Many changes over the past few decades have shaped how we do youth ministry today. In the 1970s and 80s, there was an increase of popularity with youth organizations such as Young Life and Youth for Christ. The church took note and saw a need for specialized ministries to teenagers. It was also during this time that our culture became saturated with the need for entertainment. In adapting with our culture, youth pastors began to rely on attraction-driven programs to reach teenagers, including elaborate lighting, live worship performances, etc. Allowing such entertainment to be an alternative to traditional preaching in reaching youth with the Gospel has had great effects in our 21st century church. Mainly, students no longer have a place to go once they graduate from high school since they were never integrated into the "adult" church.
Simply put, the task of student ministry has never been as challenging as it is today. Each generation is proving to be more atheistic than the one before. That is why, here at Westbrook Community Church, we desire to integrate students into our church's mission and to have a Gospel-centered ministry grounded in the Word of God. Doing so will set our students up for success when they leave high school.
May we be a church who comes alongside and raises up the next generation of believers!


During a recent e-mail discussion concerning Iraq's tribal society William (Mac) McCallister provided several insights as well as a briefing presentation on his methodology for tribal structure analysis (http://smallwarsjournal.com/documents/engagementmodel.pdf) and a reading list for executing counterinsurgency in a tribal society. The reading list follows his e-mail.
I have been studying and working with various tribes in Iraq for the last four years plus and am currently serving as the "tribal" advisor for II MEF in Anbar. Concerning recent commentary on US forces as a "tribe" - it is old news as far as I am concerned.
We are and have been a major if not the major "tribe" for the last four years. Paul Bremer, former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, was referred to by Iraqi Sheikhs seeking an audience to pledge their loyalty and seeking patronage as the "Sheikh of Sheikhs" when they came to the palace in search of a meeting. I personally participated in coordinating a meeting with 400 Sheikhs and CPA officials for a traditional "tribal meeting" in Hillah four years ago.
We are engaged in a counterinsurgency in a tribal society. It has taken us four years to realize that we must execute operations within the existing cultural frame of reference. To quote T.E . Lawrence - Irregular warfare is more intellectual than a bayonet charge.
I've attached a reading list for executing counterinsurgency in a tribal society. Also attached is a PowerPoint brief that describes a methodology I developed on structure analysis to assist in gaining an appreciation for the operational environment.
I think that if I ever teach a course in the Anthropology of Insurgency / COIN, I'll use this as the basis of the reading list.
The MEF Engagement Model and Al Qaeda (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2007/07/the-mef-engagement-model-and-a/) by William S. McCallister.
More at the first link.
Engagement activities—overt interactions between coalition military and foreign civilian personnel for the purpose of obtaining information, influencing behavior, or building an indigenous base of support for coalition objectives—have played a central role in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). They have involved efforts to reach out to village headmen (mukhtars), tribal sheikhs, Muslim clerics, elected officials and representatives, urban professionals, businessmen, retired military officers, and women.
Tribal engagement has played a particularly prominent role in OIF. This reflects the enduring strength of the tribes in many of Iraq's rural areas and some of its urban neighborhoods. And tribal engagement has been key to recent efforts to drive a wedge between tribally based Sunni Arab insurgents and Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in Anbar province and elsewhere, as well as efforts to undermine popular support for the Mahdi Army in largely Shi'ite neighborhoods and regions of the country.
Complete 16 page article at the link.
They should take this model and tatoo it on every Neocon's forehead so that when they start talking exporting democracy they can read reality on each others' faces.
"Mac" earned his pay with this one.


Welcome to Tiki Bar & Restaurant, a stunning venue, right by the water's edge.
Alongside and beyond our large outdoor pool you can find the Tiki Bar & Restaurant. This casual Mediterranean Diner is on the very edge of the shore, giving it truly unobstructed views of the Harbour and Manoel Island. It's the ideal spot to watch the water sports activities taking place around the city. We are pleased to offer a wide variety of dishes for you to enjoy overlooking the beautiful Marsamxett Harbour. So sit back, relax and enjoy our hospitality.
The menu includes a selection of pasta dishes, salads, grills and fresh fish. The theme of the venue reflects a Tiki ambiance, making this a truly unique venue on this side of the Island.
The Tiki Restaurant is currently closed and will reopen in Summer 2019.
Dinner A La Carte Menu 19.00-23.00hrs.
Should you wish to place your booking or require any further information, kindly contact our Food and Beverage Team on fb@excelsior.com.mt or on 21250520. Bookings are recommended.
Dates and times are subject to change according to weather conditions.


Kakati, the Liquid Ring Vacuum Pump Manufacturers in India, introduced KV series liquid ring vacuum pumps and compressors to the market over 35 years ago and having over 7000 installations worldwide, the KV Series is the most popular vacuum pump ever built by Kakati. KV series vacuum pumps manufactured are single stage vacuum pumps ideal for demanding applications in extremely tough conditions. Heavy duty vacuum pumps and compressors, they are able to service a wide range of applications, which can include paper machine dewatering, autoclaves, carburettor testing, chucking, condenser air removal, container filling, cooking, de-aerating, drying, exhausting, extruder venting, fibre setting, filtering, forming, gas stripping, moulding, pickup and conveying, priming, slot extraction, and solvent recovery. We are well known for a high level performances with low power consumption Liquid Ring Compressor Exporters and Liquid Ring Vacuum Pump Manufacturers in India.


PONYBOY NYC SHOW TONIGHT! APRIL 19TH!
I'm Eastbound this April for a couple shows, including an intimate solo-acoustic gig at Googies Lounge over The Living Room in NYC tonight, 4/19.
Sharing the bill with some great gals and this show will reach Capacity quickly! Doors at 7:30 and I go on at 10:30pm. FREE!
Think I'll bring my mini-martin with the prairie scene along for the ride… or the Gretsch? Too many axes to choose from!
SILVERLAKE LOUNGE SHOW THIS WEDNESDAY!
PONYBOY DJ SET THIS THURSDAY @ BAR LUBITSCH!


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Tag:judiciary
Police: Truck attack suspect 'did this in the name of ISIS'
The Uzbek immigrant accused of using a truck to mow people down along a bike path, killing eight, did it in the name of the Islamic State group, police said Wednesday.
YC - November 1, 2017 0
Volvo and Autoliv team up with Nvidia for self-driving cars
Volvo Cars and Swedish car safety supplier Autoliv have signed a deal with U.S. firm Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), best known for its graphics technology in computer games, to develop software systems for self-driving cars.
Hong Xie | (PSU) - June 27, 2017 0
3 brutal shootings within 3 hours in Philadelphia Sunday night
A brutal and busy night in Philadelphia after numerous incidents involving a firearm were reported to Philadelphia Police, including two fatal.
Joshua Perez | Los Angeles Correspondent (UCLA) - June 26, 2017 0
Five shootings Sunday night in Philadelphia
Five brutal shootings happened back-to-back Sunday night throughout Philadelphia.
Man shot to death Sunday night in West Philadelphia
A 31-year old man was shot and killed Sunday night in West Philadelphia.
Fire rips through Chester row home early Monday
A fire ripped through a row home on 7th St. in Chester early Monday morning.
Michelle Franks | Editorial (UCLA) - June 26, 2017 0
West Wing Report
Sunday in the West Wing with President Trump
West Wing, The White House (YC) – At 9:16 a.m. President Donald Trump, select staff and the White House Press departed the south lawn. Secret...
Pete Kourkoulis | Capitol Hill/Traveling Press (Georgetown University) - June 25, 2017 0
Asian men wanted for string of burglaries in Delaware County & Philadelphia
Police in Delaware County and Philadelphia are seeking the public' help in identifying two suspects wanted for burglary. On Sunday June 18, 2017, at the...
Emily Miller | Editorial (Georgetown) - June 23, 2017 0
Prison officials are ordering inmates to assist in the massive back-breaking attempt to bring the vile...
Breaking NewsYC - January 19, 2020 0
Magnitude 5 earthquake shakes Greece
A magnitude 5.0 quake hit Greece this morning just as neighboring islands are reeling from a series...
Prison officials are ordering inmates to...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Kevin G. (* 1987) ist ein Schweizer Neonazi, Sänger der Rechtsrock-Band Amok. Er ist im Netzwerk von Combat 18 organisiert.

Leben
Kevin G. wuchs in Hombrechtikon im Zürcher Oberland auf und besuchte dort von 1999 bis 2003 die Oberstufe. Nach seiner Ausbildung zum Fleischfachmann EFZ arbeitet er als Metzger.

Bereits als Zwanzigjähriger war er in der rechtsextremen Szene bekannt und knüpfte Kontakte ins Ausland. Bei Ausschreitungen von Rechtsextremen in Glarus im Juni 2007 versetzte er einem Polizisten einen Faustschlag. Dafür verurteilte ihn der Verhörrichter in Glarus zu 180 Tagessätzen à 80 Franken bedingt.

In einem weiteren Fall hatte Kevin G. seinem Opfer einen doppelten Nasenbeinbruch sowie Quetschungen an Stirn und Brustkorb zugefügt. Dafür war er vom Kreisgericht See-Gaster in Uznach im Juni 2013 zu einer dreissigmonatigen Freiheitsstrafe verurteilt worden.

Kevin G. trägt ein Hakenkreuz auf dem Schulterblatt, den Schriftzug «RaHoWa» auf dem Bauch, sowie unter anderem die Reichkriegsflagge und das Portrait eines SA-Mannes auf dem Arm.

Im Februar 2019 wurde er wegen Rassendiskriminierung zweitinstanzlich vom Zürcher Obergericht zu einer unbedingten Gefängnisstrafe von 12 Monaten verurteilt. Laut Anklage hatte er 2015 in Wiedikon als Anführer einer Gruppe Neonazis einen jüdisch-orthodoxen Mann als «Scheissjuden» tituliert und ihn mit «Wir werden euch alle vergasen» und «Wir schicken euch nach Auschwitz» beleidigt und ihn angespuckt. Weiter wirft ihm die Anklage vor, seinen Arm zum Hitlergruss ausgestreckt und dem Juden «Heil Hitler» zugerufen zu haben.

