Camp4u

Proven right

2012-02-02T09:57:00.005-05:00

I was on WSMV this morning talking about AIDS and AIDS transmission with the host and A gentleman from "Nashville Cares" a group that specializes in STDs/AIDS transmission.

I don't think it would be a stretch to say this gentleman was pro homosexual agenda but to his credit, as I spoke and stated my facts on AIDS transmission, he completely agreed with my numbers, proof and assertions of facts. I will try to get the video up later (They told me they only record the first half hour).

In that regard I give him credit. Some of the other pro homosexual agenda "Facts" on AIDS transmission his group have advocated to Nashville school children I disagree with vehemently. Mainly that the cause of AIDS was low self esteem.

This is just one slide they use to teach sex ed in schools.

Klan good, Stacey bad.

2012-02-01T09:55:00.002-05:00

Wow! The owner of the restaurant who refused me service on Sunday was just on the radio and bragged how she happily served the Klan members when they had a rally in Knoxville but she stands by refusing me service.

Wow. Just wow.

More fun than a barrel of monkeys

2012-01-30T14:23:00.008-05:00

As you may have read I was asked to leave a restaurant in Knoxville because my beliefs did not support the owners beliefs on homosexuality. I had not said anything. I was just standing there waiting for a table when the owner came up and started yelling at me calling me names and telling me they were not going to serve me because of my alleged beliefs saying I hate gays. I said in as calm a way as I could that I don't hate gays and the things I have said were backed up by the CDC. I offered to send her the links.

I have been quite open and clear on my beliefs and have backed them up with facts from the CDC and others. Unfortunately some people do not let facts get in the way of their prejudice.

She looked confused on what to do for a second then she started to yell and call me names again so I figured it was better to just leave. As Jesus said, "If you are not welcomed in a town shake the dust off your feet and move on". My friends and I went to latitude 35 and had a good breakfast.

The cries of "Ha ha. we showed him!" fall flat to me. It is not I who lost out. My friends and I still had a good meal. We just gave our money to a more gracious host.

What was showen was a lack of professionalism. In my legislative role I have always had an open door to any of my constituency. Gay rights groups have been in my office several times and I would like to think that even though we may disagree on some issues I have always treated them graciously.

In my private business (Property rental) I have rented to people of all races and creeds. Black, white, Asians, gay, straight, christian and non christian alike. I do not discriminate. I wonder how the owner of the restaurant would act toward another restaurant if the shoe were on the other foot and the business refused service to a gay person? I know I would not eat there.

In the 60's my grandfather sat at the lunch counters with the blacks in Knoxville to help break up the segregation of the races. I guess some people still support segregation. Just segregation of thought. Some people have told me my civil rights were violated under the 1964 civil rights act in that a person can not be denied service based on their religious beliefs. (I am catholic and the catholic church does not support the act of homosexuality) I had not thought about that much.

I just figured this is just another example of the open minded tolerant left. They claim tolerances for divergent points of view.....Until someone actually has one. Then they don't know how to handle it.

This says it all

2012-01-29T18:33:00.003-05:00

As I said, the "Heterosexual AIDS epidemic" is a manufactured crisis to draw support for the Homosexual community.

This lays out the actual number and details.

The Rock of UT.

2012-01-29T10:46:00.000-05:00

On the Hubert Smith Radio show FM 90.3 in Knoxville.
(865) 974-2535

Thought of the day

2012-01-28T00:06:00.001-05:00

My own state motto "Tennessean is believin!"

So I was on this little show....

2012-01-27T23:53:00.013-05:00

As you may have heard I was on some little radio show to talk about my "don't teach gay" bill. After a few minutes, the host (Who shall we say was not of a receptive lifestyle) jumped topics and I made some comments on how the homosexual lifestyle was WAAAAAAY more risky then the hetero sexual lifestyle. Of course the regulars went bonkers. Here are some facts on the issues we covered.

Here are a few links with a compilation of facts found elsewhere mostly from the CDC

On the short lifespan of homosexuals,http://theroadtoemmaus.org/RdLb/22SxSo/PnSx/HSx/hosx_lifspn.htm

http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/26/3/657.abstract
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2005/feb/05021709

http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/fastfacts-msm-final508comp.pdfOdds of getting AIDS through vaginal sex
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/895/what-are-the-odds-of-getting-aids-from-ordinary-heterosexual-sex

Many people love to throw around numbers from Africa and say the AIDS numbers are higher there for heterosexuals. This is true but mostly because in Africa it is common to practice anal sex as a form of birth control among prostitutes (an activity that is much more prevalent then in the US) and others. When I spoke on the radio show I was talking of vaginal heterosexual sex in the US. What are the odds here?

This was posted in the KNS today and are probably conservative numbers as it probably includes anal sex as a form of heterosexual sex (again, not what I was talking about).

"UNAIDS estimates that in the U.S., living with HIV as of 2009, 310,000 are women.The total US population as of 2010 is 308,745,538

Lets just go with about 50% are female = 154,372,000 female population.
Lets then say you take absolutely no care and sleep with anyone willy nilly. Your odds of getting a female with AIDS is 1 in @ 4970.

Lets go with the pro in the article who said on average, heterosexual intercourse between an infected person and a non infected person results in transmission of the disease about "one in a thousand times." (I assume this is without a condom)
Right off the bat that puts your odds of getting AIDS through heterosexual sex at about 1 in 5 million.

Most "Normal" people I imagine would also stay away from the IV drug users, hemophiliacs, known disease carriers, prostitutes and other high risk people. Also conceding a man less likely to receive the disease then a women because of the nature of sex, the odds of a man getting AIDS from a female are pretty low.
Add a condom and some common sense and you can add probably at least add a 0 to the number."

Who IS getting AIDS
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/aa/ and http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/msm/index.htm or
_http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2009/aug/09082609

I admit (As I did in the interview), I am not a historian on AIDS (If you listen to the actual uncut interview I was asked to tell what I had heard was the history of AIDS) The research on sex with a monkey being the first transmitter of AIDS has not been proven nor firmly dis proven. It is one of about 5 theories I was able to find on the source of AIDS. No credible source said any one was clearly definitive one way or the other.
It was first published I think in a book which documents the history of the AIDS epidemic is entitled "And the Band Played On." The author of "And the Band Played on" was appalled by the unsanitary and degrading behavior of homosexuals. He died of AIDS a year after his book was published.

The homosexual pilot comment was first printed in the American Journal of medicine article about "Patient 0". His name was Gaeton Dugas. While possibly not the first person with AIDS he is still widely considered the person who widely transmitted the modern outbreak of the disease in the gay community. I admit I gave him false credit. I said I thought he was a pilot as I recall. He was a flight attendant.

Here is a link on that...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ga%C3%ABtan_Dugas

As for the reason for the interview (My bill on parental responsibility of teaching sexuality to very young children) Here are some points of view for you to consider.

-It is a parents responsibility to decide when a child is ready to grasp such a complex issue as sexuality and what they want to tell the child about that complex subject. Not a teachers.

- All children develop mentally at different rates. I do not feel a teacher with an agenda (Be it pro
or con) is the appropriate person to decide "Now is the time" for an entire class of children just because they may think one way or another on an issue and want to espouse it.

-A teacher is not a trained child psychologist or psychiatrist and could do as much harm as good to a sexually confused child.

-I doubt many on the other side would want a teacher who said "Homosexuality is evil, dirty and wrong" just because they felt that it was what is appropriate, that it is what they thought the children needed to and were ready to hear. This bill ensures neutrality from teachers.

-Physically threatening behavior is what is and needs to remain covered for all groups. Not the sexuality of the victim. We already have anti bullying legislation passed in Tennessee (In fact I co sponsored it 2 or 3 years ago when it passed) so all children are protected from bullying in our schools.

-We do not need an un equal justice system that creates special separate classes of protected people that gets special protection under the law.

-Nor do we need to silence the first amendment rights of religious free speech of those in our schools whose family may hold different beliefs (as long as those beliefs are not physically threatening).

-While there is a scientific and educational need to mention the basics of heterosexuality when teaching the basics of reproduction (XY chromosomes, etc.) there is no scientific need to mention homosexuality as homosexuals do not naturally reproduce.

-We are falling behind the rest of the world in math, science, and English amongst other things. Tennessee ranks about 46th in most areas. Social engineering is just one less issue teachers should have to worry about teaching as part of their curricula.

