Congressman Davis Plans Long Stay in Office

The straight-up fact is that when a person nabs the 1st District Congressional seat, it's pretty much theirs for as long as they wish to have it. Since 1963, only three Republicans have held the seat - Jimmy Quillen (1963-1997), Bill Jenkins (1997-2007) and current Congressman David Davis.

So it is no surprise to read in the Rogersville Review that he plans to run again, and that the seat is already locked up in his view:

"I haven’t made any official announcement yet, but I do plan to run for re-election,” Davis said.

The congressman said he is not aware of anyone “seriously” looking at mounting a challenge in the Republican primary, and he noted a Democrat has not been elected to serve the district since 1878.

“There is a possibility somebody might come out in the primary, but I have run in primaries before and I think I would be able to win again,” Davis said. “When you look at the history of the district, once you win the primary and are elected the voters tend to send you back if you do a good job of representing the values of East Tennessee."

However, I continue to hear rumblings from the upper East TN GOP that they wish to make Davis a one-term man. I'd expect a small battle in the primaries - though as Davis said, history is his ally.

Still, I wonder if no changes over a 100-year period indicate contentment or indifference.

The Economist Takes On Dollywood

England explores Dollywood in the latest issue of The Economist, which offers their own drawing (see image at right) to go with their report.

The story (link here) notes:

"People do not fly to Dollywood; they drive there in big cars full of squabbling children. East-coast accents, let alone foreign ones, are rare. The park is thus an excellent window on what people in this part of the American heartland like."

The Pigeon Forge Experience is certainly more vast than it was when I first went there way back in the 1960s. It really has not changed much in what it offered then - there is just a lot more of it.

Is it a true template of the American heartland?

(hat-tip to Hilbilly Savants)

Guest Dog Blog

Sophie, the official canine representative of yer Cup of Joe Powell returns in a recent photo, courtesy of The Editor. A black and white photo of a black and white dog on a black and white floor is a good thing.

The Public's Right to Know

Despite intentions of some in the state's government, proposed changes in the laws on doing business in public remain snarled and confusing to the public at large, and threaten to push more business and policy decisions into back rooms. School boards are also seeking exemptions to the public meeting laws.

It's one of those important situations wherein the ramifications of the changes may not be immediately apparent, but one day down the line the public will discover their input and oversight into governmental operations has been shut down.

Make no mistake -- citizens need to pay heed to this proposal now before it is too late.

Bloggers and newspapers in the state are keeping a close watch on this issue:

- A KNS editorial warns against weaker laws

- Other bloggers offer comment

- A discussion between online writers

Some fine news which I had missed is that Hamblen County government has now placed minutes of their county commission meetings online. Blogger Linda Noe has all the details on how to access the information and navigate through it. Kudos to the county for this effort to provide information!

Another good resource for tracking how well or how poorly Tennessee governmental bodies provide public records and access to information is available at the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.

On Being Named A 'Must Read' Blog

A rather unexpected surprise arrived for this humble-but-lovable blog, from Michael Silence at the Knoxville News Sentinel this past week - he listed this blog among his favorites in his post of "If I Could Only Read Five Blogs."

Many thanks Michael, to include me among your choices.

And for new and regular readers here, I say hold on to your wits as I am gearing up for some very important posts in coming weeks and days dealing with some most important issues affecting every person in our state.

Also in the past week I have been contacted by several national groups who are organizers of something called "Influencer Marketing", a trendy buzz concept from traditional media marketing groups. One definition of the idea is mentioned here and says "In the context of Influencer Marketing, influence is less about argument and coercion to a particular point of view, and more about loose interactions between various parties in a community."

One of many aspects of the blogging and internet world I have discovered is that more than 'blog influencers' impact is the impact that readers have on local and national opinions.

Making info available is certainly valuable. How we use and share that information among our friends and peers is the true power, so people who read news and opinion remain the key to shaping debate on issues.

So my thanks to those who see value in this blog, and thanks for the work all of you do every day.

The Woeful Absent Blogger; or, Where Is Joe Anyway?

Greetings from your humble narrator/blogger. And yes, I am keenly aware that I have been rather absent over the last few weeks, as I work to direct the stage play of Frank Capra's classic American Christmas story "It's A Wonderful Life" for the Morristown Theatre Guild which opens this Friday at the new Family Life Center at First Presbyterian Church.

The time and energy the blogging world requires has all been taken over by the needs of the show, and this will likely be my last post until our opening weekend is done. I hope readers and visitors here will forgive my absence and if possible, attend one of the performances of the show which runs from Nov. 30th thru Dec. 16th.

Why not indulge your Christmas passions now and make your reservations by calling 423-586-9260!! See George Bailey attempt suicide on Christmas Eve! See an angel (without wings) named Clarence work to rescue him! See Bedford Falls! And don't forget little Zuzu Bailey, who has a flower which needs a drink!

In a few short days I will return to the more usual topics/outrages/wit/debates-political-and-cultural/and overall guide to the Web World here.

Before I close this post, there is an ad for the program for "It's A Wonderful Life" from a local music store which I thought you might enjoy as much as I did. Thanks for your consideration and readership.

Sunday Web Walking

The creators of Conservapedia said their web site was launched to balance the 'liberal bias' of the web site WikiPedia. So what do conservatives read the most on their site?

Most viewed pages

1. Main Page‎ [1,943,727]
2. Homosexuality‎ [1,681,179]
3. Homosexuality and Hepatitis‎ [518,319]
4. Homosexuality and Parasites‎ [452,896]
5. Homosexuality and Promiscuity‎ [422,475]
6. Gay Bowel Syndrome‎ [403,745]
7. Homosexual Couples and Domestic Violence‎ [374,341]
8. Homosexuality and Gonorrhea‎ [332,220]
9. Homosexuality and Anal Cancer‎ [294,700]
10. Homosexuality and Mental Health‎ [294,120]

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Want to know all the top buzz-words for 2007 in Japan? Of course you do.

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When Jellyfish attack! (how can they be dangerous when they are named after jelly??)

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Tennessee Jed, aka Santa's Little Helper, has some pictures of the hanging the holiday decorations over downtown Knoxville.

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You don't have to be crazy to smoke, but it helps ....

Camera Obscura: The Strangest, Weirdest Movie Ever Made?

I was reading some reference books the other day and read about a movie released in 1970 which I had never heard about, a movie that boasts a cast which includes Richard Pryor, Guy Lombardo, Colonel Sanders and Ultra Violet (just to name a few). From what I have been able to learn about it, it may well be one of the strangest and weirdest movies to ever tumble out of America, if only for the huge cast of celebrities who agreed to be in it.

The so-called plot of the movie, called "The Phynx", is centered on how the country of Albania is kidnapping the most famous American celebrities of the day (um, yeah, we'll get to that list in a minute), so a sort-of CIA operation is launched with their plan to create a rock and roll band and send them into Albania as a touring act to rescue the celebs. The band is called The Phynx - a sort of psychedelic spelling of the Finks (I guess).