Im Mai 2021 wurde G. wegen öffentlicher Aufforderung zu Verbrechen oder zur Gewalttätigkeit sowie wegen Rassendiskriminierung zu einer dreimonatigen Freiheitsstrafe verurteilt, die an seine Verurteilung vom Februar 2019 als Zusatzstrafe anschließt.

Amok
Kevin G. war 2004 Gründungsmitglied der vierköpfigen Rechtsrock-Band Amok, welche der Schweizer rechtsextremen, gewaltbereiten Szene zuzurechnen ist und dem Blood-and-Honour-Netzwerk nahe steht. Die Mitglieder der Band wurden am 2. Juni 2010 wegen Bedrohung, öffentlicher Aufforderung zu Verbrechen oder Gewalt und auf der Grundlage der Rassismus-Strafnorm zu Geldstrafen von 120 bis 125 Tagessätzen verurteilt. Amok spielten mehrmals auf vom deutschen Rechtsextremisten Thorsten Heise organisierten Veranstaltungen. Auf dem 2019 mit Sänger Kevin G. veröffentlichten Amok-Album «Teeren & Federn» wird unter anderem der antisemitische Übergriff von 2015 glorifiziert.

Erschießungskommando
Es wird vermutet, dass Kevin G. unter einem Pseudonym Sänger der RAC-Band Erschießungskommando ist, die neben der Dortmunder Rechtsrock-Band Oidoxie als wichtiges Sprachrohr von Blood and Honour und Combat 18 gilt. Die Band veröffentlichte am 12. April 2019 ihr Album Henkerszeit. Die Songtexte enthalten Todesdrohungen gegen Personen des öffentlichen Lebens. So wird im Song Katharina König zum Mord an der deutschen Politikerin Katharina König-Preuss aufgerufen.

Mordkommando
Im Projekt Störungsmelder wurde berichtet, dass Kevin G. mutmasslich auch bei der Band Mordkommando als Sänger figuriert. Das Album Schwarze Liste enthält Morddrohungen gegen Juden und Schweizer Politiker. Eine der darauf direkt Bedrohten, die Zürcher Stadtpräsidentin Corine Mauch, hatte nach Bekanntwerden der Liedtexte Strafanzeige eingereicht. Die Ermittlungen wurden jedoch ohne Ergebnis eingestellt, was Jonathan Kreutner, der Generalsekretär des Schweizerischen Israelitischen Gemeindebundes (SIG), gegenüber Journalisten bedauert. Die Aargauer Zeitung zeigt sich erstaunt über die Einstellungsverfügung, sei doch der polizeibekannte Kevin G. in der Szene als Sänger von Mordkommando bekannt. Die Frage der Verbindungen der thüringischen Neonaziszene in die Schweiz wurde auch im Rahmen einer kleinen Anfrage im Thüringer Landtag behandelt.  Während eines weiteren Prozesses 2021 gab er zu, Sänger der Band zu sein.

Weblinks

 Nazi-Band "Erschießungskommando": Wer steckt dahinter? von STRG_F

Einzelnachweise

Musiker (Schweiz)
Rocksänger
Mitglied einer neonazistischen Organisation
Schweizer
Geboren 1987
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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UMPI in the News
On The Fly news bulletin
#SafeReturn
#OwlHeroes
Internationally recognized expert on hunger kicks off UMPI lecturer series
Posted on October 6, 2017 in Featured, Press Releases
The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present Joel Berg, international hunger expert, author, and CEO of Hunger Free America, as the first guest speaker in its 2017-2018 Distinguished Lecturer Series on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. As part of the 4th annual Maine Hunger Dialogue taking place at UMPI, Berg, the author of All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?, will deliver the keynote address, discussing hunger in America and how the public can build the political movement necessary to end the problem once and for all. This event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
In his talk, titled Why the U.S. has Hunger and How We Can End It (Really), Berg will discuss the questions and problems of America's growing hunger rate. He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on U.S. politics, hunger, poverty, food, volunteerism, and nutrition. His organization, Hunger Free America, is a nonprofit group building a grassroots, non-partisan membership movement in all 50 states to enact the policies and programs necessary to end domestic hunger and ensure that all Americans have sufficient access to nutritious food.
Berg's keynote address during the Maine Hunger Dialogue, being held at UMPI Oct. 20-21, will serve as the focal point for a whole weekend focused on motivating college students from around the state to take action to alleviate hunger and food insecurity experienced by millions of people around the world, and thousands in Maine. The theme for this year's Maine Hunger Dialogue, which is sponsored by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in partnership with Maine Campus Compact and citizen volunteers, is food waste and recovery.
Berg wrote the decade's definitive book on U.S. hunger, All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America?, published by Seven Stories Press in 2008. Seven Stories Press just published his second book in February 2017, America, We Need to Talk: A Self-Help Book for the Nation. Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison called the book "important and entertaining." He has delivered hundreds of speeches in more than 37 states, from Maine to Alaska, and in five countries on four continents.
Berg has been covered extensively by national and international media, appearing on Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Fox News, CNN, National Public Radio, The Kudlow Report, All In with Chris Hayes, and NBC Evening News. He has been quoted by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, and multiple blogs. He has also appeared in three documentary films.
Before joining Hunger Free America, Berg worked for eight years in senior executive service positions in Bill Clinton's presidential administration, served on the Clinton/Gore Presidential Transition Team, and staffed the 1992 Bill Clinton for President campaign. While working for 13 years as a political campaign professional, he lived in numerous states around the country, including Maine.
The University's Distinguished Lecturer Series was established in 1999. Each year, the UDLS Committee sponsors four to six speakers who come from Maine and beyond, representing a range of disciplines and viewpoints. While the emphasis tends to be on featuring visiting academics, it is not exclusively so. The speakers typically spend two days at the University meeting with classes and presenting a community lecture.
UMPI welcomes the campus and the community is invited and encouraged to attend this special talk on Oct. 20. For more information about this event, contact the University's Community and Media Relations Office at 207-768-9452 or email umpi@maine.edu. For more information about the Maine Hunger Dialogue, visit https://extension.umaine.edu/hunger-dialogue/.


This is hard. I am flying fast and trying to talk this out. Not easy. But here it goes.
We teleported to the site of the old colony, or rather, on the hill overlooking it. My aim was a bit rusty and Barrel ended up in a tree--he seemed happy about that and it took awhile for him to come down. Pitter was shaking the tree for awhile and then broke it in half--weak trees. Throwdown looked on in exasperation. Arry was gauging the air and ISear just stood tall. Me, well, I ran.
I ran down to the old town, the town I knew and loved. I could not contain myself. I am rather ashamed at how it just overcame me like that. Caution thrown to the wind, I went screaming down. I could almost hear the battle, see the fires, the orc grunts and the steel upon steel. My blood ran hot while my heart grew cold.
My sword pulsed in my hands, my throat gave a cry for Kord as I ran into the middle of the raging battle. And then I stopped.
There was no battle. There was barely any hint of a town. All around were decaying ruins. The most stable structure left was the temple of Kord. I thrust the doors open and cried with the horror of what had been done.
The walls were lined with the remains of my brethren, the brave followers of Kord that stayed behind to give us time to flee. Was my father amongst them, I wondered. The orcs had defiled and profaned this temple to Kord. It was overwhelming.
I ran out and got sick, cried, yelled with vengeance. I had always known that this was what we would find, but to find it, well, that was something harsh.
The others came down. They all looked away except Arry. He fixed me in the eye and asked me to stay with him to right the temple. The others flew off towards the darkness in the north. Arry and I are flying right now to catch up with them.
But once they had gone, Arry walked into the temple, said a few words, sprinkled some holy water, and the temple was cleaned and restored, filled with the divine wonder of Kord. It is like the great brawl room that is the great hall of Kord.
Arry motioned to me to come to the altar. There, at the head of it, was a stone tablet embedded in the floor with a sword lodged in it.
"Mord, do you know what this sword is? Can you read that tablet?"
"Of course, I can read it. I can read anything. Let me just reach out and, ow!" Electricity arced through me from the tablet, shocking me, but I defiantly held on, reading through the pain what was on the tablet.
HERE LIES THE GREATEST TRAITOR OF THEM ALL. ENTOMBED FOR ALL ETERNITY BEYOND THE REACH OF ALL.
It chilled me to think about that.
"Mord, I think this is where your father is. As he was a great orc chieftain before joining with us, he is probably the greatest traitor. I think they used powerful magic to seal him deep underground, a living torment for all eternity, denied the right to die, denied the right to be resurrected, denied the right to an after-life. It is a terrible fate."
"What can we do uncle?"
"Powerful magic can only be broken by even more powerful magic. And I feel that this is wizard magic. We need a wizard. That will take time. We will come back. But let's get the sword."
I grumbled, and then reached to take the sword. My hands grasped it and fire rinsed over me, burning me, scorching me. Arry kept healing me as I pulled on the sword. We were both nearly drained when finally the stone cracked and the sword flew up into the air and got stuck in the ceiling.
Arry shook his head, shot his hand out crying out, "Sword of Drok, come to me!" And the sword flew to him.
The sword of Drok? What was that?
"Come Mord. We have spent enough time here. We must go. I will tell you about this sword later."
Father, with the grace of Kord, I will find a way to release you.
Mords of Wisdom: The nightmare of a slaughter is not soon forgotten.


