CULTURE of CORRUPTION v2.0

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CULTURE of CORRUPTION Dave Alsobrooks

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CULTURE of CORRUPTION Dave Alsobrooks coc.davealsobrooks.com Paid for by The Committee To Promote Myself.



CULTURE of CORRUPTION Dave Alsobrooks coc.davealsobrooks.com Paintings

Commentary

Book v 2.0


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Copyright © 2008 by Dave Alsobrooks. Printed using publishing tools on lulu.com. Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission or further information should be addressed to the copyright owner at http://www.davealsobrooks.com.

Version 2.0 Hurricane Katrina image on page 29, © NOAA. “Reaper” illustration on page 95, © Bruce Tyner.


TABLE OF CONTENTS HHHH

INTRODUCTION 01

004

INTRODUCTION 02

006

SEQUENCE of EVENTS

008

INSULT TO INJURY

014

STAY THE COURSE

016

SLIDESHOW

018

CAESAR

030

NAME THAT TERRITORY

033

RED vs. BLUE

044

PROTEST

054

LET’S MAKE A LAW

057

DOCUMENTS

070

YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW

092

STATEMENT

094

MEMBERS ONLY

096

FACILITIES

120

appendix

138

acknowledgements

140


004

Introduction_01

Let me be very clear. The Culture of Corruption is real. Satire. However, it is pointed satire that portrays real events involving real people and real decisions. Call it historical fiction, if you will. I’m fully aware of the cycles of events in Washington and beyond. Human nature is what it is. The pendulum eventually swings both ways. The sad point is it keeps swinging. ABSCAM rolled up a group of U.S. Senators and Congressmen in 1980 for accepting bribes. Most of them were Democrats. One of President Jimmy Carter’s close advisors, Bert Lance, was acquitted of corruption charges at a bank he directed, but has been linked by many to the huge BCCI financial scandal of the 1980’s and early 1990’s. Herman Talmadge, an old-school Democrat from Georgia, was censured by the Senate by a vote of 81 to 15 for “improper financial conduct.” He accepted over $43,000 for expenses not incurred and other unscrupulous practices.

That was then.


Banner Elk, NC_2006

WMD. Tax cuts for the wealthy. Trade deficits. Soaring gas prices. No bid contracts to Halliburton. Environmental infringements. Arrogance. Nation-building. A declining middle class. Diminished influence around the world. The deep penetration of lobbyists. Torture. Invasions of privacy. Lying. Cheating. Stealing. This is now.


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Introduction_02

We’ve come a long way. But only in the sense we’ve outlasted ourselves. Something along the lines of breaking a mirror and enduring seven years of bad luck. Only, in the end, it turns out to be eight. Damn. The Culture of Corruption was founded upon unwavering values. Qualities such as perseverence, loyalty and ingenuity. Perseverence to stop at nothing in advancing an agenda. Not even the law. Loyalty which can’t be subpoenaed or cracked by Congressional inquiries or wilting pressure from the media. Ingenuity which continues to not only exploit but to create and buttress loopholes small enough to go unnoticed by most and large enough to create a vacuum of justice allowing the timely escape of a few.


Chapel Hill, NC_2008

Ah yes, the Culture of Corruption. We’ve met before. And we’ll meet again — each time you grow stronger. If ever the circumstances permit your demise we’ll have won far more than our freedom. The world will be watching.


2000

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MPCH BUSH 2001, Dave Alsobrooks Personalized North Carolina License Plate Aluminum, Paint, Decals


59,028,111


2004

62,040,610


INSULT T


2005

O INJURY


STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE


STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE | STAY THE COURSE


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Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind... And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded with patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader, and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar. - William Shakespeare


032


NAME THAT TERRITORY Try and name the countries on the following pages that may become more recognizable in the near future. The proposed annexation date is part of the answer.

