On The Financial Confusion In Washington

(via)

Copyright Position on Cabinet Gets Senate OK

A new Cabinet-level postion focusing on copyright infringement sailed thru the Senate last week --


"U.S. lawmakers approved the creation of a cabinet-level position of copyright czar as part of sweeping intellectual property enforcement legislation that sailed through the Senate on Friday.

"The executive and its office would be charged with creating a nationwide plan to combat piracy and "report directly to the president and Congress regarding domestic international intellectual property enforcement programs."

"The new copyright czar will oversee government anti-piracy crackdowns and, among other things, train other countries about IP enforcement. The legislation also creates an FBI piracy unit and allows for the forfeiture of equipment used in large pirating operations."

Isn't it strange how often the label of 'czar' gets easy application in Washington?

Local Paper Cheers Fiery Demise?

I saw a story on WATE about the destruction of the old cafeteria building and on the site of the former Morristown College. But check out this opening line from the coverage of the Morristown's newspaper, a line written by the paper's managing editor, John Guillion. It's an odd read for the destruction of a local landmark by fire:

Fire accomplished Saturday night what years of political negotiations couldn’t: The renovation of the Morristown College campus"

(Sorry, no linkage, as stories aren't online very long - they are a pay-to-read news site. And the story wasn't even online until sometime after 11:30 Sunday morning, as a friend had asked me about that time to go and read another story from their website. NOTE: In the comments for this post, a web tech for the CT says the story was up Saturday night. My mistake.)

I've only talked to John once, and very briefly, and he seemed like a nice fellow. But that opening needs a serious re-write. Here's a Newsflash: A fire of unknown origins which destroys historic landmarks does not equal 'renovation'.

Best of the Week In TN Blogs

Via TennViews:

The "toxic debate derivatives" edition of the weekly Tennessee progressive blog roundup with a look at what the state's best bloggers are talking about...

• 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera: Senator Drama Queen: ...how does a man go, in just a few days, from claiming that the economy is fundamentally sound to marching all over Washington, DC like Chicken Little, hitting new levels of scenery munching, derailing the negotiations Congress had gotten through before his arrival politicized the whole process -- swooping in, wearing his home-made cape and superhero pajamas -- pretending to be the man who’s saving the day, when he couldn't even be bothered to read the 3-page document that is central to the process?

• 55-40 Memphis: I ask again, is this the best way to use the ammo? Besides, the five biggest Wall Street losers have already rolled over. We need to protect cash deposits, homes, jobs. That's where Main Street lives.

• Aunt B: I start by saying two things that I have observed about Southerners -- one, a lot of them are Southern Baptist, which means, when they don't like how something’s going, they have no compunction about breaking off and doing something different while still considering themselves to be the true carriers of the proper torch and two, they don't like to be played for fools.

• Carole Borges: If you've been following the economic terrorist attack from within, you probably feel confused. Who wouldn't. It's obvious no one in Washington has a clue what is happening. How could ANYONE in their right mind even consider for one micro-second supporting anything that says "...the whole thing is up to Paulson's "discretion," and "may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."

• The Crone Speaks: Now, onto why I felt Obama dominated the foreign policy segment. As I wrote quickly last night, he was authoritative, his answers came easily, he did not rely on anecdotes or generals, or the old guard. As I also mentioned last night, McCain tired quickly. He looked, to me, to be extremely tired.

• Joe Powell: I do know that for the first time in my life, this important office isn't being handed off to the next local insider, another pre-selected candidate from the Republican party which has held total control of [Tennessee's 1st Congressional District] for over 100 years.

• Don Williams: Welcome to full-blown oligarchy -- government that socializes the losses of big business while privatizing the profits and promoting corporate welfare through good-old-boy contracts for military build-ups, outdated energy plans and tax breaks for the wealthy.

• TNDP: In spite of the unprecedented economic crisis created by Bush-McCain policies that freed the banking and lending industry from vital protections for the American people, John McCain wants to put Americans’ health care at the mercy of Wall Street.

• Enclave: Given Barack Obama's strong, comfortable, steady performance in tonight's debate on John McCain's turf of foreign policy, I would say that the Republican attempts for the last four weeks to raise expectations on Sarah Palin by comparing her to Barack Obama may have been a deadly mistake. Also, see ongoing series re. racial tensions fueled by suspect Tennesseean reporting.

• Fletch: Lighthouse Light

• KnoxViews (Sven): The author, like all the other purveyors of this and other similar dumbass notions, fails to explain the mechanism by which the GSEs ruined America. He harps on poor and corrupt management, accounting scandals and skeezy congressional ties - all of which existed. But zero evidence is provided for the core implication that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stampeded Wall Street into making bad loans to the shiftless underclass. That's because no such evidence exists. And: R. Neal: Just like investors who have been duped, the federal government will have no idea what they are buying or what to do with it. Even on a straight up equity sale of shares nobody knows what they are buying any more. Quarterly reports are works of fiction and earnings conference calls are performance art. With derivatives they don't even have to lie -- they can just hide mistakes and corruption under impenetrable layers of bullshit. Corporate America's stock in trade is now deception.

• Lean Left: So the GOP plan is to insure the bad debts, putting the taxpayers on the hook for possibly much more than the 700billion dollar Paulson came up with without giving the taxpayers anyway to ever get compensation if the government is required to pay off on that insurance. And then, just to rub salt in the wounds of the average tax payer, they are going to give the class of people who are most responsible for getting us into this mess a huge tax break for two years.

• Left of the Dial: The only time George W. Bush has spoken to us with "any sense of conviction, control, sincerity and grasp of the situation" was atop the rubble of the World Trade Center holding a megaphone. And even that turned out to be a bunch of crap. Plus: No Bailout For You!

