Burning Issues

Who knew? I had no idea the key political issue in the race for the Republican nomination for president was the following: "Do Mormons believe Jesus and Satan are brothers?"

Um ... and this has what to do with leading American government? Oh sure, it gives copyeditors a chance to write headlines like "Huckabee Sparks Religious Flap." (And just what makes a 'religious flap' different from a regular flap?)

A religious scholar quoted in a Reuters report said: "Spiritually, all God's children are brothers and sisters, so Huckabee would also be the brother of Satan," said Francis Beckwith, who teaches a course on politics and religion at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Whoa! Talk about a negative attack!

Will the next burning issue a reporter brings forward be "Could God make a rock so big even he couldn't lift it?"

Political campaigns for national office (and the press covering them) today seem to hold fast to the 5 basic rules of playing dodgeball, as cited by Patches O'Houlihan: duck, dodge, dip, dive and ... dodge.

More on AT&T's Plan To Avoid Local Fees

All the noise and furor (and millions spent lobbying state legislators) from AT&T demanding Tennessee law be changed so that AT&T does not have to negotiate with cities for franchise contracts (depriving them of revenue from fees and handing over control of rights-of-way) is apparently not important in Mississippi. In that state, they seem to have no problems working community by community, just as all cable providers currently operate.

R. Neal has the details in this post and notes as well that Georgia gave AT&T what they wanted and as many as 200 families in Atlanta will benefit.

Also, Stacey Briggs, executive director for the Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association, has challenged claims from AT&T that it takes too long to devise local franchise contracts:

"Briggs also challenged statements made by Morton that city-by-city franchising takes 13 months. AT&T has been invited by some Tennessee communities to deploy competitive cable services and those municipalities have promised expedited franchise negotiations, Briggs said, but AT&T has not filed for local franchises in the state, investing its capital instead in a statewide solution.

An AT&T media representative did not respond to a request for comments on Briggs's letter by deadline Thursday."

Some background on the issue and the stance taken by State Senator Steve Southerland, chair of the committee reviewing the proposal from AT&T, are here.

UPDATE: North Carolina went the way of state-regulated franchises, with some poor results:

"Beware of legislation promising "competition." A bill passed by the General Assembly last year that was intended to jump-start competition in the cable TV industry has had the unforeseen consequence of costing the state and local governments across North Carolina millions of dollars in lost revenue. And six months after the law went into effect, that promised competition is nowhere in sight.

The Video Service Competition Act was passed with the promise that telecom companies such as AT&T and Verizon would leap to provide video services across the state. (Video is the new term for cable TV, to catch up with the technologies that deliver it. More and more, Internet, video and voice—formerly phone—are delivered through the same pipes.) The companies would offer competitive pricing and give consumers used to relying on one, or no, service provider, choices in service—if only the state would make it easy for them to get in the game. Under the old system, a cable TV provider would negotiate with the city, town or county where it wanted to provide service. But the phone companies didn't want to negotiate town by town, so they pushed for a statewide franchise system with little, if any, oversight. There's no approval process, and as long as the paperwork is filled out correctly, the state is required to accept the company's plan.

The bill's main opponent, the League of Municipalities, backed down after lawmakers reassured the group that the revenue local governments collect from cable TV taxes—money that goes into the general fund to pay for basic services, such as fire and police—would stay the same.

But according to figures from the N.C. Department of Revenue, local governments have received 27.8 percent less across the board under the new system."

Read the entire article here.

On Creating "It's A Wonderful Life" For the Stage

I was recently interviewed by Bob Bell at WRJZ radio about the stage show of Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life", which I directed for the Morristown Theatre Guild. My thanks to WRJZ for the publicity and you can hear the interview by clicking here.

You have three more chances to see this most heartwarming Christmas story - Dec 14, 15 and 16 - at First Presbyterian Church, and you can make reservations just by calling 423-586-9260.

Several creative decisions were in my brain as we began to create this live stage version: it had to be done in black and white (just like the movie); using a children's caroling chorus to start the show off would set a perfect tone for the story; and the end of the show would change to vivid color since poor George Bailey decides his life is most wonderful after all.

I also wanted a very central image in the set to be of the town of Bedford Falls, the setting of the play. Most fortunately, a local artist (and Guild board member) named Pamela Andrew took an image I'd found from the movie and made an enormous 12' by 8' backdrop from it. Her work is truly impressive, as you can see below, although just looking at this backdrop without the proper stage context really does not do enough justice to her many hours of work:


I like the way it looks like an old Christmas card from the era of the movie, and it does add a real sense of place to the show.

I also have to add many thanks to the cast, crew and the Theatre Guild board for allowing me to work on this show. In the past, I have directed shows that were mystery thrillers and some comedies too. So the real challenge for me here was to help shape a production which is pure family wholesome goodness, and not let it be cheesy schmaltz. I must say too that the work of the cast, who tirelessly put themselves into this world of Bedford Falls, have made the characters very real and personable, all of which, in my opinion, keeps the show realistic and humorous.

What Secrets Were In The CIA Video?

