Outside Agitators?

As I should have, I've read and reread Mark Boxley's article about Mayor Cunningham's remarks at the Lincoln Day Dinner. One more remark impresses me...

But we have some of these far-lefters coming in here, and they hit the county line coming into Blount County criticizing everything that moves.

Do you know what this sounds like? This sounds exactly like the comments Alabamians made about civil rights workers coming into Selma. "Outside agitators" they were called.

I have a lot of respect for U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, who was also present at the event, but if I were him, I would do everything I could to disassociate myself with Cunningham's comments.

Remarks to a friendly crowd...

Oops! I made a mistake. Without researching further, I wrote a blog about Mayor Cunningham's apology for remarks he actually made on May 9 at the annual Lincoln Day Republican fundraiser. In error I did not notice, until someone reminded me, that his apology came several days later. Well... this makes for an even better blog.

There were 350 Republicans at this gathering and they all (assuredly) heard the remark. The real story would to interview these attendees and get their public reactions to Cunningham's comments about the Democrats who were victim's of Cunningham's diatribe.

I made a mistake, but ... I do not apologize for a criticism I made of Democrat's accepting his "gracious" apology. This is a pattern followed by Republicans nationwide. Make an outrageous statement and then apologize after the damage has been done. Cunningham knew what he was doing when he made his remarks.

There is no forum where a politician can make remarks without fear of being monitored. I would even be careful of where I prayed... Barack Obama found out the hard way about how "private" remarks can come back and bite you in the ass after he made his "bitter" comments in San Francisco.

Cunningham has been around politics for a long time. He is no virgin. He is also an elected public servant who is supposed to be serving "all" the people and not just the whims and wishes of the "in" crowd.

One remark, that particularly got me, was the remark that, according to Cunningham, most of his critics came from "someplace else." My God, Jerry, where did you expect them to come from? With Blount's growth rate, new people are a guaranteed certainty. With new people come new ideas and unfortunately, for Jerry, they don't seem to particularly care for the "old boy" crowd that has dominated Blount County politics for as long as I can remember.

His remarks and apology come right out of the Republican "dirty tricks" playbook. Maybe it's time for Jerry Cunningham to move on.

Is George Bush Scared!

Here we go again. An American politician in a foreign country speaking as if the folks at home aren't monitoring his words. Before I go there, let's take a look at recent events regarding the Bush Administration:

Muammar Qaddafi is a terrorist... is that right? Didn't this guy sponsor terrorism out of Libya for years before we did anything about him? Didn't we bomb his tent and kill his daughter. Just checking - I think my history is right on that. Anyway, didn't the Bush Administration recently NEGOTIATE with Qaddafi and bring him into the fold and aren't we now trading with him - oil - I think it is...

Kim Jung Il - am I wrong or doesn't this guy sponsor terrorists and sell missiles to our enemies. Didn't he just recently frighten us when he claimed to have created nuclear weapons? Didn't we send emissaries to China to NEGOTIATE with this bozo?

Now we have George Bush speaking to the Israeli Knesset low grading Barack Obama for even having the audacity to suggest we begin talks with Iran. Where is this guy coming from?

Could it be that having lost 3 traditional Republican seats to Democrats in recent special elections, Bush may have seen fit to interfere in the Democratic primary process - doing something unheard of - lambasting an American political candidate while in a foreign country. I'm sure John McCain appreciates his help...

Oh - and by the way - in the photo above, George is holding hands with the leader of the country that supplied most of the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center.

Shame on you George...

Limbaugh and Lou Dobbs

In my political journey, I used to be fans of both of these guys. Now, it is all I can do to listen to them. Limbaugh, I noticed is being pointedly referred to as comedian by some political pundits. There are many reasons why I originally left Limbaugh, but recently his interference with the American Election process has been the clincher. There have been too many young Americans who have recently died to keep our elections free and untampered with to put up with the stunts of Rush Limbaugh.

Another media demagogue who in his own way has contributed to the rise of hate in America is commentator Lou Dobbs. CNN better remove Dobbs soon or they will suffer a lowering of viewership.

Here is a test for you if you are follower of Dobbs. His polls. Have you ever counted the numbers? Each night he gets about 9000 to eleven thousand responses to the loaded questions he asks. I'm starting to think his viewship is not too much over that.

Would you be surprised that Dobbs wife, Debbi Segura Dobbs is herself a Mexican. A Mexican with a criminal record. Dobbs has a lot to hide.

Both these guys are opportunists i.e. they're both in it for the money and will do or say anything to keep those dollars flowing...

Representative McCord Lights Up!

Representative Joe McCord of Maryville has little problem with being blatantly hypocritical. In what seems like a comical farce - if it wasn't so serious - the legislator openly defies the state's no smoking ban in public buildings. He does this by establishing a smoking and obviously a drinking room in a state office building. While everyone else must go outside, McCord and his chums smoke and drink away on YOUR nickle.

I don't know McCord but is he known to be a hypocrite? Looking at the lengths the man had gone to dodge the law, if I were a citizen of Blount County, I would most definitely be looking at every piece of legislation with his name on it.

What happens to these guys once they get elected? Is it something in the water?

McCord lights up!