033


ANSWER: Afghanistan, Annexed 2001

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ANSWER: Pakistan, Annexed 2011

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ANSWER: Iraq, Annexed 2003

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ANSWER: Iran, Annexed 2012

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ANSWER: South Korea, Annexed 2000

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ANSWER: North Korea, Annexed 2014

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ANSWER: Venezuela, Annexed 2018

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ANSWER: Cuba, Annexed 2010

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ANSWER: United Arab Emirates, Annexed 1999

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ANSWER: Jordan, Annexed 2006

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SHALL CLARITY WE


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FUCK FOCUS US


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Acrylic and Graphite on canvas

2008, Dr. Mark Chandler, Carrboro, NC

Pork Rider and the Drain of Life

Illustration:

But at what cost to wildlife?

Source: wikipedia.org

plying 100% of the American demand would deplete the reserves in about a year.

supply 5% of the U.S. daily consumption, the supply would only last about 12 years. Sup-

20 million barrels daily. If the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil reserves were used to

ball for every sitting American president since Jimmy Carter. The U.S. consumes about

The question of whether or not to allow drilling for oil in ANWR has been a political foot-

A continuum of six different ecozones spans some 200 miles (300 km) north to south.

a greater variety of plant and animal life than any other protected area in the Arctic Circle.

passed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The refuge supports

Secretary of the Interior under U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1980, Congress

region first became a federal protected area in 1960 by order of Fred Andrew Seaton,

Alaska. It consists of 19,049,236 acres (79,318 km²) in the Alaska North Slope region. The

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern

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LET’S MAKE A LAW There’s more than one way.

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THE WICK MAN WILL


KED L FALL.

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$350,000 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland

$250,000 for the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville $150,000 for the Grammy Foundation $250,000 for an Alaska statehood celebration $25,000 for a mariachi music course in a Nevada school district $250,000 for sidewalk repairs in Boca Raton, Florida $1.4 million for upgrades at Ted Stevens International Airport in Alaska $218,000 to the Port of Brookings Harbor, Oregon for construction of a seafood processing plant

$100,000 to the City of Rochester, New York for a film festival

$591,017,000 added in conference for eight additional C-130J aircraft

A February 2005 Associated Press article noted, “A 2004 report from the office of the inspector general

of the Department of Defense rated the J model unsatisfactory and cited deficiencies in, among other things,

its defensive systems.”

$12,800,000 for Alaska land mobile radios

$3,400,000 for the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP)

HAARP was initially designed to capture energy from the aurora borealis [northern lights], but is now being

configured to heat up the ionosphere to improve military communications ($105.9 million has been

appropriated for HAARP since 1995).

$2,000,000 for a track relocation study at Fort Wainwright; and $500,000 for the Arctic Winter Games

$175,000,000 added by the House for the port security grants

The program, established in 2002, allows port authorities and private companies to apply for federal funding

to improve physical security at U.S. ports. After going through the application process, recipients are expected

to use the grants for dockside and perimeter security. However, an audit performed by the inspector general

of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed that a number of the grants, “appeared to be for a

purpose other than security againstan act of terrorism.” According to the report, though 80 percent of


international commerce goes through only 10 ports, the grant program for fiscal 2005 provided substantial

funding to 79 ports. The audit report reveals that many of the grants are pushed through even when the

applications fail to demonstrate need.

$450,000 added by the House for plantings on the eastern front of the Capitol.

$600,000 for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

The ALBC seeks to inspire Lincoln observances until his bicentennial birthday in 2009.

$150,000 for the Wasilla Police Department for technology upgrades

Wasilla had an estimated population of 7,700 in 2004. In comparison, Baltimore City, Maryland received

a $100,000 earmark for the same purpose and it has a population of more than 600,000.

$550,000 for the Museum of Glass in Tacoma

$1,000,000 for the University of Texas Flywheel Bus and Truck Program

$100,000 for Toledo for the construction of ice-skating rinks in city parks

$950,000 for a parking facility at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska

The museum, built by the wife of prominent businessman George Joslyn, profits from donations, as well

as $7 tours, $25 lectures, $45 memberships, and $220 art classes.

$500,000 for construction of the Sparta Teapot Museum in Sparta, North Carolina

$200,000 for expansion of the Wilmington Music School in Wilmington, Delaware

The music school recently held the third annual “Brunch with Beethoven�, at which members could participate

in a private auction and attend a champagne- tasting seminar for $45.


