Australian ALEC Member Caught LYING!

I am convinced that the type of ALEC nondisclosure in these Australian articles IS happening in the US all the time.  But our problem is complicated by two things (1) ALEC legislators have written state laws specifically exempting ALEC meetings from disclosure in various states and (2) our state governments are either too cowardice or too lazy to examine ALEC funding of ALEC legislators.

Here is what LYING international ALEC members look like.

From Australia - - - - - - - - (my emphasis throughout)

Bernardi connection to far right group

Updated: 15:24, Sunday January 27, 2013

Liberal senator Cory Bernardi is facing questions over his links to an extreme right-wing American lobby group.

Senator Bernardi is an international delegate of the American Legislative Exchange Council, an anti-gun control and pro-tobacco group, but has not disclosed the information on his register of interests, Fairfax reported on Sunday.

Senator Bernardi is facing calls to step down as chair of a standing committee of senators' interests that is charged with overseeing senators' declarations.

'The senators' interests committee exists to ensure there is transparency around politicians financial ties and benefits so by not fully disclosing his financial ties, Senator Bernardi has proven himself unfit to chair that committee,' Senator Di Natale said in a statement.

The Liberal Party have endorsed Senator Bernardi for its top spot for the party's South Australian senate ticket.

In September last year, he resigned as a parliamentary secretary after his comments linking same-sex marriage to bestiality.

He's also made waves over comments on Islam, asylum seekers and climate change. – AAP

linking same-sex marriage to bestiality.

He's also made waves over comments on Islam, asylum seekers and climate change.

Funny how these type of folks find a home at ALEC.

And there's more goodies to this story!!!

Under-fire senator denies conflict of interest

On Sunday Fairfax Media reported that Senator Bernardi had acted as an "international delegate" for ALEC and a member of its International Relations Task Force.

On Sunday, Senator Bernardi argued his pecuniary register was "completely up to date". He said senators were required to disclose officeholder positions, organisations to which donations of more than $300 were made, or where membership was likely to result in a conflict of interest in discharging duties as a senator.

"None of which apply to my status with ALEC, whose international membership supports federation, free markets and limited government," he said.

WELL – if Australia is dumb enough to believe that crap  ….  

However, the rules say senators are required to disclose "any other interests where a conflict of interest with a senator's public duties could foreseeably arise or be seen to arise".

The Greens senator Richard Di Natale said Senator Bernardi had proved "himself unfit to chair" the senators' interests committee, which existed to ensure transparency about politicians' financial ties and benefits.

BRAVO!!!!!

"What an obvious conflict of interest. Cory Bernardi's position is quite frankly completely untenable and totally contrary to the views of Australians who supported John Howard's gun laws after the Port Arthur massacre."

A senior Liberal source expressed "gross disappointment" at Senator Bernardi's ALEC links. "Australia's gun law reforms are arguably John Howard's greatest legacy to this country and it is disgusting that a member of the Liberal Party would associate themselves with a lobby organisation that supports far-right politics and is a financial partner to the NRA," the source said. The council lists the NRA among its corporate members.

BRAVO!!!!

That’s pretty much the opinion in the United States also.

Another example of another member of the secretive, conservative, extremist right-wing  American Legislative Exchange Council caught LYING!

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For those of you from outside the US reading this and you are not sure what ALEC is:

Please consider watching this 30 minute expose on ALEC by award winning journalist Bill Moyers.

The United States of ALEC

>>>THIS VIDEO<<<

AND looking at the massive amount of factual information on

>>>>THIS WEBPAGE<<<
about ALEC


Membership in this "extreme right-wing American lobby group" is kept secret - so it is difficult to absolutely identify all International members of ALEC.  

International members that have been identified are: 

International ALEC Partners

    MEP Reem Badran - Jordan

    MEP Richard Ashworth – United Kingdom

    Senator Cory Bernardi – Australia

    MEP Adam Bielan – Poland

    MEP Martin Callanan – United Kingdom

    MEP Philip Claeys – Belgium

    MP David Darchiashvili – Georgia

    MEP Niranjan Deva – United Kingdom

    Honourable Iris Evans (PC - Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations) - Canada

    MEP Cristofer Fjellner – Sweden

    MEP Daniel Hannan – United Kingdom

    MP Chris Heaton-Harris – United Kingdom

    MEP Roger Helmer – United Kingdom

    Assemblywoman Ayesha Javed – Pakistan

    MEP Syed Kamall – United Kingdom

    MEP Michal Kaminski – Poland

    MEP Miroslaw Piotrowski – Poland

    MEP Ivo Strejcek – Czech Republic

    MEP Robert Sturdy – United Kingdom

    MEP Konrad Szymanski – Poland

Former International ALEC Partners

    Former Defense Secretary Dr. Liam Fox – United Kingdom

 

AND for an excellent writeup on the ALEC International members I recommend this article:
>>>READ IT HERE<<<