I’m watching C-SPAN right now, and Ron Paul, Republican Congressman from Texas, seems to also want to surrender in Iraq. I want my liberal purveryors and fair and balanced critics to note that I condemn Paul along with John Murtha.

It’s not a partisan thing. It’s just that most surrenderites live on the Democratic side of the isle.

In the Opinion Journal online, former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan provides three reasons as to why the Flag Burning Amendment was a bad idea. Her third reason is, I think, the best

Third, Americans don’t always say this or even notice it, but they love their Constitution. They revere it. They don’t want it used as a plaything. They want the Constitution treated as a hallowed document that is amended rarely, and only for deep reasons of societal or governmental need. A flag burning amendment is too small bore for such a big thing. I don’t think it will come up as a big issue every even numbered year. I think it’s going to go away. There’s too much else that’s really needed.

I wish I was 1/gazillionith the writer Peggy Noonan is.

It is apparent that there is one adult homo sapien in this race and two hungry chihuahuas.

I’m not sure who prepped Van Hilleary, but having a cogent, effective response to anything was the exception, not the rule. Ed Bryant thinks he’s running against Harold Ford, Jr., not seeming to realize that he has a hurdle to jump in the meantime. Bob deflected and countered the other two’s attacks effectively, in my opinion. I want Bob to win - every regular reader knows that. I was certainly heartened by my candidate’s performance, and smiling on numerous occasions when Corker rebutted their attacks succinctly, effectively, and with humor.

The “thanks again for mentioning my name” line was fantastic. Corker made himself the positive focus of the debate, and it presented well.

UPDATE I’m watching the post-debate radio interviews, where each candidate was interviewed in succession. Ed and Bob were fine. Now Van is on, and he looks, well - he looks mad. He wasn’t comfortable with the immigration inspector vote coming up again on the radio. Quotes for the ages

“Bob’s whole strategy is to say he’s more Tennessee, or whatever”

“This isn’t about who built Krystal drive-thrus”

It shockingly appears that Van Hilleary is comparing himself to Ronald Reagan (no wait, he offered a disclaimer).

FURTHER UPDATE There was clearly a difference in assessment between those who were present for the debate, and those who watched the video stream. A lot of the background was lost in the transmission. From my kitchen table, Corker did well. Then again, those who were present and /or supporting Van or Ed had a different take.

At this point, perhaps because I’ve heard their attacks ad nauseum, every attack on Corker, no matter how seemingly legitimate at one time, appears to be an act of desperation. Both Ed and Van have been negative so long that they are beyond the saturation point. Instead, they come off as just not liking Corker.

If you’re going to go negative, as intensely and as early as Van-Ed did, you need to land some knockout blows. No such blows have been landed. Despite all these attacks, Corker’s poll numbers remain high.  After awhile, ineffective attacks morph into a cacophony of political pettiness, not effective criticism.

Brian Harris of Tennessee Right to Life today endorsed Jack Johnson for the 23rd District State Senate primary. Harris’ quote

“With the election of Jack Johnson the voters of this district have a unique opportunity to continue the pro-life legacy of Jim Bryson and Keith Jordan,” said Tennessee Right to Life Chairman Brian Harris. “Because the 23rd district has been so well represented at the Legislature by capable pro-life leaders, we know that Jack Johnson is the natural candidate to keep that pro-life legacy strong.”

That’s interesting, as I’m not aware that Jack Johnson has a pro-life record at all, at least not anything that is documentable (and I know - it’s clear that I am a bonafide Chip supporter - it wouldn’t surprise me if someone pointed that out…perhaps someone with the initials ACK), but I’m being rather objective on this one. Now, I believe Jack is pro-life. I know Chip is pro-life (in fact, his questionairre submitted to TRL scored perfectly). I’m fairly sure that the other candidates in the race are as well. What gives with this particular endorsement?