070

DOCUMENTS


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The Target Loss Prevention Manager contacted Montgomery County Police and through the police investigation it was learned that the suspect had been receiving refunds in an amount exceeding $5,000 during last year. Some of the fraudulent returns were made at Target stores and some at Hecht’s stores. He would buy items, take them out to his car, and return to the store with the receipt. He would select the same items he had just purchased, and then return them for a refund. The suspect is known to have conducted approximately 25 of these types of refunds, having the money credited to his credit cards. Throughout 2005 he obtained refunds for items ranging from clothing, a Bose theater system, stereo equipment, and photo printer to items valued only at $2.50. The suspect was Claude A. Allen. Allen was the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy in George W. Bush’s White House and a former nominee for a judgeship on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was earning $161,000 per year in his federal job at the time of his resignation.


077


UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly Resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948 Preamble Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations, Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedoms, Whereas member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge, Now therefore, The General Assembly Proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. Article 1 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2 1. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. 2. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. Article 3 Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Article 4 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.


Article 5 No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 6 Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. Article 7 All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. Article 8 Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law. Article 9 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. Article 10 Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him. Article 11 1. Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. 2. No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed. Article 12 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks. Article 13 1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State. 2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. Article 14 1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. 2. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Article 15 1. Everyone has the right to a nationality. 2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. Article 16 1. Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. 2. Marriage shall be entered into only with free and full consent of the intending spouses.


3. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. Article 17 1. Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. 2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property. Article 18 Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. Article 19 Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Article 20 1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. 2. No one may be compelled to belong to an association. Article 21 1. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. 2. Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in his country. 3. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. Article 22 Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality. Article 23 1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. 2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. 3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. 4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests. Article 24 Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. Article 25 1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.


2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection. Article 26 1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. 2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. 3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. Article 27 1. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. 2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author. Article 28 Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. Article 29 1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. 2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. 3. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Article 30 Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.


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RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES:

091

Audit: EPA minimized mercury risks Internal agency report finds rules based on industry plan Report: Official edited warming, emission link White House official once worked for American Petroleum Institute Lobbying firms hire more, pay more to reap influence Halliburton wins contract in Europe Military deal could be worth more than $1 billion U.S. tells D.C. to pay inaugural expenses City will divert funds from homeland security projects Ridge, lobbyist have close ties, documents show Firm’s clients won billions of dollars in homeland security contracts Critics blast U.S. at climate summit Army agrees to pay Halliburton $2 billion for imaginary work Endangered Species Act Following Kyoto Protocol Into the Toilet U.S. misled allies about nuclear export N. Korean material landed in Pakistan, instead of Libya Rising oil prices lift the U.S. trade gap to record Firms with Bush ties snag Katrina deals White House connections attract renewed attention from watchdog groups Exxon Mobil posts largest quarterly profit ever Gain of $9.92 billion is the largest quarterly profit ever for a U.S. company Exxon Mobil Profit Sets Record Again Net income rises 14 percent, to $11.7 billion in the last 3 months of the year Bush intervenes for weaker smog rule



}

093

I wish this book had no impetus. No good reason for being assembled in the first place. Imagine a time and place when we all get along. Sure, we disagree, but we get along anyway. Systematically, we put down thousands of years of persecution, prejudice, anguish & apathy.


094

The Culture of Corruption cannot be stopped. It grows daily. We don’t know how long this growth will continue. Or, once it stops, if we’ll ever know to what extent it grew. Each member of this elite(ist) society solidifies their position with words or deeds. Sometimes both. They choose their legacy with clear vision. The members of the C.O.C. select the medium of their addition to history alone and with no regret. They do not or would not ask your opinion. Or mine. In the future, we will look to them to tell us when to turn an eye to injustice at home or abroad. When to sacrifice life for manufactured information that will serve vendettas, egos and the thickest of wallets. They will inform us when we should be more afraid for our lives. They will not, however, tell us how much they know about us. Or what really happened. They will look us in the eye when they issue denials. Their political capital has been liquidated, but they are still spending. I bring you the Culture of Corruption.


095

“Live Fast, Kill Slow.”


