September 30, 2007

The Other Side of Collapse

In 1964, the year I was born, the Philadelphia Phillies had a 6.5 game lead in with 12 games to play - and lost the National League pennant to Saint Louis by one game, the worse collapse in major league baseball history. No matter their future accomplishments, including three World Series appearances (1980, 1983, 1993) and one championship (1980), the 1964 collapse remained a defining part of the Phil's legacy. So much so that even a boy fan born in Philadelphia months before the collapse, who grew up sneaking listens to late-night games on an AM radio hidden under the covers, grew up knowing the story of 1964 and the World Series tickets that were printed, but never used.

There were no divisional playoffs or league championship series 43 years ago, just regular-season National League and American League winners who met in the World Series.

The last time the Philadelphia Phillies played in the post-season, 14 years ago, they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays when Joe Carter hit a come-from-behind, game-winning, series-winning home run. When he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth in game six, with the Phillies leading the game 6-5 but trailing in the series 3 games to 2, I stepped out of the room to avert my eyes from the television, knowing without a doubt what was about to happen. Little boys playing baseball dream of hitting a home run in the bottom of the ninth to win the World Series, but before 1993 the World Series had never been won on a come-from-behind walk-off homer. And yet I knew that's what Joe Carter was about to do. I still haven't watched the video - can't bear to watch it. That's what 1964 does to a Phillies fan - it makes them expect their team will find some way to blow it.

Carter's storybook home run launched 14 years of losing and frustration for the Phillies. It was 1964 in a single swing.

But now there's a new story: Reversing the story of 1964, and perhaps giving themselves a chance to erase a bit of the sting of 1993, the 2007 Phillies have become the first time in major league baseball history to overcome a 7.5-game deficit with 17 games to play to make the playoffs.

Even sweeter: the losers in the story are the New York Mets, who now own the record for the worst September collapse in major league baseball history. And the Phils weren't passive beneficiaries of the Mets' collapse - they caused it, by winning seven of seven from the Mets down the stretch. As any Phillies fan will tell you, that's not typical Phillies behavior. And yet, it happened.

Update: Mark Rose recaps the Phillies' roller-coaster season. ... Also, Philadelphia Inquirer writer Jim Salisbury on the Phil's victory. ... And inky writer Phil Sheridan says that Phillies fans now have something to taunt Mets fans with "for a generation or two." Whatever happens in the playoffs, that's worth something.

September 27, 2007

Less ACK

The Nashville Scene reveals how the new regime at WKRN is altering its approach to the blogosphere.

The station has also made relatively sweeping changes in the way it uses blogs, eliminating a substantial number of them, creating a new one for reporters' outtakes and reining in others to avoid opinion or personal references that stray from content. In particular, the blogosphere has been prolific in its protestations that political aggregator A.C. Kleinheider, the man behind WKRN's Volunteer Voters, has been "neutered" from peddling his political conservative ideology, relegated instead to pointing to content and posing questions for readers.

"My idea about blogging is less about people's individual home lives and more about trying to give transparency to content…and to give people an opportunity to get involved with content in a way they can't on the air," [WKRN general manger Gwen] Kinsey tells the Scene. "From a news organization's standpoint, an appropriate use of new media as far as I'm concerned for blogging is to provide an extension and a forum for back-and-forth with viewers. I know that part of the blogosphere locally has been trying to assess whether there's room for personal blogging with respect to some of what we did before…and, again, I just think that we can do something that has value and that's additive to our mission as a broadcaster without necessarily getting into the personal and the opinion."

Update: Here's a free suggestion to WKRN: Don't tone Kleinheider down - but if you're worried about "balance" and all that, add a liberal voice to the mix. Someone like Sean Braisted, for example.

Change or Die

Blogger Robert Laird says, "journalists have a hard lesson to learn about the Internet," warning, "If they refuse to restructure their minds to accommodate it, they will become obsolete curiosities within a few years, no matter how superior they feel."

He's right. I was going to excerpt the best part here, but the whole thing is the best part.

Disclosures Aplenty

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research found four Tennessee government officials who haven't filed the required financial disclosure forms, despite repeated reminders to do so from the Tennessee Ethics Commission. None of the four are "big fish," and it's worth noting that more than 6,700 hundred officials have filed the disclosures. I'm looking forward to seeing the media comb through the disclosures and cross-reference them with how folks voted on things at the state and local level.

September 25, 2007

Support Regime Change in Iran

Here's an important message via email from Gary Metz, the publisher of the vitally important website RegimeChangeInIran.com...

As you know, last month our site was shutdown due to lack of funds. The support of our readers made it possible to restore the site.

The site is back up but in risk of being shut down again since we still have an outstanding balance with our web host. We still need to raise an additional $600 dollars in order to bring our site current.

As I mentioned in my last email our website suspended its reports several months ago in order to regroup, with hopes of coming back bigger and better than ever. Even without posting new articles our site has been regularly receiving thousands of visitors seeking our “hard to find reports”.

There has never been a time when the Iranian pro-democracy movement needed our support more with help getting its message out to the western world.

Over the past few months, we have been working on redesigning our website with hopes of launching a major new internet campaign in support of the pro-democracy forces inside of Iran. If we receive sufficient funding we will implement the redesigns and resume our reports.

We need the help of you, our supporters, in order to keep our website up and running. If you can help us it would be greatly appreciated.

Gary Metz aka DoctorZin
http://regimechangeiran.com

You may send a contribution through Paypal by following the link below:
http://regimechangeiniran.com/

Just click on the “Visa/MasterCard Donate” button located on the top left column on our site.

Thank you.

Atlas Mugged

Ed Driscoll has written an excellent essay on the relationship between blogs and the mainstream media, with an eye, too, on how that relationship will continue to evolve. The article is Atlas Mugged: How a Gang of Scrappy, Individual Bloggers Broke the Stranglehold of the Mainstream Media. It's the cover story of the current edition of the magazine The New Individualist.

Blog of Newt

Potential Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich guest-blogged on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign website as part of the Huckabee campaign's "Vertical Day" initiative. Wired has the details. What is Vertical Day? The Huckabee campaign calls it an "historic 24-hour online conversation with voters."

September 24, 2007

Message to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iranian lead terrorist/president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (last name rhymes vaguely with "I'm a nutjob") was in New York today. Pajamas Media has the round-up of news, commentary and assorted bloggage.

Also, Fred Thompson had this to say about the hearty welcome issued by Columbia University to Ahmadinejad - a holocaust denier whose regime oppresses women, threatens the nuclear destruction of Israel and provides weapons to terrorists killing American soldiers in Iraq:

"I find it ironic that Iran's president accepted an invitation to speak at Columbia University, since students who dissent on Iranian campuses are not met with debate, they are met by a gun and imprisonment. A few months ago, eight college students were imprisoned in Iran's notorious Evin Prison for publishing articles and cartoons critical of Iran's government in a student-run newspaper. The Evin facility has been described as Iran's 'most feared prison' and is known to stone women to death. We need to do our best to empower freedom-loving people throughout Iran."

