You Can’t Make This Stuff Up. Part 93.
Here’s a rumor that actually had me almost spitting my coffee this morning. We say that all the time, but really. Almost spit my coffee.
Now, this is only rumor at this point, but according to the Alaska Ear, guess who Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s roommate was at Pepperdine Law School?
I’ll tell you, because you’ll never guess.
Put down your coffee.
Sit.
None other than infamous Alaska Attorney General Talis Colberg, the one who told Alaska State employees they could ignore legislative subpoenas. The one who in part inspired the largest political rally in Alaska’s history, asking for his removal.
Rod Blagojevich and Talis Colberg. Roommates.
Pepperdine must be so proud.
So….was their room shaped like a pod?
Just askin’.
probably a few more peas in that pod; stay tuned!
Peperdine also has that guy Starr who was the man who wasted so much money in the Clinton investigation. When I read that Blago went to Peperdine, I thought, “hmmmm, a religious school produced THAT guy! I guess that religious thing must be a cover for a lot of shenanigans.”
You’re right, you can’t make this stuff up!
Is Peperdine the most corrupt law school in the nation?
I’m speechless!
@Flanders: No, I think the honor goes to this law school.
I am gonna post my last comment on this new thread. : )
re: the church…. This is a common style for large modern-day “fundamentalist” (Bible-believing) churches. I suspect that this style is less expensive to build than something with more angles and windows. The “big-box” style is probably more economical to build. The church building usually houses the sanctuary (Wasilla’s evidently accommodates 1,000 people–perhaps in several services), offices for the pastor and his staff, a kitchen, classrooms, a nursery, and a recreation area or gym. My experience is limited to the two (Bible-believing) churches I have belonged to, but I suspect that most other churches finance their buildings the same way. We had a huge fund-raising drive, and then the church takes out a loan (similar to a home loan) to finance the building. Then, over 20 (or 30) years, the congregation makes mortgage payments (like house payments) until the debt is repaid. Often the church is built in stages; the sanctuary may be built and paid off before the classrooms, or the kitchen may be added later, and so forth. $4-5 million dollars seems like a lot of money, but I don’t know what land and building materials may cost in Wasilla. I doubt, though, that the entire amount has been paid off; I am sure there will be many years of monthly “church payments” to be made.
re: fires… So many churches have been set on fire in our history that Pres. Clinton formed a commission to investigate them. Many of the churches burned in the 90’s were in the South and housed black congregations; the arsonist’s motive was usually racism. Other churches, though, have been in other parts of the country and were not considered to be black churches; the arsonist’s motives in these cases varied. Because of our country’s history of church arsons, people whose churches suffer fire damage always consider arson. The motive, tho, when it is arson, is usually learned when the arsonist is captured.
re: SP’s comments about the fire… Although it is not unreasonable to consider arson as the cause in a church fire, SP’s comments were about herself, not about the fire. She (as we all know) believes that the world revolves around her, so of course she would make the church’s fire be about herself.
re: SP’s “membership” in this, or any, church…. SP ATTENDS church, but she is NOT a member. Members not only attend services, they work at the church, volunteering to help with the many things that need to be done. They spend time fellowshipping with one another, and they help each other (both physically and spiritually) in times of need. They donate money (tithe) and give extra to help with missionary work and other church-related projects. Members give of themselves and love one another. SP just shows up for herself; she is not a member.
Off-topic, and possibly old news to other mudpuppies, but I noticed yesterday that AKM was featured in the blog roll on the home page of Huffington Post. Congratulations!
Here’s the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/akmuckraker
But on reflection, not surprised.
OMG….I have to run over and talk to my niece….she graduated from Pepperdine with a poli-sci degree, albeit a few years after Blago and Colberg.
She was also part of Pepperdine admin. Oooohhh…what a find AKM!
OT, AKM, I know you are doing the 12 days of Christmas – but just wanted to share an Irish version. The video isn’t great, but it is worth listening to.
Oops, forgot to post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LwjoQ0own0
It’s a shame that people who are supposedly religious are crooks anyway.
This could go for SP, too.
The church where I went to my first (and last) Sunday school thing at age 5 had, about 5 years ago, a minister who embezelled from them, screwing up their expansion plans. My CPA goes to that church and told me about their financial issues. The congregants were taking care of the landscaping, etc. The original building from 40 years ago, with it’s 40 YO windows are still there, but the paint matches the rest of the complex. They finally got the parking lot expansion in the past month.
I know churches can do good things, but after the former Jewish head of NASDAQ created a Ponzi scheme and took a lot of money from Jewish charities, etc., I’m a bit cynical on the whole thing.
