Contrarian Pundit

In April 2004, U.S. Marines assaulted the Iraqi city of Fallujah, 50 miles west of Baghdad, to clear it of insurgents.  Operation Vigilant Resolve destroyed the city and left tons of depleted uranium-munitions amid the rubble. The military has always insisted that the radioactive substance

Health researchers, on the other hand, are discovering the horrible truth:

Today, according to a study by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health [PDF link], rates of cancer, leukemia, infant mortality and sexual mutations in Fallujah are higher than those reported in the aftermath of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear detonations.

“Iraqi doctors in Fallujah have complained since 2005 of being overwhelmed by the number of babies with serious birth defects, ranging from a girl born with two heads to paralysis of the lower limbs,” a report by The Independent noted. “They said they were also seeing far more cancers than they did before the battle for Fallujah between US troops and insurgents.”

Images of Iraqi children born horribly mutated are extremely difficult to look at and not for the feint of heart.

Perhaps even more disturbing than the study’s results is the fact that no mainstream American newspaper has reported on this story.

If you have ever wondered why they hate us, be sure to click through to the depleted-uranium babies.

In 2008, Fraud Magazine published a fascinating interview with Dr. Robert Hare and Dr. Paul Babiak, authors of Snakes in Suits, on identifying psychopathic fraudsters in the corporate world. (Thank you, naked capitalism, for the link.)

In it, we learn that companies have become more “psychopath friendly” …

Babiak: The change of organizational structures from large and bureaucratic to lean, mean, and flat has inadvertently made companies more attractive to psychopaths (fewer rules) and, at the same time, easier to negotiate (faster progression). There is more opportunity for a motivated psychopath to stand out amongst his or her peers, less hoops to jump through, and shorter distances to the top. Changes in work values among employees have also facilitated entry by psychopaths. Many companies, initially puzzled by the demands of “younger” workers for large sign-on bonuses and promotions at least every two years, are beginning to accept this as part of a new work style that needs to be accommodated in some way. A young psychopath would fit in quite nicely in this culture.

… and that psychopaths are surprisingly successful, even after they are caught defrauding employers:

Babiak: With one exception, all of the psychopaths that we have studied are still in positions of authority in their companies. In some cases, they have risen within the ranks, and in others, they have solid positions from which they continue to use their organizations for personal gain. The one psychopath we studied who was fired ended up leaving with a sizeable financial package and a company car. He was hired by a competitor at a significantly greater salary. Unfortunately, in their effort to rid themselves of problems and to avoid embarrassment in front of corporate or financial communities, some organizations will cover up their messes and even write favorable letters of recommendation thus facilitating psychopaths’ devious journeys up corporate ladders.

Readers of my investigation into Macy’s jewelry sales will be dismayed to learn that the Women’s Jewelry Association issued an award for excellence last year to Bea Spiech, Macy’s vice president and divisional merchandise manager of fine jewelry.

In about a week, I will be moving from San Francisco to Boston to start work at Boston Review.  In light of my cross-country transfer, I will be making changes to the website.  Local links will disappear and blogging will drop Bay Area matters.

That is all.

Remember my story on those glass-ruby composites that Macy’s sells as “rubies” for hundreds of dollars per carat to this very day?

Gemologist and author Gary Roskin saw them being sold in Las Vegas recently for $6 per carat wholesale.  Be sure to click through to see pictures of the stones piled up in cardboard boxes like gumballs.

Macy’s is seeking greater profit margins at the expense of fair business dealings. Who else does that remind you of?

Actually, the Obama administration is calling it “Recovery Summer” — a series of barnstorming events around select parts of the country to highlight how the stimulus package is creating millions of jobs.  But I decided to go with Larry Summers’ appellation.

And look at the itinerary: Ohio, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania . . . isn’t it wonderful how Recovery Summer transcends politics?

In all seriousness, those who see nothing but crass marketing here have it all wrong.  These events aren’t meant to celebrate the stimulus package.  They are the stimulus package.  I mean, somebody has to make those Sforzian backdrops.

Over at Psychology Today, I explain why Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert has no evidence for his claim in the New York Times that Alex Rodriguez choked in the lead-up to his 600th home run.

Linda Hooper-Bui, an entomologist at LSU A&M who researches Gulf habitats, wrote an important piece for The Scientist arguing that BP and government agencies are working in concert to squelch the dissemination of scientific research.  In short, independent scientists are faced with a catch-22: sign confidentiality agreements to conduct research in the area and give up publishing rights for at least three years, or else lose access and funding.