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Visions of Rome: An Interview with Mary Beard
Posted on 20th January 2022 20th January 2022 by Antigone in History, The Classical Tradition, The Future of Classics
Dame Mary Beard
Last year Mary Beard published Twelve Caesars: Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern (Princeton UP, 2021), a work that reveals in brilliant detail how the Roman emperors have influenced and inspired art, culture and politics over two millennia. The book was ten years in the making, developing ultimately from her 2011 Mellon Lectures delivered at the National Gallery of Art, in Washington DC.
We're very pleased to have been able to discuss with her some issues raised by Twelve Caesars, and to hear her thoughts on Classics and the present state of the discipline.
Your title Twelve Caesars of course calls to mind Suetonius' gossip-filled biographies of Julius Caesar and the eleven emperors down to Domitian. The book makes abundantly clear how Suetonius can influence subsequent art. But what about Suetonius himself? Do you think he was influenced by busts and other visual art, as well as the written texts available to him? More generally, to what degree can portraits and statues change how people think of historical figures?
The relationship between the textual descriptions of emperors' appearances in Suetonius and the standard forms of imperial portraiture is a real puzzle. I really don't think it is any good to sit down with (e.g.) Suetonius' description of Augustus and the portrait sculpture of the same emperor and say "which is right?" The different media are trying to capture 'reality' in a different way. (I think we are more familiar with this than we imagine – look at images and written descriptions of Queen Elizabeth II!)
And how do portraits change how we think of historical figures? That depends a bit on who the 'we' is/are. But one obvious response is that (with minor nuances: beard, no beard) they make most emperors up to the early 3rd century look the same. For the early empire in particular, I think we spend far too much effort trying to distinguish one emperor or princeling from another, when they were actually meant to look the same.
Your book reveals in detail how so many Renaissance aristocrats, and indeed more modern grandees, have styled themselves as togaed-up Caesars in art – if not so often in everyday life. In an obvious sense, this is delusional, almost parasitical behaviour. But do you think the unmistakeably imperial aesthetic they tapped into served any purpose that went beyond this desire to be associated with the 'grandeur of Rome'?
At first sight it is delusional. But the more I explored the subject, the more I realised there was often a bit of a stand-off between different visions of Rome – that it wasn't just admiration or an attempt to tap into Roman power. They knew as well as (or better than) we do how awkward these Roman autocrats were as role models for modern dynasts. Just think, of the first twelve Caesars, eleven were more or less plausibly alleged to have been murdered, and there were even a few doubts about the odd one out, Vespasian. It seems to me that the Caesars are always part of a dialogic discussion about how to rule. They are not templates for successful monarchy.
The Ara Pacis Augustae, consecrated under Emperor Augustus in 9 BC, Rome, Italy.
A couple of simpler questions, now. The book's range is truly immense, travelling far over time and space. Which was the most fun part of the book to write or research? Was there anything that really surprised you?
I had no idea about some of the really important sculptural models for modern painters – partly because some of the key pieces of Roman imperial portraiture in the Renaissance and early modern period have been more or less forgotten. I think here particularly of the so-called 'Grimani Vitellius', a portrait excavated in the 16th century near Rome and given to the city of Venice by Cardinal Grimani.
The Grimani <Pseudo->Vitellius, Roman marble bust of someone important, 2nd cent. AD (acquired before 1523 by Cardinal Domenico Grimani, and now in the National Archaeological Museum, Venice, Italy).
It was identified as the emperor Vitellius, who reigned for a few months in 69 CE, because it seemed to match up with some coins of Vitellius. But it almost certainly is not him: stylistic and technical features suggest the sculpture dates from a 100 years later than Vitellius. That said, for hundreds of years after it was rediscovered it was believed to be Vitellius and was replicated everywhere in painting and sculpture. I now claim (I think it is more or less true!) that there is no major art gallery in the West where you can't find the features of the Grimani Vitellius lurking somewhere – as a servant in Veronese's biblical scene of the 'Feast in the House of Levi', or a slumbering banqueter in Thomas Couture's 'Romans of the Decadence'. I barely knew of this statue till I started working on this book.
Do you have a favourite Caesar (most of us do!) – not just from the canonical twelve but from the 87 (?) that take us through to Romulus Augustulus?
I can't claim to have a 'favourite'. But if people ask me to name one who is really worth exploring, I tend to say Elagabalus (ruled 218–222). That's partly because many people haven't really heard of him and I like to think of them going and looking him up. But also he raises all kinds of issues so clearly, about Roman transgression, about gender identity and whether we can believe anything we are told by ancient writers about him.
Elagablus (Heliogabalus), Capitoline Museums, Rome.
Let's move to some wider issues. Towards the close of the book you reference the 'sculpture wars' of the present day – where the status of statuary in the public sphere is more contested than it has been for centuries, at least in the Anglophone West. You take the position that statues are not simply objects for admiration but can perform other, more negative and even apotropaic purposes. If we widen out this observation, and accept that part of the historian's role is to try to tell the past as it was, do you think present-day students should be prohibited or protected from learning about any aspect of the Greek and Roman worlds, however distasteful?
The 'sculpture wars' are tricky. To be honest, I think it is right that some sculptures should come down (they always have). The question is, on what criteria and who decides. And we need to think harder about what statues are for. It isn't only celebration of the individual concerned. My favourite example is the statue of Charles I, just off Trafalgar Square, looking down Whitehall to his place of execution. So far as I know, there have been no calls for its removal. But it's not there for our admiration, or as a call for the return to the Divine Right of Kings. Most of us are pleased that Charles lost in the Civil War. As I see it, the point is to encourage us to reflect on the nature of political conflict, and the price we sometimes have to pay for progress (in this case, the life of the king).
Charles I, Hubert Le Sueur, cast in 1633, and moved to its present location in 1675 (on the site of the last of the twelve Eleanor crosses, before that was demolished in 1647); the roof of the Banqueting House, where he was executed in 1649, is visible just to the right of the horse's raised hoof.
As for distasteful aspects of the Classics, I think it is my job to help students and the general public to see the ancient world for good and for bad – and not to pretend that it was an entirely rosy world. That would be, at best, intellectually dishonest. Do I put trigger warnings, as conventionally understood, on my lecture programmes? No. But do I think that shocking or distressing listeners is usually a good way of launching a constructive discussion? No. It is sensible and courteous to make sure, as far as you can, that people know the range of topics that will be discussed – whether that is on television or in a lecture theatre.
Your career has taken you to a position of great public prominence. In the UK, at least, it has been a generation or two since Classics has had such a high-profile spokesperson for the subject. Perhaps we could go back to the start of the journey by which you got here? When you studied Classics at school, were there any particular texts or episodes that captivated you especially? What – or who – was it that inspired you to head to university to read Classics?
My interest in the ancient world goes back almost as far as I can remember. The first eye-opening moment for me was when I visited the British Museum when I was five with my mother, and I wanted to see, in the Egyptian Galleries, a piece of carbonised bread or cake, thousands of years old (for me, that was much more exciting than the mummies). But it was at the very back of the case and hard for a kid to get close to, even though Mum tried to lift me up. Just as we were struggling a middle-aged man walked by and asked if I was wanting to look at anything in particular. I explained. He then reached into his pocket, found his keys, unlocked the case, and brought the cake out for me to inspect. It was a magic moment, and the message was people will open cases for you.
At school (a girls' Direct Grant school in Shrewsbury) I am afraid part of me enjoyed just 'being good' at Latin and Greek. But there were other magic moments. I remember when I first read Tacitus' Agricola I was completely struck by the phrase 'they make a desert and call it peace' (ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant). There has been no sharper summing up of imperialism ever. At the time I really thought Tacitus was talking to me.
Three-cornered loaf of bread, baked c. 2000 BC (found near Luxor and now in the British Museum, London).
Over your career you have seen first-hand as an academic an evolution in the state of Classics in universities, a process which has perhaps moved at its fastest in this last decade. One of the major changes worldwide has been the steady decrease of the availability of Latin (and Greek) in secondary schools. You recently endowed some much-needed bursaries to support Classics students in Cambridge, which is a very welcome initiative. And you have also expressed your support for the UK government's announcement last year to expand Latin in the state-school sector, a scheme that will be piloted in 40 schools. What practicable plan do you think UK education should seek to follow in order to keep study of these ancient languages healthy?
Money is crucial here. I fear that all governments like to think that you can get good education on the cheap. You can't. Beyond that, Classicists should seize every opportunity they are offered. I was disappointed that some people looked askance at the government's recent proposals for reintroducing Latin into some state schools. Yes, I am sure that many of us do not share all the aims of the scheme, and it is right to be a little bit wary. But don't look a gift horse in the mouth, folks.
We should remember too that Classics is something of a nostalgic subject that has thought of itself as failing from about the 2nd century CE! More seriously, the Classical Association was founded in the UK in the early 20th century because it was believed that the subject was going down the tubes. Think on that – the very moment when we imagine that Classics was at its self-confident zenith, they thought it was failing. A sense of perilousness can keep a subject on its toes.
There is a widely perceived difficulty in Classical academia when it comes to the simple issue of jobs. Far more Classicists are completing PhDs with the expectation of future academic employment than the number of posts actually available – too many perhaps even when we include jobs in the school and museum sectors. Do you feel that this is a problem, and what routes forward may exist? Do we need to reconceive the purpose or value of a PhD?
This is a tricky one. I certainly don't think that the PhD should be solely a professional qualification, more or less guaranteeing an academic job. There are many reasons for doing a PhD, and we should think of it as a more varied pathway, and be open about that. My real concerns at the moment are with the 'precariate', those people in their early career who find themselves moving from temporary job to temporary job, never getting the chance to put down roots, or to have the mental space for research, always on the move. One of the reasons I am glad to be retiring is that it will open up a job for a younger colleague.
The Romans in their decadence, Thomas Couture, 1847 (Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France).
Many have worried about the apparent disconnect between the humanities, as studied formally in the world of academic scholarship, and the general public. Your own television shows have done much to bridge this gap, but this rift may be growing steadily wider. What do you think can be done to rekindle the public's imagination and engagement with Classical history, literature, and the Greco-Roman worlds at large?
I don't think that in Classics the rift is growing wider – if anything a bit narrower. There is a huge popular appetite for the ancient world, and we have a duty to satisfy that in an intellectually challenging way. Public history is not simplified history. I think that we might be more aware of how some Classical topics are a very useful intellectual toolkit for thinking about problems of the modern world. (I choose my words carefully there; I'm not saying 'relevant').
I have recently made a two-part series on 'Forbidden Art', which is being shown on BBC 2 at the beginning of February. It explores art from antiquity to now, and the head of Medusa and the famous Laocoon sculpture have starring roles next to Tracey Emin and Anselm Kiefer. They help us raise the issue of the dangers of looking, and the tricky representation of the body in agony.
Laocoon and his Sons, Roman but date and sculptor(s?) uncertain (Vatican Museums, Vatican City).
It's a core principle of academia that ideas be debated in the open and on cordial terms. We all learn some of our most important information from those who have different opinions, even on difficult and emotive issues. Twitter, for all its virtues, seems to operate on rather different terms; it can be a vehicle not just for mass engagement but also for communal pile-ons and prejudicial scapegoating. Were you suddenly to become a social media mogul, is there anything that you would seek to do in order to foster civil discussion and to minimise the risk of bullying and abuse?
Overall I have gained more from social media than I have lost (otherwise I wouldn't do it!). I have, however, been the object of mass pile-ins which are pretty hard to take. When you are getting a dozen vile attacks a minute it is a bit like being pummelled, and yet very difficult to turn away from. There is something about Twitter which erodes nuance, encourages self-righteousness, and removes inhibition. It is a relatively new medium and I hope we will get better (and kinder) at using it. Meanwhile, it's a good idea not to tweet anything that you wouldn't say to the person's face.
Finally, if we may, you will know that Antigone seeks to tackle the ancient world from many angles. Are there any pieces on the site that you have enjoyed in particular, and are there areas which you think we should pursue in the coming year?
Ooh, I am much too wise to be drawn into picking my favourites. But I would like to congratulate you for getting Antigone off the ground, and for representing such a wide range of viewpoints with style and quality. Well done all.
Mary Beard is Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge, and Fellow of Newnham College. Her most recent book, Twelve Caesars, is an exploration of images of Roman emperors in modern art from the 15th century on, and is published by Princeton University Press. Her new television series, Forbidden Art, airs on BBC 2 this February.
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1. What is the Castle Educational Home Tour?
This Educational Home Tour is designed to help people understand what a realistic remodel involves as well as, but not limited to, what is achievable within their budget to create a project that provides both an ROI (return on investment) and ROE (return on enjoyment). Our goal is to show more typical remodeling projects that the average family is more likely to complete.
2. When / where is the Castle Educational Home Tour?
Saturday, September 29th and Sunday, September 30th, 2018; Noon – 5 p.m. daily.
See the projects on tour here!
3. Is the Home Tour free or is there an admission price?
The Castle Home Tour is free and open to the public both days! Stop by all of the homes to get plenty of great inspiration, and ask professionals your remodeling questions.
4. How is this tour different from other tours happening in the Twin Cities?
Because of the costs to remodelers to participate in other tours (about $1,000 – $2,700 per home) they tend to only show their largest and fanciest projects. Our goal is to show more typical remodeling projects that the average family is more likely to complete. This event is different because it is all projects completed by Castle. It is a weekend to showcase our best work to the public and educate them on our services. This weekend is also unique because while it is designed to help inspire attendees for their future remodels, it is more importantly designed to educate attendees on their future remodel. We firmly believe in being upfront about all things, and this tour is a great way for us to showcase our honesty behind our work.
5. Where can I find a copy of the Home Tour Guide Book?
Guide books will be available in our showrooms for the public to grab a copy. There will also be guide books at each home during the tour. If you are a Castle client, you may email us at Colleen@castlebri.com to have a copy mailed to you directly.
6. Who is Castle Building & Remodeling?
This event is presented by Castle Building & Remodeling. Castle helps turn their client's homes into castles through inspired design, precise estimating, and production of residential remodeling projects. Castle strives to enrich and support the communities where it works and is located through community outreach and educational events. With a belief that the client should be well informed before starting a remodeling project, Castle prides itself in presenting its first Educational Home Tour and hopes that it will be of great value to potential clients when making a remodeling decision.
7. Who is Save A Castle?
Save A Castle, LLC buys, remodels, and sells older homes, returning these Castles to their former glory and preparing them for the next 80 years. Save A Castle focuses on older homes with original woodwork, hardwood floors, columns, built-in's, beamed ceilings, and other unique features common to older homes. Many of the homes that are "Saved" are located in Minneapolis and St. Paul. SAC buys a home with a specialization in fast, all cash closings and believes in doing things right the first time. Visit the Save A Castle website to find your next home and start working with a Castle designer to customize it to your tastes.


