Camera Obscura: Lions, Zombies, Sam and Katie

Gather round, sit, have a Christmas cookie, and of course I'll talk to you about movies - even some television too, yes, and your comments are welcome - when I am done!! Hang on, we're time traveling quickly, from the 1800s to the 1950s to the world within a child's mind to the war in Iraq. (Oh is this gonna be good.)

First, back in the 1950s, theologist C.S Lewis began publishing a series of books, beginning with "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," a parable/fantasy about Christianity and the battle between Good and Evil. Now with the success of "Lord of The Rings," (of course Lewis and Tolkien were friends) and the Harry Potter series, we get the CGI-heavy "Chronicles of Narnia". Personally, of Lewis' writings, I always liked his science fiction trilogy better (it was really powerful and scary and thougtful) and the satiric "Screwtape Letters" wherein Satan advises an upwardly-mobile demon on how best to tempt a human and steal his soul.

An interesting blog, Hollywood Jesus, following the making of the movie is here, produced by the same makers of the movies "Holes" and "Because of Winn-Dixie," Walden Media and their plans to improve movies in America. Will the Lion, Aslan, entertain audiences on the big screen? Time will tell.

And Time moves to the Present now and almost the Future in a vivid indictment of all things related to the War in Iraq in the horror epsiode of Showtime's Masters of Horror with the recent "Homecoming" installment. Here, undead soldiers from the un-named but certainly Iraq War, return to America intent on voting out the politicians who sent them to war. This one-hour event is so up-to-the-minute fresh - including an Ann Coulter clone who is as pricky-evil as can be - I was stunned Fox News didn't break in the movie to debunk it.

Director Joe Dante makes zombies rise up to chase George Bush from office and as one writer for Slate notes:

"What's shocking about Dante's Homecoming is that he dispenses with the usual horror subtext completely. Pundits go on TV to defend the living dead's right to vote until they find out they're not voting Republican. Zombies rise from the grave, wrapped in the American flag. There's even a Cindy Sheehan stand-in with a zombie son. Nothing is too recent or too raw."

The entire Slate article is here.

Now let's jump back in the Time Machine and land in the Old West. I love Westerns, no doubt and I am a bona fide Sam Peckinpah fan too and was delighted to read this week about the January 2006 release of a restored version of "Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid." As usual, critics of the day hated the movie, but time itself has returned to show favor to Peckinpah's story of dying cowboys and shattered American heroes. This new two-disc set has much new commentary and runs 115 minutes, and not for every taste, it still presents Peckinpah's vision intact. James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan (in a nearly wordless role) star in the film. And another star is Dylan's soundtrack - still one of my favorites ever.

Some other notable DVDs released or on their way can be found here.

Ah, yes, one more item, somewhere outstide of Time: What if Katie Couric were to anchor the CBS Evening News??? What would that be like?

"Another car bomb went off in downtown Baghdad today, marking a further escalation in the violence that has plagued Iraq over the past two and a half years. There is still no official word on how survivors of the bombing feel about the upcoming Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes baby."


The rest of Katie's newscast is here.

A Griswold Greeting

I am always glad when Christmas arrives - usually.

This year has not been my best as I struggle with losing my job and finding another. Fortunately I have been more than a little blessed by many good friends, who have helped me keep my gaze focused upwards and not down. For them, I wish the best not only on Christmas, but for every day of the year.

As for my former employer - this video is jes' for you. (Thanks, Jed, for the link to YouTube.)

A Twisted Case of Abuse, Life and Death

There is an astonishing legal case unfolding in Massachusetts, involving a nearly dead 11-year-old girl, and whether or not she should be removed from life-support, and the pleas of the suspect in the beating of the child, her step-father, who wants legal custody of her. His lawyer says if the girl dies, his clent then faces a murder charge.

The grim and grisly details of what happened to young Haileigh Poutre at the hands of her step-father, Jason Strickland and her adoptive mother, Holli, who was her aunt, indicate the child was beaten with a baseball bat and thrown down the stairs more than once. According to the news report, her aunt was killed shortly after Strickland and Holli were released on bail, but that incident is also still being investigated:

"Within two weeks of the couple pleading innocent to the beating, Holli Strickland was dead, fatally shot in her grandmother’s West Springfield apartment. The body of her 71-year-old grandmother, Constance Young, was beside her. The possible double suicide or murder-suicide is still under investigation.

