Patrick Lynch Sucks .Com
Protect the powerful,
and indict the weak
Patrick Lynch is attorney general of
Rhode Island, and he sucks.
Lynch is a politically connected guy,
the brother of William Lynch, the Chairman of the RI Democratic party,
and the son of the Dennis Lynch, the former five term mayor of
Pawtucket,
RI. Let's just say, in Rhode Island, he's got connections.
The
Democratic Party controls RI, including the state legislature, and most
of the
state's cities and towns. For practical purposes, it is a one party
state, and the Democrats often wield their power without regard for the
law.
Here are a few of our gripes:
- Lynch did nothing to
address the alleged bribery by CVS and
Blue
Cross. Sure, Senator John Celona was
indicted, but then Lynch dropped the ball, and the Feds took over.
Under our system of law, bribers are as guilty as bribees. Years later,
two executives at CVS were charged only because the US attorney and
the FBI got involved. And
about these two executives: how could only two executives approve such
a thing, without CEO or
board approval? That seems very unlikely. The bottom line is that
Patrick Lynch was a "no
show." Could it be
because Lynch once did work for CVS? Is Lynch
covering up for his former corporate clients? Is he trying to curry
favor with powerful organizations? It sure looks that way. At the very
least, there is a potential conflict of interest regarding Lynch
prosecuting
CVS. How come this conflict was never addressed, such as by
naming a special prosecutor?
- Lynch did not do enough
about the
Station Nightclub fire, in which 100 people died. The disaster occurred
on February 20, 2003. Using
the same "protect the powerful" and
"indict the weak" strategy as in the Celona scandal, the nightclub owners and
the band manager have been made the scapegoats for the entire disaster.
Despite evidence which strongly suggests that state and/ or local
officials may be partially responsible for this disaster, Lynch was a
"no
show." No charges were filed by Lynch against alleged
negligent officials. It appears that
Lynch sheltered and protected Democratic cronies from criminal and/ or
civil liability.
- Lynch allegedly covered up
for felonies committed by police
officers. Three Portsmouth police officers admitted taking guns, but
instead of criminal charges --they only got slaps on the wrists. Gotta
protect our boys, even if it means a double standard of law.
- Lynch did nothing about the
Roger Williams Medical Center corruption
case. What a coincidence that it also involved well connected pols.
Once again, the Feds had to get involved. Once again, Lynch was a
"no show."
- Lynch gave the green light to a
powerful official to violate the law. Lynch failed to stop Chief
Justice
Frank Williams from violating the constitutional ban on dual office
holding. Worse, Lynch also fueled a massive conflict of interest by
acting as Williams' attorney. Read more about this at FrankWilliamsSucks.com
- Lynch did nothing
about the
problems at Beacon Mutual Insurance Company, another company heavily
populated with "political insiders." But, according to a press release
from Lynch opponent Bill
Harsch, Lynch did accept campaign contributions from Beacon, its
disgraced CEO, and its attornies. Maybe this explains why Lynch was
missing in
action. The governor was forced to hire outside counsel to handle
the
Beacon problem.
- Lynch negotiated a very
questionable "settlement" with DuPont regarding the lead paint issue,
and then reports surfaced of campaign donations to Lynch from DuPont
lawyers, lawyers for the corporation that got off easy in the
settlement. There were also settlement payments to out of state
entities, which is also irregular.
- Lynch allegedly gave
preferential treatment to an official's son. A 21 year old young man
was
allegedly murdered in Newport, but no criminal charges were filed. It
turns out that one of the possible suspects is the son of a deputy
police chief in Rhode Island. Are you starting to see a pattern yet?
The mission of the RI Attorney General is to be the
attorney for the people. Is Patrick Lynch the attorney
for the people --or the
attorney for the powerful?
For practical purposes, Rhode
Island has no attorney general. What's the point of even having an
attorney general.. if he does nothing? One possibility is that Patrick
Lynch is simply using the AG office as a stepping stone to higher
political office.
News
Stories and letters
- NEW!
Attorney General Patrick Lynch plans to run for governor in 2010
--May 23, 2009. From The Providence Journal. Just as we predicted
many months ago, Patrick Lynch has announced his intention to run for
governor.
- NEW!
