Um.....OK

Apparently this is a heavy YouTube week. This takes a while to get where it is going...but it's worth it:

Good Riddance

Don't let the door hit you on the way out:

Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig resign from the Senate amid a furor over his arrest and guilty plea in a police sex sting in an airport men's room, Republican officials said Friday.

Craig will announce at a news conference in Boise Saturday morning that he will resign effective Sept. 30, four state GOP officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

I couldn't possibly care less what he is in to behind closed doors. But for God's sake don't plead guilty to a crime and then say you are completely innocent of everything . At that point you are just making yourself look like a dumbass.. So I'm just tickled that we can finally get this schmuck out of here and replace him with somebody who is actually competent in the U.S. Senate...

Allrighty Then...

OK, first comes this story originally from this blog (H/T Slashdot via Instapundit):

"I ran for school board where I live this past fall and created some TV commercials including this one with a 'Star Wars' theme. A few months ago VH1 grabbed the commercial from YouTube and featured it in a segment of its show 'Web Junk 2.0.' Neither VH1 or its parent company Viacom told me they were doing this or asked my permission to use it, but I didn't mind it if they did. I thought that Aries Spears's commentary about it was pretty hilarious, so I posted a clip of VH1's segment on YouTube so that I could put it on my blog. I just got an e-mail from YouTube saying that the video has been pulled because Viacom is claiming that I'm violating its copyright. Viacom used my video without permission on their commercial television show, and now says that I am infringing on their copyright for showing the clip of the work that Viacom made in violation of my own copyright!"

All of that was just an excuse to post the following and, well, this is the commercial. It can speak for itself:

AA GOP Central Committee: The Big Move

Well, you can forget about the big Central Committee meeting on Wednesday being on 15 West Street:

The rift among county Republicans is expected to erupt next week, and the GOP expects so many spectators at its meeting that the event has been moved to a larger room.

Rumors and e-mails have been circulating for weeks that the tectonic plates within the county's Republican Central Committee are about to collide. And some board members are expected to oust chairman Mike Collins at the group's next meeting.

A coalition of the committee's ultra-conservative and liberal-leaning Republicans has reportedly conspired to call Mr. Collins' leadership into question at a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Lowe House Office Building in Annapolis.

Why we're reading about this in The Capital as opposed to finding out about it from anybody connected to the party I will leave to your imagination....

Velvet Rope Revolution

This is not surprising:

Someday soon, visitors to the Arundel Center will be guided by movie-theater style ropes to the security desk, where they will need clearance to visit the floor where County Executive John R. Leopold works.

The county plans to spend about $15,000 to close security loopholes at the county's office building, a project that includes installing security cameras and regulating access to the elevator.

While the move is similar to security measures in other Maryland counties, critics said it cuts off access to our elected officials.

Police detectives who provide a security detail to the county executive suggested the tighter rules.

County spokesman Marina Harrison said the county will be eliminating "gaps that should have been closed long ago."

Look, I think we can all agree that some limited security measures are important, even in buildings seemingly as low a priority target as the Arundel Center. But isn't this a little bit extreme, even if unsurprising that it originates in the administration of somebody as cut off from the real world as John Leopold?

The Unseen Side of Government Overregulation

There has been a lot of discussion in recent days about economic fairness and wages when it comes to workers at the stadiums. Classical Values has a fascinating piece on the government getting involved in places where it had no business in the first place (in this case, selling beer in Pennsylvania). And how, once government gets involved, real people are going to get screwed one way or the other....

Meeting Expectations

As I expected, Kujan misses my point completely:

Yes, yes they do. I never claimed they didn't. I claimed that they only like seeing the already well off making more money. Griffiths doesn't dispute this fact, because he cannot.

Which of course is hogwash. If I only liked seeing the already well off making more money, I wouldn't have what I have, now would I?

Incidentally, Kujan continues to miss several other points here that I am trying to make, and frankly it isn't even worth my time to try to explain it anymore because I'd have better luck explaining astrophysics to a platypus, except the platypus might keep up better....