In a legal brief filed before Tuesday’s hearing, Strickland, 31, asks to be declared Haleigh’s de facto parent. His lawyer, John Egan, insists his client is not motivated by the chance he could be charged with murder if the girl dies."

Holli, who had a degree in child care, and Strickland, both attacked the child, according to one witness:

"But Alicia Weiss, a baby sitter for Haleigh, testified at a hearing in Strickland’s criminal case that she saw Holli Strickland kick the girl down the stairs repeatedly and hit her with a baseball bat. She said she also saw Jason Strickland hit the girl twice with an open hand and once with a plastic stick.

Although he has not been accused of dealing any particular blows to the child, court documents accuse Strickland of watching as his wife abused Haleigh."

The state's Supreme Court heard the case Tuesday, though Justices indicated Strickland had no real standing in a custody claim.

The state's Department of Social Services now has legal custody of the comatose child, and doctors are saying she will never come out of her vegetative state.

Within the maze of abuse and abandonment and legal rights, the child remains in the center spotlight. What will the courts do? Will more state officials argue for the girl's life-support to be suspended? And is there any punishment which might suit this string of brutal crimes?

A War On Christmas?

UPDATE 2 - From the Press Briefing at the White House:

"Q: Scott, you very graciously answered seven questions from two reporters, and I have a mere three-part question. First, at the National Christmas Tree lighting last week the President said, "Each year we gather here to celebrate the season of hope and joy, and to remember the story of one humble life that lifted the sights of humanity. Santa, thanks for coming." And the question: Will the President apologize to Christians offended by his referring to Jesus as Santa?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President meant exactly what he said, Les."

UPDATE: First, what the heck is a MegaChurch (outside of a Japanese anime series) and second, why would they close on Christmas Sunday?
Now on to the rest of today's post .....




A comment last week on the Very Unscientific Survey noted the current effort to remove the word Christmas from our language. So I did some checking - seems the White House is in on it.

Even using the word Christmas and Winter together are, apparently, wrong.

Maybe the real issue is this ever-evolving (or if you prefer, Intelligently Designed) use of the word War. There's the Culture War, the Cola War, the non-War against non-insurgents in Iraq and the Axis of Evil, the Diet War, the Red-State, Blue-State War, the obesity War, the anti-War, the pro-War .... I'm dizzy, lemme sit down for a moment.

Whew. (And thanks to all those, by the way, who took time to take that survey. I promise to ask fewer questions next time.)

Perhaps the American mind is jes' gettin' a little paranoid. Any viewpoint contrary to your own is reason enough to invoke War. I'm more than a little tired of it. It's like a bunch of whining children in the playroom - "Are too!!" "Am not!!" "Uh-huh!" Nuh-uh!" "Waaaaaaaa ......."

Somebody changes these diapers, give them a cookie and some coloring books and lets see if the rest of us can reclaim some normalcy.

Worst of the Worst

He's been called the "Worst of the Worst," and he even has a "little list" he's keeping on the folks he says are out to get him. And he says, that Christmas itself is under attack.

Bill O'Reilly may be the Fox News equivalent of Howard Stern -- people love him or hate him and there is no middle ground.

Both of these "media masters" are proof that controversy, no matter how ridiculous, sells.

Camera Obscura - I Am King Kong

With a new version of the classic "King Kong" on the way from Peter Jackson, a new documentary about the man who made the original Kong is a treasure trove of a seldom-celebrated innovator. Turner Classic Movies aired the documentary last week, "I Am King Kong: The Exploits Of Merian C. Cooper," and it is part of a new DVD set. (And not to forget, there's an East Tennessee connection to King Kong lore, but more on that later.)

Merian C. Cooper did far more than create a lasting iconic image of a Beast stuck atop a city skyscraper - he was an old-fashioned explorer and adventurer, a bomber pilot who even years after Kong became a Brigadier General, who helped turn Hollywood into a Technicolor marvel and that's barely the story. During World War 2, he and director John Ford met and returned to Hollywood to make movies that created another enduring American Icon - the cowboy. The two paired up for some of Ford's best work, from "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" and "Fort Apache" to "The Quiet Man" and one of the best Westerns ever made, "The Searchers."

