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Arizona's own EspressoPundit Ruminations of an over-caffeinated political junkie |
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My Favorite blogs Interesting Websites Arizona federation of taxpayers
Books that have influenced me most The Bible by: God Systematic Theology by: Wayne Grudem The Memory Book by: Harry Lorayne Slouching Toward Gomorra by: Robert Bork Lyndon Johnson's Path to Power By: Robert Caro Free to Choose By Milton Friedman The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by: Edmund Morris American Caesar by: Manchester Life of Churchill: Alone and Last Lion by Manchester Progress Paradox By Gregg Easterbrook
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September 21, 2005 More reaction to the Kunasek hit piece I've had a lot of feedback about the Kunasek hit piece in the Republic. The extent of the outpouring of support for the family has surprised me. They really are a great family. I think people are the most upset that the Republic wrote an obviously contrived story in the midst of a personal tragedy. Here's great example of the response I've received. It's an advance copy of a letter to the Republic from John and Lisa Keegan. Editor: Your Sunday front page story about Supervisor Andy Kunasek could well have been headlined “Supervisor Continues Family Legacy of Commitment to Service and Justice”. Instead, you encourage your readers to view a complicated series of actions through your suggested lens of impropriety. The Kunasek family suffered a tragic loss of a father whose death under suspicious circumstances was attributed to suicide. They engage the services of our renowned county pathologist who regularly consults on these issues, and who chooses to charge them only for expenses. His work history suggests that he, too, is motivated by a desire to seek justice. Together, the family and the pathologist seem to have secured an initial measure of justice for the apparent murder of their father. To us, that has all the hallmarks of noble actions in service of the truth. And is entirely consistent with what we and the rest of the community have grown to expect from the Kunasek family. To take those initial facts and conspicuously arrange them in the shape of scandal defames their family and degrades the Arizona Republic. Sincerely, John and Lisa Keegan Peoria, Arizona
Protecting the Monopoly PHOENIX – Calling a plan to omit thousands of private and religious school students from an educational disaster relief plan "blatant and outrageous discrimination," Alliance for School Choice president and general counsel Clint Bolick urged Congress to pass President George W. Bush's educational relief plan, which includes funding for displaced children regardless of whether they choose private or public schools.
"The hurricane's devastation did
not differentiate between private and public schools," Bolick
said. "When someone is drowning, it is utterly irrelevant
whether the person throwing the life-line is wearing a clerical
collar."
Bush Administration officials estimate that 372,000 children
in Louisiana and Mississippi were displaced by the hurricane.
Among Louisiana parishes most devastated by the storm, 32
percent were already attending private schools. Public and
private schools are actively participating in the relief
effort. While Bush's plan includes funding for both, Kennedy's
would exclude private schools and students from the relief
effort.
"We should be less concerned about
where children are educated and more concerned about whether
they will be educated," Bolick said. "It is shameful that Sen.
Kennedy is willing to sacrifice thousands of needy
schoolchildren to do the bidding of his special
interest friends.
September 20, 2005 Speaking Rumored candidates for Governor... Senator Karen Johnson has heard and interesting rumor and is passing it on. Dear Greg: Thanks for including me on your e-mail list to receive the espresso pundit! I always find it interesting. Just thought you would enjoy hearing about another name being bantered around for Governor – our own Maricopa County School Superintendent, Sandra Dowling. Now that would be a race! If I remember Sandra correctly, she is a bulldog and would give Janet quit a time of it – with all of Sandra’s credentials in Education, she might take the stage – front and center – from the Governor. Just a thought. Karen
An EP Reader dings the Republic for Hitting Kunasek. Really enjoy espresso pundit… Got the Republic/Kunasek thing right on. This latest Republic foray is reminiscent of the infamous Sunday, Feb. 6, 2000 Republic front-page hit piece that attempted to link McCain to the Bianchi murder and actress Connie Stevens during the 2000 presidential race. I thought this kind of journalistic crap ended down there when Publisher John Oppedahl and Managing Editor Julia Wallace were shown the door. Name Withheld The author is right. The McCain piece was an astonishing blunder and is clearly the low point for the Republic. Here's a story about it in American Journalism Review. The Republic decided to publish an account of its investigation, which revealed no evidence of a McCain/Stevens affair and no tie between McCain and the Bianchi murder. In an editor's note that ran the same day, Executive Editor Pam Johnson wrote that the "compelling local tale" of the search for Bianchi's killer justified publication. That's right. The Republic found no evidence of an affair between Connie Stevens and John McCain and no tie between McCain and a murder, but ran it anyway because it was a "compelling local tale." Maybe that's the difference between blogs and "actual journalism."