Herron Out!!

2012-01-27T09:44:00.001-05:00

Democrat State senator Roy Herron sent out an e mail last night letting us all know he will be stepping down from the state senate in November. Here is a link to his press release.

Debate rundown

2012-01-26T22:01:00.004-05:00

1. Rick Santorum. Another good showing. Strong, confident and knowledgeable on key issues. Brought the whoopin' stick out on Romney for healthcare. Only down side was not having his wife present, but with 7 kids I couldn't blame her if she slept through the entire campaign.

2. This one was close I almost called it a tie between second and third but Romney gets the tip. Strong showing early and evaded attacks well, you could tell he had stacked the crowd but even the crowd couldn't help him from the merciless beating Santorum gave him. I was expecting the crowd to start to call out "Mercy!, Mercy!" (like at the end of the movie Braveheart) with the gutting Santorum gave him on Obamneycare.

3. Newt, Did OK on attacks and defence but it was more of a wash. Didn't show the cocky swagger and boldness that has propelled him in earlier debates but I think the crowd may have been an issue. Could have played up the Reagan angle a little more but I think he showed he has been rolling up some big endorsements. I was expecting possibly a little more of an attack on the court system when he talked about religion. I think the moon issue was a flop. Played well to the Latino community I am sure, but let Romney off the hook on immigration and other issues.

4. Ron Paul, OK, I know I have been a little hard on Ron Paul in the past but I honestly think this was one of his best showing. He didn't come across all screechy like he has in the past and I think he spoke well on the economy. Still needs to develop a little better long range talking points. He does not look healthy. In fact he looked down right frail.

5. CNN, Missed opportunities to ask about oil exploration in the gulf (Probably a big issue in Florida). I didn't like the question about Ron Paul's health even though he does look bad. The first lady question was a softball and really not necessary. I am getting tired of the candidates talking about the latest personal attacks the campaigns do. Debates are for issues.

Thought of the day.

2012-01-25T08:01:00.001-05:00

I was having a real problem logging on to my ipad and then I realized it was an etch a sketch and I don't have an ipad.

Bummer.

Fred Thompson endorses Newt!

2012-01-24T00:11:00.000-05:00

I am sure this won't hurt in Tennessee.

Quote of the day.

2012-01-23T08:46:00.000-05:00

"If Gingrich wins Florida, the Republican Establishment is going to have a meltdown that makes Three Mile Island look like a marshmallow roast."

John Heilemann

Data good, except for Pre K

2012-01-23T05:26:00.002-05:00

Oh Phil, it is so funny when you try to talk conservative but don't have the history to back up what you say.

You say you want the states to use data in education reform? OK, fine. How about we start with the data the state has recovered from the studies we have done on Pre K? Pre K has proven to be expensive, without lasting value and in some cases has actually even had a negative effect on children. Not just in one study, Not twice but three times in a row here in Tennessee. In fact, there has not been one single quantifiable study in Tennessee that has shown a positive net result for our investment.

Plug that into your little computer and see what pops out. Should we continue to keep funding it or put the money somewhere where it will actually help kids improve their educational results.

What does the data tell you?

Walk for life

2012-01-22T11:41:00.002-05:00

I will be joining hundreds of pro life supporters today for The Tennessee right to life's annual "Walk for life" today at 2:00. We will be start at Calvary Baptist church at 3200 Kingston pike and walk down to Tyson park just outside of UT. Please feel free to come and join us.

Back from South Carolina

2012-01-22T09:35:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I took a trip to South Carolina to try and help Newt Gingrich over the hump. I knew that state was going to be key. South Carolina had picked every Republican nominee since Ronald Reagan. We knew momentum had been building for Newt and a win in SC would really pump him up to the next level.

I was shadowing Newt's South Eastern Chairwoman (Maria Zack). She informed me that that when she first started working on the Newt Campaign "South East" meant everywhere not Iowa and New Hampshire. She said "We had 8 people on the team. Now we have over 70 and it grows every day". The momentum is really moving in the right direction. Maria was quite an interesting person in that she had been working with Newt for decades and had a ton of good background stories. She knew him as just a regular person. And that's how she spoke about him. She said one of the difference between him and other candidates was how hard he worked (She said he was personally putting out signs at 4:30 AM on election day)

When the day started there was real trepidation. There were monsoon type rains going on throughout the day in areas where Newt was expected to win and it was mostly clear where Romney was expected to do well. As the day rolled along though, we kept getting calls that despite the rain people were waiting in the rain, in lines to vote for Newt. The military vote (A huge population in SC) was coming out strong for Newt as well. Sort of a shock to me was how low Ron Paul polled. With his claims of close military ties I expected he might fair better then he did with that population but I learned that the campaigns polling was showing it was just the opposite. The huge active duty and retired military population did not like Ron Paul at all.

At 7 PM sharp we were getting exit polls that said it was already over and Newt was going to win hands down. WOW!! No one was expecting that! The news shot through the building like a lightening bolt. It was HUGE! The place erupted! People were shouting and cheering. Reporters from all over the nation and world were running all over the place asking questions of anyone and everyone they could grab ahold of. The crowd waiting to see the Newt victory speech were electrified and jacked up. Cheers of "USA! USA! USA!" were mixed in with chants of "Niki who?, Nikki who?, Nikki who?" For SC governor Nikki Haley who had come out for Romney and had been campaigning for him across the state.

As the numbers rolled in a double digit victory blew everyone away and sent everyone to another level of excitement. They were singing the "Pump up" music songs, Waving signs, lifting little children into the air to see Newt as he came in and was shaking hands. National and local dignitaries were all over the place.

Rick Santorum had a funny mix in the crowd. While his concession speech was being played the crowd chanted "Drop out now! Drop out now!" but I did not get the sense it was because they disliked Rick. More it was they saw the need to consolidate the conservative vote to elect a conservative in the primary. Sure enough when Newt spoke of his fellow competitors in the primary (He had kind words for all) The chants of "V.P., V.P., V.P." were quite strong when Newt spoke of Rick.

Newt just smiled.

Filed under "I told you so"

2012-01-20T10:44:00.003-05:00

Well what do you know. It seems the Iowa caucus was actually won by Rick Santorum after all. I hate to say it but I told you so the day they announced Romney the winner. Now, entire precincts are missing but even Romney is conceding Santorum won it.

Smart move on his part.

Romney already got all the bump he needed from the early claimed victory. Now, no one cares and the bump in cash and momentum it could have brought Santorum is all sucked up. The only change is in SC. Romney is now trailing as Newt is starting to collect the divided conservative vote. Romneys big hope is to re energise the flailing Santorum campaign and hope Rick can pull off enough support from Newt to let Romney squeak by for another victory. Conceding an empty Iowa victory to Santorum is his throwing a starving dog a bone in the hopes it eats his rival (Gingrich) in the end.

Grumbelings

2012-01-20T07:44:00.004-05:00

I am starting to hear grumblings about what I warned about 2 years ago.

Tenvesco.

The Tenvesco plan was a state taxpayer backed and funded "Bank" for loans to private companies who would "bring in jobs" into Tennessee. The down side was there was little to no recourse to recoup funds if the business failed to live up to expectations. A few years ago the state went ahead and pumped tens of millions of dollars into this plan in the name of "Economic development".

You may recall I feared it would turn into a slush fund for cooperate friends of government and never produce the jobs it promised. Frank Nicley did a great job railing against it on the house floor.

Sure enough, just like the switch grass fiasco, Tnvesco is following down the same path of failure. After all the money invested, under 200 jobs have been created. Cost for each job? Almost a million dollars each.

Let the investigations begin.

Hensly vs Cobb

2012-01-20T07:33:00.003-05:00

Rep. Joey Hensley has signed up to run for the new state senate seat in southern middle west Tennessee. Joey has been a long time conservative voice in the state house (I would rank him as probably among the 3-5 most conservative). He is also the state legislatures only medical doctor and has been a voice of reason for conservative medical legislation.

Former one term Democrat Rep. Ty Cobb has also decided to run for the seat. You may remember Cobb for the one bill he passed in his time in the legislature. Allowing fish tanks and bird cages in barber shops (no, I am not kidding). I think it was the key part of the Democrats "Jobs package".

Dems vote against giving Tipton Co. a Senator.

2012-01-20T07:12:00.005-05:00

Tipton county will have a senator.