• LeftWingCracker: Here's how to help Obama in Memphis

• Liberadio(!): One of the most important questions that could be asked by Jim Lehrer is not being asked: "What exactly is victory in Iraq?" Plus: Yee of Much Faith

• Newscoma: "George Bush is no different than Herbert Hoover," he said. "I was a kid during the depression and I want you to know, we are heading down this path again."

• The Pesky Fly: What bothers me is that this dog whistle has so permeated the conversation that it has filtered down to second graders. That, dear children, is some effective marketing.

• Resonance: Financial Crisis Reveals Bush's "Political Capital" Is Now An Illiquid Asset

• RoaneViews: We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself. Republican Party Platform adopted September 2008

• Russ McBee: Both Fulmer and McCain are decrepit, counter-productive shadows of their former selves, and both have far exceeded their sell-by dates. Plus: Trillion dollar life preserver: I don't know about you, but I'm awfully tired of being trickled on.

• Sean Braisted: Ultimately, while this bailout deal might be in the best interest for our country, the language being used by the administration is fairly reminiscent of language used to push through the ill-conceived Patriot Act, and the War on Terror in general.

• Sharon Cobb: I'm giving away two tickets for you to see and meet my favorite rednecks, Jackie and Dunlap from Red State Update. They are appearing in a town hall meeting in Nashville on October 6, and all you have to do is drop me an email telling me why you love these two lunatics, and I'll forward your entry to Jackie and Dunlap to choose the winner. (No way I was going to choose the winner!) Please get all entries in by Friday, October 3 at midnight to me at: MissSharonCobb@aol.com

• Silence Isn't Golden: But the Republicans aren't going to touch this thing with a ten-foot pole. Why would they? Bush has no coattails anymore, there's no need for them to fall in line with him. They can vote against it, and they will, and then go back to their districts and put all the blame for the fact that we're wasting billions of taxpayer dollars to bail out irresponsible corporations...on the Democratic leadership in Congress!

• Southern Beale: Yesterday blog trolls started touting the expected line that our mortgage crisis is the fault of a) Bill Clinton, and b) black people. Gee, what took them so long?

• vibinc » Blog Archive » The Coming Financial Disaster: Remember, just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it doesn't affect you.

• WhitesCreek Journal: I don't know that much about this stuff, but according to one Democratic Congressman calls to Congress are running about 50-50 on the bailout... 50% No! And 50% HELL NO! Plus: Did You See the Debate?: I saw something else on John McCain's face as he turned it away from Barack Obama. I saw one hell of a pancake makeup job hiding the purple rage. That $5000 was money well spent.

• Women’s Health News: McCain just said something to the effect that healthcare should be between the patient and the physician, not the federal government. Can I hold him to that on reproductive health and "conscience?"

NASA Turns 50, US Has To Hitch A Ride Into Space

This week marked the 50th anniversary of the NASA agency just as the Chinese made their first successful spacewalk and as the U.S. Senate was forced to approve a plan allowing U.S. astronauts to buy seats on Russian spacecraft so we can reach the International Space Station, just as the ISS nears completion.

The achievements of our efforts in science and space exploration are too often viewed with nostalgia for the past rather than vision for the future. NASA - and science in general - has been pushed to the sidelines by recent leadership in Washington, a move which will only serves to hamper the nation's role in cutting edge development across a wide range of scientific research and development and education as well.

Aviation Week had a fine piece attempting to connect the past with the present and future challenges of space science:

"The ISS is arguably an engineering triumph for NASA comparable to the Moon landings, in difficulty if not historic impact. Humans have been living on the station continuously for eight years now, operating through an intricately choreographed construction project that has merged hardware from three continents into a functioning outpost more than 200 mi. above Earth's surface.

"But space exploration is still in its infancy, and there is a new generation of engineers and managers coming along at the field centers who have the intelligence, skills and confidence that powered their fathers and grandfathers from Explorer to Apollo to the Hubble, space shuttle and ISS.

Today they are planning an international outpost on the rim of the Moon's Shackleton Crater and a new flagship robotic mission to one of the outer planets. On the aeronautics side of the house, "the first 'A' in NASA," plans and technology are being developed for the next generation of the U.S. air transportation system.

In an election year, the ball isn't in the agency's court. NASA's next half-century - indeed its next year - will be determined by the voters, and the leaders they elect. It's probably a good time to remember John F. Kennedy's statement on picking national challenges "not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

I'd expect we can lump this program into all the others the Bush administration has left in a tangled mess, like the current financial meltdown: balance the cost of doing nothing against the costs of the failure of everything.

It's the Bush approach to bumble between failure and over-reaction to problems which have been allowed to fester and grow. When typical agency response botches the job of just getting ice and water to the ravaged Gulf Coast after Katrina, NASA has over the last eight years done remarkably well. Billions have been lost to fraud and waste in military contracts abroad and to domestic programs feebly attempting reconstruction along the Gulf.

What awaits the next president and the next Congress is a sprawling nest of critical mistakes so large and complex it will affect each citizen of this nation and those of countless others.

A recent AIAA Space Conference in San Diego offers some much needed perspective on how the politics of today and the future are linked:

"Space has proven to be the silent backbone underpinning our commercial, civil, and military sectors. Three of the top issues in the upcoming election—economic competitiveness, the global war on terror, and the need for increased global climate change monitoring—are all dependent on our technological and operational achievements in space."

TN's 1st District Gets A Candiates Debate

I had to post this ASAP. I certainly can't recall any such event taking place in my lifetime in East Tennessee -- a debate between the candidates for 1st District Congressman. It's an actual debate, not a forum or a Q and A town hall meeting.

Democrat Rob Russell sent out the following email this evening:

It's really going to happen: for the first time in anyone's memory, the Democratic, Republican, and Independent candidates for the US House will participate in an organized debate!

