The effort to discredit Conyers has begun....over TURKEYS.

[ShinerTX]

In today's Detroit Free Press

***SNIP***

The director of a Detroit food bank wants to know what happened to 60 turkeys -- 720 pounds of frozen birds -- that his charity gave to members of U.S. Rep. John Conyers' local staff two days before Thanksgiving to give to needy people.

Conyers' Detroit office promised an accounting of any turkey distribution by Dec. 27, but the Gleaners Community Food Bank had received no paperwork as of Tuesday, said the charity's director, Agostinho Fernandes.

Fernandes said he became suspicious that the turkeys didn't get to poor people after hearing from a friend that a federal court worker had said he was offered free turkeys from a member of Conyers' staff.

....

A Conyers staff member who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal told the Free Press that Grubbs and her cousin, Conyers' Detroit deputy chief of staff Marion Brown, along with a former Conyers aide, DeWayne Boyd, picked up the turkeys and later gave contradictory accounts of what happened to the birds.

The unnamed staff member raised concerns in a memo sent to both the FBI and House ethics committee. Conyers was the target of an informal ethics committee inquiry last year following a Free Press investigation about use of staff members during work hours for political campaigns.

Boyd, who was fired from Conyers' Detroit office in 2002, was convicted on seven counts of fraud last month in U.S. District Court in connection with a scam he ran from Conyers' office in 1999.

***SNIP***

Conyers is getting close to the truth, so Karl Rove calls out his friends in the MSM to do some dirty work for him. They're getting scared. :scared:

[Darkhawk32]

1. OMG is that the best they got?!?!

Freakin' turkeys?!?!?

[zbdent]

9. Not only that, it's heresay

like what they're trying to push to combat the "voting irregularities".

So, a staffer hears from a friend that his friend was offered a turkey.

Gee, that, and clicking on a spam ad can give you a free steak at Outback.

[DearAbby]

51. TURKEYGATE

"Facts ma'am, just the facts" ;;;Dragnet theme::: this is the best Rove can do? :crazy:

[Straight Shooter]

2. When they find the WMD, that's when I'll give a rat's a** about turkeys.

Can his opponents possibly look more ridiculous? :eyes:

[pixelthief]

3. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x237252

[bleever]

4. "You wanna see turkeys? Find a mirror!"

Thass what I'm talkin' bout.

[Liberty Belle]

29. Bingo!

[txindy]

43. They're just lucky mirrors can't laugh.

'Cause they'd be in constant hysterics, if they could. ;)

[berniew1]

5. EIRS hotline reports document widespread touchscreen fraud in swing states

including Florida, Ohio, and New Mexico where they thought there was no paper trail. This time there was.
(but other types of fraud and systematic suppression of minority voters have also been documented in this election)

(mostly default from Kerry to Bush but some in other races also)(big EIRS paper trail of all systems)

Vote machine fraud documented in

Florida and New Mexico http://www.flcv.com/fraudpat.html

http://www.flcv.com/EIRSFla.html

http://www.flcv.com/bernalil.html

Ohio http://northnet.org/minstrel/alpage.htm Mahoning

and http://www.flcv.com/fraudpat.html

Orange Co. Calif http://www.flcv.com/orangets.html

Mercer Co. Pennsylvania www.voteprotect.org maps Penn Mercer

Travis co. Texas www.voteprotect.org maps Texas Travis

Snohomish Co. Washington www.voteprotect.org maps Wash Snohomish

and etc.

(these aren't hyperlinked here)

[meganmonkey]

6. Let me tell you an insider's view of this

I work for a similar agency as Gleaners, one county away from Detroit. I know 'Agostinho' a.k.a. Auggie, quite well - our organizations work very closely together.

First of all, we can't figure out why Gleaners would have even given turkeys to the FIA - It is a general rule that affiliates of America's Second Harvest (which Gleaners is) cannot distribute to gov't agencies for a variety of reasons. Well, the FIA is certainly a gov't agency. So that's bizarre, and I think Gleaners is maybe pulling a CYA move.