Why does Kong endure? It is a brilliant bit of insight into the collision of the old and the new, and modeler Willis O'Brien also made an excellent and articulate creature - the nuances of character are vivid and funny and almost human. There are also insights into Obsessions and Mythmaking in an America on its way to becoming a World power. The movie leaps from Hollywood to the Prehistoric and then back to the modern city and never misses a beat. The Great Beast, as was said in the film, was killed by beauty -- but to me it was the Ape's encounter with Greed which led to his demise. (And yes, I know there was a re-make in the 70s but it has all the power of a broken light switch.)

Here are some excerpts from TCM's profile of Cooper:

Before he fell under the spell of the movies, Cooper served as a bomber pilot in WWI. While flying in a mission over German lines, his plane caught fire. Though he succeeded in landing it and saving the life of his wounded gunner, he was taken prisoner by the Germans. Thinking him dead, the military sent an official death notice to his family. After the war, Cooper joined a group of American volunteer fliers committed to defending Poland against Russian aggression. He once again became a war prisoner, this time of the Russians. After being sentenced to death, he managed to escape, walking 400 miles across hostile terrain. After refusing honors from a grateful Poland, Cooper embarked on a life as an adventurer. He joined forces with cameraman Ernest B. Schoedsack and went deep into Persia to record the migration across river and mountain of the Bakhtiari tribe. Never before witnessed by westerners, this event became the landmark 1925 documentary Grass and led to a contract with Paramount. For their next project, 1927's Chang, Cooper and Schoedsack lived for a year in the jungle of Siam, filming the story of a family's struggle to survive amongst the marauding animal life. The way they photographed animals in the wild broke new ground, especially when it came to the climax, an astonishing sequence in which a massive herd of elephants stampede through a native village. Their third film, 1929's The Four Feathers, interpolated their trademark location shooting, this time in Africa, with the telling of a classic adventure yarn.
---
With Europe at war once again, Cooper was convinced it was only a matter of time before the United States joined the conflict. In June 1941, six months before Pearl Harbor, he once again put his film career on hold and left his family to return to active duty. When war was declared with Japan, Cooper was posted to the legendary Flying Tigers in China, where he became chief of staff to General Claire Chennault. Despite his age, Cooper was determined to see action from a cockpit and not just a desk. This fighting spirit may have impressed those who served around him, but it caused problems with those above, who consistently blocked his promotion. It would not be until several years after the war's end that he would be promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, but by then he was back in Hollywood. Cooper had joined forces with John Ford before the war, and with the war now over, they could revive their production company, Argosy. Though Ford could be the most difficult of people, he had enormous respect for Cooper.
---
As a fitting cap to his career, Cooper produced and co-directed the film that would launch the widescreen revolution: This Is Cinerama. It was Cooper, the daredevil adventurer, who startled audiences with the thrilling rollercoaster ride that opened the show, and it was Cooper, the patriotic aviator, who stirred their hearts at the climax, as the camera soared in a plane from coast to coast

Cooper also had to place himself in the Kong movie as he pilots the plane that fired the fatal shot and left the Beast to tumble to the ground.

Sequels followed, and as mentioned, a massive remake was released in the 70s, and here is where East TN joins in on the Ape Legend.

"King Kong Lives," the sequel to the 70s film, was shot in Fall Creek Falls State Park - 2009 Village Camp Road, Pikeville, Tennessee, and in Pigeon Forge. And it is really, really awful. I mean really. Although, I should also mention the very odd and funny "King Kong vs. Godzilla" (1962), which is like watching a bad wrestling match, the kind you might find in some odd and forgotten roadside attraction late one some summer's night, when the workers put on weird outfits and play games -- only Japan could have made this one.

Kong's story is also a part of "Gone With the Wind". When the city of Atlanta burns, filmmakers burned tons of old sets around the movie lot, including that massive wooden fence from Skull Island which was supposed to keep Kong at bay -- but as has often been noted, why did they build a huge wall and then put a door in it big enough for Kong to walk thru?

A Very Un-Scientific Survey

I want to know more about you, dear readers, and what burning (or at least piping-hot) issues tumble through your thoughts. Back in Ye Olde Radio Days, I used to conduct what I called a Very Un-Scientific Survey and today this event lands smack dab in the middle of your Cup of Joe.
Answer as many or as few as you wish - if you want to explain your answer go ahead and do so or just add your comment and go about your business.

Remember - This is Very Un-Scientific.

