We often hear the old adage to "follow the money." Sometimes it is hard to know where the money trail begins and ends unless we first "follow the buddies."
It was back in 1979 when Bill Clinton performed a marriage for James Blair and Diane Kincaid, a ceremony in which Hillary Rodham Clinton served as "best person."
Let's follow the buddy trail.
James Blair just happens to be a retired lawyer working at the top of the ladder at Tyson Food. He just also happens to be the very nice friend who helped inexperienced Hillary Rodham Clinton turn $1,000 into $100,000 in a questionable investment which made headlines some years ago.
The chairwoman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) is none other than Diane Blair, his wife. So what? Let's take a closer look and see.
Most Americans are unaware of some of the top corporate scandals of recent history, perhaps because of the position of certain "buddies." I am often asked, why hasn't the national media covered a particular story. The Blairs are a good example of how corporations control the news.
Tyson Foods has had its share of scandals, including accusations of drug running, supported by police documents revealing an investigation. That investigation ended on orders from Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, according to state trooper "Doc" Delaughter who was in charge of the investigation. (See "Cover Up: The Art and Science of Political Deception" for copies of the evidence http://talkusa.com/coverup.htm.)
Tyson Foods found itself in another scandal, which most Americans have not heard of. Don Tyson gladly paid $6 million to get out of trouble and avoid a deeper investigation. It was just one year ago that Tyson pled guilt to giving former USDA Secretary Mike Espy illegal funds intended to buy influence.
Independent Counsel Donald Smaltz's investigation is still under way, and reportedly has turned up significant evidence to reopen the closed drug investigation. Someone somewhere is preventing an expansion of Smaltz's authority and jurisdiction, which stops him cold and maintains business as usual for Tyson.
Don Tyson has been a major donor to Bill Clinton from the beginning of his political career. Tyson regards Clinton as an "investment," according to lobbyists. If you want access and influence in politics you must become buddies and donate your money.
It is very, very hard for a politician to turn down a request from their buddy who has donated lots of money to them. It is even harder to turn them down when they have influence with the press. It is better to keep your buddies than to turn them into enemies.
Tyson is a major player in national media, simply because of the billion-dollar advertising budget which the media giants fight for and protect. He also learned how to control public radio and television with his money.
Another buddy of Bill Clinton is Archer Daniels Midland Corp. That company paid over $200 million in fines and settlements for fixing prices of food ingredients. Some executives of that company are still waiting for sentencing on criminal charges. They are just another example of a company that made sure they were on the buddy list of Bill Clinton, and they also control major media with mega advertising dollars.
Both Tyson Foods and Archer Daniels Midland Corp. have also carefully placed their financial support with NPR and PBS courtesy of the Blair connection. Not only do they wield influence with commercial media, they hold substantial influence with the so-called public media -- along with viewers like you.
The major financial donor supporting the nightly "Jim Lehrer Report" is Dwayne O. Andreas of Archer Daniels Midland Corp. Are you still wondering why you haven't heard of the nation's biggest corporate scandals in the news -- not even on public television?
The buddy trail all began back in 1979 when Bill Clinton performed a ceremony for the Blair team. Truly a marriage made in heaven -- corporate heaven.