Let me say this slowly: if the workers are concerned about being better paid at their job, find a better paying job. Just like Kujan decides not to go to a high-dollar Democratic shindig people have the freedom of choice; perhaps they should, you know, use it.

Do Something Nice

My friend Erin is raising money as part of the DC Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training for the Marine Corps Marathon and she's pretty close to her goal of raising $2,000. So if you have a couple of extra bucks you wouldn't mind doing something good with (and because let's face it, she's running a marathon and you're probably not) click here and help her get over the top...

A Little Levity

A not particularly insightful comment on economics

Andrew Kujan:

There really is nothing scarier to a conservative that someone who is not already rich making more money.

Which is patently absurd. Conservatives like seeing people make money. What conservatives don't like to see is for government to muck everything up by artificially inflating wages to the point that it creates inflation, thus bringing the value of everybody's dollar down.

Then again Kujan proves why liberals can't run government; a basic lack of understanding of economic environments:

First, those companies would in no way be affected by raising the salaries of a particular group of workers at Camden Yards. An apparently every restaurant, zoo, and "firm" would go out of business in Maryland if 11 people get a $3 raise.

Of course what Kujan fails to realize is that the artificial inflation by government of the salaries of the stadium workers creates an unequal environment for other businesses. That means if government mandates the inflation of salaries by $3 an hour, those businesses either will hire less skilled workers or will need to inflate their wages by $3. And that price gets passed onto the consumer. That creates inflation. That diminishes purchasing power. And that means nothing really changes in the end other than creating more, not less, poverty.

Urban liberals need to realize that you just can't mandate poverty away by having government muscle its way into situations it does not belong...

Being on the Special Interest Take...

We had touched on this before, but my co-blogger Mark Newgent has an awesomely detailed smackdown of Free State Politics and their funding sources over at RedMaryland. Go ahead and check it out.

As expected, no comment yet from the FSP crowd...

GOP Bylaw Amendments: California Dreamin'

David Kyle notes that Debbie Belcher's proposed language comes from the platform of the California Republican Party. And it is. Lifted word for word.

Because things are working so swimmingly for the California Republicans, you know...

No Kidding

This is just one of those things that is sad, but obvious:

Republican and Democratic politicians alike have faced charges of sexual misconduct; some have survived, others have foundered.

But the sting is never quite so potent, the irony not nearly so keen as when a self-proclaimed bearer of "traditional family values" finds himself (and it's almost always a "him") accused of engaging in behavior that he has condemned, particularly that of same-sex liaisons.

Read the whole thing.

I wish that we could somehow, some way curb the number of these debacles we have to see year in, year out...

Poor Misguided Soul

See, all conservatives aren't necessarily right about everything. Take my RedMaryland colleague Mark Newgent, who outed himself as a Redskins fan today.

Mark is right about one thing. The Ravens and Redskins do not have a rivalry. That would require the Redskins to be, you know, good.....

It wasn't cute the first time

Following up last week's 30-3 debacle with an 11-run 8th inning against Tampa Bay, turning a 6-3 lead into a 14-6 deficit, is probably not what anybody associated with the Orioles franchise needed. Trust me, it wasn't cute last week and the continued bullpen debacles are really losing their novelty...

GOP Bylaw Amendments: The Bizarre

Debbie Belcher's Purpose of....well, I'm not really sure:
Debbie's concerns about the Oath of Office and multiple voting are accurate. You can read all of her comments here. However, this is where things fly off the rail:

Section 1. Purpose.
The Party exists to secure honest and responsible government, founded on our belief in the worth and dignity of every person.

Add the Section below to follow the above:
We, the members of the Maryland Republican Party, believe in the inalienable, natural rights of each individual as endowed by our Creator, including the rights to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness. We agree with our nation's founders that government is instituted to protect those rights and will oppose all efforts to interfere with their legitimate exercise. The Republican Party is committed to protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States, which is the law of the land, and further to interpreting the Constitution in its original intent as written by the Founding Fathers. The Republican Party recognizes that the United States is a republic, governed by laws enacted by elected representatives pledged to protect the rights guaranteed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

The Republican Party, from its inception, and under the leadership of its first President, Abraham Lincoln, has championed justice, equal rights, and opportunity for all, regardless of race, religion, gender or national origin. We are proud that our President, George W. Bush, has put into action our messages of hope, opportunity, family values, and individual rights; which is an inclusive message for all who love freedom, believe in individual rights and responsibility, and believe in government of the people.

