Know Nothing Party Flag, circa 1850

As expected, after the not-so-subtle inquiry as to the penalties for late-filing yesterday, the group English First has refused to disclose the source of their finances. If this doesn’t bother you, based on what we already know about their funding, it should.

Granted, it is typically bad form to toot one’s own horn, but I didn’t realize last week that my apt historical comparison to the Know Nothing political party would be so prescient, and as an extra bonus, turn out to be so literal

The Know Nothings was a nativist political party founded in the 1840s with the sole purpose for existence being to oppose Catholic Irish immigrants. When asked about their activities, the party members were instructed to say “I know nothing.”

Let’s call the English Only amendment what it actually is — the Know Nothing amendment.

Just like the Know Nothings of yore, the Know Nothings of 2009 certainly know who is supporting them – they just don’t want us to know who it is.

The leader of the English Only effort, Eric Crafton said a couple weeks ago he didn’t know what this amendment would actually do. It has turned out that the oft cited example of a California legislature speaking en Espanol was untrue .  The assertion that this will save Metro money is indisuptably false.

Today, we officially enter the Groundhog Day dimension of Know Nothing politics with English First’s answer to “Who is supporting you?” . Let them rally around their chosen battle cry of “We don’t know!”.

The plain truth is the English First group is intentionally refusing to comply with campaign finance laws (why would you inquire as to the penalty if there was no chance of making the deadline?). Besides, I’ve done them before – the disclosures aren’t that difficult. They are handwritten with a manageable number of appropriately named boxes. You can even Xerox extra copies if you need them – there is no requirement you make more by hand.

The creme de la creme is English First’s commitment to the theme. We won’t be able to ask any questions about the disclosure issue because no one is returning phone calls, Eric Crafton doesn’t know what the group he leads is doing, and no one from English Only plans on showing up at the debate tonight.  They won’t even send a surrogate. One debate and done.  Surely, some commenter on this blog, or from one of the message boards at The Tennessean , The City Paper, or Post Politics, could stand behind that podium tonight and make the case for this amendment.

Or maybe, they can’t.