Honest John Edwards Or Is It Jon Edwards A Member of The Terrible Trio

[reallyveryradical]

Honest John Edwards Or Is It Jon Edwards A Member of The Terrible Trio
While Edwards is the main topic of this piece we also discuss the
other two members of the Terrible Trio, Hillary Rodham Clinton and
Barack Hussein Obama.



How Honest IS Honest John Edwards?
Or is it Jon Edwards?




We are never quite sure of anything with Edwards. So, our first
question is: Is it Jon Edwards or John Edwards? If anyone knows the
answer to that one please post it.




We start off with a little blurb on Edwards below:
"May 18, 2007, c.e. Edwards's Hedge-Fund Tie Hurts Populist Campaign
John Harwood reports from the Wall Street Journal’s Capital Bureau.
HEDGE-FUND MONEY fattens Edwards’s wallet but hurts populist message.
The Democratic presidential candidate’s $1.7 million in pay and
investment income from Fortress Investment Group gives target for
rivals after his campaign emphasis on poverty. Edwards has explained
Fortress affiliation as part of effort to learn about financial
markets.



“What will get him in trouble is not the amount but rationales that
seem false and weaselly to the voters,” says Democratic pollster
Geoff Garin. Edwards’s campaign says he paid regular personal-income-
tax rates on his $479,512 salary, not preferential “carried
interest” rates some hedge-fund principals use.
Of $29.5 million in assets Edwards reported to FEC, aides say
investments in Fortress represent $16.1 million.
John Edwards for President "


http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2007/05/18/edwardss-hedge-fund-tie-
hurts-populist-campaign/




OK, so who is Fortress Investment Group ? http://www.fortressinv.com/
"Fortress Investment Group is a leading global alternative asset
manager with approximately $36 billion in assets under management as
of March 31, 2007. Fortress is headquartered in New York and has
affiliates with offices in Dallas, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong,
London, Los Angeles, Rome, San Diego, Sydney and Toronto.
Fortress was founded in 1998 as an asset-based investment management
firm with a fundamental philosophy premised on its alignment of
interests with the investors in its funds. Fortress raises, invests
and manages private equity funds, hedge funds and publicly traded
alternative investment vehicles. Fortress intends to grow its
existing businesses, while continuing to create innovative products
to meet the increasing demand by sophisticated investors for
superior risk-adjusted investment returns.....



Wesley R. Edens
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors
Mr. Edens is the Chairman of the board of directors and the Chief
Executive Officer of Fortress Investment Group LLC. Mr. Edens has
been a principal and the Chairman of the Management Committee of
Fortress since co-founding the Company in May 1998. Mr. Edens is
responsible for the Fortress private equity and publicly traded
alternative investment businesses. He is also the Chairman of the
board of directors of each of Aircastle Limited, Brookdale Senior
Living Inc., Eurocastle Investment Limited, GateHouse Media, Inc.,
Mapeley Limited and Newcastle Investment Corp. and a director of
Crown Castle International Corp. and GAGFAH S.A. Mr. Edens served as
the Chief Executive Officer of Newcastle Investment Corp. since
inception until February 2007. Mr. Edens was the Chief Executive
Officer of Global Signal Inc. from February 2004 to April 2006 and
the Chairman of the board of directors from October 2002 to January
2007. Mr. Edens serves in various capacities in the following five
registered investment companies: Chairman, Chief Executive Officer
and Trustee of Fortress Registered Investment Trust and Fortress
Investment Trust II; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Fortress Brookdale Investment Fund LLC and Fortress Pinnacle
Investment Fund LLC and Chief Executive Officer of RIC Coinvestment
Fund GP LLC. Prior to forming Fortress, Mr. Edens was a partner and
a managing director of BlackRock Financial Management Inc., where he
headed BlackRock Asset Investors, a private equity fund. In
addition, Mr. Edens was formerly a partner and a managing director
of Lehman Brothers. Mr. Edens received a B.S. in Finance from Oregon
State University."





We were curious about those firms so we did a little research on
them and came up with:
"Prison Realty Announces Restructuring Led By Fortress And Blackstone
Investor Group




$350 Million Preferred Issue to Complement New $1.2 Billion Credit
Facility; Company to Terminate REIT Status, Convert to Taxable
Subchapter C Structure; New Management to Be Installed
and New Board to Be Created NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec.
27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Prison Realty Trust,
Inc. (NYSE: PZN), today announced a comprehensive strategic
restructuring program designed to reposition the company by
strengthening its financial position, simplifying its corporate
structure and creating a new management team and board of
directors. As part of the program, which requires shareholder
approval, the company said an Investor Group led by an affiliate of
Fortress Investment Group LLC and affiliates of The Blackstone
Group, together with an affiliate of Bank of America, would
purchase $315 million in securities at closing and commit to
purchase an additional $35 million in securities (for a total of up
to $350 million) in a newly configured company that would be
created through the merger of Prison Realty and the companies
collectively operating under the name Corrections Corporation of
America.




Existing Prison Realty shareholders would be offered
the opportunity, through a rights offering, to "co-invest" up to
$75 million with the Investor Group and to receive preferred stock
and warrants with terms identical to the securities being purchased
by the Investor Group (with the exception of certain types of
voting rights). The Investor Group has agreed to acquire those
securities and warrants not subscribed for by current shareholders
to ensure the $350 million total. The combined company, which
would operate under the Corrections Corporation of America name, is
expected to be a taxable subchapter C corporation, as Prison Realty
would terminate its status as a REIT, in connection with the
restructuring. As part of the combination with CCA, outside, or
non-management, shareholders of CCA will receive cash equal to
their original investment. Management and other employees of CCA
will receive shares of the new public company in exchange for their
interest. The per share value to be received by them is
approximately 40% of the per share value received by the outside
shareholders, and their shares will be subject to certain vesting
and lock up provisions. The transaction, upon completion, will
have the effect of eliminating liquidity concerns of CCA, Prison
Realty's primary tenant.




"This is a highly focused, decisive action on behalf of this
company," said Joseph V. Russell, Chairman
of the Special Committee of the Board of Directors, which was
created in August 1999 to identify a strategic investor to invest
in Prison Realty and to review the company's financial alternatives
and organizational structure. "We are returning this company to the
corporate structure under which it achieved its greatest growth and
success and through which it became the leading company in the
private prison industry."

"Importantly, we also believe the new
credit facility and the investment by Fortress and Blackstone, will
ensure that the company has the financial resources to prosper.
Finally, as part of the restructuring, our new investors and we
have concluded that meaningful changes are necessary in the
composition of our management team and in the creation of a new
Board of Directors. These actions directly address the Company's
desire to re- establish credibility with shareholders and with the
financial community."




Additionally, the company announced that,
pending shareholder approval of the transaction, no further
dividends of any kind would be paid on its common stock.
Management Changes As part of the restructuring, the Special
Committee announced that Doctor R. Crants, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Prison Realty, would resign as CEO upon
closing of the transaction. In addition, he is stepping down as
Chairman, effective immediately. Following his resignation, Mr.
Crants will be named to the non-executive position of Vice Chairman
of the company and will serve as an advisor to the Board.
Thomas W. Beasley, the former Chairman of the Board and one of
three founders, along with Mr. Crants, of the original company in
1983, will assume the position of Interim Chairman immediately and
interim Chief Executive Officer following the closing of the
transaction. J. Michael Quinlan will remain as President and Chief
Operating Officer of CCA and will also serve as Interim President
of Prison Realty, replacing D. Robert Crants, III, who also has
resigned effective immediately.

In addition, Mr. Beasley, along
with Fortress and Blackstone, will oversee a nationwide search for
a new Chief Executive Officer and a new Chief Financial Officer for
the combined company.



Financing Arranged upon completion
of the restructuring, the combined company will have a $1.2 billion
new term loan and revolving credit facility from a group led by
Credit Suisse First Boston and Lehman Brothers. The facility would
replace Prison Realty's existing $1 billion credit facility.
In addition, up to $350 million will be generated from the sale of a
new issue of 12% cumulative convertible preferred stock and
warrants, primarily to the Investor Group. The new issue would be
convertible into the combined company's common stock at a price of
$6.50 per share and the warrants would be exercisable at $7.50 per
share. Depending on the degree to which existing shareholders
participate in the rights offering, the Investor Group would own
approximately 20% to 25% of the combined company and warrants to
purchase between 11% and 14% of the combined company's common
stock, on a fully diluted basis. Proceeds from the debt and
equity financings will be used to refinance the company's existing
bank debt and to provide capital to fund the company's continued
growth. "We are extremely pleased with this important
restructuring," stated Mr. Beasley.