Questions For Readers:

1. On a scale of One to Ten, with One being lowest and Ten being highest, what score would you give the changes and reform in TennCare or Medicare?

2. Which issue would you say should be the top priority for state government funding - Education or Health Care or another issue?

3. Again on a scale of One to Ten, what score would you give the success of President Bush in leading the country?

4. Name at least three politicians, state or national, under ethics or criminal investigation. Is this normal, abnormal or unheard of?

5. Where do you get most of your news/information - Television, Internet, Radio, Newspapers, Friends, Blogs, etc etc.

6. What news story or recent information you've read and or heard in the last month made you angry?

7. What story made you happy?

8. What has been the best movie you've seen this year?

9. What has been the best music you've heard this year?

10. If you were fortunate enough to have a Thanksgiving feast with friends or family, what food made you happiest to eat?

Okay, that's it. That wasn't too bad, was it? I may try this type of survey again or I may not, depending on what you, dear readers, tell me.

Not So Much A Secret in the Secret City

The proof of the power of words continues to swirl in the "Secret City" over the infamous high school editorial. According to the Knox News-Sentinel, (reg. required) the offending (and accurate) information about birth control has been replaced with an Editorial about a play being performed at the school - Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest". Now that's just too funny!

The censorship and outrage and the publicity have likely made the student's comments become much more widely read and discussed than anyone may have imagined possible.

Say Uncle has some good points on the issue - as well as mentioning that the issue will be debated on WBIR-TV this weekend.

Shocking News! Teens Talk About Sex!!!

Over in the "Secret City", aka Oak Ridge, the state and national media has been alerted!! Teenagers talk about sex! And birth control!! And how NOT to get pregnant and NOT get diseases. Outraged school officials immediately seized copies of the school's paper (The Fig Leaf? no, wait, The Oak Leaf) and promptly ended any further student discussion about sex.

Riiiiiiight. Sure they did.

You can read the "horrifying" (and factual) editorial by a student on birth control and how to get it (thank God children never see these items in a store or anything) via this page from Whites Creek Journal.

More information is at Tennessee Guerilla Women, who notes that here in America, teen pregnancy rates have dropped to 34% -- which according to a 2004 study is the highest rate among developed countries. (Thank God we're developed!)

Juliepatchouli also blogs her views on the topic, as have others in Tennessee and beyond. In the "Secret City", there's fear the ACLU may appear on the horizon like Satan on horseback, probing the mystery of the Censored Student News.

Of course, I also heard the obligatory parent complaint that they did NOT want schools to be involved with communicating information about sex to THEIR kid. I hate to rain on that illusion, but teens and pre-teens (and even adults) learn about everything from each other all the time. Teens and adults alike just won't shut up - kids talk about their parents' divorces, and ask questions and generally talk about everything.

Thank God most teens can come home to watch the TV in their room while surfing the internet and talking on cell phones. You know, safe stuff like that.

The State Tax Turmoil

With projections of as many as 4,500 new pieces of legislation headed for the next session of the state's upcoming legislative session, one or two issues are once again getting some discussion including one debate sure to return with renewed energy -- the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).

Other states as well are trying to create ways to limit the rapid growth of government spending while coping with growing demand for more increases to handle the ballooning costs of health care and education alone. However, the state has so many court orders on just how to fund these agencies, the legislature is operating under pressures from beyond the ballot box.

Truth is, the state already has language in the law to limit spending growth based on population and revenue growth, however the courts have made decrees about teacher pay and school funding and health care that step outside those boundaries.

And we are hardly alone in this maze of taxation -- Colorado, which has been the poster-boy for TABOR saw voters agree to changes in TABOR for a five year period, essentially limiting any potential state tax refunds in order to insure the state can provide a fully funded budget. The argument that TABOR is in fine shape in Colorado is made here by the Colorado State Treasurer.

Another view of whether or not TABOR is beneficial to states and taxpayers can be found here.

Other states are also in conflict over what to do and how to do it.

If you ask most residents of Tennessee, you'll find there are two key issues on their minds - jobs with better pay and consistent availability, and the nightmare of health care costs. Who should set the priorities of spending and at what levels of funding they receive are being stacked and prepared for the next election-promise cycle, but will any real changes occur?

No Sunshine On Tennessee Secrets

How often do your elected city, county or school board officials meet in secret to make decisions?