The county was inadvertently left out of the legal wording for the senate redistricting plan and the plan had to be recalled from the governors desk to have the wording put back in. It was an accident by a heavily loaded, tired legal team and not a plot to punish Tipton County for sending Jimmy Naifeh to the state house for so many years.

Oddly, when the vote was made to add the wording back in, senate Democrats voted against the move. I guess Democrats really don't want Tipton County to have a senator after all.

Post debate wrap

2012-01-19T21:59:00.004-05:00

1. Santorum. Played the down home, underdog, Rudy Ruettiger angle great. I expected him to pull out a hard hat, a lunch pale and talk about mom and apple pie if the debate went much longer. He had the facts and points that really ran the debate and had a great closing. Unfortunately for him I don't think it really came across as presidential. He looked studied and all, just not quite ready. A little too underdog. Sorry, I think its back to the J.V. bench after Saturday Punky Brewster.

2. Gingrich. Great opening. Strong. You can never go wrong whacking CNN. Not quite an explosively huge night like last time but still a strong night. When he talked about big ideas and big change he came across as quite presidential to me. I about bust a gut as he contemplated if it was better saving the liberal media or letting them collapse. Oh, too dream....

3. Romney. He looked better then most of the time. Not quite as timid as usual but still on the defensive. A little dodgy. When he didn't like the question he would attack Obama instead of responding directly. Handled the Gingrich X wife question with class. Flopped on dealing with his tax records.

4. Paul. Not quite as way out, mean spirited, screechy as usual. Stuck to being anti war....On all issues....Again. As Huntzman was mister 1% I think Ron Paul is turning into mister 1 issue. I think even he realizes he can not explain a clear, positive vision for America moving forward that people relate to. More a consistant voter then a leader.

5. CNN. Come on! First question of the night is an attack against one candidate on his personal life in the form of a presidential question? When will the president vote on that? Well, they got Newkt as they deserved. The rest of the questions were good and the format was great until they tried to cut Paul out of the pro life question and got ripped by the crowd. Of course after the Santorum rebuttal I bet Paul wished they had let him go.

Tindell OUT!!

2012-01-19T12:14:00.002-05:00

State rep. Harry Tindell has announced he will not seek reelection in 2012. With the population shifts and the required changes needed to make the districts constitutional his district went from a 55-45 democrat leaning district to a 55-45 Republican leaning district.

PERRY OUT!!!

2012-01-19T10:07:00.003-05:00

Texas Governor Rick Perry just got off the phone with Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey telling him he did not need to come to SC. to be part of the post debate spin room. He is stepping aside in the presidential race.

Word is he will be supporting Newt Gingrich.

Anybody want to rank these

2012-01-18T07:55:00.002-05:00

The Tennessean has compiled the per diem totals for legislators. Unfortunately they are in no real order. Does anyone want to rank these by most per diem used to least?

Tonights debate

2012-01-17T00:04:00.003-05:00

First let me say I missed about the first 40 minutes of it so take that into account.

1. Newt. WOW! Crushing and I mean crushing debate. I cant say I have ever seen a standing O in a debate much less 3 of them. It was like he was throwing candy to kids in a parade or drilling a solo at some rock concert. Luckily, no underwear was thrown on to the stage.

2. Perry looked good. Still have not seen his daughter Katie in the crowd though.

3. Santorum. Boring and poorly designed wordy attacks on Newt had little effect.

4. Romney. I need to think of a level beyond extra boring but I can't. Looked twitchy like a long tailed cat in a rocking chair factory for a while.

5. Ron Paul. I think he only has about 2 responses and uses them no matter what the question is. I swear I think they could ask him what his favorite breakfast cereal was and he would say "We need to get out of these cereal wars and bring our troops home!" He is anti war. We get it. We got it the first 800 times he said it.

Good from the Duke

2012-01-16T08:55:00.001-05:00

Is this the job of government?

2012-01-15T10:35:00.005-05:00

As the Tennessee bill saying teachers should stay out of the homosexuality issue altogether is set to advance in the state house, left leaning editors and bloggers are now openly saying they plan to push their agenda in schools.

Children will be taught to endorse the homosexual agenda despite the beliefs of their parents, the managing editor of a homosexual newspaper in Canada has said.
Writing in the online edition of Xtra Vancouver, Robin Perelle blasted parents with traditional beliefs saying “your outdated morals are no longer acceptable, and we will teach your kids the new norms”.

Resilient
Last year it emerged that Stonewall, a homosexual pressure group in Britain, had been sending controversial teacher training packs to some primary schools....

Indoctrinate
Writing on an LGBT blog, Daniel Villarreal said: “I and a lot of other people want to indoctrinate, recruit, teach, and expose children to queer sexuality AND THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.”

He also said: “We want educators to teach future generations of children to accept queer sexuality. In fact, our very future depends on it.”

He added: “Why would we push anti-bullying programs or social studies classes that teach kids about the historical contributions of famous queers unless we wanted to deliberately educate children to accept queer sexuality as normal?”

Court battles slow immigration verification

2012-01-15T00:46:00.003-05:00

"Sunshine" lawsuits have hindered police from asking about immigration status of people who have been arrested who can not show any proof of their citizenship.

“As far as we’re concerned, we accomplished what we wanted to do, which was to eliminate the POST Commission policy,” he said after the meeting. “We consider this to be a victory — that’s not to say that we don’t have problems with the Secure Communities Program.”
The rules went into effect Jan. 1 after legislators last year enacted a law requiring the commission to create guidelines to deal with immigration issues at county jails. The guidelines boiled down to two questions asked of every suspect booked: “Where were you born?” and “Are you a U.S. citizen?”

Judicial hair splitting

2012-01-15T00:27:00.002-05:00

According to title VII Tennessee employers can willfully discriminate against transgender persons but the courts have taken their own point of view on the issue.

Creative plaintiff lawyers have successfully filed charges of discrimination based on gender identity issues by framing them as prohibited sex discrimination. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently reaffirmed its long held position that Title VII does protect employees from discrimination based on "sex-stereotyping."

In the case, an openly homosexual employee in Nashville was harassed by a co-worker. When he complained to his union, the union quit referring him jobs. He sued claiming discrimination and retaliation based on his sexual orientation.

The court held that while Title VII does not protect against discrimination for sexual orientation, employees who are discriminated against because they do not conform to traditional notions of what is appropriate for one's gender can sue for sex-stereotyping. Thus a male employee who is very effeminate may be able to successfully claim sex discrimination.

Oregon bans campus gun ban

2012-01-15T00:06:00.002-05:00

Another state over rules campuses from banning guns on campus for legal handgun carry permit holders.

A three-judge panel of the Oregon Court of Appeals said that an Oregon University System ban on guns exceeds its authority and is invalid.

That means people with permits can pack concealed guns, said Di Saunders, spokeswoman for the university system.

"We don't have the authority to kick them off campus unless they show the weapons," she said.

But anyone brandishing a gun on campus would be approached immediately by security, she said.

Kevin Starrett, executive director of the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation that filed the suit challenging the gun ban, said as a practical matter the ruling does not change much.

"There are students and staff and visitors carrying guns on every campus of every college in this state every day," said Starrett, whose nonprofit group fights for Second Amendment constitutional rights. "My interest is having people who have power over other people conform to the same rules that everyone else is expected to conform to and not use their bureaucratic position as a way to harass, intimidate and humiliate people who are doing nothing wrong." ....

....The lawsuit grew out of a controversy in early 2009 over Western Oregon University's suspension of a student for packing a handgun, even though he had a permit.

The court ruled that while the State Board of Higher Education has authority to control and manage its property and to enact administrative rules, it cannot override a state law that says only the Legislature can regulate the use, sale and possession of firearms.

The university system rule that bans guns on university property "exceeds the agency's authority," the court wrote. The gun ban was developed in the 1970s and modified in 1991.

Rep. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, supported the firearms foundation in its suit and called the ruling a vindication for gun owners. She said she was concerned both about the university system's restrictions on guns and its overstepping its authority.

"How many other agencies are out there making up rules outside the law?" she asked. "I don't have a problem with someone carrying a gun on campus. That should make it safer to be on campus, to have a law-abiding citizen carrying a gun."

Thought of the day.

2012-01-14T22:20:00.002-05:00

"Better to speak truth with metaphor....than to cater to the likes of an editor."