"The new credit facility is
not only larger than the one it replaces, it also has more
favorable terms, reflecting the lending community's renewed
confidence in CCA. "In addition to providing a sizable infusion
of new equity capital, our Board of Directors -- and the daily
operation of our company -- will be enhanced by the active
involvement of two of the nation's most successful investment
groups.

We view these as positive steps and we are looking forward
to working closely with our new partners." "This transaction is
intended to position CCA once again as a growth company with
tremendous prospects and re-establish transparency to shareholders
regarding the fundamental strength of CCA's business. Our belief
is that a greatly simplified and more efficient capital structure
will allow the company to fund future growth internally and will
assist the company in maximizing shareholder value," said Wesley R.
Edens, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fortress. Added
Thomas J. Saylak, Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone
Group, "CCA is the market leader in a growing industry. We believe
this capital infusion and CCA's new corporate structure will allow
the company to realize enhanced financial flexibility to maximize
growth prospects.




Over time, we believe this new direction will
be recognized and rewarded by investors." Board of
Directors As part of the restructuring, the new CCA would have
a 10-person Board of Directors. Four persons would represent the
Investor Group, and four persons, including Mr. Beasley, Mr.
Russell, and Jean-Pierre Cuny, would be drawn from the existing
Prison Realty Board. Two new independent directors, subject to the
approval of the Investor Group and the current board, also would be
appointed.




Conditions
In addition to being subject to
the approval of Prison Realty's shareholders, the transaction is
subject to certain financial and non- financial conditions, which
the company expects to be satisfied prior to the closing. The
transaction will also require customary regulatory review. It is
expected that the shareholder vote would take place in March or
April 2000, and that the transaction would close in the second
quarter of 2000. About the Companies Prison Realty's
business is the ownership of correctional and detention
facilities. The company provides financing, design, construction
and renovation of new and existing jails and prisons that it leases
to both private and governmental managers. At September 30, 1999,
the company owned, or was in the process of developing, 51
correctional and detention facilities, of which 40 facilities were
operating, eight were under construction or expansion and three
were in the planning stages.




At September 30, 1999, CCA leased 32
facilities from the company, government agencies leased five
facilities, and private operators leased three facilities.
Fortress Investment Group LLC is a real estate investment and asset
management company with headquarters in New York City. Fortress was
founded in April 1998 by a group of senior professionals led by
Wesley R. Edens. Fortress manages approximately $760 million of
private equity, and invests primarily in undervalued real estate-
related assets and companies on a domestic and international
basis. The Blackstone Group is a private investment bank in New
York City. It was founded in 1985 by its Chairman, Peter G.
Peterson, and its President and CEO, Stephen A. Schwarzman.
Blackstone is engaged in six business areas including Corporate
Principal Investing, Private Equity Real Estate Investing, Mergers
and Acquisition Advisory, Restructuring and Reorganization
Advisory, Private Mezzanine Investing, and Liquid Alternative Asset
Investing. Merrill Lynch & Co. acted as advisor to the Board of
Directors and Special Committee of Prison Realty, as well as the
Board of Directors of CCA.




Disclaimer on Forward Looking
Statements This news release contains statements that are
forward looking, including statements relating to the amount and
timing of the proposed offering transactions. These statements are
not projections or assured results. Actual results may differ
materially from the results anticipated in the forward looking
statements due to a variety of factors, including but not limited
to, changing market conditions. Additional factors will be
described in the company's filings with the SEC. The company does
not undertake an obligation to update its forward-looking
statements to reflect future events or circumstances. Accordingly,
individuals should not place undue reliance on such
statements. Note: The company will schedule a conference call
with analysts and the media the week of January 3 to further
discuss the transaction.




SOURCE Prison Realty Trust, Inc."
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?
ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-27-1999/0001103950&EDATE=





So let us get this straight, If we follow the money of Honest John?
or is it Jon? Edwards?
"Of $29.5 million in assets Edwards reported to FEC, aides say
investments in Fortress represent $16.1 million." Seems like a
pretty big chunk to us.



And Fortress is involved with Prison Realty per the material above.
And Edwards, let's forget about whatever his first name actually
turns out to be, Edwards wants to be President of the United States.
In that job Edwards could really influence a lot of things,
including, for instance things affecting prisons. Hmmmm? Did anyone
say "conflict of interest"?


Now let's take a little look at a few other things:
Wesley R. Edens
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors and
the Chief Executive Officer of Fortress Investment Group LLC is also
the Chairman of the board of directors of each of Aircastle Limited,
http://www.aircastle.com/aircastle-clients.html
aircastle clients
› Aerosvit
› Aigle Azur
› Air Canada
› Air India
› Air Italy
› Air One
› Air Europa
› Air Sahara
› British Airways
› Capital Aviation Services
› China Eastern
› Excel Airways
› Futura
› GOL
› Hainan
› Icelandair
› Jet Airways
› KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
› Korean Air
› Lan Chile
› LOT
› Lotus Air
› Magnicharters
› Malaysian Airlines
› Martinair
› Monarch Airlines
› SAS Braathens
› Sibir
› Skyservice Airlines
› SN Brussels
› Southwest Airlines
› SriLankan
› Sterling Airlines
› Swiss International
› TAM
› Thomsonfly
› TUI AG
› Turk Hava Yollari
› Ukraine International
› US Airways




As President of the United States Edwards could affect a lot of
things, including American
relations with the nations that run some of those airlines. There's
that "conflict of interest"
phrase again.
Fortress Investment Group LLC's Mr. Edens is also the Chairman of
the board of directors of
Brookdale Senior Living Inc. Hmmmm, wouldn't the President of the
United States be able to affect policy concerning senior citizens?
Say regarding Health Care and Social Security for starters? There's
that "conflict of interest" phrase again.



Fortress Investment Group
LLC's Mr. Edens is also the Chairman of the board of directors of
Eurocastle Investment Limited
http://www.eurocastleinv.com/
"Eurocastle Investment Limited is a
Euro denominated Guernsey closed-end investment company that invests
in and manages a diverse portfolio consisting primarily of German
commercial real estate assets. Eurocastle is traded on Euronext
Amsterdam Exchange under ticker symbol “ECT”. The Company is managed
by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC." Ah ha! As
President of the United States
Edwards could sure affect things like U.S.- German relations, which
in turn could impact on the value of those assets. There's
that "confict of interest" phrase again. Fortress Investment Group
LLC's






Mr. Edens is also the Chairman of the board of directors of
GateHouse Media, Inc. http://www.gatehousemedia.com/
"GateHouse Media, Inc., headquartered in Fairport, New York, is one
of the largest publishers of locally based print and online media.
GateHouse Media currently serves local audiences of more than 10
million per week across 20 states through hundreds of community
publications and local websites.


GateHouse Media is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol "GHS."
Ahh! The better to get you nominated, elected, and re-elected, with
nary a peep about
"conflict of interest" to be read by our truly well-informed
electorate, Honest John? or is it Honest Jon? Edwards?
"More than 70 percent of our daily newspapers have been published
for more than 100 years and 93 percent have been published for more
than 50 years. If you click the headline above, you can view a list
of all of our daily newspapers and click through to the detail page
for each individual publication."
http://www.gatehousemedia.com/publications/




Fortress Investment Group LLC's Mr. Edens is also the Chairman of
the board of directors of Mapeley Limited
http://www.mapeley.com/ "Mr Edens, the Chairman may not be regarded
as ‘independent’ since he is the Chairman of Fortress Investment
Trust which has a controlling interest in the Company."
Mapeley was formed in 1999 to invest in UK real estate leased to
high quality tenants, initially by capitalising on the growing trend
of UK government and corporate occupiers of selling property
portfolios and outsourcing the management of their leasehold
estates.





Mapeley’s first two major acquisitions were Abbey National’s UK
occupational portfolio (2000) and the HMRC portfolio (2001) - the
portfolio of the departments of the Inland Revenue, HM Customs &
Excise, and Valuation Office Agency.
In 2004 Mapeley made its first direct property investment and has
since then acquired properties at a cost of approximately £840
million.




In March 2006, Mapeley was awarded its second outsourcing contract
with the government, with the Identity and Passport Service. This
contract is to acquire, fit-out and service 69 interview offices
across the UK."
As President of the United States Edwards could certainly influence
U.S.-British relations,
which in turn could have all sorts of impacts on the value of thoe
investments now couldn't it? There's that "conflict of interest"
phrase again.






