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RichM October 18th, 2007 1:27 pm
Note how the 2nd paragraph is written:
“Disclosure of the deal followed a decision by House Democratic leaders to pull a competing version of the measure from the floor because they lacked the votes to prevail over Republican opponents and GOP parliamentary maneuvers.”The Democrats have 233 House seats; the R’s have 202. Being in the majority, they also have considerable control over what measures even make it to the floor for votes. Yet the article wants us to believe that the Democrats are simply powerless before the mighty Republican onslaught; that the R’s can bull their way to getting anything done that they want done.
Clearly, the article (from the near-neocon WaPo) itself has been spun to foster certain misimpressions in the reading public. They really want you to accept the myth that the Dems are “powerless.” In other words, they do NOT want you to see that the Dems are COLLABORATING — which is a different kettle of fish, entirely.
The WaPo knows that public acceptance of the 2-party system rests upon the myth that the Dems are an “opposition party.” If it were made clear in the press that actually, the Dems are willing collaborators, the myth would be destroyed — and public acceptance of the 2-party system would disintegrate. That’s why it’s important to the WaPo to keep the public from clearly perceiving the reality here.
<end RIchM's comment>
Such a demonstration, which the bill says could be made in secret, would wipe out a series of pending lawsuits alleging violations of privacy rights by telecommunications companies...Wonder who all owns telcomm stock on the Hill?
I was curious who sits on, for one, AT&T's Board of Directors, and what other companies, organizations they may be affiliated ... are these the people 'our' Congress is representing, the Board of Director class and 'corporate personhoods'?
EDWARD E. WHITACRE, JR., age 65, is Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer of AT&T Inc. and has served in this capacity since January
1990. Mr. Whitacre has been a Director of AT&T since October 1986. He is the
Chairman of the Executive Committee and a member of the Corporate Development
Committee and the Finance/Pension Committee.
He is a Director of Anheuser-Busch
Companies, Inc. and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation.WILLIAM F. ALDINGER III, age 59, is President and Chief Executive Officer of
Capmark Financial Group Inc. (an international commercial real estate finance
company in Horsham, Pennsylvania) and has served in this capacity since June 2006.
Mr. Aldinger was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HSBC North America
Holdings Inc. (a financial services company in Prospect Heights, Illinois) from January
2004 until April 2005. He also served as Chairman from 1996 and Chief Executive
Officer from 1994 of HSBC Finance Corporation (formerly Household International,
Inc.) until April 2005. Mr. Aldinger has been a Director of AT&T since November
2005. He served as a Director of AT&T Corp. from 2003 until the company was
acquired by AT&T Inc. (then known as SBC Communications Inc.) in 2005.
Mr. Aldinger is a member of the Audit Committee and the Public Policy and
Environmental Affairs Committee. He is a Director of
Capmark Financial Group Inc.;
Illinois Tool Works Inc.; KKR Financial Corp.; and Charles Schwab Corporation.GILBERT F. AMELIO, age 64, is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Jazz
Technologies, Inc. (formerly Acquicor Technology Inc.) and has served in this capacity
since August 2005. Jazz Technologies is the parent company of Jazz Semiconductor,
Inc., an independent semiconductor wafer foundry headquartered in Newport Beach,
California. He has also been Senior Partner of
Sienna Ventures (a privately-held
venture capital firm in Sausalito, California) since April 2001. Dr. Amelio was
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Beneventure Capital, LLC (a full-service
venture capital firm in San Francisco, California) from 1999 to 2005 and was Principal
of Aircraft Ventures, LLC (a consulting firm in Newport Beach, California) from April
1997 to December 2004. In 2003, AmTech, LLC (a high technology investments and
consulting services firm), where Dr. Amelio served as Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer from 1999 to April 2004, declared bankruptcy. Dr. Amelio was elected a
Director of AT&T in February 2001 and had previously served as an Advisory Director
of AT&T from April 1997 to February 2001. He served as a Director of Pacific Telesis
Group from 1995 until the company was acquired by AT&T in 1997. He is a member
of the Audit Committee and the Human Resources Committee. Dr. Amelio is a
Director of Jazz Technologies, Inc.
REUBEN V. ANDERSON, age 64, is a partner in the
law firm of Phelps Dunbar,
LLP in Jackson, Mississippi and has served in this capacity since 1991. He served as a
Mississippi Supreme Court Justice from 1985 to 1990. Mr. Anderson was elected a
Director of AT&T in December 2006. He served as a Director of BellSouth
Corporation from 1994 until the company was acquired by AT&T in 2006. He is a
member of the Finance/Pension Committee and the Public Policy and Environmental
Affairs Committee. Mr. Anderson is a Director of
The Kroger Co. and Trustmark
Corporation.JAMES H. BLANCHARD, age 65, was Chairman of the Board of
Synovus Financial
Corp. (a diversified financial services holding company in Columbus, Georgia) and
served in this capacity from July 2005 to October 2006. He served as Chief Executive
Officer of Synovus Financial Corp. from January 1971 to July 2005. Mr. Blanchard
was elected a Director of AT&T in December 2006. He served as a Director of
BellSouth Corporation from 1994 until the company was acquired by AT&T in 2006.
