CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

I'm formally closing this site for now, probably never to return, and moving on to a new project. Please follow me at: http://opportunitystate.blogspot.com/

Rogers to become Appropriations Chair

Congratulations to Congressman Hal Rogers on his apparent victory to become House Appropriations Chairman. Tweets coming in left and right that the 30+ year house veteran has secured the backing of the influential House Steering Committee, making his selection by leadership all but certain.

Coal Prices Set to Rally??

Not everybody thinks "coal is a very dirty form of energy."

Check out MoneyMorning's Larry Spear's take on coal:

For most of the past 50 years, since the birth of environmental awareness, coal has been the "black sheep" of the power-production family. Now, thanks to more efficient furnaces, better exhaust-scrubbing systems and other technological advances, coal is regaining favor in the world's energy markets.

However, the biggest factor in coal's recent price surge is steadily increasing demand for the fossil fuel in power generation and steel-making process, abetted by rising costs for other types of fuel, like oil and natural gas.

The question for investors, of course, is will this rising demand continue - and how can you profit if it does?

The answer to the first part of that question is almost certainly, "yes," but solving the second part is a little trickier.

And the bottom line:

Coal prices could suffer a mild seasonal decline as winter comes to
an end, but the ballooning long-term demand picture and increasing oil prices appear poised to provide support - and possibly light a new fire under coal-related stocks in the near future.

Frankly, nothing works in support of the coal industry and in opposition to the environmentalists (and fair weather friends) quite as much as a demand spike.

Move Over Bolivia: Lithium Found... in Adair County???

The NY Times wrote last year: “In the rush to build the next generation of hybrid or electric cars, a sobering fact confronts both automakers and governments seeking to lower their reliance on foreign oil: almost half of the world's lithium, the mineral needed to power the vehicles, is found here in Bolivia - a country that may not be willing to surrender it so easily.”

But what if a domestic source could be found for such a product? Perhaps in KY?

OK, in all honesty, it’s way too early to call this Adair County discovery a reliable domestic source. Still, I just can't help wondering… what if?

A snip:

"Efforts by Jimmy Reliford of Jimmy Reliford Drilling Company to drill the
county's first deep oil well to a depth of around 5,000-6,000 feet continue to
hit snags, but they are snags of the good type.

Reliford's first effort to drill a deep well in the Pickett's Chapel area of the county were abandoned when a good producing Knox formation well was hit. So, last month, Reliford began sinking another deep hole, only to run into an obstacle at 2,400 feet - a huge amount of brine (salt water that is found in many wells).

This would be bad news on most occasions, but this brine was discovered to contain a heavy concentration of lithium - a light metal used in medicine, batteries and for many other things - that is far more valuable than oil."After it has been refined into a solid, lithium sells for around $6,600 a barrel, compared to $60-70 for a barrel of oil," Reliford said. "If this turns out like we're hoping, it could be something else.""

Rand Disses EKY

Austin Kamikaze Gets Hero Status on Pro-Rand and Ron Paul Sites

The Wall Street Journal nailed things today:

[Rand] Paul, an opthamologist and radical libertarian, holds views on national security and defense that have much in common with those of the far left. Not to mention those of the considerable body of conspiracy theorists, antigovernment zealots, 9/11 truthers, and assorted other cadres of the obsessed and deranged who flocked to the presidential candidacy of his father Ron Paul, the congressman from Texas.

Given where much of his financial support is coming from (don't forget, Rand used at least two Alex Jones appearances to raise campaign funds despite the fact that Jones is a known psychotic who blames the CIA for 9/11), it's probably no surprise that many of Rand's most ardent supporters are already trying to lionize Joseph Stack.

Here are a few reader comments from Alex Jones' Prison Planet:

bobsatan Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 1:09 pm

this [suicide] letter was written by a martyr to the cause and he has a good point(although i’m not going to kill myself to prove it.) the time for talk and debate is over,it is time for open revolution. i first watched the news report on msnbc, the reporter began to read the letter but then was suddenly cut off by her fellow reporter who said he had read it. they are trying to make all of us look crazy,because one man was a little off his rocker(suicide bombing is not the answer people!). the letter itself appears quite clear and sane.

David Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 12:33 pm

Joe had enough. And he is right about much what he stated! What is so sad, is that nobody helped this guy. And he is right about the catholic church, all you have to do, is start reading there catholic church history. Regarding the I.R.S. once again just start reading all the documented proof about the I.R.S. tactics! I new a man that worked for the i.r.s.. He became a c.p.a. that is how I met him. I could not understand the tax code! The c.p.a. told me, if you worked for the i.r.s. and you are trying to be a christian. You would find out quite quickly that you would have to put aside your christian beliefs. And if you wanted to keep your job with the i.r.s., you would learn to keep your mouth shut among other i.r.s. employees! So the tax code is made to confuss you, so you cannot figure out exactly how to do your own income tax! But guess what you may have to hire a tax lawyer, let alone a c.p.a. to explain what you are to pay the government! Joe had enough, and decided to take matters a notch up with I.R.S. He propably burnt his home, because the government was going to eventually take that from him. I would not be surprised to see more americans performing these type of acts, to make it perfectly clear that our government no longer represent, We the People. Our government represents all the lobbyist, which are aipac, medicine, oil, auto, military industrial complex! Certainly not the blue collar worker!

Dewey Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 1:56 pm

I find it strange they keep switching between this recent incident and Iran terrorist attacks. Sounds like fear propaganda, people are realizing that Joe Stack wasn’t an all that insane, so rather than addressing the issues, news station attempt to keep us glued to the tv fearing our lives from foreign radicals.

And here's some DailyPaul commentary:

May he rest

Submitted by Dixie Belle on Thu, 02/18/2010 - 17:03.

in peace.

—

*****

The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.

In Memory - February 18, 2010
Joseph Andrew Stack (1956- 2010)

Ha...

Submitted by dducks on Thu, 02/18/2010 - 17:09.

"this may be a false flagged staged event or a real threat."

That's funny!

The Center Can't Hold

Each side indulged its separatist tendencies to the full, and reviving ancient, even long forgotten tongues, used these as weapons in ever extending hostilities.

Vain to assemble such contrary elements in a Congress. Vain to suppose that the processes and amenities of the Republic would afford expression in such divergencies. Congress can only flourish when fundamentals are agreed or at least accepted by the great majority of all parties.

In the Congress bands of excited deputies sat and howled at each other by the hour in rival languages, accompanying their choruses with the ceaseless slamming of desks which eventually by a sudden crescendo swelled into a cannonade. All gave rein to hatred; and all have paid for its indulgence with blood and tears.

LAWSON, NIGHBERT ACQUITTED!!!

Wow! Huge news out of London where a federal jury has acquitted Leonard Lawson and Bill Nighbert on charges stemming from alleged bid-rigging.

See full story here: http://www.kentucky.com/254/story/1116982.html

Gov. Patton, Congressman Rogers to Speak in Hazard Monday Night

Former Governor Paul Patton (now President of Pikeville College and head of the KY Council on Post-Secondary Education) and Congressman Hal Rogers will be speaking to the newly launched group, Young Professionals of Eastern Kentucky, a non-partisan group dedicated to bringing Eastern Kentucky professionals under the age of 40 together to discuss the pressing issues of our day and find common solutions. Come join us Monday if you can.

Rand Paul Rally to Feature Insane Truther Aimee Allen

Rand Paul fans are downright giddy about the prospect of singer and songwriter Aimee Allen coming to Louisville this weekend to sing about Ron and Rand Paul. Bluegrass Buletin writes of the singer “Aimee Allen is a rocker with some very strong political and social messages in her songs, some of which have been included in the soundtracks of very popular movies.”

Strong political and social messages indeed! In fact, too strong for most sane Kentuckians. For example, here’s Aimee on the Alex Jones show. I wrote about Jones back in November. Jones, a hard core proponent of conspiracy theories pertaining to 9/11 believes that terrible day was an inside job.




