A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO JAIL AT THE NRCC.

[originalpckelly]

A LOT.

Four years ago in the state of New Hampshire, America got its first taste of Republican telephone dirty tricks. "Phonegate" as the scandal would eventually come to be known, sent a number of New Hampshire Republican party members, and a couple RNC organizers to jail.

They were all charged with either denying someone their right to vote (because they jammed a GOTV line with robo calls) or with phone harassment.

You see it is against the law to repeatedly call someone with malicious intent.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode47/usc_sec_47_00000223----000-.html

Standard of illegal communication in the law is:
"any comment, request, suggestion, proposal, image, or other communication which is obscene or child pornography, with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass another person;"

"makes a telephone call or utilizes a telecommunications device, whether or not conversation or communication ensues, without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person at the called number or who receives the communications;"

"makes or causes the telephone of another repeatedly or continuously to ring, with intent to harass any person at the called number; or"

"makes repeated telephone calls or repeatedly initiates communication with a telecommunications device, during which conversation or communication ensues, solely to harass any person at the called number or who receives the communication; or"

And if someone allows their company to engage in such action:
"knowingly permits any telecommunications facility under his control to be used for any activity prohibited by paragraph (1) with the intent that it be used for such activity"


The punishment for this crime is:
"shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both. "

In other words, any company which participated in the telephone harassment is in deep shit, because they have made hundreds of thousands of harassing calls. Any member of the RNC which participated in this is also in equally deep shit. These people might literally be facing more than a hundred years in prison, because the number of calls is so vast.

Keep up the good work RNC, because there are going to be thousands of witnesses to your crimes.

[porphyrian]

1. Desperation never smelled so good. - n/t

[originalpckelly]

5. Of course on the other hand, you have to wonder why they...

are willing to risk such long prison sentences. Maybe we don't know something they do.

What have they been doing, which would be equal to the risk of going to jail for life?

[porphyrian]

7. I believe treason is an executable offense in military court. - n/t

[acmejack]

12. I trust Messieurs Connyers & Waxman will tell us in due time.

I shall be waiting with bated breath.

[McCamy Taylor]

37. And expect we will see a special prosecutor for election fraud.

[MagickMuffin]

25. I think the Sentences need to be tougher

case in point the NH phone jammers didn't get very long jail time. James Tobin has yet to serve any time at all.

IIRC, neither one of the two people jailed served over two years. One served a few months and the other one
I just did a quick research and found out for sure. No one served over a year in jail.

This has to change. There must be strict laws concerning voter intimidation, conspiracy to disenfranchise voters, fraud, the list goes on and on.....


A week before convicted phone jamming co-conspirator James Tobin was due to report to prison to begin serving a 10-month sentence, a three-judge panel on the First Circuit Court of Appeals (Boston) ruled that Tobin be released on bail pending appeal, and added that: “Naturally, our ruling should not be taken as a prediction that the district court is likely to be reversed.”

Chuck McGee
Executive Director of the NHRSC in November 2002; Resigned from NHRSC in February 2003 when media reports surfaced about the phone jamming scheme
McGee admitted having come up with the idea to jam Democrat phone lines
Currently living in NH; sells direct mail for Spectrum Monthly & Printing
Served as Executive Director of NHRSC for 2 years; resigned from post February 2003 (first hired in February 2001)
1996: Bill Zellner for Governor campaign
1988-1992: military service; Marine Corps (helicopter crew chief)
Graduate of UNH
Lifetime NH resident
Married, 1 child (as of 12/05)

Allen Raymond
President/Founder of GOP Marketplace
Originally sentenced to 5 months in prison; sentence was reduced to 3 months after Raymond cooperated with government in Tobin prosecution
Raymond served 3 months at FCI Loretto, and was released from prison on May 31, 2006
Read the June 2006 Boston Globe profile of Allen Raymond: "Fallen Star Blames Self, GOP Tactics"

Shaun Hansen
Hansen was indicted in March 2006 for his role in the 2002 phone jamming scheme. (More on Hansen's indictment here.)
He is scheduled to go on trial in U.S. District Court in October 2006. (More on Hansen's legal strategy here.)
Hansen's firm, Mylo Enterprises, was subcontracted by GOP Marketplace to carry out the phone jamming scheme. Mylo Enterprises was paid a total of $2,500 by GOP Marketplace.
Hansen said he "dissolved Mylo Enterprises in January 2003 because the company wasn't profitable."
Hansen is a Washington state native

[originalpckelly]

26. They targeted hundreds of thousands of people...

multiply 100,000 times the normal sentence of the other two. Even in months that is more than a life sentence.

