The judicial convention is one of the ways corruption can best thrive in Brooklyn's machine dominated political landscape. Yet most Brooklynites have no clue what the judicial convention is, why we have it, or what needs changing about it.

Apparently Chris Owens, President of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, wants to do something about that. His efforts have created something of a stir because he is raising money as part of his run for delegate to the judicial convention. This raised eyebrows because no one could imagine why you need money to run for an uncontested party position. I held off commenting for the most part because I suspected there may well be a plan behind Chris Owens' fundraising, and I suspected I knew what it was since I had similar ideas (which I never followed up on) regarding County Committee.

What happens when the government gives no bid contracts with no oversight to a company closely associated with the Vice President? Yes, cronyism. Yes, corruption. But possibly worse than Republican cronyism and corruption are troops killed by the incompetance and callousness of a company that cares about nothing by profits.

As outlined in a Daily Kos diary, KBR, a branch of Halliburton, a company closely associated with Dick Cheney and favored heavily by the Republican Party for no-bid contracts with no oversight, has so bungled the maintenance of one of our Iraq bases that 12 of our troops have been electorcuted since 2004.

And this company has continued to get no bid contracts even though this problem was known. This is the worst kind of Republican corruption: sacrificing our troops for greed. That's goes even beyond the usual Republican war profiteering.

From a Houston Chronicle article:

The worst part of the whole "Spitzer Can't Keep it in His Pants" story is not that Spitzer slept with a prostitute, or that he paid huge sums of money for it, or that he got caught, or that his actions may for now derail reform in New York State. The worst part is the hypocritical, self-rightous chest thumping that Republican politicians and their media friends are engaging in.

Somehow, normal sex sets the right wing fanatics off in a fit of hysteria that would give Freud wet dreams. But if one of their own commits pedophilia, what do you hear from these people? Nothing! They cover it up if they can and circle the wagons if they can't. Let's keep this whole thing in perspective. Bill Clinton got a blow job, an act of consensual sex between adults, and the Republicans demanded impeachment. Eliot Spitzer hired an expensive sex worker and the Republicans are threatening impeachment. But a whole slew of Republicans on all levels of government engage in pedophilia and you hear nary a peep from the Republican noise machine. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?

A strange sight was reported in Bushwick: Brooklyn Democratic Party Leader Vito Lopez was seen dancing in the streets and singing the praises of Justice Scalia.

Okay...so maybe Vito wasn't dancing and singing in the streets of Bushwick...but I am sure he was tempted. The Supreme Court just gave him a belated Christmas gift.

New York State has a system for choosing certain judges through an insider convention which basically allows party leaders to dominate the process, creating some pretty disgusting scandals, at least in Brooklyn (see, for example, here and here. The system basically made judgeships a political plum that party bosses could give out with little or no regard for qualifications or honesty. It also means that most people who get nominated for judicial spots have had to donate to the party boss.

I have voted Republican. Once, I think. Just once. I have voted Green. Once...maybe twice.

The vast majority of the time I vote, donate, agitate and work for the Democratic Party with varying degrees of pride, enthusiasm and, occasionally, holding my nose.

The Democratic Party Machine in Brooklyn, led by Vito Lopez, pretty much makes you hold your nose because there is always a stench of sleaze around them. There are debates as to whether they are an improvement over the previous incarnation of the Brooklyn Machine, the one whose former head is now deservedly in jail. Well, if you have to debate whether they are better than someone who is jailed for corruption, you know you are in trouble.

Removed by author, for re-evauation, on the advice of counsel

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. "
--Edmund Burke

Did you know that most people don't care if their democracy works? Most people don't care if their judges are qualified or unqualified, honest or corrupt, purple aliens from Mars or deep sea squids. People don't care. I think two things define American Democracy: Apathy and a desire to complain.

Do you know what was the voter turnout in yesterday’s election to determine who would be the new judges in Brooklyn? I'll tell you: abysmally low, piss poor and just plain embarrassing.

All around the Borough I know people who voted. But that's because people I know are the people who vote. Some reported that at around 3 PM they were the first person to vote at their ED. One reported that at their polling place only 11 people had voted one hour before the polls closed. Another person reported only 14 people. People complain and complain and complain about "the system." Then they don't vote. Gee...wonder if there is a connection there. If all you do is whine but don't do anything, I say you are a chump.

[NOTE: Believe it or not, I was asked to clean up the language in the title...Yeah...on Daily Gotham we are cleaning up our language!]

So, there are some out there who get tired of my railing against "Vito Lopez and his Band of Ill Repute." But the truth is, what is deadly wrong with Brooklyn politics is what is business as usual within the Democratic Party. This year seemed to be a possible exception, but in the end I think it really will CONTINUE to be business as usual in the worst possible way.

One thing that the local political machine, currently headed by Vito Lopez, previously led by Clarence Norman, now in jail, was infamous for was putting comlpetely unqualified candidates up for judicial elections as part of a network of cronyism that would make Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff jealous. Judicial candidates who were rated as outright unqualified would be guided through with ease by Clarence and/or Vito simply to fulfill a favor or generate a favor. Favors were all that mattered, not qualifications, not quality, not actually quality governance.

[UPDATED: Added Vito Fossella, found guilty by House Ethics Committee...addition is bolded and added to totals. Any other additions?]

[UPDATED: Title altered to satisfy the nit pickers]

At the risk of belaboring a point, corruption in government is a major problem that came to the forefront of people's consciousness during the 2006 election. Next to the Iraq war, corruption in government was possibly the top issue that determined voters' decisions in 2006...and may again in 2008.

Here on Daily Gotham we discuss corruption and alleged corruption among Democrats (and alleged Democrats) in Brooklyn quite often...particularly when members of the local machine place nasty little comments on our site. But I always try to put it into perspective. And, in light of the spectacular investigative journalism of Liza and Bouldin uncovering alleged misdeeds of the long-time apparent sleazebag Roger Stone, I think some perspective is in order. Simply put, although there are pockets of seeming corruption among Democrats in places like Brooklyn and Louisiana, corruption is at all levels predominantly a Republican past time. Want proof? Well, here goes.

I have written extensively about the lies and corruption surrounding Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project. From Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn's Clown and whiny wannabe mayor of NYC, to Bloomberg and Pataki promising more and more land (at taxpayer expense) to Ratner in backroom deals, Ratner is surrounded by corruption.