The race for second place

2012-01-14T10:03:00.006-05:00

The big fight in the senate was not Republican vs. Democrat. It was Democrat Vs Democrat. The senate had to take several long breaks as democrats were given time to see if they wanted any adjustments withing the boundaries that were democrat controlled. Jimmy Kyle made moves to stick a knife in Beverly Morrero by drawing himself into her district and making some other population changes.

As you can imagine she was not too happy with this plan.

In the end, many don't think it will matter at all either way. The district has grown into a majority minority district (Something minorities have wanted for decades but refused under the Democrat rule that gerrymandered minority number for political gain) The Republican plan allowed minorities what they had asked for for. A more centralized State senate district.

Now Kyle
and Morrero
both live in that @70% minority district....

But so does State Rep. G.A. Hardaway.

I see a change in the not too distant future.

Is that Senator Hardaway I see?

2012-01-13T23:14:00.006-05:00

Dems Clash in Wake of Redistricting: MyFoxMEMPHIS.com

Kelo in Tennessee

2012-01-13T20:32:00.005-05:00

From the "It can never happen here" file, the stealing of land from one private owner to give to another private owner is having huge negative blowback in Tennessee. In just one case costing tens of millions of dollars. Money that the government subsidised to pay for land taken to give to a private developer.

But guess what? A jury has now said the land was worth twice what was paid when taking it.

A Nashville judge last month upheld a jury ruling that said MDHA vastly undervalued a piece of property owned by Tower Investments. MDHA, which was in charge of acquiring land for the Music City Center project, said the land was worth $14.8 million. But a jury said the fair value was $30.4 million.
The jury’s ruling busted MDHA’s budget for land acquisition and put the budget for the entire project in serious jeopardy. Most of the project’s miniscule $15 million reserve would be nearly entirely sapped if the jury’s verdict is upheld.

I could almost cry.....

But I won't.

I see a bail out in the future

2012-01-12T22:48:00.002-05:00

If ever there was a reason for a bail out. This is it.

Frank lets fly

2012-01-12T21:47:00.002-05:00

The battle of ideology is pretty cut and dry in this one.

A Republican candidate for Anderson County mayor said she wouldn't have supported the property tax increase county commissioners approved last year.

"You don't raise taxes in a down economy," Terry Frank told attendees at an Anderson County Tea Party-sponsored forum Thursday night. Frank also vowed to veto any proposed tax increases over the next two years if elected mayor.

Frank's rival in the March 6 Republican primary, County Commissioner Tim Isbel, defended his motion to raise taxes by 16.2 cents last year

Hey, I know that dude!

2012-01-12T21:18:00.002-05:00

No, not the one on the left. The third guy from the right sitting down. That's Justin Wilson Tennessee comptroller of the treasury featured in the USA Today photo. Justin flew up to NH last week for a few days to check out Newt.

UT CRs won't get fooled again

2012-01-12T21:04:00.000-05:00

Even USSC unanimous against Obama

2012-01-12T10:22:00.004-05:00

Even the crazies on the US Supreme court unanimously agree and stand against Obama on his fight against religious freedom.

As a soothsayer Newt Gingrich called it out in the last debate.

Well done

2012-01-12T07:56:00.004-05:00

Brandon Gee over at the Tennessean has done a very good article about the concerns many people have concerning the court of the judiciary and their set of new rules. As many loyal readers of this blog may know I brought up my own concerns on these changes about a week ago.

Gee does a much better job then I in researching the legal history and showing how the supreme court my be moving in an unconstitutional direction (Dare I say "once again"?.....Yes, I dare) Once again.

In Republican Party of Minnesota vs. White, the court ruled that a state restriction on judges and judicial candidates discussing political issues was unconstitutional on free speech grounds. And in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, the court said that contributions to political candidates are a form of free speech.
“I believe that provision, along with several other provisions, may very well infringe on a judge’s right to free speech,” said Vanderbilt University law professor Brian Fitzpatrick, who helped write the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the 2002 White case as a former clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia. In addition to the prohibition on campaign contributions, Fitzpatrick said he also is troubled by language that restricts judges from making statements on pending and impending cases. “The writing was on the wall, I think, in that opinion, that this type of language is unconstitutional.”
Davidson County Circuit Judge Amanda McClendon said she would like to be able to give money to candidates if she wishes, and said she doesn’t understand why the state Supreme Court makes an exception in the ethics code that allows judges to purchase tickets to political fundraisers and dinners.
“That surprised me,” McClendon said. “I read that to mean the only way I could contribute to a candidate is if they invite me to dinner. That means my presence at an event. I don’t understand how that’s better.”

Chief Justice Clark conceded that prohibitions on political activity lie in a “gray area.”
“Our court, after carefully looking at that, has decided to go in a more conservative direction because we believe that more likely avoids a situation where judges could be perceived of improperly lending the prestige of their office to others,” she said. “If they ultimately strike down language like ours, we will remove it, but it hasn’t been resolved.”
Clark said some state lawmakers already have told her they appreciate the Supreme Court’s adoption of a new ethics code.
The Republican-led Tennessee General Assembly is poised to consider several proposed judicial system reforms — which critics say are better characterized as attacks.
Clark said she hopes “reasonable people” will recognize that the court has taken a meaningful step to address criticisms that the state judiciary has failed at policing itself. A bill that would overhaul the body that investigates ethical complaints against judges and determines discipline is scheduled to be voted on by the full Senate in February.

Speaking about recusal, if judges should not be allowed to decide on cases where financial considerations have been made to their campaign, can someone please explain to me why judges should not have recused themselves on cases where they were deciding the constitutionality of the way they got their job that pays their probably 100% of their personal bills? (Judicial selection)

The spectacular 7th

2012-01-11T22:01:00.002-05:00

As the district lines come out and things twist and turn the one thing I think is cool is that my senate district (district 7) looks like the shape of a 7 on its back. How cool is that?

Dreaming of lines and the 4 corners.

2012-01-11T07:03:00.008-05:00

The first day of session in the books and it was all about the new district lines. Sitting on the judiciary committee I had a front row seat to it all. So much so it was what I was dreaming about as I awoke this morning. As many people know, new Republican Senator Kerry Roberts is looking at a serious short end of the stick and it had me and many others twisted up inside all day long.

With the numbers, court cases and population shifts he is looking like he will be more or less drawn out of his own district in November and will be living in Sen. Summervilles district. Some might say let them fight it out in an August primary but Sen. Summerville will not be up for election until 2014.

For Kerry, most of his district lines came down to 2 big factors. The AG said he did not want to defend more then 8 districts that had split (partial) counties in them and the population of each district had to be with in @ 9-10% (5% up or down) deviation of the average population of all districts.

In the end with all the best efforts made we could get one piece in place for him but not the other. Its rotten. No one likes it. But that's how it is looking like it is going to go down. We are still all open to changes but there does not look to be a solution.

Other changes are also being considered. Some Democrats have come to the table and are looking for some concessions on their district lines. Leadership said they are willing to listen to alternative solutions but it is difficult to do much without sending ripple effect waves across the entire state breaking the limits in place somewhere else.

Some people think the Dems will sue no matter what. The thought is no matter the legality, they will play the "Four corners" and try and hold the implementation up in court until after the next elections are over. It is doubtful if this can be done or not but it is the thought.

If by chance they are successful it could throw the entire state into chaos. When the lines drawn up by Republicans are later held up in court, it could require another state wide election cycle because those elected held under the old lines would not potentially be from the true district. If by chance the Dems win, the drawing of lines issue could start all over. The legislature could be made to draw a new plan or the courts could try to draw their own plan. Knowing all the time our leadership put into what we have, just to come up with what we did, it would be a mess taking years and cost the state millions of dollars to defend in court. A no win for anyone except possibly a few democrats that might be able to hang on to their seats for an extra year or two at a cost of millions to the state.

So far the dems have not offered any alternative solutions but have been satisfied voting no on our plans in committee (showing intent to protest).

Game on!

2012-01-10T13:48:00.002-05:00

The legislature is now in session.

Told you so.

2012-01-10T01:06:00.001-05:00

Rep. Tony Shipley and Dale ford are cleared of any wrongdoing in the probe against them.

Lets go quickly, but not rush.

2012-01-08T21:39:00.003-05:00

There is a lot of talk going around about the desire to get out of session by as early as April. It is getting to sound like that the only goal some people have and that getting out of session is all that matters. While some of the benefits of getting out early are beneficial (like savings of per diem dollars), that alone should not over rule all other considerations.