Court Ruling Sought Over Ethics Issue --May 12, 2009. From
The Providence Journal. “The nature
of the brief implies to me that the attorney general wants [the Irons
case] to go away,” says Robert Arruda, who previously led Operation
Clean Government for nine years and brought the ethics complaints
against Irons. Arruda called for Lynch to publicly reveal
that he worked as a CVS lobbyist at the same time Irons was considering
the pharmacy-choice legislation. He accused Lynch of trying to kill the
Irons issue to spare himself bad press as he prepares to run as a
Democrat for governor. Operation Clean Government says it
agrees with Arruda that Lynch should have disclosed his role as a
lobbyist. “It really rankles me,” Arruda said. “I think
the attorney general should be disclosing that he had an interest at
the time.”
- William
J. Lynch: Unfairly blaming Democrats for R.I. economic woes
-- November 7, 2008. From The Providence Journal. "Unfairly
blaming..?!" That is the biggest
load of horse manure I have ever read!! Billy Lynch blames Governor
Carcieri and the Iraq War for Rhode Island's problems. This is a load
of nonsense because RI has been ruled by Lynch's Democrat Party for 60+
years! It is a one party Democratic controlled state --and to blame the
Republicans for anything is a joke. The corrupt Democratic controlled
RI General Assembly runs Rhode Island with an iron fist. Thanks to his
little brother Patrick, and Sheldon Whitehouse before him, there is
virtually no prosecution for political corruption in Rhode Island; the
only exceptions are actions undertaken by the federal government.
Platinum pensions/ healthcare benefits for state workers and public
sector unions, and lavish welfare benefits for Welfare Queens and
illegal aliens (as well as rampant welfare fraud) account for most of
the state's spending. It is no surprise that many corporations and well
to do individuals have fled the state's high tax high welfare
socialistic dystopia. It is no surprise that the state is bankrupt, and
it isn't the fault of the Republicans. Economists have been warning
about Rhode Island's deteriorating economy for the past 30
years! To try to pin that on President Bush and Governor Carcieri is
absurd and a lie.
- Patrick
Lynch elected President of NAAG - Patrick Lynch is the
President of the National Association of Attorneys General?!?!
LOL. What the heck were these guys thinking? Why would they elect
the worst attorney general in the country as their President?
Congrats!! It makes NAAG look like a bunch of idiots.
- Lynch
given top spot in attorney general group - From The Boston
Globe. Massachusetts folks always get alot of laughs out of Lil Rhody,
their corrupt
little brother from the South. These days, they are also getting alot
of business, as people are fleeing next door to avoid RI's public
corruption, high taxes, high utilities, and political repression
--conditions which Patrick Lynch has worsened. RI is the #1 state in
losing population. People are moving out. RI is also ranked as
the worst business climate in the country.
- Lynch
to lead nation's AGs --From Legal News Line. The fraternity
of the law, they love congratulating each other. The judges, the
lawyers, the cops, the social workers, most of the time they all stick
together. The facts and the law can be "massaged" to suit their own
interests. NAAG's choice in leaders proves it -- it's all about the
politics.
- Dennis
E. Odell: Lynch – do your job for a change --April 16,
2008. From The Providence Journal. "Why isn’t Mr. Lynch ferreting
out the illegal activities and corruption of state legislators, local
politicians, businessmen, etc., instead of letting the federal
government do the work?" Um, that makes political enemies. When you do
too much honest law enforcement stuff like that, you could have a
falling out with the old boy network that runs the state. In a
one party state, and with his brother in charge of the RI Democratic
party, I am sure Patrick Lynch just doesn't see anything in it for him
to do his job. There is no point in making political enemies, which
would happen if Lynch vigorously prosecuted Democratic wrongdoers. In a
tight knit racket like Rhode Island, it just wouldn't help Lynch's
power --or his career.
- Man
charged 32 years after alleged rape --June 23,
2007. From The Providence Journal. Although it is easy and natural to
find sympathy for the alleged rape victim, this is a prima facie bogus
case. How the heck can this guy get a fair
trial after 32 years? Doesn't this very scenario expose the reasoning
and logic behind statute of limitations laws, even if they don't
legally apply in this case? Why won't Lynch go after recent wrongdoing
in the state? Supposedly Lynch has his eye on being governor some day,
and maybe going after corrupt officials will interfere with his future
political ambitions, given that RI is a one party state and his brother
runs the RI Democratic party and all.
