VOLuntarilyConservative

Jackie and Dunlap try to figure out why so many Germans showed up for musical acts instead of Barrack Obama:



Wait a minute - a review of German musical tastes and there were references to ColecoVision, Toto, and UB40 BUT NOT David Hasselhoff?!?!

"The pussification of Germany is now complete!"
- Dunlap

Labels: 2008 General Election, Videos

WorldNetDaily has an interesting piece by Pat Buchanan on how similar Obama's plan with how to deal with Afghanistan is to Lyndon Johnson's manner in dealing with the Viet Cong after Nixon's resignation.

A plan without an endgame is either wishful thinking or political pandering. Perhaps Obama's is a bit of both. America cannot win in Afghanistan with a mere addition of 10,000 troops fresh off of time spent in Iraq.

Labels: 2008 General Election, Iraq, Terrorism

It seems that the GOP has finally gotten it - oil as a form of energy is a big issue with Americans.

Of course, this is in contrast to the Democrats, who just don't get it.

Last week, the Tennessee Republican Party started pushing bumper stickers that reflect what many Americans want - increased domestic drilling. According to what I've heard, hundreds of those stickers were bought within hours of their release thanks to simply references to them on blogs.

Today comes news that Louisiana State Treasurer John Kennedy, the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate, is taking on incumbent U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu on the issue of oil, leases, and drilling.

This is going to be a common theme, folks. Who would have guessed that the Republicans - post-Bush - would emerge as the party working for energy solutions to help out the American people?

Labels: 2008 Senate Races, Energy

Jackie and Dunlap get edgy with Obama's refusal to visit any soldiers that can't play basketball with him:



On another note, I did manage to catch a review of "How Freedom Sounds" in the Knoxville News Sentinel on Friday. First CNN, and now the KNS. I guess you could say that the boys have made it to the "big time."

Anyone know if they will be joining me at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis?

Labels: Videos

From none other than Coach Steve Spurrier, talking about recruiting:

"But sometimes you have to go with who you can get. Sort of like going after
girls, you've got to go with who you can. Some of these guys (reporters) actually
have good-looking wives, which is unusual."

Oh, that hurts...

Labels: Football, Quotes

Senator Tim Burchett - who has supported Democrats with competency issues in the past - had the following to say this afternoon:

“The only other thing I can figure is that no one wants to come to their
boring chicken dinner, so they did this to try and stir up some interest.”

"Their?" Excuse me, Senator, but isn't this "boring chicken dinner" going to benefit the Tennessee Republican Party? The Republican Party that has supported you in the past and is at least in some fashion responsible for your current position? Talk about biting the hand that feeds you...

The only way that I can take this quote is to surmise that you are no longer a member of the Republican Party.

I guess Tim Burchett has switched party allegiances and has embraced the party that survives on failure and disaster. That should be appropriate, since any Democrat running for Mayor of Knox County (as Timmy B. has been rumored to be an emerging candidate) would see their campaign met with failure and disaster.

Of course, he could join the Independent Caucus. Anyone have any idea which NASCAR driver Tim Burchett could impersonate?

I may not agree with the decision to close the doors to the media at the Statesman's Dinner, but, then again, I didn't shoot my mouth off about it, either. You can disagree with the TN GOP's decision, but you don't have to be a jerk about it.

Labels: General Assembly, TN GOP

Republican events are commonplace across the Volunteer State this weekend.

• Washington County Republican Picnic - Saturday, 11 A.M. - 1 P.M. - Metro-Kiwanis Park.
• Campbell County Republican Women's Picnic - Tuesday, 6:30 P.M. - Cove Lake Pavilion.
• State Executive Committee meeting - Saturday morning - Legislative Plaza.
• Statesman's Dinner - Saturday, 6:30 P.M. - Nashville Convention Center.

Labels: Republicans, Social Events, State Executive Committee, TN GOP

Labels: 2008 Tennessee General Assembly Campaigns, Birthdays

For the first time in quite a long time, I am faced with no real motivation to vote in the Republican primary. Lamar, Jimmy Duncan, Bill Dunn, and Jamie Woodson are all unopposed in their primaries.