He is a member of the Corporate Development Committee and the Human Resources
Committee. Mr. Blanchard is a Director of
Synovus Financial Corp. and Total System
Services, Inc.AUGUST A. BUSCH III, age 69, was Chairman of the Board of
Anheuser-Busch
Companies, Inc. (a brewing, packaging, and family entertainment holding company in
St. Louis, Missouri) from 1977 until his retirement in December 2006. Mr. Busch also
served as Chief Executive Officer of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. from 1975 until
June 2002. Mr. Busch has been a Director of AT&T since October 1983. He served as
a Director of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company from 1980 to 1983. He is the
Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and a member of
the Corporate Development Committee and the Executive Committee. Mr. Busch is a
Director of
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.; Emerson Electric Co.; Grupo Modelo,
S.A.B. de C.V.; and Diblo, S.A. de C.V.JAMES P. KELLY, age 63, was Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
of
United Parcel Service, Inc. (a global express carrier and package distribution
logistics company in Atlanta, Georgia) from 1997 until his retirement in 2002.
Mr. Kelly was elected a Director of AT&T in December 2006. He served as a Director
of BellSouth Corporation from 2000 until the company was acquired by AT&T in
2006. He is a member of the Audit Committee and the Corporate Governance and
Nominating Committee. Mr. Kelly is a Director of
Dana Corporation and United Parcel
Service, Inc.CHARLES F. KNIGHT, age 71, was Chairman of the Board of
Emerson Electric Co. (manufacturer of electrical and electronic equipment in St. Louis, Missouri) from 1974
until his retirement in September 2004, when he was elected to the honorary position of
Chairman Emeritus. Mr. Knight was also Chief Executive Officer of Emerson Electric
Co. from 1973 to 2000. He has been a Director of AT&T since October 1983. He
served as a Director of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company from 1974 to 1983. He
is the Chairman of the Corporate Development Committee and a member of the
Executive Committee and the Finance/Pension Committee. Mr. Knight is a Director of
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.JON C. MADONNA, age 63, was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
KPMG (an international accounting and consulting firm in New York, New York) from 1990
until his retirement in 1996. He was with KPMG for 28 years where he held numerous
senior leadership positions throughout his career. Subsequent to his retirement from
KPMG, Mr. Madonna served as Vice Chairman of Travelers Group, Inc. from 1997 to
1998 and President and Chief Executive Officer of Carlson Wagonlit Corporate Travel,
Inc. from 1999 to 2000. He was Chief Executive Officer of DigitalThink, Inc. from
2001 to 2002 and was Chairman of DigitalThink, Inc. from April 2002 to May 2004.
Mr. Madonna has been a Director of AT&T since November 2005. He served as a
Director of AT&T Corp. from 2002 until the company was acquired by AT&T Inc.
(then known as SBC Communications Inc.) in 2005. Mr. Madonna is a member of the
Audit Committee and the Corporate Development Committee. He is a Director of
Phelps Dodge Corporation; Tidewater Inc.; and Visa U.S.A. Inc.LYNN M. MARTIN, age 67, is President of
The Martin Hall Group, LLC (a human
resources consulting firm in Chicago, Illinois) and has served in this capacity since
January 2005. Ms. Martin was Chair of the Council for the Advancement of Women
and Advisor to the firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP (an auditing and management
consulting services firm in Chicago, Illinois) from 1993 until September 2005.
She
served as U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1991 to 1993 and as a member of the U.S.
House of Representatives from Illinois from 1981 to 1991. Ms. Martin has been a
Director of AT&T since October 1999. She served as a Director of Ameritech
Corporation from 1993 until the company was acquired by AT&T in 1999. Ms. Martin
is a member of the Finance/Pension Committee and the Public Policy and
Environmental Affairs Committee. She is a Director of
Constellation Energy Group,
Inc.; certain Dreyfus Funds; The Procter & Gamble Company; and Ryder System, Inc.JOHN B. MCCOY, age 63, was Chairman from November 1999 and Chief Executive
Officer from October 1998 of Bank One Corporation (commercial and consumer bank
based in Chicago, Illinois) until his retirement in December 1999, and Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of its predecessor, Banc One Corporation, from 1987 to 1998.
