Lilly, Others, Paid Bribes to Hussein???

UPDATE:  The Indianapolis Star updated this story Here.

From the Indianapolis Star: 

Britain’s Serious Fraud Office has demanded documents from three major drug makers in connection with allegations that the companies paid bribes to secure lucrative contracts in Iraq while Saddam Hussein was in power, the companies said Sunday.

GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly – the British affiliate of the Indianapolis-based company of the same name – are all accused of violating the United Nations’ oil-for-food program.

The program was started in the mid-1990s to ease the impact on Iraqis of sanctions imposed after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

Under the program, money from Iraqi oil sales was to have been used for food and medicine.

Lilly spokesman Phil Belt told The Star today that the drug maker will “fully and promptly reply” to the British request for documents about the company’s participation in the oil-for-food program.

“We’re going to be happy to explain what our participation in the program was, and we certainly wouldn’t describe it as bribery,” Belt said.

He said he didn’t have detailed information to release today about Lilly’s role in the program that existed under the former Iraqi regime.

All three companies have denied wrongdoing and said they were cooperating with the investigation.The fraud office started an inquiry after the former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman, Paul Volcker, detailed corruption in the oil-for-food program.His report, released in 2005, accused 2,200 companies from some 40 countries of colluding with Saddam’s regime to bilk the humanitarian program of $1.8 billion.

[Blogmeister Note:  The bold text in the above story is the way the Star printed it.  Apparently they want everyone to know what Lilly has to say on this.]

Pulling Your Hair Out: Not Just A Metaphor.

MSNBC has a good article on Trichotillomania.  For those not familiar with the condition, it is a compulsive urge to pull out one’s own hair, usually as a coping mechanism for stress.  It is one of the Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, but does have it’s own diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition-Revised (DSM-IVR).  It can be anywhere from mildly annoying to outright debilitating for it’s suffers. 

New Blog: Child of the Fort

Hat tip to Fort Wayne Observed for alerting the Blogmeister to this new blog.  Called “Child of the Fort“, Kristina Frazier-Henry promises to give us a picture of Fort Wayne and discuss it from time to time.  Kristina says in her first post, she is a former resident of Fort Wayne who now lives in the Indianapolis suburbs. 

Kristina is being modest. 

Kristina is a former Indiana-Purdue At Fort Wayne Student Body President, who took over the Blogmeister’s seat on the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana, back in the early 1990’s.  It’s hard for the Blogmeister to admit, but she did a better job on the commission than he did.  Kristina displayed a great deal of passion for the job.   

Two pieces of advice/requests for the newest blogger out there…  Please turn on your comments so the Blogmeister can say, “hi”.  Second, how about an email address?

 Good luck Kristina, I know you’ll do great!

More on the Mitch Harper Situation

The Blogmeister is getting some backchannel information on the Mitch Harper situation posted yesterday.  Apparently at least one high level Democrat (Mitch is a Republican) looked into the situation and found, that while Mitch (and his wife) voted in the “General Election” of 2oo3, both missed the municipal primaries of that year.

While that may seem to conflict with the post of the Blogmeister here and Mitch on his blog, the answer is simple.  The “General Election” was, in fact, a Special Election for a referendum on taxes for the Southwest Allen County Schools, the school district in which Harper lives.

Look folks, this isn’t hard.  Mitch moved to his current home in 2003.  At that time, it was an unannexed portion of Fort Wayne…or more correctly, in Allen County, but not in Fort Wayne city limits.  Since he lived in the Southwest Allen County School District, he could vote in the referendum.  However, because he did not live in municipal Fort Wayne, he could not vote in the municipal elections.  When his home was annexed by Fort Wayne in 2006, it became part of the already existing 4th City Council District.  Therefore, he could not vote for his own seat until the primary election after January 1, 2006. 

Northern IN Lawmakers Reveal Priorities

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette is quoting several northeast Indiana legislators on their priorities for the 2008 session of the General Assembly.  All say property taxes will dominate, but other issues will be addressed as well.  Here they are:

Gay Marriage Amendment

[Rep. Bill] Ruppel [R-North Manchester] and other area lawmakers continue to support a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

Indiana already has a state law on the matter, but Republicans have pushed for the constitutional amendment for years.