There are so many things here that are just incredible to see in writing. The fact of the matter is that Debbie's comments are nice, until you remember that the Republican Party is not an instrument of religion. We are not the party of a particular President (certainly not one who has turned his back on many of our basic conservative principles).

Our purpose as a party is exactly what the current purpose says it: to secure honest and responsible government. And beyond that, to ensure that we are a strong nation with a limited central government. Or, as I noted in May:

It is time that our party reject those issues that divide us as conservatives, and unite around those core issues that bring together all wings of the Republican Party. We must bill willing to embrace fiscal responsibility, particularly when it comes to eliminating pork barrel projects. We must be willing to reduce the size of government in order to ensure to contain government only in the areas where it belongs. We must protect our national security, in order to protect us from foreign nations and from the presence of illegal aliens. And we must ensure that we are committed to upholding all of our Constitutional rights.

We do not want a government based on whatever Belcher's statement is supposed to mean. Her comments indicates that she prefers a party based less on principle and more on buzzwords that are meant to convey a party that is far to the right of the mainstream Republican voter.

Sure, it may sound cute now, but a statement of purpose should represent we as Republicans want to stand for today, tomorrow, and twenty years from now. We are the party of liberty and limited government. Sometimes, it seems like we forget this.

GOP Bylaw Amendments: The 800-pound Gorilla

The Party shall not, without the prior approval by at least a two-thirds affirmative vote of the State Executive Committee, contribute money or in-kind aid to any candidate for any public or party office except the nominee of the Republican Party or a candidate who is unopposed in the Republican primary after the filing deadline for that office. Nothing in this section shall preclude any member of the State Central Committee from personally contributing money or in-kind aid to a candidate in a Republican primary or Party election.

And there it is right there. A potential systemic shift in the way the Maryland Republican Party conducts its elections. With a two-thirds vote of the State Executive Committee, the Party can anoint the chosen one in any primary election it desires.

The Republican Party is, ostensibly, the party of ideas. We are the party of the people. We are the party of individual accomplishment and achievement. Upon passage of this bylaw amendment, we wipe all of that away. Instead of being a party based on principle we become a party based on access, on relationships, and on cliques. Get 26 people to go your way, and the (potential) cash and organization of the Republican Party come with it. It is no longer about ideas, and about support, and about community, but about cash, and contacts, and having West Street on your side.

And undoubtedly, such a proposal at the state level would then lead to proposals being bandied about at the County level. Given the lack of leadership displayed here in Anne Arundel County, doesn't that bother you a bit?

The proposal to endorse candidates is wholly inappropriate for any party, much less one that is strives to be a meritocracy. It should and it must be defeated.

GOP Bylaw Amendments: The Bad

We addressed the (generally) good portions of the bylaw proposals in our previous post. However, there are some issues of concern with these proposed amendments:

1. Endorsement of Candidates in the Primary
The 800-pound gorilla in the room. We're going to save this for separate post.

2. Central Committee Members can be removed by the State Executive Committee if they fail to take or abide by the Oath of Office
There seems to be little reason, if any, for the State Executive Committee to step in and remove a member of a local Central Committee. The local Central Committees are elected by the voters of the jurisdiction in which they represent. What is even stranger is the fact that the Oath of Office is not listed in any documents that have been publicly presented to date. Lord only knows what these Central Committee members would be asked to be pledging an oath to.

3. The "Brian Harlin Rule"
Basically, the rule would prohibit any member of the Central Committee from receiving campaign funds. I don't necessarily disagree with the concept of the rule but, once again, it turns into a debacle because of how it is executed. It is clearly targeted at one individual in order to punish that individual for whatever reason, and smacks as somewhat of a Bill of Attainder. And besides, who is the party to tell a businessperson that they cannot participate in party affairs due to the nature of their business? Does that not sound like something the Democrats would try to pull?