What is interesting is that Chip is the only candidate involved in this race that has any record on the unborn whatsoever. Many may not know it, but he is co-counsel in a lawsuit suing Corrections Corporation of America for the wrongful death of a second trimester fetus. The story from The Tennessean last Fall is summarized here (scroll down to October 1, 2005). Chip has been involved in this case since shortly after it was filed almost one year ago, way before this campaign ever began.

In short, Chip is the only one who has a track record of any sort regarding the unborn.

How Right to Life can ignore this, and still endorse Jack Johnson, is a mystery to me.

UPDATE From the comments below

I heard that Jack’s wife works with/for the right to life agency. This might just be a rumor, and if it is, I apologize for putting it out there. But if it’s true, that would explain a lot.

I guess I should have known that, but did not. If so, it would explain a lot, and I think, cheapen the endorsement just a tad.

I have looked askew at the various political puff pieces by Harold Ford, Jr. and his supporters, implicitly promising he would single-handedly reinstate gasoline prices to somewhere near 77 cents a gallon (that’s 85 cents if you don’t get your gas from Raceway). How he intends to do this is still a mystery. The bigger mystery is how it’s the Republicans’ fault that gas and energy prices are high in the first place.

It’s Republicans who wanted to drill in ANWR (first under Ronald Reagan, then the 104th Congress, before Bill Clinton vetoed the bill).

It’s a Republican president who want to expand exploration and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s a Republicans president who supports our present foreign engagements so as to not endanger the world’s first and primary source of fossil fuels.

It’s a Republican president who is supportive of the expansion of nuclear energy.

It’s okay to say you’re for these things, too, but to cavort around the state acting as if you are the sole fix-it candidate for our energy concerns is too much to swallow. The Democratic Party is the party beholden to the extremist environmental groups that have stopped any expansion of exploration for domestic reserves. Ford ought to get off his high horse about the subject before he falls off.

UPDATE An addenda - it’s worth noting that 1/3 of American oil consumption is non-transportation. All sources of energy that can act as substitutes, whether it be natural gas, nuclear power, or coal (also a Republican supported source), reduce the demand for oil, and the price at the pump.

Someone else is talking about the situation in Israel besides me. Go see Les Jones, too.

As noted at various other posts along the Tennessee blogosphere, the first televised debate for the Republican Primary candidates for the US Senate will be tonight in Knoxville. Rob Huddleston over at B4B notes some potential moderation problems

My only worry about this debate (see the press release below) is that Hallerin Hilton Hill is one of the panelists. I have a great deal of respect for Gene Patterson and find Lori Tucker palatable, but “Triple H” is not a neutral on the panel. I have been told that he is on the Corker payroll, and while his on-air antics tend to suggest that to be the case, I have been provided no proof to show actual financial backing.

Peculiar. My only observation is that Steve Gill seemed to work for free - and it wasn’t on behalf of Bob Corker. This debate ought to be more interesting. We’ll actually get to see Van Hilleary slap Bob Corker, and watch Ed Bryant chew on his heels. Maybe even, Ed will dress up like that guy on Bob the Fraud!

UPDATE The debate will be live fed on the web here.

From a press release from the Jim Bryson for Governor campaign

(NASHVILLE) – Senator Jim Bryson (R-Franklin) today announced his fundraising team, led by honorary finance chairs Mike Curb, Jim Haslam, Joe Rodgers, Ted Welch, and Pat Wilson. Four of the five chairs, Mike Curb, Joe Rodgers, Ted Welch, and Pat Wilson, have served as Finance Chairs for the National Republican Party.

 “I am honored to have the support and commitment of five national leaders of the Republican Party,” Sen. Bryson said.  “Their remarkable dedication ensures that this campaign will have the resources to mount a winning effort throughout the summer and fall.”

Well, then. Money ought not be a problem.

Israeli fighters have flown sorties over the home of the Syrian president.

I would advise Bashar Assad it’s not a good idea to harbor Hamas leaders intent on pushing the Land of Abraham into the sea.