Yikes! Guess it shows The Pods had money & family connections at a young age. What’s with the JFK hair Gov Blogajevich is sporting. I think maybe he watched too many 30′s gangster movies. Hopefully, very soon he will be impeached & magically out of media radar. Just one less wacho, but I’m sure there are many more on the horizon. The devisive repubs keep trying to make some scandelous connection between the Obama people & Gov Blog, but they just can’t get the media to bite…..not yet.
I understand your skepticism, nswfm. We only hear about the “bad” churches and the “bad” Christians. Fortunately, they are in the minority. A fallacy of logic often prevails when discussing groups or individuals:
An elephant has ears; I have ears; therefore, I am an elephant.
This pastor was dishonest; you are a pastor; therefore, you are dishonest.
This Christian is mean-spirited; you are a Christian; therefore, you are mean-spirited.
You see how this applies?
Another way to think of it is this:
Did you ever have a bad teacher? Did you quit going to school because of her?
Did you ever go to a bad dentist? Did you stop going to the dentist as a result?
Have you ever had a bad meal at a restaurtant? Have you stopped eating out?
I mention all of this because I feel so angry that mean-spirited Christians such as SP and GWB make all the rest of us look so awful. Most Christians are NOT like these two, but most people think we are. : (
@Irishgirl Rosebud
Thank you for you post. What a laugh…brings back memories of my Irish grandmother.
Six degrees of Rod Blagojevich.
@nswfm CA (13:41:47) :
Ah yes, Kenneth Starr, the very one who argued the Juneau School District’s side in the “Bong Hits for Jesus” case at the Supreme Court…
thanks, irish girl rosebud, for the latest addition of a youtube 12days to my collection. i am all things 12 days during the holidays and just love the youtubes.
as for pepperdine…
for me a truly scary place. we went to the law school’s annual fundraiser last year as a favor to one of my husbands collegues.
justice roberts spoke-a bit of a conflict between church and the judicial if you ask me.
there were over 6 thousand people present, and the law from the standpoint of being a good christian was the theme. i felt like i was in one of those megachurches instead of the kodak theater. and this was a formal sitdown dinner/black tie event.
i was uncomfortable and slightly sick at my stomach.
Poor Pepperdine. . . .how embarrassing to finally rank up there with the “big boy” schools like harvard, wharton, yale, princeton . . .in graduating degreed crooks and scumbags. Let’s see – Yale gets the Bush & Co crew. . . Pepperdine gets Blago
Sue (14:26:53) :
I don’t think we only hear of the bad–Habitat for Humanity isn’t bad, Mother Theresa, etc. but the ones that try to pull wool over people’s eyes because they are so pious are the ones that create the issues for me. Like the entire pedophelia thing in the Catholic Church. Or the Mormons trying to influence the Prop 8 vote in CA by irritating my friends in the entertainment industry.
This same Presbytarian church sent out people to my parents house to get them to “vote yes on Prop 8″, and my parents’ said they preferred to live and let live. The irony here was that their neighbor 2 houses away was doing the same thing and after having invited/recruited my dad to two “men’s breakfasts” at the church, yet he didn’t have the guts to come to my parents’s house himself–instead he was at the diagonal neighbor’s corner house. That seemed cowardly to everyone in my family, and both families have lived there for 40 years.
This neighbor’s wife is out of ICU post-staph infection and renal failure from a knee replacemen-replacement (yup twice), and my parents went to visit her before the ICU, regardless. To me, that is the right thing to do, despite any religion.
Ah – birds of a feather flock together……….
Let’s hope they get a chance to be roommates again…behind bars.
Did they get hair styling tips from the same source while at Pepperdine?
Maybe that is why there are so many similarities between Sarah and Rod….He has been teaching her what Rod taught him….lol
Cause it sure seems like they have a LOT in common.
good comment Libby, I’m with you on that!!
Ot: ATF is reporting accelerent being used outside the church.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6166194.html
“It’s kind of odd to do in the evening hours,” he said. “I can tell you that most of the arson fires I’ve worked on are late nighttime, usually when no one is there.”
I bet it was kids…
Well I hope that Talis did not touch Blagojevich’s hairbrush.
I understand he calls it the “football” and flips his lid if it is not within arm’s reach at all times.
Freak!
Barbie on Greta tonight….{rolls eyes}
i would watch sister sarah if she was on a show that would hold accountable not greta..that I will not watch
@Gryphen
Quite so…….must keep our priorities in order…..hair is important. What does the rest of the world think of us? Bush’s response to a shoe being thrown at him was far better than his response to the 9/11 attack when he looked like a deer in the headlight at the elementary school.