September 21, 2007

Fred's Speech

Here's video of Fred Thompson's complete speech last Saturday night in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.

The video Fred refers to twice in his speech is here at the Fred Thompson page on Blip.tv.

Freeze-Dried Funerals

At Ecotality Life today: A Swedish company's new eco-friendly funeral process may give life, literally, to the phrase "pushing up daisies."

Golden Opposition

Steven Milloy asks, "Is billionaire investor George Soros using environmental pressure groups to block a gold-mining project for his own financial benefit?" Milloy connects the dots and raises many of the same questions that I have been asking about Soros' involvement in the campaign to stop a gold mine project in the impoverished village of Rosia Montana, Romania.

Gunga Dan

Jonah Goldberg, in a hilarious piece, points out that if Dan Rather's lawsuit against CBS related to Memogate (the scandal surrounding Rather's 60 Minutes story about President Bush's National Guard service which was based entirely on forged documents) goes to trial, "CBS will be put in the position of having to prove that the story was bogus."

Bloggers, of course, already proved the memos at the heart of the story were bogus. And without the memos, CBS had no story.

For all my previous Memogate coverage, click here

More commentary on Rather v. CBS from Roger L. Simon, and Howard Kurtz.

Update: Mary Mapes, the disgraced ex-CBS news producer at the heart of the Memogate fraud, continues to deny reality, as Newsbusters demonstrates.

Free-Market Environmentalism

Environmental Defense and the Terra Rossa blog offer up an informative video on the conservative/market-economy approach to reducing carbon emissions, lessening American dependence on foreign oil, and growing the domestic economy. The proposed "cap-and-trade" system would also unleash America's entrepreneurial talent to address environmental problems, says John Doerr, partner in Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of Silicon Valley's largest and most successful venture-capital firms. "I deeply believe in the power of entrepreneurs. We've seen their ability to solve problems and transform how we live, again and again and again."

Secret Taping in the Bredesen Administration

So, under the Bredesen administration, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation started secretly taping phone calls and face-to-face meetings with members of the public. WSMV broke the story. The City Paper has a very good commentary.

Republicans in the legislature need to file legislation prohibiting any state agency - other than bona fide law enforcement in the course of an official investigation - from secretly taping members of the public, and forcing TDEC to immediately notify all people who it secretly taped and allow them to hear the recordings. The legislation also should require TDEC to either give those recordings to the people taped or, if the people don't want the recordings or the people can not be located, the original recording and all copies should be destroyed. The law also should state that TDEC and the state are barred from using the secret TDEC recordings in any civil or criminal proceeding.

Also on the must-do list: investigating the rest of state government to find out if other agencies are also engaging in similar secret taping, and if this represents that actions of a rogue agency or reflects official policy of the wider administration. I, for one, would be quite surprised if TDEC is the only one. Somewhere in state files there is a purchase order indicating just how many of these phone call recording devices the state has purchased. If every state agency in Tennessee - and the Bredesen administration - aren't already being hit with a flurry of open-records document demands related to possible secret taping, the news media isn't doing its job.

It doesn't surprise me that an administration already caught shredding documents to protect employees accused of sexual harassment, and already caught selling state troopers promotions for campaign donations, would also be engaged in secretly taping members of the public. The fish rots from the head down.

Hsu Confesses to Massive Fraud - Now Will Tennessee Democrats Give Up Their Hsu Money?

Terry Frank wonders if, now that big-time Democratic Party fund-raiser Norman Hsu has confessed to orchestrating a massive fraud scheme, "will the Tennessee Democrat Party return the $58,000 they received in 2006 to run state and federal races?"

I hope the Tennessee Democratic Party - which received more donations from Hsu than any other single recipient nationwide - will do the right thing and escrow the money to be returned to Hsu's victims, but I predict the TDP will offer up new reasons why it can't divest itself of the money. They'll repeat that it's already been spent. They'll say the decision to accept it was made by the previous party leadership, that the books are closed, and that it's old news. They'll talk about "the Gregory family," in reckless disregard of the facts. But, I predict, they won't give up the $58,000 money that Hsu got from defrauding others.

September 20, 2007

Government in the Age of Web 2.0

The IBM Center on The Business of Government recently published a report on blogging in the public sector, titled "The Blogging Revolution: Government in the Age of Web 2.0." Very interesting stuff. It's a free download (Link. 99-page PDF) The research report was produced by Southeast Louisiana University management professor David Wyld

In the video of his his presentation based on the report, Wyld mentions Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen's blog, calling it, "one of the examples of how not to do this, because he started his blog, posted about five times, and then abandoned it." (See Part 2 of Wyld's video presentation.)

Wyld also mentions my VolPols.com project in passing.

VolPols.com, you may recall, was my offer of free blog hosting and free blogging training to any state legislator of either party who would blog at VolPols.com. Each legislator would have had their own URL - something like http://smith.volpols.com or www.volpols.com/smith - and the site was going to have an aggregator pull headlines from all of the legislators' individual blogs onto the home page, and into topic-oriented aggregated pages.

But no legislator ever took me up on the offer. Wyld's research paper mentions two Tennessee legislator-bloggers in connection with VolPols.com, but those blogs (by state Rep. Stacey Campfield and state Sen. Roy Herron) were not hosted at VolPols.com. Campfield's blog, though not Herron's, pre-dated VolPols.com.

I still own the VolPols.com website, though I now have no plans to pursue that project. Obviously, as the soon-to-be communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party I can't be offering blog help to Democrats.

Stomping Hsu

Prominent Democratic Party fund-raiser Norman Hsu - who lavished large sums on the Tennessee Democratic Party - may have gotten the money through a massive Ponzi scheme, federal prosecutors in New York say. (And if there's anything Tennessee Democrats know about, it's Ponzi schemes!)

Here's the latest news on Hsu:

Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu was charged with defrauding investors of $60 million in "a massive Ponzi scheme'' and violating federal campaign-finance law. U.S. prosecutors in New York filed a criminal complaint against Hsu, 56, today, accusing him of wire, mail and election fraud. Hsu also pressured investors to contribute to political candidates he favored, government lawyers said.

As managing director of Components Ltd. and Next Components Ltd., Hsu recruited investors by promising high returns on short- term investments, using money from new victims to pay off older ones, prosecutors said. Threatening to drop them, he forced clients to contribute ``tens of thousands of dollars'' to U.S. presidential and congressional candidates, according to the complaint.

"This case is about self-promotion and greed,'' U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said at a press conference in Manhattan. "Hsu perpetrated a massive Ponzi scheme to support his lavish life style and in the process stole tens of millions of dollars from unsuspecting investors.''

