Cross-posted from Faultline USA
As much as I like Rudy and honor what he did for our nation following 9/11, I have some very big concerns. You be the judge . . .
A few weeks ago elitist Republican Texas Governor Rick “Good Hair” Perry endorsed his Trans Texas Corridor pal, Rudy Giuliani, for the Republican Presidential nomination.
If there were any doubts as to where Giuliani stands on the NAFTA highway, those doubts have been cleared up; - much to the dismay of anti-illegal immigration conservatives. Giuliani’s law firm is the exclusive legal counsel for Cintra – the Spanish corp. that will build and control the TTC for 50+ years. (FYI - The TTC is the first leg of the NAFTA highway.)
According to Bloggernews, “When Texas legislators tried to block and slow the Trans Texas Corridor, as the folks of Texas strongly desired, Gov. Perry went against them all and vetoed it. And most recently Gov. Perry told those of us who want a border fence that what we believe is “idiocy” .
Here's the quote from the Associated Press
“MEXICO CITY (AP) - Governor Rick Perry today used a stop in Mexico to criticize the U.S. Congress for failing to make progress on immigration reform.
The Texan suggested that members of Congress lack "maturity."
Perry called the proposed construction of a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border "idiocy. . ."
By the way, it’s been rumored that Giuliani might give Perry a vice Presidential nod.
Perry, beloved by his big money and foreign national donors, is as detested by as many conservatives as liberals in Texas. Hypocrite is a mild term to describe Perry.
According to Corridor Watch Perry is disconnected from his base and at odds with his own party!
"It is truly incredible to see a Governor who's actions are completely disconnected from the people he is sworn to represent. His actions are at odds with his own political party party platform and leadership, they are in conflict with overwhelming public opinion, they offend a wide variety of large organizations that previously supported his election, they fly in the face of the virtually unanimous will of the Legislature. Who can help but wonder who Governor Perry represents and who's interests is he protecting?
Now the stage is set for the Commission to demonstrate just how far they will go to protect their Spanish partner. Despite incredible pressure North Texas has rejected the Governor's pre-selected private business benefactor. Will the Commission continue their now routine pattern of putting what Perry wants first and the people want last? Sadly, we believe that our Governor serves the money brokers, not the people. He has demonstrated that his loyalty is not with the people of Texas, but resides exclusively with those who can provide the kind of money that can further personal and political ambition. "
Here’s a little history on the TTC/Perry/Giuliani alliance.
"...At the center of negotiations for multiple legs of the Superhighway Corridor throughout Texas, is none other than Rudolph Giuliani's law firm which landed the Comprehensive Development Agreement for a widening of Interstate-35, now referred to as the TTC-35, in addition to the Master Development Plans for State Highways 121 and 130 among other legs of the TTC. All negotiations for Cintra were and are presently handled by the law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, LLP, of which Republican Presidential candidate, Rudolph Giuliani, has been a senior executive partner since March 2005. His law firm is the exclusive legal counsel for Cintra. Bracewell & Giuliani is comprised of 400 attorneys, based in Houston, TX with offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., London and Kazakhstan.
Cintra joined with San Antonio, TX-based Zachry Construction Corp. to help land the contracts, in which Zachry owns a 20% interest. The Cintra-Zachry proposal for TTC-35 includes a private investment of up to $6 billion in upfront payments for the complete construction, design and operation of a 316-mile toll road between Dallas and San Antonio, giving Cintra the right to set tolls and keep toll road profits for a period of 50 years, as it will for each road it has contracted..."
Source: http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/006620.html
Follow the campaign money to Bracepac on Giuliani. Note the very interesting list of contributors.
“Bracepac” is shorthand for the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani… The same “law firm” with ties to Cintra - the Spanish company with plans to build the Trans-Texas Corridor. I-10 (Interstate 10) in Houston is being “expanded” as another arm of this deal. For more information on Giuliani and the TTC google “Giuliani + Cintra”.
Source: http://www.jonesreport.com/articles/041007_giuliani_ttc.html
According to the primary authority on the Trans Texas Corridor, Corridor Watch, here’s why Giuliani is owned by certain Texas interests.
"AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican Rudy Giuliani — thrice-married, liberal on social issues and a consummate New Yorker — seems an unlikely White House contender to be embraced by a Texas' GOP establishment rooted in the energy industry and dominated by religious conservatives.
But the former New York mayor has built a formidable political base in Texas with the help of well-connected Republican money men. He owes his advantage in part to his role as a name partner with a powerhouse, Houston-based law firm known for its impressive roster of energy-giant clients, Bracewell & Giuliani.
His partnership in the law firm has also brought Giuliani unwelcome criticism in connection with some of the firm's more controverisal clients, including a Spanish contractor involved in planning part of a Texas superhighway toll road known as the Trans-Texas Corridor."