And then, do they really expect to get the paperwork from any government agency that quickly? Come on.

I don't know why this is being blown out of proportion so much, especially by the Detroit Free Press (as opposed to the News which tends to be much more conservative). It really is just a dumb paperwork glitch, but I can't for the life of me figure out why Auggie would WANT any press on this since he kinda sorta broke the rules (NOT THE LAWS, MIND YOU, just the A2H rules). So it's wierd.

The wierdest is that the focus is on Conyer's office, and not the FIA or Gleaners goof-up. This Boyd person sounds shady, so maybe something really shady DID happen, it's all really strange.

I'll try to find out more and let you know if I do.

[Liberty Belle]

31. If you were a staffer with an office full of frozen turkeys...

thawing out on the eve of a holiday, and you distributed as many as you could to charity but had a couple left sitting around half-thawed, what would you do? C'mon. This is a smokescreen from the turkeys in the GOP, nothing more.

[meganmonkey]

32. No argument there, LB

I think this whole thing is ridiculous - I am just trying to figure out why it's in the paper at all - who initiated the press coverage. I guess I am amazed that they are so desperate and that this is the best they can come up with for a scandal.
I do know that Auggie of Gleaners is a republican, which never made sense to me since he is in the nonprofit hunger biz - at my organization we're a bunch of flaming libs...
It just doesn't make any sense. I am enjoying all the Turkeygate jokes though! This board needs a laugh or three! :)

[bones_7672]

7. "COUNT EVERY TURKEY!" (sorry). n/t

[PaganPreacher]

8. I knew this was coming....

ever since that whole turkeys-dropped-from-a-helicopter mess back in '78.

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

Oh, wait, that was Arthur Carlson of "WKRP in Cincinnati"


Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump)

Conyers, Carlson.... could happen to anybody.


US Rep. John Conyers (never known to drop turkeys from a helicopter)

The Pagan Preacher
I don't turn the other cheek.

[merh]

13. Do you remember the episode when they dropped the

turkeys from the helicopter? God, I still that one - I don't think I have laughed that hard since. WKRP - one of the greatest shows ever on television!

[PaganPreacher]

19. "Johnnie, I see them....

OH MY GOD. THEY'RE TURKEYS!"



I have to get that on DVD.


The Pagan Preacher
I don't turn the other cheek.

[driver8]

39. Baily was a hottie -- I had a huge crush on her!!

I remember that episode...awesome. How come they don't make tv shows like that anymore?

[Must_B_Free]

55. sweet jugs on her

and a cute MaryAnne-ish charm to Loni's Ginger

[Ian David]

14. Damn! You beat me to it! TURKEYGATE!

To hear the Turkey Drop Audio, Click HERE. (RealAudio)
http://radio.about.com/library/wkrpturkeydrop.ram



<snip>
It's a helicopter, and it's coming this way. It's flying something behind it, I can't quite make it out, it's a large banner and it says, uh - Happy... Thaaaaanksss... giving! ... From ... W ... K ... R... P!! No parachutes yet. Can't be skydivers... I can't tell just yet what they are, but - Oh my God, Johnny, they're turkeys!! Johnny, can you get this? Oh, they're plunging to the earth right in front of our eyes! One just went through the windshield of a parked car! Oh, the humanity! The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! Not since the Hindenberg tragedy has there been anything like this!”
<snip>

Based On Reality

Oddly enough, this famous WKRP episode was loosely based on a real event! Back in 1946 (some sources say 1945), Yellville, Arkansas inaugurated the “Turkey Trot Festival” which included a wild turkey calling contest, a turkey target shoot, a Miss Drumsticks Pageant and oh yeah: a live turkey release from the roof of the courthouse. After a few years, someone thought it might be fun to actually toss the poor gobblers out of a low-flying airplane for the event. This repeated for a number of years until 1989 when a national animal-rights protest cast the event in a bad light and the "National Enquirer" splashed a photo of the event across the nation forcing promoters to abandon the turkey drop.


