Monday, March 30, 2009
Breaking News / Woods Morning Roundup: Crime Wave Grips Senate and Bredesen Takes Talk-a-thon to Kingsport
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 5:43 AM
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With some fancy calculations, the legislature's fiscal review staff decides it would cost the state $483,400 if we had a law against saggy pants. ... The governor calls for making UT-K the one flagship university. The president of UT-C says Bredesen doesn't know what he's talking about. ... Line forms for ETSU buyouts. ... AG's opinion says no new judges unless the legislature acts on a new selection plan. ... Editorials against mountaintop removal mining and the "blatantly unfair" FONCE loophole. ... Bredesen gives Kent Williams a vote of confidence:
"I think Kent is in charge. He's been in the legislature two years. He's leaning on (former House Speaker) Jimmy Naifeh and probably on (House Chief of Staff) Burney Durham for advice. Isn't that what you want him to do?"
AG Bob Cooper opposes legislation letting natural gas companies raise rates with less regulatory oversight. ... Tax collectors object to a bill allowing consumers to bring wine into Tennessee. ... Columnists give their views on apologizing for slavery ... saggy pants ... and both. ... Tom Humphrey labels the Senate a crime-prone population but sees hope for a better day.
By the Way / Kotz Redneck and Single? This Love's For You
Posted by Pete Kotz on Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 5:38 AM
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Looking for that perfect man? You know, the one who lets his '76 Camaro age on blocks in the front yard like vintage wine? Who thinks camo is appropriate dress wear for your cousin's wedding? Who regards the perfect date as three cases of Busch and a Deadliest Catch marathon?
Then you're looking for Redneck and Single, a dating site where fine people from Chickasha, Oklahoma to Yanceyville, North Carolina advertise their readiness for romance. Though the name might imply a future of paternity suits and guest appearances on Cops, this for rednecks who've maintained both their manners and their teeth. Think of it as any other dating site, only for people with downhome tastes. Says the site:
We want to keep this a place where everyone can feel comfortable. So please don't try to post any pictures of you in your leopard skin g-string or less. They will be rejected. The same goes for language. Please no reference to your naughty parts, as that too will be rejected. As for language, if it's obscene or questionable, we'll edit it putting *'s in place instead. If it is full of obscene or questionable language, we'll reject it. Again, it's to make everyone feel comfortable. We may be rednecks, but we do have a few manners.
Legislature / Politics / Woods Who Needs the Tennessee Democratic Party?
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 5:26 AM
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With the Tennessee Democratic Party disintegrating before our very eyes, here's a good question: Who cares? In the legislature, as usual, Democrats are behaving just like Republicans. Who can tell the difference?
Knoxville's Harry Tindell wants to allow handguns onto our city playgrounds. Cookeville's Henry Fincher thinks it's a great idea for hillbillies to ride around in their pickup trucks with loaded rifles and shotguns. Five Senate Democrats voted for the anti-abortion SJR127, the Christian Right's No. 1 priority. The party's House leader, Gary Odom, is against closing the outrageously unfair tax loophole for wealthy real-estate developers, including an out-of-state titty bar owner. Two party leaders, Lois DeBerry and Thelma Harper, are courageous sponsors of the Kill Old People Cheap Act to limit nursing home payouts for abusing grandma.
There also are Democrats hiring out as lobbyists for some of the most contemptible bills before the legislature. Case in point: Tom Lee. That's right, Mr. Progressive. A one-time adviser to Harold Ford Jr. and Karl Dean, he also works for Pith's favorite lobbying/law firm, Waller Lansden, which represents corporate polluters and tax dodgers. Lately, he's pushing a wonderful bill that would turn many of our streams into open sewers.
Politics / Woods Campaign News: Ramsey Wants to Raise Money and Haslam Declares 'I'm Running for Governor of Uzbekistan'
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 5:17 AM
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Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey says he wants to change the law that bars him from raising campaign cash during the legislative session. If the law is changed this session, Ramsey could rake it in during next year's session for the 2010 election. Can you say shakedown?