[truedelphi]

47. Thanks for the info - And you get left

Wondering and wondering.

It wasn't even possible to RICCO Blackwell for his behaviors in the 2004 election. After all, he had the perfect excuse to be in close contact with the WH in 2004 and with the Republican National offices - He was the Republican Chair for Ohio. So the fact that his phone calls would have shown unfortunate links mean a great deal, but nothing that he can be prosecuted for...

In addition to increasing the penalties - we must insist on legislation that will prohibit all such future conflicts of interest. How else can we keep tabs on the behaviors?

[StClone]

43. Maybe even $500.00/call!

Yippeee.

[XboxWarrior]

44. Can you find a bigger font?

[wryter2000]

2. I'd pay to watch that

:popcorn:

[originalpckelly]

11. One story was already in the NYT today...

but they didn't talk about the telephone harassment.

[Hugin]

3. I hope someone has taken it upon themselves to tape these calls...

Maybe they'll play some on a nationally syndicated news show.

[originalpckelly]

16. I have downloaded the ones available on DailyKos...

those stupid Republicans are leaving fingerprints and DNA behind.

[Hugin]

18. Thanks for doing that...

:D

[civildisoBDence]

41. Time to call or email Randi Rhodes and Al Franken

I'm sure Rush and Sean will be claiming this is all a HOAX, like global warming, and evolution. (And in their hearts, American democracy...)

Newsprism

[oasis]

4. Good news.

[Jcrowley]

6. Call the FCC

You can complain to the FCC if you think the calls are illegal, as some Murphy supporters have done. (202-418-1440, phone; 202-418-0232, fax.)

Or you can do what I briefly considered yesterday: Send the NRCC your own robocalls telling it to STOP IT!

Try www.voiceshot.com - 12 cents a call, no minimum. The NRCC's number is 202-479-7000.

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/15898729.htm

[originalpckelly]

9. I haven't personally received any calls, but I have been investigating..

and I find it very scary in some sense that they would risk this.

[sendero]

23. These folks don't see any risk..

... because they have gotten away with so much for so long.

Like a cheap crook robbing 7-11 stores, they've knocked off a few without getting caught and now they think they are invincible.

The universe LOVES to give these folks their comeuppance!

[williesgirl]

8. k&r

[originalpckelly]

10. Thanks.

:hi:

[elehhhhna]

13. Good think HAL built those work camps, after all, huh?

[originalpckelly]

14. Not that many, probably 10+...

you just don't pull off this sort of campaign with less than that. But certain;y not more than 30 (and 20 may be too many.)

Why can't they just play by the rules? Little cheaters.

[ClayZ]

15. The "fat lady" is doing a sound check!

[kestrel91316]

17. ..and I bet the NSA has done a good job of keeping phone

records on them, too!

[Old and In the Way]

19. Is there a dead elephant's carcass I smell in the room?

I look forward to the implosion and blame assignment that these Republicans will be engaged in. You know it's coming. Neo-cons vs. Fundies vs. Bushbots vs. Moderates vs. Conservatives. The 2008 Convention will be fun to watch.

DON'T FORGET YOUR BAND-AIDS REPUBLICAN CONVENTIONEERS...YOU'LL REALLY NEED THEM THIS TIME! :ROFL:

[originalpckelly]

20. This story is getting bigger and bigger, DNC lawyers are getting involved...

aren't taking action yet, but want all DUer and anyone else to record their repetitive calls if they get them.

[Coexist]

22. nice post about this.

[Erechtheides]

21. rec'ed

:kick: the bastards out!

[FernBell]

24. k&r

[Vidar]

27. I hope you're right.

[originalpckelly]

30. The DNC has already taken legal action against the RNCC...

DNC lawyers issued a cease and desist order to the republicans. That means this is not some minor story for them to get involved.

Even with a Republican AG, they will have to investigate an openly partisan scandal.

[napi21]

28. I bet I know what the RNC is going to say!

We contracted with a third party to automate some political calls promoting our candidates. They were only to make one call per constituent. I'm very sorry THEY screwed this up, but WE'RE CLEAN on this one! You need to go talk to them!

[originalpckelly]

31. Well they weren't the ones who technically paid for the calls...

it was the National Republican Congressional Committee, the NRCC which paid for these illegal calls. Their chairman is Reynolds if you will remember from the Foley scandal.

So if he authorized this, he may be going to jail.

[Sydnie]

32. Rep. Tom Reynolds,

chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) just can't get his ass out of his own way! :rofl:

Buh Bye Tommy! You've screwed yourself this time!