Mr. McCoy has been a Director of AT&T since October 1999. He served as a Director
of Ameritech Corporation from 1991 until the company was acquired by AT&T in
1999. He is the Chairman of the Finance/Pension Committee and a member of the
Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee and the Executive Committee. He
is a Director of
Cardinal Health, Inc.; ChoicePoint Inc.; and Onex Corporation.MARY S. METZ, age 69, is Chair of the Board of Trustees of American Conservatory
Theater (a nonprofit nationally renowned theater and an accredited conservatory in San
Francisco, California) and has served in this capacity since November 2004. Dr. Metz
is also President Emerita of Mills College. She was President of S. H. Cowell
Foundation in San Francisco, California from January 1999 until her retirement in
March 2005, and was Dean of the University Extension of the University of California
at Berkeley from 1991 until 1998. Dr. Metz has been a Director of AT&T since April
1997. She served as a Director of Pacific Telesis Group from 1986 until the company
was acquired by AT&T in 1997. She is a member of the Corporate Governance and
Nominating Committee and the Public Policy and Environmental Affairs Committee.
Dr. Metz is a Director of
Longs Drug Stores Corporation; Pacific Gas and Electric
Company; and UnionBanCal Corporation.TONI REMBE, age 70, was a partner in the law firm of
Pillsbury Winthrop LLP (now
known as Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in San Francisco, California) from
1971 until her retirement in December 2004. Ms. Rembe was elected a Director of
AT&T in January 1998 and had previously served as an Advisory Director of AT&T
from April 1997 to January 1998. She served as a Director of Pacific Telesis Group
from 1991 until the company was acquired by AT&T in 1997. She is the Chairwoman
of the Public Policy and Environmental Affairs Committee and a member of the
Corporate Development Committee and the Executive Committee. Ms. Rembe is a
Director of
AEGON N.V.JOYCE M. ROCHE, age 59, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Girls
Incorporated (a national nonprofit research, education, and advocacy organization in
New York, New York) and has served in this capacity since September 2000.
Ms. Roche was an independent marketing consultant from 1998 to 2000. She was
President and Chief Operating Officer of Carson, Inc. from 1996 to 1998, and
Executive Vice President of Global Marketing of Carson, Inc. from 1995 to 1996.
Ms. Roche has been a Director of AT&T since October 1998. She served as a Director
of Southern New England Telecommunications Corporation from 1997 until the
company was acquired by AT&T in 1998. She is a member of the Corporate
Governance and Nominating Committee and the Public Policy and Environmental
Affairs Committee. She is a Director of
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.; Federated
Department Stores, Inc.; and Tupperware Corporation.RANDALL L. STEPHENSON, age 46, is Chief Operating Officer of AT&T Inc. and
has served in this capacity since April 2004. He was Senior Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer of AT&T Inc. from August 2001 through May 2004. Prior
to becoming Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Stephenson held a variety of high-level
finance and marketing positions with AT&T or its subsidiaries since 1996. He first
joined AT&T through its subsidiary, Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, in 1982.
He has been a Director of AT&T since June 2005. Mr. Stephenson is a Director of
Emerson Electric Co.LAURA D'ANDREA TYSON, age 59, is Professor of Business Administration and
Economics at the Walter A. Haas School of Business, University of California at
Berkeley, and has served in this capacity since January 2007. She was Dean of London
Business School, London, England, from January 2002 until December 2006.
Dr. Tyson was Dean of the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of
California at Berkeley from July 1998 to December 2001. Dr. Tyson served as
Professor of Economics and Business Administration at the University of California at
Berkeley from 1997 to 1998. She served as National Economic Adviser to the
President of the United States from 1995 to 1996 and as Chair of the White House
Council of Economic Advisers from 1993 to 1995. Dr. Tyson has been a Director of
AT&T since October 1999. She served as a Director of Ameritech Corporation from
1997 until the company was acquired by AT&T in 1999. She is a member of the
Corporate Development Committee and the Finance/Pension Committee. Dr. Tyson is
a Director of
Eastman Kodak Company and Morgan Stanley.PATRICIA P. UPTON, age 68, is President and Chief Executive Officer of
Aromatique, Inc. (manufacturer and wholesaler of decorative fragrances in Heber
Springs, Arkansas) and has served in this capacity since 1982. Ms. Upton has been a
Director of AT&T since June 1993. She is a member of the Human Resources
Committee and Public Policy and Environmental Affairs Committee.
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/732717/000119312507061575/ddef14a.txtAny Hill members holding stock in any of the other
companies with ties to AT&T.
(Lot of Emerson Electric and Anheuser-Busch interlocking relationships)