Fortress Investment Group LLC's Mr. Edens is also the Chairman of
the board of directors of Newcastle Investment Corp.
http://www.newcastleinv.com/ "Newcastle Investment Corp. (NYSE: NCT)
is a publicly traded real estate investment and finance company that
invests in and manages a diverse portfolio consisting primarily of
real estate securities.


Newcastle Investment Corp. is a real estate investment and finance
company located in New York City. The Company invests in a
diversified portfolio of real estate securities and other real
estate-related assets with a disciplined approach to managing assets
and financing.


The Company, which is taxed as a real estate
investment trust, seeks to deliver a strong dividend and superior
risk-adjusted returns on equity to stockholders in varying interest
rate and credit cycles. In October 2002, Newcastle completed the
initial public offering of its common stock, which is listed on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NCT.
Newcastle is managed by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group
LLC, a premier investment and asset management firm. Fortress has
provided a dedicated Newcastle executive management team with
extensive experience across the key disciplines necessary to
successfully execute our business model.


Newcastle also benefits
from its manager’s investment and structuring expertise as well as a
consistent track record of delivering high returns to investors. In
addition, Fortress has a significant equity investment in
Newcastle."
As President of the United States Edwards could sure
have an impact
of the value of those goodies. Ahh, there's that "conflict of
interest" phrase again.







Fortress Investment Group LLC's Mr. Edens is also a director of
Crown Castle International Corp. http://www.crowncastle.com/
"Crown Castle International rules over a kingdom of radio towers.
Its subsidiaries and joint ventures provide broadcast, data, and
wireless communications infrastructure services in Australia, Puerto
Rico, and the US. The company's clients include AT&T Mobility
(formerly Cingular), Optus, Sprint Nextel, Verizon Wireless, and
Vodafone Australia. They lease antenna space on Crown Castle's more
than 24,000 owned or managed towers. The company has sites primarily
in the US and Puerto Rico, and has about 1,400 towers in Australia.
It also designs networks, selects and develops sites, and installs
antennas."
http://www.hoovers.com/crown-castle-international/--ID__57353--/free-
co-factsheet.xhtml






Wouldn't President Edwards have some influence on regulating lots of
that stuff?
Fortress Investment Group LLC's Mr. Edens is also a director of
GAGFAH S.A. http://www.gagfah.de/en/about_us.html "About Us
We are a nationwide Group that owns and manages a portfolio of
approximately 159,000 residential units. That makes us one of the
largest landlords in Germany." As President of the United States
Edwards could sure affect things like U.S.- German relations, which
in turn could impact on the value of those assets. There's
that "confict of interest" phrase again.






Mr. Edens was the Chief Executive Officer of Global Signal Inc. from
February 2004 to April 2006 and the Chairman of the board of
directors from October 2002 to January 2007.On October 6, 2006,
Crown Castle announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to
acquire Global Signal Inc. (NYSE: GSL)
http://investor.crowncastle.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=218828




Edens serves in various capacities in the following five registered
investment companies: Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee
of Fortress Registered Investment Trust and Fortress Investment
Trust II; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fortress Brookdale
Investment Fund LLC and Fortress Pinnacle Investment Fund LLC and
Chief Executive Officer of RIC Coinvestment Fund GP LLC. Prior to
forming Fortress, Mr. Edens was a partner and a managing director of
BlackRock Financial Management Inc., where he headed BlackRock Asset
Investors, a private equity fund. In addition, Mr. Edens was
formerly a partner and a managing director of Lehman Brothers. Mr.
Edens received a B.S. in Finance from Oregon State University."


"Fortress Brookdale Investment Fund, LLC (the "Company") was formed
on
September 6, 2000 ...The members of the Company include
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company ("Northwestern"),
Weyerhauser Company Master Retirement Trust
("Weyerhauser"), and FIG Advisors LLC ("FIG", and together with
Northwestern and Weyerhauser, the "Members"), with FIG acting
as Advisory
Member."
http://www.secinfo.com/dsvr4.389t.htm
http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/ "Weyerhaeuser Company is an
international forest products company with annual sales of $21.9
billion. Our company was founded in 1900 and currently employs about
41,000 people in 18 countries. We’ve ranked in the Fortune 200 since
1956"
Timberlands: Australia Canada New Zealand United States Uruguay."
Wonder what President Edwards policy towards firms like Weyerhaeuser
will be?
"Fortress Pinnacle Investment Fund LLC (the "Company") was formed on
July
24, 2002 The members of the Company include Weyerhauser Company
Master Retirement
Trust ("Weyeryauser"), Aurora Cayman Limited ("Aurora"), Morgan
Stanley
Private Markets Fund I ("Morgan Stanley"), Howard Hughes
Medical Institute
("HHMI") and FIG Advisors LLC ("FIG" and together with Weyerhauser,
Aurora, Morgan Stanley and HHMI, the "Members"), with FIG acting as
Advisory Member."
http://www.secinfo.com/dsvr4.22aw.htm



"Published on June 15, 2006 By Don Bauder...When taking control of
companies, Aurora Capital set up entities in the Cayman Islands
controlled by the Aurora partners...




"Published on June 15, 2006
By Don Bauder
...... Aurora Capital set up entities in the
Cayman Islands controlled by the Aurora partners, This strategy
raises numerous questions, as do most corporate
adventures in offshore tax and secrecy havens. There are no capital
gains taxes in the Caymans. Nor are there corporate or personal
income taxes, withholding taxes, gift or inheritance taxes, sales
taxes, or employment taxes.



I asked one of San Diego's foremost securities lawyers, who did not
want to be identified, about Aurora's Cayman Islands entities. The
response: "It probably means hidden ownership or tax avoidance,"
although there could be other explanations....David Dunn of La
Jolla's Idanta Partners has long been San Diego's most prominent
venture capitalist. ...I described to Dunn the Caymans
structures. "There are several reasons people locate over there. I
have never done it," says Dunn. "Lack of disclosure requirements is
one, and two is tax avoidance." Such an offshore operation can
relieve a U.S. company of "a lot of securities regulations in the
U.S. and a lot of disclosure rules." The company may be able to
delay disclosure of deals. Use of offshore havens can facilitate
asset transfers within families too.




"It's bad to generalize," says Dunn. "There may be other reasons and
valid reasons." The big tax advantage could be on relief from
capital gains taxes when shares are sold, he says....
I scoured documents filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. In 1994, Aurora Capital organized a company called
Aftermarket Technology, which distributes rebuilt auto and truck
parts. To put the company together, Aurora purchased four auto parts
companies. Aftermarket is now based near Chicago.
In late 1996, Aurora made a public offering of the shares. Aurora
Equity Partners, based in the United States, had 10.7 million
shares. A group of Cayman Islands-based entities with the
name "Overseas" in them had 4.5 million shares. ...
The insiders such as Aurora paid $1.67 per share, and outside
investors paid $13.50 each.
By late March of 2005, the Aurora entities, including those based in
the Caymans, had sold all their shares for between $14 and $18....
In late 2004, the Aurora group paid $1 billion for K&F Industries,
which makes aircraft wheels, brakes, and brake-control systems. It's
the largest supplier of wheels and brakes to the U.S. military.
Aurora financed the buyout mainly with debt and in 2005 took the
company public. Most of the proceeds from the offering went to pay
off the debt incurred for the buyout and to pay a fat dividend to
the insiders. The prospectus warned, "We do not intend to use any of
the proceeds of this offering to grow our business or develop new
products, which could negatively impact the value of your
investment." In short, the leveraged buyout had little economic
purpose other than to enrich the insiders. It's called financial
engineering.






K&F had been spun off by Loral, a bankrupt aerospace company. When
Aurora took K&F public, there were accounting changes made. "It's
buyer beware on this kind of stuff," analyst Francis Gaskins of
Ipodesktop.com told Reuters at the time. In addition, he was
concerned about the debt piled up in the buyout. K&F warns in its
filings that it has "substantial debt," now two-thirds of its
capitalization....The Aurora partners...own more than half of K&F
(now called K&F Industries Holdings) through both domestic and
Cayman Islands entities. The Caymans units have names like Aurora
Overseas Equity Partners II and Aurora Overseas Capital Partners II.
The K&F insiders, including the Caymans units, paid $2.16 a share,
and the new investors paid $17.50. When Aurora partners start
selling their shares, questions will be raised: Are capital gains
taxes being paid? Is Aurora taking advantage of other offshore tax
breaks? Is Aurora dodging some disclosure requirements? Are there
hidden partners taking shelter in the Caymans? If Aurora is not
using the tax and secrecy advantages offered by the Caymans, why
bother setting up these entities?"
http://www.sdreader.com/php/cityshow.php?id=20060625




"BlackRock is a premier provider of global investment management,
risk management, and advisory services. As of March 31, 2007, the
firm manages US$1.1 trillion across fixed income, equity, liquidity,
asset allocation/balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies.
Clients include corporate, public, and union pension plans,
insurance companies, mutual funds, endowments, foundations,
charities, corporations, official institutions, and individuals
worldwide.






