Another Wednesday Mashup (10/7/09)

(And I also posted here.)

So Rudy 9iu11ani has endorsed Meg Whitman for governor of California, huh?

Well then, let’s note here that, by her own admission, Whitman has a lousy voting record, supports public funding of abortions and California’s strict gun laws (here), and once endorsed a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate (Barbara Boxer, as noted here).

Also, the following should be noted about Whitman:

In 2007, Whitman Received A "Package" Worth $10 Million. As reported by the Associated Press, "Retired EBay chief executive Meg Whitman received compensation valued at US$10 million in 2007, a pay package that included $787,936 for personal air travel, according to a securities filing by the company on Monday. Whitman, a billionaire who owns a two per cent stake in online auctioneer EBay, the second largest holding, retired in March after 10 years at the helm. Considered one of Silicon Valley's most powerful women, she remains on EBay's board and serves as a special adviser to incoming CEO John Donahoe. Her 2007 pay package included a salary of $995,016, a bonus of $243,013, and $1.4 million in non-equity incentive pay, according to the company's proxy statement. She received stock and option awards valued at $6.6 million when they were granted and other compensation equal to $792,436, including the travel expenses." [Associated Press, 4/28/08]

Whitman Received A $2.9 Million Salary In 2005. As reported by Forbes, eBay CEO Meg Whitman received $2.9 million in 2005. [Forbes, accessed 8/29/08]

Despite Retiring, Meg Whitman Still Draws $1.2 Million Annually As A "Special Adviser." As reported by Barron's, "In an 8-K filing with the SEC this afternoon, eBay disclosed that outgoing CEO Meg Whitman will draw a $600,000 annual salary as a "special advisor" to the company through the end of the year. She also will have a target incentive bonus equal to her base salary, i.e., another $600,000." [Barron's, here]

Given all of this, I just have four words to say in response to Giuliani’s endorsement…

Way to go, dude!

Update 10/8/09: Here is more.

Also, while I don’t really care a whole lot about a certain Flush Limbore having enough dough to pair up with Dave Checketts, the owner of the St. Louis Blues hockey team, in an effort to buy the St. Louis Rams football team (here), I think certain Democratic-friendly owners ought to pay attention to the $230,050 number next to the Rams’ political donations on behalf of the party currently in power here and realize that that would dry up to zero if those two took over (that seems high, but Open Secrets is generally pretty credible).

And of course, this is a typically crass maneuver by perhaps the most notorious demagogue of the air waves (a lot of company there, of course), particularly given his antipathy to African Americans, including both a certain 44th president and a certain quarterback trying to work himself back from injury, as noted here.

Update: YEAH BAY-BEE!!!

Update 10/11/09: I know K.O. supported his right to own the Rams, but this sounds like more trouble for him, and rightly so.

This tells us the following…

NEW YORK — Private unlicensed gun dealers were captured on video selling weapons to undercover investigators who admitted they couldn't pass background checks in a sting operation by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to highlight the "gun show loophole."

…

Nine states, including New York, have passed laws to close the loophole, requiring background checks on at least all handgun purchases at gun shows. Bloomberg has long campaigned for Congress to close it, and for states to do it on their own if the federal government does not.

Even in states that haven't closed the loophole, federal law bars "occasional sellers" from selling guns to people they have reason to believe would fail background checks.

This is where the Bloomberg operation says 19 out of 30 sellers broke the law during the investigation, in which undercover investigators posing as buyers wore tiny cameras concealed in baseball hats and purses and audio recorders hidden in wristwatches.

In each purchase, the investigator showed interest in buying a gun, agreed on a price and then indicated that he probably could not pass a background check. Most sellers allowed the purchases anyway, responding in some cases by saying, "I couldn't pass one either," or "I don't care," according to the videos.

Two assault rifles and 20 semiautomatic handguns were bought this way, the report said.

And as noted here, both those with links to overseas-based terrorist groups and such home-grown cases as Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, Timothy McVeigh and David Koresh have exploited this loophole to arm themselves for their most heinous purposes.

However, there is some good news; as noted here, Pennsylvania is one of the nine states noted in the story for closing the loophole, though the state requirement is for handguns only (33 states have taken no action whatsoever, and the high court of Hangin' Judge JR is apparently trying to figure out how to make things worse, based on this).

Meanwhile, the bill introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg to fix this horrific problem continues to sit, utterly inactive (paging Harry Reid…).

God Bless America.

Update 10/08/09: OF COURSE this won't create as big a stir as ACORN, since, as noted by Thers at Eschaton (from where I got this), an actual law is being broken here.