The movie is a bit hard to describe since no video or DVD copies exist. Bootleg copies are out there, but I am fearful of what dark nether regions of the world one must go to to find one.

Anyway, a crazy communist Albanian general (Michael Ansara) kidnaps celebs to entertain the imprisoned King and his wife happy (played by George Tobias and Joan Blondell). A host of cameo appearances by other 'stars' train the Phynx members for their tactical action on Albania.

Here is a partial list of the 'stars' in this train wreck of a movie: Dick Clark, Ed Sullivan, Colonel Sanders (yes, the one from KFC), James Brown, Richard Pryor, Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan (Tarzan and Jane!), Huntz Hall and Leo Gorcy (from the old Bowery Boys movies), Harold "Oddjob" Sakata, Guy Lombardo, Xavier Cugat, Joe Louis, Rich Little, Busby Berkley, Ruby Keeler, Rudy Vallee, Edgar Bergen, Martha Raye, Butterfly McQueen (from Gone With The Wind!!), Ultra Violet, Rona Barrett, Andy Devine, Dorothy Lamour, Jay Silverheels and John Hart (Tonto and the Lone Ranger!!!), George Jessell, Clint Walker and even more odd choices.

There's even a shot in the movie (according to sources) of stock footage of Richard Nixon signing into law a day celebrating "Phynxgiving Day."

Yeah.

Unlike, say, an Ed Wood movie, which is bad and awful and made on a shoestring, this one was a big budget major studio release from Warner Bros.

Maybe the reasons it is not available on tape or DVD are good ones. Maybe the nation of Albania has all the copies and has them hidden in some vault.

Still, this sounds so bad it might just be good. Maybe.

Futurama Returns With New Movie

"Good news everyone!!"

Fine news for fans of the once-cancelled and now revived animated sci-fi comedy show "Futurama": the show is back next Tuesday with a direct-to-DVD movie called "Bender's Big Score."

This review says:

""Bender's Big Score" is an absolutely wonderful return for the series, as not only does the film deliver a clever (a late twist is not only unexpected, but rather sweet) and often hysterical time travel tale, but a film that will both please fans (who get some references to episodes, as well as the return of supporting players Nibbler, Zapp Branigan and Kiff) and hook in newcomers.

As much as I liked "Futurama" (although especially later seasons, as the show continued to get funnier in later years as it developed characters and built further upon the concept), I found "Bender's Big Score" exceeded my expectations, as despite the direct-to-DVD nature of the flick, it really feels like a full feature film and not an extended episode with a lot of filler. I'm looking forward to the next film (which will apparently come out early in 2008), and hopefully if these direct-to-DVD films are successful, Fox will consider bringing back the series.

Note - the film does end with a cliffhanger, and the commentary notes that there will be three more "Futurama" features."

Plus Al Gore and Evil Santa make appearances in this new feature.

I am estatic with nerdly joy.

Come See "It's A Wonderful Life"

Shameless plug number two here for the stage production of Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life", which I am directing for the Morristown Theatre Guild, which is in it's 73rd Season and prepping for Season 74.

To tackle a show which based on one of the most popular American movies of all time is a somewhat daunting task, yes. But this task is also a chance to work within the world of the superb craftsmenship of filmmaker Frank Capra. Also, it has offered me a chance to develop a stage show with a black-and-white stage design. Why do this classic in full modern color?

Of course, there will be some nifty Christmas colors onstage by the time the show ends, but on that I'll say no more. You'll need to buy a ticket to see what I mean! Info on how to get tickets and for showtimes are in the image on the right, which you can click to enlarge.

We have several more rehearsals to go, with a very talented cast (click here for a cast list and info on the Guild and obtaining tickets) and there will be many hours in coming days working to complete construction on the set for the show, none of which could be done without the aid of some most skillful volunteers. I would be at a huge loss without their hard work.

In the making of the original film, director Capra created a set for the town of Bedford Falls in two months and was one of the longest sets that had ever been made for an American movie. It covered four acres of the RKO's Encino Ranch. It included 75 stores and buildings, main street, factory district and a large residential and slum area. The Main Street was 300 yards long, three whole city blocks.

The set for this stage production will be just a wee bit smaller.

Look for some updates on this production in coming days.

And be sure to come see the show!!

Send the Open Government Committee Home!

The state's legislative committee reviewing/re-writing open government meeting laws needs to stop and close up shop, revoke all recommendations and go back home. After first deciding to allow for more elected officials to meet and make decisions on public policy in secret, they now offer exemptions of open meeting laws which only enhance perceptions of corruption.

Tom Humphrey's report in todays KNS on the recommendations provides a glimpse into how much business government wants to conduct away from public view:

- Meetings where purchase of property is being discussed.

- Meetings of school boards where the performance of a school superintendent is being discussed.

- Meetings of the board of government-owned hospitals when they are discussing "strategic planning" or "marketing strategies."

- Meetings dealing with the renting or leasing of property by government.

These officials just don't get it - the goal of open government is to serve the public, not hide the policy-makers from oversight.

Why the fearful concern over allowing the public to see how elected officials debate policy or make decisions? Are some afraid the public will see shoddy logic, poor planning, self-serving attitudes, histrionic grandstanding or other behavior which might influence voters?

Privacy Lost Redux

A follow-up to yesterday's post on the ideas of privacy --

Jack Lail had some sound opinions on the topic in the comments of that post and after talking with some other friends I simply felt I had not been as clear as I had wanted to be and also some fire was lacking in my writing style too. That's a problem I often find in the blog-writing, that sometimes I try and lay out ideas and issues in a straightforward manner, and often lose some of the punch of what I wish to say as I see the post is running long. So read that post linked above and come back to read the rest of this one.

The ideas of privacy are still rather new to society - it was something that appeared after architecture changed and we started having hallways and doors in our homes rather than large open doorless spaces. And around the time of the American Revolution, our Founders were keen to establish a home, a residence, as our own private place, where government should not enter without permission.

James Madison wrote:

"A popular government without popular information, or means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy, or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

As noted in the previous post and in Lail's comments, blaming a loss of privacy on the rise of technology and it's many advances is a grave mistake. To assume we have lost a right to privacy due to the vast recordings of financial institutions and communications equipment is a terrible assumption to make.

Adding to this error is the concept that business and government have greater rights of privacy and secrecy than individuals. Also, ideas of 'privileged communications' within government seems to have been the leading edge of this faulty concept. Secrecy is often vital to national security, but a nation governed by secrets is not vital to democracy. It signals a decline instead.

The secrecy corrupts the process of government at local levels too -- residents in Jefferson County, for instance, are left wondering for the reasons the Board of Education fired director of schools Doug Moody. Even comments from the public were not allowed at the open public meeting of their business.