Keeping track is nearly impossible. Many meetings are held when the public is least able to attend, and many times officials meet in small groups to make decisions prior to any public debate or awareness.

The vast majority of Tennesseans have been kept in the dark for so long, they have no concept of how much their rights are violated. The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government's most recent report shows secrecy is increasing.

One story on that report is here.

Holidaze

Stuffed with food like the turkey we devoured on Thanksgiving Day in Georgia, I fell into a deep and dreamful sleep, chasing cranberry relish visions and scampering slabs pumpkin pie, which sought to flee from my fork all to no avail.

The dream swirls with images, packed bumper to bumper like the traffic down I-40 and I-75, families and really-not-so-much families in cars and SUVs crammed to the ceiling with gifts and tupperwared remnants of sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes and casseroles and hot-buttered-but-now-cold dinner rolls. A bounty of feasting and a parade of the leftovers traveling north and south and east and west across America as the holiday blurs into the shopping days where retailers dream of profits of Christmas future.

I make a stop in South Knox to decompress from families and the battle of the endless traffic, sipping wine and laughing with my new best friend until the wee hours of the morning. I have so much to be thankful for and I hope I say it enough. She makes me smile and we listen to Johnny Cash and Van Morrison and the sometimes wee barks of a tiny dog who finds the oddest things to gnaw upon in the early dawn hours.

Then back on the road to Home, stopping to get necessities at a nearby MegaWhopperRetailWarehouseStore where men and women wearing Christmas sweaters and Grinch T-shirts shove shopping carts thru a maze DVDs and trainsets and specially boxed-sets of shampoos and bath-oils and techno-gadgets, steering their carts through the aisles like Captains on a boundless sea, searching for the discounts which will soon find their way into boxes wrapped in shiny paper, the shoppers like neo-hunter/gatherers tracking the spoils of discount sales.

Home now, and in this dream of the Holi-daze, I look for a nap as the dream has been exhausting in itself. But I know it is only the beginning of a month of carving paths between the shopper/hunters who track elusive bargains armed with lists and pencils and I know again this year, I will be focusing instead on gifts I can make myself, collections of words and music and perhaps candles made to give flickering lights as December nights turns slowly moment-by-moment into the Year to Come.

The bloggers have hung their posts with care, wondering if the Technarati Saint Nick will lead a Google-Search-Sleigh down the chimneys and curl into their mailboxes and e-links.

But yes, Home now, both in the dream and awake - and I feel the stirrings of feasts and fellowship ahead, count my blessings and drift into another nap.

If home is where the heart is, I have found I have homes to numerous to count, and I try to express my gratitiude and send my best thoughts to all. Soon so many houses and neighborhoods will twinkle with lights and giant blow-up snow-globes gathered on lawns like totems to happiness and hope.

And I hope your first steps into the world of gifts and wishes will bring the Joys you seek for yourself and for others.

(oh and look for some posts next week about Faith Hill who hugged my brother-in-law Fred on her TV special )

A Trailer Is Worth 1,000 Words

It's the fall movie season -- which movie will rise to the top? A feel-good hit of the year? More Harry Potter Magic? Johnny Cash? Thanks to a heads-up from The Poor Man's Weekly, I found this teaser-trailer about a movie called "Dubya." (It's a QuickTime and funnier/scarier than you may want to admit.)

Check out the movie here.

Pay Raises Not A Part of Trimming Fed Budget

I'm sure you've seen this news already, but I have to offer some thoughts on it. Some years back Congress came up with a way to get yearly raises by NOT voting for them. They get these raises automatically unless they vote to not receive them. Wonder what the anti-worker crowd would say if union and non-union workers could get such a provision in their work agreements? And this year's non-vote increase occurs as Congress works to decided what U.S. programs to cut money away from.

And I was most happy to see Congress reconsidering the plan to make key elements to the so-called "Patriot Act" go on and on, with some calling for a seven year extension. But voters have been very loud about ending some of these provisions by year's end.

"I didn't come to Washington, D.C., to expand the police powers of the federal government," said Representative Dana Rohrabacher, Republican of California. "To make these temporary expansions of police power permanent as our way of life, changing our way of life in America, altering the balance of liberty and police powers, is outrageous."

Since most lawmakers are taking off for the holidays, this gives you a chance to make some of those hockey-puck shaped sweet potatoes with marshmellows on the top (Yuck!) and take them over to their homes (unless they are all at vacation hideaways) and say "Here's something for the holidays and by the way, I don't want that Act extended!")