Empty Suit

Dan Rather sues CBS, turning his professional tragedy into farce. Rather's book The Camera Never Blinks was one of the things that got me to go into journalism. It's just plain sad to see him plunge off the deep end like this.

Fred Ahead

Bill Quick says, "This race is between Giuliani and Thompson, and Giuliani is losing."

Is that true? Well, consider the latest poll in Wisconsin: Rudy Giuliani leads at 28 percent. Thompson is in second place at 24 percent and, as Quick points out, Fred hasn't even been to Wisconsin yet.

Something I found almost as interesting in the Wisconsin poll data: John McCain and Mitt Romney are in single digits - 8 percent and 7 percent, respectively - while non-candidate Newt Gingrich is at six percent. Two major-league candidates who have raised and spent millions aren't even leading a non-candidate by a margin bigger than the poll's 3-point margin of error.

The race for the Republican presidential nomination is now a two-man race and if your first name isn't Rudy or Fred you're not in it.

Long before Fred Thompson officially entered the race I predicted that when he did it would transform the race into a two-man contest between himself and Giuliani, with the two of them leading the rest of the field by at least 10 points. The Wisconsin poll shows that, if anything, I was too conservative in that prediction. This thing is over. The nominee giving the acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention next year will be Fred Thompson or Rudy Giuliani.

McCain, Romney, Huckabee and the rest of the field just haven't admitted it yet.

Protecting Ground Zero

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - a terrorist-sponsor, organizer of the hostage-taking at the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1978, and planner of a future nuclear holocaust to destroy Israel - apparently intends to visit "Ground Zero," the site of destroyed World Trade Center, next Monday when he's in New York at the United Nations. Some folks are suggesting that American elected official and just-plain-folks from Manhattan fill the streets and block his way to Ground Zero. Frankly, I think that's a terrific idea. If New York and U.S. officials won't bar the terrorist from visiting Ground Zero, the people ought to do it. Here's your chance to score a win in the War on Terror, New Yorkers...

September 19, 2007

Eco News

At the Ecotality Life blog today: A look at "green" investing. Also: Sugar-powered batteries? Plus, a couple of posts about light bulbs.

Fred Blasts Hillary on "Hillarycare"

Fred Thompson wonders aloud why liberals think the best way to help people is to punish them. He's talking about Hillary Clinton's latest healthcare plan.

Of course, Hillary's most famous healthcare plan - the one she created back when Bill Clinton was President, also included punishment for people who didn't toe the Big Government line. That plan - which, thankfully, never became law, would have imposed a $25,000 fine on people who purchased medical care outside their cooperative. If you had a sick child in the middle of the night and went across the street to your doctor neighbor, but he wasn't in the government-designated "cooperative" to which you were assigned, both the doctor and you would have faced $25,000 fines.

You can also see the latest Fred video at Fred08.com

For more on Fred Thompson, another good resource is my book.

September 17, 2007

Tennessee Democratic Party Largest Recipient of Hsu Money

Suitably Flip has crunched tons of campaign finance data and has the latest totals on all the money that flowed into the campaign coffers of dozens of Democratic candidates and party organizations in recent years from convicted felon fund-raiser Norman Hsu, and the data reveals an astonishing fact:

Norman Hsu gave more money to the Tennessee Democratic Party than to any other single Democratic entity, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic National Committee.

The data shows that Hsu and donors connected to Hsu gave a total of $51,000 to the campaigns of U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., who lost his bid for the U.S. Senate last year. That's higher than the $14,700 previously reported.

In addition, Hsu gave $58,000 to the Tennessee Democratic Party from 2003 to 2007.

By comparison, Hsu gave only $35,000 to the Democratic National Committee and $43,700 to the DSCC.

In all, more than $2.438 million in money from or connected to Hsu has gone to 84 Democratic candidates and candidate PACs, 22 Democratic committees and state parties since 2003. Oh, and one Republican candidate got some Hsu money.

Gregory Fires Back

The Kingsport Times News reports that major Republican campaign donor John Gregory "is going on offense in an attempt to clear up his professional record and counter future attacks by Democrats" tied to his financial support for the Tennessee Republican Party.

Gregory's spokesman, business associate and former Tennessee state Sen. Jim Holcomb, has issued a "talking points" document defending Gregory's campaign contributions to Republicans and his tenure as former King Pharmaceuticals chairman and CEO. Gregory declined to be interviewed for this story.

The Gregory-Holcomb document says:

Gregory and his family support pro-life and traditional family values.

During his term at King Pharmaceuticals and since leaving the company over five years ago, no governmental agency has ever charged Gregory or another Gregory family member with any wrongdoing in regard to Medicaid issues or anything else. After Gregory left the company, King agreed in November 2005 to repay $124 million plus interest to resolve allegations that it underpaid rebates owed to the Medicaid program and overcharged various federal and state governmental entities for its drug products, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Gregory's previous giving "hopes to generate financial parity in campaign messaging as the Democrats have traditionally outspent Republicans in campaign spending." Neither Gregory, nor any member of his family, has ever asked for any special consideration or favor from an elected official other than to stand firmly on their principles and values, according to the document.

"The effort of the Democrats to denigrate the ethics of the Gregory family through innuendo and misinformation does not alter the fact that their only interest is social issues that define us as a society," the document said.

I look forward to helping refute the slanderous attacks on the Gregory family when I start working for the Tennessee GOP in late October.

Fred Eats a Pastry

Tennesseans for Higher Taxation

NewsChannel5 reports that Tennesseans for Fair Taxation, a liberal pro-income tax group generally aligned with the Tennessee Democratic Party, wants to reduce or eliminate the state's 5.5 percent sales tax on food. But in the 2007 session of the state legislature earlier this year, it was Republican lawmakers who passed a half-cent cut in the tax and Democrats who fought to keep the tax at 6 cents on the dollar. And, it's worth noting, TFT only supported the half-cent food tax reduction if it was coupled with a huge cigarette tax increase. That's in keeping with TFT's overall goal of higher taxes - a few years ago it pushed for elimination of the sales tax on food coupled with a massive new state income tax.

September 16, 2007

Huge Rally Greets Fred in Lawrenceburg

Lawrenceburg, TN - Driving from Nashville to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, feels at times like driving backward in time as you leave behind the 21st century modernity of the state capital and find yourself in a town that in many ways looks unchanged in the last half century. But Saturday afternoon there was a distinct sense of the now and the future, too, as Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson, who grew up in Lawrenceburg, returned for a huge campaign rally that packed the town square with an enthusiastic crowd estimated at above 10,000 people.

