Cashing in on family ties.....

“Nonsense.”

“There’s no evidence of any conflict of interest, or any connection, between….”

"Family ties were not a factor....”

“May indeed suggest a degree of political embarrassment.....”

Who do you think they’re talking about?

Senator Diane Feinstein, and her amazingly lucky husband Richard Blum, who, time and time again, just happens to receive lucrative million/billion dollar government contacts (who’s even counting, anymore?) either without any competitive bidding at all, or in spite of the fact that he was not the lowest bidder?

Or could it be Yasser Abbas, owner of the Falcon Electro Mechanical Contracting Company and the Sky Advertising Company, who also hit a lucky streak? Young Master Abbas – son of Fatah Arab terrorist leader Mahmoud Abbas -- just received contracts worth more than $2 million from the US government.

Of course Young Master Abbas -- named for his father’s political benefactor, master terrorist Yasser Arafat – new $2 million kitty is chump change as compared to the $25 billion Richard Blum just raked off, but hey – Abbas is younger and not as experienced. He’ll no doubt improve his bidding and persuasion techniques with time.

But thank G-d for the mainstream media! Reuters exposed young Mr. Abbas amazing luck, but then noted that joblessness within the “Palestinian Authority” has doubled since the Arabs started the Second Intifada against Israel in 2000. So apparently we are supposed to be pleased that at least one young man won’t be going hungry.

As you might expect, both of the US government agencies who awarded the tidy little contracts insist that everything was fine and dandy, not to mention perfectly legal.

The FDIC, who helped out the Blum-Feinstein family during these trying economic times, pointed out that Senator Feinstein first requested the extra money to stop the rise of home foreclosures several days before the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) granted $25 billion in contracts to Blum’s company to sell foreclosed homes. She couldn’t have known. So, no problem, they say.

Young Master Abbas newfound wealth came through the USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, the US government’s most reliable funder of Mideast terrorism. The money given to Abbas is intended to pay for road improvement and for public relations campaigns to improve America’s image among the various terrorist groups. Officials from USAID insist that there was no problem, since family members are not barred from seeking US government contracts.

Yup. Well, what can you say? What comes to my mind is that old Woodie Guthrie song about Pretty Boy Floyd.

“Yes, as through this world I've wandered
I've seen lots of funny men;
some will rob you with a six-gun,
and some with a fountain pen.”

And some, apparently, with both.