Which also leads the burning question I ponder each Thanksgiving -- What is the difference between a "sweet potato" and a "yam?" Its these kind of things that keep me awake at night.

UPDATE: The wise and witty Julie helped ease my concerns about the debate over yams and sweet taters -- discover the facts for yourself here.

Camera Obscura - Just Weird

Some things the world does NOT need:

A TV-movie remake of "The Poseidon Adventure", which hits NBC Sunday night. At least its not a reality show and it hits the airwaves just before next year's big-screen remake which features a gay couple. People get paid for this crap??

Fox has ordered up a series based on the "Terminator" movies and plan to call it "The Sarah Connor Chronicles." My advice to anyone involved in the production is cash those paychecks quickly and then get ready for the entire 6-episode DVD set soon to follow. Yeesh.

The current season of "The Simpsons." Please stop this show. I am hopeful the big-screen movie in production now is getting all the good writing and satire missing from the show for last year or so. The first eight or ten seasons are priceless, but it just isn't aging well and the bite is gone. And try as hard as they might, "Family Guy" and "American Dad" just don't make the grade for me. I think the shows are satires of how bad TV shows can be -- but that's like shooting fish in a shot glass. Let the bashing of my opinion begin.

Now for some more interesting viewing choices.

At least, I think this could be interesting. The NBC show "Medium" has a 3-D episode on Monday, and features a CGI-altered Rod Serling introducing the show and telling you how/when to wear the 3-D glasses (which are in the new magazine format TV Guide). I sort of like this show which is a cross between "Bewitched", "Columbo" and "Memento," but it is a guilty pleasure.

Speaking of 3-D, let me get nostalgic. Back in the early 80s, a highly profitable (and utterly silly) group of 3-D movies were released, "Friday the 13th 3-D" and "Jaws 3-D". A small theatre in Morristown somehow then followed that up with a re-release of the 1973 release "Andy Warhol's Frankenstein" in 3-D. I nearly wrecked my car as I saw that title up on the marquee -- wha???? Someone thinks Morristown is gonna go for Andy freakin' Warhol??? Of course, I HAD to go see this, if only to watch the revulsion grow faster than kudzu thru the audience. I was not disappointed. Folks brought their kids to see this one -- I laughed so hard I had a nosebleed as the movie unspooled and all the weirdness stomped into the room and the audience kept up a mantra of "Dang! What the heck is this?" Sadly, some of my favorite lines are not suitable for this blog. Suffice to say that by the time the credits rolled, the theatre which had been packed to capacity, consisted of myself and two friends (who had both wanted to leave.) Now, Udo Kier shows up in everything - I'm waiting for guest shots on "Desperate Housewives" and "The West Wing."

Just one more thought unconnected to anything else in this post - Oone of the funniest movie titles my double-entendre mind has encountered lately: "Tarzan's Magic Fountain." Heh heh.

Oh, one more great moment in Celebrity History - Rex L. Camino's post this week about Paris Hilton's monkey attacking her in a lingerie shop. Yes, that's what I said. God Bless you Rex, and God Bless that monkey too. (Paris named the monkey Baby Luv.)

Crumbling Conservatives?

While the mind-numbing CIA case about Valerie and Scooter now includes the Washington Post and Bob Woodward, there are some keen observations about the Conservative stance in the current administration and in Congress from columnist George Will. (WaPo reg. required)

Part of his opinion piece focuses on that fact that voters in PA booted the school board members who abandoned Science in favor of the utterly mis-named "Intelligent Design" approach. That board opted for the teaching of the "supernatural" and deleted from the definition of science the phrase "a search for natural explanations of observable science." Ummmm -- that IS science isn't it??

And he also notes that spending under the Republicans is an out-of-control machine, where "pork spending" in 1991 was numbered at 546 projects for a total of $3.1 billion, and in 2005 the pork projects number 13,997 at a price of $27.3 billion.

What's a voter to do? Is any political party addressing real issues? Dissent is Evil, says the V.P., and now I suppose Dissent is yet another arm of the Axis of Evil.

And whatever "agreements" are made in Congress regarding the provisions of the mis-named "Patriot Act", I defy anyone to name a single reason to by-pass explicit Constitutional Laws about ammending our Constitution or at best why on earth we would need to deem these fundamental changes as Permanent ones.