"To tie someone's hand when they're in the legislature when they're running for another office doesn't seem fair. The governor himself can raise money, if you're a sitting congressman you can raise money, why shouldn't someone in the legislature, if they're running for an office also be able to raise money. So that's something we need to look at seriously."It looks like the Republican candidates for governor were campaigning over the weekend in Clarksville, Nashville, possibly Lebanon and maybe Franklin. Pith can't keep track. The highlights:
Legislature / Politics / Woods Ramsey Decides Kent Williams Isn't Such a Bad Guy After All
Posted by Jeff Woods on Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 5:05 AM
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House Speaker Kent Williams is vowing to seek reelection. To a Carter County business breakfast, he says:
"I know I'm going to have some challenges. I've had a couple of problems with my own party, but we're getting those ironed out. We just have a small minority, I think, here in Carter County that would rather see someone out of Nashville tell us what to do in Carter County than to have our own down there. But like I said, that's a small minority, and I think in 2010 in November we'll show what a small minority that is."
Look at Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey cozying up to Williams in that picture. They look like best buddies, don't they? But what about all that lying Williams did? Pith thought he was the devil. Guess Ramsey has concluded he might need a few Carter County votes in next year's gubernatorial primary.
"The speaker of the House and the speaker of the Senate have to work together -- period," Ramsey said.
House GOP leader Jason Mumpower was scheduled to attend the event but didn't show up, the Kingsport Times News' Hank Hayes reports. We're guessing his ass is still chapped.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Politics / Woods Freeman Resigns as Democratic Party Treasurer; Is Forrester Next?
Posted by Jeff Woods on Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 4:31 PM
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Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for the Tennessee Democratic Party, they did. Today, the party's new treasurer, Bill Freeman, resigned and admitted he was having trouble raising money because of his longtime antagonism toward Phil Bredesen. It apparently never occurred to the party's new chairman, Chip Forrester, that Freeman might run into these difficulties. Who could have guessed Democrats would balk at donating to a Republican-giving real-estate developer who hates the governor? Or maybe Forrester just thought he could overcome it all by clicking his heels and chanting "yes we can."
Next thing you know, the party will shut down its downtown headquarters and move to Antioch. Wouldn't that be hilarious? Oh wait, that's already in the works. Pith in the Wind hates to be the first to say it, but we must: The Tennessee Democratic Party is basically broke and getting awfully close to going out of business.
Just as an aside, Pith should point out that the party's attorneys, Bass Berry and Sims, recently quit and told Forrester to find new lawyers. The party still owes at least some of the firm's $80,000 bill for fighting Rosalind Kurita's lawsuit.
Sean Braisted sees Freeman's resignation as a sign of possible reconciliation between the party and the governor. Thataway to find the silver lining! Too bad it won't happen. When the governor and the senior elected leadership all signed that letter saying they wanted Charles Robert Bone to be the chairman, was that not clear? Forrester's supporters still haven't gotten it. They're on their own.
Update: Insiders are discussing ways to save the party. One idea: Force Forrester to quit. That would require turning the executive committee against the chairman and could get messy. An alternative: Force Forrester to hire a respected political professional as executive director. That assumes one can be found who wants the job. At the moment, the party has no professional staff, only Forrester. That's not working out so well. (The latest evidence? That press release he just put out in which he essentially admits the party's a shambles. He might score points for honesty, but it's not exactly great PR.) "The damage is bad," one insider says. "It's not irreparable at this point but it's close."
Update II: Forrester elaborates on what went wrong for Freeman:
"I think what Bill encountered was, because of past contributions or other issues, an active effort to make fundraising difficult," Forrester said. "He did encounter people that said, 'I need to kind of lay low for a while,' and that kind of resistance made it difficult."
Politics Afghaniscrewed: Our Man Returns to the Scene of the Crime
Posted by Pete Kotz on Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 1:27 PM
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| Rafal Gerszak |
| Click on the photo for a slideshow from Afghanistan. |
Former Nashville Scene staff writer P.J. Tobia went to the last place most people would think of spending their Thanksgiving: to an Army base in Afghanistan. The result was the article "Afghaniscrewed." Now Tobia's headed back to Afghanistan for, well, who knows what?
So we caught up with him by email as he prepared to head back to the war-torn country.
The Juice: Most people would probably think you're crazy to go back to Afghanistan. What gives?
When I was 13, I read P.J. O'Rourke's "Holidays in Hell." Since then I've always had this odd desire to go to strange/dangerous places and write about them. It's an expensive habit though, and one that newspapers are increasingly less likely to pay for.