Source: http://www.corridorwatch.org/ttc_2007/CWA0709210.htm
Another TTC authority is Sal Costello. His Muckracker claims that Giuliani is profiting from the TTC and that Giuliani might give Perry a vice Presidential nod
Here's an excerpt from Sals' The “TTC Duo” in 2008?
Perry created the Trans Texas Corridor (TTC), and Giuliani has already profited off the first leg of the TTC eminent domain land grab. Giuliani's lawfirm, Bracewell & Giuliani, represents Cintra, the Spanish Company who will be building one of the first portions of the 4,000 mile TTC toll road (Nafta Super Highway). . . .
The talk is, this early endorsement and past ties, could add up to a Vice Presidential nod for ol Gov. good hair. . ."
Source: http://salcostello.blogspot.com/2007/10/giuliani-and-mr-39-in-2008.html
A view of Guliani from the left . . .
According to the radical left rag, The Nation, the dirty money ties between Perry and Giuliani run deep. You might want to discount this rag but the fact is that there may very well be some truth here.
"As I reported in my recent article, "Rudy's Dirty Money," the ties between the Perry and Giuliani camps run deep. Giuliani's new chief fundraiser, Houston day-trader Jim Lee, bundled hundreds of thousands of dollars for Perry's campaigns and was appointed last year to the board overseeing Texas's $96 billion public school employee pension fund. Other top Giuliani fundraisers, like corporate raider Boone Pickens and Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks, have also donated generously to Perry.
Moreover, Perry has been a major booster of a controversial proposed toll superhighway, known as the Trans-Texas Corridor, which Rudy's law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, has helped represent. . ."
Source: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=243693
Some one-issue conservatives are so dim they can’t understand why Perry has endorsed Giuliani! Here’s the take from the Dallas Morning News.
"The Texas governor, who accompanied Giuliani on a campaign trip to Iowa later in the day, said, "Mayor Giuliani is not the enemy. Rudy Giuliani is a culture warrior."
Perry is the first major-state governor to endorse Giuliani. His endorsement comes just in time for a three-day "values voter summit" that begins Thursday by the Family Research Council, a religious conservative group. Giuliani and other GOP candidates plan to attend.
Perry was also to attend two later town-hall style meetings in Iowa, appearances apparently aimed at reassuring conservatives who might be leery of Giuliani because of his support of abortion rights and past stands on gay rights and gun control.
Perry's endorsement of Giuliani is a letdown for many Texas social conservatives and gun groups, who have considered Perry a reliable ally on opposing abortion and embryonic stem cell research and defending gun ownership rights.
Elizabeth Graham, director of Texas Right to Life, said Perry called her Tuesday to tell her of his planned endorsement. She said she urged him to wait.
She said she was baffled by the endorsement.
"I reminded Gov. Perry we worked so hard in Texas to pass legislation .... and those efforts will be stifled on the federal level by a pro-choice president," Graham said.
Texas land commissioner Jerry Patterson, who is a chairman of rival Fred Thompson's Texas campaign, said he was confused by Perry's endorsement.
"One of the most, if not the most, conservative governors in Texas history endorses a pro-choice, rabidly anti-Second Amendment former New York mayor, who as mayor endorsed the Democrat Mario Cuomo over the Republican George Pataki for governor of New York? . . .
Perry, now in his second full term, is seen in some circles as a possible vice presidential nominee. But for that he would have to overcome voters' "Texas fatigue" from President Bush's administration. "
Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8SBALE81.html
For a good background on NAFTA, The Tras Texas Corridor and Perry, read Anti-NAU Warriors Beginning to Move the Rock Uphill
"Desperate people are forced to get creative when dealing with a government which refuses to protect people’s rights or to even engage in dialog. Such has been the case in Texas, where Governor Rick Perry and his administration have not only vetoed any legislation aimed at slowing down the TTC process, but have refused to even discuss it. . ."
Source: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/204
Texas Toll Party video shines light on secret deal between Perry and Cintra
". . .The video was also created to shine a light on the secret deal made between Gov. Perry and Cintra behind closed doors that will result in the start of the massive evictions in order to begin construction the TTC, according to Costello.In an effort to help the public visualize the impact of the TTC, the video shows a cartoon of Perry literally kicking families out of their homes and off their farms and ranches all across Texas."Texas families getting kicked out of their homes to benefit foreign construction companies is a horrific lottery with scary odds," said Costello. "They are forcing the TTC on Texans, and depending where they draw the line on the map will determine who gets booted from their homes."
Source: http://corridornews.blogspot.com/2006/09/heat-is-on-texas-gov-rick-perry-in.html
So there you have it. Sorry Giuliani, but your involvement with Perry and the TTC is just too telling!!!