The League of Women Voters' US House Candidates' forum will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 7th at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Greeneville, TN starting at 7 pm. http://www.greenevillenpac.com/

WETS-FM's Wayne Winkler is scheduled to moderate, and questions will come from the League as well as audience members.

Please make plans to attend -- we need to show folks that Democrats in East Tennessee can do more than just vote against candidates: they can support candidates, as well!

Campaigning Full-Time in October:

Starting Oct. 6th (the day before the historic debate in Greeneville!), campaigning will be my full-time job, and I hope all of you will help me keep my schedule full. Here are some ways you can help:

1. If you there is an event, festival, meeting or gathering in your community where I can meet folks and distribute information about the campaign, email us and let us know about it! rob@robrussellforcongress.com

2. Volunteer to hand out campaign cards, stickers, etc., at local events. We will send you a full "campaign kit" -- just tell us where you are going and how many pieces you think you'll need. rob@robrussellforcongress.com

3. Create an event in your town or county -- it could be a backyard bbq or a rally -- to help raise money and spread the word. For instance, Jason Howze from Unicoi County is organizing a "Concert for Rob" in Johnson City on Oct. 10th at Capone's; others, such as Frank in Kingsport and Kevin in Johnson City, are having informal "meet and greet" parties at their homes on Oct. 2 and 9, respectively. If you have an idea for an event, email me. rob@robrussellforcongress.com

Thanks again for all of your time, energy, and encouragment. To contribute to the campaign, go to www.robrussellforcongress.com/contribute

Sincerely,

Rob
--
Rob Russell
www.rr4congress.com
Democratic Nominee, TN-1

I'm impressed. It is not just the Democrat and Republican, but an Independent candidate too?

I do know that for the first time in my life, this important office isn't being handed off to the next local insider, another pre-selected candidate from the Republican party which has held total control of this district for over 100 years.

Kudos to all involved in making this project happen.

Residents who seek a representative who is offering much more than the same old routine will surely want to give Rob a listen. With our area and our nation under some glaring lights of economic reality, a wise voter will seek out his take on how to best serve the 1st District and help end the ineffective leadership of the past.

Live Web TV From Downtown Knoxville

A most ambitious internet project officially started today at Cherries Internet Cafe with live web TV shows from their open-to-the-public internet cafe.

Check out the live broadcasts and explore their site here.

Happy Birthday!

The Knox News Sentinel has some more background here, and expect even more to be announced in coming days and weeks as this cutting edge tech takes off from Market Square. When you stop in, be sure and say hello to Reenie and to Jess. Unless they are working and then, hey, they're working and don't be a chucklehead and bother them.

"The 2,000-square-foot cafe features computers at every booth, along with charging capabilities for laptops, cell phones and iPods.

Beginning next month, there will be boxed lunches from The Lunch Box and The Daisy Pot Tea Bar will feature more than 40 different loose leaf teas.

"I want it to be an experience with as many things that are unique and different," Gee said.

Visitors also will be able to tune in to Web broadcasts produced in a floor-to-ceiling, 500-square-foot glass studio."

A Brief Return

Please accept my thanks for all your condolences and support.

I'm putting up a quick post this cool September morning - especially since brevity and this blog have earned some praises this week.

First, this response to the current U.S. financial meltdown, proof that one single dollar can have true impact on those who brought the meltdown about --


"With this $1 bill, I am going to paper cut the skin between the fingers of every investment banker, financial analyst, and backdoor accountant involved in this mess."

Here's another short shock to the system, this one for Sarah Palin.

"I served with quick studies. I knew quick studies. Quick studies were a friend of mine. Sarah Palin: you're no quick study."

When I was traveling I noticed quite a few Obama for President stickers on car. But at a local market (one that actually had gasoline for sale), here's the bumper sticker I saw:

TN is For Jesus
Not For Obama

Yeah, I'm back in East TN.

In Memoriam - For Alex

No posting here for a while as my sister and her family and all of our families are mourning the death of her son Alex who has died at the age of 22.

Alex Long

Ryan Alexander Long, 22, of Hixson, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, Sept. 22, 2008.

Alex was a native and lifelong resident of the Chattanooga area. He was a 2004 graduate of Hixson High School and was attending Chattanooga State Community College. Alex was currently employed with Hamilton Place Cinemas 10–17 and was of the Baptist faith. He loved Star Wars, playing video games and going to the movies.

Alex was preceded in death by his grandfathers, William J. Powell and James L. Long Sr.

He is survived by his parents, Claudia Powell Long and James "Jim" L. Long Jr.; a sister, Laura Sanders and her husband, Chris; grandmothers, Nola Powell and Zoolah Long.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home chapel with the Rev. Dewayne Roberson officiating.

Burial will follow in Chattanooga Memorial Park.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. today and 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

Share your thoughts and memories at www.mem.com.

Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist.

Rationing Gasoline as Market Manipulation?

Short-term rationing, targeted in the Southeast, is being promoted by John Hofmeister, former president for Shell Oil.

"America is suffering a lot more than is being reported," said Mr. Hofmeister, who is also chairman of the National Urban League. The economic slowdown may not be affecting the well-to-do, but it is "really nailing middle- and low-income people."


Oil industry blog, The Oil Drum, offers little hope for the current shortages in supplies for your local gas pumps:

"If the pattern in Louisiana holds in Texas, it may take as much as 20 days after Hurricane Ike before all of the production is back on line. It will certainly be at least 10 days. This would put full production at something between September 23 and October 3. Pipeline delays of up to 18 days could delay full distribution of petroleum products until something between the first and third week in October."

Nashville is already hard hit.