Tiny factions of active and loud fanatics have seized the policymakers by their endless Fundraising Balls.

Say Wha ????

Found a nifty bit of political insight at Nashville is Talking, about radio talk show host Steve Gill, who says the East Tennessee Republicans are the ones who empower and will re-elect Gov. Bredesen.

"In Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee, I think the Republican base is not fond of Bredesen. And the Democratic base isn’t particularly fond of Bredesen,” Gill says. “What’s holding his numbers is that East Tennessee Republican base."

I know radio hosting can give ya the impression of Always Being Right -- but Steve, who failed on a few runs at Congress should also note that few residents outside of the mid-state know diddly-squat about him.

The again, who knows? Maybe the ET GOP is full of Bredesen Love. (snicker!)

The stumping for the hallowed halls of Eternal Office Holders is certainly underway, and my money is going on the spot that says "Nationwide Cat-Fight". Sadly, the Loser is always the same - the voter. They are outnumbered by the apathetic and the pathetically rich.

East Tennessee has to cope with comments like this from GOP Senator Steve Southerland, speaking Monday in Greeneville to supporters as reported in the Greeneville Sun:

"Southerland first read some of those comments by Greeneville lawyer John T. Milburn Rogers to his audience.

Rogers had told a recent meeting of the Greene County Democratic Women’s Club, “Republicans have somehow, due to inept Democratic leadership, hijacked Christians.” In addition, Rogers had said, “I don’t believe God is a ruler of man, and man the ruler of woman.”

The Greeneville attorney had charged fundamentalist Christians “want you (women) powerless, and only to speak when spoken to.” Southerland responded to Rogers’ comments by saying, “I believe God is the creator of man ... and I will put Him first” as a state senator if re-elected.

Rogers also previously had said, “The greatest threat to our system of democracy ... particularly to the American woman, is the attack (Bush advisor) Karl Rove and the far right (are leading) against a clear demarcation of church and state.”

Rogers also said, “Your rights as American women (to have abortions) may be abolished by the Supreme Court” if Bush succeeds in placing conservative judges on the nation’s highest court.

Responding, Southerland said, “I’ve always voted pro-life, and always will vote pro-life.”

In addition to describing himself as “right-to-life” on the abortion issue, Southerland said he has voted consistently to keep taxes low, and that he was proud to serve as a member of the state Senate’s Ethics Committee, and as chaplain of the Senate Republicans’ caucus."

It does get confusing -- Southerland went on to say this:

"Southerland said his Democratic critics who complain that Tennessee is 48th in the nation in terms of spending for public education are being shortsighted, because students overall in the state are being better educated.

To prove that, he said Tennessee was ranked 12th nationally last year in terms of SAT scores for high school students."

That's an argument I've been making for years as the local school board consumes ever more dollars and points accusing fingers at anyone who dares hold THEM accountable for their constantly rising costs.

And since I'm on the local topic of county politics - Here in Hamblen County, another down and dirty catfight is ahead as every seat on the County Commission is up for re-election, and so are the offices of County Mayor and Sheriff. Hopefully, you've not been caught up in the tornado-spin of cursing aimed at the most recently elected members of the Commission and realize that voters in each district need to hold their representatives accountable, that's VOTERS and not the MEDIA spin.

But realistic and pragmatic views tell me: party politics always outweigh the needs of the public. Who knows, by election day there may be so much Chaos over non-issues and emotional wailing that party nonsense will galvanize more folks to actually come forth and think for themselves. That my friends, is called Foolish Optimism.

Guess I'll jes grab my popcorn and watch the catfight.

On Anonymous Blogging

It's pretty obvious I am not an anonymous blogger -- my name is part of the title, much to the dismay of my mother - "You're using your real name?" To which I replied I have been writing and reporting and otherwise shamelessly self-promoting myself for years and see no reason to stop.

Both Say Uncle and No Silence Here (see the specific links further in this post) have noted an outraged resident, who accuses an anonymous blogger of being akin to a "terrorist" and it seems to highlight a particular madness in 21st century America -- that Free Speech and Constitutional Rights are bothersome roadblocks to something-or-other, and should be controlled and contained and restrained. It's a truly deranged mindset and rolls back American History like it was a dirty, smelly rug to be tossed into the trash.