4. The Oath
Numerous references are made to this newfangled Oath, and as I mentioned earlier nobody actually explains what this oath is. Do we really think the party needs to be taking a "Loyalty Oath" to the party? Does that not seem a touch Orwellian? Because that's what this sounds like. The only oath, as far as I am concerned, that Central Committee members need to take is one in which they swear or affirm to execute their office.. Whatever other oath the party comes up with is likely inappropriate (and several Anne Arundel Central Committee members take issue with the seeming lack of an oath here and here).

5. Salary of Executive Director and Staff
The bylaw proposal would allow the Chairman of the Party to hire new Executive Directors and Staff Members and get approval of their salaries and benefits packages by the State Executive Committee only if the salary and benefits increase. Would it really hurt us to have some oversight by the Executive Committee in this regard?

GOP Bylaw Amendments: The Good...Generally

Well upon review of the proposed bylaw amendments, (some of which are generally technically amendments), the substantive ones generally break down three ways. Some amendments are very good amendments. Some amendments are very bad amendments. And one amendment/proposal is completely out of far right field. We'll break them into individual posts.

You can view the entire proposed new bylaws in an annotated version here, the recommendations of the Bylaw Review Committee here, and view comments from Anne Arundel Central Committee members here and here.


1. Prohibiting Central Committee members from supporting non-Republicans in partisan elections
This just makes common sense. We cannot have Republican Central Committee members publicly stumping for Democrats as we have seen here in District 31. I do not necessarily, however, think the provision referring to penalties set forth by the State Central Committee is the way to go, as these matters should be dealt with first and foremost at the local level. But this proposal only works if the proviso for primary elections are removed. That is a whole different ball of wax, but including the proviso of supporting "official" candidates in the primary could really gum the works up.

2. Introduction of Resolutions
This is really inside baseball stuff here. Basically, it would remove a provision require a resolution to go through the Resolutions Committee before it is submitted for discussion at a party convention. Common sense stuff here.

GOP Bylaw Amendments: The Email

As I noted yesterday, Mike Collins sent out and extensive, detailed email late Monday night detailing the situation regarding some proposed amendments to the Bylaws of the Maryland Republican Party. First things first, let's display Mike's email. Then, in another post, I will come back with some analysis and comment:

Fellow Republicans:

This is a long explanation of some of the turmoil surrounding proposed changes to our By-Laws. This is important to all Republicans, and I urge you to read this email and the attached documents.

There has been a lot of chatter about proposed changes to the Maryland State Republican Party by-laws. In particular, there is some concern about a proposal to allow the party to give endorsements and material support to select candidates. In an email last week, the Executive Director characterized as 'misleading' comments that the changes would allow pre-primary endorsements.

In order to clarify the issues, I have attached several documents that were emailed out after the State Party convention. As you may recall, a member of the House of Delegates falsely accused me of sending confidential party information to the press. So I would like to call your attention to the Bylaws Committee Report that is marked "Confidential." It was marked that way prior to the convention so its contents would not be shared before the convention with Republicans or others outside the Central Committee. It has subsequently been briefed in public and emailed out by John Flynn on May 21, 2007 to a large list, so privilege is no longer attached.

At present, there is no mechanism in our by-laws that allows the State Party to take sides in contested primaries. Any such support in prior elections was in violation of our policies and should have been addressed. But the proposed by-laws change does not prohibit endorsing candidates in a contested primary. It actually creates a mechanism where the Party can endorse candidates and provide material support to select candidates in contested primaries so long as .666 of the County Chairmen agree. This provision gives power to central committee chairmen outside our county to horse trade in smoke-filled rooms and decide which candidates to endorse and to whom to provide material support. Please read the proposed by-laws change and see how it can be used, not how it is being sold.