In the course of laying out her case, Hooper-Bui included some starting allegations:

In southern Alabama back in late May, my PhD student’s ant samples were taken away by a US Fish and Wildlife officer at a publicly accessible state Wildlife Management Area because our project hadn’t been approved by Incident Command (also called the Deepwater Horizon Response Unified Command — which is a joint program of BP and federal agencies, such as the Coast Guard, the Department of the Interior, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, assembled to respond to problems related to the April 20 blowout).

We’ve had similar experiences in south Louisiana, where our research trip was halted after driving more than 150 miles to a study site.  On the way to our sampling sites in Grand Isle, LA, were turned away by a sheriff’s deputy blocking the road who said that he was told to allow now one who wasn’t associated with BP or NRDA [National Resource Damage Assessment] to pass that point.  We’ve also been blocked by the Wisner Trust, one of the largest private land owners of marsh habitat in Louisiana, who in the past allowed LSU researchers access to their property.  The lawyer representing the trust indicated that they are coordinating over 700 different people associated with BP and NRDA and that they simply cannot approve access for anyone else.

According to Pete Tuttle, NRDA coordinator at the Department of the Interior, the confidentiality agreements ban the release or publication of research without the authorization of the Department of Justice.

Yes, the public’s ability to know something as uncontroversial as the number of dragonflies in Louisiana marshes may rest on Eric Holder’s say so.

Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the IRS admitted an error of more than $325 million in a high-stakes tax battle with Vi, an operator of upscale retirement communities.

The news struck me as odd, because the IRS somehow admitted error even though it continued to defend its underlying position—that so-called “entrance fees” paid by incoming retirement-community residents can be treated as taxable income.

How can it be, I wondered, that the IRS both admitted error but claimed it was justified in its tax assessment? Surely there was more to the story.  What could possibly be going on?

Could it be, perhaps, that Vi’s chairman, Penny Pritzker (click to see personal website) of the Chicago-based Pritzker clan, was the national finance chair of Obama’s presidential campaign and currently sits on the president’s economic recovery advisory board?  Somehow the Journal failed to mention this.

Move along.  Nothing to see here.

POSTSCRIPT: Until recently, Vi was called “Classic Residence by Hyatt” (The Pritzkers own the Hyatt hotel chain, among other profitable ventures). Rebranding is a surefire sign of scandal.

The House ethics committee revealed its charges against Rep. Charlie Rangel (D– N.Y.) last week. Progressive bloggers were keen to point out that they didn’t add any significant facts to what had already been reported.  However, that reaction was not entirely true, as the New York Post, which broke several of the key Rangel stories, rightly pointed out.

But even if the committee’s statement hadn’t revealed anything new, reading the gory details has a wonderful way of filling out our understanding. Consider the following two ignored nuggets from the charges:

(1) A central allegation concerns Rangel’s attempt to secure $30 million in funding for the Charles B. Rangel Center at the City College of New York, a place where he could have an office, archive his papers, and promote education towards public-service careers.

Rangel repeatedly sent fund-raising letters to two groups: corporate foundations and fellow Congressmen (from whom he would need support for appropriations).

To the corporate types, he said he was seeking funding for the “Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service” or “Ragel Center”.  You certainly want these people to know they’re doing a favor for the Ways and Means chairman.

But to his fellow Congressmen, he said he was seeking funding “to help establish a Center for Public Service at the City College of New York in my Congressional District.” (Note that by capitalizing “Center for Public Service,” he implies that it will be the official name of the center.) Yes, you certainly don’t want your peers to know that the earmark is for a monument to the Congressman requesting it.

(2) In 2006, Rangel manged to get the Ford Foundation to schedule a luncheon with other foundations to discuss the Rangel Center.  However, the event was postponed in March due to the lack of Congressional appropriations and other established funding.  At that point, Rangel had secured only $445,000 through an earmark.

So what did Rangel allegedly do? He lied to them (p. 8):

The July 2006 letters were also written on congressional letterhead bearing the words “United States Congress” and “House of Representatives.” The letters informed potential donors that Respondent [i.e. Rangel] had secured earmarks of $3.6 million for the Charles B. Rangel Center project.

Respondent personally signed each of the July 2006 letters.

As of July 2006, Respondent had secured, in 2005, one earmark in the amount of $445,000 for the Rangel Center.

As of July 2006, earmarks in the total amount of $3,150,000 for the Rangel Center for fiscal year 2007 were included in appropriations bills coming out of the respective subcommittees of jurisdiction.  Those earmarks were ultimately not included in any appropriations bills for fiscal year 2007.

Rangel allegedly not only lied to them, but he also lied to CCNY officials, who repeated the same claims to Ford Foundation officials.

If the charges hold up, Rangel is simply not fit for office.  Let’s see whether the political timing prevents the proper outcome.