Oddly, reports of the destruction of 49 oil platforms in the Gulf by Hurricane Ike should have a less than minimal effect - they were producing less than 1% of the oil from the Gulf and were slated for shutdowns anyway.

Other reports focus on the overall decline in national demand for oil and falling prices --

"Regarding inventories, last week the market paid little mind to declines in U.S. crude, gasoline and distillates stockpiles as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration in their weekly statistics. However, the market did respond when the EIA also confirmed that demand in the United States is steadily shrinking, with gasoline demand now down 1.6 percent and total oil demand down 3.5 percent from last year.

Meanwhile, crude and other commodities' sharp falls have appeared to help bring about the collapse of the Ospraie Fund, a large commodity hedge fund, as a result of significant losses. The Ospraie Fund, whose assets peaked at $3.8 billion late last year, fell 27 percent in August due to bets on oil, natural gas and structured products, the Wall Street Journal reported. Any loss greater than 30 percent triggered a provision allowing investors in the fund to withdraw their cash."

More Power and Money For Failure?

Once again - filled with panic, fear and a lack of information - the Bush administration and members of Congress and finance lobbyists are all screaming "Emergency!!" on the public airwaves and demanding more unchecked, unwarranted, unobstructed and unconstitutional powers. They call it a necessary bailout. You know, for the economy which has been tanking for a few years, the problems called mental delusions a few weeks ago.

Tucked neatly into the language of the legislation being pushed are these nuggets:

"The three key provisions: (1) The Treasury Secretary is authorized to buy up to $700 billion of any mortgage-related assets (so he can just transfer that amount to any corporations in exchange for their worthless or severely crippled "assets") [Sec. 6]; (2) The ceiling on the national debt is raised to $11.3 trillion to accommodate this scheme [Sec. 10]; and (3) best of all: "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency" [Sec. 8].

Put another way, this authorizes Hank Paulson to transfer $700 billion of taxpayer money to private industry in his sole discretion, and nobody has the right or ability to review or challenge any decision he makes."

If the Bush league had ANY record of being able to accurately assess a problem facing the country, such unchecked authority would be dubious. Given the reality of constant failures from these officials and their cheerleaders, to simply go along with this plan and not actually discuss and dissect it before taking actions with worldwide influences -- that's pretty much insane.

Carefully exploring the proposed bailout is even more of a mandate as it arrives from the constantly failed and unchecked realm of "The Decider".

The topic is being discussed, thankfully, both in the media and in public forums, with such concerns in mind and about the origins of the problems and those responsible - here and here and here - just for examples.

Walk Like A Pirate Day

While the rest of online world will be urging you to keep this day as 'talk like a pirate day', this year I've decided it would be more fun to walk like a pirate. Sure, it's a challenge, but so is the life o' pirating.

How can you walk like a pirate?

- Pretend to have a peg leg. Make a thonking sound each time you take a hitched step. Also ask strangers if they've seen the cursed beast that swallowed your leg.

- Walk with a hobbled step and curse a lot. Claim a bilge rat bit your toes off as you slept.

- Store your socks in a bucket of rotting meat and seawater for a few weeks and then wear them. Without shoes.

- Put a live (or dead) fish down your pants.

- Perform a "broadside blast". To do this, eat several platefuls of beans, and when you feel good and gassy, stroll down the sidewalk and then bend over and aim your hindparts at strangers and yell out "Prepare to fire all guns!!!"

Those are just a few examples. Next year, we'll celebrate Caulk Like A Pirate Day.

Famed Songwriter Norman Whitfield Dies

His name is hardly a household word -- but the words and music Norman Whitfield made for so many innovative and historic performers are part of the fabric of American memory and will live on for many. many years to come. The following is but a short sample of the music he helped create. Farewell, old friend, and thank you so much for all the incredible joy you added to our world.


SeeqPod - Playable Search

McCain-Palin Block Ethics Investigation

A seldom reported fact, actually a host of them, which clearly show how much Gov. Palin fits into the Bush-Cheney style of government is covered extensively in the Alaskan blog Mudflats.

Alaskans know corruption. They know what it feels like to be kicked in the teeth by their elected representatives. They recognize the signs of guilt, and the twisting and squirming, like a bug on a pin, that our corrupt politicians display when the heat gets turned up. This is not new. We’ve danced this dance more times than we care to admit in the last two years. But this one was supposed to be different. THIS one was supposed to be “clear and transparent.” THIS one stood up there in her lipstick and her red blazer, and her mantle of change and said, “Hold me accountable.”

We know what’s tainted this investigation, and ‘taint the Democrats.

Prior to being picked as Sen. McCain's number two, she was adamant that a bi-partisan panel was the best way to resolve the conflicts surrounding the way she handled business in her office when she decided to boot some officials for not following her marching orders. The event got a nifty media title of "Troopergate" and true to the Bush-Cheney (and McCain) style, now she and Sen. McCain are working double-time to either silence all the hearings or delay them until after the November election.

Some excerpts from Mudflats:

It’s silly season up here in the far north, but this week’s moves are aimed at one thing: John McCain’s effort to find cover for being disingenuous. See, before Governor Palin’s nomination for the Republican VP spot, she did the honest thing. She admitted the evidence - of roughly 20 contacts between her staff and husband with Public Safety officials, seeking the firing of Governor Palin’s former brother-in-law - might lead a reasonable person to the conclusion that the she misused her office to fire a state employee. So when Alaska’s Republican-led Legislature called for an investigation, she did the honorable thing and said she and her staff would comply. She denies any wrongdoing.

Things changed on August 29 when Governor Palin was added to the McCain ticket. Since then his handlers have told her she can’t testify. They don’t want the evidence in this case to come out. They don’t want her to testify under oath. They don’t want other witnesses to testify under oath. So they have engaged in daily maneuvers to attack, as disloyal to the McCain campaign, anyone who wants the investigation to move forward. They’ve now attacked two well respected prosecutors, and perhaps the state’s most highly regarded law enforcement official - the Public Safety Commissioner she hired, and then fired, Walt Monegan.

