corruption - Jezebel

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Italian Court Overturns Berlusconi's Immunity
"My Husband Is Not Secretary Of State, I Am"
Hillary Clinton Is Not Getting Involved In Her Seat, But She's The Only One Who Isn't
Rod Blagojevich: Putting All Republi-Scandals To Shame
Today's News Is Brought To You By Andy Samberg's Soiled Pants
Beau Biden Gets His Seat-Filler And The Financial Sector Gets Your Money
Thank You For Smoking
John Edwards, Ted Stevens And Everyone Else Are Hypocrites
And Again We Say: Paris Hilton Must Be Stopped

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Highsmith
10/08/09

In reply to Italian Court Overturns Berlusconi's Immunity
Haha! Burn, baby, burn! You orange-faced baboon!
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galtor
10/08/09

In reply to Italian Court Overturns Berlusconi's Immunity
72% that's a pretty exact figure Silvio. Did your Mafia accountant do the Math?
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lilliputzian
10/08/09

In reply to Italian Court Overturns Berlusconi's Immunity
i take it the 72% of the press is the media which Berlusconi doesn't own, or isn't for sale at the moment. the 28% he owns is essentially one big solicitation for hookers, i guess. also, i want to hear what Beppe Grillo says about this.
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lo-mantang
10/08/09

@lilliputzian: or maybe that 72% even includes some of the media he owns and they're sick of his skeezy ass too. Those bars look great on you, Silvio.
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DexterHaven
10/09/09

@lo-mantang: Did you know, though, that Berlusconi passed a law a few years ago saying that over-70s can't be jailed? What age was he when the law passed? 70. God I hate him.
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lauraholtsteele
08/10/09

In reply to "My Husband Is Not Secretary Of State, I Am"
Brian Wiliams just talked about this on the news. It was a mistake on the part of the translator. The question was actually about Obama. Clinton and the person asking the question shook hands at the end. All's well....
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Jezfan
08/10/09

In reply to "My Husband Is Not Secretary Of State, I Am"
Clinton is right that the society needs to speak up, but did she mean the Congolese society or society at large? I hope she meant the latter, because I think we all, the world over, should be standing up for these women, our sisters. How could this be happening? It is a grave injustice, a horrible nightmare and an unimaginable fear that these women must be facing every single moment of their lives. Couldn't the UN do more? Couldn't we all in the US, England, and other developed countries take major action against this atrocity? Couldn't more be done?
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Pennyfeather
08/10/09

In reply to "My Husband Is Not Secretary Of State, I Am"
Whoever asked the question should have had the decency to rephrase it neutrally -- ie, "Do you know what Former President Clinton thinks of this policy?"
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broad
08/11/09

@Pennyfeather: But she was pointing out the irrelevancy of her husband's opinion. How would rephrasing the question change it?
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Blueberry26
08/10/09

In reply to "My Husband Is Not Secretary Of State, I Am"
Why is one of the most powerful people in one of the most powerful countries in the world reduced to just her husband's wife?
For the same reason that rape is used as a weapon of war. For the same reason that men feel they have a right to use violence against any woman that is not willing and ready whenever he expects them to be. For the same reason that women can do the same work as men and make a fraction of what men make. For the same reason I cannot ride the train without exercising extra caution so that no one thinks I'm vulnerable and tries anything, and feel the need to carry pepper spray when I go out at night and never go anywhere without my phone, just in case. For the same reason countless women are raped every day, and the rapists never prosecuted.
And the question still stands: why?
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heatherdazy
08/10/09

In reply to "My Husband Is Not Secretary Of State, I Am"
I can see why the question was justified, but if I had been in her shoes, I probably would have been pretty upset it.
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broad
08/11/09

@heatherdazy: But why was it justified? Bill isn't part of the adminstration anymore. He's a great guy, but from a ruling standpoint, his opinion means nothing.
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Jezebabe
08/10/09

In reply to "My Husband Is Not Secretary Of State, I Am"
I don't really think this is the same as someone undercutting a powerful woman's agency by asking what her husband thinks. This is the case of someone asking Hillary Clinton about Bill Clinton, who is a former president and an all around well-known (and well-liked) figure all over the world. I hope I'm making sense here. Even though Bill is only a private citizen now and is no longer in government, people still want to know what he thinks about things, you know? It seems like a pretty reasonable question to me, I doubt this is the first time Hillary has been asked about Bill's take on various international issues.
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dirtybee promoted this comment Edited by Jezebabe at 08/10/09 6:32 PM Jezebabe was starred Jezebabe was unstarred

tiredfairy
08/10/09

@Jezebabe: Except it is inappropriate and does undermine her position, intended or not. He's not president anymore, she's Secretary of State. She informs policy directly, he does not.
The person may have been asking as a "fan" but it has the same result. Undermining the person in a position of authority who is a woman by asking what her husband thinks, which is entirely irrelevant.
I know what you mean, but there's some deep sexism at work here.
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bookling
08/10/09

@Jezebabe: I can understand people being interested in what Bill thinks of certain things, especially since his involvement in the North Korea situation, but it doesn't really matter because he's not in a position to DO anything about them. And given the climate in the Congo, I think it absolutely DOES have to do with Hillary being a woman, where in a European country, for example, it might not be a factor.
Also, it seems plain rude to skip "What do you, the Secretary of State, think about this?" and go straight to, "What does your husband think about this?" Hillary's right, and I applaud her for responding the way she did.
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sshacker
08/10/09