[napi21]

35. I'm not positive of that. As an example.....

Let's say YOU hire a company to make calls to potential customers for your business. You tell them you want them to contact 50,000 of these people between 6Pm & 9Pm in a5 day timeframe. Now smebody at this company knows a lot of your competitors customers too, so without telling you, they contact THEM with harrassing calls so YOU will get their business. WHO isresponsible for the illegal harrassng calls? The company that made the calls, or YOU because they were working for YOU?

Now I'm not saying that' what happened with the RNC. I DO think these calls are made intentionally, but do you understand why I said they would claim they didn't direct them to harras anyone, and it's ALL the calling company's fault?

[sce56]

36. They have already done it in one state! Indiana GOP Fires Harrassing Robo Call Firm

Indiana GOP Fires Harrassing Robo Call Firm
By Justin Rood - November 6, 2006, 6:28 PM
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001947.php
Indianapolis Star reports that the Indiana Republican party has cut ties to one of the firms responsible for harrassing GOP-sponsored robocalls. The state GOP fired Conquest Communications not because the firm's calls were necessarily harrassing, but because they were automated -- a violation of Indiana state law:

State GOP spokesman Robert Vane said Monday that Virginia-based Conquest Communications Group used recorded messages in calls for Brizzi and several candidates around Indiana.

“That is not what we contracted for,” Vane said, so the party fired Conquest and is refusing to pay the company. Vane declined to say how much the party still owes.

The Republicans intended for all campaign calls to be conducted “100 percent live,” Vane said, but instead Conquest used a live introduction followed by a recording.

Under Indiana law, a recorded message can be delivered over the phone only if it is first introduced by a person who seeks and gets permission to play it.


October 17, 2006,Will be remembered as the Enabling day of the 21st Century!
"The government will make use of these powers only insofar as they are essential for carrying out vitally necessary measures..."
~Adolf Hitler, March 23, 1933, before the German Parliament (Reichstag) as he urged them to pass his "Enabling Act"


Got Fascism Yet?


http://www.georgewalkerbush.net/bush-nazilinkconfirmed.htm



Fascism Accomplished!

[JTFrog]

40. Yeah

and I call Bullshit bigtime on this one. Make sure the damage is done and then try to backpeddle saying they didn't know about it and didn't pay for "those services". I'd like to borrow one of the "what democrats should do" lines and say: THEY'RE FULL OF SHIT.

They should all be held responsible, however, I could care less about the individual candidate or state involved... I want the NRCC nailed for this. They always have a fall guy out there and I'm sure they are going to try to nail this company that was executing Rove's playbook by saying they didn't pay them to do this.

I didn't receive any calls and I'm not sure what I can do to get involved, but if anyone has any suggestions, I'm up for it.

[Jack Rabbit]

29. Mr. Mehlman, report

Leavenworth Federal Prison from the website of Kent State University

[Sydnie]

33. Not Kenny - Tommy

see post # 32

[SouthernBelle82]

34. Oh wow

Didn't Chairman Dean also in recent days send a letter to the republicans about some phone banking ruckus? Could that be a long with that? Anyone who does that should serve the proper crime.

[JMDEM]

38. But what does this do for those candidates that lost via fraud?

We still lose those elections, right? This sucks.

[Wilms]

39. K&R n/t

[drb]

42. Those people are now enemy combatants!

Ciao, baby! See you in the cages!

[codjh9]

45. But that's impossible!

... These people are the moral pillars of society! Why, look at Whatzisname Haggard, Jack(off) Abramoff, Mark 'Turn the Page' Foley, Tom 'finally got Hammered' Delay, Ken Lay, and the rest of the LONG list of fine, fine Republican religious, political and business 'leaders'. As Keith Oberman put it last night, these 'holier than thou' people are 'holier than... no one'. :^)

[IWantAChange]

46. With a Dem Congress will there be time for anything but investigations?

Fraudulent employment statistics, a real 9/11 Investigation, voting fraud, voting suppression, oversight hearing on the Iraq invasion, war profiteering and on and on. That doesn't even address the violations of the Constitution by Dubyha and company - whew.

[Ian_rd]

48. K&R - Can't count on the Dems to pursue this - needs to be class action

[RoccoR5955]

49. Put the lot of them in jail

IMNSHO,
The Bush Crime Syndicate, and Bushco, Inc. should be brought up on racketeering charger, under the RICO Law. Anyone found guilty, should serve the maximum sentence allowed by law.

When they get out of jail, the people should do like Vlad the impaler, and put their heads atop pikes on the White House Lawn, or the Mall, whichever will contain the vast amount of them, as a reminder that the people will not tolerate this behavior from our elected officials.