Blogger Linda Noe writes last week an account of a Morristown City Council meeting and hearing on a local business and related sewer problems which was conducted once the council adjourned a meeting, and then returned to session to inform the public of their decisions on the issue.

Making decisions away from public view isn't the way it should be, but the public is just told to accept it. And we tend to do just that.

Telecoms Lobby Again to Alter Laws

AT&T has a policy now in place to block online services if one says anything negative about them, and this just before they launched their new lobbying efforts to rewrite the state's laws regarding cable franchises.

They are hard at work to promote their proposed legislation again. It's a battle which I have mentioned previously here and here. More coverage here.

Remember the recent concerns too over internet taxation, with fears that cities and counties could lose tax revenues? What would by-passing the local franchise agreements eventually cost?

Privacy for Government, Not Individuals

A frustratingly brief news report caught my eye this weekend, with headlines claiming a government official said Americans need to redefine privacy, so that it excludes ideas of anonymity in favor of safety and security. Late yesterday and early today, more information behind this story - more context - arrived and a version of the news report was in the Knox News Sentinel today

Still, the reports lacked the context of the comments from intelligence officer, Donald Kerr, deputy director of the national intelligence office. And after some searching, I did find the full text of Kerr's comments, which were made Oct 23rd at the 2007 GEOINT Symposium, sponsored by the Geospacial Intelligence Foundation.

You can read the full text of his comments here, and they are worth the time to read.

He makes several factual points about how technology has eliminated much anonymity for people today, citing trendy villains like MySpace and Facebook, or the shock of Googling your own name. Bank, cell phone, credit card records too, he says, provide vast amounts of personal info.

And truly, most folks also use 'discount cards' at the grocery store, membership cards at other retail outlets as part of a dedicated effort by business for many years to create databases to define you through your spending habits. And we have all received those tri-folded pamphlets from our banks and other agencies labeled Privacy Policy printed in letters so small an ant couldn't read it without a magnifying glass, and which usually provide the details of policies which seem intent on sharing personal info, not protecting it.

Kerr also cites continuing problems within government agencies which do not share info with each other, despite clear signs such changes are beneficial.

But what garnered press reports were comments made in his opening statement, such as:

"We really need to realize what a loaded word security really is.

When I’m at work, and throughout my day, security is safety, as a barrier against physical or emotional harm. When I go home at night,
security is privacy, as an expectation of freedom from unnecessary burdens. In the intelligence community, we have an obligation to protect both safety and privacy, and over the course of GEOINT 2007, as we talk about the hows of new technologies and tradecraft, I’d like to take a step back right now and talk about the whys.

Safety and privacy – it’s common thinking that, in order to have more safety, you get less privacy. I don’t agree with that. I work from the assumption that you need to have both. When we try to make it an either/or proposition, we’re bound to fail. You can be perfectly safe in a prison; but you certainly aren’t free. And you can be perfectly free in an anarchist society; but you certainly aren’t safe."

snip

"Our job now is to engage in a productive debate, which focuses on privacy as a component of appropriate levels of security and public safety. This is work that the Office of the DNI has started to do, and must continue and make a high priority. This careful balance we need to strike, however, is nothing new. With the advent of telephones, we entered a new frontier that required careful balancing between safety and privacy. We faced this challenge again at the end of the ’70s in the aftermath of the Church-Pike Hearings. And now, in the era of new technologies, we have to work to continue to keep that balance, to earn that trust, and re-earn it every day through our actions. But we also have to be willing to reopen the laws and regulations that were based on technologies that existed 1978 and adjust them to the realities of 2007 and 2008."

It is certainly a complex issue here, and Kerr makes good points. But Kerr's failing, and that of many others, is to assume we no longer have privacy rights. Abdicating them is in fact vital to insuring acceptance that we have less and less privacy. Abdicating them in hopes of obtaining some magical national personal safety and security is likewise foolish.

A clear problem, however, is visible today as citizens casually accept the idea that government and corporations require more rights of privacy than individuals. It's become rather accepted that officials in government, locally and nationally, have the right to withhold information of all types in order to have "open discussion and debate of policy".

I noticed a report today on TennViews about a military contractor in Tennessee who is part of an investigation of trading sex for government contracts in Iraq. Most telling in the press reports of this story is how the military and government claimed the right to privacy:

"The Air Force, through Capt. Ashley Norris of Hill AFB in Utah, said that because of privacy rules, it couldn't say when a service member had received a nonjudicial punishment, which can include a reprimand, house arrest, confinement to a military base, or a dock in pay.

The Justice Department said it would not discuss why it did not prosecute Remington."

It seems the more we abandon the ideas of individual privacy, the more we provide those rights to large bureaucracy.

Camera Obscura - P2 Opens Today; 'Old Men' Arrives; Cap'n Pike Returns to Star Trek

Even though we haven't arrived at the Thanksgiving holiday yet, some moviemakers have crafted a special gift for your Christmas stalking .... (a joke worthy of the Crypt Keeper, thank you very much).

The movie P2 opens in theatres today, a savage little thriller from the makers and writers of the movies "High Tension" and the remake of "The Hills Have Eyes." The story goes like so: working late in the office on Christmas Eve (never a good idea), an ambitious executive (Rachel Nichols) gets trapped in her office's parking garage when her car won't start and a security guard (Wes Bentley) offers her some food and shelter .... but he's not the good kind of security guard. He's rather insane and rather mean. Fortunately, the lady exec is not as helpless as one might think and this movie is off and running.

Here's a trailer from this thriller:



I love the shots of her searching in darkness with only the light of her cell phone to guide her.

Bentley has turned in some great performances, such as the villainous son o' satan in "Ghost Rider" and the geek who videotapes plastic bags swirling in the breeze in "American Beauty."

I've also enjoyed the work of writers Alexandre Aja and Franck Khalfoun in their previous thrillers, which offer intense and seemingly hopeless situations and usually have the audiences howling instructions at the screen.

Thanks go to the folks at M80 and Summit Entertainment for providing some valuable info on the movie and you can check out the Official P2 Movie Website to learn more.

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The brilliant filmmaking team of our time, the Coen brothers, have dug deep into a novel by one of America's greatest writers, Cormac McCarthy, for "No Country For Old Men." The result is pure gold, and very likely Oscar gold too.

While it opens today in only limited release, I advise you to seek this one out when it is released, though do not expect a comedy from the Coen's here. This is both a crime classic from McCarthy and the Coens and yet still a fascinating story layered with multiple meanings.

Strong actors were needed to make this movie work, and Josh Brolin, who has been bringing some top notch characters to screen in recent years, has a revealing interview with Cinematical, explaining how he helped with script to bring the character of Vietnam vet Llewelyn Moss to life. Check out the podcast here.