After his speech, Fred signed autographs for folks jammed up along the barrier between seating and stage, then stepped through the barrier and waded into the crowd where he was mobbed like a rock star (though I hope we never see him try to crowd-surf!), where he continued to sign autographs, greet people and pose for a long time.

I was supposed to interview Thompson during the short drive from the Lawrenceburg airport to his hotel before the rally, but while I arrived early, Thompson's plane arrived even earlier and I missed him. So, in lieu of an interview report, I've got photos.

See the whole set at Flickr. Also, Blake Wylie was there and also has a selection of photos up on his Flickr page.

Update The Fred Thompson campaign has its own Flickr page, with 64 photos from the Lawrenceburg rally.

September 15, 2007

Lawyers Gone Wild

The Washington Examiner has begun publishing what looks to be an excellent series, Lawyers Gone Wild. The home page for the series on the web is here.

September 14, 2007

Boot Briley

Various news media outlets and blogs are reporting that state Rep. Rob Briley, arrested last weekend for drunk driving, evading arrest and vandalizing a police car, has resigned his chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee. That's good news, but the Nashville Democrat still is a member of seven different House committees, two of which - the House Ethics Committee and House Criminal Practice & Procedure Subcommittee - seem utterly the wrong place for someone with Briley's recent record.

Briley also is a member of the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee; the House Rules Committee, the House Calendar and Rules Committee, the House Civil Practice & Procedure Subcommittee, and the Joint Workers Compensation Committee.

As a practical matter, Democratic Speaker of the House Jimmy Naifeh can't force Briley to resign from the House. But he could strip Briley of all of his committee memberships.

When Briley made a voluntary choice to lead police on a drunken high-speed chase, he thumbed his nose at the law and intentionally put his own desire to escape arrest and personal embarrassment ahead of the safety of his fellow citizens, directly endangering the lives of numerous Tennesseans.

Make no mistake about it, the only reason that Briley isn't in jail right now facing a vehicular homicide charge is that, by the grace of God, his SUV missed all the other cars and trucks on the road.

By placing his own wishes ahead of the safety of others, Briley proved he lacks the ethical and moral judgment necessary to serve in our state legislature. If Briley lacks the good judgment and class to resign, Naifeh ought to do all he can to at least point him toward the door.

Briley Update

A.C. Kleinheider has two good updates on state Rep. Rob Briley, arrested last weekend for drunk driving, evading arrest and vandalizing a police car, here and here.

Why Clement Lost

Here's a pretty good analysis of why former congressman Bob Clement lost the Nashville mayoral race, though I disagree somewhat with the blogger's Lesson #2 in which he asserts that "Anti-Tax pledges will get you nowhere in Nashville." ...

While it is true that Nashville, as a heavily Democratic town, is not as "anti-tax" as other parts of the state, it also is true that 77 percent of Nashville voters just one year ago voted to approve a city charter amendment giving themselves the authority to accept or reject (most) property tax increases via referendums, a power they already have over the local sales tax. While that doesn't mean 77 percent of Nashvillians are anti-tax, it does mean they want more control over their tax rates.

The writer of the analysis seems to think that Clement lost in part because he ran on an anti-tax message while eventual winner Karl Dean didn't. But Dean didn't run on platform of calling for higher taxes - in fact, while he derided the "pledge" as a gimmick, he repeatedly sought to assure voters that he had every intention of avoiding tax increases, and that he would abide by the charter amendment allowing voters to vote on (most) property tax increases.

My own take on how the tax issue cut for Clement is a little different. Clement ran around waving his pledge, but his record of voting for higher taxes - and the existence of wasteful taxpayer-funded boondoggles like the barely-used "Clement Landport," suggested the pledge was a mere campaign device, and one Clement likely wasn't competent to actually manage the city budget well enough to keep.

Clement's anti-tax campaign forced Dean to run ads defining Clement - accurately - as a tax-and-spender who voted early and often for higher taxes.

But his campaign nearly undercut their "Bob's a tax-raiser" message with the secondary message that Clement in Congress had voted for "Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy," which actually may have helped Bob with the small but not insignificant core of Davidson County anti-tax Republicans whom Bob needed to get close to victory.

In the end, though, it hardly matters. The charter amendment means the property tax rate won't cross $4, it's current level, without the people voting yes. And, ironically, though Dean likely is less averse than Clement to raising taxes, the voters probably chose the candidate more competent to run the city for four years without needing to raise taxes.

Of Terrorists and Trial Lawyers

Ted Frank explains how terrorists can damage the global economy simply by inducing fratricidal litigation.

Plugging China

Economist David Evans muses about what the electrical plugs in China's hotels tell us about the relative health of the Chinese and European Union economies.

September 13, 2007

If It's Not A Business Relationship, What Is It?

VolunteerVoters.com blogger A.C. Kleinheider does some fine journalistic work and surfaces an interesting factoid: state Rep. Rob Briley's lawyer, one Mary Littleton, also is the registered lobbyist for the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association. Now, who is the lobbyist for the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association most likely to lobby? The state legislature, especially the Senate and House judiciary committees. And who chairs the House Judiciary Committee? Rep. Rob Briley.

Ethics rules forbid legislators from being in business relationships with lobbyists but for some reason the ethics rule doesn't apply to relationships in which legislators are buying professional services" from lawyer-lobbyists.

The Tennessean follows up ACK's scoop here.

Eco-blogging

At the new Ecotality Life: Carpooling via Facebook, plus eco-friendlier skateboards, the high potential of solar steam, and eco-tourism in the land of Muammar Qaddafi. Plus one I didn't write on a possible new technology for producing virtually unlimited amounts of petroleum from algae via a process called Quantum Fracturing. Unlimited oil. That won't make Al Gore happy, but it sure would do wonders for the price of gas - and lessen the geopolitical importance of the Middle East.

Speech!

President Bush gave a pretty good speech on Iraq tonight. You can read it here. Short version: The way to bring the troops home, and to make America safer, is to succeed in Iraq. The alternative vision - the MoveOn.org/Democratic Party plan to let Iraq slide into chaos and be dominated by Iran and al Qaeda - is a suicide pact masquerading as thoughtful policy,

Podcast Ahead

I just taped a podcast with Austin Bay for Pajamas Media's Blog Week In Review in which we discussed Fred Thompson, my new book, politics and social media and other things. I'll let you know when it is uploaded.

Does Naifeh Think Bredesen is a "Lowlife?"

Tennessee House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh famously called people "lowlifes" who called for the resignation of state Rep. Rob Briley in the wake of his arrest on charges of drunk driving, evading arrest (for a lengthy high-speed chase) and vandalism of a police car. Today, Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat like both Naifeh and Briley, called for Briley to resign at least from his chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee.

Somebody should ask Naifeh if he thinks Bredesen is a lowlife.

Also today, the Oak Ridger is urging Briley to resign from the legislature. See VolunteerVoters.com for the links.