The amendment already passed once, in 2005, but it failed last year. If it doesn’t pass in 2008, legislators will have to start the process over again because it requires two separately elected General Assemblies to approve the language before a final public referendum.

“That’s what makes it important,” Ruppel said. “I think the people should get to decide.”

In the past, the Indiana Senate has debated and passed the amendment first, sending it to the Indiana House. When the GOP controlled the chamber in 2005 it passed. But it didn’t get out of committee in 2007 under Democratic leadership.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said he doesn’t want his chamber spending time on a matter first unless it will go somewhere in the House.

“It’s important for the House to step up this time,” he said. “We need to know there’s a meaningful opportunity to pass. We are ready and willing to handle the issue if it gets to us.”

House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, has been non-committal on the subject, except to say property taxes will be the priority for the House.

“I actually think we have far more important things to do than deal with that issue,” said Rep. Win Moses, D-Fort Wayne.

Many area Republicans support the amendment but also say they are focusing on property taxes.

“I’d like to see it dealt with, but at the end of the day it’s not one of the first three or four issues that comes up in discussions with constituents,” said Rep. Matt Bell, R-Avilla.

Gambling

 …such as an attempt to move a Gary casino to Steuben County and a bill to allow bars and taverns to use paper pull-tab and punchboard games.

Cell Phone Usage

 [Sen. Dennis] Kruse [R-Auburn] hopes this is the year for a bill curtailing cell phone use while driving. He has filed it several times in the past with no success.

Instead of including all drivers, this year’s version limits cell phone use to just drivers ages 16 to 18. It would prohibit hand-held phones, requiring hands-free devices instead.

“One of the big areas this addresses is text messaging,” he said. “Younger people tend to be doing that a lot, and it is even more dangerous. I tried the whole thing last year, so this time I’m trying to narrow it to beginning drivers who tend to have more accidents.”

Schools

Another proposed bill from Kruse would require schools to start their school year after Labor Day.

He said August used to be the biggest vacation month in the year, but now many Indiana schools start in early August. This also robs Indiana’s tourism industry of teen employees, he said.

One of the reasons that schools start so early has been preparation for the fall ISTEP+ test. But the state’s annual proficiency exam is moving to the spring.

Rep. Bill Ruppel, R-North Manchester, has a variation on this bill based on a recommendation from an advisory board for the state fair. He said many kids have to skip the state fair because schools start so early.

“We need to let the kids have time to be at the fair,” Ruppel said.

Bell also plans to file a bill requiring schools to provide education on financial literacy, largely in response to continued foreclosure and bankruptcy problems in Indiana.

“Any solution to the problem has to begin with a better educated populace,” he said. “We need to understand how to balance a checkbook, what is good credit and what is bad? It has to be part of the educational experience.”

The South Bend Tribune has this story that outlines a bunch of other bills.

Senate Bill 34 asks Gov. Mitch Daniels to petition the U.S. Department of Transportation to move the entire state into the Central Time Zone. Meanwhile, House Bill 1038 would make the time-zone issue into two referendum questions during the 2008 elections. The referenda would ask whether the entire state should be in one time zone, and if so, which one.

Another House Bill, 1047, would allow county residents on the boundaries adjacent to the Central and Eastern time zones to petition for a time-zone ballot question. If county voters approve the question, the county executive would petition the U.S. Department of Transportation to hold hearings and ask for the governor’s support.

-Traffic stops — Police officers currently have to be in uniform or in a marked car before arresting or issuing traffic violations related to the operation or a motor vehicle. Senate Bill 11 would eliminate these requirements.

-Smoking — House Bill 1056 would prohibit people from smoking in passenger vehicles while a child younger than age 13 is in the vehicle. The person cannot be stopped or detained solely to check for compliance, but those who are caught could be subject to a $25 penalty for a first offense and $100 for second and subsequent violations. House Bill 1057 would ban smoking in certain public places and includes several exceptions for different types of facilities.