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Oddball, geeky and nerd news of the week: Rob Zombie decides to remake the 1980s shlock horror film, "C.H.U.D." I'll bet cast money no one ever bothers to remake the sequel to that minor B movie, "Bud The C.H.U.D." Heck, I'll bet cash money that I'm one of the three people on the planet who even saw that one.

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Second-most notable geeky nerd news of the week: Captain Pike returns for the new Star Trek movie.

Can You Help Find This Pup?

My good friend and blogger Juliepatchouli writes with some very disturbing news that after recently relocating to a new home in the Strawberry Plains area, her wee Pomeranian pup has disappeared, and she would truly appreciate any help in locating the critter, shown in the picture on the left.

Here are the details about his last known location, and please folks, if any of you see him or have some other information, please add it to the comments on this post. A lost pup, traveling in and around major roads is a most fearful thing, especially for an indoor and very small dog like this"

"He's been missing since Friday night 11/2 from the Ashley Oaks Subdivsion, which is off 11E in Strawberry Plains, 3 miles inside the Jefferson County line. He's been shaved recently and has a green halter on him. He has no ID on him! I could kick myself for that, just haven't gotten around to that having just moved, but that is no excuse!!

He's a 3 year old male neutered pom with that golden fox like appearance.

I've sent in a picture to the Jeff county humane society and taken fliers to the vets around here, and to the neighborhoods, and posted them at stores and stop signs. I've been to the Knox shelter too. It got so cold last night, that really is so scary.

He was spotted not to far from Highway 139 (Douglas Dam Road) around a pasture area on Sunday afternoon. We have looked all through that area. There is a BIG trailer park around there and we are going door to door there in the afternoons."

Late this summer, I too had a beloved pet disappear from the home and the absence was pure old Hell on my wits and on poor lost Sophie too.

So help Julie if you can, and send some good thoughts her way!

UPDATE: Sadly, there has been neither a sign or a hint of the lost pup, as of today (Friday). I do appreciate the concerns (as does juliepatchouli) and the search will continue.

Poll: Torture Is Bad, But Using It Is Fine

I'm shifting gears today and diving into the bizarre zone of Current Events, and what I see is grim and convoluted and mostly a maze of misunderstanding. The fearful results of terror and terrorism have divided and joined so many around the world. I am reluctant to get into this mess, but here I am, foolishly perhaps, jumping into the Weird.

An odd item was presented by CNN pollsters, who offered results that shows 69 percent of those surveyed think that the use of "waterboarding" as an interrogation technique was torture. But 40 percent said it's use was just fine if it was used against suspected terrorists.

Our president and vice-president have both said that saying the US does or does not use "waterboarding" somehow emboldens terrorists. However, it was previously and widely reported in the news media that the technique was used in the interrogation of Kalid Sheikh Mohammed, leader in the attacks of 9-11. So the cat is rather out of the bag (and into the water) on the entire question, isn't it?

The concept of "waterboarding" has been around since the 1500s, as a historical review of the technique was presented here.

I am pretty sure if the technique, often lumped into the phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques" (a grisly tortured used of language), if such an act were used on you, you would consider it torture. It has been a part of military training for some time, as reported by Malcolm Nance, former Master Instructor and Chief of Training at the U.S. Navy Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) school in San Diego. He writes extensively about the tactic in this essay, which makes compelling arguments on what it is - torture - and that torture is a useless way to get information, and that even watching such interrogations is beyond the ability of most people:

"Most people can not stand to watch a high intensity kinetic interrogation. One has to overcome basic human decency to endure watching or causing the effects. The brutality would force you into a personal moral dilemma between humanity and hatred.

"It would leave you to question the meaning of what it is to be an American. We live at a time where Americans, completely uninformed by an incurious media and enthralled by vengeance-based fantasy television shows like “24”, are actually cheering and encouraging such torture as justifiable revenge for the September 11 attacks. Having been a rescuer in one of those incidents and personally affected by both attacks, I am bewildered at how casually we have thrown off the mantle of world-leader in justice and honor. Who we have become?"

Nance adds:

"Who will complain about the new world-wide embrace of torture? America has justified it legally at the highest levels of government. Even worse, the administration has selectively leaked supposed successes of the water board such as the alleged Khalid Sheik Mohammed confessions. However, in the same breath the CIA sources for the Washington Post noted that in Mohammed’s case they got information but "not all of it reliable." Of course, when you waterboard you get all the magic answers you want -because remember, the subject will talk. They all talk! Anyone strapped down will say anything, absolutely anything to get the torture to stop. Torture. Does. Not. Work."

In other words, many people today hold dear the idea that any tactic, any torture, is acceptable if an imminent or future threat is perceived against the nation. The fault in such a belief is that the information one gets from torture is truthful. It is not. It will be any answer which halts the torture.

The CNN poll mentioned above, as well as countless pundits who talk about torture, all point to an utter failure to understand torture in reality. The TV and movie version of reality has set in, where the Hero always gets the Villain to confess to nefarious truths Just In Time To Save The Day.

In the political world today, we see this creepy and awkward dance around the subject in the confirmation hearings for the new US Attorney General. We have talk of hypotheticals and secret information and the refusal to accept information which runs counter to what some want to believe. The never-shy Keith Olbermann fired off a fierce commentary on this topic yesterday, in which he sees a criminal conspiracy in the White House.

And so we are left to view an endless debate, ideas and definitions are heaved to and fro, up and down, left and right. One day, perhaps, History and Historians will sort it all out, will decide whether it was all just or unjust.

And with all the talk about waterboarding, am I the only one to consider it ironic that many parts of the nation are talking about water, too, except that talk is about the drought and the absence of water?

Strange Days.

Celebrating the First Year With A Movie

The ever-innovative couple known as Valley Grrrl and LA Barabbas just marked the first birthday of their wee young one, referred to as Tenacious G. But they did more than just offer a cake and a candle and some best wishes.

Turns out that LA-B shot two frames on Super8mm of the wee child as she was bedded down for the night over the course of the last year and has created a video of the images, which you can see by clicking here.

That's just a major cool little movie. I am fortunate to own some of the photos my folks took at my first birthday event, a simple black and white picture of a fat baby whose face is embedded deep inside a cake. I like having that picture, but Tenacious G. has a whole year of a movie to view as time marches on.

Most happy birthday wishes to the wee one.

Worst Blog Post Ever

Kevin Drum is offering a chance to vote on the worst blog commentary ever - or as he calls it the All-Time Wingnuttiest Blog Post Ever.

Wingnuttery often flourishes on the Web, from bizarre conspiracies to unknowingly ignorant rants. Drum's list is a decent collection of the Just Awful, but I (and I;m sure you too) read almost daily some truly dumb and dangerous riffs on almost every topic imaginable.