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HMAS AE 2
Photograph H11559
Operations against German Pacific territories
Dardanelles 1915-1916
Rabaul 1914
Stoker, Henry Hugh Gordon Dacre 'Harry'
RAN personnel:; 1 DSM; 1 MID; RN personnel:; 1 DSO; 1 DSC; 2 DSM; 4 MID
J. Bastock, Australia's Ships of War, (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1975).; R. Gillett, Australian & New Zealand warships, 1914-1945, (Lane Cove: Doubleday, 1983).; A.W. Jose, Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918, Volume IX, The Royal Australian Navy, (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1937).; J.H. Straczek, The Royal Australian Navy: ships, aircraft and shore establishments, (Sydney: Navy Public Affairs, 1996).
Unit hierarchy
Royal Australian Navy
The AE2, the Royal Australian Navy's second submarine, was built in the United Kingdom and commissioned there on 28 February 1914 After commissioning, AE2 accompanied by AE1, sailed to Australia crewed jointly by British and Australian sailors, arriving at Sydney in May 1914.
Following the outbreak of war in August, both submarines proceeded to New Guinea for operations against the German colonies. AE2 was subsequently based in Suva, Fiji, and returned to Sydney in November 1914. In the following month she joined the second AIF convoy at Albany, Western Australia for passage to European waters and was towed across the Indian Ocean by the former auxiliary cruiser Berrima, now a transport.
Upon arrival in the Mediterranean, AE2 was assigned to operations off the Gallipoli Peninsula. She was ordered to penetrate the Dardanelles on 25 April 1915. AE2 entered the Dardanelles at 2.30 am. After torpedoing and damaging the Turkish gunboat Peykisevket she passed through the Narrows, pursued by surface vessels. She ran aground twice beneath the guns of the Turkish forts along the shore, but these guns could not be depressed low enough to fire on her.
Shaking off her pursuers, the submarine entered the Sea of Marmara on 26 April. For the next four days she attacked Turkish shipping with her torpedoes, but without success. Nevertheless, her presence was a nasty shock to the Turks. On 29 April AE2 met the British submarine E14 and the two vessels arranged to rendezvous the next day. E14 was the first of a number of submarines that were to follow AE2 into the Sea of Marmara and effectively close it to Turkish shipping bound for the battlefields of the Gallipoli Peninsula.
As AE2 surfaced at the rendezvous point on 30 April, the Turkish torpedo boat Sultan Hissar approached. AE2 immediately dived, but she lost trim and went out of control, broaching the surface twice. AE2 was hit in the engine room by Sultan Hissar's guns and the crew had no choice but to abandon ship. Although none of the submarine's complement were lost in the sinking, four were to die in captivity.
Some sources claim that AE2's signal announcing her penetration of the Dardanelles convinced the Commander in Chief not to order the re-embarkation of the troops that had gone ashore at Gallipoli on 25 April, but there is no real evidence to support this claim.
Collection Items Related
Honours and Awards (9) Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files (26) Roll of Honour (5)
Places (1) Photograph (20) Film (1) Art (1) Digitised Collection (12) Private Record (9) Technology (1) Heraldry (1)