Every day this week McCain operatives have sung the same tune. Today a guy with an East Coast accent, who knows nothing about Alaska, stood in front of a McCain-Palin banner to lead the attacks against people he doesn’t know. At press conferences on Monday and Tuesday campaign staffer Megan Stapleton spit vitriol to repeat her argument that this investigation is really a “Democratic” attack on Governor Palin.

See, that’s easier than just saying their VP has reneged on her promise to testify. It’s easier than just saying they don’t want anyone testifying before the November election. It’s easier than admitting they are stonewalling a legislative investigation.

Here are a few things they failed to say. There are a few small facts that make it hard to style this as a Democratic investigation. One is that Alaska is a Republican State. We have a Republican Governor and a Legislature of 34 Republicans and 26 Democrats. This summer the Legislature’s Legislative Council voted 12-0 (8 Republicans and 4 Democrats) to hire an investigator, and appointed Democratic Senator Hollis French, a well-respected former prosecutor, to find an investigator. Governor Palin stated she and her employees would comply with the investigation. French then hired Steve Branchflower, a former DA who most recently was hired by legislative Republicans to run the state’s Office of Victims rights.

And on Friday the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 (2 Democrats and 1 Republican in favor); and the House Judiciary Committee issued a 7 - 0 (5 Republicans, 2 Democrats) advisory vote, to issue subpoenas to witnesses the McCain camp had previously stopped from testifying.

Over the last two days McCain’s outside operatives have vilified former prosecutor Hollis French - as an Obama supporter who must have called this investigation to hurt the McCain ticket. But French was appointed to oversee the investigation by a 12 - 0 Legislative Council vote, and is probably the state’s most respected legislator - by Republicans and Democrats alike. He’s so popular the Republican Party couldn’t find anyone to run against him this year.

They’ve called former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan - a Native Alaskan who has served Republican and Democratic Administrations with honor, and put his life on the line in uniform - “insubordinate.” Odd, given that when Governor Palin fired him she offered him a different job. I guess being “insubordinate” was a job requirement for the new position. And they’ve challenged the independence of an investigator and former DA, who has no animus anyone can find.

Those Swift boat ads taught the McCain folks that if you say something untrue enough times, it can stick.

My favorite moment of the week came when Governor Palin’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss Palin’s ethics complaint against herself. Stay with me. Her attorneys have been buying the peyote, not me. See, on August 29 they needed to find a way to stop the Legislature’s investigation. They tried asking the Republican leaders to call it off, and take one for the team. But the Senate President and others honorably said no. So they came up with an argument that the State Personnel Board - 3 people appointed by Governor Palin and her Republican predecessor Frank Murkowski - had “exclusive jurisdiction” to investigate wrongdoing by the Governor. The Legislature wasn’t amused. So Governor Palin then filed a complaint against herself.

That, they said, put “jurisdiction” in the hands of their friends at the Personnel Board. They argued that since the Personnel Board was now proceeding with an “investigation”, the Legislature couldn’t.

To put icing on the cake, on Monday the Governor’s attorneys moved to dismiss the Governor’s case against herself. They said, and I loosely paraphrase again - that they tried really hard and just couldn’t find any evidence that the Governor did anything wrong. OK. I can’t believe I just wrote that. And I wish it weren’t true.

These are the things you have to do when your Presidential candidate doesn’t want his VP to honor a promise, and doesn’t want evidence to come out before an election. These are the things you have to do if your folks aren’t going to comply with a subpoena. That’s because without spin the headline might read: “McCain Interferes With Investigation Palin Agreed To.” How easy it is to re-write a headline. They learned that during the Swift boat campaign too.

All we can hope for is that members of the press will remember what they learned in journalism school. Not to repeat the spin of political operatives without reporting the truth. Not to write “he said she said” stories, and pretend the truth is somewhere in the middle. But to report the facts. No matter how you spin it, Governor Palin promised to comply with this Legislative Investigation. McCain’s folks got her to change her position. And the Legislature that voted for the investigation did so on a bi-partisan basis. End of story. End of headline.

Is a rock-solid stand that an elected official is above the law the slogan for the Republican party?

State To OK More Fees For Open Records

A couple of headlines today claim the Voice of the Public was heeded regarding charging fees to access public records in Tennessee -- sounds like a win, doesn't it?

It isn't.

You will be charged for any requests for copies you seek according to "new statewide guidelines." Costs range from 20 to 50 cents per copy.

And you'll also be charged additional fees on a by-the-hour basis if your requests takes more than two hours to fill that request. Wanna bet how many hours that request of yours will take to fill? Two hours, minimum/ Probably more.

"It's better than nothing," said Frank Gibson of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government. Yeah and not getting a stick in the eye is better than getting a stick in the eye.

So maybe I need to adopt some new guidelines too - anytime a business or agency requests to see a copy of any of my IDs or any other of the various forms requested by officials -- you'll have to pay me a dollar just to see it. Want to make a copy of it? That will be $10. In a shrinking economy, the time you are making me spend to fill your request is time lost from valuable work.