Irrelevant and showy cases against average Joes won't hurt Lynch
long term, and they make him SEEM like he is doing his job (unless you
have any critical thinking abilities at all).
- Editorial: Shocking negligence
--June 8,
2007. From The Providence Journal. "..Atty. Gen. Patrick Lynch’s office
proved stunningly incompetent.."
- Letter: AG failed to pursue justice in Station fire
--February 21,
2007. From The Providence Journal. "Further, newly released grand-jury
testimony reveals that it was actually the attorney general’s office
that tied the grand jury’s hands, as prosecutors deflected pointed
questions by a conscientious grand jury away from the actions of safety
officials."
- Edward Achorn: Station fire
outrage fades to oblivion --February 20,
2007. From The Providence Journal. "Mr. Lynch effectively exonerated
West Warwick Fire Marshal Denis Larocque, saying he could not be
charged under Rhode Island general laws. There was some disagreement
about that: Lawyer William Harsch, a candidate for A.G. last year,
insisted that the law provides for negligence on this scale to be
criminally prosecuted, something he vowed to do if elected...
Grand jury testimony released to the public after Mr. Lynch was safely
returned to power showed his office vigorously steered the panel away
from prosecution of Mr. Larocque. One grand juror, whose identity was
kept secret, asked the key question of the debacle: “Why have a fire
marshal? If the fire marshal did nothing, [and is] not responsible for
anything, why have a fire marshal? There’s no use in having a fire
marshal.”"
- A
fire marshal's responsibility --February 16,
2007. From The Providence Journal. "According to the Oxford English
Dictionary, bad faith is defined as an “intent to deceive.”"
- Lame
foam excuse --February 14,
2007. From The Providence Journal. Fire Marshall makes a lame excuse
for his negligence.
- Dave
Kane: AG Lynch shielded public officials --February 8,
2007. From The Providence Journal. "There is something new to come out
of the released testimony, hard evidence that the attorney general and
his staff had an agenda. I believe that their goal was to shield any
and all public officials, the Town of West Warwick, and the State of
Rhode Island from any responsibility in this horrific event."
- 2
CVS officials charged with conspiracy, bribery --January 20,
2007. From The Providence Journal.
- 2
CVS executives indicted in R.I. influence scandal -January
20, 2007. From Providence Business News. "The 23-count indictment,
which the grand jury returned Thursday in U.S. District Court,
Providence, was jointly announced that afternoon by Robert Clark
Corrente, the U.S. attorney for the District of Rhode Island; Sharon
Ormsby, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s local acting special
agent in charge; and Col. Steven M. Pare, the superintendent of the
R.I. State Police." Hello? Patrick?! Hello?!!!
- Larocque
raised club's capacity, despite complaints -December 3,
2006.
From The Providence Journal.
- Let
grand jury judge
--November 19, 2006. Letter to the editor in The Providence Journal.
- Lynch
asks judge to lift Station restrictions --November 18, 2006.
Letter to the editor in The Providence Journal.
- Lynch balks at releasing all
evidence --November 17, 2006.
From The Providence Journal.
- Looking
for Lynch --November 14, 2006. Letter to the editor in The
Providence Journal.
- Indict W. Warwick fire officials
--November 13, 2006.Letter to the editor in The Providence Journal.
- Harsch says he will shed ties to
any party if he tops Lynch --November 4, 2006.
From The Providence Journal. “This is a step I feel is necessary in
order to restore the faith and confidence in the office of attorney
general,” Harsch said."
- Family of dead student upset by
decision not to prosecute --November 3, 2006.
From The Providence Journal. "The family said 'crucial evidence was
withheld from the grand jury' because the three URI students were not
called to testify. Also, they said one of those students is the son of
a deputy police chief in Rhode Island."
- Harsch: Released e-mails rebuff
Lynch on Derderians' plea deal --November 2, 2006.
From The Providence Journal.
- Station
lawyer releases e-mails with prosecutor --November 1, 2006.
From The Providence Journal. "Kathleen M. Hagerty, a lawyer for the
owners of The Station nightclub where 100 people died in a 2003 fire,
yesterday lashed out at Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, who she said
was lying about his office’s handling of the criminal cases against her
clients."