Our opponents had their way since forever. They too could pass a budget that balanced and leave town. I don't recall a single legislator running on the issue of "Elect me and we will finish session by date X". We need to remember that people did not elect us over our opponents just to pass a sloppy budget and get out of session early. They wanted changes. Not to use analysis as a form of paralysis. We have had years to talk about what we wanted to do when we took over. Now it is our time to do it. Not just rush in and scurry out as fast as we can.

Who was heated?

2012-01-08T20:04:00.000-05:00

Presidential debate rundown

2012-01-07T22:39:00.005-05:00

Let me start by saying I missed the first few minutes so it could have all happened then and I missed it. But here is my ranking for tonight's debate.

1. Rick Santorum- sounded knowledgeable on a wide range of issues but still had the look of pain throughout. Please, really, Someone show him how to smile without looking like he just smelled a dead animal in the road.

2. Newt Gingrich- Best lines of the night but was limited for time and on topics. I loved his comments on the Obama war on religion but I think there needs to be a drinking game for the word "Fundamental".

3. Ron Paul- Looked like that cranky old man I predicted he would but looked better when talking economic policy. His false attacks are starting to be called out. He looks more like a smear machine for Romney then a person who wants to show why he is best.

4. John Huntsman- Fourth by not screwing up big and he had a few ideas. Talking Chinese looked pompous but I am sure he locked up the key block of New Hampshire Mandarin Chinese Republicans vote.

5. Mitt Romney- No screw ups but talked in fluff all night. Probably did not lose much but showed and told me nothing.

6. Perry- Saying he would go back to Iraq ended it for him. He is done and I think he knows it.

7. ABC news- Slow, terrible, goofy questions by George Steponopopolopolis. Where did that banning birth control question come from? Come on! Let it go! Diane Sawyer looked and sounded like she had 3 or 4 glasses of wine before showing up and was ready to go to sleep. Overall I thought it was a boring sleeper of a debate myself so I can't really blame her.

Court rules no refund for false father in Iraq

2012-01-06T21:43:00.003-05:00

The problems of a defrauded father rears its ugly head again. This time on an overseas soldier defending his country.

Christopher Childers was sued for child support while he was in Iraq between November 2007 and January 2009. The state filed a motion for default judgment that he was the father, and the Tennessee Department of Human Services took child support from his military paycheck.

Childers said he never got a letter ordering him to report for a DNA test. After returning from Iraq, a DNA test determined he was not the father. A juvenile court judge ordered the state to reimburse Childers $2,735 that was taken from his wages, but the Court of Appeals of Tennessee overturned that ruling Thursday.

To me this is just an ugly injustice. Possibly this year we can get the votes to change things.

It is time to pass the baby daddy bill.

New congressional districts.

2012-01-06T15:06:00.001-05:00

The new congressional districts can be found here.

Congressional maps out today

2012-01-06T11:29:00.001-05:00

Word is that the rough drafts of the congressional district lines should be available for view later today.

Oh no he didn't!!!!

2012-01-05T23:25:00.003-05:00

Oh yes he did!!

Democrat leader Rep Mike Turner says all blacks are drug using welfare mothers with no license when talking about Republican legislation.

“ They’ve had the voter ID where they’re disenfranchising African Americans. Now they want to drug-test welfare moms. All this is race-oriented.”

Why does he think it is only black people who are on drugs? On welfare? Who don't have a license? Talk about your negative stereotypes!!

On AC 360 tonight

2012-01-05T12:24:00.002-05:00

I may be on AC 360 (Anderson Cooper 360) tonight on CNN talking about gay bullying. I am not 100% sure at this point if it is a complete go. I just did the pre interview but being in Knoxville CNN is not sure if they can find a local studio to film and link up at.

Not sure you can do that.

2012-01-05T09:27:00.003-05:00

I know most of them consider the constitution a "Living breathing document" that they can twist into what ever they want but you have to raise a serious eyebrow at the notion that judges should be barred from their rights of free speech. And the group that is trying to do it is the state supreme court and the head man for the bar association?

I am sorry but even I know the US supreme court has ruled that money (in the form of political donations) is a form of speech. The AG has already said because of the questionable constitutionality of a ban he will not prosecute a case where an un paid lobbyist (Tony Gotlieb) wanted to make a donation to my campaign in spite of a ban on such a donations.

And now the bar wants to try it for judges? Just because someone is elected a judge does not mean they forfeit their constitutional freedoms. Where do they stand on their hiring a lobbyist?

You could go the other side and make the argument they should not sit on cases before donors but that would dramatically shrink the judges donor list of people who are lawyers so that will not be brought forward.

Momma always told me to be the best avatar I could be

2012-01-04T23:57:00.002-05:00

Metro pulse asked some people for 2012 predictions One person said that I will....

"will declare himself the avatar of a fourth gender. Golden Corral’s “Chocolate Wonderfall” will be declared a religious sacrament."

—Jack Rentfro, spoken word performer with the Apocalypso Quartet, renegade farmer

Must say I am not sure what he means but the "chocolate wonderfall" sounds tasty.

Happy birthday

2012-01-04T10:33:00.002-05:00

I'm not much of a rap fan but this one is good and has a positive message.

A little hinkey

2012-01-04T09:05:00.006-05:00

Last night as I watched the Iowa election results roll in I could see it was going to be a tight race that came down to the finish. Being a political dork I stayed up refreshing my Yahoo news until @ 3AM when ALL 100% of the precincts had reported. Possibly it was my blurry vision but the report I last saw showed the Iowa victor to be Rick Santorum by a little more then 100 votes with all 100% of polls in.

A great victory for Rick who ran a solid, ground pounding race in Iowa but probably will not be able to keep it up unless a huge surge of support follows it up. Still a big media boost for him and his campaign.

The funny thing is when I awoke this morning and went to see more results from the race (Again on Yahoo news), all the media stories (even ones posted less then an hour ago) had gone back to 99.55% of the polls reporting where Mitt Romney was winning by 8 votes and the reports declare Romney the winner. The report I saw with 100% of the precincts reported is nowhere to be found.

I am sorry but that is a little hinkey. Even if a voting issue had come up, the reports should not show or claim a winner in such a tight race unless it is absolutely final. A report that goes back in time and declares a different winner is like the home town paper reporting the home team won a basketball game that is separated by one point with 1 second on the clock and the other team about to shoots 3 free throws.

99.55% is not 100% and I don't see how you can have .45% of the precincts come in later and have absolutely no change in the vote totals for the top two vote getter's in the state.

Making white people run against white people.

2012-01-04T01:46:00.007-05:00

The latest on house redistricting is coming down from "The Dean" as presented by the house Democrats.

Highlights of the proposal as presented in the Democratic Caucus include:

In four of the new House districts, eight incumbent Democrats will be facing one another if they seek re-election.

They include Reps. Tommy Brown and JoAnne Favors of Chattanooga and Reps. Mike Stewart and Sherry Jones of Nashville. The other two districts are in Shelby County and pair Reps. Antonio Parkinson and Jeannie Richardson in one while Reps. Barbara Cooper and G.A. Hardaway are paired in another.

The pairings assure that the number of black representatives in the House will be reduced by at least two, Turner noted. Brown, Favors, Cooper and Hardaway are black. He said that was a legally questionable move under federal voting rights law.

As crazy as it may sound they are really being screwed over by those same affirmative action type rulings made by the supreme court. You see, the question is, what to do with legislators that live in majority minority districts that are losing population?

The court has said minority leaning districts can not be divided so that non minority leaning status is obtained. At the same time, those same districts lost large amounts of population so they have to be combined with other districts (that are minority leaning) to make them of equal size in population as other districts across the state.

In the end it has come down to 4 minorities running against one another out of 8 democrats running against one another. To me it is a silly point. Who cares about the race of the person they are running against? Is it somehow racist when 4 people of one race run against one another but not racist 4 people of another race do the exact same thing?

If the ideas are good who cares about the race of the person running? Will minorities not elect a good white person in a minority leaning district? Will a Democrat, white leaning districts not vote for a minority if a good candidate is running? How silly would they sound if they said "Those racists are lumping two white candidates in with two other white candidates in white leaning districts. I think its a plot to get rid of white legislators!"