@Chrystal
Arggggggggggg Greta..Greta…Greta..everyone is in it for the money. I think McCain created a monster……or maybe two monsters.
I updated the info on the church fire & accelerant on that thread. So church chat can still happen there. If I get any info beyond that, I’ll post a new thread.
South Side Chicago
That your integrity-challenged elected official and our integrity-challenged official shared a room does not astonish me. An earlier post of mine noted that our Gov. Blagojevich (who did some good things) has be referred to way before now as having narcissistic tendencies–sorta like Gov. Palin.
It probably takes a person who feels all-powerful and the center of events to behave so foolishly when under scrutiny.
The earlier posts (a couple) never showed up here. I don’t think that I’ve been banned?
How is it that we don’t (as voters) recognize cocky politicians who aspire to ‘deal make’ and whose code of ethics is quid pro quo–with a meaningful off-the-top slice for me and mine first. Do we not recognize bad-seed sowers before the crop is harvested? Are we learning to stand up and hold our elected officials accountable? To bad that we don’t have a crook detector that candidates must walk through prior to getting on a ballot. Wishful thinking….
Sue…..I understand what you’re saying and what you mean. It’s just that when people in positions of authority make those bad choices the fallout has a ripple effect. After all they are not called “leaders” for nothing and it does leave a bad reflection.
I was a 15 yr memeber in a first Assemblies of God who voted to go independant due to wanting to leave the main Assemblies beliefs. It grew into a huge mega church of over 3000 (not counting children) when I chose to go it on my own, that was about 8 yrs ago.
And yep, I was a very devoted volunteer and tither, who put in 100′s of hours and extra $ donations helping build a larger building.
My great disappointment happened when 2 of the very main leadership members (very well paid and loved I might add!) decided to have an affair lasting over 3 years before being discovered, all the while pretending to be setting an example, sometimes even stepping in for the pastor to teach.
When busted they both wanted to worsen a bad situation by divorcing spouses in order to get married because they supposedly loved each other so much, gag. Oh yes there were children involved in both families and both had relatives who worked at the church. Think Tammy Fay and whoseitname who milked millions while doing their damage to a peoples trust. It’s just so morally and spiritually wrong.
What a mess, what fallout, what damage those selfish stupid hypocritical acts inflict, and on so many, young children, teenagers, young marrieds, singles dating, singles not, divorcees, all taught to abstain much less covet, lol, something stinks in churchland.
Ya just expect more from people in leadership and authority over a group of people, not perfection of course but certainly not criminal or immoral deception. And when they do their chosen deliberate “act” so skillfully and ya feel blindsided, it’s hard to get over the disbelief you were “had”, much less trust or think you can really know people ever, are they real or not.
I am no longer so trusting, of anyone. If I get a “sense” and believe me my radar antlers are usually up I go digging for what the heck or run the opposite direction fast. I was not about to walk away and ignor Palin, I believe she is dangerous and like most of us I was and still am driven to keep an eye on her and do my best to see she does no harm. And I don’t particularly like being this way, by nature I would far rather embrace all and believe in them and their best, but, that’s not our world. Protect the innocent and bust the perps.
sorry to blather on…….
Going outside and shouting to the big ol universe THANKYOU, THANKYOU, THANKYOU!!! I am SO GLAD and GRATEFUL Barack won!!!! Yes we can and Yes we did, now Yes we will.
@nswfm—I’m sorry you have had such unfortunate experiences with Christians. Maybe you have had some good ones, too, but you didn’t know the people were Christians. My experience has been that the ones who make a big deal out of “I”M A CHRISTIAN” do not act like one, whereas the nice ones don’t ever mention their religion; they just do the right thing. : )
phobe:
Oh I wouldn’t watch Faux news or Greta, my eyes and ears couldn’t handle it!
I just wonder what sound bytes we will get from it,
Barbie’s just got to keep herself out in the spotlight!
I find it curious that Blago is not licensed to practice law. Did he never pass a bar anywhere? Or, perhaps, did he have a license and loose it?
@say no to Palin… I understand completely. It is always a blow to find out someone you trusted has deceived you. I have had similar experiences with people in my church, too. I agree with you that Palin is dangerous…we must keep our eyes on her activities. And I, too, am so glad that Barack won!!! (even tho my husband and I are the only ones from our church who are glad!) : )
Snort!
well that’s frightning ..
Pepperdine…well that explains a lot.
Sue, It’s not just Christians, it’s anyone who tries to hide behind “religion” and think they should get away with it, whether Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Budist, athiest.
