by D. Cupples | I first learned about whistle-blower attorney Alan Grayson in September, when he explained to Truthout that our Justice Department had shirked its duty to prosecute fraud cases involving certain government contractors. Weeks later, Vanity Fair did an in-depth piece on Grayson's one-man crusade against war profiteers and other contractors who've robbed us taxpayers as though we were blind, paralyzed, unarmed bank guards.
Contractor waste and fraud are huge issues at BN-Politics (see posts here), so I was thrilled to learn that Grayson decided to run for Congress in Florida. I'm even more thrilled that Grayson fever is spreading: about a week ago, he received endorsements from blogosphere heavy-hitters including Blue America, Crooks and Liars, Digby, Down with Tyranny, and Firedoglake.
I suspect that Grayson has picked up more endorsements since then, because he is a truly phenomenal candidate.
That Grayson has a nearly-20-year record of fighting to protect us taxpayers is reason enough for me to support him. Taxpayers Against Fraud actually named Grayson "Attorney of the Year" for his efforts.
Equally impressive is Grayson's candor, willingness to fight for principles, and stances on the issues (see Grayson's Web site, the video at Crooks & Liars, the live chat at Firedoglake, and the posts at Down With Tyranny and Digby).
The news gets better: Grayson is challenging rubber-stamp Republican Ric Keller -- a man who argued against accountability during a House Judiciary Committee hearing about Justice Department politicization.
Keller knee-jerk defended our broken Justice Department and seemed averse to any investigations of it. At one point, former Republican Attorney General Richard Thornborough said that political agendas might have played a part in Justice Department prosecutions under former AG Alberto Gonzales.
Keller's response: "Your testimony to be blunt is the most pathetic example of hearsay and innuendo. It is totally ridiculous." (CNN) The big question: how could Keller know it was "ridiculous" before the investigation was complete?
And if Keller got his way (i.e., if he blocked all such investigations), how could we taxpayers ever know whether our Justice Department was actually functioning?
Given how much of our federal government is in disrepair, we taxpayers are very poorly served by congressmen who don't diligently perform their constitutional duty of executive oversight.
When Grayson takes Keller's seat, we won't have to worry so much about lack of oversight and accountability. The thought of what Congressman Henry Waxman could achieve with Grayson on his team brings a smile to my face.
The only thing I'm not happy about is that I'm a half-hour out of Grayson's district and, therefore, cannot vote for him.
Related BN-Politics Posts:
* Florida Congressional Candidate Fights Fraud
* Justice Dept. Official Turned Blind Eye to Contractor Fraud?
* High Costs of Private Contractors
* "Billions over Baghdad": Poor Accounting Enabled Waste & Fraud
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