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.

Congratulations Senator Stivers (and Clay County)

Congratulations, Senator Stivers, on your election to the post of Senate Majority Leader.

This is a great day for Robert and his family, but it's also a great day for Clay County. The county's gotten a bad rap in recent weeks but it's guys like Robert who show the county's potential for leadership.

It's no coincidence that Richie Farmer and Robert Stivers were both Clay Countians and have been as successful as they are... especially relative to the rest of the region. This election serves to remind us of the county's potential.

Too Kooky for KY: Rand Paul is from Venus, Not Kentucky

Trey Grayson got it partially right when he cast Rand Paul as a non-Kentuckian. In fact, after looking over some of the things that Ron and Rand Paul have been for over the years, it appears they're actually from Venus. (As in Robert Kagan's seminal work "Americans are from Mars, Euorpeans from Venus.") After all, they practically blame the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., have failed to support the troops in war in Iraq and Afghanistan, seek to end the war on drugs, and were against the Patriot Act. They don't even like the term "War on Terror." Sound familiar? Wasn't that John Kerry's platform?

Remember Lincoln's admonition: "What would you do in my position? Would you drop the war where it is? Or, would you prosecute it in future, with elder-stalk squirts, charged with rose water?"

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

Rand Paul Must be Kooky: Surrender on War on Drugs Not an Option in Appalachia, KY

Not that it's a surprise, but Rand Paul is Too Kooky for Kentucky. Literally. Last year he served as the one of the principle spokesmen for a Presidential candidate who wants to decriminalize… perhaps legalize… drugs. Here's the Courier Journal's Joe Gerth on Rand and the drug war:

Paul said that on federal drug laws, he believes “most policies of crime and punishment should be and are addressed at the state level.”

He wouldn't say if the U.S. laws should be done away with or if the Drug Enforcement Administration should be disbanded, but he said, “I would favor a more local approach to drugs.”

By taking away precious federal resources, such as the DEA, the FBI, and various forms of federal aid for communities, Paul would hamstring our Appalachian communities in their bid to stem the drug tide. What’s more, difficult cases that require US Attorney oversight and cases built using RICO statutes would be harder to make.

Paul’s ideological take is also at odds with the politics of the region. Congressman Rogers has done a yeoman’s job trying to create programs that would alleviate some of the worst ravages that drugs have inflicted on our communities. These often rely on federal funds. Paul’s decision to abandon outright these efforts won’t make his Senate bid easy in the old (or new) 5th C.D.

Some of the programs that could be directly affected by the election of Rand Paul include:

City/County/DEA partnerships (which provide undercover task force officers in local communities)
Appalachian HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas)
Operation UNITE

At the end of the day, for many main street conservatives in KY, choosing our next Senator is a matter of choosing someone who will find you the resources and tools you need to make your communities better. For Rand Paul to abandon outright many of the tools rural communities have come to rely upon is downright kooky.

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

The GOP's Challenge

Lots of indignation on the web about Susan Collins' controversial vote to get the Baucus bill out of committee. Folks are shouting "RINO!, RINO!!" from the rooftops. But here's the political reality:

A new poll of Maine voters from the Pan Atlantic SMS Group, which regularly surveys the state, offers a glimpse at the home state pressure on Olympia Snowe -- and Susan Collins -- to break with her party and back health care legislation, and suggests that they would be rewarded at home for backing a public option.

The survey finds that 58% of Mainers approve of how President Obama is doing his job, and that a plurality of 46% back his plans for health care.

A twenty-point majority favor a public option...

Maybe Collins and Snowe aren't doing a sufficient job explaining to the public why public option is such a silly idea, I don't know. But this suggests that the real challenge the GOP faces isn't with a few recalcitrant members; it's with certain segments of the electorate.

If that's the case, then the GOP has to decide if it can handle a few wayward members in order to make a national party and reach a Congressional majority.

Read more on the polling at:
www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1009/Maine_polls_shows_support_for_Obama_plan_public_option.html?showall

WYMT Poll: Opposition to Baucus Bill Runs High in EKY

According to an unscientific WYMT TV poll, opposition to Senator Max Baucus's health care bill is running strong:

Results: Do you support the Baucus plan pending before the senate finance committee?
Poll Results:
Yes - 5.7%
No - 80.9%
Undecided - 13.5%
Total Responses - 230

The previous poll, which is already closed, yielded similar lopsided results:

Results: Are you in favor of the proposed senate version of the health care plan?
Poll Results:
Yes - 11.3%
No - 75.3%
Undecided - 13.4%

No word on how many takers in that one.

Read More @:
www.wkyt.com/polls?pollID=64034347&submit=submit&oid=2&mr=1&cid=6500&pid=64034347

Kentuckians for the Commonwealth vs. EKY Folk, Coal Miners

KYians for the Commonwealth are liveblogging the event.

As noted in our previous post, the anti's are outnumbered, big time, by the pro-coal people.

You can sense the frustration reading KFTC's posts. A few snips:

"Bob Mitchell - Coal industry supporters are cheering after everything he says, causing him to go over time. He claims coal provides 50% of the nation's energy, but the number is actually closer to 43%."

"Dan Mongiardo compares MTR to surgery in his operating room. "It may look bad while it is happening, but in the end it will only leave a small scar." "We should stop calling it mountaintop removal, instead call it mountaintop development." Stuff about trails and adventure tourism."

"The hearing is starting to feel more like a pep rally than a public hearing. "Coal provides us energy security." "

"Doug Doerrfeld is on the stand. The boos and expletives from the crowd continue making it difficult to hear his comments. There seems to be an increasing number of coal supporters leaving the arena. About 1/3 of the original audience remains."

www.kftc.org/blog/archive/2009/10/13/live-blogging-the-pikeville-valley-fill-hearing/view

At Last, The Worm Turns: "Raucous pro-coal crowds pack mining hearings"

This AP headline says it all: "Raucous pro-coal crowds pack mining hearings." Of course notice the subtle dig... "pack." Still, it's going to be hard to keep up the facade that the anti-coal, anti-mountaintop removal crowd are anything other than a few Eastern KY malcontents and a bunch of Central KY hippies. Eastern KY folk support mining and believe MTR is an important source of employment.

One more snip from the AP story: "Thousands of coal miners fearing the loss of jobs if mountaintop removal mining is curtailed or outlawed shouted down a handful of environmentalists at crowded public hearings Tuesday on the much-debated practice."

Oh, the AP did find one person to comment on the ills of MTR in Kentucky. A retired Richmond prof. Par for the course...

Read More @: www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5giHtT8Pyma73d73FFOJx-evlk65QD9BAI1BG4

More Miners Laid Off

Pray for the workers and the families of the workers who've lost their jobs in this, the most anti-coal era in our nation's history:

Coal miners who worked in three eastern Kentucky counties are looking for new jobs tonight.

Officials with Miller Brothers Mining say they were forced to lay off 85 employees yesterday from sites in Magoffin, Floyd, and Knott Counties. The company is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy right now, and is reducing production at several mine sites.

The work day ends around 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at Miller Brothers Coal, but this Monday ended a little different than usual. At the end of the shift, 85 workers lost their jobs.

[...]

Even though he could sense it, Skaggs said the layoffs were still devastating, even for the boss.

"You could tell it destroyed him. You know because it's kinda like a family on jobs like that," Skaggs said.

[...]

"I don't know what to expect. Got bills to pay, just gotta work thru it," Skaggs said.

And lest anyone has any doubts about why: "Miller Brothers officials say the layoffs were in response to weak demand for coal and the uncertainty of issuance of new mining permits."

Both can be laid at the feet of an uncertain and downright anti-coal regulatory regime.

Read more @: www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/64155952.html

Appalachian Poverty Too Complex to Blame on Coal

The Lexington Herald Leader rehashes the old canard that poverty in Appalachia is tied to coal:

Kentucky's coal counties rank among the poorest 10 percent in the nation, while other Appalachian counties, where there is no coal, have figured out how to build stronger economies.

A list of ARC designated distressed counties in Appalachia includes 38 counties. The list runs from Pike County in the east to Monroe County in the west. Most of the distressed counties aren’t even coal producing counties.

A look at counties producing coal in Appalachian Kentucky shows roughly 10 counties (out of 38) that are, in fact, large scale, coal producing counties. These 10 counties have mines that generate coal valued in excess of $100 million. They are: Perry, Bell, Pike, Floyd, Breathitt, Harlan, Knott, Martin, Letcher and Leslie County. Two additional counties, Magoffin and Lawrence, mine coal valued at approx. $45 million. These numbers aren’t a great way to gauge how sizable these counties coal operations are, but they are a nice approximation.

Many of the ARC’s distressed counties don’t even mine coal. They include Monroe, Bath, Carter, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Estill, Hart, Lee, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Powell, Robertson, Russell and Wayne County. That’s 16 economically distressed counties where zero mining takes place. Further, it doesn’t include distressed counties where there are a very limited number of mines.

An unbiased editorial board might look at these numbers and conclude that poverty is entrenched in the region for reasons other than coal. They might look to finger other culprits, such as culture or the excesses of the welfare state. Much of the poverty in the region is generational and affects hundreds of families whose only experience with coal is its use in the stoves and stokers. Alas, when it comes to coal, there’s no such thing as an unbiased editorial board at the Lexington Herald Leader.

Coal Miners vs. Kentuckians for the Commonwealth

Coal miners are finally taking aim at the folks who're trying to put them out of work:

Environmentalists in West Virginia released a report Tuesday blasting mountaintop removal mining and police in eastern Kentucky were preparing to handle large crowds as supporters and opponents of the practice mobilized for federal hearings this week.

[...]

[KSP troopers will be providing security at the expo center tonight.]

Coal miners, fearing they may lose their jobs if mountaintop removal ceases, were expected to attend, alongside environmentalists who have fought for decades to end [a manner of mining that allows KY coal to be productive alongside western coal].

Read more @:
www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5giHtT8Pyma73d73FFOJx-evlk65QD9BADKNO0

Coal has been losing this battle thus far, largely by default. Now that they're engaged, we'll see how they fare. Regardless, one thing is certain: this administration is the most anti-coal we're likely to see in our lifetimes. Environmental groups are at their peak; but when you're at your peak, there's only direction you can move.

Obama Laying Groundwork to Deny McChrystal's Afghan Surge?

Is this a war of necessity or not?

The Obama administration seems to be backpedalling on that notion today.

First they reproach McChrystal:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091005/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_us_afghanistan

Then they leak to the NY Times that they're rethinking merits of additional troops:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33161460/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times

This is no time to go wobbly in Afghanistan!

EU Treaty Defeated in Ireland (UPDATED AND CORRECTED)

A big setback for the EU as Ireland again rejects ratification of their treaty. Skepticism, not just Euro-skepticism, seems to be the hallmark of voters worldwide. Pols take notice...

Read More @: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7452171.stm

PS- Does this create opportunties for a tigher Anglosphere?

UPDATE: OK, I jumped the gun on this. I did a Google New search of "Ireland EU Vote" and got the above story. It's right, of course; the treaty was defeated. But there's a problem: the article's from the last time the treaty was defeated in 2008. Unfortunately, I missed that little tidbit.

This year, it looks as if it'll pull through. Sorry for the SNAFU.

Rogers Brings Flood Control Dollars to EKY

A snip from WYMT TV:

U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05) announced today that the U.S. House of Representatives has approved federal funding for flood control efforts in southern and eastern Kentucky.

Today, the House passed the FY10 Energy & Water Appropriations Conference Report, which included $9.5 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect the region from future flooding.

Read More @: www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/63204402.html

Is the type of funding that Rand Paul criticizes when he speaks out against KY Congressmen bringing home projects to their district?

Southeast Telephone Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy; Stems from AT&T Suit

An EKY company is going through a bad patch.

Pike County's Appalachia News Express has the scoop:

A locally owned and operated telecommunications company has filed for bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

According to the filing, minus the $24 million contested judgment, the company’s assets actually exceed its liabilities by more than $8 million.

The judgment stems from an ongoing legal battle between the two companies over SouthEast Telephone’s usage of AT&T’s equipment to provide services and how much that usage is worth.

The case has not reached a final resolution.

Darrell Maynard, president and founder of SouthEast Telephone, would not comment on the issues, but announced the Chapter 11 filling through a press release.

“SouthEast Telephone is not closing,” Maynard said in the statement. “Customers will not experience any interruption of service. This does not affect the day-to-day operations of the company.

“We will continue to serve our customers as usual,” he continued. “The decision to file for reorganization was a difficult step for us to take. It is our desire to remain strong so that we can continue to support and serve rural Kentucky communities.”

According to the statement, the company, which employs 184 people, hopes to create a reorganization plan and emerge from Chapter 11 protection within a few months.

Read More @: www.news-expressky.com/articles/2009/10/02/top_story/01setel.txt

R.I.P., Bill Safire

Two great thinking-conservatives have passed over the past few days. First, Irving Kristol, now, Bill Safire.

Safire was a compassionate yet realistic pundit whose commentary I always enjoyed. I will especially miss his New Year's Day predictions in the future.

A snip from WaPo's obit reminds us what a full life Safire lived:

Born in New York City, he dropped out of Syracuse University after two years. He returned a generation later to deliver the commencement address and became a university trustee. He was a correspondent in the U.S. Army and a radio, television and newspaper reporter before running a public relations firm in New York. As a PR man, he was responsible for bringing then-Vice President Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev together in the 1959 Moscow kitchen debate.

In 1968, he joined Nixon's presidential campaign and became a senior speechwriter, credited with coining the phrases "nattering nabobs of negativism" and "hysterical hypochondriacs of history" that Vice President Spiro Agnew used to describe the U.S. media.

He is the author of four novels: Freedom (1987), Full Disclosure (1977), Sleeper Spy (1995) and Scandalmonger (2000) [which I'm currently reading and a book that is quite fascinating for its behind the scenes look at history]. His other titles include a dictionary, a history, anthologies and commentaries.

Read More @:

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/27/AR2009092702130.html?hpid=topnews

AMBER ALERT FROM OWENSBORO, KY

POTENTIALLY HEADED TO INDIANNA, OH OR TN:

http://www.wlwt.com/news/21125520/detail.html

Woodrow Wilson, The New Freedom, and the Path Not Taken

Quote of the day: What this country needs above everything else is a body of laws which will look after the men who are on the make rather than the men who are already made. Because the men who are already made are not going to live indefinitely, and they are not always kind enough to leave sons as able and as honest as they are.

While not a Glenn Beck watcher, or reader, I noted his interesting comment that John McCain would have been a worse President than Barack Obama for conservatives. Beck's reasoning was that McCain would have been a more subtle statist with GOP support, while with Obama, conservatives know what they're getting and are willing to fight. In that piece, Beck cited a speech, nearly 100 years old, that TR made in his Quixotic third party bid for the Presidency as evidence against McCain.

In that campaign, there were essentially three schools of thought. The establishment GOP argument, that business should left alone and trusts shouldn't be busted but actually aided by the government; the Bull Moose philosophy that government needed to curb certain trusts and aid others; and Woodrow Wilson's more Jeffersonian argument that the small man and the small enterprise needed assistance.

Then there's this passage:

There has come over the land that un-American set of conditions which enables a small number of men who control the government to get favors from the government; by those favors to exclude their fellows from equal business opportunity; by those favors to extend a network of control that will presently dominate every industry in the country, and so make men forget the ancient time when America lay in every hamlet, when America was to be seen in every fair valley, when America displayed her great forces on the broad prairies, ran her fine fires of enterprise up over the mountain-sides and down into the bowels of the earth, and eager men were everywhere captains of industry, not employees; not looking to a distant city to find out what they might do, but looking about among their neighbors, finding credit according to their character, not according to their connections, finding credit in proportion to what was known to be in them and behind them, not in proportion to the securities they held that were approved where they were not known. In order to start an enterprise now, you have to be authenticated, in a perfectly impersonal way, not according to yourself, but according to what you own that somebody else approves of your owning. You cannot begin such an enterprise as those that have made America until you are so authenticated, until you have succeeded in obtaining the good-will of large allied capitalists. Is that freedom? That is dependence, not freedom.

I've only just started mining this work, but thought it interesting enough to share.

Read More of Wilson's philosophy (which he ultimately chucked as soon as he became President) @: www.gutenberg.org/files/14811/14811-h/14811-h.htm

Fox News in Hollers Causes Census Killing in Clay County?

That's what one contributor at Daily Kos is suggesting:

Clay County Kentucky (Where this murder happened) is a very
conservative part of this state, and out in the deep hollers, there are people
whose only source of the outside world is Fox News and their likes.

Simplistic views like these don’t do justice to the complexity, or the diversity of Clay County. Having grown up in Leslie and Clay County, and having represented criminal clients there for a period time as a lawyer, I can say with some certainty that most people in the area capable of killing a man in cold blood (assuming that is what happened, as appears) are not Fox News viewers. They don’t read papers and don’t have political ideologies. To the extent they have developed politics, it’s almost exclusively local and patronage-based. Many of the more dangerous elements actually draw public assistance (and thus have very little to lose) and traffic in drugs… drugs that are usually obtained by Medicaid fraud.

Another problem people make when discussing Clay County (and Appalachia in general) is to assume that it’s monolithic. Crime happens in Clay County the same way it happens in Fayette County. The difference is that crime isn’t segregated to certain communities to the same extent it is in urban areas. Low income and high income families alike live in the same neighborhoods, but crime is, as in other places, nearly exclusively the domain of lower income families.

It’s too early to jump to any firm conclusions in this man's sad death, but at least commentators should get their generalizations correct. 'Hollers, Fox News and Murder' are, despite the left's uninformed contentions to the contrary, just not combinations you typically see in EKY.

Census Worker Hanged in Clay County, Anti-Government Sentiment Suspected

Shock:

A U.S. Census worker found hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery had
the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday,
and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government
sentiment.

[...]

The Census has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County,
where the body was found, pending the outcome of theinvestigation. An autopsy
report is pending.

Read More @: http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/60797072.html

India Probe Finds H2O on Moon

Potentially big news in the world of science:

"Within the context of lunar science, this is a major discovery," said Paul
G. Lucey, a planetary scientist with the University of Hawaii, who was not
involved in the current research. "There was zero accepted evidence that there
was any water at the lunar surface, [but] now it is shown to be easily
detectable, though by extremely sensitive methods. As a lunar scientist, when I
read about this I was completely blown away.

"The discovery "will forever change how we look at the moon," added Roger
Clark, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver and the author of
one of three papers -- each dealing with data from a different spacecraft --
appearing in this week's edition of Science magazine.

Read More @:
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-moon24-2009sep24,0,791176.story

Sarah! , Energy Independence, Renewables and Global Warming

Bit historical now, but intriguing. A report was released in January 2009 from then Gov. Sarah! Palin's Energy Coordinator on Energy Independence for Alaska.

Some highlights:

1. The state has created renewable energy fund.
2. The state also created an energy research fund.
3. Does Sarah believe in global warming: "Energy efficiency and renewable energy are twin pillars of a sustainable energy policy. Becoming more energy efficient is seen as one solution to common, critical problems such as energy security, global warming, and fossil fuel depletion." ??
4. Alaska is bullish on natural gas: "900 of 1,000 future power plants will be fired by natural gas."
5. AK is actually considering "land use policy" to restrict property rights and require green buildings. (Scary!)

Worth reading sometime:

http://www.aidea.org/aea/PDF%20files/AK%20Energy%20Final.pdf

Natural Gas, Energy Independence and the Greens

Interesting piece in the BBC about natural gas. In a critical tone they acknowledge new discoveries in places like Appalachia (the Marcellus Shale) and bemoan the fact that energy independence could actually come about as a result of.... Heaven forbid... natural gas. (Scary music plays in the background!)

Snips:

Then comes the killer comment, as far as US politics is concerned right
now: "The natural gas that's being used in this country at this time can really
get us to energy independence."

"Energy independence" has almost become the Holy Grail in the US.

Here, the environmental debate often does not concern saving the planet, or
reducing the effects of human action on the global climate.

[...]

It is easier to sell the idea that changing where the US gets it fuel from
will make the country less reliant on potentially difficult regimes.

For a while that argument helped encourage environmentalists that this
country was entering a new phase, in which it would generate clean, green
energy.

Now, some of them fear natural gas discoveries may be delivering
(inexpensive) energy independence, without delivering a sustainable solution to
the country's energy needs.

[...]

For many though, any environmental costs are outweighed by the economic
benefits. Natural gas is seen here as a realistic alternative source of fuel -
to be used in cars, in homes, to power industry and business.

Americans use more energy than anyone else on the planet. Natural gas
is cheap, and available.

It is not the "green revolution" some, including President Obama once spoke
of. But it may be how, in the short term at least, the US chooses to meet its
energy needs.

While the BBC is taking a purist view, in a sign of splits within the "green movement" to come, the Dem leadership is having a "lovefest" over Natural Gas:

Al Gore even joined the natural gas praise, specifically calling out natural gas shale as an important potential resource and endorsing Pickens’ plan for natural gas-powered trucks. Gore had previously largely been advocating electric vehicles in his controversial plan for the U.S. to use clean power for 100 percent of its electricity.

Most of the speakers noted that natural gas is still a fossil fuel with considerable carbon emissions, but compared with coal and gasoline-powered vehicles, it’s much better.

Did everyone see the fault lines? Natural Gas vs. Environmentalists... Environmentalists vs. Establishment Dems... Natural Gas vs. Coal... Energy Independence vs. Green Energy... lots of room for agreement when it comes to alternative energy, but lots of room to disagree too.

Links:
1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8224295.stm
2. http://earth2tech.com/2009/08/10/vegas-clean-energy-summit-natural-gas-lovefest/

Cap & Trade Battle Far From Over, But Signs Point to Defeat; Alternative Energy Bill Gains Traction

The NY Times describes Cap and Trade as being “in limbo.” The EPA and Senator Barbara Boxer, whose Senate committee will produce the ultimate Senate Bill, are not giving up on the legislation. Meanwhile, Senator Inhofe says put a fork in it:

“The delay is emblematic of the division and disarray in the Democratic
party over cap-and-trade and health care legislation, both of which are big
government schemes for which the public has expressed overwhelming
opposition,"

Complicating the effort is a looming Copenhagen summit intended to be a platform for a new, international global warming treaty; think of it as Kyoto II. Environmentalists feel the administration’s hand will be weakened if there’s not a Cap and Trade bill by that summit.

Then there are ongoing discussions with China which could result in a bilateral agreement (presumably a treaty) on emissions.

To complicate things further, there’s the recent EPA decision to regulate CO2 as a pollutant:

Also coming soon: U.S. EPA rules to control greenhouse gas emissions from
motor vehicles and power plants -- regulations that are more than a decade in
the making and premised on the 2007 Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v.
EPA.

"You can take a big bite out of the U.S. global warming pollution under the existing law," Doniger said, who added that it would not be too difficult to quantify the emission reductions from combining the new federal rules.

GreenTechMedia is even more pessimistic than the NY Times:

The hopes of passing a massive climate and energy bill through Congress this
year appear to be dimming, as the bill takes a back seat to health care and
financial reform.

Or perhaps the "climate" and the "energy" portions of the bill will be separated, since boosting clean energy and energy efficiency is a far less controversial prospect than the carbon cap-and-trade regulations that are now part of the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

That's the word from Democrats in the Senate, including high-ranking Sen. Dick Durbin, Reuters reported Thursday. The Illinois Senator told Reuters that health care reform and financial regulation could supersede action on the climate and energy bill, which passed the House in June but faces an uphill battle in the
Senate.

We’ve been saying for weeks that an Alternative Energy Bill is much more likely. The Billings (Montana) Gazette, one of the leading newspapers in the state for a couple of moderate Senate Dems, reccomends just such a bill.

Here’s their take:

To create a win-win for Montana, cap-and-trade portions of the bill should be
replaced with incentives for entrepreneurial solutions.

Specifically:

• Replace costly subsidies for politically favored technologies with preferential tax treatment for increased research and development spending on both proven and experimental energy sources. Entrepreneurs, not Washington politicians, are more likely to discover cost-effective solutions for cleaner energy.

• Improve patent protection for new energy technology discoveries to improve the cost/benefit of entrepreneurial risk-taking.

• Limit frivolous lawsuits that obstruct both proven and experimental domestic American energy development to lower energy costs.

We have a long tradition of sending representatives to Washington who stand up for hardworking Montanans. We're confident that Sens. Baucus and Tester will do the right thing for Montana's unique environment and economy.

Cumberland Gap in the NY Times Travel Mag

The New York Times travel section has a piece on the Cumberland Gap today. A snip:

The Cumberland Gap, a V-shaped notch in the Appalachian mountain chain 60-some miles north of Knoxville, Tenn., is, like Ellis Island, an icon in the settling of America. Historians estimate that 200,000 to 300,000 people made it through the gap in the years between 1775 and 1810, leaving the coastal states behind and putting down roots in land that would become Kentucky and Tennessee. The gap was the only practical way through the Appalachian chain for 100 miles to the north and south. The danger of Indian attacks made the more expensive alternate way — down the Ohio River — particularly risky.