Other Political Phrases To Be Avoided

In hopes of rectifying the sticky problems of uttering words and phrases which may be deemed obscene, sexist, or otherwise downright distasteful (aka "lipstick on a pig"), here's a partial lists of words/phrases to be avoided for the next few political months:

let's run it up the flagpole
fluffing the pillows
tapping the keg
wanna use my laptop?
frosting the pastry
wanna share my cinnabun?
time to press the flesh
I'll use my veto pen
let's blow this joint
do you feel me?
get your arms around it
hump day
Google me
I'll leave you with something to chew on
let me pencil it in
I've met with real Americans
It's a witch hunt

Minimal Fine In TN For Gas Price Ripoffs; States Issue Subpoenas

A minimal slap on the wrist for gas price gouging, according Tennessee law cited here:

"Also under Tennessee law, the state does not have to be in a state of emergency for price gouging to be illegal here. For example, although Hurricane Ike hit Texas, Knoxville gas stations caught price gouging will be fined $1,000 per violation. "

Pilot Oil is being investigated says the above report from WATE-TV.

Meanwhile, in that states of FL, AL, AR, GA, KY, N.C., S.C.and TX they have issued subpoenas as part of their investigations. More news stories here.

Will Your Votes Be Counted?

Deep divisions in viewpoints, talking points, the comedy of tepid campaign ads -- all this, says Robert F. Kennedy Jr. points to worthwhile points to ponder and some advice and commentary on how much our nation has changed, and changed for the worse:

"And I remember the day after 9/11, when the headline on the biggest newspaper in France, Le Monde, was “We’re All Americans Now.” And for three weeks after 9/11, thousands of Muslim people came out spontaneously onto the streets of Tehran to make candlelight vigils to show their support, their solidarity, their love for the United States of America. We were the most beloved nation on the face of the earth and in the history of mankind.

And it took 230 years of disciplined visionary leadership by Republican and Democratic presidents to build up those vast reservoirs of public love for our country. And in seven short years, through monumental arrogance and incompetence, this White House has drained those reservoirs dry. We are now, according to virtually every poll, the most hated nation and feared nation on earth. And anybody who says that it’s good for our national security when European youth, as a recent poll showed, hold Osama bin Laden in the same regard as they hold President Bush, and anybody who believes it’s good for our national security when Hezbollah is as popular in the Mideast as America has their head in an oil well.

You know, Abraham Lincoln said America—we’re doing things today that were inconceivable a few years ago. We’re torturing people in America. We’re eavesdropping on our citizens. We are having extraordinary renditions. We’ve suspend habeas corpus. We have these black prisons. And, you know, Abraham Lincoln said that America is a good nation—is a great nation, because we’re a good nation. And he warned that if we ever lose our goodness, we’ll quickly forfeit our greatness as well.

You know, people say in the White House that we have to do these things, because we’re under such terrible threat. But that’s a lie. When I was a little boy, we had 25,000 nuclear-tipped missiles pointing at our country from the Soviet Union with one guy able to press a button and vaporize most of our population. And we weren’t torturing people and eavesdropping on our citizens and suspending habeas corpus. During the Civil War, 659,000 Americans died. Our cities were burned and occupied by foreign—by hostile armies. And we didn’t engage in those kind of behaviors.

You know, during the Revolutionary War, George Washington was approached by his generals with the idea of torturing British soldiers to extract strategic information. At that time, the British were torturing our soldiers in New York Harbor on coffin ships and killing them by the dozens every day. Washington said to them, “I would rather lose the war, because this is the first nation in history that is based upon an idea, and the idea is one of essential human dignity and justice.” And he said, “We’re not—I’d rather the British continue to rule us than become—than to lose that.” And, you know, he established codes of conduct for the treatment of prisoners, fair treatment of prisoners and humane treatment. And the Hessians that he captured on Christmas Eve were so shocked by the good treatment they received from the American captors that after two weeks in prison, they agreed to walk unguarded all the way to POW camps in western Pennsylvania, and not a single one escaped.

During the Civil War, Lincoln’s general suggested—made the suggestion of torture, and he was so horrified by the idea, that he created a committee to establish a standards—a report with standards for the fair treatment and humane treatment of prisoners of war. And eighty years later, that document became the Geneva Convention.

During World War II, Eisenhower was asked about torturing Germans at a time when Nazis were torturing our prisoners and POWs. And Eisenhower said, “Americans don’t do that.” And he said—and during World War II, German soldiers surrendered to American soldiers by the thousands, because they had heard from their fathers, who fought in World War I, “Always surrender to an American, because Americans don’t torture people.”

You know, a few weeks ago, I had John Dean on my show on Air America. And John Dean, as you know, was the counselor to President Nixon during the Watergate scandal. And Dean said to me—Dean went to prison for his participation in the cover-up. And he said, “You know, we eavesdropped illegally on one office, and I went to jail for four months, and my boss was impeached and then forced to resign.” And he said, “These people have illegally eavesdropped on hundreds of thousands of Americans.” And he said, “Where’s the impeachment? Where are the convictions? Where’s the imprisonment? Where’s the jail term? Where is the American press? Where is the indignation?”

And, you know, we need to continually remind ourselves that the Bill of Rights is not a luxury we can no longer afford and that America is not just a place where people come to, you know, increase the size of their pile, and whoever dies with the most stuff wins. Our nation is an exemplary nation. And that’s the way the world regards us, and that’s what they want from us. And when we start lowering our standards, we lose our prestige, we lose our capacity to influence world events, and we lose the soul of our country. And we now need to gain that back."

Information on bogus voting instructions and efforts to alter the status of voters in VA, OH, CO, NC, PA, FL, NM, WI, OR, CA and MN are also reported:

"Is the McCain campaign merely incompetent? Or is it engaged in a massive effort to create a database of voters to challenge at the polls? Is the McCain campaign orchestrating a voter caging campaign on a grand scale?"

Dismissing their views as paranoid? Some say both parties are engaged in in either trying to block votes or encourage 'questionable' registrations. The phrase "battle at the ballot box" is taking on whole new meanings ....

And then there are the confusing accounts about just what exactly happened among Tennessee Democrats regarding Rosalinda Kurita over the weekend.