This is what I don’t get. The world thrashes Israel on a routine basis. The Arab world and the intellectual elite in the musky corners of Europe are nearly indistinguishable. The truth is that Israel could do a lot more than what they have. The Israeli restraint since their post-war founding is, quite frankly, admirable.

Syria should take notice.

In a quick scroll through my RSS feeds, I’m not seeing all that much going down in the Tennessee blogosphere today, which is fine since I’ve been out of pocket anyhow. My entire morning has been spent in the new AA Birch Court Building. It was my first time to be in it since it opened approximately two weeks ago.

At least now, the courtrooms feel like courtrooms. They’re not quite as nice as the federal courts (cherry finish instead of marble being a key distinguisher), but the spaciousness and modernity of the facilities trumps any hiccups the new operation might have (excessive elevator wait times in the morning being chief amongst them). The airport-like scrolling electronic dockets on each floor are nice, and certainly must be helpful to those unfamiliar with the criminal justice system. Monitors at each counsel table, on the witness stand and in the jury box are a neat new feature as well. Client visitation could use some work, but that largely depends on which court one is in.

And it’s nice to have all courts dealing with criminal matters under the same roof. It’s not unusual to have multiple matters scheduled at the same time. Driving back and forth over the last three years between criminal court and general sessions court was taxing, especially in the summer. That is now a thing of the past. Count it as a plus.

I had stopped doing a lot of criminal work about a year ago. I find that I miss the pace and the people. The criminal defense bar in Nashville is not that large - you deal with the same people over and over, which creates a bond of comraderie that is difficult to enjoy in civil practice. It’s good to diversify, too - civil discovery gets old fast.

Mark Rose mentions Cafe Hayek in a post this morning. Those guys are sharp - I strongly encourage visiting that blog for in-depth economic analysis on issues of import.

At least on my side of things, things will be spotty until afternoon.

I haven’t begged much in the last week - so if you will, kindly click on the ads to your direct right. And fill up that Paypal tipjar if the mood strikes you!

The Gaza attack has begun. More here and here.

Good luck finding it on an American news station. Geeze.

When Senator Joe Biden was asked if he is still interested in a run for president, his response was:

“I’d rather be at home making love to my wife while my children are asleep,” he said.  

A have a few thoughts about this statement –

1. Eeewwwww.

2. I’m glad that he has the courtesy to wait until his children are sleeping so that they can be blissfully ignorant of the activity taking place.  No child should have any knowledge of their parents doing … that.

3. Why must he even mention his children?  Has he had bad romantic interludes while his children were playing video games in the next room, so he feels the need to include such a stipulation?

4. Biden’s comment is definitely right up there with the Al and Tipper Gore make-out session at the 2000 DNC Convention in having a high “yukky factor”.

I was reading my husband’s side of the blog and found the post about the fight over a HPV immunization.  I won’t link to the post here … just move your eyes to the left and down a bit.  The HPV is a sexually-transmitted disease and is linked to cervical cancer.  Some argue that providing immunization from this virus will promote promiscuity.  I won’t get into that ridiculous debate because others are already doing that well enough on Nathan’s post and the Blogging for Bryant page.

However, I had to point out one of the comments left on the Blogging for Bryant site.  PowerTee writes the following:

But there is an issue here of morality. You don’t get HPV from sharing a crayon with another child at school. It is a SEXUALLY transmitted disease. Accordingly, someone won’t be unwittingly victimized (I know, I’m not including rape, incest, etc., but I doubt my daughters will be perpetrating too much of that) by getting this disease. 

Wow!  I’m saddened to think that this man will be teaching his daughters that women cause rape to happen.  In my opinion, PowerTee extinguished any hope of presenting a valid argument once I read this comment.

In a hollow attempt to placate the situation brewing over the captured Israeli soldier, Hamas has agreed to implicitly recognize Israel.