-Firearms — Senate Bill 65 provides that those with valid state licenses to carry a handgun may not be prohibited from possessing a handgun in buildings or property owned by state or local governments and private schools. The bill has exceptions for correctional facilities and airports.

Senate Bill 66 prohibits individuals or other entities from regulating the possession of a legal firearm that is in a locked car on its premises. Exceptions are made for emergency shelter care facilities, school property and corrections facilities.

House Bill 1043 prohibits regulations on lawful possession or sale of guns during disaster or energy emergencies.

-Sexual predators and networking sites — Senate Bill 79 makes it a Class A misdemeanor for child sexual offenders to use social networking programs, chat rooms or instant messaging programs frequented by children. It can become a Class D felony if the offender contacts a child or person believed to be a child through one of those programs.

-Domestic battery cooling off — Senate Bill 27 would require law enforcement agencies to hold a person arrested for domestic or family violence for at least eight hours from the time of arrest. The bill also would prevent the person from being released on bail during those eight hours.

-Voluntary death penalty — Senate Bill 47 would allow incarcerated persons who have been sentenced to 200 years, life imprisonment without parole or life imprisonment to petition a court and voluntarily ask for the death penalty. The incarcerated person can only file one petition in his or her lifetime, and must be examined by a psychiatrist or psychologist before court proceedings can begin. If a prisoner is granted the death sentence, he or she has the option of halting it at any time and requesting the original sentence.

-Property tax freezes for senior citizens — House Bill 1018 would freeze property tax liability on the homesteads of those at least 65 years old and whose adjusted gross annual income doesn’t exceed $30,000.

-Written informed consent in English and Spanish to abortion — House Bill 1027 would require that both written and oral information be provided to a pregnant woman in English and Spanish before a woman can consent to a voluntary abortion. The state health department would be required to develop a form in English and Spanish to be used by the pregnant woman to verify that she received the information.

-Sex offenders — The House and Senate have a few different bills concerning sex offenders. Senate Bill 4 establishes a three-tiered system that determines the number of years a sex offender has to register. Sex offenders must register the license plate numbers and vehicle descriptions of any vehicle they own and have a new photo taken every time they register. Local law enforcement must notify every school and public housing agency in each county every time an offender registers or updates registration.

Under Senate Bill 84, sex offenders can be charged with a Class C infraction for not notifying law enforcement in their previous county of residence if they move to a new county. The previous county would also be required to forward all information on the offender to the new county.

-Animal fighting contests — Senate Bill 23 adds more specific language to deal with animal fighting cases. Charges related to animal fighting contests would range from Class A to Class D felonies in the state and prohibit anyone convicted of these from owning an animal or living with an animal owner for 10 years after the conviction.

-Smoke detectors in rental properties — Senate Bill 26 would require landlords to install smoke detectors in rental units. The bill includes penalties for landlords who fail to do this and some penalties for tenants who knowingly or intentionally don’t report faulty smoke detectors to landlords.

-Presidential electors – Senate Bill 60 would require the state’s presidential electors to vote for the candidates of the political party, group of petitioners, or write-in candidate that nominated the elector. Under this bill, the elector would lose his or her seat for failure or refusal to vote for such a candidate, and the vote may not be counted.

Remember, just because something is filed, doesn’t mean it will pass.  If you feel strongly about an issue, contact your legislator and express your support/concern.

Wacky Democrat Comments

As promised, here are the weird things Democrats said last year from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.  As the reader will recall, they did a piece on Republicans last week which the Blogmeister also covered, here.

The Blogmeister’s favorite?

[U.S. Sen Joe] Biden, a known talker, also said, “I got tested for AIDS. I know Barack got tested for AIDS. There’s no shame in being tested for AIDS. It’s an important thing.” He then assured voters, “It’s not unmanly to wear a condom.”

That cracked me up!

Kernan’s “Heart Will Go On”

Sorry about the cheesy Titanic movie reference in the title, but it seems fitting.  From the South Bend Tribune;

A Norwegian cruise liner carrying 326 passengers, including former Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan and seven other Michiana residents, hit a glacier while touring the Antarctic Sound Friday evening. There were no injuries.