If you begin watching Aimee’s interview at approximately 5 minutes into the clip you’ll see her talk about an alleged beating she suffered at the hands of three Hispanic men in LA. According to Aimee they beat her with a crowbar for no other reason than that she was white. But she quickly gives that theory a bit of wiggle room at the prompting of Alex Jones. You see, Aimee’s attack happened shortly after she made her first appearance on the Alex Jones show. During that episode she apparently dogged the CIA. Hmmm… appear on a crank show, dog the CIA, and soon thereafter receive a beating. That’s a bit coincidental for Alex and Aimee who know Hispanic criminal gangs actually work for the CIA.

As if this weren’t bizarre enough, Aimee continues and tells America (or at least that nutty segment of America that listens to Alex Jones) that she’s down on the CIA because she has knowledge of their role in 9/11. It seems she met a CIA agent on an airplane who confessed to her that they orchestrated the faux terrorist attacks that killed thousands of Americans.

Aimee’s interview with Alex Jones alone should be enough to get her a first class ticket to Eastern State, not to a Rally for the Republicans event, but the insanity doesn’t end here. You see, Aimee is a huge Ron Paul fan. Isn’t every oddball in America, after all? And to express her admiration for that amazing little man she dedicated a song to him. Here are the lyrics:

Wake up! Good morning America! Rise and Shine….:)
Ron Paul! Save our constitutional rights
Ron Paul! We’re not gonna give up the fight
Ron Paul! Start a revolution
and break down illegal institutions

We don’t want no war no more
bring our boys home to our shores
We don’t want big government
Or the Bilderberg group that pays for it

The Federal Id means a police state
and Mr. Jefferson’s rolling in his grave
when our names turn to numbers like 666
according to the gospel on implantable chips

Chorus
The Patriot Act took our liberties
And there’s no judge and no jury
Tapping our phones, breaking down our doors
waging on the people a civil war!
We work 3 jobs and bring home no pay
The IRS takes it all away
and we struggle, slave to pay the rent
So, Ron Paul for President

Chorus

(Ron Paul speaks)

Chorus

The choir at the end of the song is singing “Vote for Ron Paul”

If I were a better writer I’d think of ways to lampoon that song. But I’m frankly at a loss for words. How can you "one-up" references to implantable chips and 666, after all?

This is enough insanity for several life times, but there's even more. For instance, there's Aimee's blog post on Ron Paul from 1997. Here's a snip:

I have to shift my focus to priorities this election of the big picture, that I know no other candidate is talking about in a real way. For example, the war, the loss of Habeas Corpus, free speech zones, Fema, the impending economic crisis, our SLAVERY to the IRS, the unconstitutionality of the federal reserve, our taxes going to subsidize China, the Patriot Act, our degraded and degrading civil liberties, nation building at the expense of our own sovereignty, serious concerns over CFR, NAFTA,WTO, CAFTA, NAU, and the push for one world government, War on drugs (people should go to hospitals, not prisons) government corruption and the power hungry elite owning the media, Our jobs leaving this country at an astounding rate, rich Saudi families buying our banks and massive stock in micro-chip technology, the Federal government poisoning it’s citizens with fucked vaccines and food and drugs. There is no real checks and balance for the FDA since pharmaceutical companies are allowed to pay them off. No child left behind….speaking of.. I’m concerned with the over all trend in this country to rely on the federal government to take care of us (control us) from cradle to grave. They are not supposed to be “Big Mother” and if they were our mother…with how abusive they are, any child activist would take us from her immediately and give us to the custody of the state!

[...]

Speaking of which…my cell-phone, myspace, and computer have all been hacked since I put up the song……go figure. (emphasis added to highlight sheer insanity)


So there you have it. Rand Paul’s having an event this weekend headlined by a little man who once campaigned, with the help of his aide de camp Rand Paul, to legalize prostitution, heroin and cocaine. A man who stands four square against the war on terror, the Patriot Act, Guantanomo Bay, FISA, funding for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for the elimination of the FBI and CIA. These clowns will be joined by a lady who goes on a national radio program talking about CIA conspiracies on 9/11. All three are chummy with Alex Jones, as ardent a fool as has ever appeared on radio. Rand has, in fact, used the Jones show to raise a nice chunk of money to support his campaign.

Politics, it’s said, can make for odd bedfellows. Forgive me for taking that quote of context, but it’s hard to imagine an odder cast of characters than the one that’ll grace the stage in Louisville Saturday night.

See www.tookookyforkentucky.com for more.

Did Jack Conway Get the Wrong Script or the Message?

Jack Conway, who only a year ago was singing the praises of cap and trade legislation despite its potential to cost Eastern Kentucky's coal economy dearly, is either reading from the wrong script or has simply gotten the message that coal is a Holy Grail in EKY politics. We suspect his apparent switch is a bit of the latter, but even Damascus conversions are welcome in this day and age. (Though we assume liberals will be crying "Judah, Judah" if Jack produces many more videos like these. But fear not, Jack's "one tough S.O.B.")

What do you call a bunch of environmentalists who hang themselves in trees?

OK, this not an invitation for someone to say "a good start." Apparently one of the countless fringe environmentalist groups who invade Appalachia from time to time (never to raise families and live here for the rest of their lives, mind you) has decided to protest coal mining by housing themselves in trees at a Massey operation.

See this blurb for more: http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2010/01/21/three-more-tree-sitters-launch-protest-at-massey/

A footnote: Maybe we should just page Larry Platt... come in General Platt... how about this: "lookin' like a fool with your a** in a tree..."???

Hal Rogers, EKY Get Huge Wins This Week

While many left wingers babble about economic growth in EKY, Congressman Rogers delivers the tools to get it done. He's helped clean up more streams than even the most ardent tree dwelling environmentalist (Pride), provided more means of drug treatment than the most charitable social worker (Unite), and created more high tech jobs... than the Kennedy's ever have with their gobbledygook about replacing coal with the "jobs of the future."

See this story from BusinessWeek:

(A snip)... U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers called yesterday "one of the most exciting days in the life of The Center for Rural Development."

He and several other local officials gathered at The Center on South U.S. 27 yesterday morning for a dedication ceremony for the newly relocated and enhanced Network Operations Center (NOC), which provides highly secure data and server storage services for the online infrastructures of hosting and data clients throughout Kentucky and the United States.

And this story from the Herald Leader:

(A snip...) A company that owns coal lands in Eastern Kentucky has pledged to donate $500,000 over five years for substance-abuse treatment.

The pledge from Kentucky River Properties LLC to Operation UNITE is the largest single private donation to the agency since it was formed in 2003, UNITE spokesman Dale Morton said Tuesday.

UNITE provides vouchers to help pay for treatment of addicts in Eastern and Southern Kentucky.

Full link here: http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/1112259.html

Kentucky River Coal Corp. Supports UK

Wonder how much Kentucky River donated to the W.T. Young Library? To me, a pic like this speaks louder than any spray painted banner ever could.

Rep. Henderson Files Bill Criminalizing Drug Use While Pregrant

This would give prosecutors and social workers one more arrow in their quiver to deal with the chronic problem of drug abuse. Yes, we need more treatment (carrots), but we also can't give up on the stick. And if it isn't abusive to do drugs while your baby is in your womb I really don't know what is. Kudos to County Attorney Steve Johnson and Rep. Richard Henderson for pushing this and teaming up on this important matter.

Read More @: http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2009/12/20/bill-would-allow-prosecution-of-mothers-with-addicted-newborns/

Too Kooky for Kentucky: Proximity to Racism Continually Dogs Pauls

As these posts from Too Kooky for Kentucky show, this isn’t the first time the Pauls have been dogged by accusations of racist allies:

Now that the focus is on Rand Paul to show where he stands on race in America and to renounce his radical, racist supporters, it’s worthwhile to take a look at his father and political mentor, Ron Paul. After all, as repeated articles have pointed out, Rand is running to become his father’s heir.