A nifty feature of the Web (or it's critical fault, depending on your perspective) is that debate/discussion is often simply a chance to trot our Your Favorite Anecdote/Myth/Truth and hoist it up high for all the world to see as a basic template for Everything That is Wrong. Or Right, even. And while I can certainly cite good examples of goofy logic in essay form on the Blogs O' The World, it is often in the comments on posts where the crazy truly shines.

So does this contest just highlight the worst of the Web for no real reason? Is it all childish? Why not search for the best of the best? And what one might find Truly Awful, another might label Sheer Brilliance. Will millions of blogs posting commentaries and stories by the thousands each moment, is it even possible to identify the worst ever?

Drum's list contains entries from Glenn Reynolds and Michelle Malkin, and you can vote on which is the worst of the bunch:

"But why focus on the all-time worst in the wingnut blogosphere anyway? Isn't that mean? What's driving this besides sheer bloody-mindedness?

History, that's what. A century from now, even the very best blog posts will be long forgotten. Let's face it: they aren't that good. But bad blog posts will still be every bit as bad as they were on the day they were spawned. They'll endure. So really, we're doing this for the children. And the grandchildren.

The fourteen finalists for the worst, most embarrassing, most risible wingnut blog posts of all time are listed below. You can vote for up to five. So take a trip down memory lane and then vote for your favorites. Remember: It's your civic duty."


Full list here.

Making 'A Wonderful Life'

These are surely some odd days, as 2007 starts to dwindle away and 2008 begins to stir and make noises, alerting us to the year ahead. As much as I enjoy the Halloween holiday (see last week's posts!), when it ends, the nation tends to sprint ahead to Christmas and New Year's. You'd think I would get used to that. I am not used to it, though.

The race to end the year is now somewhat complicated for me. I am currently directing the local community theatre production of "It's A Wonderful Life", adapted for the stage from Frank Capra's classic movie. I jumped at the chance to direct this show - I love Capra's movies, and "Wonderful Life" is a fine mix of comedy and drama, wrapped in a bittersweet holiday package as poor George Bailey contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve.

In short, recent days have been full of efforts to create Bedford Falls on the stage and rehearsals with a most excellent cast. I've made some staging and design decisions which will hopefully bring George's dilemma to life, but I don't really want to reveal them here. I'd rather you just come see the show, if you can, which opens November 30 and runs through Dec. 16. Details about getting tickets and reservations to this Morristown Theatre Guild production are right here.

I do want to express my profound appreciation for the Guild, now in it's 73rd season and prepping it's 74th season. Working with them to provide theatrical experiences for the community makes me smile a wide, wide grin. Words of thanks are due as well to several members of their Board, to the cast and crew, and all those who are working hard to bring Capra's story to life. I first began working with the Guild in the late 1980s, and such work has provided me with a vast amount of memory and experience whose value is far greater than can ever be estimated.

A great part of Capra's movies and "Wonderful Life" in particular center on the struggle between meeting economic needs and meeting spiritual ones, between business and family, and the fierce struggle within the hearts of the Everyman depicted by such characters as John Doe, Mr. Smith and George Bailey. In fact, for George Bailey, locating the "lost" bank deposit to his save his company from ruin ultimately means so very much less than finding the fallen flower petals given to him by his child Zuzu.

Something which this production has reminded me is that the constant machinations of bad men, typified by the nefarious and heartless Mr. Potter, seldom slack away. Bad men are forever doing bad things which might distort any community into an ugly slouching beast, steadily dragging us into oblivion and darkness.

The efforts to refute the plans of bad men begin and flourish in the hearts of good men and women, one person at a time, efforts which then are shared with others who likewise decide to cherish and hold dear those intangible and vital elements which make up what is truly important in life.

Starry-eyed idealism? Perhaps. But perhaps instead such ideas form the basis of a better world for all of us.

Internet Access Tax Ban OKd for 7 Years

Congress unanimously approved it and the president has signed it. A ban on taxing internet access until 2014 has been made into law. However ....

"Not everyone is safe from taxes under the bill. States that already had Internet access taxes in place before the ban took effect several years ago would still be allowed to keep them through a grandfather clause in the bill. (Nine states--Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin--fall into that category, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.) Officials can also tax Internet services, albeit more indirectly, if they had already enacted broad-based laws on their books that tax the gross income or receipts of a business.

The bill isn't a blanket ban on all Internet-related taxation, either. It bars states from taxing services that provide a connection to the Internet, such as cable, DSL, and wireless-type services. But governments are free to tax "voice, audio, or video programming" that charges consumers a fee--such as IPTV and subscription-based Internet phone services--and basically any other "products and services" delivered over the Internet and not specifically exempted by the bill. (The bill also does not deal with the separate question of sales tax on goods purchased online.)

The politicians did opt to carve out from the possibility of taxing the following services: "home page electronic mail and instant messaging (including voice--and video--capable electronic mail and instant messaging), video clips, and personal electronic storage capacity, that are provided independently or not packaged with Internet access." That section was added at the last minute in response to concerns raised by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the original author of the tax ban, which dates back to 1998."

Cities and counties and states continue to eye the internet as a cash cow. A brief period of sanctuary exists for now, and the issue has been pushed aside until another election cycle. The battle now shifts back to states, where voters will need to demand the internet does not get taxed into oblivion.

"There's So Much Blood!!!"

While it's still Halloween .....



God Bless Mel Brooks.

Zombie Bunnies

More Halloween fun for you -

First, a re-enactment of "Night of the Living Dead" in 30 seconds, performed by bunnies.

The main page also has "Saw", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "The Shining", "Scream", "The Ring" and many more, all in 30 second bunny format.

Happy Halloween.

At The Mountains of Madness

As Halloween draws ever closer, I've got some items worthy of your seasonal contemplation and enjoyment.

First comes the annual Astonishing Jack'O Lanterns provided each year by Tennessee Jed. He's made his selection and has a preview image for you to see, so go see it! The man works wonders with a pumpkin. (Click here for his Pumpkins of Halloween's Past.)

That sly and vigilant Newscoma has collected a helpin' heap of Halloween movie scares. Scenes from movies like "Freaks" and "Audition" and a clip I was so happy she offered - Viggo Mortensen in "The Prophecy" - he is one scary dude in that one. Scroll through her blog to see them all .... and just keep telling yourself "It's only a movie, IT'S ONLY A MOVIE!!!"

The ever delightful Tits McGee (who is swooning in happiness along with all Red Sox fans) has some fantastic pics of the massive Pumpkin Festival in New Hampshire, which you can view by clicking here.

The spooky stories of haunted places in East Tennessee are offered in this account from the Kingsport Times News, which you can read by clicking here. Go on, I dare you! You want a sample?

"Devil’s looking glass

Above the Nolichucky River in Unicoi County is a pile of rocks in the mountainside that, by day, looks like an ordinary pile of rocks. But when the moonlight shines on it at night the pile of rocks transforms into the face of Satan himself."