Best advice: double-check your voting registration at your local county courthouse at least 3 or 4 times over the next few months.

Weekly Best of Tennessee Blogs

via TennViews:

• 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera: Back to the election: Eight years of simplistic, slow-witted leadership has been more than enough. I don’t care how much you’d like to hang out with these people, or how thirsty you are for a beer in their company, that doesn’t mean that they have what it takes to lead this country in the right direction.

• 55-40 Memphis: Let Hillary take on Palin: Hillary can righteously and authentically say that Sarah Palin is an insult to woman candidacies. ... the sexist media will eat it up. I'll bet a Hillary soundbite shows up in every evening news until election day.

• Andy Axel (at KnoxViews): A Tennessee Majority = 50% + 1 - 20. Give or Take.: In case you haven't heard, majority does not rule in Tennessee

• Aunt B.: My Morning Palin Thought: This, America, is why we still need feminism, because, when the chips are down, women need a stronger skill-set than "just flirt your way out of the problem."

• BlountViews: TPO Regional Mobility Plan 2035 Meeting: From a previous, informal survey, TPO determined bike transportation (27%) to be a primary concern, more transit (21%) and alternative transportation (17%) were next in line of importance. It was reported that 50 percent of respondents surveyed thought new roads were the least important.

• Carole Borges: Palin said religious views helping shape her state's future: If you believe that hearing the voice of God and speaking to God directly about political policy is a smart way to govern, then vote for McCain/ Palin.

• The Crone Speaks: Obama Doesn’t Support the Families of 9/11 and Other Outrageous Crap: This is a serious problem. Seriously, folks, when the media itself promotes the lies of the McCain campaign, without giving viewers/listeners factual information, there is a very serious problem. While we have to be on notice not to believe the media outlets, and do our own fact checking on every issue, Krugman notes that the actual lies are a sign of things to come, should the lying team somehow take the White House.

• Joe Powell: Narrative Fiction Rules The 2008 Campaign: It's both fascinating and a little sickening to see news reporters and their dubious pundits talk to each other about how they are being suckered and manipulated by the McCain campaign but are not posing those questions and concerns to McCain himself.

• Don Williams: Why Obama should get mad, get loud and get real, NOW: Voter caging, spoilt ballots caused by lousy machines in poor districts, vote suppression, an October Surprise, media turning blind eyes to McCain’s parade of lies, the Bradley Effect, Swift-boating and outright malfeasance all work to McCain’s advantage. So, unless media get serious about issues and lay off the beauty contest, I don’t see how Obama wins. Bonus:

• TNDP: Sen. Diane Black Wants to Deny Voting Rights: If you haven’t voted in the past three primary elections, at least.

• Enclave: I Wonder If Sarah Palin Ever Read BillHobbs.com in 2005?: Back in 2005, the prospect of using the porkbarrel airport as justification for the porkbarrel bridge to nowhere was frightening for a conservative blogger. Now that Bill Hobbs is in charge of communications of Tennessee's Republican Party, he does not seem too frightened by Palin's use of the justification. In fact, Hobbs is now defending her performance in the ABC interview and rationalizing that she did stop the bridge to nowhere.

• Fletch: Arrowmont for Sale: I was saddened to see the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg put up for sale. It was one of the few things Gatlinburg had going for it culturally (after Panera Bread was replaced by a hot dog stand). The "oasis in a cultural desert" will most likely be turned into a few candle and t-shirt shops. Yes, I'm an elitist. Plus: Monuments

• KnoxViews: Workers concerned about jobs and health care, trust Obama to help: According to a recent survey, more than half of American workers are worried about finding a new job if they become unemployed, followed closely by concerns over their ability to pay for healthcare insurance. The poll also shows Barack Obama as the preferred candidate for tackling U.S. workplace issues. Plus: The shocking truth about Sarah Palin

• Lean Left: The score: ...if these analyses are a representative sample, the Obama camp attacks somewhat more often than the McCain camp, but their attacks are much more accurate (or much less inaccurate, depending on your perspective). ... Also, chew on those numbers for a minute: Only one anti-Obama attack out of nineteen could be scored better than "half-true."

• LeftWingCracker: It's time to raise and allocate resources: Yes, of course I support Bob Tuke; however, I presume you've noticed that the DSCC is treating him like plutonium, right? They're not sending money here, so I'm not looking for miracles. OK then. ... In Shelby County, we still need to crank it up large for the Democratic ticket for several reasons... Plus: YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION

• Liberadio(!): Podcast: September 8, 2008: Part 4 The Daily Show is not afraid of Karl Rove. Are you listening those of you in the real news media? Or will you show the “deference” required of you by the McCain campaign?

• Newscoma: Dear Tennessee Democratic Party: ...I think you need to come to Hooterville and talk to some of the people I’ve been talking to the past few days. Go to all of the Hootervilles, not just mine. You are blowing it, in my opinion, when it comes to rural voters and in many ways, you are disenfranchising younger voters here. This isn’t good, Nashville leaders. Plus: Fun With Newspapers

• The Pesky Fly: Seven Years and Counting: Failure is too generous a word to describe George Bush's efforts to deliver justice. He didn't fail. He and his minions have done exactly what they wanted to do. Capturing Osama bin Laden wasn't on their list. They had other priorities. There was a massive, world-changing event to politically capitalize. There was a country with vast oil wealth to pillage. There was a police state and one party rule to establish. There was an economy to crash so the broken pieces could be bought for pennies on the dollar.

• Progressive Nashville: Think America, think: One of the most depressing parts of the Republican national convention last week was the crowd chanting "Drill baby, drill" during former mayor Rudy Giuliani's speech that included calls for offshore oil drilling. ... The moment illustrated once again how the party is able to convince people to act against their own best interests to enrich private companies and individuals.