The Full Briley

Christian Grantham passed along the link to the full 16 minute dash cam video of the arrest of state Rep. Rob Briley, who is charged with drunk driving.evading arrest, and vandalism.

The Tennessean has put a five-minute excerpt on its website. So far, I haven't found anyone publishing the video of the high-speed chase which preceded Briley's arrest.

As a media consultant, I don't understand why any media outlet, TV or broadcast, decides to put only a part of the video online. Bandwidth and server space is cheap. There's no space limitation - and no reason not to provide readers/viewers with the full tape.

Related: NashvillePost.com's Ken Whitehouse explains the process for replacing Briley in the legislature if he resigns his seat.

Another Good Reason to Home-School Your Kids

Don't panic.

September 12, 2007

Fred in Lawrenceburg

This Saturday evening at 7pm, Fred Thompson will be returning to his hometown of Lawrenceburg , Tennessee for a celebration and speech to mark the beginning of his presidential campaign. I received an email from the campaign especially inviting Tennessee bloggers to cover the event. Event details to follow. I'm scheduled to interview Sen. Thompson solo before the event - your suggestions for questions welcomed. I'm thinking of giving him a copy of my book.

Be the Elephant

Consider this a last call for any bloggers interested in applying to become the primary writer at ElephantBiz.com, a blog about Republican and conservative politics published by the Know More Media network of blogs. If you're interested, email me at bill-at-billhobbs.com and I'll pass your name on to Dan Smith at KMM. There's money involved, though not piles of it.

Cooper On the Hot Seat

Happily, My prediction earlier today that the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance wouldn't go after state Sen. Jerry Cooper for diverting $95,004 from his campaign fund to his personal account will not come true as TREF voted to investigate. Details from the Associated Press and the City Paper. The latter reports that Cooper could face a huge fine:

The evidence of the transfers, which occurred between Dec. 1999 and Nov. 2001, were submitted in a federal fraud trial against Cooper, which he was ultimately acquitted. Although the alleged violations may have occurred just between 1999 and 2001, the statute of limitations, which was 180 days for a campaign finance report, does not apply in this case, said Drew Rawlins, the executive director of the Registry of Election Finance.

"We're not talking about a report at this point," Rawlins said. "We're talking about the potential personal use of campaign funds."

Also, Rawlins said state attorneys have advised him that if Cooper is found to have used campaign funds for personal use, he could be punished up to $10,000 for each check. There were 24 checks that were allegedly transferred.

Cooper should be fined at least $95,004 - and, preferably, the maximum - $240,000. And the TREF must make sure Cooper doesn't pay the fine out of his campaign account.

The City Paper says Mark Brown, a spokesman with the Senate Democratic Caucus, declined to comment because it was an ongoing investigation.

Also, because Cooper's a Democrat and they don't want to lose him and risk losing the seat.

Meanwhile, a question: Isn't skimming money from one's campaign fund and putting it in your personal account a crime? Doesn't it amount to embezzlement? Didn't Cooper, essentially, defraud his campaign donors?

If what Cooper did doesn't violate any criminal statutes, the statutes need to be updated. For, certainly, taking campaign funds for personal use is an egregious violation of the trust that his donors placed in him.

Someone who would do what Cooper did has no business being in the state Senate.

The Hunt for A Fred November

Briley Update

Nashville's WSMV Channel 4 News has the police car dashboard camera video of the drunk-driving arrest of state Rep. Rob Briley, D-Nashville. No chase video, though. Does chase video exist? If so, who will publish it first - the news media or a blogger?

Will They Really Do Anything?

Tennessee election finance officials today will consider the allegations that state Sen. Jerry Cooper took nearly $100,000 in campaign funds and deposited it into his personal bank account, the Tennessean reports on its website. Writing on the paper's politics blog, Jessica Fender reports, "The guys and gal over at the Tennessee Center for Policy Research sniffed out the possible abuse earlier this summer by perusing copies of checks entered as evidence in an unrelated bank fraud case against the senator."

The blog posting includes full text of the TCPR's press release.

I predict the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, which has four Democratic appointees and only two Republican appointees, will continue to find some reason not to investigate or take any action against Sen. Cooper, D-Morrison. The TREF has known about Cooper's illegal diversion of $95,000 from his campaign funds to his personal use for months and has, so far, chosen not to act.

Update: Happily, my prediction appears to have missed the mark as the TREF says it will investigate. Details from the Associated Press and the City Paper. The latter reports that Cooper could face a huge fine:

The evidence of the transfers, which occurred between Dec. 1999 and Nov. 2001, were submitted in a federal fraud trial against Cooper, which he was ultimately acquitted. Although the alleged violations may have occurred just between 1999 and 2001, the statute of limitations, which was 180 days for a campaign finance report, does not apply in this case, said Drew Rawlins, the executive director of the Registry of Election Finance.

"We’re not talking about a report at this point," Rawlins said. "We’re talking about the potential personal use of campaign funds."

Also, Rawlins said state attorneys have advised him that if Cooper is found to have used campaign funds for personal use, he could be punished up to $10,000 for each check. There were 24 checks that were allegedly transferred.

Cooper should be fined the maximum - $240,000.

Mark Brown, a spokesman with the Senate Democratic Caucus, declined to comment because it was an ongoing investigation. And because Cooper's a Democrat and they don't want to lose him and risk losing the seat.

September 11, 2007

Six Years Later

On this day, the sixth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, some bloggers are showing readers what they were writing back on that world-changing day. I didn't have a blog six years ago today - I didn't launch my blog until later that fall - but I was writing a weekly column for the Nashville City Paper. Here's what I wrote for the Sept. 13, 2001, edition.

Although it has been six years since that day, I can still remember it like it was right now. I remember the phone call from my sister-in-law, which alerted me that something big was happening, as she called to ask if we'd heard from my father-in-law who she thought was supposed to be in New York that day. (Turns out he was in DC - and could see the Pentagon burn from his office across the Potomac.)

I remember watching the towers fall on TV, and the instant realization that we were at war and, most likely, would be for many years to come. I remember calling my dad and asking him if this is what it felt like to wake up and hear the radio announce the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. (Yes, just the same.)

I remember thinking that while my parents' generation had World War II and I grew up during the Cold War, my children would come to know a different threat. I remember thanking God that George W. Bush was President, because I believed - and still do - that he would not rest until he had done everything in his power to defeat the threat.

I remember the bright, beautiful day, the blue sky and the eerie lack of jet vapor trails. I remember thinking how everything looked like nothing had changed, even though everything had.

P.S. Stay angry. The fight isn't over yet. It must not be over until we win. No matter what it takes.

A Fourth to Remember... But a 9/11 to Forget?

