Ridgway gets the boot again in court

'Automatic delegates' win a round

By Leigh Dethman
Deseret Morning News

Published: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 12:14 a.m. MDT

A judge on Tuesday blocked an attempt by a Republican to force his party to follow party rules.

Judge Glenn Iwasaki of the 3rd District Court denied Mike Ridgway a temporary restraining order to stop the state and Salt Lake County Republican Party from appointing so-called "automatic delegates" to vote at the county and state conventions.

Delegates wield a lot of political power, because they decide which two candidates in a race advance to the primary or, if 60 percent or more support one candidate, make that person the party nominee in the general election.

But Ridgway isn't giving up yet.

"I have no choice in my mind but to continue to press forward," Ridgway said shortly after the denial. He said he believes the judge was sympathetic to his cause.

He said he will continue to push the court to stop the state and county Republican parties from "consistently" violating party rules against appointed delegates. Ridgway has challenged the practice at both state and party conventions for years.

Party leaders believe they aren't breaking any rules. However, they admit there is some "ambiguity" to the party's delegate appointment rules, State GOP Vice Chairman Todd Weiler said.

Weiler said the state party constitution leaves delegate allocation up to the county parties.

Appointed delegates are typically Republican elected officials, like the county surveyor and GOP legislators. Other appointed delegates include the county party officers and executive committee members.

In the past, Ridgway said, Republican party leaders and elected officials did not get automatic delegate status, and it shouldn't be any different now.

"When you start giving perks to high-level important people you corrupt the process," Ridgway said. "If you can't even choose your own representative to the state Legislature, because that choice is already made for you by party leaders ... then why do we live in America?"

Ridgway is already preparing for a future win. Tuesday night he urged all Republicans attending caucuses to vote on an extra state and county delegate, so everything is cleared up before state and county GOP conventions in May.

If a judge eventually rules in his favor, 58 precincts would get to vote for one more county and state delegate, he said.

Ridgway said the local automatic delegates are worse than the "travesty" the Democratic Party has with superdelegates, who can vote for any presidential candidate no matter who Average Joe Democrats vote for at the polls.

"In the Republican Party, it's not just a travesty, it's unethical because the bylaws don't let them do it," Ridgway said.

---

E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com

Attorney Peter Stirba on KSL's Nightside Project

US Supreme Court to hear Utah case.

Here is the link
http://nightside.ksl.com/?nid=29&sid=2927395

The Captain

Two Divergent McCain Moments, Rarely Mentioned

Posted: 23 Mar 2008 10:28 PM CDT

New York Times

Both Obama and Clinton Embellish Their Roles

Posted: 23 Mar 2008 10:28 PM CDT

Washington Post

Advisers to Both Fault Obama Camp for McPeak Comments

Posted: 23 Mar 2008 10:27 PM CDT

AP

Bayh Points to Electoral College Votes as New Measure

Posted: 23 Mar 2008 10:26 PM CDT

New York Times

McCain, Traveling Along a Tightrope

Posted: 23 Mar 2008 10:24 PM CDT

Washington Post

Richardson Has Harsh Advice for Clinton

Posted: 23 Mar 2008 10:21 PM CDT

The Politico

Hagel Cool on Backing McCain

Posted: 23 Mar 2008 10:20 PM CDT

The Hill

Stirba and Associates to argue before the US Supreme Court

Supreme Court agrees to hear Utah case involving searches

Associated Press

Published: Monday, March 24, 2008 12:03 p.m. MDT

4 comments

E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + -

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Monday it will decide whether police may enter a home without a search warrant when an informant already is inside and sees evidence of a crime.

The case from Utah also will test whether the officers who conducted the warrantless search may be sued by the person they arrest.

Six years ago, an informant contacted police to tell them he had arranged to purchase drugs from Afton Callahan at Callahan's trailer home. Wearing a microphone provided by police, the informant entered the trailer, made the deal and signaled police. They entered the trailer without a warrant and arrested Callahan for possession of methamphetamines.

Utah courts ruled that the evidence that was seized from Callahan's home could not be used against him. Other courts have allowed prosecutions to go forward under similar circumstances.