Event tonight

2012-01-03T09:17:00.002-05:00

I'm having a fundraiser tonight (5:30-7:00) at Flemming's in Turkey Creek. All are welcome, suggested donation is $250.00 per couple. If you want to mail a donation, my campaign address is

VoteStacey
2011 Flagler Road
Knoxville TN
37912

Or you can do the paypal / credit card thing by hitting the yellow "donate" button at the top of the page.

Thanks!

Well done sir.

2012-01-02T23:15:00.002-05:00

Rick Perry calls out the press for doing something I hate. Asking you to comment on something an alleged un named source supposedly said about you or your campaign.

It's not as bad as it sounds.

2012-01-02T22:45:00.003-05:00

George Korda says I have a special skill at making liberal heads explode. That may be true. I guess I have become quite proficient at cleaning exploded liberal heads but its not as bad as it sounds. There is not much to clean up.

Joke of the week (history lesson)

2012-01-01T23:31:00.001-05:00

A noted psychiatrist was a guest speaker at an academic function where Nancy Pelosi happened to appear. Ms Pelosi took the opportunity to schmooze the good doctor a bit and asked him a question with which he was most at ease.

' Would you mind telling me, Doctor,' she asked, ' how you detect a mental deficiency in somebody who appears completely normal? '

' Nothing is easier, ' he replied. ' You ask a simple question which anyone should answer with no trouble. If the person hesitates, that puts you on the track.. '

' What sort of question? ' asked Pelosi.

Well, you might ask, ' Captain Cook made three trips around the world and died during one of them. Which one? ' '

Pelosi thought a moment, and then said with a nervous laugh, ' You wouldn 't happen to have another example would you? I must confess I don't know much about history. '

The first song 2012

2012-01-01T11:55:00.001-05:00

The first song I heard in 2012 was not old lang syne it was this.

11 of 11

2011-12-31T19:37:00.005-05:00

This is my personal top 11 rundown of people and events that shaped the year.

11. The Occupy whatever thing. I know everyone else is putting that at number 1 but in reality I see it as all sound and no fury. In reality what did they shape or change? An election? No. Policy? No. Some big issue? No. They acted like homeless people, cost the state money, caused a stink by going to the bathroom wherever or on whatever they wanted and generally whined about their life. Big deal. That is what the Democrat party has been doing legislatively for years.

10 Muslims and Ron Paul. The Murfreesboro mosque, the "Sharia bill" and libertarianism have been a twister for Tennessee turning friend against friend battling religious freedom vs. National security vs spending.

9. The governor. He sort of sat back, Learned what was going on and why, stayed out of fights, had a limited agenda and got his feet under himself. Smart move.

8. De funding planned parenthood.... Or not....Or yes.... Well sort of....soon...I think.

7. Beth Harwell election as speaker. She set up committees to her favor and then found she had to often break tie votes to pass conservative issues wanted by the majority.

7 (bonus). The freshman class. In the house they are a great bunch and when they get there feet under them could be a force to be reckoned with. In the senate, Kerry Roberts was ready to go day one and Jim Summerville has blown away my expectations.

6. The pen. Re drawing the district lines was all some people wanted to talk about before the election. In the end I think it will be a non issue. The idea of redistricting for huge margins was put aside for reasonable gains and no risks.

5. John J. Hooker/ Mae Beavers. What can I say. John Jay is still a force to be reckoned with and with Mae, they are relentlessly working to fix our court system and to follow the constitution.

4. Curry Todd. Passed a big 2nd amendment bill.....then..... well, I am sure you know the rest.

3. Ron Ramsey on judicial election. You could have knocked them over with a feather when the Lt. Governor came in to break the tie getting elect means elect out of Judiciary committee.

2. Jack Johnson masterful passage reforming tenure and collective conferencing. Not a lot of credit given but much is deserved.

1. All of the rest. What can I say? We cut taxes, passed a lot of good stuff in a short period of time and went home. Not bad.

See ya next year!

If you like Reagan you'll love Newt

2011-12-31T10:50:00.005-05:00

At least that's the sentament from Ronald Reagan's son Michael Reagan.

Reagan said Newt is...

a person who we believe will help continue my father's vision . . . A man who fought in Congress for my father's programs. That person is Newt Gingrich.

“Millions of dollars have been spent in negative ads against him. But let's discuss the real Newt Gingrich.
. . . Newt became a leading ally of my father, Ronald Reagan. He helped Congress push through massive tax cuts. He worked to secure a military buildup that helped defeat the Soviet Union.
Under his leadership Congress also limited the welfare state. . . As a leader in the Reagan Revolution, Gingrich began to confront both Democrats and Republicans in Congress for their cozy insider deals. . . Gingrich led the most reform-minded Congress in America. . . He has helped keep my father's legacy alive."

Newt shows his human side.

2011-12-30T13:33:00.001-05:00

ACLU files lawsuits to slow law

2011-12-29T10:09:00.002-05:00

The ACLU has started to file lawsuits to slow the law that would account for the illegal alien population in our jails and prisons. This time they are saying the rules made to fulfill the state law were not done in public and were thus a violation of the sunshine law.

My question is since the state legislature is not covered by the sunshine law, is the group making rules for the law covered by it? Either way, the ACLU says it doesn't care if it wins or loses, it is all a ploy to slow down the law so they can get other lawsuits going. Got to love the frivolous lawsuit system. Another example of where loser pays would help so much.

Doctor shopping and HIPPA

2011-12-29T09:31:00.005-05:00

Ken Yeager is starting to roll out some of his ideas to have doctors and pharmacists check IDs and drug history of patients previous to making more prescriptions for some drugs that are being abused.

The oxy/Roxy (Oxycontin / roxycontin) drug problem is getting to out of control levels.
People are doctor shopping and getting multiple prescriptions for the same drug from multiple doctors. With the current system, many good doctors don't realize they are being taken advantage of (or choose to look the other way) and are over prescribing.

The lobbyist for the doctors don't want to be required to check the database previous to making more prescriptions citing additional work. This seems odd in that I think a doctor could be liable if they did not check the database and something went wrong (Bad mix of drugs, overdose, etc.)

The current bill also allows access to the database to law enforcement. I cant see that part of the bill passing HIPPA or constitutional muster though.

Stat of the day

2011-12-28T01:08:00.003-05:00

Members of mayors against guns...er illegal guns, are 45x more likely to be convicted felons then Florida handgun permit holders.

Hey Man! Were getting the band back together!

2011-12-28T00:21:00.003-05:00

OK, I know they are a little older but I saw them both separately and both did great shows. DLR was probably the best show I ever saw after the big break up. I may have to check into tickets in January.

Van Halen - Long Version Trailer from Van Halen on Vimeo.

13 and 38 nets 6

2011-12-27T23:52:00.003-05:00

UT's football program ranks 13th most valuable in the nation by Forbes magazine. They say the athletic department grossed $38 million dollars last year and they donated $6 million to the university.

Meanwhile the university explains how they make more money by losing.

Not buying it.

2011-12-26T23:42:00.002-05:00

I don't care what Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey says. I am not buying that this is a baby picture of Rick Perry.

Why Democrats hate photo ID for voting.

2011-12-26T22:32:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmass everybody

2011-12-24T21:32:00.001-05:00

The big endorsement of Ron Paul

2011-12-24T10:41:00.002-05:00

Caution!! Some harsh language.

Yager goes after drugs part II

2011-12-23T09:56:00.002-05:00

Senator Ken Yager is taking step two in correcting Tennessee's huge drug problem. Last year he did a sweeping bill that went after the pill mills. It goes into effect Jan 1 and should put a dent in the problem at that level.

This year he is getting doctors and pharmacists to step up to the plate and check on clients history (using the new database) previous to prescribing or checking ID previous to filling of prescriptions.

Joke of the week

2011-12-22T23:50:00.001-05:00

I just got off the phone with friend living in Iowa near the Northern border. She said that since early this morning the snow has been nearly waist high and is still falling. The temperature is dropping way below zero and the north wind is increasing to near gale force. Her husband (an Obama supporter) has done nothing but look through the kitchen window and just stare. She says that if it gets much worse, she may need to let him in.

Over before it begins

2011-12-22T23:23:00.004-05:00

By looking at the list of delegates it appears Machelle Bachmann and Rick Santorum had no delegates for Tennessee. Lets just say they won the state. They would not be able to collect any votes at the convention for winning the state.

While it may not be a big issue for a few states, do that too often and you would have to all but run the table in the other states where they did have delegates to be able to win the nomination.