Looking for the spooky near you? Then search GooGhoul for scary events in your neighborhood.

For a more literary chills, then take a journey into the unknown and ancient "At The Mountains of Madness".

For binary fiends, there are of course the Top 10 Zombie Flash Games.

New Krystal Burger-Eating Champ

First Joey Chestnut took the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating crown in Brooklyn in July and in Chattanooga on Sunday he gobbled up 103 Krystal hamburgers in eight minutes. Details here.

I can't explain how he did it. I remember at around age 10 thinking it was a staggering feat to eat a dozen Krystals in fifteen minutes. Joey's win means he scarfed 12 per minute.

Poltical Views Tennessee Style

A new Tennessee political blog, TennViews, has just started gathering the views and opinions with a progressive stance, and it's one which you should put on your regular reading list. I've also added it to my blogroll.

I hope you take time to go there, and a post from Saturday on the state's open meeting laws from Knox County Commissioner Mark Harmon is a fine place to begin. Late last week, a state legislative committee voted to propose a change in the open meetings laws which sadly makes it far easier for elected officials to gather, deliberate and decide issues in secret.

Harmon writes:

"Let me state as firmly as I can that the Open Meetings Act DOES NOT need to be weakened by adding a provision that only a quorum can violate it. In the aftermath of the abuses that took place this year in Knox County we should be looking to strengthen the Open Meetings Act, not weaken it."
-----
"The public does not object to commissioners arguing with one another, attempting to persuade one another, and compromising with one another. The public only rightly insists these acts be done in public sessions and meetings.

Your committee has heard vast overstatements that commissioners no longer can talk to one another or cannot attend the same events as district mates. Nonsense. The current act’s prohibition is on deliberation. If commissioners need to deliberate, they can do so in regular or special meetings or properly announced workshops."

Will Tennessee's political leaders take the progressive stand to keep meetings open to the public or we will race backwards to seek dark corners of secrecy?

More here.

Mountain Makins Festival Begins

If you are in the East Tennessee area this weekend, you should visit one of the best fall festivals in the nation - the 32nd Annual Mountain Makins Festival is jam-packed with fun and is held every year in Morristown, the creation of our community's cultural arts hub, The Rose Center.

From their website (which has all the details about the event): Mountain Makins a folk life/crafts festival celebrating the traditions of Appalachia through traditional music and dance, storytelling, regional authors, fine art, juried crafts, skilled demonstrations, a variety of delicious food, children's activities and more. The festival takes place inside and outside the Rose Center, an 1892 school building which is now an historical museum and cultural arts center.

Of course another reason to attend is that I will be there on Saturday and Sunday as emcee for one of the music stages. I have been most fortunate to have been invited to participate again as emcee, and am truly honored to be a part of this annual event.

The Rose Center is one of - if not the most - vital parts of our community. Not only do they provide a wide array of arts events, music, and other cultural programs, their facility is used for everything from weddings to tai chi classes, business seminars to cooking classes.

Admission for the weekend is a mere 4 dollars per day for adults.

Italy's Anti-Internet Plan

The landscape of the internet and those who, like myself, write and maintain blogs, continue to challenge and confuse and apparently frighten many people. It is not simple to explain all that the Web and the bloggers are doing and want to do. I expect we will see more of the efforts like those being considered now in Italy to require all who post info on the Web to have a license.

Ginger at MCB wrote of this today and has several links to read on the Italian plan:

"Recently, Italian lawmakers once again took aim at modern life, introducing an incredibly broad law that would effectively require all bloggers, and even users of social networks, to register with the state. Even a harmless blog about a favourite football squad or a teenager grousing about life’s unfairness would be subject to government oversight, and even taxation – even if it’s not a commercial website“.

Keeping government out of self-publishing will continue to be problematic for several reasons - current publishing and other media businesses don't like losing control of content; government as well as service providers are fearful of losing tax dollars and other income; and most importantly, the wide-open freedom of speech and sharing of information has been and always will be a source of worry for many in authority. The mostly open quality of the internet today almost daily fends off attempts to tame it.

Requiring certificates or licenses of internet users may well be a long-term struggle.

Open Government Committee Fails to Deliver

The legislative committee organized to strengthen the Open Meetings laws have instead gone in the opposite direction. They approved a plan to increase the number of elected officials who can meet, debate and create public policy away from any public view or oversight.

The committee members who voted to increase how many officials can meet secretly to conduct business include state legislators, the new school board chief for the state, some attorneys, a Knox Co. Commissioner and a newspaper publisher. A full list of those who voted for and against this terrible failure of open government is here.

So representatives of city, county, and state government and public schools and even some in the news business have made a clear declaration of how they think - that there is no need for public meetings at all.

The state committee will meet again in mid-November. I urge you to contact your state representatives and tell them this committee has failed and their decisions are bad for Tennessee.

Link to State Representatives and State Senators emails.

UPDATE:
The chairman of the Open Government committee, Democrat Ulysses Jones, has issued a statement defending the action suggested by his committee (via Volunteer Voters):

"I believe this recommendation is a necessary change in order to allow elected officials to adequately do their jobs,” said Jones. “Elected leaders cannot be effective legislators if they are afraid of talking policy and issue with each other for fear of lawsuit.”

Current Tennessee Law (T.C.A. 8-44-102) states that when two or more “members, with the authority to make decisions for recommendations to a public body” are together and discussing policy, that the public has the right to be present. Under the approved recommendation, two or more members would be replaced with a “quorum of members.”

“Thirty-seven other states currently use the quorum process to define meetings as public and open,” said Jones. “What we have now is far more confusing, but with this change the process of having open meetings can be much more black and white.”

My response to his argument is this: when two or more members of the same governing body are discussing policy, they are making decisions and talking about issues which directly affect the public. Such discussions need to be held in a public forum, and part of the public record. And what is it in the current law quoted above that is 'confusing' to elected officials?

Phoenix Newspaper at Center of Free Press Debate

Maricopa County in Arizona is in the news again, this time for a Grand Jury subpoena issued by County Attorney Andrew Thomas, who had convened a Grand Jury to investigate the Phoenix New Times newspaper because they had published the address of Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpairo. The attorney also demanded the internet addresses of every person who had accessed the paper's website dating back to 2004 and information detailing what websites those visitors had accessed prior to visiting the one for the newspaper.

Late last week, two New Times founders were arrested and jailed for publishing the info on the sheriff, even though his home address appears on numerous government websites, all open to public view. Someone has a lot of explaining to do on this abuse of the court powers:


"Phoenix New Times.... was threatened with felony prosecution for publishing Sheriff Arpaio's address on its website in 2004. After an adjoining jurisdiction declined to press charges, Arpaio's political ally, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, convened a grand jury to "investigate" charges the paper broke the law when it published Sheriff Arpaio's address.