Callahan then sued the officers for violating his constitutional rights. A federal judge ruled the officers could not be sued because there is disagreement in the courts over whether the search is illegal.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver said the lawsuit could proceed because the officers should have known that people have a right in their home to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.

Even Billionaires like Mitt Romney have honey-do’s!

The Park City Home Depot crew and I just spent the last half hour or so helping Mitt Romney with some home repair projects. It’s not unusual for me to meet and help celebrity customers up at the Park City Home Depot, but because I’m a political junkie today was a special day. Mitt came in dressed in casual jeans and work shirt and needed some power tools to address some projects at his Park City Retreat. I guess the Romney's are celebrating Easter in Park City. We hooked him up with some Ryobi power tools and necessary hardware accessories. I left work around 4pm and walked out to the parking lot and we talked about the current situation in the presidential race. We shook hands and saw him get into a Black Jeep Cherokee. I have a white Cherokee and he followed me out of the parking lot. His car was not a new model, just like any other car. As I looked in my review mirror I was thinking to myself, man this guy was a serious candidate for President of the United States. In any event, all I can say was he was very nice and just a normal guy. Well this for sure made my day.

The Captain

Obama's Explanation Won't Fly in Long Run

Posted: 21 Mar 2008 01:44 AM CDT

In his hour of political need, Barack Obama went to his base -- the media. He delivered a speech about the nation's racial divisions that couldn't possibly get anything but lavish praise from the...

The Bailout Briar Patch

Posted: 21 Mar 2008 01:37 AM CDT

One problem with rolling is that it can be hard to stop. That's the Bush administration's challenge, as congressional Democrats try to flip it into another economic intervention -- this one a giant...

The Speech: A Brilliant Fraud

Posted: 21 Mar 2008 01:00 AM CDT

WASHINGTON -- The beauty of a speech is that you don't just give the answers, you provide your own questions. "Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in...

Another Angry Black Preacher

Posted: 21 Mar 2008 01:00 AM CDT

WASHINGTON -- Let's ask the hard question about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright: Is he as far outside the African-American mainstream as many of us would like to think? Because Barack Obama's speech...

A Brief For Whitey

Posted: 21 Mar 2008 01:00 AM CDT

How would he pull it off? I wondered. How would Barack explain to his press groupies why he sat silent in a pew for 20 years as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright delivered racist rants against...

The Reason for God

Posted: 21 Mar 2008 01:00 AM CDT

WASHINGTON -- In a flood of best-sellers by skeptics and atheists charging a nonexistent God with crimes against humanity, Timothy Keller stands out as an effective counterpoint and a defender of the...

The Crapshoot of Presidential Politics

Posted: 20 Mar 2008 05:00 PM CDT

This week's detour into the murk of racial politics underlines that it's going to be a long, hard slog on the Democratic side. The next opportunity for Democrats to resolve their deadlock will come...

H.B. 493 or Ridgways Law signed by Governor

Enrolled Copy H.B. 493

1 STALKING AMENDMENTS

2 2008 GENERAL SESSION

3 STATE OF UTAH

4 Chief Sponsor: Lorie D. Fowlke

5 Senate Sponsor: Curtis S. Bramble

6

7 LONG TITLE

8 General Description:

9 The bill modifies the Criminal Code regarding the elements and penalties for the offense

10 of stalking.

11 Highlighted Provisions:

12 This bill:

13 < amends the definition of "course of conduct" to include contacting a victim by any

14 means, acting through third parties, and sending or delivering items to the victim;

15 < includes as an element a victim's fear for the victim's own safety or the safety of third

16 parties;

17 < defines "emotional distress";

18 < includes stalking by electronic communication as an offense;

19 < expands the reference to other parties whom the victim may fear for so the reference

20 includes any third party, rather than only immediate family; and

21 < provides that the defendant may not claim as a defense that the victim did not give

22 the defendant actual notice that the course of conduct was unwanted by the victim

Carrie Towner & Stirba and Associates

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Carrie L. Towner

Carrie Towner brings over 20 years of prior business experience to Stirba & Associates with her law degree from the University of Utah. She serves as the firm’s managing associate and assists in the firm’s specialty areas of municipal law, personal injury, business litigation, governmental entity defense, and healthcare law.