Patterson's elbows are always on the table Here's my good friend Jay Heiler on the Kunasek hit piece. He wrote this piece for Plugged In on AzCentral. There's a thinly-vailed reference to me in the beginning and he's right--using the Republic's website to slam them incessantly is bad form. But I don't use a butter knife either and the pinky off the tea cup thing escapes me as well. Here's Jay's take on Kunasek in the Republic I have not used this space to be critical of The Republic, having considered it bad manners to do so in a forum which the newspaper generously provides. But I'm moved to make an exception by The Republic's A-1, banner-headlined, Sunday morning "expose" on Andy Kunasek, which goes down as one of the great nose-pickers of all time. It went on and on and on and on, rather like this
sentence, only much worse, really, with column after endless column of
copy, tedious as hell, double-trucked across a two-page jump, and no story
anywhere to be found - except the one the reporter neglected to write
about. Matt's Mystery Machine...
Sooner or later Matt Salmon is going to
have to call all the recipients of the "great mentioner's" attention
into a room and sort out what the Republican Party is going to do if it
is in any way serious about trying to unseat Governor Napolitano.
Because the way its going we're still going to have mystery candidates
popping up 14 months from now and no one will have the courtesy to tell
them that the election is already over! Please!
name withheld
The State of the AZ GOP I find the whole
scene about the GOP trying to find a candidate for guv very interesting -
actually quite funny. There's Bennett - but nobody south of Rock Springs
Cafe knows who he is. There's Pearce from Meza who has the same Mormon
problems Matt Salmon had. Besides there a number of Pearces at the state
capital and no one knows which one is being spoken about when their names
comes up. On top of that Pearce has said so many things on TV, radio and
in emails that he would make the ultimate whopper of a candidate in terms
of quotes that the Dems would have a heyday with him. There is a doc in
Washington who is talked about but nobody west of the Mississippi knows
him and a lawyer in Nogales who might run but nobody north of Rio Rico
knows her. The problem with both is they have Hispanic surnames and the
Prop 200 proponents in the party have to swallow hard every time they
say their names and try to explain how they can fight Mexican immigration
(see Pullen's last excursus on who really was the target of Prop 200) and
get us to vote for a person with a Mexican-sounding name. Jan Brewer is
running hard for something (at least with her face on every page of her
website) and has tangled with the guv but seems to lack the confidence of
the male side of the party. All of the current GOP reps in Washington are
having too much fun moving up the ladder in their posts and having seen
the defeat of their friend, Matt, are not about to take on the guv.
Besides they are working hard to see if they can make points with all who
matter so they can run for McCain's spot when he either runs for the prez
seriously or retires. Those are my observations for Monday afternoon.
September 19, 2005 Mystery Candidate Revealed It's been five days since Espresso Pundit broke the story that there was another candidate for Gov. The mainstream media has caught up and now the name can be revealed. Some top Republicans at the state Capitol and in Washington are seriously talking up Arizona Court of Appeals judge Jan Smith Florez as a possible challenger to the Democratic governor.
Who's Hooting Now Last week I had some fun with Jeff Flake because in one venue he said that his suggestion to cut other programs in order to pay for Katrina relief was met with "stone cold silence," however, in another venue, he said he was hooted down. But who's hooting now. President Bush, confronting a brewing rebellion within conservative ranks, promised Friday to help Congress cut spending in other areas to try to offset the cost of Hurricane Katrina reconstruction.