Last week, Phoenix New Times' founders Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin were arrested and jailed after the paper published a story about the grand jury and subpoenas they had received that demanded detailed Internet records of any person who had visited the newspaper's website since 2004, as well as all notes and records from any reporter who had written about the sheriff in the preceding three years.

After Larkin and Lacey were arrested an outpouring of shock and anger accompanied widespread media coverage of the case. The response created a groundswell of support for New Times. The charges were dropped less than 24 hours later after Thomas admitted that his office had made "serious missteps" in the case.

"The actions of Mr. Thomas and Sheriff Arpaio in this case are beyond outrageous," said AAN Executive Director Richard Karpel. "They abused their offices by engaging in Gestapo-like tactics designed to silence a newspaper that has been highly critical of them in the past."

Rightfully, this mess started a firestorm of complaints and now the entire Grand Jury case is being investigated as news organizations are suing for access to those Grand Jury documents:

"Thomas has "no objection" to unsealing the grand jury material and will support the media outlets' motion, spokesman Mike Scerbo said. He declined to elaborate, citing the legal restrictions on discussing grand jury matters.

Superior Court Presiding Criminal Judge Anna M. Baca scheduled a hearing Wednesday on the media outlets' request.

"That record will provide a full accounting of what has happened to date, and will enable the public to judge for itself whether the officials have acted appropriately, and whether the grand jury process has been abused," attorney David Bodney wrote in the media outlets' motion.

Though the subpoena covered multiple articles on Arpaio, Thomas has said the investigation was triggered by New Times' publication of Arpaio's home address.

State law prohibits online publication of personal identification of law enforcement officers. New Times reported Arpaio's address in a 2004 story, published both online and in print, on Arpaio's real estate holdings.

Thomas announced he wasn't aware of how a special prosecutor he'd appointed was conducting the investigation, that key aspects of the investigation were mishandled and that he was dropping the case and dismissing the special prosecutor.

The former special prosecutor, Dennis Wilenchik, did not immediately respond to telephone and e-mail requests for comment Monday.

Camera Obscura - A Monday Vampire Roundup

Halloween approaches and since vampires ruled the movie box office this weekend, why not start your Monday with vampires?

The vampire movie "30 Days of Night" opened this weekend and claimed the top spot in box office dollars. Based on a comic book, the story is about an Alaskan town which is about to endure a month without daylight. Something which happens in Alaska, so why, I wonder, did vampires never settle there long ago? Maybe it's the cold.

Josh Hartnett is your hero in the movie, but the real star is the leader of the vampire pack, Danny Huston. As for the Washington Post writes:

"And while Hartnett and Melissa George (as his estranged wife) make functionally appealing characters, the real star of "30 Days" is Danny Huston. As the animalistic leader of the pack, he's as disturbing as he is compelling, a feral creature with all senses at full capacity. If there's an action figure, I'm ordering one."

Newscoma also watched the movie and has a review too:

"If you dig horror movies, go see it for Huston’s performance and the way the movie is shot when the monsters are on the screen."

I like vampire movies, meaning they do not scare me. I enjoy them. A movie which scares me is something like "Steel Magnolias". The thought of having to watch that movie makes me shiver with revulsion.

And this leads to a question for all of you -- what is your favorite vampire movie? Who has done the best job onscreen of being a vamp? A quick search for 'vampire' at IMDB reveals thousands of movies to pick from.

Here are some of my choices.
Dracula (1931) -- Tod Browning's movie remains the vampire icon of movies. Bela Lugosi's face, voice and costume are still known around the world. He even inspired a character for Sesame Street and a box of cereal. The movie, stilted somewhat by today's standard, still has fantastic scenes.

Horror of Dracula (1958) -- British mega-star Christopher Lee made a fantastic Count Dracula, though he surely tired of the role and the work offered by Hammer Films. But this first one is still a great movie, and Lee knows how to scare you.

Blade and Blade 2 (1998, 2002) -- Wesley Snipes is both vamp and vamp hunter, and these first two movies are mighty fine. The opening "blood rave" party in the first movie is a jaw-dropping nightmare of vampires in a club scene. The third Blade movie is a joke. The first two, however, are fine fun.

Fearless Vampire Killers; or Pardon Me But Your Teeth Are In My Neck (1967) -- Director Roman Polanski's horror-comedy is a must-see. Gorgeous location shooting, packed with excellent characters both funny and scary, the movie is moody and dark and funny all at once. Polanski also plays part of a bumbling vampire hunter team, and Ferdy Mayne is like the sleaziest Goth of all time.

Now just for laughs in recent years, it is hard to top the very awful Wes Craven movie "Dracula 3000". It's on a spaceship and you get to see such performers as Coolio and Tiny Lister as vampires. That makes for some cringe-inducing comedy.

And since I am a massive fan of the TV show "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", I must mention just how much fun it is to watch Spike and Dru as vampire villains. They really shine in Season Two.

What are your choices?

Halloween 2007

For an oh-so-brief-time each year, I get the chance to present my Halloween mast for this old Cup of Joe.

A brand spankin' new Camera Obscura of movies and DVDs will be posted later today (sorry, make that on Sunday afternoon!!), so come back for that.

In the meantime, a Halloween-ish offering:

THE CONQUEROR WORM

by Edgar Allan Poe

Lo! ’t is a gala night

Within the lonesome latter years!

An angel throng, bewinged, bedight

in veils, and drowned in tears,

Sit in a theatre, to see

A play of hopes and fears,

While the orchestra breathes fitfully

The music of the spheres.

Mimes, in the form of God on high,

Mutter and mumble low,

And hither and thither fly—

Mere puppets they, who come and go

At bidding of vast formless things

That shift the scenery to and fro,

Flapping from out their Condor wings

Invisible Wo!

That motley drama—oh, be sure

It shall not be forgot!

With its Phantom chased for evermore

By a crowd that seize it not,

Through a circle that ever returneth in

To the self-same spot,

And much of Madness, and more of Sin,

And Horror the soul of the plot.

But see, amid the mimic rout,

A crawling shape intrude!

A blood-red thing that writhes from out

The scenic solitude!

It writhes!—it writhes!—with mortal pangs

The mimes become its food,

And seraphs sob at vermin fangs

In human gore imbued.

Out—out are the lights—out all!

And, over each quivering form,

The curtain, a funeral pall,

Comes down with the rush of a storm,

While the angels, all pallid and wan,

Uprising, unveiling, affirm

That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”

And its hero, the Conqueror Worm.

Register to Win Some Free CDs

There's still time to register to win one of several free CDs of Number One Rock hits - all the details on the CDs and how to register to win are here at this post.

Winners will be announced tomorrow before noon.

UPDATE: We have winners!

The 90s Rock CD goes to Ivy.
The Modern Rock CD goes to Alloyd4.
The Hard Rock CD goes to LeBlanc.

Thanks to all for playing!