There are other by-laws proposals that are controversial as well. One would create an oath. As you will see from the by-laws, this oath is not defined, but appears in several locations in the proposed by-laws. Violation of this undefined oath carries penalties, including removal of Central Committee members. At present, our Clerk of Courts, Bob Duckworth swears in all newly elected members at the first convention. Despite this, there is a proposed by-laws change that would create an additional undefined oath. Again, chairman from outside our county would now have the authority to shape your elected Central Committee membership. Please read the proposals. Also read the comments from our Central Committee members.

There are provisions to remove members who support candidates against Republicans in contested elections. I personally like this provision, but it is getting a cool reception from folks who have supported non-Republicans over Republicans in the past.

There are other proposed changes as well which smack of a power-grab by 15 West Street. One proposal would allow the Chairman of the State Party to order up meetings of county central committees at his whim.

Another by-laws change would reduce financial oversight of the Executive Board, by allowing the Chairman to hire staff up without approval up to the highest levels done previously, regardless of changes in the financial or political climate. This is particularly sensitive, as our chairman hired five full-time staff members, with a payroll of more than a quarter million dollars, without the required prior approval of the Executive Board. The compensation of the Executive Director, who chaired the by-laws review committee, is directly effected by this change, and a conflict of interest is apparent.

One proposed by-laws change has been dubbed "The Brian Harlan Rule." As you know, Brian Harlan owns the GOP Shoppe. He is very well thought of and was asked to stand for Second Vice Chairman of the party a couple years ago. The new by-laws change would prevent anybody from serving as an officer of the Maryland GOP if they receive remuneration for work on any campaigns. This by-laws change appears to target one person—Brian Harlan—to keep him out of the Party leadership.

There has been some muted discussion about developing a State and County party platform. This is coming from social conservatives who want to put abortion, gay marriage, and other divisive issues front and center in our party. At present, our Party stands on "I Am A Republican Because …" http://www.aagop.com/My_Homepage_Files/Page1.html

I think it is appropriate that we have a party coalesced around the 90% of issues that unite us, rather than the 10% that divide us. Sadly, some would like to fight Republicans over the 10% issues where we are not in complete agreement. I think that is bad for our party. In addition to developing a social conservative party platform, there is an attempt by some to use the by-laws review to embed the social issues in the by-laws.

The Anne Arundel County Central Committee reviewed these proposed by-laws changes at our July meeting and submitted our comments to the State party. I have attached comments that Jerry Walker put in pdf format from our chatroom discussions. I have also added Debbie Belcher's comments that she sent separately, and recently emailed to a wide audience.

The proposed by-laws changes are not some intramural game for the Central Committee. They are the rules that govern Republican Party politics, and they effect you. Please take a few moments to get acquainted with these proposals and voice your opinion. Again, if you have any questions on the by-laws, our public deliberations, or any other issue, please contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Mike Collins
Chairman
Republican State Central Committee
Of Anne Arundel County

This week in transit failure...

Once again, why I can't stand American public transportation:

Smoke poured into Metro subway tunnels again last night, a day after an unprecedented and unexplained series of such incidents. Baffled officials began to consider the possibility that the events were more than mere accidents.

"This is not normal," Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. said. "This is highly, highly irregular."

Asked whether he suspected terrorism, Catoe said no. But he added: "Could it be something else? Everything now is suspicious."

Asked whether he suspected sabotage, he said, "I don't know the answer to that question."

The system reopened Tuesday at 5 a.m., and Metro officials said trains were running normally, with no service disruptions or problems.

Yesterday's events, like Sunday's, came just after the height of the evening rush, halting train travel on part of the Green Line in the District and much of the Blue and Yellow lines in Alexandria and in Arlington and Fairfax counties. At one point, a Metro spokeswoman said, seven trains lost power in the Blue and Yellow Line tunnels south of the Pentagon.

The chaotic situation forced thousands of irritated and bewildered passengers to disembark from stopped trains and use shuttle buses or search for other ways to complete trips home that, in some cases, stretched hours longer than usual. Well after 10 p.m., there was no service between the Pentagon and Braddock Road stations on the Blue and Yellow Lines. The U Street/Cardozo Station on the Green Line in the District was closed by smoke from about 7:20 to 8:40 p.m.