Hey, Tennessee Democratic Party. Today's September 11. Not July 4. September 11. Perhaps you've heard of it. It's an important day. One that Americans - especially those who purport to offer political leadership - should always remember. Change your website. Before people start to think you just don't care.

Update: We get results.

The Post-9/11 Economic Boom

James Pethokoukis looks at how the American economy has fared since the September 11 attack, an attack that Osama bin Laden later declared was in part intended to help bring down the U.S. economy.

Since September 11, the economy hasn't suffered a single down quarter. In fact, it has notched 23 straight quarters of economic growth. (And despite the subprime mortgage crisis, this is likely to be the 24th straight quarter of growth.) Those numbers are especially amazing when you consider that when the terrorist attacks happened, the Internet stock bubble was in full implosion mode. The economy dipped in the third quarter of 2001 and was slightly negative in two of the previous four quarters.

But it's been nothing but growth since then. Overall, the American economy is, adjusting for inflation, $1.65 trillion bigger than it was six years ago. To put that gigantic number in some perspective, the U.S. economy has added the equivalent of five Saudi Arabias, eight Irans, 13 Pakistans, or 15 Egypts, depending on your preference. And while 9/11 did cause the stock market to plunge, the Dow is 37 percent higher than it was on Sept. 10, 2001, creating trillions of dollars of new wealth for Americans. What's more, the unemployment rate is 4.6 percent today vs. 5.7 percent back then. Not bad at all.

I blame the Bush tax cuts - and Bush's resolute leadership in the face of the Islamist threat - for the economy's resilience after 9/11.

By the way, more good news: All that economic growth makes America more and more able to fund fighting the war on terror.

Fred on the Road

Here's some video of Fred Thompson on the campaign trail. His campaign ought to release a lot of videos like this - and I predict they will. Fred can't run for president by driving a red pickup truck across the country giving speeches in the parking lots of convenience stores and diners - you can do that in Tennessee but the country is just too large for that. But YouTube videos like this may have the same impact, allowing people all over America to see Fred up close and personal.

Also see: Fred Thompson in a lengthy conversation about various issues with Fox News' Sean Hannity, and pay close attention to how he handles questions about Iowa Idaho Sen. Larry Craig and about dealing with Iran. If you're looking for a candidate who is blunt and doesn't try to be PC about things, but instead says what needs to be said, then Fred's your guy.

Briley Update

State Rep. Rob Briley, the Nashville Democrat arrested over the weekend in Wilson County for drunken driving and vandalism after, allegedly, driving drunk, leaving the scene of an accident, leading police on a high-speed chase, and vandalizing a police car, was first elected to the state House in 1998, representing District 52, which covers a portion of Nashville-Davidson County. (See clickable map.)

Briley was elected after running unopposed in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, also unopposed, but picked up Republican opposition in 2002, ultimately defeating Karen Bennett by a vote of 7,452 to 4,796, In 2004, Briley won re-election by a vote of 11,160 to 7,075, again defeating Republican candidate Karen Bennett. Last November, Briley won re-election to a fifth term by a vote of 9,849 - 2,358 against an underfunded independent candidate, but no Republican opposition.

In addition to chairing the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Briley is a member of the House Ethics Committee, the Finance, Ways and Means Committee; the Rules Committee, the Calendar and Rules Committee, the Joint House/Senate Workers Compensation Committee, the Civil Practice & Procedure Subcommittee, and the Criminal Practice & Procedure Subcommittee.

He is an attorney and holds a law degree from Vanderbilt.

(Photos: Wilson County Sheriff's Department booking photo; legislative portrait)

Update: The Tuesday Tennessean reports that the House Judiciary Committee is "set to overhaul Tennessee's drunken-driving laws next year." Regardless of the outcome in court of the charges against him, it would be unseemly for Rep. Briley to be in charge of that process.

Update: Here's the Knoxville News Sentinel's latest report on Briley.

Update: Did Briley try to craft a defense even as officers were arresting him? State Rep. Stacey Campfield comments that Briley, according to police, quickly drank the remainder in his beverage cup before the cops arrested him, and that by refusing both a Breathalyzer test and a blood-alcohol test, Briley has made it possible to claim that his erratic driving was caused by his prescription meds rather than booze. Briley is an attorney after all, in addition to being chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He knows the law - and its loopholes.

Update: Okay, this is just too rich to pass up. A few days ago Gov. Phil Bredesen revealed that he didn't know his DUI law reforms didn't pass the legislature, and he didn't know there wasn't money in his own budget to fund them, either. The reforms would have made things tougher on drunk drivers.

Drunk drivers like state Rep. Rob Briley, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee - which, of course, is where DUI reform legislation lives or dies.

According to the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, Briley got a $1,000 contribution in July 2006 from the Wholesalers Association PAC - the liquor distributors.

Update 9/12/07: Karen Bennett, the Republican candidate who lost two legislative elections to Briley in 2002 and 2004, won a seat on Nashville's Metro Council in the Tuesday, September 11 city election. Bennett is a member of the Tennessee Republican Party's State Executive Committee.

First, They Gave Up Their WMDs...

As I mentioned recently, the Ecotality blog is now Ecotality Life, and has a new URL - www.ecotality.com/life - and a new focus exemplified by its new slogan: "EcoDevelopments You Can Use and Invest In."

The focus is shifting away from enviro-politics to sustainability technology, gadgets, innovations, investing, and up and coming green companies, plus financial and investing-related pieces. It's a group blog and I am one of the writers at least for the early part of the launch phase. I'm not sure if I'll have the time to contribute much to the site after I start my new full-time job as communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party in late October, but I hope to do some writing there. "Green" technology interests me - market forces, not Big Government diktat, will ultimately be what delivers the United States from dangerous over-dependence on foreign oil and leads to a real and meaningful reduction in auto and industrial emissions.

The sponsor of the Ecotality Life is Ecotality LLC, a Scottsdale, Ariz., company that is developing a magnesium-based hydrogen-on-demand system for hydrogen fuel cells.

My first post for the new Ecotality Life is headlined Eco-Tourism in the Land of Muammar Qaddafi.

Check out Ecotality Life by clicking:
.

September 10, 2007

DUI Legislator Update

State Rep. Stacey Campfield has more here and here on the various criminal charges facing state Rep. Rob Briley, a Nashville Democrat accused of driving drunk, leaving the scene of an accident, leading police on a lengthy high-speed (100mph) chase, and vandalizing a police car.

Do you think a legislator arrested at the end of a crime spree ought to remain as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee?

Scream Free Parenting

Hal Runkel, author of the book ScreamFree Parenting, will be in the Nashville area for a book-signing Thursday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble in Brentwood. A cousin of mine works with the ScreamFree organization, which in addition to promoting the book also organizes workshops, seminars and such. Media interested in doing a story about "Scream-Free Parenting" can contact me at bill-@-billhobbs.com and I'll get you in touch with the right people.

