bilbray's multiple and conflicting residency claims and it appears that that investigation has reached the level where evidence of potential wrong doing is being presented to a grand jury. Here is the essence of the complaint against Bilbray:

Our original letter to the San Diego District Attorney (5/17/06) refers to Bilbray's signed voter registration -- days after the Cunningham story broke -- declaring a Carlsbad address to be his "residence and domicile" under penalty of perjury (6/21/05).

Less than two months after re-registering, he signed a new deed of trust for his home in Alexandria, Virginia (8/25/05). He did not indicate that the home was anything other than his "principal residence," which the deed would have explicitly forbidden.

In December of 2005, Bilbray's children testified under oath that they lived in Virginia with their father. The context was a lawsuit in which Bilbray claimed his children were out-of-state residents who deserved to pay the same tuition as undocumented immigrants who lived in-state. A few months later, he signed a formal declaration of candidacy to run for Congress (2/23/06), citing his mother's house on Unicornio Street in Carlsbad as his residence.

Throughout this entire period, he was receiving a homeowner's tax exemption on his property in South County's Imperial Beach, where neighbors had spotted him in the community ever since he began to run for the North County seat.

If Bilbray is the subject of a fraud investigation, he certainly doesn't want to have to answer that question in a public forum. That explains why he is avoiding debates and public appearances.

Once again Republicans in the 50th district have decide to allow themselves to be represented by a man to whom the truth is a complete stranger. At some point you would think that they would get tired of having their congressional representative under threat of indictment.

Brian Bilbray - Still Missing

Brian Bilbray (CA-50) is behind a lot of negative campaign flyers, but Bilbray himself is completely missing in the 50th district.

Where is he? Why won't he appear in any public forum? There is something going on that is making Bilbray afraid to take questions from the public or the press.

Of course, the San Diego press is totally subserviant to the Republican Party so no one even asks why Bilbray is in hiding. They just assume that he is doing the public's work, despite the fact that congress in in recess so elected representatives can meet with their constituents.

If that is the case, where is Bilbray? Maybe you should ask the North County Times or the San Diego Union Tribune.

Where the heck is Brian Bilbray and why won't he stand up before the public or press? Seems like that is an important question.

Help Us Find Brian Bilbray

Representative Brian Bilbray (CA-50) is missing. Despite the fact that congress adjourned last week and, by the way, there is an election in less than a month, Bilbray has disappeared. Has he's pulled a Dick Cheney and moved to an undisclosed bunker, where he apparently plans to hide out until after the election.

Polls show Bilbray with a solid lead over Democrat Francine Busby in the 50th district race, but you would think that Bilbray would want to at least remind voters in the 50th that he is, well, their congressman.

Talk about a laid back approach to campaigning. Bilbray's campaign web site hasn't been updated since May 17th. I can find no evidence on the San Diego County Republican Party website that Bilbray is participating in any campaign events for himself or any other Republican candidate.

Isn't that odd? I mean, think about it, this guy was elected by a slim majority back in June amid charges that he was a carpetbagger who never lived in the district. And, in fact lots of questions were raised about Bilbray's actual residence of record during the campaign. It certainly looked like his ties to his home in Virginia were a lot stronger than his tenuous residency at his mother's address in La Costa.

Based on the fact that lots of 50th district residents see Bilbray as an outsider opportunist who jumped in when Randy "Duke" Cunningham's bribery scandal broke, you would think Bilbray would want to be seen and have contact with his constituents in the North County. But, there is no evidence that Bilbray is willing to attend any public forum in the 50th district. Bilbray has refused to accept invitations to several candidate forums and debates. Last week he was a no show at a debate sponsored by the AARP (pdf) after indicating that he might show up.

Certainly, Bilbray might feel better not having to stick up for the Bush Administrations botched Iraqi policy. He might not want to field questions about fellow Republican Mark Foley's predilection for sex chat with congressional pages. But, still you would think he would want to be seen and interact with the people who live in the district.

So, that leaves me with one more thought. Is Brian Bilbray afraid of something? Is there a question out there that Brian Bilbray doesn't want to come out in a public forum? It seems to me that the only people who hide out are people with something to hide. What is Brian Bilbray hiding?

The Difference Between Democrats and Republicans

Back in the good old days of April 2006, it looked like a Democrat might be elected to represent California's 50th Congressional District. Republicans were in disarray after their 50th district stalwart, Randy "Duke" Cunningham resigned, confessed and went off to prison. The best candidate the badly split Republicans could cough up in an early April special election was a lobbyist who had never lived one day in the 50th district.