As a medical administrator, she directed the multi-office start-up and operations for the only Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinic in Alaska. Her background with physicians, hospital administration, and Medicaid audits lends practical professional experience to the firm’s practice of healthcare law. Prior to law school, Carrie started her own successful business, which she continued to operate during her first year of law school.

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Joined Stirba & Associates in 2006

Email: CTowner@stirbalaw.com

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Latest Sightings from the Captain

	Social Security Issues A PRIVATE ALTERNATIVE TO SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY Private accounts for disability benefits would allow workers to provide their own benefits, say Pamela Villarreal and Alan Lin... NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS
	Federal Spending & Budget Issues THE $34 TRILLION PROBLEM If Medicare had to be accounted for like a company pension fund, it would be underfunded by $34 trillion, say observers... FORTUNE MAGAZINE
	Taxes HOW WE BEAT THE '70S Cutting the tax rate on capital gains benefits the economy, says Mark Bloomfield... WALL STREET JOURNAL
	Health Issues COMPETITION SOLVES HEALTH CARE A market-based system would unleash the power of innovation and competition in health care, say observers... NEW YORK SUN
	Social Issues A BOY NAMED SUE, AND A THEORY OF NAMES The old stereotypes for children with odd names no longer hold up, say observers... NEW YORK TIMES

Ferarro gets the Axe from Hillary

Geraldine Ferraro Leaves Clinton Camp After Saying Obama Is Where He Is Because He's Black

Geraldine Ferarro, left, said of Sen. Barack Obama's success: "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept." (AP Photo)

Obama in the Driver's Seat, but Florida and Michigan Fights Loom

ENPR: Obama in the Driver's Seat, but Florida and Michigan Fights Loom

by Robert Novak and Timothy P. Carney (more by this author)

Posted 03/12/2008 ET
Updated 03/12/2008 ET

Outlook

1. The principal cause for Democratic dismay and Republican hope in the presidential race is the bitterness among Democratic voters as a result of the Obama-Clinton competition. Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) has been a passionate favorite of black voters, who say they will not vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) if she "steals" the nomination. To a lesser extent, white Clinton voters are saying they could never support Obama.
   
   
2. Such internal anger usually fades once the nominee is actually selected. Nevertheless, the racial nature of Democratic struggles worries party insiders. The racial divide on the Obama-Clinton dispute is widening, helped along by Geraldine Ferraro's recent comments (see below).
   
   
3. Democratic leaders are still absolutely determined that the nomination will be decided before the delegates convene in Denver the last week in August. Since neither Obama nor Clinton will be able to get a majority of delegates after the primaries (even after possible re-votes in Michigan and Florida), the super-delegates must name the winner on the basis of which candidate has the momentum. Obama has the edge, but his nomination is not certain.
   
   
4. Nobody absolutely rules out the possibility that Denver could become the first truly contested Democratic convention since Chicago in 1952. But it surely would be ugly, with possible credentials fights. Republicans can only pray that this happens.
   
   
5. Conservative resistance to Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) as Republican nominee is predictably fading, but the McCain campaign has serious problems. It has neither a policy nor an organizational plan for a general election campaign. McCain needs to be convinced that he cannot continue with his primary election mantra.
   
   
6. Obama and Clinton have joined McCain in supporting the earmark moratorium proposed by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C) as a budget amendment, opposed by the Senate leadership of both parties. The "task force" of Republican senators named by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to solve the earmark problem is actually an abandonment of the issue.
   
   
7. Supreme Court oral arguments on 2nd Amendment gun ownership rights also have the GOP missing the boat. The Bush Administration, reflecting the position of Justice Department career lawyers, takes an equivocal position on individual gun rights while Obama has taken a stronger pro-gun position than President Bush's official stance. The saving grace is Vice President Dick Cheney's unprecedented pro-gun intervention in his constitutional role as President of the Senate.