MEMBERS ONLY


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“YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE HARDEST PARTS OF MY JOB IS TO CONNECT IRAQ WITH THE WAR ON TERROR.” — George W. Bush

Left: COC_The Tycoon 2005, Pencil and motor oil on canvas with matchbooks 72” x 45”

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“PRINCIPLE IS OK UP TO A CERTAIN POINT, BUT PRINCIPLE DOESN’T DO ANY GOOD IF YOU LOSE.” — Dick Cheney

Left: COC_The Statesman 2005, Sewn and applied ribbons, lapel pins, buck shot and latex paint on canvas 72” x 45”

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“LOUISIANA IS A CITY THAT IS LARGELY UNDER WATER.” — Michael Chertoff, 09/03/05

Left: COC_The Protector 2006, Pencil, collage and vinyl on wood with waterline 72” x 45”

#003


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105

“IF WE HAD THOSE 40 MILLION CHILDREN THAT WERE [ABORTED] OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS, WE WOULDN’T NEED THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO FILL THE JOBS THAT THEY ARE DOING TODAY.” — Tom Delay

Left: COC_The Hammer 2006, Mixed media, collaged money indictment papers and rubber hammer marks on wood 72” x 45”

#004


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107

“PRESIDENT WASHINGTON, PRESIDENT LINCOLN, PRESIDENT WILSON, PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT HAVE ALL AUTHORIZED ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE ON A FAR BROADER SCALE...” — Alberto Gonzalez

Left: COC_The Advocate 2006, Phone cord and wood stain on carved wood with phone jack installation 72” x 45”

#005


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109

“WITH RESPECT, YOUR HONOR, I PLEAD NOT GUILTY.” — Lewis “Scooter” Libby

Left: COC_The Defendant 2006, Mixed media and white correction fluid on canvas 72” x 45”

#006


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111

“WE LOST TOO MUCH (WHEN THE SOUTH WAS DEFEATED IN THE CIVIL WAR).” — Gale A. Norton

Left: COC_The Steward 2006, Mixed media and burning on carved wood with handwritten Kyoto Protocol text 72” x 45”

#007


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113

“WE NEED A COMMON ENEMY TO UNITE US.” — Condoleezza Rice

Left: COC_The Loyalist 2005, Ink, bleach and permanent marker on pinstripe fabric 72” x 45”

#008


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115

“I DON’T DO QUAGMIRES.” — Donald Rumsfeld

Left: COC_The Secretary of Defense 2005, Blood (synthetic) on canvas 72” x 45”

#009


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117

“JUST GET ME A FUCKING FAITH-BASED THING. GOT IT?” — Karl Rove

Left: COC_The Brain 2008, Mixed media and shredded sensitive email from GW43.com on canvas 72” x 45”

#010


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“THERE’S A LOT OF MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE U.S. TAXPAYER MONEY. WE ARE DEALING WITH A COUNTRY THAT CAN REALLY FINANCE ITS OWN RECONSTRUCTION, AND RELATIVELY SOON.” — Paul Wolfowitz

Left: COC_The Generalist 2008, Mixed media, war and World Bank images, mirror, lipstick on wood 72” x 45”

#011


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FACILITIES


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APPENDIX


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YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES IF YOU’RE IN ANY WAY INTERESTED IN/AMUSED/MOTIVATED BY THIS BOOK. http://www.guerrillanews.com http://www.ontheissues.org http://www.thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com http://www.icasualties.org http://www.ivaw.org http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com http://www.moveon.org http://www.axisofjustice.org http://www.bushorchimp.com http://www.midwestvaluespac.org http://www.dccc.org http://www.dailykos.com http://www.crooksandliars.com http://www.prwatch.org http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1138009.stm http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2001/01may/may01bushcc.html http://www.softskull.com http://www.apfn.net/messageboard/8-12-03/discussion.cgi.20.html http://www.democracynow.org http://www.democrats.org


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


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THANK YOU.


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CULTURE of CORRUPTION Dave Alsobrooks coc.davealsobrooks.com


MISSION

?

ACCOMPLISHED


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CULTURE of CORRUPTION Dave Alsobrooks

+YOU

coc.davealsobrooks.com

CULTURE of CORRUPTION Dave Alsobrooks coc.davealsobrooks.com Paid for by The Committee To Promote Myself.


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