Starting in 1945, with the very first turkey dropped from the roof of the Marion County Courthouse in the town square in Yellville, Arkansas, the Turkey Trot Festival was born.

Turkey Trot is a festival celebrated in the city of Yellville, Arkansas every October. It's a time of fun, competition, and a time of gathering for the citizens of Yellville and for fans of good country music and for turkey hunting/preservation.

Today, 1998, Turkey Trot celebrates it's 53rd Anniversary. It's now sanctioned by the National Wild Turkey Federation, and is a meeting place for Turkey enthusiasts all over the south, and even the United States.
<snip>
The one thing about Turkey Trot that gets the most attention is the Turkey Drop. Turkeys are usually dropped from a low flying plane all throughout the festival. This has prompted attention worldwide. Yellville and the Turkey Trot Festival was featured in The National Enquirer, as an example of animal cruelty. The famous 1970's TV citcom, WKRP, even created a parody of the Turkey Trot Festival.
http://asms.k12.ar.us/armem/tatum/ttrot.htm

Here's a nice, old photo of a turkey being dropped from a plane. Picture is courtesy of Cal Clift, resident of Yellville, AR.



This particular photo is of the parade on Yellville's Town Square during the festival. The Turkey Trot Parade occurs on the Saturday of the Turkey Trot weekend. As you can see, the square is quite packed and booths are set up. It's a time to socialize and catch the flying candy and hope you don't get hit in the face or head.

[merh]

23. Thanks for the link and the background!

I haven't laughed so hard about turkeys (this audio and the conyers smear attempt) in such a long time! LOL. :hi:

[marcologico]

33. sounds like a set-up (see post #6). Rove at work no doubt. . .

Operation Smear the Candidate I mean Congressman

[katinmn]

10. a major smear campaign is about to be launched

and I'm sure the MSM will be covering it.
:grr:

[unpossibles]

18. seriously?

didn't see Turkeygate or any other smear campaigns happening.... :eyes: :puke:

[katinmn]

22. Try googling Rep. Conyers

other stuff has been planted recently

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. Someone look in Blackwell's trunk.

He smells rotten so it's got to be coming from somewhere.

[merh]

12. FOWL!

These people! :silly:

[txindy]

45. Aw, you beat me to it! Fowl! And, yes, they definitely are...

[MadLinguist]

15. A turkey for every senator who sits on his or her ass Jan 6

Drop it raw on their lawns.

[magellan]

16. We KNOW where the turkeys are

They're in DC trying to pass themselves off as our government.

What we DON'T know yet is who in the Senate has the integrity of John Conyers on the issues that matter. Thursday we separate the turkeys from the men (and women).

[Jackpine Radical]

17. Turkey Truck Drivers for Truth put our new ad:

Who gobbled the missing Turkeys?

[VTGold]

20. My God - how transparent is that?

Illegal wars and 3 stolen elections vs missing turkeys...

[Ian David]

26. This could ultimately be a GOOD thing

It will put Conyers' name out there, get him attention, and give him a chance to say why they are trying to discredit him. And then he gets a chance to talk about voter fraud.

Let's hope the freepers have been making a big stink.

The repugs steal billions from the poor, the repugs steal the house ethics committee, and then they raise a big stink over Conyers' supposedly stealing some turkeys from poor people.



Gobbles!!

[Amaryllis]

21. Maybe he was too busy investingating fraud to deal with turkeys.

[FogerRox]

25. They are now fighting us--we are no longer conspiracy Peeps

If the poop hits the fan on the 6th do you want to be in the streets protesting? DO you want to back up COnyers and (if) whoever backs him up in the Senate.
Join the protest @ CBS in NYC

Power to the People ! !! ! !
http://www.51capitalmarch.com /
[e-mail] /

[No Exit]

48. Yeah you right!! Somebody's worried!!

[madison2000]

24. Those turkeys flip flopped and went to another congressmans office

All turkeys are Republican, right?