As this CNN article shows, Ron Paul has a troubled history on the issue of race. Here are portions-

A series of newsletters in the name of GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul contain several racist remarks — including one that says order was restored to Los Angeles after the 1992 riots when blacks went “to pick up their welfare checks.”

CNN recently obtained the newsletters — written in the 1990s and one from the late 1980s — after a report was published about their existence in The New Republic.

None of the newsletters CNN found says who wrote them, but each was published under Paul’s name between his stints as a U.S. congressman from Texas.

Paul told CNN’s “The Situation Room” Thursday that he didn’t write any of the offensive articles and has “no idea” who did.

[Too Kooky:] Of course the Pauls never have any idea who did these things, how they were released or anything else about racist commentary that seems to always follow their campaigns. But now Rand Paul is on the spot. Can he continue to waffle now that the spotlight is one him? We’ll see.

And this post highlights a pair of videos documenting those accusations:

Ron Paul's Racist Quotes
Uploaded by Young_Turks1. - News videos hot off the press.

Lancaster Lady Uses Facebook Campaign to Raise Funds for Children's Theatre

Here's the press release:

Lexington Children’s Theatre awarded $25,000 contribution from Chase Community
Giving Facebook Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE

Contact: Maggie Morris
Phone: 859.254.4546 ext. 230 or
859.339.8885
Email: MMorris@lctonstage.org

Chase Trust announced today the winners of its first annual Chase Community
Giving competition through Facebook. Lexington Children’s Theatre (LCT) earned a
spot in the top 100 of most voted for charities, thus securing a $25,000
contribution to be put towards its annual operating budget. LCT was the only
organization in Kentucky to earn the distinction. LCT was one of 500,000
organizations nationwide, which competed for a spot in the top 100 most voted
for organizations during a three week period. LCT credits its grassroots
campaign to solicit votes executed by its staff, Board of Directors, and
children involved with its programming and productions.

“Communications through LCT’s weekly e-newsletter, e-mails to
subscribers, status updates through LCT’s fan page, and personal requests sent
by staff, Board, and patrons through Facebook messaging to vote, were part of
the effort to enlist support from others,” said Maggie Morris, Development
Director. Morris estimates that through efforts put out by the campaign, LCT was
able to secure thousands of votes during the campaign. Morris said that the
staff and Board of Directors were pleased with the outreach that the competition
provided. “We were able to educate a vast amount of people through a very
effective tool, social media networking, during the course of this competition,”
she said. “It will prove successful beyond the cash prize for LCT.”

“We were extremely enthused and inspired by the amount of support
the Lexington community and beyond lent us during this voting period; it was
refreshing to see how many individuals value our services and programming for
children throughout the state of Kentucky,” said Larry Snipes, Producing
Director. “We saw votes come in from all spans of the globe. Thanks to all who
participated,” he added.

Founded in 1938, Lexington Children's Theatre (LCT) is a fully professional, non-profit organization dedicated to the intellectual and cultural enrichment of young people. As the State Children's Theatre of Kentucky, LCT is in its 71st Season of bringing live professional theatre and theatre arts education to Kentucky’s youth. Annually, LCT serves over 130,000 children throughout the state.

LCT will now have the opportunity to compete for a $1 million dollar grand prize during a second round of voting beginning January 15, 2010. To learn more about LCT or the Chase Community Giving competition, please visit www.lctonstage.org or contact Maggie Morris, Development Director, at MMorris@lctonstage.org or 859.254.4546 ext. 230

Morris was also recently elected to the Lancaster City Council.

Read More @ http://www.amnews.com/register.php?d=li&f=/stories/2009/12/07/loc.235639.sto

Courier Journal: Rand Paul Spokesman Resigns Following Controversial Comments

A snip:

The spokesman for U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul has resigned after two political blogs claimed he had blamed the U.S. government for the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and had allowed racist remarks to appear on his myspace.com Web site for nearly two years.

The resignation came five hours after Christopher Hightower told a Courier-Journal reporter that he had never been a member of myspace.com and that the words attributed to him on the site were not his.

David Adams, Paul’s campaign manager, said Hightower resigned because of the Internet posting.

The blogs: Barefoot & Progressive and Too Kooky for Kentucky. Joe Gerth is the only Kentucky reporter to pick up on the story.

See the story @:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20091217/NEWS01/912170346/1008/Paul+spokesman+quits+over+Web+remarks

Rand Paul Spokesman's KKK, Anti-Christian Comments Get National Play

The story continues to go viral. This time The Hill picks it up. A snip:

[Rand Paul spokesman] Chris Hightower, who made news recently for promoting a video likening primary opponent Trey Grayson to Hitler, now has a new series of controversies attached to his name.

[...]

Another Ron Paul-like Senate candidate in Connecticut, Peter Schiff (R), has basically fallen off the map after refusing to compromise with consultants on how he runs his campaign.

And all of this is fair game for Grayson in the primary.

Hightower and Paul's campaign have yet to respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, how about that Christmas card story that the Herald Leader is reporting on. I'm wondering if these Ky journos are up to the task of covering a non-good ol' boy campaign where public corruption isn't the issue. This is a highly ideological contest with tons of newsworthy material. It's being fought out mostly on the web all over the country and even among pro-fascist individuals overseas. But the reaction among Kentucky's journalists has been mostly silence.

Read The Hill story @: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/72823-the-ugly-paper-trail-of-rand-pauls-spokesman

Too Kooky for Kentucky: Paul Spokesman's Blog References KKK

It ain't easy being kooky, but Chris Hightower works hard at it. Hightower, who is a "spokesman" for Rand Paul, burst onto the Kentucky scene a few months back when he antagonized a cameraman tracking Rand Paul:

I thought at the time that there was something just a tad bit unsettling about this guy.



Then the story broke about that Hightower thought a video comparing Trey Grayson to Adolf Hitler was funny. Now I knew the guy was odd.

But nothing prepared anyone for this: Paul Spokesman's Blog: Jokes About KKK, Skinheads.

It turns out that Chris Hightower has a MySpace blog where he’s made jokes about himself being/appearing-to-be in the KKK and a skinhead. He’s completely comfortable with that sort of thing, apparently, and never once acknowledges that actually being a part of such organizations would be … you know… evil!

The story is already going viral. PageOneKentucky.com, probably Kentucky’s most viewed private blog, has already referenced it and Barefoot and Progressive has memorialized the undoubtedly soon to be taken down images.

It’s hard to see how this story doesn’t get picked up again by a national publication. And we all know that Rand’s campaign staff has more skeletons in the closet. Those are also likely to become stories.


The bottom line: Rand Paul and the Paulbots are some kooky, kooky folks.

TJ Litafik: Velma Childers was a True Lady

Note: This column appeared Saturday, December 12, 2009, in the Appalachian News-Express. It's reprinted here with permission from TJ.

Childers Was True Lady

By T. J. Litafik

Velma Childers was a force of nature. It just doesn’t seem real that the dear lady known to so many has departed this world for the next—this writer, for one, thought that she was indestructible.

The Courier-Journal, in their news article announcing Velma’s death, called her the “grande dame” of the Kentucky Republican Party. She would have liked that; it was true.

Not too many people’s passing warrant an official statement from a former President of the United States, but President George H.W. Bush said from Texas, “[Velma] was the best example I knew of someone who knew and loved grass roots politics. She is one of the reasons I was honored to be President of the United States.”

It just won’t be the same at the Top of the Landmark Inn Dining Room, Velma’s favorite haunt, without her bouncing around in her trademark hat greeting people.

Velma was a well-known and beloved figure not just in Pikeville and Pike County, but throughout Eastern Kentucky and across the entire Commonwealth. She was a country girl from Rocky Road yet she was a friend to governors and presidents.

Over the years, the Childers’s home in Pikeville probably received more visits from political dignitaries than any other private residence in Eastern Kentucky. Velma’s doorstep was frequently crossed by U.S. senators, congressmen and many other notables. In 1987, she hosted Mrs. Barbara Bush, wife of then-Vice President Bush.

