Friday, August 15, 2008

Got The Respect Without Dropping A Check


Ted Stevens is a crook. It was widely accepted as a fact when I was growing up in Alaska and mutually beneficial agreements between industry and politicians have been a reality of the political landscape as long as I can remember - Dick Cheney anyone?
I just sifted through this Anchorage Daily News article on how Stevens as a modern day crook was able to make illegal deals which unless he was being actively investigated would have been extremely easy to miss. This guy is running (still running!) for his seventh full term in the US Senate. He is hosed. His family is hosed - his son Ben was busted for accepting bribes a few years ago while he was in the State Senate. Well, his family is hosed and it isn't. Depending on how much money uncle Ted was able to sock away over the last 20-30 years of selling out his state and his loyalty. Good luck to the Stevenses.
There was mention of lunch meetings in the article and it reminded me of when I used to work at a brew pub at one of the local hotels in Anchorage and Ted used to come in and eat with the hotel owner and various other big-wigs. He was always a dick and he called the waitresses "honey" and "sweety". That's the guy he was (and is) - the Don of Alaska.
Shit, this guy should be thanking heaven that this isn't China where BYOB stands for "Buy Your Own Bullet".
This one is just plain fun:
(Photo credit goes to http://www.mockpaperscissors.com/ - which I just found out is an awesome site)


"Seriously Spidey, you can't be in favor of term limits!"

7 comments:

robert said...

Geez Matthew. Sweetie. After all Uncle Ted has done for our state? To call the guy a crook for being generationally challenged seems a little much. Let's walk a mile in Ted's comfort loafers for a second: When someone votes against your position at work, don't you vow to remember their betrayal and hold it against them forever? When someone asserts that your pet project is not appropriate, don't you scream at the top of your lungs in public that they are a liar? When someone in another department at your work place says that your department is getting more than it's fair share of resources, don't you go to the other department employees and campaign against that person, and actively try to have them fired? When you get accused of crimes, don't you stand up in public and announce: "I've been there for you for many years, now that I'm in trouble, it's time for you to be there for me?" You're probably going to bring up the "tubes" thing again. Get over it. Your generation has no concept of honor and loyalty. Just go back to your I-Pod and leave the heavy lifting and moral compass stuff to the greatest generation.

Matthew Lewis said...

AAAAAHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Lets just be clear, your generation (post baby-boomers) has a tween complex that is only outpaced by your childrens' inability to live within their means. Perhaps you and your peers shouldn't have taken out that second mortgage in the 80s or 90s to finance little Cody's beemer so your kids wouldn't have an unrealistic understanding of what they can afford.
Oh, and by the way, I do all of those things listed as evidence of Ted's honor and loyalty - after all, I am your kid... :)
...and there is no dash in ipod gramps.

robert said...

I get confused. Is it I-Pod or Izod? I vaguely remember that there is an alligator clip that you put in your ears. Or something. And who is this kid you are referring to? I have to take my Lyrica, or my Aricept, or one of those. It's yellow. I think I'm supposed to cut it in half. Or maybe not.

robert said...

See. That is the problem with the younger generation. You explain the problem, and they send you to a website. And a website that has nothing to do with the problem. It's YELLOW. It has nothing to do with BLUE or RED. This has nothing to do with who I'm voting for, but only whether it is 10mg rather than 20mg. Mmmm. Juicyfruit.

Matthew Lewis said...

For the Power Puff Girl generation....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juicy_Fruit

In the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson's character) offers Chief Bromden a stick while the two are awaiting punishment for fighting in the psychiatric hospital in which they are confined. This act prompts the Chief, who had been pretending to be a deaf-mute to finally speak with the line "Mmm...Juicy Fruit."

Jason said...

This is perhaps the greatest blog comment exchange of all time.

And I don't know what the big deal about Ted Stevens is, I mean, who hasn't accepted several hundred thousand dollars in work on their house in exchange for some legislative work?

robert said...

Jason's comment is probably worth following up: You can now shut down your blog. On the other hand, it tends to show some naivete: Tom Anderson sold us out for a few K. Pete Kott, maybe 10. Vic Kohring, less than 20. So at least Ted is getting decent value for his access. I wonder if Bob Penney's annual fishing trip/cum fund-raiser will be quite as well attended this year. With good luck that will go the way of the Bohemian Grove.