Update: Here's a YouTube video of the author on NBC's Today Show earlier this week.

Living In the Past

The Tennessee Democratic Party evidently still thinks it is July 4th.

DUI Lawmaker Urged to Resign

DUI. Evading arrest. Those are just two of the charges facing state Rep. Rob Briley, D-Nashville, after his weekend arrest in Wilson County just east of Nashville. Various Republicans, including the state party, are calling on him to resign. VolunteerVoters.com is tracking the story. Lawmakers should not be lawbreakers - and lawbreakers should not be lawmakers. They especially should not be chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Update: More here.

Update: Now Briley is facing a vandalism charge, too.

Update: House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh weighs in. Also, reportedly Naifeh called Republicans "lowlifes" for thinking that perhaps the Judiciary Committee shouldn't be run by a guy who drives drunk, tries to evade arrest, and vandalizes a police car after he's arrested. Wes Comer responds.

A Nashvillian in Iraq

In case you live in the Nashville area or just happen to know Army Captain Phil Messer of Nashville you might be interested to know that he's featured in this lengthy post by embedded blogger Michael Totten, who is reporting from Ramadi, Iraq. There are also photos from Ramadi.

Al Qaeda was initially welcomed by many Iraqis in Ramadi because they said they were there to fight the Americans. The spirit of resistance against foreign occupiers was strong. But the Iraqis got a lot more in the bargain than simply resistance.

"Al Qaeda came in and just seized people's houses," said Army Captain Phil Messer from Nashville, Tennessee. "They said we're taking your house to use it against the Americans. Get out."

"Every mosque in the city was anti-American," Captain McGee said. "They were against us, but Al Qaeda made it even worse by ordering them to broadcast anti-American propaganda at gunpoint."

DailyKos Equates Osama bin Laden with Ronald Reagan

I kid you not. DailyKos.com, the Left's most popular website and a key source of fund-raising for Democrats from coast to coast, says Osama bin Laden and Ronald Reagan have a lot in common

So is Osama bin Laden truly "evil?" Most people who lost family members at the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001 would probably consider him to be evil. Was President Ronald Reagan evil? Most residents of Beirut who lost family members when the USS New Jersey rained 2,700 pound Mark 7 shells on residential neighborhoods in 1983 during the Lebanese Civil War probably considered Reagan to have been evil. Bottom line? Bin Laden is no more evil than other revolutionary leaders in other times or even than ordinary national leaders who propel their countries to war for "national honor," or to acquire the resources of others, or even to "do good."

DailyKos' attempt to assert moral equivalence between a terrorist leader who masterminded the slaughter of thousands of innocents while aiding a regime that slaughtered women for showing an angle or wearing lipstick and a former American president whose tireless efforts lead to the freedom of millions from Soviet oppression is disgusting.

The writer of the Kos article then asserts that bin Laden's agenda is "congruent with the neoconservative agenda and the corporatist agenda" of the United States, based on something the writer thinks Osama said in his recent video message. But of course the writer's interpretation of the translation from Arabic could be off. But even it if isn't, to believe bin Laden's agenda really is "congruent with the neoconservative agenda and the corporatist agenda," one must believe that bin Laden is telling the truth in his video message.

That's the problem with the entire DailyKos analysis of bin Laden's message: It accepts that the words coming out of bin Laden's mouth are truthful words rather than propaganda meant to mislead and misdirect.

DailyKos, it seems, wants to believe that bin Laden is a truthful freedom fighter battling terroristic America. In fact, the piece shows they've fallen for Osama's world view hook, line and sinker.

At the end of the piece the Kos writer asks, "Are we truly stupid?

Sadly, yes, they are.

September 9, 2007

Who is Jeri Thompson?

The Tennessean answers the question "Who is Jeri Thompson?" with a nice and rather revealing profile of Fred Thompson's wife. And - guess what - the portrayal of Jeri Thompson by the New York Times and other elite national media as a "trophy wife" is completely off the mark. For the answer to the question "Who is Fred Thompson?" please get a copy of my new book. (News media: email me at bill-at-billhobbs.com for a review copy.)

September 8, 2007

House-Blogger

Robert Glen Dean, one of the many Tennessee bloggers whose thoughts on Fred Thompson are included in my new book Who Is Fred Thompson? Tennessee Bloggers Debate the Candidate's Conservative Credentials, has a pretty nifty real estate blog, especially if you're looking for a house in the part of the greater Nashville area that he specializes in - the Kingston Springs area.

Frankly, I'm surprised more real estate agents don't do blogs.

September 7, 2007

After the Surge

The American Thinker looks at what happens in Iraq after the surge - which is working! - ends, and the number of American forces in Iraq is reduced. A must-read piece.

Court: Tennessee "Crack Tax" Unconstitutional

The Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled the state's "crack tax" to be unconstitutional, violating both the state and federal constitutions. The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, which has done research showing that the "unauthorized substances tax" costs taxpayers more to administer than it generates in revenue, issued a press release applauding the ruling and urges the Department of Revenue to not appeal it to the state Supreme Court.

"It’s time for the Department of Revenue to stop wasting time and taxpayers' money defending this appalling and unconstitutional law," TCPR President Drew Johnson said. "But if the Department unwisely continues to fight against the Constitution, I have faith that the Constitution will again prevail."

The tax was first ruled unconstitutional more than a year ago, but the Bredesen administration arrogantly continued to collect the tax, asserting that the ruling only applied to the drug dealer who brought the case, and not statewide.

Update: The Bredesen admininstration appears intent on continuing to collect the tax, despite two court rulings that it is unconstitutional, as a Department of Revenue spokesman says the department will continue to collect the tax while pursuing further legal appeals.

My question is this: If the state Supreme Court ultimately rules the tax is unconstitutional, will the state have an obligation to repay all that it has collected? And, if so, has the Bredesen administration set aside money for that possibility?

Entrepreneurial Documentary: Free Screening Monday in Nashville

The Center for Entrepreneurship in Nashville is hosting a free screening of the new documentary The Call of the Entrepreneur, Monday, Sept. 10. Jeff Cornwall has details. The YouTube video shows the trailer.

I've previewed the film, and agree with economist Arnold Kling at TCS Daily who calls it "the most subversive film I have seen" and "a threat to tyranny everywhere, including here at home."

In the Mail: The Strategy of Campaigning

Just off the UPS truck, actually, a review copy of The Strategy of Campaigning, a book from University of Michigan Press that explores the political careers of Ronald Reagan and Boris Yeltsin, two of the most galvanizing and often controversial political figures of recent years. here's how the publisher describes the book:

The authors demonstrate how and why Reagan and Yeltsin succeeded in their political aspirations despite - or perhaps because of - their apparent "policy extremism": that is, their advocacy of policy positions far from the mainstream. The book analyzes the viability of policy extremism as a political strategy that enables candidates to forge new coalitions and outflank conventional political allegiances.