Polls showed Democrat Francine Busby even or ahead of Republican lobbyist and carpetbagger, Brian Bilbray, and it looked like Busby had a real chance for an upset victory despite the huge Republican voter registration advantage in the district. Money and support were pouring in to the Busby campaign and she looked strong preparing for the June 3 run-off that would decided who filled out the final months of Cunningham's term.

Then in mid-April the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) went nuclear on Busby with a series of attack ads that made the Swift Boating of John Kerry look like a teenage prank video on YouTube. The NRCC threw millions at the race and worked diligently to discredit Busby.

The most egregious ad the NRCC threw up attacked Busby as being soft on child pornography. The rationale for the NRCC charge was that a teacher, who worked in the Cardiff School District, on whose board Busby serves, was suspected of having child pornography on his personal computer at his home.

The teacher in questions was under investigation based on information gleaned from credit card records and other personal information. As soon as the school district administration was informed of the investigation, the teacher was stripped of his teaching credential and he was placed on administrative leave. He never entered a classroom or had contact with another student from that time forward. The teacher subsequently resigned rather than face a school board administrative action to terminate him.

The man behind the NRCC advertising that put the Busby campaign in a defensive mode, none other than Representative Tom Reynolds (NY-26). Reynolds is the head of the NRCC and in April with the Busby/Bilbray race the only congressional action on the table, Reynolds was free to turn all his time and effort to the attack.

Compare the behavior of the Cardiff School District and board member, Francine Busby, with the behavior of the man responsible for the NRCC's advertising, in the Foleygate page sex scandal. By his own admission, Reynolds told "his supervisor," House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert (IL-14) that Representative Mark Foley's behavior toward house pages seemed inappropriate. AND, then, Reynolds walked away. He didn't follow-up, he didn't ask his own chief of staff, Kirk Fordham, if there were more to the situation with Foley. Fordham, would have been a good person to ask as he had spent ten years as Foley's chief of staff before going to work in the same capacity for Reynolds.

Reynolds is attempting to spin the story by offering up his "sincere" mea culpa that he should have done more and suggesting that others dropped the ball and did nothing to protect congressional pages from his colleague Representative Foley.

"Nobody's angrier and more disappointed that I didn't catch his lies," the New York representative says, referring to Foley, in the television commercial that appeared Friday on stations in Buffalo and Rochester. "I trusted that others had investigated. Looking back, more should have been done, and for that, I am sorry."

Interesting, huh? When a Democratic candidate does everything possible to protect children, Republicans like Reynolds make up stuff to discredit her. On the other hand, when a senior member of the Republican leadership is told that one of his colleagues is behaving inappropriately with young men, who are supposedly under the protection of the institution of which Reynolds is a leader, Reynolds passes the buck up and does nothing.

Bringing this back to the 50th district, there are two things to keep in mind here. First, when Reynolds and crew went after Busby in April, she called upon Republican Brian Bilbray to repudiate the ads and to ask the NRCC to stop running them in his behalf. Bilbray smirked and said that there was nothing he could do about the ads.

Bilbray is still smirking as he continues to support Reynolds and Hastert and the rest of the Republican leadership as they twist, spin and lie in an effort to deflect the public from its perception that they are engaged in a massive cover-up. Bilbray is just another Republican who has one single interest, reelection. The needs of the people in his district, the needs of the pages under his protection, none of that matters to men like Bilbray. Getting power and holding power is what it is all about for them.

Cunningham to "liablest" Reporters - It's All Your Fault

In a letter responding to an interview request from reporter Marcus Stern, former 50th district congressman and now convicted felon, Randy "Duke" Cunningham laid the blame for his incarceration on Stern and the San Diego Union Tribune.

To Cunningham, Stern, whose work breaking the Cunningham bribery story won him a Pulitzer, is the reason that Duke is sitting in prison. Apparently the bribes Cunningham solicited and accepted had no influence on his current situation.

In a letter filled with spelling and punctuation errors, Cunningham tells Stern and his colleagues that the “truth will come out and you will find out how liablest [libelous] you have & will be.”

Cunningham also blames Mitchell Wade, who provided him with millions in cash and gifts, while Cunningham directed a series of earmaks to Wade's MZM Incorporated. According to Cunningham, “Wade is the absolute devil and his lawyer is trying to save his donkey.”

So, this is Randy "Duke" Cunningham in a nutshell. In Duke's world he is the victim. The victim of a businessman who kept giving him things and a journalist who reported on those gifts. Duke sees himself as entitled to the bribes and undeserving of the criticism and consequences of these actions.

The sad part of all this is the fact that this sick, perverted man with his sense of personal entitlement and his complete lack of ethics or morality was elected and reelected to congress time after time by the Republicans of the 50th district. Who is more to blame the enabled or the enablers?

Bilbray Another Republican Racist?

How bad does Brian Bilbray (CA-50) suck. Take a look at this.