Cunningham's ties to charity attacked

[UpInArms]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20050624-9999-1n24sure.html

WASHINGTON – Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's ties to a charitable foundation started by defense contractor Mitchell Wade and his wife are under attack by a public-interest watchdog group in Washington, D.C., and a political rival in San Diego.

The charity, the Sure Foundation, is headquartered in the same Washington town house as Wade's defense contracting firm, MZM Inc. Wade's wife, Christiane, is the foundation's president, and he is its treasurer. Cunningham's wife, Nancy, and one of his daughters, April, are listed as members of the foundation's advisory board.

"These two men have mixed up their business, social and charitable lives," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington. "It would be one thing for Mitchell Wade to be Duke Cunningham's good friend, and even for family members to be on the advisory council," she said. But, she added, "it takes on an entirely different cast in light of the fact that Mitchell Wade has business before Duke Cunningham's (congressional) committee."

Cunningham is on the House defense appropriations subcommittee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, both of which have been crucial panels for Wade in securing government contracts, according to former MZM employees.

...more...

[Judi Lynn]

1. Whoa! This is really strange.

Jeffrey Birnbaum and Renae Merle of the Washington Post (6/17/2005, p. A29) found yet another financial tie-in between Wade and Cunningham. Wade funded and created “The Sure Foundation.” Cunningham’s wife & daughter are on the Advisory Council. The Sure Foundation used to have a PDF newsletter with pictures of Wade and the Cunninghams at a fundraiser party, but it has mysteriously disappeared from the website (June 2005). William Bennett of the North County Times reported on 6/17/2005 that Cunningham’s subcommittee authorized a $100,000 grant to The Sure Foundation.
(snip/...)

http://dukecunningham.org/cunningham-home.php

This article links to the Sure Foundation:
http://www.the-sure-foundation.org/

and....

http://dukecunningham.org/phorum/read.php?f=1&i=302&t=302

[UpInArms]

2. here's the web archive of dukecunningham.org pages

http://web.archive.org/web/*/dukecunningham.org/*

I think I'll go and take a look around :evilgrin:

[Judi Lynn]

5. Did you see this odd info.?

From the Duke forum:

It is also interesting to note that the "MZM Inc." and "Sure Foundation" web site contact pages have the same "1523 New Hampshire Ave." address listed and exactly the same picture of the front of the building. They apparently share space in the office building/townhouse. This is the same address that was used as the name of the front company that purchased Randall's Del Mar home, although the company itself is apparently located at 2412 Darcy Place (see the Grant Deed).

Is the Tracy Place address a personal residence at which the Wade's live? A Google search suggests that former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara may have lived there. Even more off-topic, it appears that the University of California's Office of Federal Governmental Relations may have used the New Hampshire Ave. address in the past.

I'm very interested in hearing more about the potential undervaluation of the Rancho Santa Fe home. In addition, there was talk that the Del Mar home was undervalued when it was finally sold. Do we know anything about the people who eventually purchased it? Were they somehow associated with Randall and given a "sweetheart deal," too. Apparently Duke's real estate friend Ms. Todd was the realtor involved in both of those sales.

Are the proper authorities and press being kept apprised of all of these developing connections?
(snip/)

Really spooky.

[maddezmom]

7. yikes, this story is getting stranger everyday

:scared:

[UpInArms]

8. went to the Corporate Sponsors on the archive link

http://web.archive.org/web/20030603200220/the-sure-foundation.org/sponsors.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20050624100433/

The Sure Foundation is proud to have MZM, Inc. as its first corporate sponsor! MZM, Inc. has been generous in its giving and has enabled The Sure Foundation to broaden and expand its base of giving.