When a friend suggested that embed with U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, a light bulb went off. The trip not only resulted in "Afghaniscrewed," but also in a Sunday feature for The Washington Post called "A War's Impossible Mission." Before I went to Afghanistan, the Post literally wouldn't return my emails.
When they bought that story, I knew that Afghanistan might be the key to living my dream.
By the Way Spelunking Moratorium in Tennessee Hibernacula: In Weird Reversal, We May Be Spreading Disease to Bats
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 1:17 PM
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Mom always told me stay away from bats because they carry rabies. 
But in this weird, microbial-melting pot of a world, the tables have turned on the cave-dwelling, winged vermin, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A mysterious malady called white-nose syndrome has already claimed the lives of some 500,000 bats in West Virginia and as far as New England. There are indications it may have made its way into Virginia, too.
USFWS is asking cavers to steer clear of hibernacula--bat caves--because scientists suspect they may inadvertently be spreading the disease with their clothing and equipment. This means the states mentioned above, as well as Tennessee, are a no-go for spelunkers.
White nose syndrome is a poorly understood affliction associated with white fungal growths on bats' noses and wings. The fungus is probably just an opportunistic infection, meaning no one really knows what causes it.
Now while this sucks for spelunkers, it may suck even worse for our farmers if the disease crosses the Tennessee border. Bats are gross and creepy, but they eat a lot of bugs that might otherwise be decimating crops.
Kotz / Politics / The Economy The Bob Krumm Way: Protesting by Running Up Your Own Electric Bill
Posted by Pete Kotz on Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 12:41 PM
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On Saturday night between 7:30 and 8:30 Central Time, more than 1,000 cities in 80 countries are expected to participate in Earth Hour, where people will turn off their lights in a gesture toward fighting global warming. Say what you want about these symbolic measures, but if it makes people happy, more power to 'em.
This doesn't, however, make conservative blogger Bob Krumm happy. We're not sure if he doesn't believe in global warming. Or if he's automatically against all things environment. Or if he just enjoys large utility bills. But he's planning a counter-protest by running up his own electric bill.
That's right. Bob will turn on all 70 light switches in his own home -- he's apparently counted them -- to make a statement against... well, we're not quite sure.
Forgive us for quibbling, but isn't the point of protest to inflict some damage/change upon your enemy, not yourself?
In related news, Bob plans to protest the federal stimulus package next week by unloading the entire contents of his savings account on some guy at a bus stop who vaguely looks like Barack Obama.
Legislature / Politics / Woods The Guy in Charge of Protecting the Environment Really Wants to Destroy It
Posted by Jeff Woods on Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 9:27 AM
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Today, dear Pith reader, we ask this intriguing question: Who's the most anti-environmental state legislator? That's a tough one. Nearly every legislator is in the running. OK, the name Frank Niceley springs to mind immediately. Only Niceley could find the silver lining in the TVA coal ash spill. Those mind-boggling levels of arsenic in the water? In the World According to Frank, arsenic is good for you! So maybe this is the question: Besides Niceley, who's the worst? For this honor, we'd like to nominate Joe McCord. That's right, the chairman of the House Conservation and Environment Committee. The guy who's supposed to be in charge of protecting our environment is actually trying to destroy it. Whoops! Here we go sliding down that rabbit hole again!
Last year, McCord was instrumental in killing legislation to stop the environmentally devastating method of mining known as mountaintop removal. He's from Maryville in the foothills of the Smokies. His hometown depends on tourists attracted by mountain scenery. But what's more important? Rolling over for coal companies or protecting the underpinning of a gazillion-dollar tourism industry?
This session, McCord's name appears more than any other legislator's as a sponsor on the Tennessee Clean Water Network's list of terrible bills. Here's one great idea from McCord: He'd bar state regulators from checking out a pollution complaint if it's made by someone anonymously. After all, polluters can't intimidate annoying neighbors unless they know their names.
But our particular favorite is the bill that redefines water to exclude a lot of streams and creeks so that industries can pollute them at will. The TCWR calls it "perhaps the most dangerous of all water quality bills." According to the TCWR, a law like that could destroy 30,000 miles of streams--almost half the streams in Tennessee.