@bookling: To say if someone asked the question in a European country it would be okay but it is not in Congo is ridiculous. I know Congo has serious problems but are you trying to imply that countries in Europe have no sexism at all? therefore you would not be concerned? Your statement is ethnocentrist at best.
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bookling promoted this comment Edited by sshacker at 08/10/09 7:06 PM sshacker was starred sshacker was unstarred

jennainminnesota
08/10/09

@sshacker: I think you misunderstand the statement - she's saying that Clinton's gender is a factor in the Congo whereas it would be less of a factor, or not a factor, in Europe.
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bookling
08/10/09

@sshacker: That's not what I'm trying to say at all. I'm just pointing out that in a place like Congo, where Clinton is there to address the rape epidemic, her sex is much more likely to be an issue than in a more developed (or less war-town) country. In a place where rape is as common a problem as it is in Congo right now, women are far more likely to be treated like objects or spoils of war, and a powerful female like Hillary Clinton is less likely to be respected.
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Penny
08/10/09

In reply to "My Husband Is Not Secretary Of State, I Am"
To be fair, and I am not denying that she was marginalized by the comment, but her husband was a much-loved president and continues to be very involved in diplomacy around the world. So, I don't know that it was as much an effort to malign her as it was a response to her husband's super star status.

Around the rape epidemic.....it seems that the basic need to exert power in otherwise uncontrollable situations is so incredibly potent. It's always been the case that marginalized groups have suffered at the hands of people (men, mostly) so desperate to control something in their environment. It still continues to baffle me, however, that such violent acts seems to come so easily. I suppose one would be required to view women as worthless animals. It makes my stomach turn.
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Edited by Penny at 08/10/09 6:30 PM Penny was starred Penny was unstarred

shoroko
08/10/09

@Penny: I'd be more willing to take that reasoning if the person had asked, say, how Mr. Clinton is doing or about his trip to North Korea. The fact that she was asked Bill Clinton's thoughts on what was really a very specific policy matter ("World Bank concerns about a multibillion-dollar Chinese loan offer to the Democratic Republic of Congo," to quote the article), made the whole thing seem more off-putting than it would be if it just was because Bill Clinton is world famous, too.
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Penny
08/10/09

@shoroko: No, I agree that it was a horrible question to ask, and she was right to be angry and put off.
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tiredfairy
08/10/09

@Penny: I think when you have this level of violence (at this point, generational), that starts very young, it becomes increasingly more difficult for people to empathize with other people at all, male or female. They cease being anything other than objects you can rape or kill.
I don't even think women are viewed as animals as they are...things. Things to be used at the discretion of someone else. In whatever way they choose. Which is nauseating and horrifying.
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Penny
08/10/09

@tiredfairy: It makes one feel hopeless...
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HillGirl
12/16/08

In reply to Hillary Clinton Is Not Getting Involved In Her Seat, But She's The Only One Who Isn't
I wonder what Hillary is looking up at.
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dirtybee
12/17/08

@HillGirl: Ceiling Cat.
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dreamweave
12/16/08

In reply to Hillary Clinton Is Not Getting Involved In Her Seat, But She's The Only One Who Isn't
um, Spitzer is for certain a sleazeball, but I think his comment was meant in a funny, self-deprecating kind of way, not in a "please feel sorry for me" kind of way.
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MeganGlass 就是一个古代的三明治
12/16/08

In reply to Hillary Clinton Is Not Getting Involved In Her Seat, But She's The Only One Who Isn't
Isn't there supposed to be a law against Bushes running for office anymore? Jeez.
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Crabby Cakes
12/16/08

In reply to Hillary Clinton Is Not Getting Involved In Her Seat, But She's The Only One Who Isn't
Eliot Spitzer complaining that something sucks. God, the irony is killing.
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Crabby Cakes
12/16/08

In reply to Hillary Clinton Is Not Getting Involved In Her Seat, But She's The Only One Who Isn't
RE: Jesse "I want my name back!" Jackson, Jr. Admitting you're a rat may not be the way to "get" your name back. Yay on you for whistle-blowing the corruption, but admitting to the snitchin' is political suicide.
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anonymiss
12/16/08

@Crabby Cakes wants some Dance Biscuits.: sadly, he probably didnt have another choice. not to get all racial about this, but it is pretty commonly known that black politicians are held to a much higher standard and much more cooperation is demanded of them...for whatever reasons. that said, had he not snitched, he may have experienced other consequences that may have put his job at risk too. he was likely screwed either way.
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Crabby Cakes
12/16/08

@anonymiss: Yeah, but it sounds like he snitched in retaliation to Blagojevich holding up his wifes appointment to a state board, not cause he was held up to a higher standard. Again, not that I think he shouldn't have blown the whistle, I just don't know how you recover from it politically.
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aspiringexpatriate
12/16/08

@Crabby Cakes wants some Dance Biscuits.: Not that I read the article, but if someone holds up an appointment and says 'you know you could grease the wheels.' the first thing you should do is 'snitch'.
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