More Money From Gingrey to CryoLife?

I reported earlier this week about the passage of a defense spending bill which included a $2.5 million earmark to CryoLife and sought by Congressman Phil Gingrey. I also talked about donations from CryoLife's CEO and CryoLife's PAC to Gingrey in the past. Some research reveals that this isn't the only instance of Gingrey-supported earmarks going to CryoLife. In 2004, Gingrey (along with Senator Saxby Chambliss) steered another one million toward CryoLife.

Ostensibly, the earmarks seem to serve a noble mean: the development of medical technologies to stop massive bleeding caused by battlefield injuries. But even if the Congressman's intentions are completely noble, he should, at the very least, return the campaign contributions received from CryoLife's PAC and from Mark Anderson, CEO of CryoLife.

Gingrey Secures $2.5 million Earmark for Campaign Contributor

The Rome News-Tribune ran a story today regarding the passage of H.R. 3222, the Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2008. Included in the story is a listing of the eight earmarks Congressman Phil Gingrey helped secure. What's interesting, and unmentioned by the RN-T, is that one of the beneficiaries of Congressman Gingrey's efforts is CryoLife Corporation, which received $2.5 million. What makes it interesting is the fact that CryoLife and Phil Gingrey have had political dealings before.

Mark Anderson, CEO of CryoLife, has given a total of $1,500 of Phil Gingrey's re-election campaigns. On top of the that, CryoLife's PAC has given Congressman Gingrey $6,000: $2,000 during the 2006 election cycle and twice that in 2004, Gingrey's last competitive election.

This one sounds a bit fishy.

Friday's House Republican Leadership Elections: Enabling the Corrupt

We should all consider ourselves very fortunate that the web of sleaze present Friday's House Republican leadership elections is only metaphorical and not literal because what a tangled web it is. Returning as leader of the House Republicans is John Boehner, elected, apparently, with Phil Gingrey's support. It's also worth noting that our next door neighbor, Tom Price (Sixth District-Cherokee County, North Fulton County, North DeKalb County, East Cobb County), also supported Boehner.

Now, those of you not familiar with Boehner may be scratching your heads and wondering what the big deal is. For starters, you have the corruption issue. You see, one of Mr. Boehner's most imfamous acts was handing out checks from tobacco lobbyists to House members, on the House floor no less. So, the leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives is a guy who likes to use the floor of the House, not the halls, not the offices, not some dark closet, but the very place where bills are voted on, as a place to turn tricks for tobacco companies.

In fairness to Gingrey, I can't really say based on just this that Phil Gingrey is corrupt based solely on this, but I can say that he is willing to empower those who are either corrupt or really pushing it.

After that, you have the hypocrisy of the whole thing. The Republicans constantly drone on about their religiosity, turning it into a campaign issue (take a look at Phil Gingrey's blog for a look at his "values agenda.") But despite this stated morality, the Republicans in the House, including, again, Phil Gingrey, are all too willing to turn a blind eye to those in the pocket of the tobacco industry, an industry that gains its revenue from sin. Apparently, Phil and the other Republicans are too busy using the Bible to bash gays to realize that I Corinthians 6:19-20 says this:

Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you,
which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a
price: Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit which are God's.

After spending an entire election season trying desperately to tie any Democratic candidate to Nancy Pelosi, the Republicans have apparently forgotten to watch their own backyard. Bring on the ads tying Republican House candidates to Boehner, the tobacco flunkie.