It could be quite interesting to see where all the candidates stand in all the states regarding delegates.

Hat Tip: Eric H.

What child is this?

2011-12-22T22:22:00.005-05:00

Two big cases coming down in the battle for life. First was the recognition of the unborn as minor children by the Utah supreme court being upheld. The other could be brewing in Tennessee. The double homicide of a mother and unborn child could be prosecuted at a state level thanks to the Tennessee version of the Lacy and Cody Peterson law we passed last year.

Tennessee’s law is very plain and specifically states that when a defendant “commits a homicide or assault against a pregnant woman, the woman’s fetus, regardless of viability, is also considered a victim of the offense.”

Tennessee joined 26 other states which define the killing of an unborn child at any stage of gestation as a form of homicide.

Studies conducted about violence against pregnant women found that homicide is the leading cause of death among pregnant women.

A good move to pass the law but lets do some deduction for the next step. The definition of viability of an unborn baby. We changed it for victims of murder. That has been upheld and is the law of the land in 26 states.

If the definition of person hood can be legislated and upheld for unborn victims of murder, why not for victims of abortion? Could the definition for a baby be set up to say a person is viable at 20 weeks? 10 weeks? two weeks? conception?

Tis the season to think of all the good done by what many would consider a child born to an un married mother. A mother with little to no income. A mother without a health care plan for her or her unborn baby. A mother practically homeless in a society that may not have looked so acceptingly at an unmarried pregnant woman.

A child that many mothers, in a moment of panic might do away with, not realizing all the good that one child could do for all of society.

Nations Winningest Basketball coach dies

2011-12-22T18:52:00.004-05:00

My mom just alerted me the nations winningest men's college basketball coach has passed on to the great reward. I was on hand and a student at the college when he broke the record (win 876) as well as when Pat summit broke his record.

The list.

2011-12-22T10:26:00.002-05:00

The current list of qualified presidential delegates is out. So if you are so inclined...
UPDATE: Fixed Link

And I would have no problem with being tested myself

2011-12-22T10:13:00.002-05:00

Tom Humphrey does a good rundown on my drug testing for public benefits bills and how they are different from the Florida bill.

Campfield said his proposed legislation will be designed to eliminate objections that arose in Florida, both as to the cost and the legality.

"I've looked at Florida and there were some things good and some things bad. We're going to do it differently and make a better scenario," he said.

First, Campfield proposes to have the legislation exclude persons already signed up for benefits and apply it only to new applicants. Also, the applicant would be required to cover the cost without state reimbursement. He estimated the costs could be kept to "only $4 or $5" by limiting the tests to "hardcore illegal drugs," such as cocaine, heroin and marijuana.

One objection to the Florida law, he said, is that the screen included prescription drugs in violation of medical privacy rights. Another legal objection in Florida was that those found to be using drugs could be prosecuted. His bills, Campfield said, will provide that a positive test be used only to block benefits, not for prosecution.

Campfield said that he believes, when calculations are complete, passage of the legislation will result in the state saving a substantial amount of money, not spending more.

25?

2011-12-21T07:50:00.002-05:00

With some twists and turns still possible, the ballparks on the senate redistricting plans are starting to come out. Adjusting district lines in a fair and legal way to balance out the population shifts from across the state is looking like it should produce at least 25 strongly Republican leaning Senate districts out of 33.

22 is filibuster proof.

More to come later.

If intelligence lasts longer then 4 hours...

2011-12-19T22:01:00.004-05:00

This is incredible. The possibility of a pill that can not only cure Alzheimer's but could also give people super memory.

You said you love me with my faults

2011-12-17T17:09:00.003-05:00

This just gets better and better. After the last debate in Iowa you would think Michele Bachmann discovered some big dark secret about Newt's history with Freddy Mac and decided to attack him on it.

Then this video comes out where Newt talks about his involvement with Freddy Mac and the ways he thinks they need fundamental reform from back in 08.

Does that sound like he is lobbying to prop them up?

And who could that be right beside him? Why if my eyes and ears don't deceive me it is Machele Bachmann! I am pretty sure this is also just another clip from the same video where she is caught gushing all over Newt that I posted earlier.

Quote of the day (Comments on my facebook)

2011-12-17T17:05:00.001-05:00

" I fail to see where I am not conservative."

"Well I guess I would start with your own facebook description of yourself where you claim to be "Very Liberal"."

Judging judges a third way

2011-12-17T10:06:00.004-05:00

While Mae Beavers looks at the issues with the court of the judiciary, Frank Cagle (spurred on by the Judge Baumgartner case and other judicial problems) looks at the issues involving judges and offers a third road....

some states have a position, at least in major metropolitan areas, called a courts administrator. The administrator assigns cases, manages the court system, and files regular reports. Such a position could insure that judges come back to the office after lunch. That all the judges carry a full and fair load. The judges wouldn’t be able to pick and choose cases and grant continuances at will.

The judges would be independent in the courtroom and on matters of law. But the administrator would be able to file reports to the Court of the Judiciary if a judge is lazy, absent or impaired.

Yes, we have court clerks in Tennessee. But does anyone seriously think a court clerk could confront Baumgartner or any other judge? A court administrator would have to be protected by civil service and be subject to removal only by the state Supreme Court.

While the Cagle solution in and of itself would not have stopped a situation like Baumgartner's and his drug problem, it might have given someone who is independent and not fearful of reprisals, the authority to do things like implement drug tests for judges and make sure they are at least carrying their fair load of cases. A step that could be implemented by the court of the judiciary, now or later.

I trust you when you say it.

2011-12-16T18:30:00.000-05:00

Did I mention Ron Ramsey is awesome?

2011-12-15T17:51:00.002-05:00

The Lt. Gov. comes out in favor of my drug testing bill and puts it at the top of the agenda for next year.

Got to love that!

Let me offer another scenario

2011-12-15T17:14:00.004-05:00

The governor has decided to set up a task force to study opportunity scholarships and report back in fall of 2012.

Proponents of "vouchers" are disheartened as they feel their should be action on the issue this year. By putting off the legislation until next session makes the senate have to go thought the entire issue all over again.....

Or does it?

Let me offer another scenario.

As many people know, leadership is looking for a fast end to session this year. The goal of being out at the end of April is realistic. Some think the middle of April is possible. Except we already know we may be coming back in December of 2012 for one issue. Tennessee's three billion dollar Obama care mess.

December 2012. Last I checked that would be well after the fall 2012 completion date for the study on vouchers. With two back to back quick sessions we would have plenty of legislative days to pass one bill through the house if they can find consensus (We have moved bills through both bodies in one day before).

We could hold session open and do them both in one stroke during an extended regular session or a special session if need be.

Just an idea.

A tale of two children at school.

2011-12-15T16:54:00.003-05:00

TN Reports does a good rundown on the opportunity scholarships legislation that is looking to be a big issue in the state house this next year (It already passed the senate last year). The ideological battle can best be seen watching the two videos.

The "Hold off lets not do anything this year" angle by Rep. Richard Montgomery.

And the "Help the children this year" angle by Rep. Bill Dunn.

And the 3 billion dollar horse you rode in on too!

2011-12-15T15:12:00.003-05:00

As you may have heard the idea to postpone the Tennessee implementation of Obama care may be put off until after the supreme court hopefully rules it unconstitutional.

Why the push? While to some it may be because one way or the other you have to vote for Obama care (either set up by the state or by the federal government) but it also has to do with the cost to set it up. Just all the paperwork will probably cost the state millions. Millions that could be saved if it is struck down. The overall cost to the state is in the 3 billion dollar range if we have to go through with it. Considering our budgets lately have run in the 28-30 billion dollar range with nearly half of that money coming back from the fed, you could be looking at a 20% increase in state taxes to pay for this mess if it is upheld and we are forced to fully implement.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Its a love connection!!!

2011-12-14T07:33:00.000-05:00

Another big event

2011-12-13T21:07:00.001-05:00

The Republican caucus had a Christmass/fundraising celebration tonight. Wow! huge crowd.

Still open.

2011-12-13T21:04:00.002-05:00

I had a little conversation with the governor tonight. No matter what may be reported elsewhere he said he is still open to the possibility of cutting taxes this year. We will just have to wait and see how the numbers work out.