I urge you to read the entire post from Say Uncle here, in which he concludes with the thoughts:

"Keep it up pesky anonymous bloggers. We are the new press. Somebody had to step up because the politicians took over the old press. Remember the lesson learned by South Knox Bubba, the politicos will lean on you if they can."

No Silence Here weighs in with his take on the issue here.

In 1995 the Supreme Court issued an opinion on a case, McIntyre vs. Ohio Elections Commission, regarding a woman who was issuing an anonymous pamphlet opposing a proposed school tax. The Court held her actions were protected by the First Ammendment.

In an article byJulie Hilden at FindLaw.com, she considers the threats to Free Speech on the Internet in general and the McIntyre case in particular, noting:

"Accordingly, the Court could have written a very narrow opinion had it chosen to do so. But, significantly, it did not. Instead, six of the majority Justices including moderate-to-conservative Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy joined an opinion, penned by Justice Stevens, that not only protected but applauded anonymous speech.

The opinion proclaimed (as had an earlier case) that [a]nonymous pamphlets, leaflets, brochures and even books have played an important role in the progress of mankind, and cited numerous examples of the positive uses of anonymity in, for example, the Federalist Papers while taking little notice of anonymity's bad side."

When Knox County GOP leader Brian Hornback offered up this view via Say Uncle, it got my attention:

"“My point is this, bloggers that have enough intestinal fortitude to put it out there, knowing that their identity is on the line have far more credibility than those that want to remain anonymous. When I look at a blog and the person is a coward that refuses to reveal who they are. I ignore them and tell others to ignore them, they have NO credibility. If you are going to spend your time to affect public opinion and public policy then be man or woman enough to identify yourself.”

And no, it is hardly surprising that Hornback won't allow comments on his blog.

Speech must be controlled, seems to be the opinion. That, as I said, is an idea that ignores history, limits personal freedom and the First Ammendment, and marginalizes the fact that citizens rights are vital to our nation.

Do I support every viewpoint expressed on the Internet or around the corner? No. But I do support the freedom of expression. Read it or not, write it or not -- Free Speech is the conerstone of our rights. There have been deafenening wails that money contributed to a political campaign is Free Speech and should be protected -- I doubt it. Money is a form of influence and affluence, but nothing, not even money, can reach the power of Words.

That's why some folks fear them.
Write,
Speak.
Talk.

You may find those who agree with you, or you may find your views are utterly rejected.

Doubters, Part 2

"Reasonable people can disagree about the conduct of the war, but it is irresponsible for Democrats to now claim that we misled them and the American people," President Bush aboard Air Force One.

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." President Theodore Roosevelt, 1918

"I believe that there can be no doubt that criticism in time of war is essential to the maintenance of any kind of democratic government..... Too many people desire to suppress criticism simply because they think it will give some comfort to the enemy.... If that comfort makes the enemy feel better for a few moments, they are welcome to it as far as I am concerned because the maintenance of the right of criticism in the long run will do the country more good than it will do the enemy, and it will prevent mistakes which might otherwise occur." Senator Robert Taft.

"In the name of protecting us, this administration is abandoning our historic values, cramping our personal freedoms, violating our privacy, making a mockery of justice and asserting a right for the president, as commander in chief, to ignore U.S. law if he wishes to." from the editorial by Tom Teepen in the Times Union.

Here are some more excerpts from Teepen's editorial, titled "Scrapping Civil Liberty in the Guise Of Patriotism."

"Is Bush really against torture? He is threatening to use his first veto if the House accepts a bill that would formally outlaw "cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment" of prisoners. The legislation passed the Senate 90-9.

And Vice President Dick Cheney has been lobbying fiercely behind the scenes to carve out a specific exemption for the CIA if the legislation does move forward. Presumably the administration could then claim that the United States doesn't torture but the CIA just might, as if the agency were a mini-state itself that only happens to be in Washington, in U.S. government buildings staffed with U.S. government employees.

As you may have noticed by now, none of this makes any sense. And not only is it incoherent, it is worse than pointless. It puts the military at odds with its own proud traditions and sets up captured Americans for the same kind of treatment. The abuses have made our country a stink in the world."

Doubters - Why Do They Worry You So?

Kevin Drum and Glenn Reynolds have had a disagreement.

You can read about their arugment thru the links above - and yes, this is my first attempt at the mini-post style. Your job? Link, Read and Discuss.