Velma was tireless and fearless when she set her mind to something—it usually happened. If she had a problem and went to Frankfort, she was not satisfied until she had an audience with the governor. If Velma went to Washington, she would not stop until she fulfilled whatever items she had on her agenda.

Velma came from a big family, and a political family. Her brother was the late Pike County political legend and former magistrate Taylor “Doc” Justice. Politics were ingrained in her DNA, but it wasn’t until the 1963 campaign of former Gov. Louie B. Nunn that her involvement really began to take off.

Velma was Gov. Nunn’s longest-time and best friend in Pike Co. and he visited her home many times before his death in 2004. He often spoke of her loyalty and commitment to him, even years after he was out of office.

While the world just won’t be the same without her, Velma has gone on now to her eternal home. She was a Christian lady who believed in the Lord with all her heart. Her troubles are now over; her victory complete.

The poet Amelia Burr wrote, “Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.” Velma Childers loved life, she embraced it and she lived it how she wanted to. We mourn her passing, but let us celebrate her life.

Velma was a political legend, a great hostess, a wonderful friend and a tireless advocate for what she believed in. But above all she was a lady of the highest caliber.

Goodbye, old friend, we’ll see you again over on that golden shore.

Rest in Peace, Velma Childers

Velma Childers of Pike County passed away yesterday in Pikeville. She'd been involved in a car accident and apparently died of heart related issues. Ms. Childers had been involved in the GOP for decades. She'd been the RNC National Committeewoman for KY and was considered a close personal friend to the Bush family. Her son, Masten Childers III, has served in various state government posts.

Ms. Childers will be sorely missed by all her friends. She was as close as they come to royalty in Appalachia.

Drugs Continue to Ravage Kentucky

A sad reminder today from Buckhorn (Perry County), Kentucky that drugs are devastating large swaths of our Commonwealth. A snip from the Herald Leader story by Bill Estep (one of the few Herald Leader journalists who actually seems to get EKY, BTW):

A man seeking prescription painkillers shot and killed a doctor at a Perry County medical clinic, according to state police.

Dr. Dennis Sandlin, 57, of Delphia died after being shot at Leatherwood/Blackey Medical Clinic in Cornettsville Tuesday morning.

John Combs, 46, of Redfox in neighboring Knott County was arrested after the shooting, state police said. Combs has been charged with murder.

This terrible tragedy highlights what all responsible people already knew: drugs are a huge public policy and health issue that defy easy fixes. Draconian sentences aren't the solution, but neither is legalization or even de-criminalization.

Hal Rogers and UNITE have probably dealt with this issue in the most responsible way by creating solutions that offer both law enforcement and treatement solutions. (Frankly, we need even more of the latter). Drug Court- another program that's received strong backing from Rogers in EKY- is another smart way of dealing with the problems.

Finally, folks who suggest this problem can be dealth with without a strong public sector response are simply deluding themselves. Treatment will remain elusive for many without the support of subsidized facilities and rehab vouchers.

Please pray for the family of Dr. Sandlin.

Read More @: www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/1051568.html

Richard Epstein Offers Advice to Obama

From Forbes:

You can only improve labor markets by freeing them up. Scrap the talk about goofy ad hoc subsidies, and tell the president, for the first time in his life, to think hard about deregulation. Roll back the three recent minimum-wage increases that have blunted job creation for low-skilled workers in a stagnant labor market. Announce he will veto any effort by Congress to pass the Employer Free Choice Act, whose uncertain threat of compulsory unionization has prompted many businesses to shelve any plans for expansion. Abandon the monstrous health care bills winding through Congress, whose panoply of taxes, subsidies and regulations are job killers of the first magnitude. Put a halt on legislation for carbon caps and taxes until the science gets sorted out. Don't let the EPA make a hasty endangerment finding on carbon dioxide.

Good advice for the industrial and service sectors. Combine with some of Brooks policies on innovation and it's a pretty powerful presecription. Just don't hold your breath waiting for it...

Read More @:
www.forbes.com/2009/12/07/economics-politics-obama-unemployment-opinions-columnists-richard-a-epstein.html

David Brooks on the Innovation Agenda

Brooks is right, inovation and the new economy must be America's top economic concern. But his latest column contains some gems but loses quite a bit of focus. Here are his policy suggestions, somewhat edited for brevity:

First, push hard to fulfill the Obama administration’s education
reforms...

Second, pay for basic research. Federal research money has been
astonishingly productive, leading to DNA sequencing, semiconductors, lasers and
many other technologies. Yet this financing has slipped, especially in physics,
math and engineering. Overall research-and-development funding has slipped, too.
The U.S. should aim to spend 3 percent of G.D.P. on research, as it did in the
1960s.

Third, rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. Abraham Lincoln spent the
first half of his career promoting canals and railroads. Today, the updated
needs are just as great, and there’s widespread agreement that decisions should
be made by a National Infrastructure Bank, not pork-seeking politicians.

Fourth, find a fiscal exit strategy. If the deficits continue to surge,
interest payments on the debt will be stifling. More important, the mounting
deficits destroy confidence by sending the message that the American government
is dysfunctional...

Fifth, gradually address global imbalances...

Sixth, loosen the so-called H-1B visa quotas to attract skilled
immigrants.

Seventh, encourage regional innovation clusters. Innovation doesn’t
happen at the national level. It happens within hot spots — places where hordes
of entrepreneurs gather to compete, meet face to face, pollinate ideas. Regional
authorities can’t innovate themselves, but they can encourage those who do to
cluster.

Eighth, lower the corporate tax rate so it matches international
norms.

Ninth, don’t be stupid. Don’t make labor markets rigid. Don’t pick trade
fights with the Chinese...

Education reform, investment on R&D, H1-B visa reforms, and, most importantly, fiscal reform- i.e. entitlement reform. These aren't very sexy issues in today's political world, but they're crucial to America's long term economic strength. Though Brooks doesn't have all the answers, he's correctly identified many of the problems.

Read More @: www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/opinion/08brooks.html?_r=2&ref=opinion

Kotkin: Chinese Encouraging CO2 Restrictions to Hobble West?

Interesting... Joel Kotkin is no fire-eating dittohead. In his latest on climate change he writes:

So who benefits from this collective ritual seppaku? Hegemony-seeking communist capitalists in China might fancy seeing America and the West decline to the point that they can no longer compete or fund their militaries. A weakened European Union or U.S. also won't be able provide a model of a more democratic version of capitalism to counter China’s ultra-authoritarian version.

While Kotkin isn't saying that the Chinese are encouraging this seppaku, doesn't he hint at it?

Meanwhile, this part of the op-ed is spot-on:

The media shills, scientists, bureaucrats and corporate rent-seekers gathered at Copenhagen won't give much thought to what this means to the industrialized world's middle and working class. For many of them the new carbon regime means a gradual decline in living standards. Huge increases in energy costs, taxes and a spate of regulatory mandates will restrict their access to everything from single-family housing and personal mobility to employment in carbon-intensive industries like construction, manufacturing, warehousing and agriculture.

It's rare that you can find a pundit today who can aritculate the concerns of industrial America while avoiding the trap of protectionism. Kotkin walks that line nicely.

Read More @: www.forbes.com/2009/12/07/copenhagen-climate-change-carbon-emissions-opinions-columnists-joel-kotkin.html

Rand Paul "AWOL" on Afghanistan

Geoff Davis, Trey Grayson, Hal Rogers, Mitch McConnell, Brett Guthrie, Jack Conway, Dan Mongiardo, someone who's running against Geoff Davis.... all have taken the time to comment on the most important political decision taken over the past year: the Afghan surge.

So where's Rand? Too Kooky for Kentucky says he's AWOL, and that's a pretty apt description.

On his web page Paul assures us: Defending our Country is the most important function of the federal government. When we are threatened, it is the obligation of our representatives to unleash the full arsenal of power that is granted by and derived from free men and women. Our supreme law, the Constitution, enumerates certain powers for the federal government. Primary among them is national defense.

