This is the thread where the fringster comes back with teeth

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

Perhaps this is some nasty little joke on us by the Swiss, for fucking with their banking system with that appalling over-reach last year where we demanded they give the IRS information on UBS clients Swiss banking laws prevent the bank from giving to any other nation. We played hardball in that case, so they pay us back by giving us another ugly, tawdry courtroom celebrity drama.

Ummm...what the hell are you talking about? Rich people shit on our tax laws and use Swiss banks (who pocket the fees) to do it and when we figure out how to catch them and get our money back (even give these people amnesty to pay what they owe without being prosecuted), you're pissed off about it? You are a strange dude.

TM

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

I think a lot of people felt that Michael Vick got off very easily. I also remember a number of folks around this joint who got a bit vexed that he came out of jail and didn't have too much trouble going right back into the NFL.

Everything in this post is ridiculous.

TM

[Sparklehorse]

Originally Posted by Gattigap

It's okay.

Bilmore was an oldskooler on this board. Noted for pithy one-liners, grey pubes, and an affection for bee metaphors to combat terrorism. Has been absent for many months now, and occasionally is the subject of nostalgic rememberances when NotBob dips into the house chianti at the local diner.

Er, I remember Bilmore and his local fame. I don't know who or what Binkley is and why they feared the sending of Nastassja Kinski.

[Cletus Miller]

Originally Posted by Sparklehorse

Er, I remember Bilmore and his local fame. I don't know who or what Binkley is and why they feared the sending of Nastassja Kinski.

Bloom County.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally Posted by Cletus Miller

Bloom County.

Aha, thank you!

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

Ummm...what the hell are you talking about? Rich people shit on our tax laws and use Swiss banks (who pocket the fees) to do it and when we figure out how to catch them and get our money back (even give these people amnesty to pay what they owe without being prosecuted), you're pissed off about it? You are a strange dude.

TM

The problem is, we didn't figure out how to catch them. We weren't successful in locating and examining specific transactions on our own to determine who here was hiding money abroad and then send reasonable, narrowly-tailored requests to the Swiss citing the basis for release of finite records on individual suspected tax cheats. Instead, we took the lazy approach and said "Give us all records on all Americans with X amount of dollars in your banks, or who utilized the services of X division of UBS' private banking group." Doing it that way, we created a showdown with the Swiss, whose economy in no small part depends on the attractiveness of their protective banking secrecy laws.

I'd have no issue with discrete requests made for records, and would expect Swiss compliance. But we didn't do that. Being the arrogant, lazy nation we are, we demanded they open volumes of books for us to allow the law enforcement agents of this country who hadn't done their job to go on a fishing expedition. Judges don't allow that sort of broad net discovery in criminal or civil actions here and the Swiss had every right to tell us to fuck off there. It's their sovereign territory, their bank, and the possibility of a bad press imperiling an important source of revenue to their country. That we don't like it, or think they protect criminals, is irrelevant. We don't make their laws.

[Not Bob]

Originally Posted by Sparklehorse

I don't understand this reference and google was not helpful.

Oops.

Do you remember the "Bloom County" comic strip? In it, one of the protagonists was a boy by the name of Binkley. Binkley was an anxious sort, and one ongoing schtick was to have the poor kid unable to sleep because of the monsters in his closet. In one strip, he decides (like Brer Rabbit) to try to outsmart a monster by pretending that he's terrified of Nastassja Kinski (I think he has her poster with the snake up on the wall). He pushes it just a little too far by pretending to be afraid of cheesecake, and the monster realizes his trick.

The comment about Bilmore was because of his use of the Opus avatar. Ms. Kinski makes me think about that strip, and "Bloom County" reminds me of Bilmore (and also a certain tall brunette from high school and college, but that's a different story), hence the "I miss Bilmore" comment.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Fugee

Is there a link for what the original prosecutor recommended? The transcript of the plea hearing didn't include that, just the official warnings on the record that the judge could decide the sentence.

I stole it from a post here. Damned if I can recall which one. And, of course, its more than a little likely I read fast and typed even faster, degrading the quality of the recollection. (If degradation of anything I offer seriously is possible, considering that, according to some, I support child rape.)

But I'm certain I heard the deal included some provision that his 42 days in jail were deemed incarceration enough by the prosecutor, and that the prosecutor would not be asking for time in jail. That I learned from ex-SF mayor Willie Brown, a Polanski friend and supporter who was a guest on Hardball last night.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Not Bob

Oops.

Ms. Kinski makes me think about Bilmore.

