Gotcha

Another UNSCAMmer was caught. South Korean businessman Tongsun Park was arrested in Houston on charges stemming from his involvment in the oil for food program.

If Park's name sounds familiar, it should. He's been here before. Back in the 1970s, he was at the center of the Koreagate scandal-an influence peddling scheme that implicated 115 members of Congress, although only one member was convicted of wrongdoing; Rep. Richard T. Hanna (D-CA).

Although the payments to congressmen caused a scandal, Park was never convicted of wrongdoing in a U.S. court. He fled to South Korea when news of the scandal broke, and charges of bribery and conspiracy were dropped after he agreed to return to the United States and testify before Congress. His biggest problems came with the Internal Revenue Service, which said he owed millions of dollars in back taxes for not reporting his commissions.

It's always interesting that the same figures keep popping up in these scandals and controversies.

Meanwhile, the UN's woes are still mounting. In the form of Sudan. Even as the violence continues in Sudan unabated, the UN is withdrawing peacekeepers from Dafur. That makes a lot of sense. And Sudan is becoming a hub in the nuclear black market. Again, not a big surprise. Failed states have a way of becoming havens for nefarious activities. The IAEA, which is supposed to prevent proliferation and keep track of such things, isn't on the ball here either.

UPDATE:
Posted to Point Five and The Donovan (Argghhh!)