The Richmond Democrat

Help defund fraudulent organizations (and corporations)

2009-09-23T04:11:00.001-07:00

The Republican want to defund ACORN. Fair enough. Let's defund all the organizations (and corporations) that have committed fraud against the United States.

Help Rep. Grayson Find Fraud

The House of Representatives just passed a law to prohibit Federal funds from going to organizations that commit fraud against the government, in the form of Section 2 of the 'Defund ACORN Act' (http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3571/text). Congress has five days to put down a legislative history around this bill to help judges and lawyers interpret the law. This gives us an opportunity to make an impact with a deadline of this Friday (9/25). You see, regardless of what you think of ACORN, it is laudable to stop taxpayer money from going to organizations that commit fraud against the government. So as per the bill's text, I'm going to put into the Congressional record a list of organizations who have committed fraud against the government or employs anyone who has.

Now, I'm just one person, and I can't possibly find and list all of the organizations that fit this bill. So I need your help. Please nominate organizations and show me that they need to be in the record. To help, send me the name of the organization and proof in the form of a link to evidence that this organization should be in the Congressional record. I will also need your email address so I can follow-up with you if necessary. The proof you send needs to be easily verifiable, as in credible media reports, legal documents, government data, or otherwise.

An example might work as follows. Let's say that you were nominating 'Blackwater,' the controversial mercenary outfit which showed fraud in its contracts for Iraq in 2005. You could include a link like this one: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/004964.php.

This link is to a credible news organization which sources its information with easily verifiable documents. You could also link directly to source documents: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/state-blackwater-audit/?resultpage=7&

You can see the current unverified list here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t-VRn4ui8brMB_l5dzhtrnw&output=html

To nominate an organization, click here.

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Posted By J.C. Wilmore to The Richmonder at 9/22/2009 07:33:00 PM

The Fine Art of Spiking a Watermelon

2009-09-20T05:29:00.000-07:00

If you are really going to plunge into a watermelon festival, especially a watermelon festival in the Old South, you need some basic skills. I'm here to help. Just buy a medium-sized seedless watermelon, then follow these easy steps.

Step 1: Use a small knife to gently cut a round hole in a watermelon to create a "plug." Do not cut a square or triangular hole, as that may cause your watermelon to crack.

Step 2: Use a corkscrew to remove the plug of watermelon rind from your watermelon. Trim the pink watermelon attached to the plug and eat it. Yum! Now take a teaspoon and scoop a little of the flesh out of the hole you made to make some space for the booze. Two or three spoonfuls should do it. Yum!

Step 3: Next, take something long and skinny, like this skewer that I used, and poke it into the flesh of the watermelon a few times at different angles. Watermelon has naturally occurring airspaces and you are creating channels for the booze to flow freely through the melon. Do not poke the skewer all the way through the other side of the melon! That will make it leak.

Next, pour about one cup of your favorite booze into the watermelon. You may have to pour it a little bit at a time and let it settle in. One cup should be about as much as will soak in. Some people swear by vodka or rum, but I prefer bourbon. It may sound strange, but when the bourbon has a chance to work its way through the fruit, the flavor is amazing.

Step 4: Replace the plug of watermelon rind you set aside in the watermelon. With the "plug side" up, place the watermelon back in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours to let the booze percolate through the flesh and to cool the melon.

Finally, slice the watermelon like you would any other and enjoy!

P.S. Do not serve this to underage people.

The DNC hits back at GOP mob tactics

2009-08-05T02:07:00.000-07:00

The Richmonder!

2009-08-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

The Richmond Democrat has been renamed The Richmonder.

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