Oops indeed.

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

WORLD'S WORST LOVERS:

1. Germany (too smelly)

2. England (too lazy)

3. Sweden (too quick)

4. Holland (too dominating)

5. America (too rough)

6. Greece (too lovey-dovey)

7. Wales (too selfish)

8. Scotland (too loud)

9. Turkey (too sweaty)

10. Russia (too hairy)

WORLD'S BEST LOVERS

1. Spain

2. Brazil

3. Italy

4. France

5. Ireland

6. South Africa

7. Australia

8. New Zealand

9. Denmark

10. Canada

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

The problem is, we didn't figure out how to catch them. We weren't successful in locating and examining specific transactions on our own to determine who here was hiding money abroad and then send reasonable, narrowly-tailored requests to the Swiss citing the basis for release of finite records on individual suspected tax cheats. Instead, we took the lazy approach and said "Give us all records on all Americans with X amount of dollars in your banks, or who utilized the services of X division of UBS' private banking group." Doing it that way, we created a showdown with the Swiss, whose economy in no small part depends on the attractiveness of their protective banking secrecy laws.

I'd have no issue with discrete requests made for records, and would expect Swiss compliance. But we didn't do that. Being the arrogant, lazy nation we are, we demanded they open volumes of books for us to allow the law enforcement agents of this country who hadn't done their job to go on a fishing expedition. Judges don't allow that sort of broad net discovery in criminal or civil actions here and the Swiss had every right to tell us to fuck off there. It's their sovereign territory, their bank, and the possibility of a bad press imperiling an important source of revenue to their country. That we don't like it, or think they protect criminals, is irrelevant. We don't make their laws.

This is such a mischaracterization of the entire episode that it's hard to know where to start. So I won't. TM is right. Your emotional commitment to tax cheats is peculiar.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?

WORLD'S WORST LOVERS:

1. Germany (too smelly)

2. England (too lazy)

3. Sweden (too quick)

4. Holland (too dominating)

5. America (too rough)

6. Greece (too lovey-dovey)

7. Wales (too selfish)

8. Scotland (too loud)

9. Turkey (too sweaty)

10. Russia (too hairy)

WORLD'S BEST LOVERS

1. Spain

2. Brazil

3. Italy

4. France

5. Ireland

6. South Africa

7. Australia

8. New Zealand

9. Denmark

10. Canada

While there is much to agree and some to disagree with on the relative lists, I'd point out that they would benefit from some further exploration of the Slavic countries, Asia, Africa north of South Africa, and Spanish America.
Also, this appears to be unduly focused on white women. And its omission of Jewesses is remarkable.

Further research is needed.

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally Posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?

WORLD'S WORST LOVERS:

1. Germany (too smelly)

2. England (too lazy)

3. Sweden (too quick)

4. Holland (too dominating)

5. America (too rough)

6. Greece (too lovey-dovey)

7. Wales (too selfish)

8. Scotland (too loud)

9. Turkey (too sweaty)

10. Russia (too hairy)

WORLD'S BEST LOVERS

1. Spain

2. Brazil

3. Italy

4. France

5. Ireland

6. South Africa

7. Australia

8. New Zealand

9. Denmark

10. Canada

We're Number Ten!!

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

This is such a mischaracterization of the entire episode that it's hard to know where to start. So I won't. TM is right. Your emotional commitment to tax cheats is peculiar.

Bullshit. They're seeking over 2000 records. I've been on the receiving end of fishing expedition subpoenas. Pin it down to each individual suspect and provide exact detailed descriptions of why compliance is necessitated. I also searched financial records for a fraud investigation of a $400 million fraud perpetrated against a Florida insurer some time ago. The work was grueling and tedious as hell. If we could have found a way to throw a wide net subpoena at someone to get the info with 1/10th of that effort, we would have. Instead, we did the work. If we couldn't trace an illegal transaction, the thief deserved to get away with it, the way I saw it. The burden was on us to catch him, not on the banking system to make our jobs easier.

You're wrong about my love of tax cheats. The emotional component of this response comes from having defended criminals, and developed a deep distaste for the high handed techniques and outright arrogance of many in our state and federal prosecutorial systems.

"Ohhh... THAT exculpatory evidence. We must have misplaced that. So sorry."

But yes. Whatever starves the beast gets my support, be it legal or not. So I am rooting for the underdog. What can I say? I'm a closet anarchist.

[Adder]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

Judges don't allow that sort of broad net discovery in criminal or civil actions here

huh?