Through BlackRock Solutions, the firm offers risk management and
advisory services that combine capital markets expertise with
proprietarily-developed systems and technology. BlackRock Solutions
provides risk management and enterprise investment services for
US$4.5 trillion in assets.



BlackRock’s story has always been one of evolution. Since our
founding in 1988 as a primarily institutional fixed income manager,
we have continually looked for ways to enhance our ability to serve
clients. Not only have we sought to broaden and deepen our general
capabilities, we have also tried to capitalize on the key macro
trends that are shaping the future of asset management. The most
recent step in our development is our merger with Merrill Lynch
Investment Managers, which closed September 29, 2006, significantly
increasing our assets under management and, more important,
transforming our business into a truly global one.


In Merrill Lynch Investment Managers we found a partner that gives us
extraordinary global scale and enhances our collective ability to
serve institutions, financial intermediaries and individuals.



Learn more about our combination with Merrill Lynch Investment
Managers.BlackRock has long focused on a cross-disciplinary team
approach in which clients benefit from the pooled expertise of the
firm’s resources: our investment and risk management professionals
and our proprietary analytical tools. In addition to excellent
performance, BlackRock is committed to delivering a high level of
service tailored to the needs of each client.

BlackRock’s client base includes corporate, public and Taft-Hartley
pension plans, insurance companies, mutual funds, endowments,
foundations, nuclear decommissioning trusts, corporations, banks and
individuals across the globe. Headquartered in New York, BlackRock
has offices around the globe, and maintains a major presence in key
markets in Asia, Australia, Europe, Japan, the Middle East, the
United Kingdom, and the United States.



BlackRock is independent in ownership and governance, with no single
majority stockholder and a majority of independent directors. In
terms of equity, Merrill Lynch’s stake is approximately 49%, while
PNC Financial Services Group retains an interest of about 34%; the
remaining 17% is held by BlackRock employees and the public."
http://www2.blackrock.com/global/home/AboutUs/index.htm
http://www2.blackrock.com/global/home/index.htm




President Edwards could sure affect lots of those things now
couldn't he?



"Mr. Edens serves in various capacities in the following five
registered investment companies: Chairman, Chief Executive Officer
and Trustee of Fortress Registered Investment Trust and Fortress
Investment Trust II; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Fortress Brookdale Investment Fund LLC and Fortress Pinnacle
Investment Fund LLC and Chief Executive Officer of RIC Coinvestment
Fund GP LLC."





We do not know if the firm called Fortress Pinnacle Investment Fund
LLC
has any connection whatsoever with Pinnacle Development Partners,
LLC ("Pinnacle"), a purported real estate investment fund based in
Atlanta. If anyone knows please post
that information one way or another. We are seeking the truth here
and could use
your help to find out if there is any connection at all between
these firms.




"March 8th, 2007 ATLANTA, GA - GENE A. O'NEAL, 36, of Atlanta,
Georgia, made an initial appearance today before a United States
Magistrate Judge on federal charges of mail and wire fraud. O’NEAL
allegedly ran a scheme that defrauded investors in Pinnacle
Development Partners, LLC ("Pinnacle"), a purported real estate
investment fund based in Atlanta.
HEAD OF PURPORTED REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT FUND INDICTED IN $69
MILLION PONZI SCHEME; MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE IN COURT"
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan/press/index.html
" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, March 8, 2007
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/GAM CONTACT: Patrick Crosby
PHONE: (404) 581-6016
FAX: (404) 581-6160



HEAD OF PURPORTED REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT FUND INDICTED IN $69
MILLION PONZI SCHEME; MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE IN COURT
Defendant Gene O'Neal Guaranteed A 25% Return On Investment In 60
Days
Atlanta, GA - GENE A. O'NEAL, 36, of Atlanta, Georgia, made an
initial appearance today before a United States Magistrate Judge on
federal charges of mail and wire fraud. O’NEAL allegedly ran a
scheme that defrauded investors in Pinnacle Development Partners,
LLC ("Pinnacle"), a purported real estate investment fund based in
Atlanta. O’NEAL was indicted by a federal grand jury on the charges
earlier this week.




"O’Neal’s promises of huge returns in a short period opened the
floodgates to investment," said United States Attorney David E.
Nahmias. "He allegedly raised more than $69 million in 15 months by
making promises of exorbitant returns from the purchase, improvement
and sale of real estate. He then used the capital contributions of
later investors to pay the returns promised to earlier investors.
Contrary to what he told his investors, O'Neal allegedly did not
realize the hefty returns he guaranteed but rather continued to draw
in everincreasing amounts of investment from other investors and
therefore ever-increasing amounts of unsustainable but undisclosed
debt."




FBI Special Agent In Charge Greg Jones said, " This case not only
demonstrates that the FBI is well suited to pursue such cases of
large scale fraudulent investments or ponzi schemes, with their
victims scattered over many states, it also demonstrates that we are
committed to such a pursuit. The economic losses sustained by the
victims of such schemes reverberates throughout our community in
many ways. We hope that this investigation and the resulting
indictment will serve notice to others contemplating any similar
type financial schemes."



Inspector-in-Charge Martin D. Phanco said, “From the boiler room to
the boardroom, United States Postal Inspectors work around the clock
enforcing more than 200 federal laws in support of its mission by
protecting the nation’s mail system from criminal misuse. We will
always remain steadfast in our efforts to investigate those 2
individuals or corporations who are responsible for illegally using
the U.S. Mail in the furtherance of their fraudulent schemes.”



According to the indictment and the documents and information
presented in court: Beginning in July 2005, Pinnacle, which was
founded by O'NEAL and headquartered in Atlanta, allegedly began
telling investors they could make a 25% profit in 45 days, which
later became a 25% profit in 60 days, upon investment in
partnerships Pinnacle formed to acquire real property. Investors
were told that Pinnacle was in the business of purchasing
distressed, foreclosed or bank-owned real estate, which Pinnacle
intended to “flip” for a profit after making minor repairs and
cosmetic improvements. Pinnacle solicited investment by running more
than $2.5 million worth of advertising in national and local media
publications.



As a result of his aggressive advertising campaign
promising 25% returns in either 45 or 60 days, O'NEAL induced more
than 2,000 investors from throughout the United States and some
foreign countries to invest more than $69 million in just 15 months.
Pinnacle allegedly represented in its offering materials that its
real property had been and continued to be sold at a substantial
profit to third parties, that it contributed 50% of its own capital
to the acquisition costs of its real property and that its investors
were secured by being individually named on the deeds to Pinnacle
real estate.



The indictment alleges that, in fact, Pinnacle never
sold, or for that matter significantly developed or improved, any of
the real property it bought with investor funds and therefore never
generated any income with which to pay the 25% profits, plus a
return of principal, O'NEAL had guaranteed his investors. To pay the
false returns promised to Pinnacle investors, which upon
reinvestment was compounding 25% every 60 days, O'NEAL
allegedly “recycled” more than $25 million in invested capital from
later investors to earlier investors, who were falsely told that
their returns were being paid from the development and sale of
Pinnacle real property.



According to the indictment, over a period of time, as huge amounts
of investment poured in, Pinnacle allegedly acquired larger and
considerably more expensive, both in terms of acquisition and
development costs, parcels of real estate. Investors were told that
this real estate would be developed in phases, with Pinnacle
partnerships holding the properties, for 60 days at a time, during
the various stages of development. In fact, however, of the 21 real
estate parcels Pinnacle bought, only half were assigned to a
Pinnacle partnership and less than half of the partnerships Pinnacle
formed ever appeared as record owners or partial record owners of
Pinnacle real property, meaning that investors associated with the
majority of Pinnacle's partnerships were never assigned to a
property, much less individually named on its deed.



In addition, the multi-family structures and raw land Pinnacle
purchased (using 100% investor assets) required extensive and lengthy
rehabilitation and development to ever generate income or be sold at
a profit.