So where does the Paul campaign stand on this most important decision on this most important issue? Could it be they're having trouble coming up with a viable, responsible policy that appeals to both Kentucky conservatives and Rand Paul's/Ron Paul's national base??

Too irresponsible for Kentucky!

Read More @: http://www.tookookyforkentucky.com/

UPDATE: The Herald Leader has this snip- "Trey Grayson supported [the surge] but resisted the idea of setting a timeline... while Rand Paul... did not return a message seeking comment that was left with a spokesman."

Despite Prevaricating Speech, Obama Gives U.S. Fighting Chance in Afghanistan

It's about time! Obama dithered much of the fall and was clearly reluctant to pull the trigger on the Afghan surge. But he was in a box and knew it. Much credit for placing him in that box goes to Senator McCain (and the GOP establishment) who made fighting the War on Terror such a priority over the past few years. Their resolve on that issue was what made Obama commit to winning in Afghanistan (not that you hear much use of that term today) on the campaign trail last night.

More recently, credit goes to General McChrystal who locked that box even tighter with his leaked pleas for more troops. The whining on the part of the Obama administration and its flacks made it clear that they didn't enjoy 4 stars posturing the President.

Nonetheless, Obama's actions on Afghanistan spoke louder than his lackluster words Tuesday night and for that we can be grateful.

Here's Commentary (magazine):

The decision President Obama made was better than the speech he gave. What will matter, long after his address is forgotten, is that Barack Obama gave Generals McChrystal and Petraeus, two of our greatest military minds, the troops (30,000, plus additional allied troops) and strategy (counterinsurgency) they need to prevail in Afghanistan.

To the president’s credit, this is the second wave of troops he has sent to Afghanistan (in February, he approved sending 17,000). Mr. Obama, in siding with McChrystal and Petraeus, wisely ignored the counsel of his vice president, Joe Biden, whose 35-year track record on national-security matters is an almost unbroken string of unwise decisions. And the president made a decision that puts him at odds with his liberal/left-wing base, which seems as eager to lose in Afghanistan as it was eager to lose in Iraq.

As for the understandable concern some people have about Obama’s 18-month time line: it is, at least for now, less worrisome than it might appear. In his speech, Obama said we will “begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011. Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the ground.” That is a key caveat; if conditions on the ground change, Obama has left himself plenty of room to revisit his decision. Nothing is etched in stone.

I'm not quite as sanguine as Peter Wehner (author of the aforequoted piece) on Obama's time-line. Obama hasn't completely painted himself into a corner, but he's certainly made a further ramp up more difficult. Trey Grayson and Jim Bunning pointed that out.

But at least America, as Commentary points out, now has a fighting chance in Afghanistan.

Kauffman Foundation on Increasing Jobs

From the Kauffman Foundation:

According to studies from the Kauffman Foundation, companies less than five years old have created all net new jobs in the United States since 1980. In 1997, young firms accounted for two-thirds of job creation.

A recent Kauffman Foundation study, however, shows that, in 2008 and most of 2009, firm foundation declined.

Schramm recommends five strategies to boost entrepreneurship and job growth:

Create a "Founders Visa" for immigrants who found new companies in the
United States to keep their businesses—and the jobs they create—here.

Offer a payroll tax holiday so that young companies can afford to
hire and expand.

Provide clarity about taxes and future regulations to avoid
unintended and harmful consequences to entrepreneurs.

Create entrepreneur fellowships for recently graduated Ph.D.s, giving
them an opportunity to commercialize their research.

Offer Sarbanes-Oxley exemptions to certain young companies so they can
offer IPOs more quickly.

Read More @:

http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/entrepreneur-expert_carl-schramm-to-attend-obama-jobs-summit.aspx?utm_source=Alerts&utm_medium=Opticast&utm_campaign=Obama_Jobs_Summit

New York Times: Too Kooky for Kentucky in the Gray Lady

For maybe the first time in a little over a century Breathitt County, Kentucky made the New York Times. The last time the county was in the Times (at least by my search) Breathitt County gunmen were involved in a bitter, internecine war; a civil war of sorts. This time, a new age Breathitt County hot-shot- one who fires with his computer keyboard- is involved in a bitter, internecine war; a civil war of a different sort.

The New York Times story, which is, all in all, pretty unflattering to Rand Paul, says of the Republican turned Libertarian turned back Republican:

A fervent opponent of big government, Dr. Paul believes that federal authorities should stay out of drug enforcement, and that same-sex marriage, which he opposes, should be a decision left to the states. He supports gun rights and thinks abortions should be illegal, even in cases of rape, incest or where the life of the pregnant woman is at stake. Unlike his father, Dr. Paul opposes all legislative earmarks, even those that might benefit his constituents.

“I consider myself a constitutional conservative and a part of the insurgency that’s going on out there,” he said.

Dr. Paul, however, has not received financial support from Senator Jim DeMint, Republican of South Carolina, who is chairman of the Senate Conservatives Fund and has become a kingmaker for conservative challengers.

“A surprising number of voters are drawn to Paul,” said Joe Gershtenson, a government professor at Eastern Kentucky University. It is still not clear, however, how many of those people are registered Republicans who will be able to vote in the primary, Professor Gershtenson said.

“They may see Paul as less electable now,” he said. “But they also view him as being separate from the establishment, and they seem to have faith that his odds will improve with time.”
Mr. Grayson disagrees.

“The celebrity factor is what is attracting people now,” said Mr. Grayson, who was a lawyer before being elected secretary of state in 2003. “Mr. Paul has his dad’s following and his dad’s e-mail list, and he has shown he can raise money outside the state.”

But before long, Mr. Grayson said, voters will see that Dr. Paul’s views are out of step with this state’s values.

“Mr. Paul believes we should close Guantánamo and return those terrorists to Afghanistan; Kentucky voters would not agree,” he said. “Mr. Paul believes federal authorities should not have a role in drug enforcement, but Kentucky voters know we have a drug problem here in the state, and they certainly would disagree with that, too.”

The Times then segues to this part of the story about Mike Bryant and TooKookyforKentucky.com:

Others share that view.

“Grayson will win because Paul’s views are extreme and he will turn off social conservatives,” said Mike Bryant, the Breathitt County Republican Party chairman, who maintains a blog called TooKookyforKentucky, which highlights some of the more controversial positions espoused by Dr. Paul and his father.

The TooKooky.com hyperlink used by the Times takes you to a post about Ron Paul, Rand's choice for President twice, and his belief that America should legalize heroin.

Great work, Mike!

RNC Making a List, Checking it Twice

The NY Times has a story on Michael Steele’s latest effort to curtail the civil war in the GOP about who’s a moderate, who’s conservative, etc. A snip:

A group of conservative Republican leaders is proposing a solution to the internecine warfare over what the party should stand for: a 10-point checklist gauging proper adherence to core principles like opposing government financing for abortion and, more generally, President Obama’s “socialist agenda.”

In what was being dubbed a purity test when it leaked out to reporters on Monday, the proposal would require the party to withhold campaign money and endorsements from candidates who do not adhere to at least seven principles on the checklist.

[…]

Its introduction increases pressure on the party chairman, Michael Steele, as he tries to maintain a balance between those in his party who have been saying the road to a Republican comeback is to include divergent views and appeal to the political center, and those who say the party needs to more fully embrace conservative principles.


But it was also likely to inflame moderate party members who have been urging the
party to resist pressure from activists — spurred by commentators like Glenn Beck on the Fox News Channel and leaders of the diffuse Tea Party movement — to move against those deemed insufficiently conservative or lose their grass-roots support altogether.

Here's the list, in it's entirety, courtesy of The Nation (which gleefully points out that Ronald Reagan would have had some troubles with the list himself):

(1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama's "stimulus" bill;

(2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run healthcare

(3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;

(4) We support workers' right to secret ballot by opposing card check;

(5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;

(6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;

(7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;

(8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;

(9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing, denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and

(10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership; and be further...