Colbert - The Presidential Campaign

A blast of Truthiness hit the mostly lackluster 2008 presidential race last night - Stephen Colbert is running for president. As a Republican. And a Democrat. In South Carolina. His announcement was made last night during his report on the '08 race:



In today's Washington Post, candidate Colbert said:

"It will be a success for me if at the Republican or Democratic convention, someone stands up and says, 'The great state of South Carolina, home of the finest peaches, home of the finest shrimp, casts one delegate for Stephen Colbert.' "

The Porn Star and The State Trooper, Part 2

Since May of this year, Googlers have landed on this page by the thousands to learn about East Tennessee porn actress Barbie Cummings and her encounter with THP Trooper Randy Moss. Yes the jokes pile up all on their own with such names and the infamy of that roadside encounter.

Yesterday, a grand jury indicted Moss on official misconduct charges, who left the THP shortly after the allegations of his sexual roadside attraction hit the internet and the media. (Videotaping their highway romance exists ... you can seek it if you wish.) In today's edition of the Knoxville News Sentinel, reporter Matt Lakin had some pun-filled moments in getting us all up to date on Barbie (real name is Justis Ellen) and Randy:

"Cummings’s Web site drew more than 200,000 hits in the days afterward and recently won the title of East Tennessee’s best blog in an annual News Sentinel poll — even though the blog went down months ago.

Cummings started a new blog this month. She says she’s quit the porn industry, settled down with a boyfriend and has become pregnant.

She wrote that she’s studying nursing and looking forward to becoming a mother.

“I have come a long way,” she wrote. “I wouldn’t say I have ‘improved’ or changed for the ‘better’. I have no regrets in life, and if I could, I would do everything over again!”

Matt's full story is here.

If the porn (I mean former porn) star's blog ranked as the Best ET Blog, then I must ponder on just how much porn need be added to this blog to entice readers. Does just writing the word porn, porn, porn titillate Google's search engines enough to seize attention? Probably. And if net-surfers arrive here and find no hot pictures of Barbie Cummings, will they angrily leave, crying out "There's No Justis?"

Your jokes may vary.

UPDATE: My shameless wordplay is obvious.

Vote For Limited Ban on Internet Tax Passes

This afternoon the House voted 405 - 2 to keep a ban on internet taxation, but only for 4 years, and the bill still has to go the the Senate for approval. TN Senator Lamar Alexander is pushing a bill that keeps the ban in place for 4 years, then allows for cities and states to start piling on taxes.

Michael Silence notes the news here.

Some states, like Texas, already have a tax on internet access, which the new legislation keeps intact. The cost for Texas residents? 25 dollars a month tacked on to the price to access the Web.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Secretary and the Secretary of Commerce say a permanent ban needs to be the priority:

"U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson and Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez issued a statement today calling on Congress to make permanent the moratorium on Internet access taxes and on multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce. ...

"Although we recognize that a temporary extension is better than letting the moratorium expire, we are extremely disappointed that the legislation does not extend permanently the moratorium on Internet access taxes and on multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce. The Internet is an innovative force that opens up the vast potential economic and social benefits of electronic commerce.

"Preventing the taxation of Internet access and keeping the Internet free of multiple or discriminatory taxes will help sustain an environment for innovation, help ensure that consumers continue to have affordable access to the Internet, and strengthen the foundations of electronic commerce as a vital and growing part of our economy."

For more info, see yesterday's post.

UPDATE: I received the following press statement from Senator Alexander's office this afternoon:

"WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) issued the following response to the vote by the U.S. House of Representatives to approve a four-year extension of a moratorium on state and local taxes on Internet access. The first tax ban was passed in 1998 and the current moratorium is set to expire on Nov. 1. This extension exempts some states that approved taxes prior to the original enactment.

“By extending the Internet tax moratorium four years, the House of Representatives has protected internet users. The Senate should follow suit with a temporary extension of the moratorium before the current moratorium expires on November 1. We’ve said from the start that a permanent ban is not good public policy. Rather, Congress should periodically look at this law to make sure it keeps pace with new technologies. Since the moratorium was enacted in 1998, we’ve extended it twice while changing the law substantially to meet changing technology.”

Carper and Alexander are cosponsors of similar legislation in the U. S. Senate. The measure passed the House by a vote of 405-2."

More On Internet Taxation

Some in Congress, such as Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, are looking for ways to allow cities and counties and states to start charging you new taxes for accessing the internet. I mentioned this last week along with my objections and questions about such legislation.

There was a state legislative effort earlier this year (fortunately defeated) to allow telephone companies to bypass local franchise agreements for offering cable television and alter the law for a single state application for service, which I wrote about as well.

And given the push for internet taxation, it is worth recalling that if that telephone companies get their way when they push their legislation again, cities and counties will lose income. As I said before: "If the state does approve the end of locally created franchise agreements, then cities and counties will be looking for new ways to replace that lost income - more taxation."

Also, I received some emails about whether or not Tennessee taxed internet access. So I point out this post from Les Jones on that topic from 2004, when the state eliminated internet access taxes.

So some suggestions for those favoring taxing internet access to create revenue for cities and counties - do not allow the franchise laws to be changed, and look instead to the potential income such already established agreements could bring. It makes no sense to me to always charge the end-user higher and higher fees. Consistent and open competition for service is the way to go. Seeking new ways to tax an ever-expanding technology will harm both expansion and competition.

Illegal Wiretaps Started Before 9-11?

Allegations are emerging now that the NSA, authorized by the White House, began using warrantless surveillance programs months and months before the terrorist attacks on Sept. 2001. The program was widespread and threats were leveled at phone companies who did not comply. A report in the Washington Post says:

"[Former Qwest CEO Joseph] Nacchio's account, which places the NSA proposal at a meeting on Feb. 27, 2001, suggests that the Bush administration was seeking to enlist telecommunications firms in programs without court oversight before the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon. The Sept. 11 attacks have been cited by the government as the main impetus for its warrantless surveillance efforts.

The allegations could affect the debate on Capitol Hill over whether telecoms sued for disclosing customers' phone records and other data to the government after the Sept. 11 attacks should be given legal immunity, even if they did not have court authorization to do so.

Spokesmen for the Justice Department, the NSA, the White House and the director of national intelligence declined to comment, citing the ongoing legal case against Nacchio and the classified nature of the NSA's activities. Federal filings in the appeal have not yet been disclosed.

Wired Magazine has more, noting others who have made the same claims about the date when these programs actually began. The information completely undercuts claims by the president that warrantless wiretaps are vital to a war on terrorism, since he began authorizing prior to the terrorist attacks.

Does this explain why the White House is pushing hard for full immunity for those telecoms who allowed for the illegal eavesdropping?

UPDATE: Kevin Drum writes:

"Unlike, say, MoveOn ads or Rush Limbaugh shows, this really does seem like a worthy object of congressional investigation, doesn't it?"