This begs the question - should Republicans in my situation vote in the Democratic primary to pick general election opposition that we would prefer to run against?

Not that Lamar, Jimmy, or Bill need the help, but seeing a Democratic ticket of Kenneth Eaton, David Hancock, and Charlotte Meyer would sure make things almost laughably easy for the Republicans in Knox County.

I have criticized others who have been faced with this situation previously for voting in Democratic primaries, but I am starting to come around to the idea.

Any thoughts?

Labels: Democrats, Republicans, Voting

I had planned on blogging some today, but instead I have managed to spend the vast majority of the day dealing with 1) Delta Airline's customer service line which had some Indian/Pakistani guy on the line that thought for the longest time that I lived in "Norfolk" and not "Knoxville" and 2) the IRS, as I try to find out why my stimulus check has yet to arrive.

Certainly the Chinese bank that lent the money to the U.S. for the stimulus checks didn't run out of funds, now did it?

The IRS has surpassed the Pakistani guy for longevity of one continuous time on hold, but at least they were able to assist me. I finally gave up on poor Apu.

When are businesses like Delta, Norton's, and Whirlpool going to learn that moving their call centers out-of-country doesn't save money if it ends up costing them business?

Labels: Labor and Employment

Ain't that the truth.

Labels: Democrats, Energy

First, the official announcement from Red State Update, as "How Freedom Sounds" is released today:



Because I am "Red State - all the way!" as Dunlap likes to call those of us who can't get enough of Jackie and Dunlap, I was privileged enough to get my hands on a copy of "How Freedom Sounds" a week ago. I have been listening to it nonstop since it arrived, and I have the following review for your listening pleasure:

OVERALL REVIEW (Scale of 1 to 10): 7.9

"How Freedom Sounds" is not what I expected. There are more comedic routines (as with their YouTube bits that I routinely embed here at VOLCon) than songs, which creates some funny moments, for sure. However, like reviewer Sharron Cobb, I would have preferred more songs. Why? Because some of the songs are daggone good. Seriously. Of particular note:

• "Red State State of Mind" - An awesome song - the best on the album. Better than anything they play on country radio, for sure. Don't tell anybody, but Jackie has vocal talent.
• "If I Was You" - The classic American drinking song. Like "Red State State of Mind," this is another song that should get some radio play.
• "Get the Hell Outta My Store, Hippie" - A funny song with vocals by Jackie. I'm trying to have our tech guy at the firm rig our alarm to play this song on command, sort of a moonbat prevention alarm. Some of the lyrics - "Pro-choice sticker on her Prius shows/She gets mileage, can't keep her legs closed" - are priceless.
• "Iraq (I Don't Wanna Go)" - Another catchy tune, this one sung by Dunlap. How catchy is it? I've heard Angela singing it around the office the past few days, and she hasn't been in my car much this past week. It's kinda like that Feist song for the IPhones - you can't get this song out of your head.
• "Simple Man" - Jackie's version of this Lynyrd Skynyrd classic is fantastic. However, the rap by Dunlap in the middle - well, Eminem he is not.

This is a fun album, no question. For the second album, I hope for a few more songs (like the classic "Hello, Joe Biden," embedded below with warning for adult language) instead of skits. I highly recommend purchasing it (you can do so at RedStateUpdate.com), because if you don't, the terrorists (and Miley Cyrus) win.

And nobody wants that.

Labels: Music, Videos

RedState has the news of Larry Sabato, political pundit extraordinaire, pulling the plug on Maine as a possible Democratic pick-up. On the heels of The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza doing the same, it seems a safe bet to say that Senator Susan Collins will be elected to a new term come November.

Labels: 2008 Senate Races

Jackie and Dunlap tell the Middle East - "if you like Obama so much, keep him!"

Labels: Videos

Despite the sweltering summer temperatures, all three Huddleston's were on the campaign trail this weekend for Judge David Duggan, who is running to be the Judge of the Blount County Circuit Court. Above are Judge and Mrs. Duggan, Leo, and myself after a day of going door-to-door, talking to the voters of Blount County and asking them to support Judge Duggan in early voting.

Judge Duggan was one of the first judges to interject my firm into their normal rotation for appointed cases when I entered private practice. He has always been fair and professional, even when he rules against me or sends my clients to jail.

The heat was oppressive. As I told other volunteers this weekend, I have never been a fan of the August elections because that means that you're sweating through July to get elected. At least for the November cycle, you get to spend October outdoors while you campaign, and that's the prettiest month to live in Tennessee.

Labels: 2008 Local Races

Jackie and Dunlap - still sans beer cans and other assorted props - try to help out John McCain with that Internets thingy:

Labels: Videos

Oh my. Guess that "hope" and "change" aren't enough to heal some wounds.

(Hat tip: Instapundit)

Labels: 2008 General Election

If Fandango is to be believed, there are ten showings of "The Dark Knight," the new Batman movie, at 12:01 A.M. tonight between the Regal Pinnacle and Regal Riviera theaters (the two theaters that we regularly attend).

All ten showings are sold-out.

That includes the more expensive IMAX presentation at 12:01. And don't even think about the 3:00 A.M. IMAX showing - it's sold-out, too.

I have been looking forward to this movie more than any other film in the past 4 years. It would not surprise me in the least if it breaks the record for the biggest weekend opening ever. I just hope that it lives up to my expectations, which are extraordinarily high. Heck, I think it might be one of the best films of all time.

We shall see...

Labels: Movies

Yeah, you've probably already viewed this, but it's too funny to pass up:

Labels: Videos

We had a great time at Stacey Campfield's mini-golf fundraiser Wednesday evening. The VOLConWife, as a State Executive Committeewoman for the 6th District, could not partake as per Republican Party rules and watched Leo, who, as always, was the life of the party. I managed to have several fun and enlightening conversations with many true conservatives, such as Representative Bill Dunn, Representative Mike Bell, Lee Frank (Terry Frank's husband), the Center for Bioethical Reform's Fletcher Armstrong, and, of course, Representative Stacey Campfield himself.

Since most of us are of the opinion that Stacey's hard work and determination will carry him to a primary victory, much of the conversation was on other races around Tennessee. Of particular interest was the press release (discussed here by A.C. at Post Politics) by a group of conservative Republicans pointing out Representative Kent Williams - a leading RINO - and his uncanny ability to raise money from liberal Democrats. I was very much surprised when Williams knocked off a true conservative in Jerome Cochran during the last election cycle, especially in an area I know well, conservative Carter County.

The press release is additional evidence that Williams is not "one of us" and needs to be shown the door. Of course, I already knew that since I would never support one of the "Republicans" - like Doug Overbey - who supports the greatest threat to Tennessee civil rights in my lifetime, House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh.

In any case, the evening was fun, relaxed, and well-attended. I dare say that it might be Stacey's best fundraiser yet. So, to those like Georgiana Vines that are itching to write Stacey's political obituary, I have to think that your wait will continue.

Keep an eye on Stacey's website for some pictures and perhaps video from the event. I think that Lumpy Lambert had a video camera, so I assume that video may be forthcoming over at The Rep's site.

Labels: 2008 Tennessee General Assembly Campaigns, Conservatism

Just a friendly reminder that Representative Stacey Campfield is having a creative fundraiser at Sir Goony's Mini-Golf this evening starting at 6:00 P.M. It sounds like a fun time, and you don't have to be a big-time donor to participate.

Labels: 2008 Tennessee General Assembly Campaigns

And, no, I'm not talking about Michelle Obama...

David Limbaugh lays out the case against Obama. Interesting argument, but I'm not so sure I'm buying it totally in Barack's case.

Michelle, of course, is another matter entirely. I was in the first wave of those that read through her Princeton dissertation (here, here, here, and here), and I came away with the unfortunate conclusion that she hated this country and everything it stood for because it was composed of multiple races and backgrounds.

She knew what she was saying when she said that she was finally proud of America now that her husband had a 50/50 chance of being named its President. It was no slip of the tongue, as she would have us believe.

Labels: 2008 General Election, Race

Jackie and Dunlap explore the cartoon stylings of the New Yorker:



I just want to know what happened to the set. I know that a recent episode resulted in Jackie and Dunlap knocking over all of the beer cans and Jack Daniels bottles as they fought over a CD player and their new CD, "How Freedom Sounds," (which drops only one week from today), but you'd think that Dunlap could have hired some cool gals in French maid costumes to clean up by now.

Labels: Videos

Thanks to Michael Silence for including VOLCon in his regular Sunday column on blogging. It's always a nice surprise to open the Sunday paper and see that you're in it - and no one's calling for your hanging.

Labels: Blogging, KNS

Apparently, you can make a little cash for collecting fireflies.

Who knew?

Labels: Miscellaneous

I've let the story about Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Robin Smith's letter to Governor Phil Bredesen play out to see if some of my own questions would be answered. I see two areas that still have not been cleared up, even after today's story by KNS political pundit Tom Humphrey.

1) The TDP say they received the letter through a simple Tennessee Public Records request. Fair enough. In my line of work, I often have to gather discovery that way, particularly when the Tennessee Department of Children's Services is hiding something. Here's the catch - I don't know to ask for something if I don't know it exists. Now Sasser and Munday are saying that they heard "rumors" around Legislative Plaza that the e-mail had been sent. That makes no sense, so I'm calling BS on that one. Smith sent it from her own personal computer, and it makes no sense for her to politicize the issue by telling GOP legislators about the e-mail. Bredesen's spokeswoman says that they didn't tell anyone about it. It seems pretty clear that either a) Bredesen or b) the Tennessee Democratic Party are lying through their teeth. Most likely, they both are.

2) A.C. at Post Politics won't reveal his source. As a former MSM journalist, I can respect that normally. Here though, it seems silly. A.C. is protecting a source who gave him information about a public document that anyone can access. Sorry, but is that really a source of great information? Perhaps someone will reveal to me that it's only 48 days until it's Football Time in Tennessee - should I anonymously let y'all in on that piece of public knowledge? If there is a reason that A.C. is protecting his source for their actions this time around, then it's journalistic integrity. If A.C. is keeping their name out of the press for some future information that might not be a public record, that's opportunism. There is a genuine distinction.

I'm sure there's more to come on this, but I doubt it will be palatable.

Labels: Bredesen, DCS, Democrats, TN GOP

When I hear people talk about being inspired by Barack Obama, I can do nothing but pity them. Obama inspires like a Hallmark card inspires - nice words with no substance.

I had an inspirational leader. There was substance and style. There was passion and conviction, but there was a plan there to make America strong and prosperous again.

I pity the poor citizens inspired by Barack Obama. They're looking for Ronald Reagan but only finding a cheap imitation.

Labels: 2008 General Election, Reagan

Good catch by the Tennessee Firearms Association (of which I am a member) and the Tennessee Republican Party for exposing House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh as the liar that he is. The irony is that it was over a firearms issue, which are always the target of Naifeh's notorious parliamentary maneuvers.

Read more over at A.C.'s domain.

Maybe Doug Overbey and rest of the Republicans that continue to vote for Jimmy Naifeh to remain as House Speaker can come up with a gaggle of excuses to manipulate Naifeh out of this snare.

Labels: General Assembly, Second Amendment, TFA, TN GOP

Labels: Humor

Liberal blogger Randy Neal, KNS reporter-blogger Michael Silence, Patrick Ruffini, and A.C. Kleinheider have all commented today on Obama's potential problem of not having his acceptance speech carried to the masses via the major television networks.

(If it isn't televised, I'll give you an advance copy straight from my sources in the DNC - "Change....blah blah blah...hope...change....change...hope...raise taxes on hard working Americans...embracing communism...hope...change...change...my racist wife...blah blah blah...not really an Arab...hope...Americans shouldn't be allowed to own guns...blah blah blah...$20 per gallon gas prices...change...change...hope...hope...hope.")

At least the Democrats can blame the media if this were happen. (But let's be honest - the liberal media will make sure that Barrack gets what Barrack wants.) The Republicans have no one to blame but themselves.

Months ago, when I was told when the Republican National Convention was going to be held, I started to laugh. Why? Because I seriously doubt that anyone will be watching half of the 4-nights of televised content, including John McCain's acceptance speech.

Why, you might ask?

Football, of course.

The geniuses at the RNC - who obviously have such a connection to the hard-working, blue-collar Americans out there - scheduled the opening night of the Convention head-to-head with a nationally televised interconference game between the University of Tennessee Volunteers and the UCLA Bruins.

OK, so that one probably only takes a good portion of the South and the West out of play. The final night of the Convention, though, when McCain really needs to shine, has bigger problems.

On that night, the RNC takes on a much bigger foe - the NFL.

Yes, the NFL will kick off its season at 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 4th, opposite the McCain pep rally. The game will feature the ever-popular Washington Redskins visiting the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.

The NFL assisted the RNC by agreeing to an earlier start time, but with an average NFL televised prime time game lasting just a shade under 4 hours, that puts McCain beginning his speech well after 11:00 P.M. on the East Coast. The next day is Friday, which, last time I checked, was a work day for most of us.

How does this kind of thing happen? The liberals over at DemConWatch saw the problems coming all the way back in February. How didn't the RNC catch this? Surely an intern somewhere could have viewed the schedule and said, 'Uh, Mr. Duncan, this might not be such a good idea?"

These two parties seem to be having a hard time running simple 4-day conventions. I think running the country might be a bit more of challenge over a 4-year term.

Labels: 2008 General Election, 2008 Republican National Convention

Preston over at Six Meat Buffet - the funniest blog on the Web written by 2 Tennesseans, 2 Californians, and a Yankee - was starting to come around to holding his nose and voting for John McCain come November.

Then he saw the latest RNC ad, and now he's looking longingly at Bob Barr again.

Check out the ad and come to your own conclusion.

Labels: 2008 General Election, Videos

Obviously, it's news when the NRA endorses anyone. Because I know some of the inner workings of the organization, it is especially newsworthy when they endorse in a primary.

Knowing such, I contacted the Blackburn campaign and volunteered to rework my schedule if need be to take part in the press conference yesterday to announce the endorsement. Having taken part in previous Blackburn press conferences under her previous press secretary, I thought that this would be a win-win situation. I was e-mailed and told that they would love to have me and that more details would follow.

They didn't.

Ugh. Not good campaigning, folks.

Labels: 2008 Congressional Races, NRA

Professor Reynolds has a noteworthy post on a seemingly erroneous opinion by a federal judge in the Virgin Islands that basically ignores the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Heller (the case that struck down the D.C. gun ban and embraced the "individual right" theory of Second Amendment interpretation).

Two thoughts:

1) I am a big fan of sites like Instapundit and Volokh delving into the opinions of the federal judiciary. Lord knows that the traditional media doesn't do an adequate job of shining a light on judicial practices (particularly in the federal district and state appellate realms), and more people probably read Instapundit and Volokh than watch MSNBC.

2) Reynolds hits on a key point that everyone should remember from Heller:

"...that the "collective right" approach, which the pre-Heller lower court caselaw followed, was rejected by all nine Supreme Court Justices."

No one defended the "collective right" approach - not in the Opinion, not in the Dissents. The "collective rights" approach is dead. Somebody just needs to tell the federal district court judges (and probably the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit) that the funeral, wake, and obituaries have been cast.

Labels: Judiciary, Second Amendment

Angela, Leo (the youngest of the Young Republicans), and I attended the Knox County Young Republican meeting yesterday at Amerigo in West Knoxville. There was high attendance, and candidates were there aplenty. Sherry Witt (Knox Co. Register of Deeds), Brad Anders (Knox Co. Commission Seat 6A, and the wives of Ron Leadbetter (18th District State House of Representatives, currently held by Stacey Campfield) and Phil Ballard (Knox Co. Property Assessor) were all present, as was sitting Knox County General Sessions Judge Andy Jackson.

The conversation was vibrant, as usual, with discussions ranging from the death of the Tennessee Plan to have unelected Democrats pick the appellate judges in the state to unconventional campaign tactics used by some of the local Democrats (including a focus on the goings on in Blount County) to Thursday night's unity dinner to how Bob Dole's 1996 presidential bid was actually more energizing to the grassroots than the current GOP nominee's and what could be done about that.



Brad Anders (pictured above) was the listed speaker for the evening. I do not live in the 6th District of Knox County, which comprises Karns, Hardin Valley, and a good potion of Powell, so I was only familiar with what Anders had said going into the primaries way back in February. It appears that Anders will win the seat in August. He is very likable, and his life is certainly a changin' with the expected birth of his first child in December. However, as a conservative, I had to admit that I saw too many warning signs regarding the fiscal condition of the county to fall in love with Anders' campaign. He sounds more than willing to endorse a hike in the sales tax. Having gone over last year's Knox County budget, there are plenty of cuts that need to be made before Knox County - which taxes the hell out of its residents in comparison to the rest of East Tennessee - even considers adding a sales tax hike or property tax hike onto the already ridiculous wheel tax that was implemented only a few years ago.

I especially enjoyed speaking at length with Judge Andy Jackson. He really is an engaging and intelligent man. (And, no. I'm not kissing up to him because of his position - I've never practiced in front of him.) When the Tennessee Plan has wound down and the Senate Republicans see to it that appellate judges are elected as set out in the Tennessee Constitution, wouldn't it be refreshing to refer to Chief Justice Andrew Jackson? Just a thought...

It was a fun meeting. Any time that we have to pull even more chairs into the room for seating purposes, the meeting promises to be enjoyable.

Labels: Knox County GOP

Jackie and Dunlap talk about winning Jackie's truck, their new CD ("somewhere George Jones and Chris Gaines"), Ron Paul, Daily Kos, and outselling Miley Cyrus' new CD - before they destroy their set.

Labels: Videos

"If beheading was good enough for English royalty, it should be good enough for American animals with two legs."

- Charley Reese, writing about the need to provide a speedy death sentence in America.

Labels: Quotes

Joseph Farah of WorldNetDaily says that not only is the U.S. government to blame for our domestic oil and natural gas shortage, but that it behooves the government to remain obstructionist as its people suffer economically.

Well, I suppose that's correct to a point - that point being where the citizens raise arms against their oppressors...

Labels: Energy

I'm not one of those guys that would never vote for a candidate because he or she had the unfortunate experience of being divorced. I'm not saying that all divorces are created equal, either. Even The Bible recognizes that. It seems more of a case-by-case basis on how the circumstances of the divorce came about that determines in my eyes of whether or not it is relevant to a man's character in the political arena.

Message to the GOP - your nominee may have a problem with this issue.

Taking into consideration that a) this story is from the Daily Mail, b) the Daily Mail is printed in Great Britain, and c) the Daily Mail is a rag of a paper by even British standards, there is a story in the Daily Mail that is an example of what is to come when Obama (or, should I say, Obama's attack groups) go negative.

The story is poorly written. The story is slanted as can be. The story is designed to be a piece of attack journalism. This is all granted.

However, there are some strong quotes of Perot and Sampley - real zingers. While Carol McCain doesn't go after her former husband, the story of her life is the stuff that can tug at the heartstrings of Americans once placed in the proper writer's hands. Carol McCain doesn't need to feel bitter towards her ex-husband; American sympathies being what they are, the electorate could certainly exhibit that bitterness in her stead.

Does this disqualify John McCain to be President of the United States? No. However, the GOP had better come up with a way of dealing with this problem, because I highly doubt that it is going away. We don't even get to the issue of qualifications if John McCain loses the election.

Labels: 2008 General Election, Divorce

Angela and I both work as Guardians ad Litem in the courts of East Tennessee on a regular basis. As a GAL, you are charged with looking after the best interests of the child, including making sure that the parents can safely look after the child upon reunification and that there is not an imminent risk of harm in returning the child to be with his or her parents. Otherwise, other paths (release to a relative placement or termination of parental rights) must be explored.

At least, that's how we do things in Tennessee. I believed that to be the general case everywhere until today.

Apparently, things are a bit different down in Florida.

From How Appealing: "Court: Homelessness no excuse to remove child"

Also, there is an in-depth story from the Miami Herald, as well as the Florida appellate court's decision.

Somewhat troubling is this quote from a DCF supervisor, Alan Abramowitz:

''If we removed a child because of homelessness we should be reversed. We are obligated to offer services to keep families together.''

Yeah, that's a problem that we have here in Tennessee, too, because it sure sounds like - if the problem is homelessness - that Mr. Abramowitz is going to go out and buy a house for the parents. Well, not Mr. Abramowitz, per se. The taxpayers of Florida are going to be footing this bill.

Don't believe that this is a problem that is Florida's alone. Tennessee's Department of Children's Services amazes me with each passing day. Yes, there are a few good workers in that administrative agency (most of whom work in Sevier County, coincidentally), but there are also some horrendous decisions being made that cost Tennesseans in federal funding and oftentimes put children at risk.

I'm not going to go on with this rant before my blood pressure rises, because I could vent about DCS until the cows come home. I will just end with this - if it was public knowledge of how bad things really were, there would be a public groundswell of support for scrapping the entire DCS (particularly the policy wonks that are under the supervision of Governor Phil Bredesen in Nashville).

Labels: DCS

A few of the ones about which I have received press releases over the past week:

Tennessee Friends of NRA
State Conference & Shotgun Shoot
Saturday, July 26th
8:30 A.M.-4:00 P.M.
Tennessee Clay Targets Complex in Nashville
For details, agenda, or to register go to: http://www.friendsofnra.org/tn

Knox County Young Republicans
Monthly Meeting
Amerigo (NOTE NEW LOCATION!!!)
Tuesday, July 8th - 6:30 P.M.
Speaker: Brad Anders, Republican nominee for Knox County Commission, Seat 6A

Tennessee Republican Party Statesman's Dinner
July 27th
Nashville Convention Center
Keynote: Karl Rove
For more information and tickets, contact the TN GOP at (615) 269-4260.

Labels: Knox County GOP, NRA

Jackie and Dunlap analyze Obama's Iraq flip-flop, talk about Jesus the politician, and find one person who is excited about a McCain presidency:

Labels: Videos

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I write this. My grandfather, whose name I carry as his only grandson, passed away on Thursday evening in Amherst, Massachusetts. He would have turned 80 this upcoming November.

Grandfather Huddleston was the 8th generation of Huddleston's in America, tracing back to the first Huddleston born in the Colonies, Henry Huddleston, born in 1667 in Bucks, Pennsylvania. Grandfather gave years of service to the United States Army, serving during World War II (resulting in my father being born in Germany in 1955) and eventually working on ballistics at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland. A Virginia Tech alum, he often enjoyed heading to homecoming games in Blacksburg to cheer on his Hokies.

Grandfather and Grandmother lived for decades in Churchville, Maryland, until his Alzheimer's became too much for the family to manage on our own. They moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, where my aunt, Rebecca Sinos, is Chair of the Classics Department at Amherst College.

We were told by the doctors last Wednesday that it was likely that Grandfather would not make it through another two weeks. The next day, my father and mother flew to Amherst on a pre-arranged trip to visit with my grandparents. As if he were waiting for them to arrive, Grandfather passed only about 15 minutes after my parents arrived at the care center.

Grandfather left a lasting impression on my life. It was from him that I developed my love for tennis. Grandfather and Grandmother Huddleston were outstanding tennis players, even up to recent years. The tennis court at their Churchville residence was where I honed my skills as a junior player. I still have memories of clearing snow off of that court so that we could play in late December one year when I was in high school. I can state for a fact that I would not have had the success that I had - certainly not reached All-American status in high school - without my Grandfather's guidance in the game.

I also gained a love and respect for the game of baseball from Grandfather. Living in the area where Cal Ripken, Sr. was so prominent, Grandfather was a huge Orioles fan. I remember spending many a day at old Memorial Stadium watching some good O's teams and some lousy O's teams play. Grandfather hated it when Peter Angelos moved the games from the convenient Memorial Stadium to the downtown but inconvenient Camden Yards. He vowed never to attend a game there. He eventually did, but only because I so wanted to go. One of my most cherished memories was the last Orioles game that I attended with Grandfather in August of 2001. We wanted to say good bye to Cal Ripken, Jr. (who was retiring at the end of the year), so I purchased tickets on the 3rd base side right behind the visitor's dugout. I thought I might remember that game because of Cal, his 3-for-3 effort and the rare win for the Orioles; I instead remember it because it was the last time that I ever attended a baseball game with Grandfather.

Grandfather was so much to so many people - President of the Izaak Walton League, a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, a student of history and genealogy, and a man with a love of the outdoors (fishing, hiking, hunting). He was highly critical of the bloated American government. He was critical of much in life, sometimes to a fault but never without passion.

Grandfather is the first member of his generation that I have lost to death, and I am finding that it is much tougher to deal with than I had expected. I was able to control my emotions over the long weekend, for the sake of the holiday weekend. Now that Monday has hit, though...

I will miss him. I do miss him. Because of the Alzheimer's and the debilitating effect that it had on his life, the tears I cry today are for me, not for him. I know that he suffers no more. I only wish that he had been granted the lucidity to know that the Huddleston name will live on through my son.

When the time is right, we will lay Grandfather to rest in his native Covington, Virginia. He would have wanted it that way, to be laid to rest in the Huddleston Family Cemetery. He set a high standard to live up to for those of us who bear his name, and I only hope that I can come close to doing so with my short existence on this earth.

Rest in peace, Robert L. Huddleston, Sr.

Labels: Obituaries

Besides the attention that appeals and motions required this week, one reason for the lack of posting this week has been the need to make travel arrangements for September.

Yes, folks, the Huddleston's are heading to Minneapolis for the Republican National Convention.

You're surprised? Well, so am I. But that is what a good husband does, even if he's (currently) not supporting the nominee.

Angela has been selected as an alternate delegate representing the 2nd District of Tennessee. Of course, I am extremely proud that people in high places think so highly of my wife to think of her when the need came for a replacement to the delegates who ran for the position earlier this year.

So a part of my week has been selecting the best "family truckster" to travel across country (flying with all of the stuff needed for little Leo wasn't really an option), as well as a hotel past Chicago for the drive up.

But now I have a question - anyone know of a good place to watch my Vols play against UCLA while I'm in Minnesota?

Labels: 2008 Republican National Convention

Ann, as usual, doesn't hold back on how she really feels about John McCain:

The irony is, the only people McCain can count on to vote for him are the
very Republicans he despises -- at least those of us who can get drunk
enough on Election Day to pull the lever for him. In fact, we should
organize parties around the country where Republicans can get drunk so they
can vote for McCain. We can pass out clothespins with his name as a reminder
and slogan-festooned vomit bags. The East Coast parties can post the number
of drinks necessary for the task to help the West Coast parties. For more
information, go to getdrunkandvote4mccain.com.

Heh, not sure that would work. The same conservative voters who wonder about McCain's skipping of the prayer breakfast to attend some phony baloney conservation rally probably aren't big drinkers.

Labels: 2008 General Election, Conservatism

Interesting report from WorldNetDaily:

Dozens of Christian leaders meeting in Denver have concluded they should "get behind Sen. John McCain even if they didn't like everything about him" because the
alternative, presumptive Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama, actually could oversee the criminalization of Christianity, according to a report.

It's not like Phyllis Schlafly is the kind of person who would sell out her values for a vote. Remember what she had to say about Mike Huckabee, exposing him as a charlatan and conservative of campaign convenience?

I have expected the slow migration of Christian leaders toward McCain. However, the Christian base is totally uninterested in this election, so McCain would be best served to bring a strong, young Christian conservative onto the ticket to provide balance and energize the grassroots.

Labels: 2008 General Election, Christians, Conservatism