To conceal the fact that Pinnacle was neither selling nor otherwise
developing its properties, O'NEAL allegedly directed that certain of
them be transferred between and 3 among Pinnacle partnerships.
Although these were merely paper transactions and did not involve an
actual sale, the transfer prices were as much as 10 times the
initial acquisition price, thereby fostering the illusion that
properties were being developed and sold at significant profits.
Aside from the $2.5 million spent on advertising, O'NEAL also
allegedly used investor assets to pay more than $2.5 million in
salary and commissions, more than $700,000 to furnish Pinnacle's
offices, and more than $3.5 million in general and administrative
expenditures. Pinnacle's investors also bought, among other things,
a $72,000 Land Rover, a $69,000 Cadillac Escalade and, for O'NEAL's
personal benefit, a $117,000 Maserati and $26,000 worth of jewelry.



The indictment's 19 mail and wire fraud counts each carry a maximum
term of imprisonment of 20 years and a maximum fine of $250,000 per
count. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of all proceeds of the
alleged fraud.



The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against
the Defendant and Pinnacle Development Partners, in October 2006,
seeking an injunction against the alleged fraudulent activity,
appointment of a receivership, and other relief. A federal judge in
Atlanta issued a preliminary injunction and appointed a receiver,
who has taken charge of the business and assets of Pinnacle
Development Partners. The pleadings and reports filed by the
receiver are publicly available in the court's docket, under the
civil action entitled U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v.
Pinnacle Development Partners LLC and Gene O'Neil, 1:06-CV-2431-JTC
(N.D.Ga October 11, 2006).



Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains
charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it
will be the government's burden to prove the defendant's guilt
beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.



This case is being investigated by Special Agents of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation and Postal Inspectors with the United States
Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Anand and Paul Monnin are
prosecuting the case.



For further information please contact David E. Nahmias (pronounced
NAH-meus), United States Attorney, or Charysse L. Alexander,
Executive Assistant United States Attorney, through Patrick Crosby,
Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Attorney's Office, at (404) 581-6016.
The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney's Office
for the Northern District of Georgia is www.usdoj.gov/usao/gan.
http://atlanta.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel07/ponzischeme030807.htm




GENE A. O'NEAL
Office Address: 2221 D. PEACHTREE ROAD, N.E.
SUITE 476
Atlanta GA 30309




If it helps we were able to find an address for GENE A. O'NEAL
However keeping track of who is who here is not an easy thing. There
may be no connection whatsover between Pinnacle Development Partners,
LLC ("Pinnacle"), a purported real estate investment fund based in
Atlanta, and the firm called Fortress Pinnacle Investment Fund LLC.
Please post your findings one way or the other.




"Harry Macklowe paid $7 billion for the 568,060-square-foot Park
Avenue Tower at 65 East 55th Street; the 465,173-square-foot 717
Fifth Avenue; the 1.8-million-square-foot 1301 Sixth Avenue; the 1.7-
million-square-foot Worldwide Plaza at 825 Eighth Avenue; the
215,322-square-foot 527 Madison Avenue; the 906,287-square-foot 1540
Broadway; the 562,567-square-foot 850 Third Avenue; and the 182,000-
square-foot Tower 56 at 126 East 56th Street. Financing was provided
by Deutsche Bank and Fortress Investment Group, ... The deal came
just before the Blackstone Group closed on its $39 billion
acquisition of Equity Office Properties, saving Blackstone $212
million in transfer taxes."
http://www.therealdeal.net/deals/sales.php?
deals_sales_sort_order=DESC&deals_sales_sort_field=price




We wonder what the conflicts of interest, if any might be on things
like "Federal Contracts for Lease or rental of facilities, FY 2001,
list ...FORTRESS INVESTMENT GROUP LLC, FORTRESS INVESTMENT GROUP
LLC; FORTRESS GSA PARFET ... CMD REALTY INVESTMENT FUND III, RMI
CAPITAL MANAGEMENT CO LTD, $954000 ...
www.fedspending.org/fpds/fpds.php?
database=fpds&reptype=r&detail=0&datype=T&sortby=f&... - 157k


"Federal Contracts for Lease or rental of facilities, FY 2002,
list ...
DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, CITY OF ATLANTA, $22573258 ...
FORTRESS INVESTMENT GROUP LLC, FORTRESS INVESTMENT GROUP LLC;
FORTRESS GSA PARFET; ...
www.fedspending.org/fpds/fpds.php?
database=fpds&reptype=r&detail=0&datype=T&sortby=f&... - 157k -




and how those alleged "conflicts of interest", if they existed,
would be handled by President Edwards. "Edwards Discusses Time at
Hedge Fund
By NEDRA PICKLER
The Associated Press
Tuesday, May 8, 2007; 9:48 PM
WASHINGTON -- Democrat John Edwards said Tuesday that he worked for
a hedge fund between presidential campaigns to learn about financial
markets and their relationship to poverty _ and to make money too.
In an interview with The Associated Press, the former North Carolina
senator said his yearlong, part-time position with Fortress
Investment Group helped his understanding of the connection but he
has more to learn. Edwards has made eradicating poverty a focus of
his second White House bid.



Edwards, a multimillionaire after years as a trial lawyer, would not
disclose how much he got paid for a year of consulting beginning in
October 2005. He said the amount will be revealed when he releases
his financial disclosure forms due May 15.
Asked if he had to join a hedge fund to learn about financial
markets, Edwards replied, "How else would I have done it?"
He said he considered going to an investment firm such as Goldman
Sachs, but Fortress was the most natural fit. Presented with the
suggestion that he could have taken a university class instead, he
said, "That's true."
"It was primarily to learn, but making money was a good thing, too,"
the 2004 vice presidential nominee said in an hourlong interview
with AP reporters and editors.



Hedge funds, now numbering more than 9,000 in the U.S. with assets
estimated to exceed $1 trillion, traditionally cater to the rich, as
well as pension funds and university endowments, but are
increasingly luring less wealthy investors.
Fortress Investment Group, founded in 1998, describes itself as "a
leading global alternative asset manager" with approximately $35.1
billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2006. The
company is headquartered in New York with affiliates around the
world.




Fortress was the single biggest employer of Edwards donors during
the first three months of the year. Donors who listed "Fortress" as
their employer contributed $67,450 to Edwards' campaign and
supporters who identified their employer as "Fortress Investment
Group" gave $55,200 to the campaign, according to Federal Election
Commission records.



Hedge funds also have another connection to the Democratic
presidential race _ Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Edwards' rival Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, works for a firm called Avenue Capital Group.
Edwards said it's fair to ask questions about whether there is a
contradiction between campaigning against poverty while working for
a hedge fund designed to make rich people richer. But he said the
job was a complement to his position as the head of a poverty center
at the University of North Carolina, something he said he didn't
describe adequately when asked about the hedge fund during the first
Democratic debate last month."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2007/05/08/AR2007050800899_2.html


Fortress Buying Florida's Flagler Development in $3.5B Deal
Sale of Florida East Coast Industries Inc. Includes 8.8M-SF
Portfolio of Office, Industrial Assets

One day after announcing it had $2.84 billion in commitments for a
newly launched private equity fund, Fortress Investment Group LLC
(NYSE:FIG) struck a deal to acquire Florida East Coast Industries
Inc. (NYSE: FLA), a Jacksonville, FL-based real estate developer and
railway owner in an all-cash transaction valued at $3.5 billion.
Funds managed by Fortress will pay about $84 per share for Florida
East Coast Industries, broken out into a special dividend of $21.50
and $62.50 per share. The total price represents a 13.3% premium to
the stock's closing price on Monday. The deal also includes the
assumption of debt.




Fortress, a hedge fund manager and private equity investor that
recently went public, said the new fund will invest in asset-based
businesses and asset portfolios, primarily in North America and
Western Europe.
Florida East Coast Industries owns and operates Flagler Development
Group, one of the premier developers in the state with a portfolio
of office and industrial properties totaling about 8.8 million
square feet, primarily located in Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale,
Orlando and Miami. Flagler also provides construction, consulting,
brokerage and property management services.




The company currently has about 1.8 million square feet under
construction and also owns about 853 acres of entitled land in
Florida, which could accommodate about 16.1 million square feet of
development. In addition, Flagler has more than 3,000 acres of
Florida real estate in its land bank that is not yet entitled.
The company's other line of business is the Florida East Coast
Railway LLC, a regional freight railroad that operates 351 miles of
mainline track between Jacksonville and Miami.



