The Republican Morals and Ethics Inventory

Lessee, last time I checked, the Republican meme was that George W. Bush, a good KKKristian man, was re-elected because he's a man of God, and Republicans remained in control because they are all just by definition morally superior to Democrats.



Have I got that right?



Let's look at where we stand on Republican morals and ethics at the moment, shall we?



1) The Armstrong Williams payola scandal: In which the Bush Administration gave African-American lapdog -- I mean commentator -- Armstrong Williams $240,000 of YOUR tax dollars to flack for No Child Left Behind. No problem, say Republicans, and anyone who objects must be an anti-black racist. To that I ask them, what part of Section 507 of the Communications Act don't they understand?

Section 507 of the Communications Act, as amended, 47 U.S.C. § 508 requires that when anyone pays someone to include program matter in a broadcast, the fact of payment must be disclosed in advance of the broadcast to the station over which the mater is to be carried. Both the person making the payment and the recipient are obligated to disclose the payment so that the station may make the sponsorship identification announcement required by Section 317 of the Act. Failure to disclose such payments is commonly referred to as ``payola'' and is punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than one year or both. These criminal penalties bring violations within the purview of the Department of Justice.

I guess accepting illegal payoffs from the government to flack their programs is moral behavior these days. And the Bush Administration has been doing this all along: Oliver Willis notes that the Administration:

Illegally using taxpayer funds to spread disinformation on the administration's health care "plan" in Jan-Feb '04



Again illegally using taxpayer funds to propagandize the administration's position on drug usage

2) Kenneth Blackwell grubs for money on Ohio Secretary of State stationery for his gubernatorial campaign....AND states out in the open that "corporate & personal checks are welcome." Except that corporate contributions are illegal in Ohio. I guess soliciting illegal campaign contributions is moral these days. Why else would Republicans be defending Tom DeLay so strongly?



Do I even need to get into Tom DeLay's campaign practices? Or Bill Frist using tsunami damage as a photo op, saying ""Get some devastation in the back"? How about the Bush Administration getting ready to use the same kind of assassination and death squads that were used in El Salvador in Iraq?



Where on earth is this so-called "moral high ground" that the Republicans supposedly occupy?