RESOLVED, that a candidate who disagrees with three or more of the above stated public policy positions of the Republican National Committee, as identified by the voting record, public statements and/or signed questionnaire of the candidate, shall not be eligible for financial support and endorsement by the Republican National Committee; and be further

Phillip Caputo on "The Fall of Mexico"

Caputo has a must read piece in the Atlantic Monthly on the so called " Fall of Mexico." I'm currently reading Caputo's latest book, The Crossers, a multi-generational story about the borderlands between Mexico and Arizona. The central characters in Crossers are a 9/11 widower who comes out west to recover from his wife's death and his grandfather who lived in another era filled with revolution and chaos.

Paultards in Disarray

Funny stuff from the Daily Paul:

Trey's got nothing on Rand but he does have McConnell's machine working for him behind the scenes and they've found something that can hurt Rand...a divide and conquer move that riles up his supporters. Rand is in a no-win scenario here and was forced to play a hand he probably didn't want to play. Now we are at each others throats and the McConnell/Grayson crew are high-fiving each other: Mission Accomplished!


If you don't think that they've got people monitoring DP and other websites and reporting back to their bosses you are a fool. Yes...that's what I said. Tough love, remember? Rand would rather focus on his core issues: the economy and the monetary system but now he's sidetracked thanks in large part to the war that's erupted among us.

If this was a candidates forum 6 months away from the election and if we hadn't started this feud amongst ourselves then it would've been a blip and gone away to be forgotten by primary voters in May. Now it's exploded onto the internet where everyone can see it. The opposition now sees they can use this and they'll run with it. And if Rand wins, don't think they won't hand it over to Conway or Mongiardo to use because Rand has gone up against McConnell and NOBODY stands up against McConnell without them paying a price. This is being proven right before our eyes as you pound away on your keyboards bashing Rand while the McConnell/Grayson crew literally are watching every word that you post here and they are laughing at us.

Great job guys! Way to throw us Rand supporters in Kentucky under the bus!

Posted by an author named Lexington Green.

Read More @ http://www.dailypaul.com/node/115450?page=1 and http://www.tookookyforkentucky.com/

Robert Samuelson: The Assault on America's Youth

From Samuelson's latest:

One of our long-running political stories is the economic assault on the young by the old. We have become a society that invests in its past and disfavors the future. This makes no sense for the nation, but as politics, it makes complete sense. The elderly and near elderly are better organized, focus obsessively on their government benefits, and seem deserving. Grandmas and Grandpas command sympathy.

Everyone knows that the resulting "entitlements" dominate government spending and squeeze education, research, defense and almost everything else. In fiscal 2008 -- the last "normal" year before the economic crisis -- Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid (programs wholly or primarily dedicated to the elderly) totaled $1.3 trillion, 43 percent of federal spending and more than twice military spending. Because workers, not retirees, are the primary taxpayers, this spending involves huge transfers to the old.

Comes now the House-passed health care "reform" bill that, amazingly, would extract more subsidies from the young. It mandates that health insurance premiums for older Americans be no more than twice the level of younger Americans. That's much less than the actual health spending gap between young and old.

Samuelson looks at this as an issue of fairness, and that's true. But a deeper concern is the lost opportunity cost: younger taxpayers won't be able to create as many businesses or go back to the school the way they might if they had more disposable income.

Redistribution isn't simply a question of fairness, it's a question of efficiency. Sooner of later Americans will have to face facts that our welfare state, whose raison d'etre is welfare, must give way to a new construct: the opportunity state. That will entail a shift away from promoting basic welfare to a model where entrepreneurship, higher education, and basic opportunity is promoted. The question is, when will America have this collective epiphany?

Read More of Samuelson's Post at www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/11/23/the_assault_on_the_young_contd_99244.html

Rand Paul's Fringe Friends Could Hijack KY Senate Race

An amazing phenomenon is unfolding in the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky. Rand Paul is running two campaigns: Paul is running as both a Kentucky conservative and as the national heir to the Ron Paul, libertarian, political machine.

The first campaign involves reassuring Kentucky voters that his documented libertarian views aren't really that extraordinary. Yes, he's against the federal war on drugs, but only because the states can fight it better. Never mind that this is a repudiation of GOP doctrine since Nixon.

Yes, he's against federal regulations on abortion, but he's a staunch pro-lifer who'd turn abortion policy back to the states. Never mind that conservatives have fought dearly for federal pro-life legislation in Congress and pro-life Justices on the federal bench who often vote to uphold such federal laws.

And yes, Rand Paul is against the war on terror, but that's because we never declared war on terrorism. Rand's policies would have America declare war, go in fast and furious, kill all the baddies quick, and come home. Never mind that such a declaration is often politically impossible or that such tactics don't work. Never mind that Republican Presidents from Nixon to Reagan to George HW Bush to George W. Bush never felt compelled to follow such a course, nor did the GOP rank and file do much complaining at the time.

That Paul has succeeded to such an extent in his first campaign is a testament to two things.

First: the stagnation of political thought among the far right. For example, Ayn Rand is actually making a comeback among many conservatives, more than half a century after we thought William F. Buckley and Whitaker Chambers slew that beast once and for all. Beck has replaced Burke, Rush Limbaugh has replaced Russell Kirk in the pantheon of political thought for many right wingers.

Secondly: the lackadaisical manner with which Kentucky journalists have covered this race.

While Kentucky journalists fawn over Paul's fund-raising figures, a bigger story is being ignored. Namely, that second campaign that I referred to above: the one to inherit the Ron Paul political machine.

This second campaign involves people most Kentucky Republicans would find abhorrent. First, there's Ron Paul. He's campaigned to legalize heroin and cocaine, voted against a ban on child pornography, opposed the National Amber Alert, has consistently flirted with so-called truthers (people who believe 9/11 was orchestrated by the "police state"), and has hobnobbed with various public racists and militia types for decades. Of course folks say that the son can't be held accountable for the sins of the father. That didn't stop conservatives from blaming Barack Obama for the rants of Jeremiah Wright. But all Obama did was sit in the choir. When it comes to Ron Paul's silly preaching Rand Paul has actually helped him deliver the sermon. He's been a surrogate for Ron Paul since the early 1980's when Ron ran against Phil Gramm for U.S. Senate and dispatched Rand to debate the future supply sider. In 1988 Rand was Ron's "aide de-camp" in Ron's bizarre Presidential bid. In 2008 he traveled all over the country delivering speeches for his dad.

Ron Paul's political forums are chock full of Rand Paul references and links. His political fundraising machine is churning out full force for Rand Paul and makes no bones about it. Meanwhile, in Kentucky, there's yet to be a single substantive story covering the ties between Rand Paul and a man who received a scant 6.8% of the GOP primary vote in 2008. (Admittedly an improvement from the first time Ron ran for office in Kentucky; in 1988's Presidential contest he received approximately 2,000 votes out of more than 730,000.) Poor Roger Alford of the AP wrote about the election yesterday and said this of the Ron Paul connection: "Ron Paul's son is borrowing a page from his father's playbook... tapping the enthusiasm of young Republicans on college campuses." YR's?? This is Rand's base? Where was Alford during the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shootout?

But it isn't just Ron Paul who's helping Rand Paul raise money. Rand's also getting help from Jamie Kesslo at StormFront. Keslo, a neo-nazi, has openly publicized Paul for months and has linked to his site. Kentuckians deserve to know how much money Rand Paul has raised from such a dubious source, but as yet, there's been zero reporting on this issue.

Of course folks will claim, as they do on the blogs, that Rand Paul can't control content on sites like StormFront. Have they tried? Have they asked StormFront to take down solicitations such as these that clearly work to bring Paul support from StormFront viewers?