No dice. From the AP Wire

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Palestinian militant group said Tuesday an abducted Israeli soldier was alive in a “secure place,” as thousands of Israeli and Egyptian troops massed along the borders with Gaza in anticipation of an Israeli invasion.

Negotiators from the ruling Hamas movement, trying to defuse building tensions, said they had accepted a document implicitly recognizing Israel. But two Syrian-based Hamas leaders denied a final deal had been reached.

Israel said only freedom for the captive soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, could defuse the crisis, not a political agreement.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Tuesday’s agreement between Hamas and the Fatah Party of President Mahmoud Abbas was a “non-starter” because it failed to meet international demands.

And this sums it up

Regev said Hamas leaders “should have been trying to orchestrate the release of Cpl. Shalit” rather than “devoting time and energy to other matters of no real significance.”

So much for symbolism over substance. The confrontation here is not to be underestimated. Egyptian troops are on the border as well. There’s certainly no substance

Complicating matters was a new claim by the Hamas-linked Popular Resistance Committees, one of the three groups that carried out Sunday’s assault, that it had also kidnapped a Jewish settler in the West Bank.

And this tells you about Arab unity. Egypt is deploying soldiers to keep Palestinians out

Egyptian officials said their government asked Hamas to release the soldier and deployed 2,500 extra soldiers along the border with Gaza to prevent an influx of Palestinians if Israel invaded. Egypt also imposed a nighttime curfew on residents along the border.

Gaza is in a squeeze. Any student of the Middle East can tell you that the Palestiniain question is not an Israeli problem, but an Arab one. The Palestinians are the gypsies of the Middle East. They just happened to end up outside Jordan and Egypt and in Israel. Egypt doesn’t want them, either.
Keep an eye out. This could get ugly.

I’m a few days late in my tribute to Aaron Spelling, but today’s TV schedule has compelled me to write.  I recently discovered that FX plays reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 at 4:00pm and 5:00pm on weekdays.

Like Dylan, Brenda, Kelly and the rest of the gang, I was also part of the Class of 1993.  (So were the Saved By the Bell kids, but Brandon is sooo much cooler than Screech.)   Right now, FX is playing the senior prom/graduation episodes.  When I was a senior, my friends and I made a pact not to watch these three episodes when they first aired.  Instead, I taped them for everyone and we watched all three back to back.  Twenty of us cheered in unison, “Donna Martin graduates!”  (Did you notice that Tori Spelling became Donna Martin when those cameras started to roll?  A true dramatic genius, that one.)

Thank you, Aaron Spelling, for making 90210 for the world to enjoy.  The plotlines were riveting and the characters really made you care about their successes and failures.  For instance, I had sleepless nights wondering if one and then another from the gang would kick their drug habits (Dylan and heroine, Kelly and cocaine, David and amphetamines, Donna and muscle relaxers).  When Brenda and Kelly decided that friendship was stronger than any boy, I yelled, “Bravo!”   When Scott spun that gun around in his dad’s office and shot himself, I thought twice about playing with deadly weapons.  And, finally, I wept tears of joy when Donna and David exchanged vows during the last episode.  Those two kids give us all hope that soulmates really do exist.

Word on the street (from a fairly reliable inside source) is that WTN 99.7 contract negotiations with radio talk show host Steve Gill aren’t going that well. Nothing is set in stone, but don’t be surprised if a change in programming is announced in the next few days.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE So much for staying tuned - the City Paper broke the story at the same time.

We find out about this with a couple weeks to spare

An asteroid possibly as large as a half-mile or more in diameter is rapidly approaching the Earth.  There is no need for concern, for no collision is in the offing, but the space rock will make an exceptionally close approach to our planet early on Monday, July 3, passing just beyond the Moon’s average distance from Earth.

So, why aren’t we more diligent in looking all around our planet for approaching insidious Space objects? Ask your resident stegosaurus what they think about hanging out, eating and watching the world go by. If the dinosaurs could do it over again, I’d wager they’d think some notice would have been nice.