I look forward to reading it. Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.

Rumsfeld's New Job

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, who also served previously as White House Chief of Staff, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, U.S. Congressman and chief executive officer of two Fortune 500 companies, will become a a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, it will be announced today. Rumsfeld will join a Hoover Institution "task force" of scholars and experts focused on issues pertaining to ideology and terror.

Tangentially related: The Hoover Institution's Peter Robinson recently produced a half-hour video interview on the war in Iraq with author Christopher Hitchens.

September 6, 2007

My New Fred Book On Sale Now

My new book, Who is Fred Thompson? Tennessee Bloggers Debate the Candidate's Conservative Credentials, is now on sale for $4 from New Pamphleteer Press. You get both a copy sent to you in the mail, and an e-book you can download immediately.

Why only $4? It's a short book. But a good one. Trust me. I know the author.

Incidentally, if you're a Fred supporter and know someone who is on the fence, buying them a copy of this book is a good idea and an inexpensive way to help Fred gain another supporter. Feel free to buy a case of them and keep them in your car to pass out to folks.

I'll have more information about the book at WhoIsFredThompson.com in the days ahead.

Fred Thompson Makes It Official

Fred Thompson has made it official: He's running for President of the United States. Thompson announced his candidacy on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and simultaneously via this 15-minute announcement uploaded to his campaign website, Fred08.com, and to YouTube.

In related news, my new book, Who is Fred Thompson? Tennessee Bloggers Debate the Candidate's Conservative Credentials, goes on sale Thursday from New Pamphleteer Press. You'll be able to buy the soft-cover book at New Pamphleteer's online store for $4 - for which you get a copy sent to you in the mail, and an e-book you can download immediately.

Why $4? It's a short book.

Incidentally, if you're a Fred supporter and know someone who is on the fence, buying them a copy of this book is a good idea and an inexpensive way to help Fred gain another supporter. Feel free to buy a case of them and keep them in your car to pass out to folks.

I'll have more information about the book at WhoIsFredThompson.com in the days ahead.

September 5, 2007

MYOB Review

Alvaro Vargas Llosa, senior fellow and director of The Center on Global Prosperity at The Independent Institute, reviews the documentary Mine Your Own Business. Says Llosa: "This documentary speaks volumes about the Manichean vision that many bleeding-heart Americans and Europeans have of the dilemma between tradition and modernity in the developing world."

Ecotality Blog To Be Revamped

The Ecotality blog where I have been writing about environmental-related news for the past several months is being shelved, and a new Ecotality Life, with a somewhat different focus, will be rolling out soon. Not sure if I'll be writing for it or not, but the folks at Ecotality LLC of Scottsdale, Ariz., are good people and I wish them the best of luck either way - in both their new-media efforts and their more-important efforts to develop commercially feasible alternative-energy technologies.

Tennessee GOP: Hsu, Gregory Not the Same

The Tennessee Republican Party has issued a press release regarding the widening scandal involving the Tennessee Democratic Party, national Democrats and convicted-felon fund-raiser Norman Hsu - and the attempts by the Tennessee Democratic Party and allied bloggers to deflect attention from the scandal.

It's a pretty effective response...

TENNESSEE DEMOCRATS DEFLECT ACCOUNTABILITY WHILE HSU FLEES
(Nashville) - Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Robin Smith called upon democrats to clean up their own act when it comes to campaign finance rather than attack Republicans donors. Tennessee Democrats continue to receive criticism for refusing to return campaign cash received from Norman Hsu a Democrat Party contributor and fundraiser recently released on $2 million bail after being a fugitive for the past 15 years. Hsu is reportedly a fugitive again after failing to appear in a California federal court today.

Norman Hsu pled guilty 15 years ago to grand theft, a federal crime, involving a financial scam of over $1million stolen from individual investors. Mr. Hsu fled before his prison sentence and has been a fugitive hiding in California. His recent celebrity status as a six-figure donor among national and Tennessee Democrat Party exposed his identity and whereabouts and he was removed from court in handcuffs.

Tennessee democrats are currently turning their backs on accountability and voter trust and instead rehashing old attacks on GOP donors. One democrat blogger has renewed questions about contributions made by the Gregory family, former owners of King Pharmaceuticals. Republicans point out that the matter was resolved in 2005.

After a review of King pricing of one of their medicines to the Medicaid Rebate Program and the Department of Veterans Affairs, a settlement was reached with the company and the U.S. Government.

In a statement issued on November 1, 2005 by the Department of Justice, the Gregory family is acknowledged to have acted swiftly and "cooperated extensively with the United States' investigation." They cooperated to the point that King "conducted an extensive investigation of its pricing practices" and made full restitution in paying a financial settlement and implemented compliance measures as specified.

"The comparison of Norman Hsu, a criminal fleeing justice for 15 years, to a family-owned business that cooperated fully and corrected its mistakes with the Department of Justice is absolutely outrageous!" stated Robin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. "We completely reject such a comparison to a family that has devoted its life to public service, public health, charity, faith and family."

"Whether a donor gives $5 or $5000 to our Tennessee Republican Party, a personal attack is vacant and unacceptable when attempting to deflect criticism and deny responsibility," Smith continued. "I am personally thankful for individual donors who work hard, live within the law, and make our state great. To have democrats focus on a situation that has been resolved under the approval and supervision of the Department of Justice while refusing to accept the truth of this recent revelation is very sadly characteristic of the politics of personal destruction and a betrayal of public trust."

Stokes, Hsu, and the Tennessee Democrats' Addiction to Dirty Money

The Knoxville News-Sentinel reports on the Tennessee Democratic Party's refusal to give up the $58,000 it received from convicted felon Norman Hsu, even as national Democrats such as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are giving up the dirty money.

NASHVILLE - While some politicians are giving away money received from controversial contributor Norman Hsu, the Tennessee Democratic Party and Harold Ford Jr. have no such plans because the money has been spent.

Hsu, arrested in California last week after 15 years as a fugitive from a theft conviction, has personally donated more than $600,000 to Democratic causes in recent years, according to national media reports.

His involvement in helping to raise money from other donors for candidates has also been questioned. The Wall Street Journal, for example, reported that six members of a California family headed by William Paw, a 64-year-old mail carrier, gave more than $200,000 to Democratic candidates in the past two years. Hsu had used the family's home as an address.

The Tennessee Democratic Party received $58,000 from Hsu in personal donations last year - $38,000 to the party's fund for helping state campaigns and $20,000 to the party's fund for helping federal campaigns.

Ford received $14,700 in three contributions during 2005 and 2006 from Hsu personally. His campaign also received $5,600 from members of the Paw family, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.