County Supervisor Andy Kunasek Showers in the Nude Claims practice is "common"
What's up with the 3,000-word, A1-above-the-fold, Sunday lead hit piece against Andy Kunasek? This article follows the classic hit piece style. Here's an example of how it works. "Recently released documents reveal that City Council member Smith showers in the nude. Mr. Smith denies any wrong doing “Well, I can assure you that since the advent of indoor plumbing, showering has become common place and my understanding is that showering while naked is clearly legal and is generally considered acceptable.” But not to everyone agrees. “Showering while nude raises all sorts of thorny ethical and legal issues”, says William Bumble-prof, assistant Sociology Instructor at the Mellon Institute in Pahrump, Nevada. “While it may technically legal and commonplace, Councilmen have a responsibility to the public that goes beyond the letter of the law and common practice.” Dr. Bumble-prof adds, “They clearly need to set a higher standard.” But Mr. Smith may have a bigger problem than showering in the nude. ARS 40-252 of the statewide plumbing code indicates that the importation of high flow shower fixtures is a class 6 felony and if Mr. Smith were convicted of importing such a fixture, he would have to forfeit his office. Attorney General spokesman Gordon Funke declined to comment on any possible criminal proceedings against Councilman Smith. However, Mr. Funke added “The AG’s office has complete jurisdiction over water flow violations and I can assure you that we take the statewide plumbing code very seriously.” At this point the reporter can site “possible investigation by the AG.” Or he can use the fact that Mr. Funke added the piece about “juristiction” to say that “sources signaled that the investigation is ongoing.” Or in Robbie Sherwood’s case, the denial by the AG is enough to justify a story saying “Councilman smith, who is under investigation by the Attorney General, had eggs for breakfast.” That would be followed by a Political Insider story that says. “You would think that a politician who is under investigation by the AG’s office for possible plumbing code violations would keep a low profile, but Councilman Smith showed up at a city meeting today while sporting squeaky clean—although somewhat thinning--hair." Jon Talton would then chime in with a story about what a backwater Phoenix has become because East Valley hacks like Avondale Councilman Smith—who is under investigation by the AG for alleged plumbing code violations—don’t support downtown." Here's the bottom line of the Kunasek case Kunasek met with Dr. Keen one time and discussed the case. That's the end of Kunasek's involvement. The Dr. said he wasn't pressured in that meeting and agreed to take the case--as he often does in cases that are intriguing. The Doctor then proved that it was murder and not suicide and he did so on his own time. Any use of county equipment was incidental and common practice. The only person in the article who thinks that something inappropriate may have occurred is...the reporter.
Here's why the Kunasek Piece a great example of the hit piece style.
First we have the outrageous sounding claim Maricopa County's chief medical examiner launched an investigation into an out-of-state death five years ago that helped the relatives of county Supervisor Andrew Kunasek win hundreds of thousands of dollars this year in a civil lawsuit. But 3,000 words later--across two jumps, on page A 32 in a different section of the paper--we learn that this practice is common. In his deposition in the Wiley case, Keen estimated that he consults in about 10 cases a year and performs as many as 15 private autopsies. He said he primarily makes himself available in criminal cases because of a lack of board-certified forensic pathologists. But the AG has something to say about it...Kind of. "This case may raise conflict-of-interest questions," said Steve Wilson, spokesman for the Arizona Attorney General's Office, which investigates allegations of conflicts. "We could have jurisdiction in this case and do not want to say anything that could be seen as prejudicial." Yes, we could have jurisdiction if Supervisor Kunasek stole a car, and we certainly have jurisdictions if he stops beating his wife, so we wouldn't want to comment. Then there is a really scary list of work that Dr. Keen did while in the lab--things that might have involved county resources. But that is immediately followed by Denise McNally, executive director of the National Association of Medical Examiners, who says "it is common for medical examiners to consult in private cases. Most medical examiners use the facilities where they work, but she said there are often rules concerning reimbursement that require medical examiners to pay for the use of labs and equipment in private cases. She said some jurisdictions don't allow them to take private cases and others have no rules at all. So Dr. Keen is doing something that is common. What does that have to do with Andy Kunasek? And How About Pressure? Maybe Kunasek pressured Dr. Keen into working on the case. Kunasek doesn't think so. Kunasek disputes any suggestion that he used his position improperly. He said that his initial request could not have been construed as pressuring the Medical Examiner's Office to conduct an examination. That's a typical response. But in this case, the Doctor concurs. Keen said last week that he wanted to get involved in the Wiley case because it presented a complex challenge. That is one of the reasons he said he decided right away not to charge the family for his services. So Kunasek claims he didn't pressure Dr. Keen but more importantly, we find out at the bottom of the article that Dr. Keen didn't feel any pressure. The only person who thinks there might have been pressure is the reporter. That mean that there was no wrong doing in the only portion of the story that involves Kunasek. So we have 3,000 words about Dr. Keen in a story that is supposedly about Kunasek. The reporter makes a big deal about the fact that the County is backlogged. But does that matter? The article concedes that Dr. Keen works overtime and that he was working on his own time. On his days off, he is free to watch the Simpsons or play scrabble. Instead he chooses to spend his time solving murders pro bono. Does the fact that the county has a backlog mean that Dr. Keen has to work 24 hours a day until there are no more cases to solve? Is that how your job works? There is a 4 year backlog on civil cases in federal court. Do judges ever play golf? Do they ever solve murders on their day off?