“The crew was terrific,” said Kernan. “They responded quickly, were very professional and provided consistent and understandable instructions to all the passengers.”

The ship was inspected and deemed worthy to carry on it’s voyage.

UPDATE:  This just came in from WTHR in Indianapolis:

An Antarctic cruise turned scary for former Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan when a Norwegian cruise ship on which he and his wife were passengers lost engine power during an electrical outage and struck a glacier.
      The ship was carrying some 300 people. No injuries were reported.
      The MS Fram hit the ice near Browns Bluff in the Antarctic, where it had stopped to view a penguin colony, Kernan said.
      “Most folks could see the glacier approaching as the boat made contact with it,” Kernan told The Associated Press in a phone interview from the ship Sunday. He said that the experience was scary “because you just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
      Kernan said he was on the observation deck late Friday when the power went out, and hurried down to his room to get his wife, Maggie. The crew was urging passengers to gather in warm clothing on the observation deck, he said.
      After the ship lost engine power, the wind pushed it up against the glacier, Kernan said. “The boat hit the glacier and we were locked up against the glacier, the wind was holding us there, for about a half an hour.”

FT. Wayne JG Wrong…again. Harper Sets Em Right

In the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette this morning is an article about the voting practices of some of the newly (and incumbent) elected officials.  The article’s main focus is Karen Goldner who, shockingly (sarcasm), switched parties over the last 10 years, when she declared her affiliation in the primaries.  As an aside, the Blogmeister doesn’t have a problem with this, as her explanation“Like most people in the 2nd District, I tend to vote for the person, not the party,” shows she follows the people and the issues, unlike others who may just vote the party line. 

Anyway, the most disturbing part of the story is a small paragraph that states;

As for the other new members, Councilmen-elect Mitch Harper, R-4th, and Marty Bender, R-at large, voted only in Republican primaries, although they both skipped the 2003 primary election, which, ironically, was for the very seats they now hold.

For those in the know, Mitch Harper is the editor of the blog “Fort Wayne Observed”, served in the Indiana House as the youngest member ever elected, is a community activist, Lawyer, and all around good guy. 

Mitch responds to the JG from his blog this morning, stating;

I have voted in every municipal election for which I have been eligible since 1975. That would be eight municipal elections.  My wife and I lived outside the city limits in 2003.

The only thing “ironic” in the Political Notebook squib quoted above is that the Journal Gazette doesn’t take into account the large Fort Wayne annexation that became effective between 2003 and 2007.

Mitch is right to be concerned about this supposed revelation about his voting record.  First it is inaccurate.  Second, it is inaccurate because the reporter didn’t take into account all the factors (annexation).  Finally, since when did it become okay to write something about a politician in a newspaper and not ask for their comment?  If the writers would have made a two minute telephone call, the whole thing could have been avoided and the true facts presented.

The Blogmeister joins with Mr. Harper in calling for a correction in tomorrow’s paper.

[Blogmeister Note:  This post is updated here.]

Mark Souder Demoted????

This is funny!  On the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette’s rss feed, a picture of Rep. Mark Souder comes up with the caption of Fort Wayne Mayor elect Tom Henry’s name.  If one clicks on the story, there is the picture of Mark, although sans caption.  Interestingly , Rep. Souder gets a brief mention in the story, in the middle, and his picture at the top, while the Mayor-Elect garners more newsprint, is in the lead paragraph of the story,  and a picture below the scroll.  Apparently all the editors took the weekend off.  At least they spelled both names right!

Elrod Writes: Why I’m Not a Fake Republican

In more news from the Indianapolis political scene, State Rep. John Elrod (R) responds to criticism that he is a “fake republican”.  He does this on the HoosierAccess blogsite and interested readers are encouraged to take a look at this posting.

Rep. Elrod represents district 97, which includes portions of Indianapolis.  He has indicated an interest in running for the 7th congressional seat left vacant by the death of Julia Carson.