Farmaajo hires a lobbying firm

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

It is quite strange why Farmaajo went for this specific firm . Hiring Park Strategies, a lobbying firm run by a man marred by accusations of shadiness, is not a move that inspires confidence in the vetting competence of the TFG. The irony is that this comes against the backdrop of another "foreign firm" fiasco, the Saracen.

 

Farmaajo's camp put out a press release after Buffalo New reported the deal.

 

D'Amato profile:

After a series of investigations in 1991, the Senate Ethics Committee reprimanded D'Amato for allowing his brother Armand, a lobbyist, to use office stationery to help solicit million-dollar Navy contracts for Unisys.

Armand D'Amato was convicted on 7 of the 24 counts of mail fraud in May 1993.

A federal appeals court reversed Armand D'Amato's mail fraud conviction, finding insufficient evidence against him. Al D'Amato blames William Weld, at the time a federal prosecutor, for an overzealous prosecution against Armand.

The senator's brother was also partners with Lucchese crime family captain Paul Vario and mob associate Phillip Basile.

When Basile was arrested for getting mob associate Henry Hill a no-show job at one of his discos, Senator D'Amato testified on Basile's behalf.[5] During the Don Imus radio program on April 4, 1995, D'Amato used a mock Japanese accent to impersonate Lance Ito, a Japanese American judge overseeing the ongoing O.J. Simpson trial (though Ito, born and raised in the United States, has a characteristically American accent). He later apologized on the Senate floor for his comments. In 1994, he insulted Betsy McCaughey Ross, the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York; he joked that in order to get an endorsement for her running mate, George Pataki, she should have sex with New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who had endorsed Mario Cuomo. In October 1998, D'Amato was criticized for insulting Congressman Jerry Nadler. According to USA Today, D'Amato "referred to the heavyset Nadler as 'Congressman Waddler.' He also did a physical imitation of Nadler (D-NY) waddling like a duck."[6] D'Amato subsequently apologized, saying, "It was a poor attempt at humor, and I was wrong, and I apologized to him."

 

Source: wiki

 

Former Senator D’Amato is scheduled to testify next week, in NY State Supreme Court, June 15 -16, 2010 as to his alleged role as the lobbyist who

influenced New York State officials to include a MOB related construction firm

onto a list of qualified contractors after they had already been disqualified by the quality control people within the New York State Dormitory Authority (DASNY). Thomas Murphy, then Executive Director of DASNY, testified that Richard Nasti told him to add the Scalamadres onto the list of qualified contractors even though Joseph and Fred Scalamandre both pleaded guilty to paying off the MOB and stealing tens of millions of dollars from several government agencies.

 

Source:

http://www.phillyimc.org/en/alphonse-d%E2%80%99amato-testify-dasny-contract-procedure-violated-after-adding-mob-firm-bid-list

[ANWAR]

what is they do??

[nuune]

They will receive $20,000 a month for doing nothing from the TFG.

 

The guy is aalkoliiste and khamarji

 

 

POLITICO Pro Interview: Former Sen. Al D’Amato

 

By Dave Hansen

POLITICO Pro

 

3/18/11 5:36 AM EDT

 

Former Sen. Al D'Amato (R-N.Y.) was an avid poker player during his 18 years in the Senate. He left Congress in 1999, but he hasn't left the poker table. D'Amato is a regular at Monday night poker games and serves as chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, a nonprofit that promotes poker player’s rights. In this interview with POLITICO, he talks about his goal: persuading Congress to pass a bill legalizing online poker playing.

 

Why do you want to legalize online poker?

 

Our contention is, as more and more businesses turn to the Internet for their very existence, as we use the most modern methodologies both for entertainment and business, why shouldn’t the Internet be used? And why should people be precluded from playing a game of their choice at home?

 

Today, we have some examples of tribes running poker-rigging games. So isn’t it better to have supervision and see to it that it is an honest game? Prohibit minors from playing?

 

It hearkens back to the days between the government ban on alcohol and regulating it. You had more people dying from bad booze and drinking incidents. You had organized crime and unscrupulous people coming in and no taxes collected. Here you have an opportunity to keep unscrupulous people out.

 

Even the most serious opponents have come to realize that there can be very real safeguards against youngsters playing on the Internet. If you have no regulations, you still have offshore players and you have an unregulated industry with little restrictions on who can play.

 

Its time has come. You have to be in Never Never Land not to see the billions waged annually and that the government does nothing to protect public. In some cases, organized crime is the beneficiary of the activity.

Have you always played poker?

 

Since my college days. If you get beat when you have four of a kind by a straight flush, you don’t forget it. That has happened to yours truly.

 

One of my most memorable hands in seven-card stud was when one player winds up with a straight flush. And Alfonse winds up with a higher straight flush. Odds of a straight flush are like a million to one. Imagine two straight flushes in a natural game in one hand? I have seen it once and was the luckiest recipient

How much did you win?

 

Let’s say it was a good pot.

 

Who were the greatest politicians you played against? Did you ever do political business over games?

 

I’ve played with a number of my former colleagues, and won’t go into names. I’ve played with people from all walks of life. It is a wonderful fascinating game of skill, because if you play against a skilled player enough times, you may beat him some times, but over the long run he or she will prevail because they know when to bet and how to bet. I find it a wonderfully challenging and relaxing way to spend some time.

 

Who is the best celebrity you’ve played against?

 

Donald Trump is the best. He’s a very bright guy — and fun.

Who have you met with on Capitol Hill? Anyone you used to serve with or play against?