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About QP
Contact Queens-Politics
« NYPIRG To Simanowitz: Label GMO's Now
Bernadette Semple: The Makings of a Congresswoman »
Meet The Most Corrupt Congressman, possibly ever
by Queens-Politics
WIll he retain the title in 2014?
In 2013, Rep. Gregory Meeks, the crooked legislator from South Queens, was named as "one of the most corrupt members of Congress" for the second year in a row, but now curious minds are beginning to wonder will he retain the title this year?
The nine-term member of Congress from NY's 5th Congressional District was slammed by a report issued by CREW, The Citizens For Responsibility And Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit organization "dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability in government and public life by targeting government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests."
The damning indictment is divided into three annotated cases including:
accepting improper gifts and loans
his involvement with charities under federal investigation
his actions on behalf of convicted banker and campaign donor R. Allen Stanford.
"Although he has competition, Rep. Meeks may find himself the next member of Congress to be indicted," said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan.
Through extensive research, litigation, policy advocacy, and media outreach, CREW married in-depth investigation with hard-charging legal action, to employ the law as a tool to force officials to act ethically and lawfully and to bring unethical conduct to the public's attention, according to their website.
The report can be viewed in full below:
REPRESENTATIVE GREGORY MEEKS
Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY) is a nine-term member of Congress, representing New York's 5th congressional district. His ethics issues stem from: (1) accepting improper gifts and loans; (2) his involvement with charities under federal investigation; and (3) his actions on behalf of convicted banker and campaign donor R. Allen Stanford. He was included in CREW's 2011 and 2012 reports on congressional corruption for related matters.1
Improper Gifts and Loans
In 2006, Rep. Meeks paid $830,000 for a two-story house in the St. Albans neighborhood of Queens, New York.2 In January 2007, only a few months after the purchase, the city listed the market value of the house as $1,239,000.3 The home was designed by Robert Gaskin, a campaign contributor to the congressman who has also worked on projects for which Rep. Meeks has obtained federal funds.4 It was built on land owned by another Meeks contributor, real estate developer Richard Dennis.5 Both Mr. Dennis and Rep. Meeks claimed Rep. Meeks had not received a sweetheart deal on the house, but an independent appraiser hired by the New York Times found the value of the house to be more than $1 million at the time Rep. Meeks bought it.6 "At $830,000, anyway you slice it, it was substantially below market," the appraiser said.7 "He appears to have gotten a very, very good deal."8
In addition, on June 18, 2010, Rep. Meeks admitted that over three years he had obtained two loans totaling $55,000 but had failed to report them on his personal financial disclosure forms.9 Rep. Meeks said he obtained a $40,000 loan in 2007, which he had since repaid, and
1 For more information, see CREW's Most Corrupt 2011, available at http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/mostcorrupt/entry/most-corrupt-report-2011, and CREW's Most Corrupt 2012, available at http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/mostcorrupt/entry/most-corrupt-members-of-congress-report-2012. 2 Complaint filed with the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct by the National Legal and Policy Center, March 19, 2010 (National Legal and Policy Center Complaint); Eric Lipton and Raymond Hernandez, Congressman Cries Poor, But Lifestyle May Disagree, New York Times, March 20, 2010. The National Legal and Policy Center, a watchdog group, also raised questions about the sale of Rep. Meeks' former home in Far Rockaway, Queens. The NLPC alleges that Rep. Meeks sold that home at an inflated price to unqualified buyers represented by Alexander Kaplan, a Brooklyn real estate attorney who was subsequently convicted of a multi- million-dollar mortgage fraud scheme. For more information, see http://nlpc.org/stories/2012/01/10/nlpc-asks-feds- investigate-meeks-house-sale. 3 National Legal and Policy Center Complaint. 4 Id. 5 Id. 6 Lipton and Hernandez, New York Times, Mar. 20, 2010. 7 Id. 8 Id. 9 Benjamin Lesser and Greg B. Smith, Congressman Meeks Failed to Disclose Hidden Loans; Queens Pol Borrowed More than $50 G, New York Daily News, June 20, 2010.
that he received a $15,000 loan in 2008, which he was still repaying.10 Notably, Rep. Meeks failed to include information about any loans on his 2007 and 2008 personal financial disclosure reports, but called the lapses an "oversight."11
According to his 2009 personal financial disclosures, in 2008 Rep. Meeks took a loan for $15,000 from the Congressional Federal Credit Union.12 On the same form, Rep. Meeks also revealed a debt of $50,000 to $100,000 owed to Queens businessman Edul Ahmad, evidently the first disclosure of the 2007 loan and accrued interest.13 Rep. Meeks admitted he had not sought permission from the House Ethics Committee (then known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct) before accepting the loan from Mr. Ahmad.14
Apparently, Rep. Meeks received a check for $40,000 from Mr. Ahmad in January 2007 to help with costs associated with his new $830,000 home.15 Rep. Meeks received the money without any discussion of interest rates, due dates, or collateral requirements for the loan.16 Further, Rep. Meeks made no payments on the loan until June 2010, after the FBI questioned Mr. Ahmad about the money.17 At that point, Rep. Meeks apparently took out a home equity loan for $59,650.18 He then sent Mr. Ahmad a check for $59,684, representing the $40,000 plus an annual interest rate of 12.5 percent.19 In a July 2010 statement regarding the omission of the loans from his personal financial disclosure forms, Rep. Meeks said that when he borrowed the money from Mr. Ahmad in 2007, "interest rates were as high as they have been in nearly a decade. Today, interest rates are as low as they have been since the 1950s. When I saw this, there was no question that it made financial sense to pay back the loan from Ed Ahmad and replace it with a lower interest rate loan secured by my home, which is exactly what I did during the same week that I filed my current and amended financial disclosure statement."20
Rep. Meeks admitted he had no documents to back up the loan from Mr. Ahmad, but said it was due within 10 years.21 He later told the House Ethics Committee the loan interest rate and
10 Id. 11 Greg B. Smith, Queens Congressman Gregory Meeks: $55G in Undisclosed Loans An 'Oversight', New York Daily News, June 21, 2010. 12 Rep. Gregory Meeks, Calendar Year 2009 Financial Disclosure Statement, filed June 16, 2010; Rep. Gregory Meeks, Multi-Year Personal Financial Disclosure Amendment, filed November 17, 2010. 13 Id.; Rep. Gregory Meeks, Calendar Year 2009 Financial Disclosure Statement, filed June 16, 2010; Greg B. Smith, FBI Looks Into Secret $40,000 Personal Loan to Queens Pol Gregory Meeks, New York Daily News, July 8, 2010. 14 Smith, New York Daily News, July 8, 2010. 15 Id. 16 Id. 17 Id.; In July 2011, the FBI arrested Mr. Ahmad on apparently unrelated mortgage fraud charges and, in October 2012, Mr. Ahmad pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. His sentencing has not yet been scheduled. See United States v. Edul Ahmad, 1:11-mj-00755-jo (E.D.N.Y. 2011). 18 Complaint filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, July 13, 2010, Exhibit F, Short Form Subordinated Third Mortgage, dated June 18, 2010, filed with the Office of the City Register of the City of New York, June 22, 2010. 19 Smith, New York Daily News, July 8, 2010; Office of Congressional Ethics, 112th Congress, Report and Findings Related to Rep. Gregory Meeks, Review No. 11-1048, April 29, 2011 (OCE Report and Findings). 20 OCE Report and Findings, Exhibit 11, Press Release from Representative Gregory Meeks, July 9, 2010. 21 Smith, New York Daily News, July 8, 2010.
repayment schedule was put in writing, but he misplaced the documents.22 Mr. Ahmad's lawyer, however, told the House Ethics Committee that the loan had no fixed interest rate, and Rep. Meeks did not sign any loan documents.23 Rep. Meeks described the loan as "for my family obligations, etc. I was in a new house. It's taking care of things for my family needs in the house [sic]."24 Rep. Meeks continued, "You need to make sure the house is furnished. You need things."25
The $59,650 home equity loan Rep. Meeks took out to repay the $40,000 was borrowed from Four Investments, an investment firm owned by Dennis Mehiel, another New York businessman and a longtime Democratic donor.26 Although Mr. Mehiel has not commented on the loan, in February 2010 he said, "I'm a longtime personal friend or acquaintance of virtually every Democratic member of Congress from New York."27 Mr. Mehiel and his wife, Karen Mehiel, donated a combined $9,600 to Rep. Meeks during the 2010 election cycle, the maximum allowable.28
During an interview with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), Mr. Mehiel said Rep. Meeks had met with him in June 2010 and asked him for a loan in order to pay back an existing $40,000 loan from another individual, whom Rep. Meeks did not identify.29 Rep. Meeks also requested money to pay interest on the earlier loan.30 Mr. Mehiel spoke with Rep. Meeks' lawyers regarding loan terms, and told OCE Rep. Meeks' lawyers wanted to complete the loan immediately because a House financial disclosure form was due.31 In addition, Mr. Mehiel reported Rep. Meeks' lawyers "felt compelled to pay the [original lender] a high interest rate so the [sic] Rep. Meeks would not be seen as getting a benefit."32 Four Investments had never made any similar loans previously and Mr. Mehiel said the company would not make any in the future, but he made an exception for Rep. Meeks, whom he described as a friend.33 Mr. Mehiel said he did not want to appear to be offering Rep. Meeks a special deal, so he required Rep. Meeks to provide collateral and set a 7.3 percent interest rate payable quarterly after seeing the rate listed in the newspaper as a standard rate for such loans.34
22 House Committee on Ethics, 112th Congress, Report: In the Matter of Allegations Relating to Representative Gregory Meeks, December 20, 2012, at 4. 23 Id. at 5. 24 Smith, New York Daily News, July 8, 2010.
25 Id. 26 Benjamin Lesser and Robert Gearty, Queens Pol Gregory Meeks Taps Democratic Fundraiser to Help Pay Back $40,000 Owed to Businessman, New York Daily News, July 9, 2010. 27 Id.; Raymond Hernandez, Enviable Access Given Top 10 Donors to New York Lawmakers, New York Times, February 11, 2010. 28 Lesser and Gearty, New York Daily News, July 9, 2010; Center for Responsive Politics, Donor Lookup, Mehiel, 2009-2010. 29 OCE Report and Findings, Exhibit 3, Memorandum of Interview, Managing Member, 4M Investments, LLC, March 14, 2011. The OCE report did not identify Mr. Mehiel by name, instead referring to the "Chairman of U.S. Corrugated, Inc. and Managing Member of 4M Investments, LLC." Mr. Mehiel, however, is the owner of 4M Investments, and is also the chairman of U.S. Corrugated, Inc. See http://www.uscorr.com/about-us/leadership- team/dennis-mehiel/. 30 OCE Report and Findings, at 8. 31 Id., Exhibit 3. 32 Id. 33 Id. 34 OCE Report and Findings, at 8.
Discounted Office Rent
From 2002 until 2004, Rep. Meeks maintained a district office in the Richmond Hill neighborhood of Queens.35 His office was in a building owned by Albert Baldeo, a Queens immigration lawyer.36 In January 2013, Mr. Baldeo told the New York Post he had offered the congressman discounted rent during this period because he wanted Rep. Meeks to establish an office in Richmond Hill.37