- William
Harsch: Rhode Island needs an A.G. it can trust --October
26, 2006.
From The Providence Journal.
- Lynch
hasn’t yet asked court to release transcripts --October
24, 2006.
From The Providence Journal.
- Lynch,
Harsch face off over Station aftermath --October
21, 2006.
From The Providence Journal.
- Station
fire fuels attorney general candidates' debate --October
20, 2006.
From The Providence Journal.
- Lynch
delays releasing evidence --October 19, 2006.
From The Providence Journal.
- Opponent
accuses Lynch of hiding donors’ names --October 18, 2006.
From The Providence Journal.
- Glenn
Corbett: Station fire -- A.G.'s office blocked experts from
getting facts --October 16, 2006. From The
Providence
Journal.
- Harsch
Complains Lynch Dodging Debates --October 9, 2006. From The
Providence
Journal.
- Lynch
feared Station fire trial --October 3, 2006. From The
Providence
Journal.
- Edward
Achorn: Legal scheme ensnares Patrick Lynch --August 29, 2006. From The
Providence
Journal. "Mr. Lynch, succeeding Mr. Whitehouse, cut a deal with the
company, at the same time individuals involved in the negotiations were
contributing to Mr. Lynch's campaign coffers."
- Rhode
Island Rhapsody --August 16, 2006. From The Wall Street
Journal.
"When a state sues an industry -- think tobacco -- any settlement money
typically goes directly to that state. But when Rhode Island dropped
the DuPont Corporation from a lead paint lawsuit last year, after the
defendant agreed to donate $12 million to charity, most of the money
ended up at organizations based in Washington, D.C., and Boston. Which
is why Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch has some explaining
to do."
- Wall Street
Journal Condemns Cronyism, Corruption in RI AG Office --August
16, 2006. From AG
Agenda Watch.
- Fire
marshal increased capacity of nightclub on the owner's request
--August 2,
2006. From The
Providence
Journal.
- Attorney
General Takes Cash From Defendant --July 6, 2006. From Judicial Watch.
- Lynch
accepted campaign donations from lead defendant --June
30, 2006. From The
Providence Journal.
- Rhode Island AG
Campaign Took Donations --June 30, 2006. From The Washington Post.
- AP NewsBreak: Lynch
campaign took donations from DuPont lawyer --June 29, 2006. From The Boston Globe.
- Four
Years too harsh -- May 15, 2006. From the Pawtucket Times.
"Attorney General Patrick Lynch says state law does not allow for the
prosecution of those municipal and state officials because they have
immunity unless they showed malice or bad faith. Well? Is he
saying someone trained in fire safety and fire inspection didn’t wonder
about the flammability of the foam on the walls and ceiling and that
was an honest mistake?"
- The
Biechele sentence --May 13, 2006. From The
Providence
Journal. "Notably, state and local officials played a prominent role.
And thus far they have been held utterly unaccountable. They inspected
the club without citing the dangerous conditions that Mr. Biechele had
no idea existed. They failed to order removal of the flammable foam.
And they twice raised the club's legal occupancy, allowing for the
overcrowding that prevented the fire victims' escape. Why?"
- Biechele
gets 4 years to serve --May 10, 2006. From The
Providence
Journal. BIECHELE WAS THE SCAPEGOAT! WAKE UP, RHODE ISLANDERS!!
- Lynch
fined $5,000 for contempt of court --May 5, 2006. From The
Providence
Journal.
- Court
papers: AG held in contempt for comments in lead paint case
--May 5, 2006. From Boston.com.
- Lynch:
10 years in prison for band manager --April 20, 2006. From The
Providence
Journal. "Biechele has no prior record, has cooperated with law
enforcement since the night of the fire and has accepted full
responsibility for his criminal acts, saving the state the expense and
the victims' survivors the heartbreak of a trial, Lynch concedes."
Biechele is the fall guy.
- Council
meeting at home is OK says attorney general --February 7, 2006. From
The
Providence
Journal. Ridiculous opinion invites abuse.
- Band
manager to admit club fire deaths --January 31, 2006. From CNN.