September 15, 2005
This was in my in basket
Greg: An announcement may soon to be made regarding a formidable challenger in the governor's race. This entrant is likely to put a new spin on the GOP primary, which thus far lacks a compelling candidate.
A former elected
official with roots in Phoenix, now living in southern AZ, she is being
encouraged to run by various party leaders and regular citizens alike.
A lawyer and former
educator, she has first-hand knowledge of both border issues and
education. She is winding down the duties involved with her current
position and is anticipated to announce her plans within the coming
weeks.
Married to a
retired teacher, she is pro-family and bilingual.
This is someone to
watch for as the election cycle moves into full swing.
Name Withheld. Hmm, sounds interesting.
September 14, 2005 A broken clock is right twice a day, but a broken yard stick is always too short. Last week I pointed out that the poverty statistics neglect to account for immigration. That is, the fact that the percentage of people in poverty is constant, is not as much an indication of a chronic underclass, but an indication that folks are moving out of poverty at about the same rate as immigrants are coming in to replace them. It turns out that poverty statistics have also neglected to keep track of, well...poverty. The is from the New York Times.
The profound flaws in our officially calculated poverty rate are revealed by its very intimation that the poverty situation in America was "better" in 1974 than it is today. Those of us of a certain age remember the year 1974 - in all its recession-plagued, "stagflation"-burdened glory. But even the most basic facts bearing on poverty alleviation confute the proposition that material circumstances in America are harsher for the vulnerable today than three decades ago. Per capita income adjusted for inflation is over 60 percent higher today than in 1974. The unemployment rate is lower, and the percentage of adults with paying jobs is distinctly higher. Thirty years ago, the proportion of adults without a high school diploma was more than twice as high as today (39 percent versus 16 percent). And antipoverty spending is vastly higher today than in 1974, even after inflation adjustments. The soundings from the poverty rate are further belied by information on actual living standards for low-income Americans. In 1972-73, for example, just 42 percent of the bottom fifth of American households owned a car; in 2003, almost three-quarters of "poverty households" had one. By 2001, only 6 percent of "poverty households" lived in "crowded" homes (more than one person per room) - down from 26 percent in 1970. By 2003, the fraction of poverty households with central air-conditioning (45 percent) was much higher than the 1980 level for the non-poor (29 percent). The poverty rate is out of step with all these other readings about deprivation in modern America because it was designed to measure the wrong thing. The poverty rate has always been derived from reported household income. (Exigency played a role here: at the start of the war on poverty 40 years ago, those income numbers were already available from the Census Bureau.) But a better gauge of a household's material deprivation is not what it earns, but what it spends. When we look at spending patterns, we immediately see a huge discrepancy between reported incomes and reported expenditures for low-income Americans. In the Labor Department's latest Consumer Expenditure Survey (2003), the average reported income for the bottom fifth of households was $8,201, while reported outlays came to $18,492 - well over twice that amount. Over the past generation, that discrepancy widened significantly: back in the early 1970's, the poorest fifth's reported spending exceeded income by 40 percent. Unfortunately, economists and statisticians have yet to come up with a clear explanation for this gap (which is not explained by in-kind payments like food stamps or other assistance). The divergence may be in part a measurement problem: partly a matter of income under-reporting, partly a consequence of increasing income variability in our more "globalized" economy. But whatever its cause, it does drive home the unreliability of using reported household income as a benchmark for poverty. For now, however, we should recognize that America has already achieved far more success in the war against want than our sorry poverty rate can admit - and that we need much better guidance systems for the anti-poverty battles still ahead than this one, arguably the single worst measure in our government's statistical arsenal.
September 13, 2005
Senator Carolyn Allen--Cricket Champion No matter how much caffeine I have ingested, I am never tempted to take on Senator Carolyn Allen, because, well, frankly she scares me. However Senator Allen recently commented on the characteristics she likes about Governor Napolitano. I like it that she is firm. She is likeable. I like the fact that she seems to be able to handle the adversity that comes her way. She knows how to swing a bat and throw the ball back into other people’s court. I admire that in anybody. What the heck sport is
that? I've decided it must be a sophisticated cricket reference.
I couldn't find the exact rule to which Ms. Allen refers. But this
is close. I know one thing. The last time anyone saw Senator Allen with a bat, the lobbyists parted like the Red Sea.
Stone Cold Silent Hooting... House Republicans met behind closed doors to discuss the budgetary response to Katrina, so we have to rely on the participant's reports of what happened. I mentioned yesterday that The Claremont Institute reported the meeting this way... Arizona congressman Jeff Flake said that at a recent closed-door meeting of House Republicans, he had tried to argue for paying for the relief with offsetting cuts in other federal programs, but was hooted down. But the San Jose Mercury News reported it this way: In closed-door meetings, fiscal conservatives have begged their colleagues not to put the cost of disaster relief on the government credit card for future generations to carry. Among those who have protested in these private sessions is Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a fiscal conservative who said his colleagues greeted his suggestion that disaster relief be offset by other cuts with "stone cold silence." He added, "You would have thought I was a Martian." Maybe they were sitting in silence, but hooting him down on the inside. Obviously Jeff is exaggerating, because the caucus clearly couldn't have thought of him as a Martian.
They could have confused him with Indiana Jones.
Or Waldo...Where's Jeff?
But a Martian? Well maybe...
September 12, 2005 The Claremont Institute has some insight on closed-door Katrina debates... Arizona congressman Jeff Flake said that at a recent closed-door meeting of House Republicans, he had tried to argue for paying for the relief with offsetting cuts in other federal programs, but was hooted down.
Ed Foster on Political Labels Frequent espresso pundit readers will know that Ed Foster worked at the Republic for many years and has a unique perspective on the life of a reporter. He is still a professional writer and he often offers commentary when I'm hard on a reporter. I always appreciate his input. He wrote this letter in response to last Friday's post The difference between blogs and "actual journalism..." Greg You raise interesting questions about political labels. Indeed, I think the labels that reporters use often reflect their own beliefs, and the beliefs of the sources who influence them. That shouldn’t be taken as a criticism; reporters are human, and all humans are influenced to some degree by their beliefs. When I was stationed at the Capitol, I often used the term right-wing in my stories. None of the conservative Republicans I knew ever questioned that, including you. Had they done so, I would have stopped using it. Writers sometimes run into a situation where they are using a word too often. That destroys the rhythm of the copy. So you need more than one way of saying things. I viewed right-wing as a synonym for political conservative. I did not consider it a pejorative. At the time, Republicans were at one another’s throats over who was really conservative. So maybe they saw the term right-wing as an affirmation of their true conservatism. I never used the term left-wing. Even very liberal Democrats did not see themselves that way. They would certainly have responded negatively to such usage. I didn’t want to offend people gratuitously. Reporters are always looking for labels that sum up prominent politicians. I was probably as guilty of that as anyone else. It’s a dangerous game, because people aren’t that simple. Here’s a great example: When John Greene announced, the Republic story described him as a moderate. Why? He opposes outlawing gay marriage and abortion. When he was Senate president, Greene told me that he believed strongly in the Jeffersonian adage that the best government is that which governs least. The reporter who wrote that Republic story apparently saw those positions as litmus tests. But Greene probably would argue that he is a consistent conservative. He doesn’t want to expand government controls into people’s personal lives. I agree; I never saw anything lefty about Greene. Finally, where in the world did you find the Tameri Guide for Writers? I’ve been a writer and editor for 40 years; I never heard of it. All newspapers of which I am aware use the AP Style Guide.
Here's my response
Ed
I don't remember you using the term right wing. Maybe I've become sensitive in my old age--that's why I'm obsessed with the thermostat and fiber. I don't see the need to label the parties at all. If a group of Christian law students wants to meet on campus and a group of lawyers defends that right, why do we need to say the students are conservative Christians and the lawyers are right wing?
I agree that the AP style
book is preferable, but it's not available online without a
subscription. I found the Tameri guide while looking for the AP book.
It's a fun read, so I included the links
Thanks for the
comments.
and his reply... Labeling sometimes helps people understand the political currents around an issue. Perhaps the Christian law students describe themselves as conservative. Or, maybe their positions are such that they approve of that characterization. I doubt that the reporter would have characterized the students and the law firm the way she did without their approval. If she did, she may have been under pressure from editors to do so. Every reporter learns early that offending people gratuitously is a losing proposition. There were a few people, mostly Democrats, who clearly disliked me. I am a Republican, which is very unusual in the press corps. I tended to see things through a conservative prism. But I still needed those Democrats as sources. I tried to be fair to them, although they probably did not always see it that way. Fairness includes characterizing people the way they see themselves, within reason. I don’t know the Tribune reporter, Emily Gersema. Nor do I know anything about her. But, I wouldn’t assume she is using ideological terms gratuitously. If she is, she will learn that that is a great way to alienate sources.
Arizona's own Warren Meyer has thoughts on price "gouging." Congress has over the last 30 or so years generated numerous energy "plans" and has spent billions of dollars to figure out ways to promote conservation and increased supply. All of these plans have been expensive failures. But now, post Katrina, in less than 48 hours, with no one in charge, the market has achieved what Congress could never do. The least valuable auto-miles will be eliminated, without years of study by Congress to figure out which miles are the least valuable. The most economic new sources of gasoline will be tapped, without debating in Washington what those sources are. All bottom-up, with no one ruling the process, by the voluntary self-interested efforts of hundreds of millions of Americans reacting to a simple price signal.
September 9, 2005 The difference between blogs and "actual journalism..." Sometimes the labels reporters apply to groups tell you more about the reporter than the group. Check out this Emily Gersema story in the Tribune. A conservative Christian group of law school students at Arizona State University made a deal with ASU on Friday that allows them to organize as a university-supported student group, ending a legal fight that began last fall. How about this label--or lack of label--by the same reporter? Five years since it appeared on campus, the gay fraternity at Arizona State University has become the first national, collegiate-based organization of its kind in the country. If the Christian group is inherently conservative, is is possible that the gay fraternity could be...you know, liberal? (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) I can live with the fact that the Christian group is "conservative" and the gay group simply "gay." But Ms. Gersema really shows her true colors by describing the group that defended the "conservative" Christians in court It got support for its case from the Scottsdale based, right-wing group Alliance Defense Fund, whose stated aim is to defend religious freedom. Right-wing group? Since when did that term become an acceptable description in a mainstream newspaper? It sounds more like the Daily Kos or MoveOn.org to me. Does Ms. Gersema describe the ACLU as a "left-wing" group? And is the Alliance Defense Fund a "right-wing" group because it's "stated aim is to defend religious freedom?" I don't know which style book the Tribune uses, but I prefer the Tameri Guide for Writers. Here's what they say about using "right-wing" in a journalistic setting. right-wing - avoid using as a political adjective. As with left-wing, lacks clarity. The style book is also cautious to point out that some seemingly acceptable words have developed negative connotations and are considered by some to be offensive. bureaucrat - Now considered an insult by most American English dictionaries. So if professional journalists should avoid using "bureaucrat" because it's considered pejorative, do you think it might be a good idea to avoid using "right-wing" to describe a group whose "stated aim is to defend religious freedom?"
Speaking of Tameri... If you want to feel insecure, try writing down your thoughts, posting them on a website without the aid of an editor and letting 500 really smart political junkies and the ever impressive Alice Lara read them. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and say to myself "my gosh, I think I wrote "awhile" when I meant "a while." If you can't relate to this problem and you need a dose of humility, check out these examples from the Tameri guide. above - Words do not appear above other words on paper. Words and statements precede each other. alive and well - Avoid unless the person was previously not well or, worse, was not alive. allusion / elusion / illusion - Allusion is a suggestion without a specific reference to a concept or thing. Elusion is to avoid or escape. Illusion is deception. aught - Do not use. Aught is an antiquated pronoun, not a synonym for ought. awful - Now overused with the misuse is approaching accepted use, awful properly means awe-inspiring yet dangerous, not merely dreadful.
These are actually pretty fun. Click here for more examples.
September 8, 2005 So Who's getting Punk'd Now? By now, you have seen the black 4 X 4 signs that ask if "Arizona's Children are getting punk'd." I noticed them in mid June, but the last time I watched MTV it played Dire Straits videos and Michael Jackson was black, so needless to say I didn't know what getting "punk'd" meant, but it sounded bad. When you follow the link and find out about azpunk'd, you learn that: We are teachers, parents, religious and business leaders -- most importantly we are all Arizonans. Actually, after a little digging, you will learn that we are Nadine Basha. Well, the signs have been up since mid June and I question the wisdom of leaving them up this long. But, I also question the legality. The 500 4 X 4 signs that are littering our roadways are not advocating on behalf of a candidate or initiative. They are advertising for an issue-oriented website.
The website directs you to a quiz to assess your knowledge of what a hopeless backwater Arizona has become. Dick Mahoney challenged the time limits in the city of Phoenix's sign ordinance and the city admitted that they couldn't legally prohibit political signs from going up early. Since then, they've been gun shy about enforcing their ordinances. But why is it legal to put up signs to advertise your website? I noticed that the signs in my neighborhood have a City of Scottsdale sign permit affixed to them--it looks to me like a political sign permit. Did the punk meisters claim to the city sign guru that the signs were political? Espresso Pundit is an issue-oriented website. Maybe I could put up a couple hundred signs that say: Experience the Buzz espressopundit.com Get it? Buzz, caffeine--political chatter? Hah, I slay me. Then maybe I could start each day with a quiz...yeah, that's the ticket. Do you read Jon Talton's column? Do you believe in a planned economy? Do you consider stadiums economic development? Have you or anyone you know been injured or killed by reporter? Are you tired of seeing silly signs on the road all summer? Have we been Punk'd?
September 7, 2005 Brookings institute researcher Gregg Easterbrook's book the Progress Paradox is one of the books that has influenced me most. Easterbrook is no conservative, in fact, he can't really even be described as a moderate. But his book is a straightforward look at the astonishing increase in the American standard of living over the last 50 years and his theories on why no one--especially the media--seems to have noticed. He posits that the media have provided a steady drumbeat that things are getting worse. Here's a great example from yesterday's Star. For the fourth straight year, poverty in America was on the increase in 2004, underscoring that even a wealthy country like ours can produce a chronic underclass... ...More important is that America is creating more poor people even as the nation's economy is gathering strength Creating poor people? No, The American economy is importing poor people. Easterbrook points out that a steady stream of immigrants hide the fact that standard of living is rising. The Star will never bother reporting that it's not the SAME 14% of the population in poverty. They just assume that a constant 14% poverty rate means that 14% of our population has become a permanent under class.
Janet Napolitano--School Choice Champion The Alliance for School Choice has an intesting observation about the National Governors Association report on education that was co-chaired by Governor Napolitano. PHOENIX – The
National Governors Association and Center for School Change issued a best
practices guide for governors recommending states expand the range of
educational choices available for families by embracing charter schools,
virtual schools and tuition assistance for private schools.
September 6, 2005 Whopper of the Week The West Valley Independent interviewed Minuteman founder Chris Simcox and generated this interesting exchange. Mr. Simcox called for Gov. Janet Napolitano's ouster in next year's election because "she refused to back Proposition 200," which requires proof of residency to receive certain governmental benefits. He endorsed Republican candidate Don Goldwater's bid to challenge the Democratic governor and is helping Mr. Goldwater develop his border policy. Here's the response from the
Governor's office. Vigorously enforced Proposition 200? Really Jeanine? How about when she vetoed SB 1186 which incorporated into statute Prop 200 requirements for proof of citizenship when registering to vote? Or how about when she... ...Vetoed SB 1306 Which would have allowed police officers to enforce immigration laws. ...Vetoed SB 1511 which would have banned state agencies and law enforcement from accepting consular ID Cards. ....Vetoed HB 2709 which would have built a prison in Mexico to house undocumented immigrant criminals. ...Vetoed SB 1118 which would have prevented people from casting a provisional ballot if they could not produce ID. ...Vetoed HB 2030 which would have banned undocumented immigrants from adult courses and government-sponsored benefits and prevented them from paying reduced in-state tuition.
Mike Sunnucks responds. Last week I wrote that Mike had Crossed the line of Decency by criticizing Ken Bennett for his ties to the oil industry while neglecting to mention that Bennett's family owned oil business burned the previous day. Here's Mike's response. Greg Thanks for
mentioning my piece on your blog. I’m also open to criticism. As far as
Bennett goes, I still think he is the frontrunner to take on Napolitano in
the current crop of candidates. Some folks disagree with that but unless
someone else gets in I think Bennett is the leading candidate versus
Greene and Goldwater.
And my response... Yes, Mike I will post it. I appreciate your professional response to my criticism. I actually believe that "mulling a run" is the appropriate term. I have been critical in the past of you calling him the "frontrunner" even though he hasn't announced. My complaint about this article is that it looks like you are piling on and that you have left out a critical piece of information. The Republic used the word "destroyed" when describing the business. On a more subtle note, the article would have looked more balanced if the theme had been the political use of high gas prices. You mentioned that Republicans are being blamed for their ties to oil companies and you let Trent Franks mention environmental polices, but it was part of a defensive posture. My personal view is that the lack of exploration and reduction in refinery capacity that are outgrowths of modern environmental policies--backed by Democrats--are a greater cause of high gas prices than any policies put forth by Exxon. In fact, I frankly don't even understand the link. How does the fact that Trent Franks used to head an oil exploration company have anything to do with high gas prices? I'm not being snide. I really don't understand the nexus. Since this is the Business Journal, I would hope that the paper would at least acknowledge the more traditional business view that producers are not the enemy and that association with the producers is not a sin. As an aside. I would like to point out that I've generally been impressed with Mike's coverage. And I have several friends who have dealt with him professionally and believe that he's the best political reporter in town.
Here's a Letter on The Big Easy So just where does the buck
stop these days? Despite the lame protestations of some of our so-called
national "leaders" to the contrary, the disaster in the Gulf was wholly
foreseeable. See this link to the radical liberal publication Popular
Mechanics, and note the publication date, at: And another... A lot of folks lately seem to be getting their jollies at laying blame to Bush for the catastrophe in New Orleans. Frankly, I find it disturbing that people (Sydney Blumenthal among many, many others) think that now is the appropriate time to score political points. Their will be plenty of time for politics once everyone is safe. It seems one of the main talking points is that the White House slashed funding to the Army Corps of Engineers for their plans to strengthen the levee system due to the war in Iraq. In hindsight, this does seem to be a dreadful decision. However I’ve found in talking to many people that their issue isn’t that he cut the funding, but instead that the money went to the war in Iraq! I wonder how upset these same people would have been (if at all) if the money had instead been used for education, or some other “worthwhile” cause, instead of an unpopular war. Also, consider this: If the President had not cut the funds for the levees, but instead cut fifty million dollars from the Iraq budget, I’d wager that these same people would still be attacking the president over all of the unarmored humvees that he callously wouldn’t pay for. Mesa More on McCain "growing in office" Greg, name withheld September 2, 2005 There is a fine line between tough journalism and crass hit pieces, and the Business Journal crossed that line Thursday with this bizarre piece of yellow journalism. Record high gas prices could hurt Republicans in key Arizona races Democrats hope to gain an edge on the issue in key tilts because of Republican ties to big oil companies and the energy industry. Never mind that this “news” story is simply a reheated package from other sources such as these articles in the LA times, the Seattle Times and NPR. The Business Journal reporter developed a local angle by finding two Arizona Republicans who come from the oil and gas industry—Trent Franks and Ken Bennett. Bennett owns a Prescott oil distribution business, and before being elected to Congress in 2002, Franks was the chief executive of an energy exploration firm. Bennett owns a Prescott oil distribution business? Could Mike Sunnucks have possibly missed this….
Actually, if you read the text closely it seems clear that at the time the story was written, Mike Sunnucks knew that Ken Bennett’s oil business had burned to the ground. Yet incredibly, he chose to omit that little fact when he wrote the story…why let sympathy get in the way of the big-bad Republican theme? How do we know that Sunnucks knew about the fire? Well the obvious answer is that it was on B1 of Thursday morning’s Republic. But maybe Sunnucks filed the story early, went fishing and a Romanian intern posted the story. It's possible...but I think not. In fact, if you read the story closely, we KNOW that Sunnucks knew about the fire but neglected to mention it. Check out the change in the way he labels Bennett. Here’s how he described Bennett on August 8th. GOP state Senate President Ken Bennett is the current frontrunner to take on Napolitano next year. And here’s the August 22nd description. State Senate President Ken Bennett -- the Republican front-runner to take on Gov. Janet Napolitano in next year's governor's race -- is skeptical of the Democrat's recent moves related to illegal immigration and border security. But now, Sunnucks changes his tune Senate President Ken Bennett (who is mulling a run for governor) comes directly from the oil industry. Mulling a run for Governor? On the 8th and the 22nd he was the "frontrunner" and now he’s “mulling a run” Golly, maybe there was some sort of intervening event that changed the description from “frontrunner” to “mulling a run” Hmm, maybe it’s because he watched his family-run oil business burn to the ground. But mentioning that little fact would disrupt the narrative wouldn’t it? How can we talk about Ken Bennett and his evil connections to Big Oil if we have to digress and mention his personal tragedy? Since the tragedy weakens the evil Republican/Big Oil motif, maybe we should just leave it out and hope the readers won’t notice. Maybe that's what they teach in J school these days.
September 1, 2005
Our prayers go out to Ken Bennett and his Family.
Prescott Courier has more coverage of the fire. Fire consumed the
Bennett Oil building at the corner of Sheldon Street and Arizona Avenue in
downtown Prescott Wednesday morning. A black smoke plume was visible
throughout the Tri-City area as fire engulfed the rear portion of the
building, several vehicles and forced the evacuation of many nearby
businesses and residents. The major fire was called contained at 10:45
a.m. with units from Prescott Fire, Prescott Police, Central Yavapai,
Chino Valley Fire, Yavapai College Police, Yavapai Sheriff, and Arizona
Department of Public Safety all responding to the fire.
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