Officials provided some explanation for the shutdowns but could not provide a detailed basis for much of what happened. "We're at a loss to identify the root cause of the problem," Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said.

The Washington Metro may be one of the least efficient, least effective, bass ackwards organizations ever to be stood up in the history of the planet, and continued incidents like these just goes to further perpetuate that image...

Paging Cross Canadian Ragweed...

...because I am, allegedly, a Carny Man! Go read is comments there, I am choosing not to post it here.

Once again, the racial politics of the left. "Lefty" here tries to play my opposition to illegal immigration as racial politics and carny games. Which is kind of incredible because the entire crux of the argument has nothing to do with skin color, or the budget, or any of the other things the left postulates that this is about. It is the left that wants to make a racial issue of of this. I merely want to see the borders controlled so that no illegal immigrants of any race, color, or creed get in. All we need to do is to start enforcing the border and give illegal immigrants who are here an incentive to do the right thing, for once. It's not about nativism, it's not about racism, it's not about any of the crap that the Urban Liberals want to say it's about.

That's what makes this comment from "Lefty"...:

Illegal immigrants are people, people with families who are part of our community. The vast majority of them don't break the law,

...so unintentionally funny because, a rational person might surmise, an illegal immigrant already broke the law. That's why we call them illegal immigrants.

Once again though this always comes back to the lowest common denominator. The left plays racial politics because they are losing the battle of ideas.

Coming Tomorrow....

In the last ten minutes, Anne Arundel County Republican Party Chairman Mike Collins sent out an email message with a slew of documents attached as it relates to proposed bylaw changes to the state Republican Party bylaws. Given the number of documents and the late hour, I will review those changes and post my interpretation and analysis tomorrow evening...

Here Comes Fred!

Mark your calendars for next Tuesday, as well as Thursday, September 27th:

Sources tell numerous outlets that Thompson will announce his campaign September 4th, and that he will participate in his first debate on September 27 at Morgan State University in Baltimore. His first major appearance at a GOP event will be at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference in Michigan around a week earlier.

Fantastic. And about time. And what a fantastic way to kick off the Senator's participation in the Republican debate process then by joining in right here in Baltimore. Let's get it on.

Incidentally, this is my 1,000th post on this blog. I'm not exactly sure what to say about that...

You mean, we can cut from this?

Good news. The liberal blogosphere has discovered the concept of budget cutting. I don't necessarily agree with Lublin's premise that these are the only possible cuts, but I am glad that they have at least begun to realize that you can't tax your way out of a deficit...

FSP plays the race card again

This is getting old. This time it's Isaac Smith:

I'll just add that Del. Patrick McDonough's plan to have, in effect, a board of commissars determine the content of MPT's new digital channels is indeed disturbing, but also instructive: In today's Republican Party, concerns for freedom of the press and politicization of the media take a back seat to beating back the Brown Menace.

I think it's a little presumptive to assume that Pat McDonough's comments portray Republicans as racists. Once again, Urban Liberals want to discriminate against those who aren't Urban Liberals and assume that everybody out in the sticks are racists thugs when the problems due to the existence of V-Me have little to do with race.

Hell, I think Pat McDonough's idea is stupid too. But we could really solve the problem by completely spinning off MPT out of the state budget entirely and saving ourselves the money and the hassle of having government in the business of subsidizing a television network.

Four Days until meaningful football...

I'm not sure how many more meaningless football games I can handle, so I am glad, albeit in a muted fashion, that meaningful football starts on Thursday, at least at the collegiate level, even if the only remotely interesting game is LSU @ Mississippi State.

To get ready for the season, let's remember last year's Fiesta Bowl:

Augustus Minimus

The Orioles are getting into this uncanny habit of having really bad Augusts:

August 1998: 14-14
August 1999: 12-16
August 2000: 14-15
August 2001: 11-16
August 2002: 14-16
August 2003: 11-20
August 2004: 13-15
August 2005: 11-17
August 2006: 12-14
August 2007: 8-15

Unsurprisingly, the last time the Orioles play over .500 baseball in August was....1997. Hard to go wire-to-wire and not play .500 in August.

And August, 2002 was a special case since the time sat at 14-6 on August 23rd, and not only finished the month under .500, but went 4-32 to finish the year...

I'm not even sure how to fix it. Certainly, it is not impeding their ability to compete for playoff spots, however it is somewhat indicative of the last ten years of mediocrity O's fans have been subjected to...

Say What?

"I don't think too many people would scream about that."
- Gov. Martin O'Malley on how he thinks people will react when he proposes an income tax increase

I dare the O'Malley apologists to tell me how this does not mean he supports sticking it to Maryland taxpayers...

Huckabee feels the heat

Looks like Mike Huckabee is going to fight for the conservative turf, after all:

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says Fred Thompson, who is expected to jump into the 2008 race next month, will have trouble meeting expectations about his candidacy.

Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, finished second in this month's Iowa straw poll but lags nationally among his rivals in fundraising and public support. Thompson, an actor and former Tennessee governor, has polled well in the crowded field despite his unofficial status.

"Let's just hope Fred decides it's just too hot this summer to even do this. Maybe he won't get in," Huckabee said in a broadcast interview Sunday.

"But if he does, I think he's going to suck a lot of the oxygen out of the room when he first comes in. But I'm not sure I'd want to be in his position where the expectations are simply just sky-high for him to be able to perform," Huckabee said.

Sounds like a candidate who is desperately, desperately hoping that Fred Thompson changes his mind. Though I admit, trying to fight the Senator's campaign on the expectations turf is a pretty sounds strategy for Huckabee's campaign, given how much the campaign exceeded expectations at the Iowa Straw Poll...

Hey, parodies are funny...

....even when pointed at me:

Panic Mode?

Is this a desperation move?:

Right-hander Radhames Liz will make his major league debut Saturday, starting for the Baltimore Orioles against the Minnesota Twins.

It will be the first time in his three-year professional career that Liz will pitch above the Class AA level. The 24-year-old is 11-4 with a 3.22 ERA this season with Double-A Bowie. He leads the Eastern League with 161 strikeouts (in 137 innings) and pitched a no-hitter on June 1 against Harrisburg.

I know that it's hard to call a move to call up a 24-year old rookie from AA a desperation move for a team that has lost four in a row and is 14 games out of the Wild Card. And it's not like there were any alternatives on the 40-man roster. But it seems that purchasing the contract of a starter from Norfolk such as 35-year old Tim Kester or 27-year old Aussie Craig Anderson may have made more short-term sense than the still raw Liz. Particularly given how late-season, emergency starters such as Hayden Penn, Brian Sackinsky, John O'Donoghue, etc. have worked out over the years....

Andrew Kujan's own little brand of Discrimination

Andrew Kujan proudly displays his typical unthinking urban liberal prejudices aimed at Carroll County Commissioner Julia Gouge:

Its hard for me to see Carroll County Commissioner Julia Gouge's comments as anything other than poorly hidden racism....

Rural character? I would argue there are any number of things that threaten the "rural character" of Carroll County more than adequate public transport to the largest city in the State.

Of course, perhaps Gouge refers to the "rural character" which is built around a several mile long strip mall containing every fast food restaurant known to man (and finally, a new ROY ROGERS). Then again, she could be referring to the character brought by building thousands of box homes on long disabused farm land, with more acres being sold every single day. Heck, maybe someone from Baltimore is buying one!

Will these terrifying buses be running roughshod over the Farm Museum? Will they bring bar hoppers attracted to the two bars in Westminster that stay open past 1 AM on weekends? Of course not.

Will they bring city dwellers, both white and black, to the county looking for work, housing, or possibly a little day trip to enjoy the "rural character"? Possibly.

Its pretty clear what Gouge refers to when she says "something coming from Baltimore City" will ruin the "rural character" of the county. She means that allowing the majority black population of Baltimore City to mix with the majority white population of Carroll County will lead to bad things, to a denigration of the county. The Commissioner should be ashamed of her ridiculous and offensive implication, and you should tell her so.

I love it when liberals display the same type of prejudiced behavior only us uneducated bumpkin Republicans are supposed to show. Kujan's remarks are bizarre, mean spirited, and show a general disdain for anybody who disagrees with his myopic worldview. I for one do not subscribe to Kujan's prejudiced worldview.

Want to know why Gouge might be against public transit? Could it be that mass transit in Maryland sucks? Could it be she doesn't want to spend billions on wasteful programs nobody would use? Could it be that she doesn't want to see an easy conduit to bring crime from the city (more on that here) to Carroll County communities already seeing an uptick in crime?

(And, as somebody who went to college and spent a lot of time in Carroll County, Carrol County is being ruined by liberals fleeing the inner suburbs buying thousands of box homes on long disabused farm land. They come to Carroll County, places like Finksburg, Westminster, and Eldersburg, for the rural character. Then demand a Chili's, a Starbucks on every corner, and a Target. And then bitch about the county losing it's rural character....)

I cannot stand to see liberals support the kind of discrimination that Andrew Kujan clearly supports in his diatribe against Carroll County. Discrimination is discrimination, no matter whom it is aimed at. Andrew Kujan should be ashamed of his ridiculous and offensive implication, and you should tell him so: akujan@hotmail.com.

Waste is still Waste

The Capital today tries to point out the John Leopold tries to eschew government waste by... highlighting John Leopold's government waste:

The story reportedly amused his boss, who at times takes great pains to avoid racking up personal expenses on the county's tab.

Last week, when county executives and legislators from throughout the state traveled to Ocean City for nearly a week of networking breakfasts, seminars, crab feasts and hotel stays, Mr. Leopold decided he only needed to attend one 8 a.m. breakfast.

Instead of making the nearly three-hour trip the night before, which would have meant paying for a hotel room, plus overtime and another hotel room for the police detective who serves as his security and driver, Mr. Leopold made less costly plans.

He left his Pasadena home at 5 a.m., drove all the way to Ocean City for breakfast, then turned around and got back to Annapolis in time for lunch.

We suspect he paid for his own lunch.

While I applaud the fact that Leopold decided not to attend the week-long happy hour that is MACO, I seriously question the need for him to spend six hours in a car to attend one breakfast. Particularly considering the amount of fuel and the wear on a vehicle for him to drive down there and turn around. Was the breakfast that important that he had to go? And that says nothing of the fact that this once again draws attention to the fact that Leopold lied about dropping his security detail....

Whether or not Leopold says he believes in "no government waste" as the Capital describes, Leopold is still one of its biggest offenders. Just because Leopold due to his extensive personal trust fund wealth can afford to not put things on the tab, he continues to promote more and more government services at the expense of the average taxpayer....

Just saying....

...but the day I start blogging about where my hits come from somebody please pull the plug.

Well....no kidding

Doesn't really require a PhD to figure out this was going to happen, either (H/T Instapundit):

Following the 1996 Dunblane school massacre, in which seventeen people were killed by a man armed with two 9mm pistols, Britain passed a law outlawing the ownership of most handguns, despite researchers finding "no link between high levels of gun crime and areas where there were still high levels of lawful gun possession." It's a law so severe that the Britain's Olympic shooting team is forced to train abroad, lest one of its members try to shoot up a grammar school. So how effective has the law been? A doubling in gun-related crimes since the ban, naturally. The London Times on the spate of gun crime in Merseyside:

Golly, you'd almost think kind of effect would be similar to the issues we have in Baltimore and Washington, no?

Scientists find Democratic Platform

Or, at least something similar:

Astronomers have stumbled upon a tremendous hole in the universe. That's got them scratching their heads about what's just not there. The cosmic blank spot has no stray stars, no galaxies, no sucking black holes, not even mysterious dark matter. It is 1 billion light years across of nothing. That's an expanse of nearly 6 billion trillion miles of emptiness, a University of Minnesota team announced Thursday.

Sarcasm aside, a neat story. More proof w