MZM, Inc. provides data warehousing and information technology consulting services to both governmental and non-governmental entities

on the "Contact Us" page:

The Sure Foundation, Inc.
1523 New Hampshire Ave. N.W. Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]
Hours of Business: 8 AM to 5 PM
Monday through Friday

http://web.archive.org/web/20050624100743/

"We come together to partner with the countless numbers of organizations that are currently doing outstanding work for refugees around the world. The Sure Foundation stands ready to serve the needs of children in refugee situations through whatever means necessary. As you consider the worthy causes that you contribute to during the year, we hope that you will give thoughtful consideration to The Sure Foundation."
Christiane S. Wade

President

and

The Sure Foundation, Inc. is incorporated in the District of Columbia as a non-profit corporation, under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

[UpInArms]

6. The Sure Foundation

got this from the web archive:

Board of Directors

Mrs. Christiane S. Wade, President
Mr. Joseph W. Cornelison, Vice President
Mr. Mitchell J. Wade, Treasurer
Mrs. Ella C. Cornelison
Mr. Douglas A. Evalenko
Mrs. Sandra M. Evalenko
Mr. Daniel L. Gray
Mrs. Vesta S. Gray
LTG James C. King, USA (Ret.)
Mrs. Jeneane C. King
MG Bernard Loeffke, USA (Ret.)
Mr. L. Parks Shipley
Mrs. Micheline O. Shipley
LTG Harry E. Soyster, USA (Ret.)
Dr. Gary D. Stoner
Mrs. Natalie J. Stoner
Ms. Tatiana Strajnic
Mr. Lou E. Tice
Mrs. Diane B. Tice
LTG Sidney T. Weinstein, USA (Ret.)
Mrs. Pauline M. Weinstein

http://web.archive.org/web/20030603191517/the-sure-foundation.org/about.html

clicked on the "Directors" link

[nikraye]

3. No aid for Iraqi children. Interesting.

Funny how, of all the "projects" listed on this ad nauseum website, not one mention of all the children in Iraq who've been killed, mutilated, raped, or orphaned. Yet their org's express mission is "to meet the urgent and wholistic needs of children who have been victims of civil unrest, war or who are living in a state of poverty, suffering, turmoil or instability.

Also, from the Sure Foundation website:

Facts:
In the last decade, more than 2 million children have been killed during wars.
More than 4 million children have suffered physical mutilation.
More than 1 million children have been orphaned or separated from their families as a result of war.

And yet, with all the emphasis on helping children who are suffering as a result of war, not one mention, not one iota of aid to the children suffering in the most visible war of our times (Iraq). Could it be that to give aid to Iraqi children, both Cunningham and Wade would be revealing themselves for the hypocrites they are?

What disgusting scumbags these people are...every last one of them.

[Judi Lynn]

4. As long as right-wing U.S. Presidents keep creating new orphans

around the world, there'll ALWAYS be opportunity for coroded and corrut right-wing politicians to throw together more bogus orphan-outreach organizations.

A scumbag heaven on earth.

[nikraye]

9. My email to the scumbags...

Dear Sure Foundation,

Your website states that your mission is to meet the urgent and wholistic needs of children who have been victims of civil unrest, war or who are living in a state of poverty, suffering, turmoil or instability. Yet I was surprised to see no mention among your current or past "projects" of aid to the thousands of children who have been orphaned, mutilated, raped, or killed in the most visible war of our present time -- the Iraq War.

Is this glaring omission due to the fact that MZM, you main corporate sponsor, is a defense contractor, and as such, is profiting from the miseries of thousands of Iraqi civilians and American soldiers who are needlessly suffering because of the Iraq War?

Or is this omission due to the fact that Mr. And Mrs. Mitchell and Christiane Wade, the founders of the Sure Foundation (as well as past and present board members) are equally profiting from the Iraq War, through Mr. Wade's defense company, MZM?

Or maybe it has more to do with the fact that Advisory Council members, Nancy and April Cunningham, mother and daughter to United States Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham, respectively, are too embarrassed to assist the suffering children of Iraq? It is, after all, Rep. Duke Cunningham who, for his part, gave President George Bush authorization to invade Iraq in spite of any real moral or legal justification. I suppose to offer aid to the victims of a war one is personally responsible for engineering would seem a bit hypocritical, would it not?

Sincerely,

Government Corruption Citizens' Inquiry Commission
Town of Moral Outrage, USA

P.S., I understand you and your organization are under possible investigation for some rather obvious "conflicts of interest." I wish you good luck with this investigation. From all the evidence that is coming to light, it appears "luck" (and maybe some political bribes) are the only thing that will save your sham of an operation.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20050624-9999-1n24sure