Questions about a CIA videotape of interrogation of some suspected terrorists - like what happened to the tape and who saw it and who ordered it destroyed - are sure to occupy many people.

Thankfully, Kevin Drum at Washington Monthly has some insight into what we already know about one of the prisoners interrogated, Abu Zubaydah:

"So here's what the tapes would have shown: not just that we had brutally tortured an al-Qaeda operative, but that we had brutally tortured an al-Qaeda operative who was (a) unimportant and low-ranking, (b) mentally unstable, (c) had no useful information, and (d) eventually spewed out an endless series of worthless, fantastical "confessions" under duress. This was all prompted by the president of the United States, implemented by the director of the CIA, and the end result was thousands of wasted man hours by intelligence and and law enforcement personnel.

Roundup of Tennessee Bloggers

A new regular weekly fixture at TennViews is worth sharing with all of you.

A weekly sampling from some of Tennessee's best and brightest bloggers:

• 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera: Huckabee stumbles, Clinton needs better friends

• Andy Axel: Fall Heron, plus Good little lapblogs

• BlountViews: Hometown poll not kind to Lamar Alexander

• Cup of Joe Powell: Christmas TV season preview, plus Joe has the incredible Sidewalk Politics video that's been making the rounds

• Enclave: Tennessee in another Top 20

• Fletch: Two men and a truck

• KnoxViews: KnoxViews 2007 Year in Review, plus W settles an old score, and Holiday shopping humor

• Lean Left: Weak-minded Huckabee

• Left of the Dial: Geek-o-rama, plus Bad boss

• Left Wing Cracker: TN Supremes should decide open meetings law

• NewsComa: No solar eclipse in government

• Pesky Fly: Impeach Hillary

• Progress Nashville: The blog business model and TV Guide, plus Missing Bill (no, not that one)

• Resonance: Expert advice on not getting shot in random mall shootings, plus "Serious" Primaries

• RoaneViews: 20,000 tons of nuclear waste

• Russ McBee: Carbon dioxide reduction not as expensive as we're being told, plus Candidates: Speak to the working people

• Sean Braisted: (at TennViews) The obstructionist Senate

• Sharon Cobb: Is Pelosi hurting Clinton?, plus I know what you did in nursery school

• Silence Isn't Golden: Mitch McConnell's unfortunate remarks, plus Regent Law School needs a better recruiter (this is hilarious, keeping in mind that Regent is the law school supplying the Neocon cabal with legal foot soldiers who come up with crap like it's ok to lie to Congress)

• Southern Beale: TN GOP bunker mentality

• Tennessee Guerilla Women: Harriet Miers knew

• TennViews, by Persimmon: Corridor K

• Whites Creek Journal: CIA: American heroes

• Women's Health News: Make your holiday donations count for women

New "Speed Racer" Trailer

The makers of "The Matrix" trilogy, the Wachowski Brothers, are offering a sneak peek at their newest movie, "Speed Racer", based on the old animated TV series from the 1960s.

It looks all neon and shiny and a little creepy. I am no fan of the old show, but this looks odd enough that I may watch it. I said "may".

Here's the trailer, courtesy of Cinematical, for the movie which opens in May of 2008:

Christmas and Television, 2007

A friend mentioned something in an email to me the other day about television and Christmas which prompted some thinking on my part -- he wrote:

"It's now Dec 5th & Charlie Brown, Rudolph, & the Grinch have all been on already. What are they gonna run Christmas Week, Deal or No Deal?

This is a Brave New World in entertainment, ya know. I tend to expect that along with the Special Christmas Edition of "Deal or No Deal" we will have:

- The Hannah Montana Christmas Spectacular, featuring The Bratz Nativity Chorale

- The David Beckham/Spice Girls Holiday Hour, with guest stars Fifty Cent as Frosty the Snowman and Kanye West as Tiny Tim

- "Ann Coulter's Wonderful Life", wherein Ann wishes she were never born and learns that without her, Godless Liberals roam the endless plains celebrating "Xmas" and saying "Season's Greetings" to each other. Bill O'Reilly co-stars as Clarence, her guardian angel.

(oh it's been worse - check out the 2003 TV-movie of Tori Spelling as a female Scrooge in "A Carol Christmas", featuring William Shatner as the Ghost of Christmas Past.)

Speaking of Christmas Past, TV Party always has loads of info on Christmas and television, like their entry of Christmas Specials from the 1960s and 1970s. Lots and lots of music and entertainment were offered, along with original animated shows and celebrity events. Your valuation will depend on your age.

This is a whole new kinda Christmas world we live in - these days you can order your own "Charlie Brown Pathetic Christmas Tree" from Urban Outfitters. Even pathetic trees are mass produced for your consumption.

Sidewalk Politics

A man who identifies himself as a pastor shot some video as he was protesting against illegal immigrants in Rhea County. His video page at YouTube says he was simply carrying a sign that read "Round Up Day For All Wetbacks." His other videos are rather intense as well.

The Rhea County Mayor Billy Ray Patton calmly tells the man he is a hatemonger, and asks him to leave. (Thanks to DeMarCaTionVille for posting this video.)

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.