• Brian at Resonance: Sarah Palin, The Trojan Moose: I'll be more specific--every day not spent discussing the economy is a victory for McCain. It was no accident that the economy was barely mentioned at the Republican convention. The fact is that it is in worse shape than government statistics indicate. It's the trump card in the Obama hand, if the campaign stays on message. Therefore Obama must resist the temptation to be sidetracked by the Trojan Moose. Plus: Against Government, Yet Cashing The Checks

• RoaneViews: Flight of Heroes: Just for today, let's try not to think of a President reading "My Pet Goat", or the awful aftermath for our country and the world that these terrible attacks were used to justify. Let's honor the innocent victims and the heros...

• Russ McBee: Woodward's series on the "surge" and its real architects: After nearly eight years of witness to the Bush calamity, no one should really be surprised that the Bush administration sought and accepted military advice, not from actual military commanders, but from the same group of radical zealots who had helped cook the books to justify the invasion in the first place.

• Sean Braisted: The Monkey Trial: Had I been in Clarksville, I most likely would've voted for Barnes in the primary...but he didn't win, and I think Mr. Rochelle adequately refuted all the arguments made by Barnes' lawyers, except the one that I think this decision hinged on, and that was that Kurita wasn't a "good Democrat" for voting to make Ron Ramsey the Speaker of the Senate. Ultimately, it seemed clear that is what this farcical process came down to.

• Sharon Cobb: America, Don't Be Stupid Again: Eight years of George W. Bush wasn't enough for you? You want four more? Because if you vote for McCain/Palin, you'll get four more years and worse. You can't seriously be buying that McCain/Palin are the real mavericks, can you?

• GoldnI: Marsha Blackburn - Really A Man, Baby!: Moral of the story--when Sarah Palin is criticized, it's always going to be sexist and she has every right to be upset. When it's Hillary being criticized, the whiny crybaby needs to bite her tongue and get over it. It's nice to see that Marsha Marsha Marsha has become a feminist crusader all of a sudden.

• Southern Beale: It’s Gutter Politics As Usual: Sarah Palin as Vice President is a cravenly laughable political stunt. It’s wedge politics as usual. Hearing her snide jabs at Barack Obama in her RNC speech proved to me that Sarah Palin represents nothing more than the same divisive, anything-goes, culture-wars, red vs blue, "War On Christmas," fear-based, Karl Rove-style politics of destruction we've lived with for the past eight years.

• TennViews: Blackburn gets "dishonorable mention" on 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress list: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has released their "20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and 4 to Watch)" list. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN7) made the "watch list": Plus: Tennessee is a top 10 state legislative battleground state

• Vibinc: Seven: In the past seven years, we have seen one thing after another justified by the attacks of 9/11; two wars, domestic spying, torture, and a full frontal attack on the civil liberties that are the foundation of our nation. All of these things slipped by a nation rapt in a feverish nationalism masquerading as patriotism.

• WhitesCreek Journal: Good is Dead?...(Maybe Not!): Is there a light rising in America? Will we demand that our candidates for the highest office in the land, simply tell us the truth? Unless the referees in America blow the whistle, the cheaters will win.

• Women's Health News: PMSBuddy - Almost as Irritating as the Election Coverage: PMSBuddy lets you send and receive notifications to others that you have PMS, you know, so they know not to take you seriously. ... Okay, first, "recurring occurrences" are not really unexpected. Second, if dinner plates are hurled because PMS comes up, it’s because some jerk dismissively asked "Are you PMSing?" as a way to dismiss some woman’s thoughts and feelings. Third, menstruation is not shameful. Maybe you don’t want to talk about it over spaghetti and meatballs, but if you’re close enough to send alerts from PMSBuddy, you’re close enough to have an actual conversation. Like adults.

Republicans Values = Racism, Lies, Smears

UPDATE: The organizers of the Voters Values Summit shut down the vendors of the product below and sent them packing, according to Christianity Today.
The makers of the product hail from Tennessee, and a video (note the video mark at 2:13) of them hawking their racist crap defends their belief that Sen. Obama is a Muslim, not based on any facts, but because "some people believe it" and so it's fair to make use of ignorance to make help the makers earn cash.

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Republican Values offers this fake product to promote their large sense of morality (and racism) and campaign dirty tricks:




(image via/ more info via Rachel)

Which media outlet actually called out Sen. McCain for lying and gutter politics? The ladies on "The View".:

"First of all, earmark spending, which she vetoed a half a billion dollars worth in the state of Alaska."

But she also put earmarks in, Ms. Walters noted.

"Not as governor she didn't," Mr. McCain said.

But as governor, she did. As the Anchorage Daily News among others, has reported, in Ms. Palin's first year as governor, she requested 52 earmarks valued at $256 million, and this year, her office asked the Alaska delegation in Washington to help land 31 earmarks valued at $197 million. Also, Citizens Against Government Waste ranks Alaska as having received the "most pork per capita" of all states this year.

Terrific! Yet another McCain lie has been exposed. Now what? Will the Times or some other news outlet put McCain or at least one of his surrogates on the spot about it? At one point on The View, Joy Behar emotionally and honestly told McCain to his face that his both infamous "sex ed" ad and sexism accusations were lies. McCain could only defend them by saying "Actually, they're not lies" (Yes, they are) and by suggesting Obama's ads are just as bad (No, they're not). He then went on to make an absurd defense of negative ads that he continues to keep making--that if only Obama had met him in town halls like he'd proposed, he never would have implied he was a pedophile who doesn't care about his country and only wants to elevate his celebrity status."

Could Hurricane Ike providing something facts and reality could not do and actually turn the political debate towards actually domestic policy with gasoline and natural gas prices set to shred the economic choices of Americans?