GOP backing sweatshops, prostitution, forced abortions

Earlier today, David Swanson posted a Diary, J. Jill, Ann Taylor, Liz Claiborne: Made By Slaves, Backed by Congress, that highlighted current conditions on CNMI as reported by Rebecca Clarren for Ms. Magazine. She recently traveled to CNMI and met with the sweatshop workers, sex workers and other victims of Abramoff's work to protect the sweatshops and keep the abuse going. As of now the full article is only available in print, but I would recommend purchasing a copy of Ms. to read the report. Excerpts are also available at AlterNet.

I mention the article because it helps to keep these crimes in mind as one reads Jack Abramoff's pitch letter. In it, he brags about stopping all efforts to extend justice to CNMI. Of course being a Luntz-trained member of the GOP, Jack has new "language" that has been tested for RW dog whistle frequency. Phrases like "Federal Takeover" mean extending US labor, immigration and custom laws to the US Territory. There are more clever phrases, so take them for what they are: they are words Jack choose to describe his work and "victories" on CNMI.

This letter is not online, so I have typed in most of the first three pages. I think it is important to read Jack Abramoff's own words, when he was at the top of his game and freely bragging about his work and connections.

One of the big scandals waiting in the wings is how Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay and the GOP worked to protect defend sweatshops, forced labor, forced prostitution, forced abortions and human trafficking on the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) a US Territory in the Pacific.

I have been following these crimes since 1998 and recently somebody sent me copies of some documents related to Abramoff's work on behalf of the Hong Kong-based sweatshop owners of CNMI.

Over the weekend I used one of those documents to highlight the history of Jack's "victories" on behalf of his Chinese patrons. The Diary, Jack Abramoff explains how the GOP protected sweatshops, used his own words (from a pitch letter he sent in January 2001 to get CNMI to hire his new lobbying firm, Greenberg Traurig) to lay out the crimes he committed with DeLay and many others in the GOP.

Based on the plea agreements to date, The Public Integrity Section of the US DOJ has the same documents I have (and much, much more). That spells real trouble for the GOP and for far more Republicans than just "Representative #1" or "Representative #2". When the dust settles we may be up to "Representative #29", plus a good number of lobbyist, Congressional Aides, Administration officials, GOP think tank members (Bye Grover) and PR flacks (so long Ralph).

"In January <2003> House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay engineered 'an abrupt reversal of rules that had prohibited lawmakers from accepting free trips and lodging in connection with charity events.' In April he raised $1.1 million from lobbyists and lawmakers at a golf tournament in Florida for The Delay Foundation for Kids." <4> (http://www.jimgilliam.com/2003/11/tom_delay_loves_kids.php)

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In spring 1998, "an eclectic group of golfers waited to tee off at the posh Woodlands Resort and Conference Center just outside of Houston. Among the group were some 10 politicians and businessmen from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a representative from the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, and a wealthy businessman from Puerto Rico named Hernan Franco.

"The Marianas, the Chitimacha tribe, and a group of Puerto Rican businessmen had one thing in common: All were clients then, or shortly afterward, of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was a star rainmaker at Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds and a good buddy of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who was then majority whip. As DeLay’s friend, Abramoff wanted to help boost the foundation, which DeLay and his wife, Christine, created in 1986 to assist abused and neglected children. Some of Abramoff’s clients gave as much as $25,000 to attend the event at Woodlands seven years ago.

Raw Story reports:



Just what did Pizzella specialize in?

You guessed it, the sweatshop haven of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). It looks as though Bush nominated Pizzella, at Abramoff's behest, to enact policy decisions to continue the inhumane labor pratices (a bit more on them here) occuring in the CNMI.
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About two months after nominating Pizzella as Deputy Undersecretary of Labor, President Bush met, and had his photo taken, with Speaker of the Marianas House, Ben Fitial. The meeting took place during an event hosted by Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform. Fitial had become Speaker of the House literally because of the will of Abramoff and his associates. Fitial rewarded Team Abramoff's arm-bending tactics with a handsome $1.6 million lobbying contract.

Pizzella is one of three Abramoff associates to eventually work at the White House. David Safavian has since been indicted. The other, Susan Ralston, is currently the "Special Assistant to the President & Assistant to the Senior Advisor Karl Rove." Months ago, rumors of her departure to work at the Commerce Department were dismissed.

Patrick Pizzella, who spent the past four years as a lobbyist for the Saipan sweatshop industry, is now the second most powerful individual in the U.S. Department of Labor.

Saipan is a South Pacific island where multinational corporations exploit mostly women workers and attach a “Made in USA” label on their sweatshop products.

Pizzella has “impeccable” credentials with conservatives. He worked for the Ronald Reagan campaign in 1976 and was subsequently appointed to posts at the Department of Education and the Small Business Administration.

For the past four years, however, Pizzella worked as the key lobbyist for the firm of Preston Gates on that company’s account with the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI).

The company billed CNMI $8 million over a five-year period to conduct junkets for congressmen, staffers and conservative journalists to fend off labor’s attempts to enact labor protections for garment workers in Saipan.