The buyout, which is scheduled to close in the third quarter of
2007, comes at an opportune time for Florida East Coast Industries,
which suffered a drop in earnings by about 50% in the first quarter
of the year. Net income plummeted by 50% to $9.04 million from $18.7
million for the first three months of 2006. Revenue during the
quarter dropped to $108 million from $136 million.
The company attributed the decline in revenue to a $43.9 million
decrease in land sales and a $7.3 million dip in railway revenue.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP served as legal advisor to
Fortress."
http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?
id=59003BE247EF59D01FB5A1E23434E674&ref=1




AND CONSIDER THIS FROM ANOTHER SOURCE:
"Kerry's top contributor, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, has
given nearly $106,000 to his campaign."




AND THIS FROM YET ANOTHER SOURCE:
“Trouble With Uranium Processing Co. H. Josef Hebert
Associated Press April 11, 2000 WASHINGTON (AP) - Less than two
years after the government sold its uranium business, the private
company it created to take on the job is mired in financial
quicksand. The deal is also jeopardizing a crucial nuclear security
agreement with Russia , critics say. USEC Inc.’s (NYSE:USU -news)
first 20 months as a private company have been anything but smooth.
Its stock has dropped 70 percent, its credit rating is in junk bond
territory, and its earnings have nose dived. Amid the financial
turmoil, lawmakers and others are questioning the sale. A
congressional investigation has been under way for a year, with the
first public hearings scheduled this week. While investors have lost
millions of dollars, some of the people who pushed hardest for an
initial stock offering have profited handsomely.




“A number of lobbyists, company insiders and investment bankers made
a killing financially,” said Charles Lewis, director of the Center
for Public Integrity, a private government watchdog.
In all, Wall Street bankers, Washington lawyers and lobbyists – many
with close ties to the Clinton administration – earned more than $75
million on the $1.9 billion sale, according to contracts and
interviews. Among those talking up the stock offering in 1998 on
Capitol Hill and in the White House were Susan Thomases, a New York
lawyer and confidante of Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Greg Simon,
formerly Vice President Al Gore’s domestic policy adviser. The law
firm of Skadden Arps, which represented President Clinton in the
Paula Jones case, was USEC’s lead attorney in the deal.....



HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY)
Top Contributors source:
http://www.opensecrets.org
Citigroup Inc $205,160 2 Goldman Sachs $171,290 3 Metropolitan Life
$154,350 4 Corning Inc $133,900 5 Time Warner $128,410 6 JP Morgan
Chase & Co $115,350 7 Morgan Stanley $110,010 8 Skadden, Arps et al
$91,030 9 International Profit Assoc $88,400 10 Ernst & Young
$88,225 11 New York Life Insurance $86,250 12 Viacom Inc $84,380 13
Cablevision Systems $82,800 14 Kirkland & Ellis $73,150 15 Cendant
Corp $72,450 16 Akin, Gump et al $64,250 17 Lehman Brothers $57,190
18 Patton Boggs LLP $54,138 19 Debevoise & Plimpton $51,500 20
Verizon Communications $51,020 We hope that you will remember the
name of Skadden, Arps et al in the list of contributors to Hillary
Rodham Clinton from http://www.opensecrets.org above can you find
any other contributors to Hillary from the list above in the list of
clients of SKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, MEAGHER, & FLOM LLP
below? “SKADDEN, ARPS, SLATE, MEAGHER, & FLOM LLP” is the lobbyist.
The following were listed as their clients:
AK STEEL CO
ALCATEL NORTH AMERICA
AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LIFE INSURERS
AMERICAN ELECTRONICS ASSN
AMERICAN INTL GROUP
AOL-TIME WARNER
AX THE DOUBLE TAX COALITION
BEAR STEARNS & CO
BELL ATLANTIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS
BETHLEHEM STEEL CORP
BOND MARKET ASSN
BURLINGTON RESOURCES OIL & GAS CO
CHICAGO DEFERRED EXCHANGE CORPORATION
CINERGY CORP
CITIGROUP MANAGEMENT CORP
COLGATE-PALMOLIVE CO
COMSAT CORP
COOLGAS INC
CORNING
COUNTY OF WILL , IL
DIAGNOSTIC RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
ENRON CORP
ENTERGY CORP
ENTERGY-KOCH LP
EVANS, BILLY LEE
EVERGREEN INTL AVIATION
FIDELITY CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
FMR CORP
FORT HOWARD CORP
FRUIT OF THE LOOM
FSC COALITION
GLAXO SMITH
GLOBAL CROSSING
GRANITE BROADCASTING
GREATER MEDIA
INSCAP
ISPAT INLAND INC.
KIEWITS SONS,
LOCKHEED MARTIN GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS INC
LTV STEEL
MCI TELECOMMUNICATIONS
MERRILL LYNCH
MEYER-CHETFIELD3
NATL ASSN OF BROADCASTERS
NATL ASSN OF ENERGY SERVICE COS
NATL STEEL
NBC AFFILIATES BOARD
NEW WORLD COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
NEWS CORP
NOL COALITION
PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH & MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA
RAYON YARN CORP
SARA LEE CORP
SEQUENT COMPUTER SYSTEMS
SIGNET GROUP PLC
STANLEY WORKS
TAX FAIRNESS COALITION
TELIGENT
TEMPLE-INLAND
TENANT IN COMMON ASSN
TOSHIBA POWER SYSTEMS
UNION PACIFIC
US AIRWAYS
US STEEL GROUP
VERIZON COMMUNICATION
Source:
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/b_three_sections_with_te

asers/clientlist_page_S.htm
“Nature of Practice
Established in 1990, the Paris office of Skadden, Arps, Slate,
Meagher & Flom LLP and affiliates (“Skadden, Arps” or “Skadden”) has
four partners, one of counsel, four counsel and 20 associates. The
Paris office advises clients principally in the areas of mergers and
acquisitions, corporate and structured finance, taxation,
litigation, and international arbitration, banking and real estate.
The Paris office is registered with the Paris Bar and most of its
attorneys are admitted as avocats with the Paris Bar. A number of
the attorneys in the Paris office are also qualified in New York .
Practice Areas Mergers and Acquisitions Corporate and Structured
Finance General
Corporate” ”
http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2006/09/allen_
critics_e.html
http://newsbusters.org/node/8893
BARACK OBAMA (D)
Top Contributors
UBS Americas $162,200
Exelon Corp $159,800
Goldman Sachs $146,100
Sidley Austin LLP $105,750
Jenner & Block $81,322
Jones, Day et al $76,000
Kirkland & Ellis $72,251
Time Warner $63,300
Williams & Connolly $58,350
Harvard University $57,500
Citigroup Inc $56,000
Credit Suisse Securities $47,500
Skadden, Arps et al $43,550
WilmerHale $41,950
Morgan Stanley $41,850
Level 3 Communications $38,900
Viacom Inc $38,700
Lehman Brothers $38,400
Ariel Capital Management $37,900
Pajcic & Pajcic $36,800
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00009638&cycle=2008




"From the NewsMax.com Staff
For the story behind the story...
Wednesday, May 23, 2007 9:07 p.m. EDT
John Edwards is Stakeholder in Sunken Treasure
TheStreet.com was questioning Wednesday how much of the $500 million
sunken treasure found in the Atlantic last weekend belongs to
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.
The treasure ship, brimming with gold and silver, was found at the
bottom of the Atlantic by exploration company, Florida-based Odyssey
Marine Research (OMR).
TheStreet.com has ferreted out that Edwards is the senior advisor
and major investor in the major shareholder of OMR, New York-based
Fortress Investments, a private equity and hedge fund manager.
Furthermore, according to TheStreet, Edwards' personal financial
disclosures show he's an investor in the exclusive Drawbridge Global
Macro Fund, which owns the 9.9 percent stake in OMR.
In a complex holding, Fortress owns 3.1 million shares, plus
millions more in preferred stock and warrants. Total economic
interest is the equivalent of 6.98 million shares. Profits in the
last week already come to $19 million, reported TheStreet.
OMR stock, which closed at $4.60 before news of the discovery, has
climbed to $7.35. The value of Fortress' stake could be as much as
$51 million.