[Ian David]

27. Turkeygate is a big flap about nothing

eom

[loritooker]

28. Turkeygate! love it! n/t

[New Earth]

30. LMAO

this is the most ridiculous shit i've ever heard~!!!!

[roenyc]

34. what a man!

turkeys are all they got! damn we should run him for president!

[LizW]

35. But Repugs are hoping it has legs!

Er, drumsticks, that is.

;)

[marcologico]

36. Classic Rove set-up: dump some turkeys on Conyers doorstep, then complain

to the press that they were mishandled or embezzled or fenced to the mafia or whatever lies they want to cook up.

Rove loves this kind of stuff.

[JDPriestly]

37. Precisely.

My dad was ran faith-based charities. Although it sounds like a simple thing to do, in fact, it takes time and planning to give away that many turkeys. Suddenly thrusting turkeys on Conyers' office two days before a holiday was a dirty trick.

[Must_B_Free]

54. yeah it's refrigerated food

you can't just say - "here's 60 frozen turkeys - go find needy people to give them away to."

Plus, it was a charity that gave it to him. Shouldn't the charity have distributed it to the needy? Why trouble a busy man with this? And anyway, his consitutency is in Michigan, not D.C.

You can't just give a frozen turkey to a homeless person either, they have to be able to store and cook it.

No easy task. Unplausible story.

[driver8]

38. That is pathetic...are these guys 8 years old?? n/t

[loritooker]

40. well, they think we are! n/t

[catnhatnh]

41. This is "Fair and Balanced" reporting....

....Bush has stolen democracy but the guy who caught him at it MAY have embezzled $300 worth of turkeys....Yep that seems to strike a balance...

[Carolab]

42. But, wait!

Didn't the repukes vote unanimously to wipe out the Ethics Committee just yesterday?

Well, boys, what's good for the goose....is good for the TURKEY

[sepia_steel]

44. Oh fer fuck's sake.

HILARIOUS!!! hahahahha

[Clark2008]

46. So here's the charge.

When the Freepers say, "turkey," you say, "styrofoam."

When the Freepers say, "sore loser," you say, "democracy."

When the Freepers say, "Boo," you say, "Boo Who? You damn Ghost Voter."

And so forth, and so on.

Verbage. Take it from them.

[Timebound]

47. *dies laughing*

Turkeys? The BEST they've got?!

HAHAHAHA!!!

[ntwkgirl]

49. I saw this - and wrote the author

That was a pretty good story. Did Karl Rove tell it to you? Hmmm, maybe Conyers and his staff have been a little busy, you know, they’re up to something that is actually newsworthy. Maybe that’s why they haven’t made the Turkey list.



Guess what? You did!

[slay]

59. Tur'key-rrifc

Hahhaha.. oh man, that's great. Did you have trouble not cracking jokes when talking about the TURKEY propaganda? So lets see.. they attack Iraq and run the country into the shitter, while we mishandle Turkeys. Is that what they are trying to say? LOL!

[Vektor]

50. Well, if that's all they've got...

...let em' try!

[DearAbby]

52. I just thought of something! They are where the WMDs are n/t

[Vektor]

58. Haha! Probably...

...hiding with Bush's plastic turkey, which he dusts off each year for photo ops!

[wakemewhenitsover]

53. Their motto: STUFF BALLOT BOXES, NOT TURKEYS!

[Must_B_Free]

56. DId Rove bug Conyer's turkey?

I hope he used a long life battery this time... :eyes:

[slay]

57. Who even cares if it's true? Turkeys vs election fraud? Bwhahah!

Oh man, I can't stop laughing.. this is too funny. :evilgrin: