VOLuntarilyConservative

Congratulations to Senator Mike Williams, who was named today as one of the worst Tennessee lawmakers for business by Business TN magazine. Business TN magazine has been listing its best and worst lawmakers since 2004.

I'm sure that Tennessee 4th District is proud to be represented by someone who the business community knows isn't in its corner.

Labels: 2008 Tennessee General Assembly Campaigns, Business

There's an interesting story contained in Lew Rockwell's latest column regarding the State and how its system oftentimes works against the interests of justice in regards to protecting children from their own parents.

Don't kid yourself into believing that the events contained in Lew's column are restricted only to Michigan, either. I wouldn't have been surprised in the least if the headline had come from Nashville instead of Detroit.

While I don't agree with most of Lew's column (there were criminal acts being perpetrated at the polygamist compound in Texas, the perpetrators knew the acts were criminal - seems fairly open and shut), the public needs to become more aware of what is going on through the various state Department of Children's Services and Child Protective Services. Most of what is occurring is shrouded in secrecy though private juvenile court proceedings, so little tales like the one shared by Lew Rockwell need to be heard by a wide-scale audience.

Labels: Children, Civil Liberties, DCS

First, you need to understand where this post is coming from. Yesterday, I asked a simple, honest question - I wanted to know why Brian Hornback was so critical of Republican nominees in Knox County. Quite frankly, I'm not sure why he is doing so, so I thought I would see if anyone else had any ideas. This wasn't any subtle dig or attempt to stir the pot. I just thought it odd to see the former head of Knox County Republican Party attacking Republican nominees Ruthie Kuhlman and Foster Arnett, Jr.

Now, I suspect that Brian probably holds a grudge against Arnett for taking his boy Scott Moore behind the woodshed in the GOP primary for County Clerk, but I don't know that for a fact. That's why I asked. Maybe Brian has some built up guile against Arnett reaching back to the days of Victor Ashe or even earlier. I certainly don't know.

The same goes for Ruthie Kuhlman. As Brian pointed out, Ruthie has supported Democratic candidates recently. However, that's not the reason for Brian's hate of Kuhlman, as his posts against her span back to hours after her primary victory, and knowledge of her support of Democratic candidates is only a few days old. There's something else there. Maybe Brian likes lawyers? Nope, not from his reaction...

So Brian Hornback lets loose with the poison that he normally saves for private conversations. He calls me a liar, but doesn't say what I am lying about. He calls me a lawyer, as if that is going to hurt my feelings. He says that I support either Clinton or Obama, but he can't point to anywhere that I have endorsed either of the Democratic candidates. He says something about Tyler Harber, but I have no clue what the heck he is talking about. He comments on Randy Neal's site that I'm not "from around here," as if being tied with Knox County politics somehow makes one wiser to the ways of the world.

Brian's right - I'm not from around here. And I'm damn proud of it. I'm from the 1st District of the Great State of Tennessee, where people support candidates that believe what they believe. We sat with Jimmy Quillen and Bill Jenkins at church socials and pancake breakfasts, talking about what we could do to make this world a better place through the vehicles of limited government, lower taxes, religious and civil liberties, protection of the right to bear arms, and a strong military to defend our borders.

The bond we felt has to do with belief and ideology, not party loyalty. This is more of an Appalachian trait, it seems, than a Tennessean one or a Southern one. I suppose that one could expand voting for a common ideology instead of with party affiliation to many parts of the South, and Zell Miller of Georgia would be an example of this phenomenon. In fact, those Republicans who cheered Zell's loyalty to his ideology at the expense of his party and then deride those of us who do the same thing as the party of McCain drifts Left are nothing more than hypocrites and opportunists.

I am not supporting John McCain. I will not vote for John McCain. I have not been shy about those statements. If given the choice of candidates who have not supported tax cuts, a limited government, the right to bear arms, closing our borders to the flow of criminals crossing them, and only serve to feed their own insatiable thirst for power, I will vote for none of them. I had hoped to vote for the Constitution Party's Alan Keyes (who I previously worked for in my second presidential campaign), but he recently lost his bid to be placed on the ballot to Chuck Baldwin.

If I were to vote today, I would vote for Chuck Baldwin. Unlike many of his predecessors, he is getting some genuine press, as demonstrated here in this piece in WorldNetDaily. And no one should be surprised, as I said that I might support the Constitution Party nominee over a year ago. (Also, check out Baldwin's speech linked to in the April, 2007 post.)

And this is the difference between Brian Hornback and myself. As I have said many times on this blog and off, Brian Hornback was perfect for being Chairman of the Knox County GOP. That job is all about being for the party - even when the party is flat-out wrong. Brian kept the peace (as good as it could be in Knox County) and supported Republicans at all times. That is why I was taken aback that he was so negative towards Kuhlman and Arnett.

I'm not saying that Brian is wrong to be against them. I don't live in the 4th District, so I won't be voting for Kuhlman, but I certainly will be voting for Arnett, just as I did in the primary. Brian's actions just struck me as odd, so I asked an open question to see if anyone knew why. Brian took offense, and he acted out. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

But, then again, I'm not from around here. My conservatism is based on the writings of Kuyper, Burke, Chesterton, Buckley, Nash, and Reagan. I seriously doubt they would know what to do with Knox County politics, either.

Labels: 2008 General Election, Knox County GOP, Knox County Politics

It's no secret that I am not supporting the GOP nominee for the White House, John McCain. I have been consistent in that viewpoint, and my convictions are based on the moderate McCain's views that support criminals entering the United States, his lack of support for previous tax cuts, his treachery against Republican social conservatives, and what I perceived during my time on Capitol Hill as his general lack of sanity.

However, I'm curious about what is going on in Knox County. Someone answer me this:

Why is the previous Knox County GOP Chairman openly supporting Democrats?

I routinely read my friend Brian Hornback's blog, and it is apparent that he is solidly against Republican nominee for County Clerk Foster Arnett, Jr., as well as Republican nominee for County Commission, Seat 4A Ruthie Kuhlman.

Is it a grudge? Is it an ideological difference? Anyone care to speculate?

Labels: Knox County GOP, Knox County Politics

Byron over at Knoxville Trivia has five spots that you need to avoid in Knox County - unless, that is, you are looking to buy drugs, get shot, be sodomized, or have your catalytic converter stolen.

Yikes! Maybe I'll just stay here in South Carolina for a while...

Labels: Crime, Knox County Politics

Dave Oatney has some thoughts on Howard Dean's recent proclamation that one of the two Democratic Presidential Candidates needs to withdraw by June 3rd, at the latest.

Here's the problem that comes with making a political loser like Howard Dean your leader of the DNC. Why in the world would Hillary Clinton or Barrack Obama - who have traveled a long campaign road to get to where they are today and both stand at the precipice of being the ultimate winner come November - listen to a loser like Dean who has a history of psychiatric issues?

For whatever reason, the Democrats have a history of looking to losers as leaders. Harold Ford loses to Bob Corker, and the next thing you know he's the head of Democratic Leadership Council. Dean is a similar story. The Democrats got away from this follow-the-loser approach for a while under Bill Clinton's reign, when he placed his hand-picked friends in party leadership. Alas for them, they failed to keep out of the loser mentality.

This race is going down to the wire and, eventually, will be in the hands of the superdelegates. A strong peacemaker - on the Republican side, a Jim Baker would fit the mould - is needed for the Democrats to avoid a meltdown resulting from non-elected superdelegates deciding the race and "stealing" it from one of the candidates.

It's quite amazing, but the Democrats may have figured out a way to have John McCain win the White House, and the leadership void at the top of their party can do nothing to stop the downward momentum their splintering party possesses.

Labels: 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary, 2008 General Election, Democrats

Nice column by Pat Buchanan that takes on John McCain's recent campaign theatrics.

I just wish Pat would give us the option of casting our ballots for him in November. Alas, his arguments often make much too much sense for our modern version of politicians.

Labels: 2008 General Election

Read why below, courtesy of Family Action Council of Tennessee:

Last week the House Health and Human Resources Committee considered a bill that would allow those who have had a sex change operation to change their birth certificate to reflect their "new" sex. Of course, adding and removing body parts does not change genetics and chromosomes - women still have two "x" chromosomes and men still have an "x" chromosome and a "y" chromosome . And, no doubt that is why Rep. Jason Mumpower (R-Bristol) made a motion to amend the bill to require that the new birth certificate reflect the existence of a sex change.

It was then, right there in a public meeting where government policy is being made, that Rep. Jean Richardson (D-Memphis) conveniently vaulted over the "wall of separation of church and state" constructed and revered by liberals and dropped the "J-word." Yes, that's right, she brought up "Jesus." Rep. Richardson, in response to Rep. Mumpower's physiologically correct amendment, chided him for his lack of compassion with a bizarre question to support her position, "What would Jesus do?"

Rep. Mumpower gave a fine response, but the extreme irony of her question is found in the fact that several weeks ago she voted against SJR 127, the resolution that would amend our state constitution and pave the way for partial-birth abortion being banned in Tennessee.

Yes, you read correctly. There is no enforceable ban on partial-birth abortion in Tennessee! And there won't be one without the passage of SJR 127. In what is nothing short of a political bomb shell, our state Attorney General recently stated that even the same ban on partial-birth abortion the United States Supreme Court upheld would not be enforceable under Tennessee's Constitution. (In Tennessee, an Attorney General opinion nearly carries the weight of law, particularly among legislators and the governor's administration). According to our state Supreme Court, even partial-birth abortion is a constitutional right in Tennessee. That is, unless we amend our Constitution to say otherwise.

We wonder what Jesus would do about birth certificates for those who have changed their physical appearance, but we don't ask that question when it comes to protecting unborn children in the third trimester from having their skulls pierced or crushed and their brains removed. Call me crude and insensitive, but those are the words the U.S. Supreme Court used when it said that partial-birth abortion could be banned. When we use these "nice" but sanitized descriptions for abortion procedures, too many do not know what we are really talking about. People need to know the cruelty of the procedure that was protected by Rep. Richardson's vote against SJR 127. Protecting partial-birth abortion is not very compassionate.

Which raises another point. Jesus was never asked about birth certificates. So he never spoke to the issue directly. But he did say that whoever would cause one of these "little ones to stumble," it "would be better for that man to have a millstone tied around his neck and that he be cast in the sea." When the House of Representatives sits by and makes it possible for even one partial-birth abortion to be performed and a whole state does not rise up to demand their elected officials act to change this, you have to wonder if there are enough millstones in Tennessee to go around.

Lastly, the press, as best we can tell, did not jump all over Rep. Richardson for bringing religion into the consideration of public policy, let alone the fact that it was Christianity. I have no doubt that had I asked that same question of my fellow legislators when I was sponsoring SJR 127, I would have been crucified by the press and political liberals. Maybe I should have asked and suffered the consequences. After all, we know what Jesus would do when it comes to being crucified for doing the right thing.

Labels: Abortion, General Assembly, Homosexuality

The Center for Bioethical Reform recently presented their Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) at the University of Kentucky. GAP is a demonstration marked by two-dozen large posters related to the abortion procedure, as well as information on abortion provided by volunteers for those who ask for it.

GAP's presence at UK sparked a negative editorial by the staff at the Kernel, the student newspaper. In the editorial, the newspaper took the position that abortion is not genocide.

As a way of proving their point, the newspaper started an online poll on the subject. I suppose that they thought the enlightened students of academia would show their pro-choice stripes in an educated manner.

Oops.

As of this writing on Wednesday afternoon, the results of the poll are 84% for recognizing abortion as genocide and 16% against.

Guess the audience of the Kernel is enlightened, after all.

Labels: Abortion

Labels: U.S. Senate

Kay Hagan, a state senator from North Carolina, is going up today with a statewide ad buy to raise her name ID in the crowded five-way tustle for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in the Tar Heel State.

This is good news/bad news for Elizabeth Dole, the Republican incumbent. The good news is that Kay Hagan is about to spend a ton of money in the primary, and it stands to reason that her four competitors in the Democratic primary will probably have to follow suit. (Well, I expect that Jim Neal and Marcus Williams will do so if they have the funds. The others are also-rans of the highest order.)

The bad news is that Kay Hagan apparently has the funds to run TV spots in the primary this far from Election Day. I'm not sure if the Dole campaign is surprised, but I know that I am a bit shocked that there is this much money from Democratic sources looking to target Dole.

I still think Dole is pretty safe, for the record. I just don't want any surprisingly competitive races involving Republican incumbents to syphon off funds from open seats and the like.

Labels: 2008 Senate Races

Mike Faulk, who is taking the fight to incumbent senator/part-time Earnhardt impersonator Mike Williams in Tennessee's 4th Senate District, announced today that he has raised over $146,000 thus far from over 300 individual donors. The Faulk for Senate press release is as follows:

FAULK CAMPAIGN SHOWS OVER $105,000 CASH-ON-HAND

ROGERSVILLE, TENN. – The Mike Faulk for State Senate Campaign will file financial disclosures on Thursday showing a cash-on-hand balance of over $105,000.

Faulk formed an exploratory committee in June, 2007, and made his campaign official last month. Mike Faulk has been lining up support and financial resources within Hawkins, Hancock, Claiborne, Jefferson, Union and Grainger Counties and all across Tennessee. The Faulk Campaign has now raised over $146,000.

“That such a large number of the contributors to this campaign are from here in the 4th Senate District says a lot about the hunger to improve our representation in Nashville”, Faulk said, adding “the shear number of financial donors to this campaign is staggering – over 300 now.”

The disclosure will show that since last June, individual contributions exceed Political Action Committee contributions nearly 4 to 1. “I’ve said all along I’ll accept PAC contributions from organizations that share my political philosophy. I’m not going to start this campaign by saying one thing and then doing another. Folks have had enough of that.”

The incumbent State Senator, Mike Williams, who made an 11th hour decision to run for reelection in 2008, once campaigned for the Senate seat in 1996 telling voters he had never taken special interest campaign money and promising he never would.[see below] Now an overwhelming majority of Williams’ campaign funds come from special interest groups. And very few of Williams’ contributors reside in the 4th Senate District.

Labels: 2008 Tennessee General Assembly Campaigns

Things have simply been too busy to focus on VOLuntarilyConservative recently. I'm referring to the following:

• A new (old) partner at The Huddleston Law Firm. After some blatant (and even admitted) discriminatory actions by Phil Bredesen's Department of Children's Services - all of which run afoul of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Republican State Executive Committeewoman Angela Huddleston has rejoined the firm. Her focus will be on juvenile matters and child support petitions. There is always a great deal of work on the front end of bringing anyone into a small firm, and I have been reminded of that over the past month. (I can't really go into any further details on the actions of DCS, as it hasn't been decided whether or not Angela will pursue this through litigation. I will say that the irony is not lost on me that the State's agency that is statutorily charged with the protection of children is so blatantly against them in specific situations. I'm sure there will be more to come on this at a later date.)
• A growing boy. Little Leo ain't so little anymore. He's gone through another growth spurt, and he's probably pushing 15.5 lbs - at least. Leo also has the two earliest endorsements ever, too - both Mike Faulk and Lamar Alexander have endorsed him for Governor! No word on when Leo will start raising funds for his campaign (although he does have quite a bit of Dad's change in his piggy bank)...
• Hearings, trials, and prelims. Work has been nuts lately. My New Year's resolution was to work less this year. I did the math yesterday after court, and I am actually marginally ahead of my pace for 2007. Oh well. Just another New Year's resolution that I wasn't able to keep...
• Political disillusionment. Although this blog was founded with a multidimensional focus on politics, sports, religion, and the like, it has become primarily a political and policy blog. While I love writing about sports, I simply had too many people (mostly female readers) who told me all over the state that they wanted more policy and family posts and fewer sports posts. Over the past year, I have tried to accommodate that. The problem becomes when the politics dries up. I have made no secret about my disdain for the three remaining presidential choices. I won't vote for any of them. Lamar's future dismantling of the Democratic sacrificial lamb will spawn a few posts later on in the year, but there's not much there now. The only real race that has me fired up is Mike Faulk's return of Mountain 'publican ideals against the charlatan Mike Williams in the 4th District. Which leads me to...
• Not liking being in Knox County that much. Angela and I have attended many Lincoln Days and other political events throughout Tennessee this year, and we have come to the conclusion that we are certainly loved everywhere in Tennessee - with the exception of Knox County. And that doesn't really both me that much. It has become apparent to me that the ills that have afflicted Knox County politics will not be cured this year, or any other time in the near future. The culture of corruption runs too deep. Even those who you believe to be your friends are involved in some way that helps out their individual interests, and all will put themselves above conservative ideology. Take the most recent kangaroo court meeting of the Knox County GOP Executive Committee. Technically, this group is supposed to meet every quarter, but they haven't met since Irene McCrary took over as Chairman in early 2007. An emergency meeting of the committee was called with an eye towards rejecting the charter amendments. Some members were not able to attend due to the sloppy nature in which the meeting was called, and it appears that some members weren't even notified. However, all of those who wanted to keep the size of Knox County government big and bloated were there. A quorum was declared present, although no one has ever been able to provide a copy of the Knox County GOP by-laws to me or Angela. The rejection of the charter amendments was ramrodded through (although not unanimously - Angela voted against it). But this is the Knox County GOP - it stands for big government and personal gain over smaller government and liberty for Tennesseans everywhere. Heck, at a recent gathering, it was actually discussed that candidates should pay into the Knox County GOP coffers, as the county party is looking at bankruptcy due to its lack of a fundraiser (other counties hold Lincoln Days to raise money- the Knox County version has nothing to do with the county party, as per the Tennessee Republican Party and my own investigation). Given its failures, I am strongly considering bringing the matter to the State Executive Committee at its next meeting in July, as the local party needs to be demolished and rebuilt from the ground up.
• The wettest drought I have ever seen. I've never had to mow my grass every 5 days during any other droughts. I wish the National Weather Service would quit talking about this drought, because it seems to rain every day after they do so.

So, yeah, it's been busy around here...

Labels: 2008 General Election, 2008 Tennessee General Assembly Campaigns, Baby, Firm Life, Knox County GOP, Knox County Politics, Weather