Well, none of the people I used to play with. But a number of colleagues, both on the Republican and Democratic side expressed interest. I don’t reveal what people I am attempting to convince that this bill is long overdue.

 

There probably won’t be any movement until the second half of this year. It probably will be June before we start the push because all energies and attention are placed on the financial situation and budget. It would be silly to make an intensive push now. But we are constantly monitoring it and attempting to put together a bill that will protect the consumer and meet some legitimate concerns, like not exposing youngsters.

 

As more states express interest, there may be more senators and congressmen who say we should have an overall law. But it’s safe to say any legislation would provide opt outs if a state didn’t want it to have it.

 

What are the chances of legalizing online gaming?

 

I think we have a good chance. Last year we had an excellent chance, but when the president on the tax bill agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts, we decided not to gum up the works by putting a poker bill on it.

 

There’s no chance to legalize sports gambling and we are not pushing it. No chance whatsoever. Online poker has the best chance because it is a skill game.

 

Some states are considering legalized online gaming. Is it better to work at the state or federal level?

 

Certainly better at the federal level. A number of states are actively looking at legislation to permit interstate poker. That will put more pressure on federal legislators to do something, so they can do it on a comprehensive manner.

 

How do you spend your time now that you’re retired from Congress?

We have an active consulting business. We do strategic advice. We have an active lobbying business in D.C. and New York. And we do a lot of business-to-business work with synergies. So we are very, very active.

 

What do you miss most from the Senate?

 

On the Senate floor, I miss the opportunity to help your community because you can pick up a phone and call a bureaucrat and ask why it is held up. That is a lot of unseen work.

 

But to be candid, I have been blessed. The power that comes with it is intoxicating. I had a great 18 years. So while I love that, I don’t miss it because I have more time with my family.

 

We live close to where I was raised in Long Island on the water. I have two kids and 14 grandkids. So God has blessed me. I have a very wonderful family situation that I wouldn’t have had if I continued in Senate. I don’t miss it. I loved it. I have had the best of both worlds.

[NGONGE]

^^ What's the difference between an "aalkoliiste" and a "khamarji"?

 

LST, what sort of lobbying is this firm hired for? Is it only the US or worldwide?

[Malika]

Lol@nuune, adigo qof faneyaa maa arko..lol

[Johnny B]

NGONGE;704202 wrote:

^^ What's the difference between an "aalkoliiste" and a "khamarji"?

 

LST, what sort of lobbying is this firm hired for? Is it only the US or worldwide?

So Somaliland can hire it too?!

 

Seriously though, i see nothin wrong in hiring this firm ,

It, s its services not the charecter of it,s ceo the tfg needs.

 

I find What it can Do for Somalia's tfg far more intresting than it's ceo's gambling / drinking habbits.

The service of this firm is what our poor tfg can afford.

 

I woulden't surprised if our PM had chosen them because of that.

 

Remember the man insydds of flying withown Surinams had chipsen to fly With regular Somali passengers to Djibouti.

[Mintid Farayar]

LSK,

For all familiar with the U.S. system, you pose an interesting question. I don't know the answer but wouldn't mind taking a stab at it.

 

Traditionally, New York State like some other states in the Union (i.e. Louisiana, Illinois, etc.) has had its fair share of tolerated corruption. This tradition is commonly referred to as 'Tammany Hall' (I won't bother the reader with details or a tiresome history lesson). So it's not the least bit surprising that some elements of the former political elites have had ties to some unsavory characters and businesses. More recently, New York State had the Rudy Giuliani/Bernard Kerrik(Giuliani's Police Chief) scandal - (also with mob/mafia ties that greatly embarrassed the Bush Administration after they nominated Kerik for Secretary of Homeland Security).

 

So this type of co-mingling of the political and the criminal in NY is not all that unusual.

 

However, why would Farmaajo choose this firm?

 

Well, just maybe:

Farmaajo, being a Western-educated technocrat like Sharmarke before him, sees the TFG for the mirage it is and is just feathering his nest for when he's eventually pushed out (just like Sharmarke did).

 

Where will he be returning to if he does that? Well, New York State, of course, where he was previously an employee of the local/state government (and where his family lives, I might add). Well, if that's the case, it greatly helps to have friends in high places in the State's elite political groupings. Giving a contract to the firm of a powerful Republican ex-U.S. Senator definitely will win you some friends!

 

Food for thought..

[Liqaye]

Well, just maybe:

Farmaajo, being a Western-educated technocrat like Sharmarke before him, sees the TFG for the mirage it is and is just feathering his nest for when he's eventually pushed out (just like Sharmarke did).

 

Where will he be returning to if he does that? Well, New York State, of course, where he was previously an employee of the local/state government (and where his family lives, I might add). Well, if that's the case, it greatly helps to have friends in high places in the State's elite political groupings. Giving a contract to the firm of a powerful Republican ex-U.S. Senator definitely will win you some friends!

 

Food for thought..

 

You should have been a movie director, you should have added a section on Farmajoo transporting the ring to unite them all to the mountain of fire outside buffalo new york.

 

When looking at this situation why dont we just use ocampo's razor, namely the simplest explanation is probably the correct one, the TFG needs to sway congressional opinion in Washington D.C and craft a persuasive message, the floor has been left to bored academics such as peter pham or Burwyn to spew out their theories as they wish to.

 

I could be wrong, lakiin niin gaal ah ina khamri caab lagu caayo seems to me deficient in gravitas.

[Jacaylbaro]

What are they lobbying for ??? ,,,,

[Liqaye]

^^^^

Somaliland recognition

[Che -Guevara]

^LooooL

 

They say nothing wrong hiring lobbying firm perse but are the objectives?