House disbursement records show Rep. Meeks paid $1,450 per month in rent for the Richmond Hill office from January 1, 2002 until September 2003, when the rent rose to $2,220 per month.38 In addition, Rep. Meeks' office reported a one-time $6,000 rent payment to Mr. Baldeo on August 31, 2003.39 Mr. Baldeo later said Rep. Meeks had increased the size of his office, requiring him to charge additional rent, and the $6,000 was a retroactive payment of the difference.40
Federal Probe into Dealings with Nonprofit Groups
Rep. Meeks and some of his closest political allies in New York, including Democratic state Sen. Malcolm Smith and former Rep. Floyd Flake (D-NY), his predecessor in Congress, are the subject of a federal probe into their dealings with several nonprofit groups.41 According to press reports, investigators are looking into whether Rep. Meeks and the others used the groups to "benefit themselves, their families, and their friends."42 In April 2013, Sen. Smith was charged with wire fraud and bribery for attempting to bribe state Republican party officials in exchange for a spot on the party's mayoral ballot.43 Sen. Smith pled not guilty.44
35 Isabel Vincent and Melissa Klein, Pol's 'Crooked' Pals, New York Post, January 20, 2013. 36 Id. In October 2012, Mr. Baldeo was arrested in connection with a straw donor scheme tied to his unsuccessful 2010 bid for New York City Council. The case is pending. See United States v. Albert Baldeo, 1:13-cr-00125-PAC (S.D.N.Y. 2012). 37 Vincent and Klein, New York Post, Jan. 20, 2013. 38 Committee on House Administration, 107th Congress, Statement of Disbursements of the House from January 1, 2002 to March 31, 2002, Document No. 107-201, Vol. 2, at 1822-23, April 18, 2002; Committee on House Administration, 108th Congress, Statement of Disbursements of the House from July 1, 2003 to September 30, 2003, Document No. 108-132, Vol. 2, at 1729-30, October 1, 2003. 39 Id. at 1730. 40 Vincent and Klein, New York Post, Jan. 20, 2013. 41 Isabel Vincent and Melissa Klein, Feds' Probe of Meeks Taking Sidetrack to Jamaica Biz Group, New York Post, April 18, 2010; Isabel Vincent and Melissa Klein, Hide and Meeks – Shady Charities, Odd Financial Disclosures, Love of Junkets Dog Queens Congressman, New York Post, March 21, 2010; Isabel Vincent and Melissa Klein, Pols Pushed $$ Into Their Do-Nothing Qns. Charity, New York Post, February 2, 2010; http://www.nysenate.gov/senator/malcolm-smith; http://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/127679 /Floyd_Harold_Flake.html 42 Kenneth Lovett, Barbara Ross, and Greg B. Smith, Federal Grand Jury Probes Real Estate and Nonprofit Deals for Malcolm Smith, Other Queens Pols, New York Daily News, April 2, 2010. 43 United States v. Smith et al., 7:13-cr-00297-KMK (S.D.N.Y. 2013), Michael Wilson and William K. Rashbaum, Lawmakers in New York Tied to Bribery Plot in Mayor Race, New York Times, April 2, 2013; Colin Moynihan, Lawmakers Plead Not Guilty to Charges in Bribery Scheme, New York Times, April 23, 2013. 44 Id.
Hurricane Katrina Charity
In 2001, Rep. Meeks and state Sen. Smith co-founded a New York nonprofit called New Direction Local Development Corp.45 From 2002 to 2008, New Direction's address was the office of Joan Flowers, a former campaign treasurer for both Rep. Meeks and Sen. Smith. 46 Ms. Flowers also worked as counsel to Sen. Smith, but was asked to resign in March 2010, as reports of the federal probe surfaced.47 Sen. Smith helped direct state funding to the group, and Rep. Meeks helped it secure other contributions, including a $250,000 contribution from International Airport Centers, the developer of a cargo center near JFK Airport.48 New Direction displayed a picture of Rep. Meeks on its website.49
In 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, New Direction began collecting money for New Yorkers Organized to Assist Hurricane Families, a special fund for Hurricane Katrina victims.50 The New Direction website said it planned to raise $270,000 for hurricane evacuees, and directed donations to the offices of Rep. Meeks, Sen. Smith, and Democratic New York Assemblywoman Barbara Clark.51 Rep. Meeks said all money raised for the fund would go to victims, and none would be used for administrative costs.52 Rep. Meeks' congressional campaign contributed $10,000 to the fund in 2005, though $5,000 appears to have been refunded to the campaign in 2006.53 Additionally, Assemblywoman Clark said she helped set up a gospel concert that raised $11,210, and that money was turned over to Rep. Meeks to benefit the fund.54
Nonetheless, according to New Direction's tax returns, the only money spent on 55 Hurricane Katrina-related giving was $1,392 paid out in 2006 for hurricane victim expenses. According to press reports, the charity has not accounted for the rest of the money.56 Rep. Meeks initially issued a statement saying "the funds were utilized to help sustain displaced evacuees," but did not provide details.57 A few days later, in February 2010, amid press reports of an investigation into the charity by the U.S. Attorney's office, Rep. Meeks said he was not responsible for day-to-day operations at the charity and did not know what had become of the money.58
45 Ken Boehm, Rep. Gregory Meeks' Charity Looks More Like Slush Fund, National Legal and Policy Center, January 31, 2010. 46 Id. 47 Lovett, Ross, and Smith, New York Daily News, Apr. 2, 2010.
48 Boehm, National Legal and Policy Center, Jan. 31, 2010; Editorial, Floyd Flake's Friends, New York Post, February 2, 2010. 49 Melissa Klein and Isabel Vincent, Queens Pols Stiffed Katrina Victims, New York Post, February 7, 2010. 50 Id.
51 Id. 52 Boehm, National Legal and Policy Center, Jan. 31, 2010 53 Id. 54 Klein and Vincent, New York Post, Feb. 7, 2010. 55 Id. 56 Id. 57 Id. 58 Justin Elliott, U.S. Attorney Subpoenas NY Officials On Rep. Meeks' Non-Profit, TPMMuckraker, February 12, 2010; Jennifer Fermino, Meeks Passes the Bucks on Scandal, New York Post, March 16, 2010.
Greater Jamaica Development Corp.
According to the New York Post, federal investigators have subpoenaed Rep. Meeks' records for information about the Greater Jamaica Development Corp., a Queens nonprofit.59 Rep. Meeks has secured millions of dollars in public money for the charity, including $9.2 million from the Federal Transit Administration for rehabilitation of an underpass.60 Former Rep. Flake is a member of Greater Jamaica's board.61
Ties to Convicted Financier Allen Stanford
Rep. Meeks, a member of the Caribbean Caucus, took at least six trips to luxurious Caribbean resorts paid for by the Inter-American Economic Council, a nonprofit heavily backed by banker R. Allen Stanford, between 2003 and 2007.62 In 2006, in response to questions from the New York Daily News about the trips, Rep. Meeks claimed the trips were for business, though his wife traveled with him.63 "It helps my marriage," he said.64 Stanford Financial Group also hosted a fundraiser for Rep. Meeks on the island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands on July 18, 2008.65 Additionally, Stanford Financial Group's political action committee and employees donated $15,100 to Rep. Meeks during the 2008 election cycle, making the firm the third largest contributor to Rep. Meeks' campaign committee. 66 Rep. Meeks also reportedly tried to set up a meeting between Mr. Ahmad and Mr. Stanford after receiving the $40,000 loan from Mr. Ahmad.67
In March 2006, after the president of Mr. Stanford's bank in Venezuela, Gonzalo Tirado, filed a lawsuit and raised questions about whether Mr. Stanford was involved in fraud, Mr. Stanford called Rep. Meeks, a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and asked him to intervene by going directly to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and requesting a criminal investigation of Mr. Tirado.68 Two former federal agents then working for Mr. Stanford were listening to the call and said Rep. Meeks agreed to pursue the matter with President Chavez.69
Rep. Meeks traveled to Venezuela in 2006 on a trip described as a meeting to express gratitude for a program that provided heating oil to Americans.70 In 2007, Mr. Tirado was
59 Vincent and Klein, New York Post, Apr. 18, 2010. 60 Id. 61 Id. 62 Rob Barry, Michael Sallah, and Gerardo Reyes, Gregory Meeks' Trip to Venezuela On Behalf of Stanford's Bank Raises Ethics Questions, Miami Herald, December 27, 2009; Greg B. Smith, Meeks Not Shy About Gifts; Enjoyed 6 Caribbean Visits Thanks to an Accused Con Artist, New York Daily News, December 29, 2009.
63 Smith, New York Daily News, Dec. 29, 2009. 64 Id. 65 Complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission by the National Legal and Policy Center, October 28, 2011 available at http://nlpc.org/stories/2011/11/03/watchdog-files-fec-complaint-against-rep-meeks-stanford-fundraiser. 66 http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=2008&type=I&cid=N00001171&newMem=N& recs=20. 67 Editorial, Greg Meeks' Felonious Friends, New York Post, October 12, 2012. 68 Barry, Sallah, and Reyes, Miami Herald, Dec. 27, 2009. 69 Id. 70 Id.
indicted in Venezuela.71 Rep. Meeks has declined to answer questions about the trip, about 72 whether he intervened in the case of Mr. Tirado, and about his relationship with Mr. Stanford.
In 2009, Mr. Stanford was indicted for running a Ponzi scheme and federal investigators reportedly began examining his ties to lawmakers, including Rep. Meeks.73 The current status of the investigation is unknown.
Status of Investigations
In April 2010, Rep. Meeks officially notified then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) he had been served with a subpoena for documents issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; press reports said the subpoena was tied to the federal corruption probe into the nonprofits tied to Rep. Meeks and other Queens politicians.74 In May 2013, federal authorities arrested former New York Senate Majority Leader John Sampson (D) on bribery charges related to the probe.75 Mr. Ahmad reportedly helped prosecutors gather information used to bring those charges.76 The current status of the federal investigation into Rep. Meeks is unknown, but recent news reports suggest it is ongoing.77 For example, in June 2013, former state Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-NY), who cooperated with federal agents and taped other New York politicians suspected of corruption, said she agreed to a plan to invite suspects to her home so they could be taped, but when federal agents suggested inviting Rep. Meeks, she told them he only "meets in parks" and would be unlikely to come.78
After conducting an investigation into Rep. Meeks' loans, OCE referred his case to the House Ethics Committee on May 18, 2011.79 OCE found substantial reason to believe Rep. Meeks "failed to properly disclose the $40,000 as a gift on his 2007, 2008, and 2009 Financial Disclosure Statements in violation of House rules, standards of conduct and federal law."80 OCE noted that both Rep. Meeks and Mr. Ahmad had declined to cooperate with OCE's investigation of the loan, and it "appeared to lack the normal indicia, including a set interest rate or repayment terms, of a legitimate loan. Therefore, this $40,000 transferred to Representative Meeks in 2007