Money we could do without

2011-12-13T07:12:00.003-05:00

Mustard magnet Scott DesJarlais is doing more then using the term "Waste, fraud and abuse" as trite terms at election time. He is attacking some of it. Things like rewards for recruiting people to go on food stamps. This goes beyond the "If you build it they will come" mentality of government freebies. This is the "If you don't want to come we will give you bus fair to get here." Sort of thinking.

Sort of reminds me of the parent who told me of how his child's school repeatedly tried to get him to put his child on "free or reduced lunch" even though his child always had plenty of lunch money.

The school told the father that the more kids they could get on free and reduced lunch the lower their academic standards could be and the more government money they would get.

How did we get like this?

More degrees or more money?

2011-12-13T07:03:00.001-05:00

John Morgan argues the the Tennessee board of regents will need more money and wants to pump out more degree students.

While an actual degree is one step better then where we were (just looking at income and volume going into, but not graduating from, college) I think we need to take it to the next level. Reward for degrees that actually help students get jobs. As I posted on earlier, China is only subsidising college degrees that get at least 60% of their graduates jobs when they graduate.

I think we need to start looking at a similar model for Tennessee colleges.

You ask for job killing red tape? I give you the TDEC and the EPA.

2011-12-13T06:39:00.005-05:00

The Republican caucus had a listening tour where they talked to actual employers on the regulation and red tape that cost Tennessee business jobs. Guess who came up as a huge problem?

TDEC and the EPA.

Marsh pointed toward the red tape business owners must go through to prepare a site for building construction as another problem.

The number of permits required at the local, state and federal level put an undue burden on new and existing businesses, he said.

Task force members met with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation officials to ask them to expedite permits. He also encouraged local governments to "streamline" their processes.

Brown noted a situation in Martin where a local businessman trying to open a business had to wait nine months for the Department of Environment and Conservation to approve soil tests and oversee sewer installation before he could start work on the building.

State boards and commissions are also making it more difficult to run a business by raising fees. A state dry cleaning board, for instance, raised a fee for a chemical to $2,000 from $500 and will graduate the rate to $7,500 through 2014, Brown said.

As a result, a number of dry cleaning businesses left the state, including moving to Mississippi from Memphis, and started shipping clothes back and forth across the state line, he said.

Too often, board and commissions raise fees and businesses don't find out until after the fact, Brown said. "And that's red tape," he noted.

In addition, federal restrictions through the Environmental Protection Agency are causing problems for potential businesses, he said.

Marsh cited a situation in Shelbyville where a person trying to build a Microtel and Godfather's Pizza is being held up by the U.S. Game and Fish Commission as it tries to determine whether construction could affect an endangered bat species.

He detailed another case in which a meat processing plant in East Tennessee is having to shut down an entire production line if a hog squeals so it can be determined whether the animals are being treated properly....

...."It's just the people making the rules don't know what they're talking about or they haven't done the proper studies," Marsh said.

Democrat leader Rep Mike turner countered

State Rep. Mike Turner, D-Old Hickory, called the task force a charade.

"They've given total disrespect to working folks and middle-class people," said Turner.

Among other things, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus said the task force is primarily attacking workers' benefits and workers' compensation.

Giving me a nice segway into my next post.

Were getting the band back together. Does that count?

2011-12-13T06:13:00.002-05:00

The Governor and LT. Governor look to some of the issues as to why we have $311 million dollar fraud problem in unemployment.

We doubt that anyone believes Tennessee has $311 million to be throwing away on improper benefits of any sort in this weak economy.

What caused the overpayments? There are several causes, but one of the more significant reasons is the continued payment of benefits to people after they get work. Nearly a quarter of workers kept claiming -- and getting -- benefits even after they had landed jobs. Some of that is the result of ignorance on the part of the workers, and some is the result of outright fraud.

In addition, some -- though certainly not all -- of the unemployed are gaming the system.

Gov. Bill Haslam and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey alike have heard from numerous employers that have offered jobs to jobless workers, only to be turned down.

"[T]hey'll say, 'Well, my benefits don't run out for six more weeks, eight more weeks, and I don't want to be hired until then,'" Ramsey said....

....The other big problem is the lack of verification that unemployed people receiving jobless benefits are making a good-faith effort to find work.

About 120,000 people in the state are currently getting unemployment benefits, but only 12,000 to 13,000 of those -- about 10 percent -- are required to submit weekly forms specifically naming two employers whom they have contacted. The others need only "certify" that they are seeking jobs. They don't have to give specific information. By no means does that prove that they are not seeking work, but it obviously creates a path to undeserved benefits for those who may not be actively looking for jobs.

CRUSHING!!

2011-12-13T06:04:00.003-05:00

As a college professor himself, you might expect senator Jim Summerville to pitch softballs to higher education, you know, the " We need more money" or "Its not our fault" sort of thing when talking about how we can improve higher education.

Nope.

He crushes them.

Time was, a bachelor’s degree from a Tennessee public college or university meant that one had received a solid grounding in core subjects: writing and literature, a foreign language, U.S. history or government, economics, mathematics, and science.

But that’s no longer true.

At some campuses, students can pick from a wide range of courses, some of them narrow, specialized, weak in content, or slanted to the instructor’s political views. The fact that an institution has requirements called “Literature” or “Science” does not mean that students will actually study those subjects.

Some schools have dropped any pretense of rigor. A person can graduate from UT-Chattanooga or UT-Martin without taking a course in literature, foreign language, U.S. history or economics. Austin Peay, East Tennessee State, Middle Tennessee State and Tennessee State require no foreign language or economics courses, despite the oft-heard claim that we are preparing our students to compete in a global marketplace. UT-Knoxville began when America was young, but you can receive a diploma from there without studying U.S. history.

In a generation, a degree from a state college has become a degraded credential. But while its value has declined, higher education’s cost to Tennessee parents and students rises by leaps and bounds. In recent years, tuition at both the UT system and the Board of Regents schools have risen by 9-11 percent. Tuition alone (only a fraction of college expense) is two to three times what it was only a decade ago.....

....One of the reasons for this inflation is administrative salaries. The chancellor of the Board of Regents (who does not even have a graduate degree) and the president of the UT system are paid six-figure salaries. This is to say nothing of the layers of vice presidents, deans and “diversity police” who live comfortably and well as long as this bubble lasts.

Peter Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars, puts the matter this way: “The price of attaining a college degree has skyrocketed, while the rewards have slumped. Sooner or later, people will notice that they are being asked to spend a great deal of money for a meager result.”

What’s to be done? First, the General Assembly should put a moratorium on tuition increases for three years. In that interval, we must also review and consolidate all the value-added data that are available. Let’s look at the causes for the escalating college costs, watered-down curricula, high dropout rates and crushing student loans. Maybe it’s also time to look at how more Tennesseans can achieve success, in life and in work, without college.

Like its a bad thing?

2011-12-12T08:05:00.001-05:00

The dems are attacking Newt Gingrich for his long history of supporting TEA party causes like its a bad thing.

I guess the last election taught them nothing.

Judges, money and constitutional elections

2011-12-11T06:44:00.006-05:00

Rep. Eric Watson does a good article on constitutional elections v the judicial selection process.

There are some legitimate reasons to consider keeping the Tennessee plan, however, at a very minimum the State Constitution must be amended to comply with the current practice of “selecting” judges. In such a case the people must approve the change at the ballot box back. That is how our state founding fathers intended for our state constitution to be amended. One of the most repeated arguments for retaining the Tennessee Plan is that the high cost of political campaigns could corrupt our judicial system. This is a legitimate concern; however it is possible to have judges comply with a different set of campaign finance laws than typical political campaigns. A few have even proposed some type of heavy restrictions on fundraising by judges with public financing as a part of the solution. This is a radical change that must be seriously discussed before moving forward. One thing is for certain, it is time for fundamental change in the process. Our state constitution is a sacred document that we must follow, not merely pages of suggestions for governing of state.

While he brings up some points often made by the opponents of constitutional elections some questions continues to come to my mind. Was there a real problem of money influencing Tennessee constitutional judicial elections previous to the judicial selection process being implemented? How much was spent electing our supreme court when we did things the constitutional way? If things are different now the question has to be asked.

Why?

Why would people suddenly think that what judges do is so important and in need of change if they are deciding things in a legal and constitutional way? Could it be because people are now seeing that our judges are not doing things in a fair and legal way? That their decisions are influenced by their own bias? That they are instead making laws up and doing things on their own intentions with little to hold them accountable?

Could that be a reason people suddenly see the need to be able to pull the judiciary back in to check?