Earlier, herds of buffalo, deer and elk once migrated through this gap. The Shawnee and Cherokee used it for hunting and war parties.

[…]

The fertile land beyond the Appalachians had a siren call to many whose families had been landless peasants or tenant farmers back in Europe. For the Indians who were already there, the story is one of displacement and disruption of hunting grounds, and one of the most interesting aspects of the interpretive exhibits in the park’s
visitor center is that it tells the story from both sides, on rotating panels.
But the settlers, of course, prevailed.

In early 1775 Daniel Boone, working for a land speculation company, led a crew blazing a rough trail through the gap, part of what became known as Boone’s Trace and the Wilderness Road. Later that spring he led a group of families, including his own, west on the steep, narrow path.

After the American Revolution, the trickle of travelers became an unstoppable river of men, women and children, and of packhorses loaded with salt, gunpowder, bedding, skillets and seed for the first planting. In 1796 the trail was widened for wagons, as authorized by the legislature of the new state of Kentucky.

Over the past couple of weeks I've argued that Jefferson Davis should leave KY's Capitol Rotunda, the center of the Commonwealth's government, and be moved to a lesser perch. His spot should be taken by a statue of someone else. Here's a bit of evidence for Daniel Boone being that someone.

Iron Lady Takes Heat Over Secretly Opposing German Unification

Maggie Thatcher, former PM to the United Kingdom, is taking some hits this weekend over her secret opposition to German reunification.

From Der Spiegel:

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher bitterly opposed Germany's reunification. 'We beat the Germans twice, and now they're back,' she allegedly remarked after the fall of the Berlin Wall. But a new raft of documents reveals just how isolated in her opinion the Iron Lady really was.

[...]

It's no secret that Thatcher was a bitter opponent of German reunification. But new documents released Thursday by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office show how she insisted that her government resist the historic development. She repeatedly reined back then-Foreign Minister Douglas
Hurd and Christopher Mallaby, Britain's ambassador in Bonn, who wanted to signal his support for reunification on the day the wall came down.

[...]

Thatcher, for her part, believed up until February 1990 that she would be
able to slow the pace of reunification. She felt it was all happening far too
quickly and feared that Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev would be destabilized by
reunification, a concern borne out by history. She backed a five-year
transitional period with two German states and did not share Mitterrand's
optimism that the Germans could be tamed by being incorporated into European
institutions. "The problems will not be overcome by strengthening the EC" she
wrote on February 2, 1990, in an internal memo, referring to the predecessor
organization of the European Union. "Germany's ambitions would then become the
dominant and active factor."

[...]

The fact that France, the Soviet Union and the United States supported
German reunification also had an impact on her stance. Gradually Thatcher moved
into the German political mainstream -- but she never lost her deep-seated
suspicion of the Germans.

Read More @: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,648364,00.html

Aussie Takes Helm at Morgan Stanley

Evidence of the Anglosphere as an Australian takes the helm at Morgan Stanley, a company descended from the old J.P. Morgan & Co.

A snip from the Sydney Morning Herald:

AUSTRALIAN-BORN James Gorman has ascended to one of the most prestigious
roles in international banking.

Educated at Xavier Grammar and Melbourne University's law school, Mr
Gorman, 51, will replace legendary Wall Street blue-blood John J. Mack at the
helm of Morgan Stanley.
Mr Gorman is the quiet power behind a new push to
lure ordinary investors to the bank's blossoming brokerage business.

The appointment ends months of speculation over who would succeed Mr Mack
as head of what was, until recently, one of the most successful banks on Wall
Street. Unanswered are the many questions still swirling over Mr Mack's legacy -
and over Mr Gorman, his hand-picked successor.

I can't claim this is a new phenomenon because J.P. Morgan & Co. was started by a couple of Boston bankers in London, but it's a testament to the power of language, shared culture and a uniform common law template that allows these different players from different countries to come together and take part in global commerce.