"Daniel Biechele, 29, will enter the plea next Tuesday and serve no
more than 10 years in prison under a deal with prosecutors that may
have spared him a life sentence, Superior Court Judge Francis Darigan
said." The RI Democratic machine finally got its fall guy. Under heavy
pressure and with a possible life sentence hanging over his head like a
sword, Daniel Biechele gave in. Can
you blame him for yielding to the state? Biechele sure looks like a
scapegoat. There were alot of other factors at work which created this
catastrophe such as: prohibited flammable foam, locked exits, fire code
violations, etc.. How come the AG Patrick Lynch has not charged any
officials? Remember 100 people died, in one of our state's worst
disasters. Is the AG Patrick Lynch protecting Democratic cronies? It
sure looks that way.
- Deputy
fire marshal terminated --January
27, 2006. From The Providence
Journal. "The plaintiffs alleged that they were harassed and threatened
at work after Pellegrino reported to the attorney general's office that
Owens and Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Richard James altered an
investigation report on The Station nightclub fire."
- Roger
Williams Medical Center indicted in corruption case --January
6, 2006. From The Providence
Journal. While Lynch was playing with his Spiderman toys, the Feds were
doing his job.
- No criminal charges filed in cases of
missing guns --October 1, 2005.
From the Providence Journal.
- Why We
Support Bill Harsch For Attorney General --September 15, 2005.
Letter from the opposition.
- CVS: Retaining Celona 'an error in judgment'
--January 16, 2004. From the Providence Journal.
- Irons
a passenger on CVS private jet --January 8, 2004. From the
Providence Journal. It would be interesting to know which other public
officials flew on this jet, if any.
- Is
The AG's office a dead end? --January 2, 2004. From the Providence Phoenix.
- Victim's
father asks for federal investigation --December 24, 2003.
From the Providence Journal.
The Station Nightclub Fire resources
Misc Lynch
Links
- Bill
Harsch website --Lynch's political opponent.
- RI
Attorney General Homepage --The AG's office is one of the key posts
in state government. The AG should be totally non-partisan and provide
diligent representation of the people. It should not be a post
inhabited by a party hack who acts as a power broker for shielding the
powerful.
- Patrick Lynch Profile --Looks good and sounds wonderful, but...
"Where's the beef?!"
Bill Harsch
Ethics Complaint Against Lynch
- Ethics
Panel To Probe RI Attorney General --July 5, 2006. From the
Washington Post.
- Ethics
Panel To Probe RI Attorney General --July 5, 2006. From the
Houston Chronicle.
- Ethics
Panel To Probe RI Attorney General --July 5, 2006. From the
Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Ethics
Panel To Probe RI Attorney General --July 5, 2006. From
Forbes magazine.
- Lawyer
in Rhode Island Paint Case Donated to Attorney General
--June 30, 2006. From the New York Times.
- DuPont
RI Campaign Gift Questioned --June 29, 2006. From Forbes magazine.
- Attorney
General Patrick Lynch's Campaign Cash Controversy --June
29, 2006. From ABC 6.
- AP: Lynch
Campaign Took Donations From DuPont Lawyer --June 29,
2006. From Channel 10.
- Lynch
campaign took donations from DuPont lawyer --June 29, 2006. From Channel 12.
- DuPont
RI campaign gift questioned --June 29, 2006. From Business
Week.
Other Resources
Other Sucks Pages
Domain Free
Speech Links
- ChillingEffects.org
-- "Chilling Effects aims to help you understand the
protections that the First Amendment and intellectual property laws
give to your online activities."
- EFF.org -The Electronic Frontier
Foundation
- Kathleen
Kennedy Townsend loses second WIPO case -Public officials
sometimes try to make bogus trademark claims to grab domains and avoid
citizen/ constituent criticism
- Maryland
Politician Loses Domain Case -Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
loses domain dispute. Public officials are fair game
for criticism.
- DorsetPolice.Com/
.Net Precedent -Actual decision text
stating that descriptive domain names are allowed in government free
speech situations. The finding was "there is a general, legitimate
interest in allowing citizens to use descriptive domain names to
publish criticism about their government."
We welcome your comments and
editorial suggestions.
The Monopoly 'Chance' card is owned by
Hasbro, and is being used without permission under the doctrine of
"fair use."
This is a non-commercial webpage; we are certainly not in the business
of selling board games.
This webpage is NOT associated with
RI Attorney General Patrick Lynch.
This webpage exists to
expound
political speech, and
to question the deeds of elected officials.
