So, the first link from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission:
On July 26, 2007, the Honorable John D. Holschuh, U. S. District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio, entered a Final Judgment as to defendant Jerome B. Armstrong ("Armstrong"). The Final Judgment permanently enjoins Armstrong from future violations of Section 17(b) of the Securities of 1933. The Final Judgment further orders Armstrong to pay disgorgement in the amount of $5,832, prejudgment interest of $3,235, and a civil penalty of $20,000. Armstrong consented to the entry of the Final Judgment without admitting or denying the allegations of the Commission's Complaint, except as to jurisdiction.
The Commission's Complaint, filed on April 14, 2003, alleged that beginning on March 6, 2000, Armstrong touted the stock of BluePoint Linux Software Corporation ("BluePoint") by posting unsubstantiated, favorable buy recommendations on the Raging Bull internet site. Armstrong posted over eighty such recommendations during the first three weeks that the stock of BluePoint was publicly traded. According to the Complaint, Armstrong praised BluePoint's investment value and encouraged investors who were experiencing trouble having their orders filled to keep trying. The Complaint further alleged that the promoters of BluePoint were secretly transferring stock in three other companies to Armstrong at prices below the then current market for those three stocks and that Armstrong made at least $20,000 by selling the shares he received from the promoters of BluePoint. The Complaint alleges that Armstrong did not disclose in his internet postings that he was being compensated for making the postings.
On Drudge's site:
Prominent liberal blogger Jerome Armstrong has agreed to pay nearly $30,000 in fines in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations that Armstrong touted the stock of a software company, without disclosing that he was being paid to do so, the NY TIMES reports.
Armstrong is the co-author of _Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics,_ with Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos. He is also the founder of the Democratic activist site MyDD.com.
So, Matt Drudge gets the story from the NYT but because he dares actually report on it, a diarist from Daily Kos, once again shows the maturity to say this:
Famous self-hating closeted homosexual and right wing propagandist blogger Matt Drudge has taken aim at the DailyKos community today. He's running the following "breaking" story:
So much for the for the founder of Daily Kos claiming he is worried about hate filled rhetoric on his site huh?
There has lately been an alarming rise in diaries and comments that seek to impugn (without evidence) the motives of those they disagree with on various issues.
Yes, there's the impeachment stuff, but this nasty rhetoric is also rampant in the primary war diaries.
This points to a serious breakdown not just on civility, but in the ability of people to properly debate various issues. As such, it presents a serious threat to the integrity of this site.
Dan Riehl points out the incredible timing of this whole thing:
That's life in the big city ... on Monday the Washington Post is touting you as a "new" Democrat Party insider
(Markos Moulitsas Zuniga of Daily Kos, Jerome Armstrong of MyDD and Matt Stoller, formerly of MyDD and now at Open Left, etc.) are now insiders in their own right, players in national party dynamics.
And on Wednesday the New York Times is reporting your $30k fine for a stock touting scheme complete with the SEC Report.
More buzzzzzz at memeorandum.
Like I said I wasn't going to bother writing about this, but lo and behold I opened an email from Joe Wierzbicki and I just couldn't resist because the topic related to Daily Kos's Yearly Kos convention.
Remember when we posted about a soldier that was not allowed to speak at the yearly Kos convention because he was trying to tell them how the surge was working? Then Pajamas Media DID give that soldier, Sergeant Aguina, a chance to have his say. Then Rick Moran did an interview with Sergeant Aguina and it was published at Pajamas Media.
The email:
On Wednesday's "Hardball with Chris Matthews," Move America Forward Vice Chairman, Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson (USAF, Ret.), took anti-war activist Jon Soltz to task. Soltz was in the news recently when at the "Yearly Kos" convention he silenced a U.S. Army soldier who supports the missions of our troops. Soltz has repeatedly worked to undermine the missions of U.S. Troops serving in Iraq, and is active in the MoveOn.org affiliated group, Americans Against Escalation in Iraq.
The Video, kindly provided in the email:
I guess we can see why Soltz's wouldn't let the the good SGT speak at the Yearly Kos convention, he cannot tolerate letting anyone speak if they disagree with him.
Loud mouth idiot.
I guess the only free speech he believes in is anything that agrees with him, otherwise no one should be allowed to speak.
Moron.
[Update] Gateway Pundit has more thoughts on the video above. (Via memeorandum)