71 Id. 72 Barry, Sallah, and Reyes, Miami Herald, Dec. 27, 2009. 73 Michael Sallah and Rob Barry, Feds Probe Banker Allen Stanford's Ties to Congress, Miami Herald, December 29, 2009. On March 6, 2012, Mr. Stanford was found guilty on 13 of 14 counts of operating a Ponzi scheme, including charges of fraud, conspiracy and obstructing an investigation by the SEC. On June 14, 2012, he was sentenced to 110 years in prison. Press Release, Department of Justice, Allen Stanford Sentenced To 110 Years In Prison For Orchestrating $7 Billion Investment Fraud Scheme, June 14, 2012. 74 S.A. Miller and Murray Weiss, Subpoena Takes Meeks By Storm, New York Post, April 16, 2010. 75 Mitchel Maddux and Dan Mangan, State Sen. John Sampson Indicted on Embezzlement Charges, Faces 120 Years, New York Post, May 7, 2013. 76 Id. 77 Irving DeJohn and Kenneth Lovett, Smith Was 'Willing To Sell His Soul To Be The Man Again', New York Daily News, April 4, 2013; Maddux and Mangan, New York Post, May 7, 2013; John Marzulli, Water Gate Shirley's Espionage Drama; Spy Pol Tells All About Her 007 Trickery, New York Daily News, June 10, 2013. 78 Id. 79 Press Release, House Committee on Ethics, 112th Congress, Statement of the Chairman and Ranking Member Regarding Mr. Michael Collins, Mr. Greg Hill, Representative Gregory Meeks, and Representative Jean Schmidt, July 1, 2011. 80 OCE Report and Findings, at 1.
appears to have been a gift."81 OCE recommended the House Ethics Committee further review the matter and issue subpoenas to Rep. Meeks and Mr. Ahmad.82
In contrast, OCE found the 2010 loan from Four Investments contained an interest rate and repayment schedule, and was recorded in a written agreement that was executed and filed with the New York City Department of Finance.83 As a result, OCE recommended dismissal of allegations concerning that loan.84 On August 5, 2011, the House Ethics Committee said it would dismiss the allegation that Rep. Meeks received an improper loan in 2010, but would continue to review the 2007 payment.85
On December 20, 2012, the House Ethics Committee found Rep. Meeks failed to disclose the loan on his personal financial disclosure forms, but concluded there was no evidence his failure was in bad faith or was knowing or willful and decided to take no further action against him.86 The committee also said it could not conclude Mr. Ahmad's loan to Rep. Meeks constituted an improper gift.87 Rep. Meeks told the committee he had lost the loan agreement, and thus could not produce evidence of the terms of the loan.88 The committee, however, was unable to interview Mr. Ahmad, whose lawyer said Mr. Ahmad would invoke the Fifth Amendment if the committee subpoenaed him, unless he was given immunity from prosecution.89 Mr. Ahmad's lawyer did tell committee staff that Rep. Meeks had not signed any loan documents and the loan carried no fixed interest rate, contradicting Rep. Meeks' version of events.90 The committee, however, said Mr. Ahmad's "highly compromised credibility" meant it could not reasonably conclude Rep. Meeks had been untruthful without documentary evidence showing the money was not a loan.91
Since 2010, Rep. Meeks' campaign committee and political action committee have reported paying more than $400,000 in legal fees to seven firms: $211,000 to Dorsey & Whitney, $146,627 to Perkins Coie, $31,832 to Arent Fox, $4,740 to Wiltshire & Grannis, $4,205 to Thomas V. Kenney, Jr., Esq., $10,031 to Baldassare & Mara, and $2,000 to Steptoe & Johnson.92
81 Id. 82 Id. at 20. 83 Id. at 5. 84 Id. 85 Press Release, House Committee on Ethics, 112th Congress, Statement of the Chairman and Ranking Member Regarding Representative Gregory W. Meeks, August 5, 2011. 86 In the Matter of Allegations Relating to Representative Gregory Meeks, H. Rep. No. 112-709, 112th Cong., 2d Sess. 5-6 (Dec. 20, 2012). 87 Id. at 6. 88 Id. at 4. 89 Id. at 5. 90 In the Matter of Allegations Relating to Representative Gregory Meeks, H. Rep. No. 112-709, 112th Cong., 2d Sess. 6. 91 Id.; Press Release, House Committee on Ethics, 112th Congress, Statement of the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics Regarding Representative Gregory W. Meeks, December 20, 2012. 92 Friends for Gregory Meeks, FEC Form 3, 2010-2013 Reports; Build America PAC, FEC Form 3X, 2010-2013 Reports.
Potential Violations
False Statements on Personal Financial Disclosure Forms
The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires all members of Congress to file financial disclosure reports.93 Under the statute, the attorney general may seek a civil penalty of up to $50,000 against any individual who knowingly and willfully falsifies or fails to file or report any information required by the Act.94 House Rule 26 incorporates the financial disclosure provisions of the Ethics in Government Act.95
Federal law prohibits anyone from making "any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation"96 on "a document required by law, rule, or regulation to be submitted to the Congress or any office or officer within the legislative branch."97 Further, personal obligations aggregating over $10,000 owed to one creditor at any time during the calendar year, regardless of repayment terms or interest rates, must be included on personal financial disclosure statements.98
By deliberately leaving the $40,000 gift/loan from Mr. Ahmad off of his 2007 and 2008 financial disclosure forms, Rep. Meeks made at least two prohibited false statements. In addition, by mischaracterizing the $40,000 he received from Mr. Ahmad as a loan on his 2009 financial disclosure reports, when in fact the money was more likely a gift, Rep. Meeks appears to have made another false statement.
In addition, given that Rep. Meeks appears to have received a discount of at least $170,000 on the price of his home, the $170,000 constitutes a gift that should have been reported on his personal financial disclosure form. The failure to include this gift is a false statement.
False Statement to the House Ethics Committee
Federal law also prohibits anyone from making "any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation"99 to "any investigation or review, conducted pursuant to the authority of any committee, subcommittee, commission or office of the Congress, consistent with applicable rules of the House or Senate."100
If Rep. Meeks' claims to the House Ethics Committee that the $40,000 he received from Mr. Ahmad was a loan, the loan had a repayment schedule and was to be repaid with interest, the terms were put in writing, and Rep. Meeks lost the loan agreement – all statements contradicted
93 Pub. L. No. 95-521, 92 Stat. 1824 (Oct. 26, 1978). 94 5 U.S.C. app. 4, § 104. 95 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, House Ethics Manual, at 248 (110th Cong., 2d Sess., 2008 ed.). 96 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). 97 18 U.S.C. § 1001(c)(1). 98 House Ethics Manual, at 258 (citing 5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 102(a)(4)). 99 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). 100 18 U.S.C. § 1001(c)(2).
by Mr. Ahmad's lawyer – were false, he may have made additional false statements in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001. Acceptance of a Bribe
Federal law prohibits public officials from directly or indirectly demanding, seeking, receiving, accepting, or agreeing to receive or accept anything of value in return for being influenced in the performance of an official act.101
It appears Rep. Meeks bought his house for at least $170,000 less than it was worth. If the congressman took any official action in exchange for receiving that discount, he may have accepted a bribe. Similarly, if Rep. Meeks exchanged any official action for the $40,000 he received from Mr. Ahmad, that payment also may constitute a bribe. If Rep. Meeks used his position to benefit Mr. Baldeo in exchange for discounted rent, he may have accepted bribes.
Finally, if Rep. Meeks used his position in Congress for the benefit of Mr. Stanford in exchange for campaign contributions or luxury trips, he may have accepted bribes.
Illegal Gratuity
The illegal gratuity statute prohibits a public official from directly or indirectly demanding, seeking, receiving, accepting, or agreeing to accept anything of value personally for or because of any official act performed or to be performed by such official.102 In considering this statute, the Supreme Court has held that a link must be established between the gratuity and a specific action taken by or to be taken by the government official.103
If Rep. Meeks took any official action in exchange for receiving the at least $170,000 discount on his house, he may have violated the illegal gratuity statute. Similarly, if Rep. Meeks exchanged any official action for the $40,000 he received from Mr. Ahmad, that payment also may constitute an illegal gratuity. If Rep. Meeks used his position to benefit Mr. Baldeo in exchange for discounted rent, he may have violated the illegal gratuity statute. Finally, if Rep. Meeks used his position in Congress for the benefit of Mr. Stanford in exchange for campaign contributions or luxury trips, he may have violated the illegal gratuity statute.
In addition, the House Ethics Committee has used the acceptance of bribes and gratuities under these statutes as a basis for disciplinary proceedings and punishment of members, including expulsion.104
101 18 U.S.C. § 201(b)(2)(A). 102 18 U.S.C. § 201(c)(1)(B). 103 United States v. Sun-Diamond Growers of Cal., 526 U.S. 398 (1999). 104 In the Matter of Representative Mario Biaggi, H.R. Rep. No. 100-506, 100th Cong., 2d Sess. (1988) (recommending expulsion of the member from the House); In the Matter of Representative Daniel J. Flood, H.R. Rep. No. 96-856, 96th Cong., 2d Sess. (1980).
Receiving Compensation For Exerting Improper Influence
A provision of the Ethics Reform Act of 1989, 5 U.S.C. § 7353, prohibits federal employees, including members of Congress and staff, from soliciting or accepting anything of value from anyone who seeks official action from the employee's agency, does business with that agency, or has interests which may be substantially affected by the performance of the employee's official duties.105 House Rule 23, clause 3, similarly provides:
A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, or employee of the House may not receive compensation and may not permit compensation to accrue to his beneficial interest from any source, the receipt of which would occur by virtue of influence improperly exerted from his position in the Congress.
If Rep. Meeks took any official action in exchange for receiving at least a $170,000 discount on his house, he may have violated 5 U.S.C. § 7353 and House Rule 23. Similarly, if Rep. Meeks exchanged any official action for the $40,000 he received from Mr. Ahmad, he may have violated 5 U.S.C. § 7353 and House Rule 23. If Rep. Meeks used his position to benefit Mr. Baldeo in exchange for discounted rent, he may have violated these provisions. Finally, if Rep. Meeks used his position in Congress for the benefit of Mr. Stanford in exchange for campaign contributions or luxury trips, he may have violated 5 U.S.C. § 7353 and House Rule 23.
Official Action for Personal Gain
Members of the House are prohibited from "taking any official actions for the prospect of personal gain for themselves or anyone else."106 House members are directed to adhere to 5 C.F.R. § 2635.702(a), issued by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics for the Executive Branch, which provides:
An employee shall not use or permit use of his Government position or title or any authority associated with his public office in a manner that is intended to coerce or induce another person . . . to provide any benefit, financial or otherwise, to himself or to friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity.
If Rep. Meeks took any official action in exchange for receiving at least a $170,000 discount on his house, he may have violated 5 C.F.R. § 2635.702(a). Similarly, if Rep. Meeks exchanged any official action for the $40,000 he received from Mr. Ahmad, he may have
105 The House Ethics Committee interprets this provision to apply to accepting campaign contributions, but not soliciting them. House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, "Memorandum For All Members, Officers and Employees," Rules Governing (1) Solicitation by Members, Officers and Employees in General, and (2) Political Fundraising Activity in House Offices, April 25, 1997; House Ethics Manual, at 143-44, 150.