Read More @: www.smh.com.au/business/australian-banker-takes-the-helm-at-morgan-stanley-20090911-fkr6.html

Breathitt County Startup Partners with Museum for Magna Carta Exhibit

Great news from a company I've worked with for three years now. Cary Briggs, the inventor, has worked like an energizer bunny to bootstrap this project from one level to the next. He's never given up despite hard times and has always maintained his sunny optimism. Here's the presser:

Envelop Media Builds World’s First Clarifier, on display with Magna Carta Exhibit in New York Innovative kiosk/display case to feature Fraunces Tavern history and artifacts

Envelop Media, an eastern Kentucky [Breathitt County] technology start-up, has built the first prototype of the unique patent pending kiosk/display case to hold several historical artifacts from the 18th century. The device tells the Fraunces Tavern story as part of the Magna Carta and the Foundations of Freedom exhibit in New York City from September 15th through December 15th. The Clarifier can best be described as a glass enclosed display environment where people interact with a multi-media touch interface that is incorporated into the display case glass. The device also features “electric glass” technology that when turned “on” creates projection surfaces that display content and when turned “off” are clear allowing a person to view items in the case. The interactive nature of the device allows both information dissemination and transactions, making the device the kiosk format of the future.

Cary Briggs, inventor of the technology and the veteran of more than eight start-ups, had the idea to integrate several leading edge technologies after a visit to a department store five years ago. “I wondered why something as simple as a bottle of perfume can cost $300 and figured there was a story there to tell the consumer. The Clarifier is all about telling the complex story behind something simple, in a clear, concise way. We are excited to finally bring this idea to life and grateful to have such a wonderful forum to showcase the Clarifier.”

Envelop Media believes the Clarifier may well be the future of self service devices. “Kiosks are great technology but the industry has always been challenged by telling consumers what they can do on a kiosk and with creating a single device for multiple users. The Clarifier draws the consumers’ immediate attention with the display items and the touch interfaces accommodate multiple users and can tell a story, or sell a product. This device is the future of the kiosk industry,” says Scott Templeton, CEO and the veteran of a number of self service and digital signage projects.

Envelop Media is completing an initial seed round capitalization and is working with the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation and the Morehead State University Innovation Center [at West Liberty] to bring the product to market. Fleetwood Enterprises, Dawar Technologies, Smart Glass Systems, Awesome Inc. and Dogwood Technology [Mike Bryant] are major development partners. Envelop Media is in discussions with The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Corey Advertising, The Morgan Library and Museum and others to deploy Clarifiers in the coming months.


About Envelop Media
Envelop Media focuses on deploying unique digital signage and display solutions into high traffic public spaces, based on recurring revenue business models. They build, and operate digital signage networks using a combination of internal resources and best in class service providers with proven track records. The company was founded by Cary Briggs, inventor of the Clarifier technology and Scott Templeton who has a strong background in digital signage and retail technology. For more information on Envelop Media please go to www.envelopmedia.tv.

About the Magna Carta
The year is 1215 and the days of "the divine right of kings" are numbered. A group of English Barons call King John to the fields of Runnymede to set his seal to Magna Carta, a document which, for the first time, limited his powers and put the wheels of liberty in motion that continue to roll forward today. Originally known as "The Charter of Liberty," deep within was the revolutionary clause forming the basis of ideas that would later find their way into the Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution and other documents of liberty. Magna Carta is one of the most important documents in the history of democracy, directly influencing human rights throughout the centuries.

About Fraunces Tavern Museum
Fraunces Tavern Museum is a survivor of the early days of New York City. It was built in 1719 as an elegant residence for the merchant Stephan Delancey and his family. In 1762, the home was purchased by tavern-keeper Samuel Fraunces, who turned it into one of the most popular taverns of the day. Though it is best known as the site where Washington gave his farewell address to the officers of the Continental Army, in 1783, the tavern also played a significant role in pre-Revolutionary activities. After the war, when New York was the nation’s first capital, the tavern was rented to the new government to house the offices of the Departments of War, Treasury and Foreign Affairs. In 1904, the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York purchased the tavern and hired preservation architect William Mersereau to return the building to its colonial appearance. Fraunces Tavern® Museum opened to the public in 1907. Today, the museum complex includes four 19th century buildings in addition to the 18th century Fraunces Tavern building. Fraunces Tavern® Museum is located at 54 Pearl Street, Manhattan.

For more information on the Magna Carta Exhibit, please go to: http://www.frauncestavernmuseum.org/magna-carta.html