And what of Rand's ties to Alex Jones. As the web site Too Kooky for Kentucky has shown, Paul openly regularly appears on Alex Jones radio programs, despite the fact that Jones has made repeated claims that 9/11 was a government orchestrated conspiracy. While there Paul makes shameless pleas to Jones' listeners to give him money to run his primary in KY. Paul and Jones even talk about how Paul's web site crashed the last time he was on the Jones show and how such money... hate money, plain and simple... is used to buy Paul credibility with the mainstream media in KY.

WKU Professor Scott Lasely referred to the Paul campaign as a "guerrilla campaign" in an AP story. That's probably a pretty apt description. Like many guerrilla campaigns, this one receives financial support from shady characters who care not a wit about the locals. Like previous guerrilla campaigns, this one's being waged by a highly ideological cadre who pretend to be the true locals. But the problem for guerrillas is that sooner or later they face a choice: do they attempt to take over the ground they occasionally seize and fight their battles conventionally, or do they disperse back into the countryside and wait for another opportunity to ambush or raid. Unfortunately for Rand Paul, he has to choose the former. That puts him on ground that's more favorable to the conventional forces. Someday soon, expect that to be his undoing.

Read More @ www.tookookyforkentucky.com

Tom Friedman: Give Up on Mid-East Peace

Is it me, or shouldn't this be big news? One of the most astute and famous pundits on Palestinian-Israeli affairs has said, 'give up, U.S., they don't want peace.'

A snip:

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has become a bad play. It is obvious
that all the parties are just acting out the same old scenes, with the same old
tired clichés — and that no one believes any of it anymore. There is no romance,
no sex, no excitement, no urgency — not even a sense of importance anymore. The
only thing driving the peace process today is inertia and diplomatic
habit...

Admittedly, Friedman oscillates between brilliance and sheer stupidity, but I think this is one of his more clairvoyant moments. Maybe now we can stop trying to get Israel to make territorial concessions that would endanger their national security.

Read More @: www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/opinion/08friedman.html?_r=2&ref=opinion

Conservative Democrat Says Rand "Too Kooky for Kentucky"

The following column appeared in the (Pikeville) Appalachia News Express and is reprinted here with permission by author:

Paul’s Strange Candidacy, By T. J. Litafik

Buoyed by his father’s aggressive, ragtag band of national followers, Rand Paul has raised a significant amount of money—over $1 million—for his quixotic U.S. Senate campaign. Paul, a Bowling Green eye doctor and political neophyte, is simply channeling the ideas of his father, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), into next year’s Kentucky race.

Congressman Paul has in many instances taken admirable and independent stances on a wide variety of issues, across the spectrum, and it has made him very popular with those outside the political mainstream. During the 2008 presidential cycle, Ron Paul supporters were easily identifiable as loud and unruly party crashers at both Republican and Democratic candidates’ campaign events. At one event this writer attended in Johnson City, TN with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the rude and crude behavior of the Paulites went so far as to bring their own signs and shouts into Gov. Huckabee’s rally. On the way out, one fellow fervently waving a Ron Paul sign could be heard mumbling something about black helicopters and the Kennedy assassination.

The Paulite philosophy of government is basically this: the Federal government never did anything to help anybody; we’ve got to cut all “pork” out of the budget, scrap a variety of regulatory agencies, including the IRS and (gasp!) the Federal Reserve, and in the name of “freedom” repeal, repeal, repeal and we’ll start with anti-drug laws.

The senior Paul was the 1988 presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party. That was a silly and gratuitous political venture, just like his son’s U.S. Senate bid is now. While the Pauls can undoubtedly find a lot of takers for their ideology across America, the problem they have here is that in Kentucky people know better than the idea that all government is bad. Were it not for the progressive populism of Democratic and Republican leaders, Eastern Kentuckians would have never had a chance. Today we have the roads, schools, airports, flood control projects and hospitals that the Paul philosophy of government would have denied us.

Legislative politics, especially, are about tact, reasonableness and compromise—and yes, bringing home the bacon for the people you represent. The Pauls call such legislative accomplishment “pork” and denounce good public servants like Congressman Hal Rogers who deliver for their districts.

Earl Long once said of an opponent, “He’s got about as much chance to be Governor of Louisiana as I do Pope of Rome, and I’m not even a Catholic.”

Either Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo or Attorney Gen. Jack Conway would steamroll Rand Paul in the general election. Good Kentucky conservative Republicans who honestly seek a fresh political face and a change in Washington should think twice before joining the Paulite crowd. There is room for Ron Paul in the national debate, to be sure. But Kentuckians can’t afford a wild ideologue representing them; we must have earnest advocates for our people who want to continue the work of leaders like Hal Rogers, Carl D. Perkins, John Sherman Cooper and Wendell Ford. The problem with Paul is that he’s just too kooky for Kentucky.

Rand Paul: Too Kooky for Kentucky Families on Child Porn, Amber Alert, Legal Heroin

Too Kooky for Kentucky continues educating Kentucky voters on the Pauls’ kooky views.

Paul Would Legalize Heroin: This week we’ve learned that, back in 1988 when Rand Paul was Ron Paul’s Presidential Campaign’s “aide de-camp”, the Pauls campaigned to legalize both heroin and cocaine. It’s hard to imagine that a Republican party loathe to legalize expanded gaming in Kentucky would side with a candidate who wants to expand opportunities for KY families to experience the horrors of heroin.

Paul Would Eliminate FDA: The Pauls also advocated for the elimination of the FDA. While common sense conservatives can agree that this government agency, like any, has a history of mission creep, its elimination would undoubtedly put American families at risk of consuming tainted food and drugs.

Pauls Opposed National Amber Alert: It seems that the Amber Alert, that draconian federal legislation that, like the Patriot Act also opposed by Ron and Rand Paul, could lead to the end of the Republic as we know it. Thus the Pauls opposed it.

Pauls Wouldn't Use Federal Law to Ban Computer Generated Child Porn: In the Paul family’s warped version of the U.S. Constitution, banning computer generated child pornography is taboo.

In case after case the Pauls put their warped version of the U.S. Constitution, a view so extreme that it attracts almost no votes in either house of Congress, ahead of what’s good for America’s and Kentucky’s families.

VA's Bob McDonnell on Green Energy: An All of the Above Strategy

McDonnell is running as adept a campaign for Governor in VA as anyone has seen in recent years. Among his campaign planks: more energy. While McDonnell doesn't neglect oil, coal and natural gas, he wisely takes some time to promote Green, that is Renewable, Energy.

Snips from his campaign site:

Bob McDonnell will establish Virginia as a “Green Jobs Zone” to incentivize companies to create quality green jobs. Qualified businesses would be eligible to receive an income tax credit equal to $500 per position created per year for the first five years (up to 350 jobs annually). If the position is created within Virginia’s enterprise zone, the business will qualify for the current enterprise zone grant in addition to the new $500 income tax credit. The existing requirements pertaining to Enterprise Job Creation Grants will also apply. Qualifying businesses could include suppliers, manufacturers, installers and construction contractors for solar, wind, or biomass products and services, energy-efficiency products and services, pollution management systems and production of alternative transportation fuels.

Bob McDonnell will continue his work toward alternative energy that is renewable and sustainable, building on his energy record, including support for hydrogen energy. We must foster innovation by encouraging partnerships between Virginia Universities and private industry that will lead to new technologies and jobs in this field.

While there are several federal tax incentives for alternative fuel vehicles and alternative fuel infrastructure, Virginia lags behind. The Virginia Alternative Fuels Revolving Fund was established to assist local governments that convert to alternative fuel systems, but no funds have been allocated for its use. As Governor, Bob McDonnell will expand the purpose of this fund to include infrastructure such as refueling stations, provide seed money and aggressively pursue additional grants.

Read More @: www.bobmcdonnell.com/index.php/press_releases/details/more_energy_more_jobs/

Crab Orchard (Lincoln County) Parody

Funny parody of a quaint community in Lincoln County. Lesson: if you don't define yourself, some bored, young whipper-snapper with a video cam and a YouTube account will.

Garrard County Promo Video: IT'S GAR-AD COUNTY!

Nice video with cameos from lots of celebs, including the Guv, Congressman Chandler, Justice Venters, Rep. Lonnie Napier, Judge Exec John Wilson and even me:



PS- You're welcome in Garrard County, anytime.

Too Kooky for Kentucky: Ron and Rand's 1st Run for President

While most of the press on Rand's efforts on his dad's political campaign for President (OK, admittedly, there's been little press at all when it comes to Ron and Rand's weird statements) has centered on his 2008 bid, Too Kooky for Kentucky is finding some real nuggets of gold (pun intended, Gold Buggers) in Ron Paul's campaign for President as a Libertarian in 1988.

After deeming Ronald Reagan a failure because government was "in our wallets and into our bedrooms... more than ever before", Paul launched a Quixotic bid for President. And his loyal Sancho Panza: "Randall Paul, Dr. Paul's 25-year-old son and aide-de-camp...".

Among the Pauls' campaign planks:

1. Abolish CIA.

2. Withdraw from NATO. (Dumb enough now, but in 1988 there was the Cold War to contend with)

3. Eliminate Public Schools.

4. Repeal all Drug Laws.

But have no fear, the crowd that harps about "career politicians"... they've lived well pushing their oddball views:

His campaign is a world apart from the long motorcades, chartered airplanes and consultant-laden Republican and Democratic efforts. Even so, his son said, travel expenses come to $40,000 a month.

''It costs $40,000 a month for me to travel?'' Dr. Paul said with evident surprise during a quick lunch stop at a McDonald's north of Houston, where he cadged french fries off his son's tray.

Being kooky ain't easy (or cheap), but it sure it fun.

Read more @:

http://www.tookookyforkentucky.com/

and

www.nytimes.com/1988/10/17/us/now-for-a-real-underdog-ron-paul-libertarian-for-president.html?pagewanted=all

New Release: Rodney Stark Makes the "Case for the Crusades"

Rodney Stark has written on the role of Roman cities in the rise of Christianity, the role the early Catholic church played in the development of capitalism, and a book on how monotheism led to science, with-hunts and the abolition of slavery. These works probably garnered Stark little controversy, but his most recent work has the potential to be a bombshell.

In God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades, Stark argues that the Crusades were a force for good:

In God's Battalions, award-winning author Rodney Stark takes on the long-held view that the Crusades were the first round of European colonialism, conducted for land, loot, and converts by barbarian Christians who victimized the cultivated Muslims. To the contrary, Stark argues that the Crusades were the first military response to unwarranted Muslim terrorist aggression.

Stark reviews the history of the seven major Crusades from 1095 to 1291, demonstrating that the Crusades were precipitated by Islamic provocations, centuries of bloody attempts to colonize the West, and sudden attacks on Christian pilgrims and holy places. Although the Crusades were initiated by a plea from the pope, Stark argues that this had nothing to do with any elaborate design of the Christian world to convert all Muslims to Christianity by force of arms. Given current tensions in the Middle East and terrorist attacks around the world, Stark's views are a thought-provoking contribution to our understanding and are sure to spark debate.

Find the book @ Amazon:

www.amazon.com/Gods-Battalions-Crusades-Rodney-Stark/dp/0061582611/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256786616&sr=1-3

Book Review: Berlin Noir (March Violets)

Phillip Kerr’s detective Bernie Gunther is a sort of German Humphrey Bogart just trying to stay alive and make a few Deutschemarks as a wise cracking, fast with his fists, P.I. as Hitler’s Nazi Party forcefully saddles up the German people for a near suicidal world war. Reading Kerr’s work offers insights into a nation on the brink. While Gunther detests the Nazis, he’s occasionally willing to make compromises and work with the future monsters of the Holocaust (they’re mostly just brutal thugs prior to World War II). After all, you don’t say “no” to Nazis in post-Weimar Germany without running the risk of finding yourself taking a prolonged swim in the River Rhine. Kerr’s noir is a must read for fans of detective fare and students of pre-war history.

Will Kentucky Republicans Endorse Rand Paul's Kooky Foreign Policy/Defense Goals

As the latest foray into the proliferating and messy universe that is Kentucky’s political blogosphere has shown, Rand Paul, despite his impressive polling, is a new and unusual phenomenon in Kentucky politics. Too Kooky for Kentucky has, with video proof, shown that Paul is, among other things:

Anti-Department of Homeland Security: Paul is on record as saying we should abolish the DHS. This could be problematic on two levels. First, there's the little problem that this agency and several of the companies its funded provide hundreds of jobs in the most Republican region in the state. In addition to the potential economic losses in the Old 5th (and don't tell me voters there won't notice such things) Paul makes little effort to show how America’s shores will be protected in the absence of the DHS. He simply regards the agency’s very existence an affront to small government principles. That may play well in New Hampshire Republican primaries, but will it work in Kentucky?

Against the Patriot Act: Over the past few years Republicans have made much political hay out of liberal Democrats opposition to this measure. Last year, they even forced a reluctant Candidate Obama to vote for the measure’s latest extension. Yet Ron Paul has consistently voted against the measure and Rand Paul has taken the stump to speak against it for years.

Against Funding the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: Perhaps no line hurt Candidate Kerry in 2004 when he ran for President against George W. Bush as much as this: “I actually did vote for the 87 billion, before I voted against it." Of course part of the hit was that Kerry was a flip flopper. But the reason Kerry felt impelled to resort to such twisted logic in the first place was his fear that he’d be revealed as one who was less than a 100% supporter of the War on Terror. Ron and Rand Paul are both on record as saying the War on Terror should never have been declared. Both have flirted with Truther arguments (especially Ron) and both have essentially laid the blame for 9/11 at the feet of “Imperial America.” It’s hard to imagine that, as was pointed out earlier this week on Too Kooky for KY, Rand’s efforts to defund the war won’t be used against him a state anchored on the west by Fort Campbell. After all, there are likely many soldiers from that base who wouldn’t have received their body armor, their armaments, and other support had Paul’s vision prevailed.

Against the Euro Missile Shield: While Republicans busy themselves taking shots at President Obama for his retreat on missile defense in East Europe, Ron and Rand Paul have long opposed such imperial platforms.

Doesn't Believe Iran is a National Threat: While Republicans are worried that Obama will use multilateralism and direct talks as an excuse to avoid a strong response on Iran, Rand Paul is on record as saying it's OK if the Iranians acquire a nuclear weapon:

In the above video Paul not only indicates he’s OK with Iranian nuclear weapons, he goes as far as to explain that the Iranians feel threatened by the aggressive actions of the U.S. One can imagine the hue and cry if Barack Obama said such a silly thing.

Critical of Israel: Both Ron and Rand Paul have stated their desire to end foreign aid to Israel. Of course they both say they’d also cut foreign aid to Arab nations as well. But scrutiny of the Paul’s rhetoric yields an impression that they’re somewhat hostile to the Middle East’s sole democracy. While the Chief Correspondent for one of Isreal’s leading daily newspapers, Haaretz Daily, hasn’t found any specific anti-Israel animosity, he has listed many issues that could be problematic for Paul in a GOP primary. Ron Paul has repeatedly criticized the Israel lobby, spoke negatively of Israel’s Gaza invasion, and voted against support for Israel repeatedly. Will his son and assumed political heir be able to convince a conservative, evangelical population that he’s still pro-Israel in spite of such a record?

For years Republicans have used less than hawkish rhetoric and policy by Democrats to good effect. Yet in many cases the Democrats’ words and actions have been more pro-defense than Paul’s rhetoric. And that’s in a general election… not an (assumedly) more hawkish Republican primary in a military state.

Rand Paul faces many barriers to becoming the GOP nominee next spring. He’s a relative newcomer to Kentucky (sorry, 18 years don’t make you an insider in this state), is more of an ideological candidate in a race that usually favors political animals, and is opposed by much of the Republican machine. But a look at Rand’s foreign policy and defense credentials- nay Anti-Credentials- shows that his biggest problem will likely be his own views.