While OMR stock peaked Monday morning at just over $9, valuing the
company at well above $400 million, the shares have come off sharply
since claims by the Spanish government that the treasure might be
Spanish and they may elect to sue for ownership. "



Speaking of Fortress
"Dr. Richard N. Haass
Director
Dr. Haass has been a member of Fortress Investment Group’s board of
directors since February 2007. Dr. Haass is president of the Council
on Foreign Relations, a position he has held since July 2003. Prior
to his current position, Dr. Haass was director of policy planning
for the U.S. Department of State, where he was a principal adviser
to Secretary of State Colin Powell on a broad range of foreign
policy concerns, and acted as U.S. coordinator for policy toward the
future of Afghanistan and the lead U.S. government official in
support of the Northern Ireland peace process. From 1989 to 1993,
Dr. Haass was special assistant to President George Bush and senior
director for Near East and South Asian affairs on the staff of the
National Security Council. Previously, he served in various posts in
the United States Departments of State and Defense. Dr. Haass has
received the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award and the
Presidential Citizens Medal. Dr. Haass has been director of foreign
policy studies at the Brookings Institution and taught at or been
associated in various capacities with Hamilton College, the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace, Harvard University’s Kennedy
School of Government and the International Institute for Strategic
Studies. Dr. Haass holds a bachelor’s from Oberlin College and both
a Master and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Oxford University."
http://www.fortressinv.com/site_content.aspx?s=17




"ZOA Disappointed That Richard Haass, Who Has Blamed Israel For Arab
Violence, Is Keynote Speaker At Y.U. Dinner
March 29, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Morton A. Klein, 212-481-1500
NEW YORK - The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is disappointed
that Yeshiva University has chosen as the keynote speaker for a Y.U.
dinner this week Richard Haass, a veteran State Department official
who during his years in office repeatedly criticized and pressured
Israel and justified the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, and more
recently blamed Israel for “provoking” Palestinian Arab terrorism.
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein has sent a letter to Yeshiva
University president Richard Joel, expressing the ZOA’s strong
disappointment over the choice of Haass, in view of Haass’s record
on Israel.



Haas is scheduled to be the featured speaker at Yeshiva University’s
dinner at the Park East Synagogue in New York City on March 31,
2004.


Blamed Israel for “provoking” Palestinian Arab terrorism: In a June
1997 policy brief that he authored for the Brookings Institute,
Haass said that Israeli housing construction in the Jerusalem
neighborhood was a “provocation” that was to blame for Palestinian
Arab terrorism—ignoring the countless terrorist attacks that took
place in the weeks and months prior to the Har Homa controversy.
Haass wrote: “Violence does not occur in a vacuum. What has provided
a context or even impetus for the latest surge in Palestinian acts
of violence are Israeli decisions. The most provocative was the
decision in February to break ground for new housing at the Har Homa
settlement in eastern Jerusalem.” (Forward, Jan. 28, 2000)




Authored Bush’s infamous ‘91 speech against loan guarantees for
Israel: According to Newsweek (June 1, 1992), Haass “wrote Bush’s
comments last September [1991] attacking Israel’s congressional push
for loan guarantees.”


The Long Island Jewish World reported that “Jewish leaders and rank
and file” regarded Bush’s comments “as one of the most mean-spirited
addresses by an American president in recent memory.” Shoshana
Cardin, chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations, called Bush’s remarks “disturbing.” Dr. Daniel
Pipes, then of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said that “Jew-
haters will cite [Bush’s speech] as a reference point for years to
come.” After Bush made his statements, “the White House received a
rush of congratulatory letters with decidedly anti-Semitic
overtones,” according to the Metro West Jewish News (Oct. 2, 1992)




Tried to stifle Jews’ criticism of Bush: In April 1992, when many
American Jews were expressing concern over the Bush-Baker policy of
pressuring Israel, Haass appeared at a meeting with Jewish leaders
in New York City and urged them “to make special efforts to ‘cool
the rhetoric’ over U.S. policy in the Middle East.” (New York Jewish
Week, April 24-30, 1992)




Justified Syria’s occupation of Lebanon: Speaking at the University
of Miami in 1992, Haass “asserted that Lebanon was better off now,
with Syria having imposed de facto control, than it was two years
ago with chaos caused by Lebanese militia.” (Miami Jewish Tribune,
April 10-16, 1992)




Moment Article Called Haass a “Jewish Arabist”: Haass was described
as a “Jewish Arabist” in an article in Moment magazine (April 1991)
by former Near East Report editor Eric Rozenman. He wrote that Haass
was one of those responsible for shaping the Bush-Baker policy that
was “indifferent to what Israel claimed as vital interests and
undiplomatically hostile to Israel’s prime minister” and had made
it “the least sympathetic American government toward Israel in that
country’s 43 years.”




The Zionist Organization of America, founded in 1897, is the oldest
pro-Israel organization in the United States. The ZOA works to
strengthen U.S.-Israel relations, educates the American public and
Congress about the dangers that Israel faces, and combats anti-
Israel bias in the media and on college campuses. Its past
presidents have included Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis and
Rabbi Dr. Abba Hillel Silver."

http://www.zoa.org/2004/03/zoa_disappointe_6.htm


" Friends of Jimmy Carter
In a Newsweek interview, a Mideast leader has kind words for a
former president and several other prominent Americans:
You weren't encouraged at all by the recommendations of the Baker-
Hamilton report?


[President] Bush ignored the Baker-Hamilton report and the positions
and reports of a number of American figures and former officials,
such as [former national-security adviser Zbigniew] Brzezinski,
[Council on Foreign Relations president] Richard Haass and former
U.S. president Carter. Bush continues to adopt the same philosophy:
if power does not succeed in achieving the objective, then more
power will.



Still, some Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer seem to be
making an effort to reach out.



I believe [Pelosi's recent visit to Syria] was a step in the right
direction. Wise people in the U.S. should realize that Israel and
the fundamentalist American conservative right have both become
burdens on the interests and the future of America.
And who's saying this? Khaled Meshal, described by Newsweek as
the "most powerful figure" in the terrorist group Hamas. With
friends like these . . .


http://opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110010052

"Khaled Meshal prays with Mahmoud Abbas and Ismail Haniya yesterday
in Mecca"
http://fpwatch.blogspot.com/2007/02/khaled-meshal-prays-with-mahmoud-
abbas.html



Hamas and Israel
12 July 2006
Khaled Meshal, a leader of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas,
says that Israel should free Palestinian prisoners in exchange for
Corporal Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier whom Hamas kidnapped two
week ago. From his safe haven in Syria, Mr. Meshal says this is what
the Palestinians want.



U.S State Department spokesman Sean McCormack questions how Khaled
Meshal "knows exactly what the Palestinian people want":
"It might be easy for him to dictate from Damascus and to speak on
behalf of the Palestinian people, but it is really the Palestinian
people themselves who suffer as a result of the fact that Khaled
Meshal and Hamas are now head of the Palestinian Authority that is
not a negotiating partner for the Israeli government or the rest of
the world."



Hamas, says Mr. McCormack, is "not interested in turning away from
terror":
"They're not interested in recognizing Israeli's right to exist. So
it is really Khaled Meshal and the Hamas-led government that is
standing in the way of a better way of life for the Palestinian
people. So, you know, it's easy for him to sit up in Damascus and
make pronouncements, but he and his organization are the ones who
are standing in the way of a better way of life and a better future
for the Palestian people."



In response to the capture of one of its soldiers, Israel has sent
troops into Gaza to search for him. Mr. McCormack says the
kidnapping of Corporal Shalit is "the root cause of the current
situation."


"We're working towards -- and the states in the region are working
towards – gaining his release. Israel. . . .certainly has the right
to defend itself. We have called upon Israel to avoid any civilian
casualties that it possibly can in its activities."



The Palestinian Authority has "certain internationally recognized
responsibilities to stop terror and to dismantle terrorist
networks," says State department spokesman Sean McCormack. The
U.S. "call upon them to do so."
The preceding was an editorial reflecting the views of the United
States Government. "
http://www.voanews.com/uspolicy/archive/2006-07/2006-07-12-voa2.cfm




And what will the views of the United States Government be under
President Edwards?
Wednesday, February 21st, 2007
Here is Peter Bart’s direct quote about Edwards: “Perhaps the
greatest short-term threat to world peace, Edwards remarked, was the
possibility that Israel would bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities.” The
Edwards campaign is now attempting to tamp down the damage of Bart’s
report and is, accordingly, retracting the quote. According to the
Associated Press, “Edwards says one of the greatest short-term
threats to world peace is Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon.”
I find it interesting that the Edwards Campaign is disputing the
accuracy of an essentially friendly story.