106 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, "Memorandum For All Members, Officers and Employees," Prohibition Against Linking Official Actions to Partisan or Political Considerations, or Personal Gain, May 11, 1999.
violated 5 C.F.R. § 2635.702(a). If Rep. Meeks used his position to benefit Mr. Baldeo in exchange for discounted rent, he may have violated this provision. Finally, if Rep. Meeks used his position in Congress for the benefit of Mr. Stanford in exchange for campaign contributions or luxury trips, he may have violated 5 C.F.R. § 2635.702(a). Unfairly Discriminating By Dispensing Special Favors
The Code of Ethics for Government Service provides that government officials should:
Never discriminate unfairly by the dispensing of special favors or privileges to anyone, whether for remuneration or not; and never accept for himself or his family, favors or benefits under circumstances which might be construed by reasonable persons as influencing the performance of his official duties.107
If Rep. Meeks took any official action in exchange for receiving at least a $170,000 discount on his house, he may have dispensed special favors in violation of the Code of Ethics for Government Service. Similarly, if Rep. Meeks exchanged any official action for the $40,000 he received from Mr. Ahmad, he may have dispensed special favors in violation of the Code of Ethics for Government Service. If Rep. Meeks used his position to benefit Mr. Baldeo in exchange for discounted rent, he may have violated this provision. Finally, if Rep. Meeks used his position in Congress for the benefit of Mr. Stanford in exchange for campaign contributions or luxury trips, he may have dispensed special favors in violation of the Code of Ethics for Government Service.
Gift Rule Violations
Rule 25, clause 5(a)(1)(A)(i) of the House rules states that "a Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House may not knowingly accept a gift except as provided in this clause." The rules define "gift" to mean "a gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, forebearance, or other item having monetary value."108
While members and staff may accept gifts on the basis of personal friendship, no gifts valued at over $250 may be accepted on this basis absent a written determination by the House Ethics Committee.109 Further, the donor, description and value of any gifts aggregating over $335 from a single source must be disclosed on a member's personal financial disclosure statement.110
Rule 25, clause 5(a)(3)(R)(v) allows members, officers, and employees to accept opportunities and benefits that are available to a wide group, specifically providing that they may accept "loans from banks and other financial institutions on terms generally available to the public." The House Ethics Committee has interpreted this rule:
107 72 Stat., Part 2, B12, H. Con. Res. 175, 85th Cong. (adopted July 11, 1958); House Ethics Manual, at 20. 108 Rule 25, cl. 5(a)(2)(A). 109 Rule 25, cl. 5(a)(5); House Ethics Manual, at 40. These determinations are not public. Id. 110 5 U.S.C. app. 4 § 102(a)(2); House Ethics Manual, at 84, 258-59. This amount has since been increased to $350.
to allow the acceptance of loans from persons other than financial institutions, provided that they are on terms which satisfy the requirements which the Committee had previously utilized in evaluating loans: that is, the terms are commercially reasonable, including requirements for repayment and a reasonable rate of interest.111
The Committee cautioned, however, that to ensure a loan is on commercially reasonable terms, before entering into any loan arrangement with someone other than a financial institution, members and staff "should contact the Committee for a review of the proposed terms, and a determination by the Committee on whether the loan is acceptable under the gift rule. Those who accept such a loan without Committee consideration run a risk of being found in violation of the gift rule, and possible other provisions of law as well."112
Discounted House Price
It appears Rep. Meeks was permitted to purchase his house for a price one appraiser estimated was at least $170,000 less than the home's value. Because discounts constitute gifts, Rep. Meeks appears to have accepted an improper gift by paying less than the home's true value.
Gift of $40,000
Even though the House Ethics Committee said it could not conclude Mr. Ahmad's $40,000 alleged loan was a gift, given that Rep. Meeks failed to seek the committee's approval of it, and failed to repay any portion of the money until the FBI began investigating the matter, this so-called loan was more likely an impermissible gift.
Loan of $40,000
Alternatively, although there is no indicia suggesting the $40,000 was a loan from Mr. Ahmad – no loan agreement, no loan term, no payment schedule, and no cancelled checks – if the money was a loan rather than a gift, Rep. Meeks still violated federal law and House rules.
First, House rules require members and staff who wish to accept a personal loan from someone other than a financial institution to seek permission from the Committee before accepting the loan. Rep. Meeks has admitted he never put the matter to the Committee. As a result, Rep. Meeks violated House rules by accepting the $40,000 from Mr. Ahmad.
Second, the terms for loans accepted from anyone other than a financial institution must be commercially reasonable. Here, the absence of a loan term, payment schedule, and defined interest rate demonstrate the loan was not made on commercially reasonable terms. As a result, Rep. Meeks violated House rules by accepting the loan.
111 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, "Memorandum from Committee on Standards of Official Conduct," Gift Rule Provisions Applicable to Loans to Members, Officers, and Employees, May 23, 1997 (found in House Ethics Manual, at 381-384). 112 Id.
Third, as explained above, personal obligations aggregating over $10,000 owed to one creditor at any time during the calendar year, regardless of repayment terms or interest rate, must be included on personal financial disclosure statements, and failing to report them is a federal crime.113 Here, by deliberately failing to include the loan on his 2007 and 2008 financial disclosure forms, and by including it on his 2009 forms only after the FBI questioned the loan, Rep. Meeks appears to have violated federal law.
Conduct Not Reflecting Creditably on the House
House Rule 23 requires all members of the House to conduct themselves "at all times in a manner that reflects creditably on the House."114 This ethics standard is considered to be "the most comprehensive provision" of the code.115 When this section was first adopted, the Select Committee on Standards of Official Conduct noted it was included within the Code to deal with "flagrant" violations of the law that reflect on "Congress as a whole," which might otherwise go unpunished.116 This rule has been relied on by the committee in numerous prior cases in which the committee found unethical conduct including: the failure to report campaign contributions,117 making false statements to the committee,118 criminal convictions for bribery,119 accepting illegal gratuities,120 and accepting gifts from persons with interest in legislation in violation of the gift rule.121
By purchasing a house for at least $170,000 less than its value, Rep. Meeks acted in a manner that brings discredit to the House. Similarly, by taking $40,000 from a New York businessman without any kind of loan agreement or repayment schedule, and then – only after a newspaper discovered and questioned the transaction – describing the money as a loan and suddenly repaying it, Rep. Meeks acted in a manner that brings discredit to the House. Finally,
113 House Ethics Manual, at 258 (citing 5 U.S.C. App. 4 § 102(a)(4)). 114 Rule 23, cl. 1. 115 House Ethics Manual, at 12. 116 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, Report Under the Authority of H. Res. 418, H. Rep. No. 1176, 90th Cong., 2d Sess. 17 (1968).
117 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, In the Matter of Representative John J. McFall, H. Rep. No. 95- 1742, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 2-3 (1978) (Count 1); In the Matter of Representative Edward R. Roybal, H. Rep. No. 95-1743, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 2-3 (1978). 118 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, In the Matter of Representative Charles H. Wilson (of California), H. Rep. No. 95-1741, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 4-5 (1978); H. Rep. No. 95-1743 (Counts 3-4).
119 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, In the Matter of Representative Michael J. Myers, H. Rep. No. 96-1387, 96th Cong., 2d Sess. 2, 5 (1980); see 126 Cong. Rec. 28953-78 (Oct. 2, 1980) (debate and vote of expulsion); In the Matter of Representative John W. Jenrette, Jr., H. Rep. No. 96-1537, 96th Cong., 2d Sess. 4 (1980) (Member resigned); In the Matter of Representative Raymond F. Lederer, H. Rep. No. 97-110, 97th Cong., 1st Sess. 4, 16-17 (1981) (Member resigned after Committee recommended expulsion). In another case, the Committee issued a Statement of Alleged Violation concerning bribery and perjury, but took no further action when the Member resigned (In the Matter of Representative Daniel J. Flood, H. Rep. No. 96-856, 96th Cong., 2d Sess. 4- 16, 125-126 (1980)).
120 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, In the Matter of Representative Mario Biaggi, H. Rep. No. 100- 506, 100th Cong., 2d Sess. 7, 9 (1988) (Member resigned while expulsion resolution was pending). 121 House Comm. on Standards of Official Conduct, In the Matter of Representative Charles H. Wilson (of California), H. Rep. No. 96-930, 96th Cong. 2d Sess. 4-5 (1980); see 126 Cong. Rec. 13801-20 (June 10, 1980) (debate and vote of censure).
Rep. Meeks' relationships with the New York charities that have been unable to account for their funds, as well as the actions he took at Mr. Sanford's behest, may violate various federal laws, but in any event, certainly do not reflect creditably upon the House.
See more: http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/mostcorrupt
Tags: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, corruption, CREW, Gregory Meeks
Permanent link to this article: http://queens-politics.com/2014/03/meet-the-most-corrupt-congressman-possibly-ever-gregory-meeks/
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          <qty>1/2</qty>
          <unit>teaspoons</unit></amt>
        <item>Vanilla extract</item></ing>
      <ing>
        <amt>
          <qty>4</qty>
          <unit>slices</unit></amt>
        <item>Whole grain bread</item></ing></ingredients>
    <directions>
      <step>  :      Perheat the oven to 425. In a food proscessor or blender, whirl the
  cottage cheese, milk, sugar, egg, egg white, & vanilla for about 1 minute
  or until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish, place the bread in
  it, and let stand for 10 minutes. Turn the bread over and let stand another
  10 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a baking sheet & place it in the perheated
  oven for 7 minutes.
  :      Remove the baking sheet from the oven, place the bread on it, and
  bake for 6 minutes. Turn the bread over & bake 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the
  bread & bake 5 to 6 minutes longer or until golden brown.
  : Cal 149, fat 3g, sodium 369mg, cholesterol 55mg, Cal from fat 18% From:
  Readers Digest Live Longer Cookbook
  :

  D/L from Prodigy 12-14-94. Recipe collection of Sue Smith. 1.80á

  File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/fatfreex.zip

</step></directions></recipe></recipeml>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub