So Can I See Your Scar?

Apparently, I missed it (they must have drugged me, there's no way they could get around my .357 that I bitterly cling to) but I've been tagged with a microchip in my brain, according to the Reaper:

"Greg is a nice guy, but he’s like they all are on that side - he’s got a microchip inserted in his brain and is like a yo-yo on a string.”

I'm just wondering: When is Rep. Holland going to show us the scar where his microchip was removed sometime after he was the Reagan chair for Lee County and when he decided it was more politically viable to run as a Dem in south Lee county?

In the Sprit of the Easter Story....

Crucify him, Jim Hood. Crucify him.

About this time four years ago, our Intrepid Attorney General and State Rube was determined to set an example for those who would violate the sanctity of our state's campaign finance laws. Apparently, while he, Eric Clark, and Mike Moore wasted our state's resources investigating Jeremy Martin, he somehow missed all the shenanigans going on down the street in the Governor's mansion regarding the Reaper and the Speekah's beef plant.

So, go ahead, Samson. Crucify him. Maybe this time you'll set that example you were looking so hard for. After all, a well-off lawyer and former governor makes a much better example than school teacher. Maybe, one of these days, if they throw you enough BP fastballs, you'll hit one out of the park. Or does this one have to wait another 36 years for you to take a swing at it?

I Do So Love It When They Talk This Way

I was sitting at lunch the other day, minding my own business, when two people sat down in the booth next to me. One of them was wearing a candidate's sticker on his shirt. The candidate was a Democrat; evidently, the two people were big supporters. One of the gists of their conversation-which resonated throughout the eating establishment, of course, as they had little use for either privacy or the considerations of their fellow customers-was that in the coming years, they would elect 'real Democrats' to office here in Mississippi and across the country.

Naturally, days before I heard this, Jere Nash had made the same argument about two tenured Democrats who were treated poorly by his political party for basically the same reason-that they were Democrats in Name Only.

After November's elections, when the front of the herd was thinned, it kind of became inevitable that the rest of the flock would get thinned eventually. I figured it would take a few more years before the Legislature looked more like the Executive Branch. Of course, there's a certain segment of the state that's going to vote Republican most every time out (Desoto, Rankin, Madison, Tupelo, the 49-10 corridor), and a certain segment that's going to vote Democratic (the Delta and Jackson). Then there's northeast Mississippi, which, as Sid Salter once put it, is the last place in the state where it's as ok to be a conservative white Democrat as it is to be a Republican. God forbid someone whose political party showed him all the loyalty of Elliot Spitzer at a brothel on half-off night feel unwanted.

My question (after the run-around) is: Do these idiots actually want to win an election?

Let's be honest here: John Kerry couldn't win an election for dog catcher in Mississippi. Neither could the Al Gore, allegedly from neighboring Tennessee. Barry Obamessiah will not win Mississippi in November without some help from the graveyards. Being a 'real Democrat' here is akin to sitting inside your car with the garage door closed. Bennie Thompson makes it by demogoguery and pork, and Gene Taylor by occasionally publically butting heads with his party's leadership. Ronnie Musgrove got hung out to dry by Al Gore and the DNC.

I want to drink whatever kool-aid these people are sipping on when they say and write this stuff. I suppose the 'real Democrats' are those guys who never have to make a deal with a Republican, or court Republican voters, or maybe, just maybe, zig where the national party zags. Maybe that's why there was a lot of glee when a 'real Democrat' got 41% of the vote last fall (and, sometimes, those 'real Democrats' have to, I don't know, vote 65,000 elderly off of public assistance). It's because those 'real Democrats' eventually do have to try to actually win elections. Frankly, I hope those 'real Democrats' that I sat next to enjoy being 'real Democrats'. Meanwhile, the Republicans will be focused on building a political party instead of tearing one down.

I Swear I'm Not Turning Into Obamatanks.com

Obama's commercial that's airing here in Mississippi is kind of ironic, though.

When you grew up in Hawaii, went to school in Indonesia at a madrassa, and are a Harvard law grad, it's ironic when you say that you want to give every child the opportunities you had. When do the tickets for Hawaii come in, Barry? Are we all going to get to go to Harvard now? Do the imams in Islamabad know we'll be sending everyone between 14-19 to their schools?

There's an old saying about not letting your mouth write checks your butt can't cash, but I don't think they teach that in schools.

Speaking of funny commercials, I see the Reaper has a new one out where he touts keeping 65,000 on public assistance. Of course, had he not voted to kick them off in the first place....

I Guess the Reaper was Right

A week ago Steve Holland told us this was gonna happen-the scorched earth policy that the Cholesterol Crew has put forth in the past is going to continue. Today we find out that he wasn't kidding. The crew that attempted to put the Memphis suburbs and Tupelo in a Congressional District with Madison county (hope all of you First District voters remember that when the Reaper comes calling for votes) has struck again. I guess there'll be four more years of bottled-up legislation and pidgeonholeing. Congrats to us: Fiftieth with a bullet and we haven't figured out that the problem is the fossils we keep filling our legislature with.

Colt Brennan Gets Sacked...aGain.

Colt Brennan was beaten to a pulp last night. His Hawaii Warriors (formerly the Rainbows, since changed to avoid people thinking they might be-well, you know, that way), who were supposed to be scrappy underdogs who would fight tooth and nail with the much bigger, stronger, and faster Georgia Bulldogs. After all, that's what the media told us, what the talking heads were saying. They'd hit Georgia hard because they'd beaten everyone who'd come before them. They had command of the passing game like no one in the SEC had. Plus, Georgia was surely to be disappointed with their not being in the championship game. And a long season of SEC football would have them bruised and bloody by the time the cameras started rolling in the Big Easy.

Of course, when push came to shove, the Bulldogs did the shoving, burying the Warriors (who don't like to be associated with Rainbows) fairly early in the contest and exposing all of their weaknesses to the viewing public. Brennan was hit early and often, more than he had been in his career, as he'd spent most of the past three years sitting comfortably in the pocket and choosing his targets. However, the Bulldogs took the fight to him, routinely hitting him well before he was ready to start firing away and taking the momentum from the Warriors (who wonder why there are so many songs about Rainbows) who spent the rest of the contest on their heels and by the end of it came away swearing they were better than they'd shown, vowing to get back into the game.

You can replace "Colt Brennan" with "Jamie Franks Jr." and get pretty much the same effect, can't you? It seems Mr. Franks has been getting ready to throw his hat into the ring to replace the recently-promoted Roger Wicker in the First District. Heck, it even works on other levels, because as we know, Mr. Franks ain't friendly to Rainbows himself. Add to the comparison this: The coach is about to hit the road and start competing himself (June Jones, who seems to have more than a passing interest in both the NFL and college openings, and Steve Holland, who it seems getting ready for a CD1 run as well). And, alas for poor Colt, all the people who loved him while he was feasting on San Jose State and Nicholls State now have turned their backs on him. Much the same, I think, for Mr. Franks and those who funded him in his recent unsuccessful bid, and for the same reason: Everybody loves a winner. And they don't like losers who can't carry their own home county. But look on the bright side of another Franks run: Guys selling thousand dollar silk suits will make a killing.

The Golden Boy has decided to saddle up once again, put his populist sherrif's star on, and go tilting at windmills. This time, instead of Haley Barbour, he's going to run against George Bush (who will be out of office in 385 days, but Sherrif Franks will give him hell for the two weeks the next Congress is in session while he's president!). Never mind that the man lost his own home county, never mind that he didn't get the endorsement of his own local socialist leaning paper, never mind that he has the personality of a hung over mountain lion that hasn't eaten in a fortnight, never mind his personal shennanigans: He's going to represent the people of Mississippi whether they wanted him or not (and, at last tally, 59% of them did not). We're going to get the lamebrained economic ideas, the strange mangled speeches, the screaming into the mike, and not to mention the working man schtick.

So we're going to be entertained with another year of this guy. And here I was looking forward a peaceful 2008, too. Hopefully, this will be the election that puts the stake in his heart.

An English Lesson

See, the English language is complicated. There are billions of English speakers worldwide yet only Chinese is ranked as a harder language to learn by experts. In many languages, there are genders assigned to specific objects (learning them in Spanish is a killer, let me tell you). In English, we use the past, present and future tense for things. You can describe what has happened, what is happening, or what is going to happen. But you can only predict the last one. And when you say, as Mr. Franks did in yesterday's Columbus Commercial Dispatch, that "The people have spoken," and that any veto "will be overridden" you're treading awful close to Ms. Cleo territory. It's in regard to the manufactured Tax Swap Issue, one that, of course, is so poorly thought out and championed mainly by a) newspaper editorial boards, and 2) 'populist yellow dog Democrats' looking for an issue that might drag Haley Barbour down (especially after the Ethics fiasco that blew up in Mr. Franks' partner's face). In fact, the people have not spoken; they will not for another week or so. Naturally, Mr. Franks expresses concern that ad valorem taxes will go up if education is not fully funded. Well, gosh, what exactly is going to take the place of sales taxes for cities if that's cut? Here's another issue: Mississippi is the poorest state in the Union, meaning per capita we have more people who fall under the poverty line than any other state. This means, of course, they pay little to no federal or state taxes. For many-including illegal immigrants-the sales tax is the only tax they pay. It's more fair than income taxes, and I'm sure most people-at least the sane ones, anyway-will agree on that one. He goes on in the Commerical Dispatch to talk about ethics. Once again, that's like getting sex ed taught to you by the Pope. We're talking about a man who's law partner sits on the Ethics commission, who made a shady deal with the AG to get his opponent in the 2003 election arrested, and then claimed to have no knowledge of it, despite claims to the contrary made by him in the Daily Journal when it happened! We're also talking about a man who's promised his support to just about every candidate with a D by their name running for his old seat, and who's claimed that the beef plant was the fault not of he and his cronies, but of the one guy who did something about it! A man who sued schools and businesses he represented in the legislature! Of course, there's the repeated line about not serving a single politician or political party. That's actually half true. Mr. Franks would be serving numerous politicians-Billy McCoy, Steve Holland, Compretta, Percy Watson, Cecil Brown, Gloria Williamson... The best line, though, comes at the end.

They want their candidates to fulfill their dreams; they want their candidates to have the life they never had.

Oh, isn't this rich...just like Mr. Franks! No, Mr. Franks, candidates aren't there to fulfill my dreams. They're in office to spend my money wisely, honestly, and pass laws beneficial to the populace. Besides, my dreams include living in the Keys listening to Jimmy Buffet without a care in the world. Are you gonna make that one happen? And do I want candidates to live the life I never had? Is this you fishing for a raise next year? What is this, lifestyles of the rich and famous? Where's Paris Hilton when you need her? If that means that they'll get rich off of other people's suffering, off of the sweat of their neighbors, and live high on the hog because of it, the answer's a resounding "no" from this quarter. * And by the way, to the young lady who wrote the article on Mr. Franks and his meeting with the CD's editorial board, their is no 'incumbent candidate,' despite what the rube in front of you at the time said.

Who's Paying (October 10 Edition)

Some contributions of interest to the Franks campaign, courtesy of the Secretary of State's office...

Percy Watson 1000
IBEW Washington DC 10,000
Steve Holland 200
Ray Mabus 300
Jackson Chemical Supplies Laplace, LA 1000
MS UAW PAC Baltimore MD 500
IBEW Local 903 10000
MAE 10000
Ike Spears Atty 5000
OPEIU 3000
Ironworkers PAC Washington DC 5000
UA PAF Washington DC 5000
South Carpenters Regional Council Irondale, AL 5000
Coalition for the Preservation of Rural Lifestyles (?) 1000
Wyeth Good Government Fund Madison NJ 500
IBEW Education Cmte Washington DC 5000
Douglas Horne Knoxville, TN 2000
Rudy Warnock, Attorney (wait, I thought this guy was an engineer?) 1000
CWA District 3 PAC Decatur, GA 1000
Plum Creek Columbia Falls, MT 1000
Harrah's Operating Company Memphis, TN 1000 (Amazing-he gets his values from his little church in Tupelo, yet he takes money from groups they oppose-like gaming!)
Lee Memorial Funeral Home (if you don't know, that's Steve Holland's business) 500
MMHA PAC 1000
MMHA VPAC 1000
Steve Patterson 6000
Mississippi Health Care PAC 5000
Ronnie Shows 500

Total Cash on Hand 595,941
Contributions this cycle 536, 296
Disbursements " " 543,010

Once again, so many House Dems on the list, so few Senate Dems. Also, looking through Phil Bryant's donors, one thing keeps jumping out at me: How many contributions he got from Mantachie, Fulton, Iuka, Tupelo...you know, the part of the world that Mr. Franks represented for the last twelve years, and several prominent Senators. They're voting with their pocketbooks, obviously.

http://www.sos.state.ms.us/PDF-Out/000000052389.pdf

Amazing

I haven't seen this much crying since...well, frankly, my house about the time Doyle Jackson decided to throw the SEC and NCAA rulebook out the window Saturday afternoon.

From Eaves to Nash to Ike to, I'm sure, Samson, the Golden Boy and the Cholesterol Crew, it looks like the responsible wing of the Democrat party has walked out on the true believers with today's endorsement.

I wonder what the news media is going to say tomorrow. I'm sure Bobby Harrison and Lloyd Gray and David Hampton will weep and gnash their teeth as well.

Am I Afraid?

Am I afraid of Jamie Franks becoming Lt. Governor? You're damn right I am. I'm afraid of twelve years of backbenching being in power. I'm afraid of the same old cabal running both houses of the legislature. I'm afraid of silly lawsuits embarrassing the state like I've been embarrassed since he got his JD. I'm afraid of payback being given out to his political opponents. I'm afraid of reckless decisions like the beef plant and the second Tupelo hospital. I'm afraid of $14 million being spent on special elections. I'm afraid of one of Ike Brown's enablers holding Voter ID hostage. I'm afraid of him thumping a Bible in one hand and ignoring it in another. I'm afraid of the budget being crippled and the inevitable tax increases to follow. I'm afraid of the right to work being ended. I'm afraid of another bit of bureaucracy being added. I'm afraid of other people's work being passed off as his own. I'm afraid of small fire departments not getting the equipment they were promised. I'm afraid of lies and excuses taking the place of actual results.

Franks on the Record (A Parody)

1) Why are you best qualified to lead the Mississippi State Senate in the next term as lieutenant governor?

Well, first of all, Steve and Billy think I'd do an awesome job. Second, I'm in good health, which makes me an even more attractive candidate. Third, I like money-I'd like to have some more of it. The job pays well. I think that's a perfect match. Fourth, Steve told me that I get to whip the ass of a queer every week. It's in the constitution or something.

2) What issues separate you from your opponent and define your campaign?

I don't own a bunch of Liberace and Elton John records like he does, for starters. That's big right there. He hates Jesus. I know that for a fact. He hates old people, the poor and kids. I have it on good authority he hates his own children. He likes to ramble on about things like "physical responsibility" and "budges" like anyone knows what those have to do with state government. Plus he talks like Haley Barbour doesn't have cooties. Barbour is a good man, but he does have cooties. Billy told me so.
Also I know how to pass a law. I was a committee chairman. Billy gave me a big ole gavel and I hit it a bunch. It takes 62 votes to pass a law. Phil doesn't know that. Steve told me Hob would help me in the senate cause it's different and stuff. It takes like 20 or something there.

Third, I'll be totally independent. Billy and Steve said they'd handle all the hard stuff, I'd just have to hit the gavel. It's bigger than my chairman gavel. I've been hitting the weights for a long time to handle it.

3) You've been attacked as "too liberal for Mississippi" in recent TV ads. Based on your record, why are those charges unfair or unfounded?

Yeah, it's unfair. I mean, anyone can charge people with being liberal. Steve says we aren't, anyway. That should settle it for most people. Sure, I gave money to John Kerry and Al Gore, just about the federal maximum, but they're just going to be president and stuff. It's not like they were going to push for gay rights or something. I've banned gay marraige and adoption and soon I'll ban gay people with my 'whip the ass of a queer' legislation. I mean, they were against abortion and didn't want to take peoples' guns. Bill swore they'd never do anything like that. And we all know that they wouldn't have raised taxes-they'd have just readjusted the rates to the Clinton ones from 2000. I mean, it sounds the same as a tax hike, but it's not. I don't know why people think I voted for wasteful spending. The beef plant was the Nissan for rural Mississippi. We're so pleased with it. That's just good economic investment.

4) You voted for the beef plant. You said yesterday that your opponent had a significant role in the plant's failure. How should the voters fairly judge both candidates based on the beef plant's failure?

I think I shouldn't be judged on it at all. We had the best of intentions. Sure, we didn't listen to anyone who knew anything about economics and agriculture, and we appropriated money to a guy who'd failed at the same thing elsewhere. Anyone could make that mistake. It was an honest one. Now Phil? I think he has a man-crush on Richard Hall and the contractor guy. I mean, it's not like he investigated it with the feds or anything. Plus, Jim always wanted to play detectives. You know Bilbo used to do it all the time. He'd pretend to do something bad to get someone else in trouble. We love Bilbo. I liked the movie about the rings. Those little guys were so cute. But they were probably gay for each other. And that's not right.

5) You sued the Itawamba County School District and Fair View Junior High.

I don't know anything about that.

6) Your name is on the paperwork.

Listen queer, I don't know anything about that. If you ask about it again I'll whip your ass.

7) Jeremy Martin-

I don't know who that is.

8) He was your opponent in 2003. You outspent him 4-1 and barely won.

Quit that. Everyone knows I was so loved that no one would run against me.

9) He ended up in jail just months after the race. In the Daily Journal, you claimed to have turned him in after a constituent informed you of financial improprieties, and you turned it over to the Attorney General.

If he went to jail, it's because he's a butt bandit. Butt bandits should go to jail. I didn't have anything do do with that.

10) You were quoted in the paper-

Listen, paperboy, I didn't do nothing. Not another word about it.

11) The Osama lawsuit...

You must hate America if you don't want me to sue Osama.
12) Is crime an issue?

No. There is no crime in district 19 because people are afraid I'll whip their ass if they step out of line. When I'm Lt. Governor, there will be no crime at all.

13) We pundits at the Clarion Ledger think, without the benefit of a poll, that the race appears to be tightening. How do you like your chances at victory at this point?

Steve and Billy say Phil's scared, and I believe them. They tell me I'm good looking, and young, but not in a queer way, cause if they did, I'd whip their ass. I think I'm gonna win and win big, because nobody in their right mind would vote for a queer who hates Jesus and grandma like Phil Bryant.

Signs, Signs

With Sincerest Apologies to both the Five Man Electrical Band and Tesla...

And the sign says "Dirty Moneychanging Republicans Need Not Apply"
So I put my Reagan biography under my arm and I went in to ask him why
He said you look like a fine outstanding young man, I think you'll do
So I took the book out, I said "Imagine that, huh, me campaigning for you"

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs
Messin' up the electorate, breakin' my mind
Vote for this, don't for that, you can't keep the signs

And the sign says "Anyone running against Jamie will be jailed on sight"
So I jumped the fence and I yelled at the house
Hey! What gives you the right!
To put up a Jamie sign, but to kick Jeremy's down
If God was here, he'd tell it to your face, man, you're some kind of clown

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs
Messin' up the electorate, breakin' my mind
Take this one, don't take that, you can't keep the signs

Oh, say now mister, can't you read
You got to have a spotless Democrat record to get a seat
You can't run, no you can't vote, you ain't supposed to be here
And the sign says "You got to have a membership card to get inside"

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs
Messin' up the electorate, breakin' my mind
Vote Haley in, vote Steve out, you can't keep the sign

And the sign says "Everybody welcome, come in, remember to pay"
But then they passed around a plate at the end of it all
And I didn't have a penny to pay
So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own campaign sign
I said, "Thank you Hood for looking out for me, but I was doin just fine"

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs
Messin' up the electorate, breakin' my mind
Steal this, then burn that, you can't keep the sign

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs
Messin' up the electorate, breakin' my mind
Deny this, deny that, you can't keep the sign

Little Jamie at the Plant

A Ballad of the State of Mississippi. Sung in the Year 2007. The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mooreville Kid that day In polls he was somewhat distant, with but one month more to play, And then when tax swap died at first, and beef plant did the same, A sickly silence fell upon the supporters of the ideas lame. A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast; They thought if only Jamie could but get the numbers down so scant-- We'd put up even money now despite three votes in favor of the plant. But Eaves preceded Jamie, and following him was Hood. And the former was a lulu and the latter was no good; With beef and monied lawyers their chances were slimmer than a gnat So then there seemed but little chance of Jamie getting past all that. But McCoy let drive an idea, to the wonderment of all, And Holland, so much smarter, smoked a cigar by the wall; And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred, There was McCoy safe from an indictment and Holland speaking no words. Then from 3 million throats and more there rose a confused yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon an ant, For Jamie, little Jamie, was talking about the plant. There was anger in Jamie's manner as he stepped into his place, There was pride in Jamies's bearing and a scowl on Jamie's face. And when, responding to the laughs, he yelled and stomped his feet, No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Jamie talking about the beef. Ten thousand eyes were on him as he began to fight with dirt; Five thousand tongues applauded as he sweated through his shirt. Then while the angry media flack ground his resume into his hip, Defiance gleamed in Jamie's eye, a sneer curled Jamie's lip. And now the terrible insults came hurtling through the air, And Jamie stood a-lying confidently in haughty grandeur there. Over the candidates poorly shorn locks the irony sped -- "Phil's to blame," said Jamie. "Oh God," the media said. From the benches, bleak with people, there went up a muffled roar, Like the beating of the storm waves on a worn and distant shore. "Don't listen, don't listen!" shouted someone in obvious pain, And it's likely they'd have done it had not Jamie talked again. With a frown of constant rage angry Jamie's visage shone; He tried to still the commotion; he bade the charade go on; He signaled to the media and once more the groans flew; But Jamie still ignored it and Bryant laughed, "The beef's all on you." "Talk about the queers!" cried the maddened flaks, and the echo answered queers; But one scornful look from Jamie and the audience thought him weird. They saw his face grow stern and red, they saw his teeth yellow stained, And they knew that Jamie wouldn't let a good lie go by again. The sneer is screaming from Jamie's lip, his teeth are clinched in spite; He pounds with cruel violence his hand upon the table with the mike. And now the candidate winds up his speech and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the absurdity of Jamie's show. Oh! somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing and somewhere children shout; Of course there's plenty of joy in Mooreville -- at last Jamie has struck out. (With the greatest of apologies to Thayer)

451 LFU Where Are You?

Update: Tupelo, MS

It seems that at least one video has surfaced of a campaign sign theft in Tupelo. The video shows a man in a black car, plate #451 LFU (how apropos!) stealing a Haley Barbour sign at a stop sign and knocking over an Everett Dustchke (the opponent of Steve Holland of the Holland Dynasty) sign. He then drives to the Shelton Law Firm offices in downtown Tupelo and puts the sign in his trunk.

The video is available on YouTube, under the heading "Do You Know This Sign Thief," and the Daily Journal has video on its 'Behind the News' section online. We here at the Tank have heard rumblings that there may be more than one video and that there are other prominent folks depicted therein.

Excellent job Leesha Faulkner of uncovering this and putting it out there for all to see.

My take: I've said on here for a long time there are numerous sign-burning parties in Lee County. Someone just finally provided video evidence of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8c8l-dsKoM

The Snub of All Snubs

I am shocked at the callousness of Governor Barbour. Seriously, the man has some nerve. Doesn't he know that honest horticulturalist and small biznessman Jamie Franks Jr. was instrumental in bringing Toyota to Mississippi? It's amazing how people forget that he personally flew to Japan and negotiated with Toyota executives on behalf of the hard-working people of Mississippi? Then why wasn't honest horticulturalist and small biznessman Jamie Franks Jr. invited to today's announcement of a Toyota parts supplier locating in Baldwyn? Didn't he get the  memos? Didn't Bobby Harrison or Lloyd Gray or David Hampton inform him that Jamie Franks had twisted Toyota's arms into locating in Mississippi in the first place? It's amazing what Governor Barbour will do to stop the Franks machine. I mean, he'll even stoop to taking credit for bringing a major auto manufacturer to the state. What other evil, terrible things is Haley Barbour willing to do to stay in power?

A Photo for Slimy

Here's a little something for the folks reading on College View Drive in Tupelo.



'Not a real teacher.' Enjoy retirement.

What am I saying? I hope your retirement is miserable.

If Only I Had Delusions of Grandeur

If I did, I'd claim that this blog brought down Brandon 'Yaw Yaw' Cherry in the District 19 runoff yesterday. But, it takes someone who's very insecure in their own accomplishments to claim they had a part in something that in reality, they did very little to aid in. I can't say that three or four blog posts brought down a candidacy-though I'd like to think the response to them swung a few people toward the winner.

No, Mark Duvall deserves the credit. He ran as his own man, didn't scream at people, didn't have to resort to someone else's playbook, and won 56% or so of the vote. He's probably going to sweat a little in the general election but he's probably going to win the seat-after all, the precincts making up District 19 in Itawamba County were almost all carried by Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, and the largest single bloc of votes is located there. The district as a whole will trend Republican after the next election, as its more than likely to expand west into Lee County, but that's 2015, not now.

Here's my advice to you, Mr. Duvall, should you choose to accept it.

Run the hell away from Jamie Franks. After all, Brandon 'Yaw Yaw' Cherry was his boy. His parents are both administrators in the Lee County School District, where Mr. Franks wife works. Steve Holland, Mr. Franks' good friend, gave him $400. So did 'Lawyers involved in Miss. Betterment' (I'm sure that if they benefit from that betterment, that's okay with them). Mr. Franks has never been exceedingly popular in his home district anyway-he went to a runoff in the primary in 1999 (no R in the race), and spent over $100K to win by 600 votes in 2003. I've yet to see that in anyone's column (Sid, your blog doesn't count and you know it), but it's damn true and they can look it up.

Yeah, he's a Dem, but remember: You're not in this for the good of the Democrats. You're not in it for Mark Duvall. You're in it for District 19 and the state of Mississippi. If he wins, and you don't kiss up to him, what can he do? He doesn't gain you a single vote anywhere in the District-even though, like Mussolini, he still amazingly has supporters. And knowing him, his partisan nature won't bring him-or those who support him-to hold his nose and vote Republican.

Be your own man, Mark. You don't need him; otherwise, you never would have run against him 8 years ago. Best of luck to you; represent my old hometown well.

It's the Truest Things that Make the Funny (Claim of the Day, Aug 15, '07)

Today's Daily Journal features an article by Bobby Harrison on Jamie Franks Jr. It's glowing, let me assure you. Apparently Bobby failed to ask a question that Mr. Franks didn't see coming from the Mansion on the Hill. Hey Bobby, two words: Jeremy Martin. Look 'em up. But tucked away at the bottom of the article is another one of the whoppers he's known to tell about his accomplishments. Apparently, North Mississippi Medical Center (a recipient of an award earlier this year as a top hospital in the country-that's the US, not Lee County-from the Vice President) is only a good hospital today because he and Steve Holland made them get better. Apparently their improvements were meteoric, going from a hospital in need of competition-nay, even closure-to a top-tier one. Thanks Franks! The care at NMMC has always been good. It's their customer service that's been lacking. As sociologist Dr. Vaughn Grisham at Ole Miss says, Tupelo has a good hospital because Tupelo wants a good hospital. There's your claim of the day, right there-and I didn't even make this one up. Also, the Senate is going to look like Mississippi-which will probably strangely become Democratic when all is said and done. I imagine Alan Nunnellee isn't relishing his role in a Franks-run Senate. The best line is the one about 'being his own man.' Yeah, I bet he and his sponsors are laughing all the way to the bank on that one. Electing Franks means that both houses in the legislature are controlled by people who are in the business of beef plants. I think we all remember how that one turned out, don't we? *Edited for a misquote-though Mr. Franks did vote to table the Tort package when it came up for a vote in the House. That makes his claims of not wanting it rolled back dubious at best. I hope all the previously-listed trial lawyers aren't disappointed that their trophy boy is selling them out-if he's to be believed. Or Bobby Harrison, who's notoriously bad at quotes.

Who's Paying, Part 3

This part comes from the June 8 report.

http://www.sos.state.ms.us/PDF-Out/000000049418.pdf

Gosh, that's so much easier than typing, isn't it?

New Disbursements:
Zata 3, Washington, DC $667.70
Ezekiel Powell Cartiers Branch BBQ $641.67
Bank of America gas card payment $5882.35
Lee County Courier $227
Stanford Campaign (no other information given) $7500
Mississippi Democratic Party $5000

Big Donors:
Jerry & Martha O'Keefe $1000
Benjamin Sturdivant $1000
Mike Sturdivant $1000
Rep. Tommy Reynolds $1000
Wayne Dixon $2500
William Shawn (Washington, DC) $10000
Bill Wheeler $10000
JP Compretta $500
Sims & Sims $2500
Shoemaker & Blackledge, Attys $1000
Steve Holland $250
Jason Shelton $500

Who's Paying for the Franks Campaign, Part One

Since the filing of the last campaign finance report before the election was last week, we here at the Tank are going to take a look at exactly what "moneychangers" are changing their money at the Franks Temple. I'm sure it'll be a revelation about the 'fine Christian poor working man' to many of you. Since it was filed last week, the July 31 campaign finance report will be the first one we hit up. There are two reports: One original, and another added on August 1.

RECEIPTS:
$46,350 itemized, $9550 non-itemized-total receipts $55,900
DISBURSEMENTS:
$53,624.53 itemized, $814.21 non-itemized-total spent $54,442.75

YTD Receipts: $268,544.13
YTD Spent: $162,300.67
Cash on Hand: $602,655.26

Individual Contributors:
Baxter Healthcare (location: Illinois) $250
GlaxoSmithKline (location: Pennsylvania) $500
Ralph Champan, PA $500
Timothy Balducci, Attorney $5000
Aquaklear, Inc $500
Hawkins, Stracener, & Givson, PLLC $1000
Percy Watson, Miss. House of Reps $1000
Miss. Health Care Ass'n $2500
David & Betty Cole, ICC President, $500
Kenneth Geno, Architect $500
Hon. Steve Holland, Miss. House of Reps $250
Casey Franks, Three Rivers Development $250
Cheryl Pine & Kimberly Turner, Realtors, $250
Eric Hampton, Hampton Transports, $250
Felix Rutledge, Rutledge Construction, $250
Ima Beam, Teacher, $250 (wait, she teaches at MSBD and lives in Mantachie? That's a heck of a commute)
James & Lorela Moore, Lee County Attorney, $250
JCAM Properties, LLC $250
Mike & Candy Horton, NEMS Natural Gas Dist. Manager, $250
Thomas & Diane Lynch, Daybrite Plant Manager $250
Tupelo PCH, LLC $250
Bert & Gail Bowden, Machinist, Percision Machine $300
Johnny Wilder, Wilder Welding $300
Claude Sexton, Machinist, Percision Machine, $500
Bill Morgan, Morgan Van Lines, $500
Steve Morgan, Morgan Van Lines, $500
Vaz Vanelli, Vanelli's Restaurant, $500
Claude & Sara Hartley, Tupelo Furniture Market $1000
Mr. & Mrs. Lynn Davis, Astrolounger, $1000
Gov. Ray Mabus, CEO, Foamex, $300
Ruff Business Systems, $250
Dixon Properties, Inc. $250
Claiborne & Marian Barksdale, Barksdale Reading Insitute, Ole Miss $250
Bill & Joyce Leech, Realtors $250
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, $10000
MAE Fund for Children and Public Education $10000 (I guess that's 10K out of the pockets of teachers, and 10k that could be spent on children)
William Miles, Miss. House of Reps $250
Crymes Pittman, Attorney $5000

Disbursements:
4th Cong. Dist. Democrats $1000
James Hull (residents of the Tupelo area will recognize him as a reporter for WTVA/WLOV) $4983.67
US Postal Service $533
Pro Printers Inc $1331.44
Cunningham, Harris, Osbourne & Associates $7000
NEC $318
Anzalone Liszt $24500
Jason Harper $875
Bryan Sexton $875
Pam Johnson $1100
The Baughman Company $4378
Stanford Campaigns $2235.42
Belhaven Springs $699
POGOZEN Technology $4500

Quick Take: Plenty of Lawyers, plenty of special interests here. Very few contributions from outside the district. Interesting that while representatives are putting money in the campaign, there aren't any senators doing the same.

Also interesting that James Hull works for the campaign; I guess that blows the whole impartiality thing out of the water. Anyone know whether or not Hull reported on Mr. Franks at WTVA/WLOV? The end total nearly matches the one he had at the beginning of July, meaning that he's just covering his losses in donations right now.