As far as the language characterizing Edwards remarks as “labeling
Israel the greatest threat to world peace,” that characterization is
indeed mine as Jonah Goldberg states, and not the direct quote taken
from Peter Bart above. If the Bart version of the facts is true —
and the AP reports that Bart and Variety are standing by his story —
I stand by my analysis below.
Posted in Blogs and the NetRoots, Jews and Judaism, Middle East
Politics | 2 Comments »
Wonkette Jumps the Shark; John Edwards, Empty Suit
Wednesday, February 21st, 2007
It’s encouraging to read the kind of thoughtful, intelligent
discussion of foreign affairs, I discovered on Wonkette today. Over
the years, I have found that Wonkette has done an admirable job of
dishing up a tasty mix of political gossip and Washington-based
insight. Today, I visit the site to see what it has to say on John
Edwards jaw-droppingly appalling remarks labeling Israel, in effect,
the greatest threat to world peace.



(In case you missed it, Peter
Bart of Variety wrote the initial story here.)
Wonkette suggests, in response to critiques on NRO and elsewhere,
that Edwards’ act of “stating the obvious” is impossible in today’s
world and “requires taking your lips off Israel’s ass for a few
seconds, and that’s fatal for any American politician with
presidential ambitions. This isn’t because Jews get upset or
Israel’s feelings will get hurt or anything. It’s because of batshit
insane evangelical American Jesus Freaks who have to love and
protect Israel so Jesus will come back and destroy it.”
Wonkette is incorrect here on a couple of things. First, it is a
canard to suggest as Wonkette and others that supporters of Israel
block debate on Israeli policy. The very smart and up-and-coming
writer James Kirchick offered a devastating rebuttal to this notion
in a Washington Examiner piece.



Here is Kirchick’s point in relevant
part:
“When prodded to identify an instance in which legitimate criticism
of Israel has been labeled “anti-Semitic,” the promoters of this
meme come up with nothing. Indeed, the debate in the United States
could not be more fair and vigorous, especially compared to how the
subject is discussed in the rest of the world. In Europe, Israel is
always to blame for whatever trouble boils in the Middle East; in
Arab and Muslim nations, there is little deviation from the
viewpoint that Israel itself is illegitimate and should be
destroyed. The United States is the only place where Israel gets a
fair hearing. To claim that critics of Israel are unfairly maligned
and silenced is a pathetic means of avoiding debate on the actual
issues that matter.”




Second, the appalling thing about Edwards comment is that it is just
another way of blaming the victim. Here we have Iran, a nation whose
leader has sponsored a hateful Holocaust denial conference and has
vowed to wipe out Israel on the brink of developing a weapon to
destroy Israel, and, for Edwards and Wonkette, the nation that seeks
to protect itself is the “threat”. What would Edwards and Wonkette
have Israel do? Vote itself out of existence perhaps? (At least,
Israel’s citizens, including Arabs can vote, which they aren’t
allowed to do in other parts of the Middle East.)




Regarding Edwards, the former senator’s comments are just the latest
sign that this guy is an absolute empty suit who has been in search
of a political identity since 2000. I first encountered this guy at
a Democratic breakast at the Beverly Hilton during the 2000 DNC in
Los Angeles. The room filled with Massachusetts’s seasoned politicos
didn’t give him a second look. Everybody at the level of City
Councillor and above saw him for what he was — a shallow neophyte.
In 2002, I went up to New Hampshire to see him again and came away
only marginally more impressed.



“When he got to the subject of income disparity between the rich and
poor, Edwards seemed ready to discuss a substantive problem in
depth — as if he were going to deliver some innovative solution that
would restore the vital center of American politics. He started out
promisingly: ‘I think you could ask the American people tomorrow —
and I’m talking about people who live in rural North Carolina, who
sometimes vote Democratic and sometimes vote Republican, I think we
can convince them tomorrow — that every child in America ought to
get a first-class education.’ And then … nothing. While packaged as
a unique statement delivered by a Democrat who managed to win an
election in Jesse Helms’s own state, Edwards’s comment scaled the
pinnacle of banality, if such a thing is possible. Who among serious
Americans — including the Republicans — doesn’t think students ought
to receive the best possible education? Policy fights involve how
best to achieve this — not the general principle, which was all
Edwards had to offer.”



In the beginning, he was a DLCer in the mold of Bill Clinton. Then,
he was an economic populist. Now, he is going after the NetRoots.
In search of a political identity, he hired David Bonior, a longtime
critic of Israel, as his campaign manager. Ben Smith of Politico has
already reported on the striking similarity between a 1996 Bonior
speech and Edwards’ address to the DNC last month. Now, Edwards is
taking on Bonior’s anti-Israel portfolio as well.



To Wonkette, my suggestion is to tread on familiar territory. In
other words, keep it light.
I fear, however, that Edwards is too light to be considered a
serious candidate for the presidency.
CLARIFICATION: The phrasing “labeling Israel the greatest threat to
world peace” is my own. Peter Bart direct quote is as
follows ““Perhaps the greatest short-term threat to world peace,
Edwards remarked, was the possibility that Israel would bomb Iran’s
nuclear facilities.” For more on Edwards statement today see above.
Posted in Blogs and the NetRoots, Jews and Judaism, John Edwards,
National Politics | 37 Comments »
http://gitell.wordpress.com/tag/jews-and-judaism/




In our view Edwards will end up as the nominee of the Democrats for
President in 2008
and in our view Edwards will win the election and be sworn in as
President of the United
States at noon on January 20th, 2009.
We need your help to spread the word about Edwards before it is too
late. We need
to stop Edwards from being nominated, and failing that, if he is
nominated, we need to stop
Edwards from being elected.
This does not mean that we support any of the other Democrats
running for President at
this writing. In fact we oppose all of the other Democrats running
for President at this writing.


However, we could support the person Al Gore chose as his Vice
Presidential running mate in 2000. Senator Joe Lieberman of
Connecticut. Senator Lieberman ran as an Independent when he was
defeated in the Senate primary in 2006 but he is currently caucusing
with the Democrats. If Senator Lieberman ran for President in 2008, as
he did in 2004 he would be the only one running for his Party's
nomination who currently supports the liberation of Iraq.


Clearly he is not running yet but a DRAFT LIEBERMAN movement should
not be entirely ruled out. It should be noted that AL GORE is also not
running yet
and neither are Fred Thompson or Newt Gingrich, yet all 3 of them
would make formidable competitors for their Parties Presidential
nominations in 2008 if they did run. While we could easily have
supported the AL GORE who was a hawk in 2000 and who chose an even
bigger hawk: Joe Lieberman, as the person he wanted to become
President of The United States of America if anything were to happen
to AL GORE, we can no longer support AL GORE for President because he
has turned into a dove. We do not support surrender.

If you want to contact Senator Lieberman to urge him to enter the
race for his Party's Presidential nomination you may reach him at:

his Washington, D.C. Office
706 Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4041 Voice
(202) 224-9750 Fax


or at his Connecticut Office

One Constitution Plaza
7th Floor
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 549-8463 Voice
(800) 225-5605 In CT
(860) 549-8478 Fax

In fact if Senator Lieberman decides to switch Parties you might find
yourself supporting him for the Republican Presidential or Vice
Presidential nomination. If John Kerry had been wise enough to choose
Senator Lieberman as his running mate in 2004 John Kerry would be
President of the United States of America today because Senator
Lieberman would have brought that Kerry-Lieberman ticket Florida's 27
electoral votes, more than the 20 electoral votes Ohio might have
brought if the voters of Ohio had switched to Kerry.

In 2008 Senator Lieberman running as Vice President in either Party
might make the difference in who carries Florida and in who carries
New Jersey.

We could easily see a situation in which a Republican dove like
Senator Hagel got the Republican nomination in 2008, and a hawk like
Senator Lieberman was nominated for President by the Democrats in
2008, so hold onto your hats, and everything else, the 2008
nominations are far from locked up by anyone yet in either Party.

If Senator Lieberman did enter the Presidential primaries of his
Party, as the only Democrat running as a supporter of the liberation
of Iraq running in his Party, he could easily get a very substantial
portion of the votes from Democrats in his party who support the
liberation of Iraq.


It should be noted that Senator Lieberman was able to beat
BOTH the Democrat AND the Republican when he ran for re-election to
the US Senate in Connecticut in 2006 as a hawk who fully supported
the liberation of Iraq.


So,if anything, the vote for Senator Lieberman by Connecticut voters
in the general election in 2006 was A MANDATE FOR THE CONTINUATION OF
THE U.S. ROLE IN IRAQ AND FOR THE LIBERATION OF IRAQ.

It also represented a DRAMATIC DEFEAT for the cut and run surrender
crowd of Democrats who backed Senator Lieberman's opponent in the
general election.