It doesn’t matter if you are doing something bad, that even a kid would know is bad, like stealing, killing innocent people by flying planes into buildings, like the people in Mumbai, Madrid, London, where ever. We ought to know not to take things that don’t belong to others, whether its money, lives, property, spouses, children’s innocence, having a bonfire during wild winds in Southern California (Malibu, where Peperdine is, Montecito where Westmont College is), setting a fire with accelerant, etc. That’s parenting.
Gotta be careful about the links betwixt law school classmates, although if true, that is a very newsworthy observation.
On a different slant, Obama and a member of Ken Starr’s legal team, Brad Berrenson, were not only law school classmates but also competitors for law review editor. Guess who won that one?
Yah know all I can ever think of when it comes to Pepperdine? It is weird, but there was a basketball coach at Kansas State University for a while and he was supposed to be great. At least that was what KSU was led to believe when they got him and paid him large sums of $$$. He came from Pepperdine. And I really remember this because my nana used to scream about it all the time at the TV how great he was supposed to be because he came from “PEPPERDINE!” So to find out that these two @ssclowns went there is just too funny
ferret – you get my prize and thanks for proper use of the phrase “assclown.”
Speaking of assclowns, and somewhat on topic, did you alls hear about the Belgian minister who took a trip to the US even though his meeting there was cancelled, only to slip into a bar and get hammered at taxpayer expense?
His misfortune was to be witnessed by a waitress from Belgium who decided to blog about what she saw. He contacted her employer, succeeded in getting her fired and then accused bloggers of being dangerous.
Yep. We is dangerous. Just ask Sarah Palin. That girl just can’t hide the truth to save her political career. And neither should he be so able.
Well actually, given that Pepperdine is affiliated with the Churches of Christ, a biblically strict evangelical denomination, is it any wonder, really, that their graduates come across as holier than thou? Given that Churches of Christ require their missionaries to have an affidavit of faith including but not limited to speaking in tongues. . . I see Pepperdine as the role model for Liberty College – or whatever the name of that horrible so-called law school is that sends its graduates up to DC to be prayer warriors for the Bush Admin – you know the ones who politicized the DOJ? It’s ironic isn’t it that these devout fundamentalists have such a hard time rendering unto Caesar that which is Casesar’s and rendering unto God that which is God’s. I wonder if these law schools ignore Constitutional Law and instead require students to take Biblical Law 101 instead – the one that teaches how to be money changers in the temple.
I grew up about a 30 min drive from Pepperdine–two of my honors student friends went to school there, but one of the sisters got pregnant and was kicked out. At least they weren’t HS dropouts….
Pepperdine kicked out an employee who was the son of a long-time employee on their campus. At his father’s funeral, someone accidentally outed the son, as a result Pepperdine kicked the son out. He got a job at another university, but between the father and son, they probably had about 50-60+ years working at the school. Not like being gay had anything to do with his job….
When I was a teenager, my dance teacher worked there and we had our “graduation” from dance there, but she needed a special dispensation to have us there, I think because dancing on campus wasn’t permitted….
If these two guys went there, they need a better moral compass….what did they learn on that high-priced private education on the edge of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
Pepperdine needs to lighten up, IMHO. We’re in California, not in a convent.
nswfm CA (15:31:15) :
That Presbyterian church is probably of the evangelical branch; I’m mainline Presbyterian, and my church is very accepting- all kinds are welcome:) The Presbies I know would canvass to defeat prop 8…we delivered 850 food boxes across the metro area in the bitter cold and snow last Sunday.
Greytdog(20:44:27)
I’d forgotten about Liberty College- they train their law students to be unbelievable debaters, often won the national competition. I remember something about the purpose of turning out so many lawyers to go to DC and take over the government…
Weird how many roads lead back to Alaska! LOL
Remember Ken Starr? I recall he was looking forward to a big academic appointment but had to put his plans on hold while he extended the probe into the lives of the Clintons. The academic destination? Pepperdine Law School.
You’re right, AKM. You can’t make this stuff up.
Ah…..(long sigh).
Sometimes I wish it were made up……
CO Native – Liberty proudly graduated Messiah College grad Monica Goodling of pennsyltucky. She of Alberto Gonzales’ DOJ shame.
There’s nothing wrong with people in general; it’s when the leaders of the religions runs amok and hurt people when it becomes a problem to me. Just my opinion–it’s not a Christian thing. There are people on both sides in Isreal, in Europe, in the US, Africa, Asia, etc. that screw up people’s lives because of spewing hate against their economic enemies, but they do it in the name of “religion,” whether Judaism, Christianity, Muslim, etc.