House GOP Funk Worsens

Posted: 10 Mar 2008 03:31 AM CDT

The Politico

Levin: Dems Need to Explore Mail-In Caucus

Posted: 10 Mar 2008 03:42 AM CDT

Detroit News

Sen. Nelson Supports Mail-In Primary For Florida

Posted: 10 Mar 2008 03:43 AM CDT

Orlando Sentinel

Sniping By Aides Hurts Clinton's Image as Manager

Posted: 10 Mar 2008 03:44 AM CDT

New York Times

Obama Accuses Clinton of Deception

Posted: 10 Mar 2008 03:45 AM CDT

Washington Post

Support Builds for Florida Mail-In Primary

Posted: 10 Mar 2008 03:47 AM CDT

Associated Press

Obama Favored in Mississippi

Posted: 10 Mar 2008 03:48 AM CDT

Wall Street Journal

No Bull - I just can't stop laughing

Story sent to me from my Brother-in-Law up in Washington State.

My wife and I went to the rodeo and one of the first exhibits we stopped at was the breeding bulls.

We went up to the first pen and there was a sign attached that said, ' THIS BULL MATED 50 TIMES LAST YEAR'

My wife playfully nudged me in the ribs ...Smiled and said, 'He mated 50 times last year.'

We walked to the second pen which had a sign attached that said,
''THIS BULL MATED 150 TIMES LAST YEAR'

My wife gave me a healthy jab and said, 'WOW~~That's more than twice a week! .........You could learn a lot from him.'

We walked to the third pen and it had a sign attached that said, in capital letters,
'THIS BULL MATED 365 TIMES LAST YEAR'

My wife was so excited that her elbow nearly broke my ribs, and said, 'That's once a day ..You could REALLY learn something from this one.'

I looked at her and said, 'Go over and ask him if it was with the same old cow.'

My condition has been upgraded from critical to stable and I should eventually make a full recovery.

A PAID POLITICAL ANNOUNCEMENT BY SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D- ILL)

My fellow Identity-Americans.

As your future President I want to thank my supporters, for their... well, support.

Your mindless support of me, despite my complete lack of any legislative achievement, my pastor's relations with Louis Farrakhan and Libyan dictator Moamar Quadafi, or my blatantly leftist voting record while I present myself as some sort of bi-partisan agent of change.


I also like how my supporters claim my youthful drug use and criminal behavior somehow qualifies me for the Presidency after 8 years of claiming Bush's youthful drinking disqualifies him. Your hypocrisy is a beacon of hope shining over a sea of political posing.


I would also like to thank the Kennedy's for coming out in s upport of me. There's a lot of glamour behind the Kennedy name, even though JFK started the Vietnam War, his brother Robert illegally wiretapped Martin Luther King, Jr. and Teddy killed a teenage girl. And I'm not going anywhere near the cousins, both literally and figuratively.

And I'd like to thank Oprah Winfrey for her support. Her love of meaningless empty platitudes will be the force that propels me to the White House.

Americans should vote for me, not because of my lack of experience or achievement, but because I make people feel good. Voting for me causes some white folk to feel relieved of their imagined, racist guilt.

I say things that sound meaningful, but don't really mean anything because Americans are tired of things having meaning. If things have meaning, then that means you have to think about them.

Americans are tired of thinking.

It's time to shut down the brain, and open up the heart.

So when you go to vote in the primaries, remember don't think, just do.

And do it for me.

Thank You.

Why it is important to learn English when you live in the

Old People Rock

Sr. Citizen Walmart Job App...

Make sure to read what he put on the application below the picture!

This is an actual job application that a 75 year old senior citizen submitted to Walmart in Arkansas They hired him because he was so funny..... NAME: Kenneth Way (Grumpy Old Bastard) SEX: Not lately, but I am looking for the right woman (or at least one who will cooperate) DESIRED POSITION: Company's President or Vice President. But seriously, whatever's available. If I was in a position to be picky, I wouldn't be applying here in the first place DESIRED SALARY: $185,000 a year plus stock options and a Michael Ovitz style severance package. If that's not possible, make an offer and we can haggle. EDUCATION: Yes. LAST POSITION HELD: Target for middle management hostility. PREVIOUS SALARY: A lot less than I'm worth. MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: My incredible collection of stolen pens and post-it notes. REASON FOR LEAVING: It sucked. HOURS AVAILABLE TO WORK: Any. PREFERRED HOURS: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL SKILLS?: Yes, but they're better suited to a more intimate environment .. MAY WE CONTACT YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER?: If I had one, would I be here? DO YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD PROHIBIT YOU FROM LIFTING UP TO 50 lbs.?: Of what? DO YOU HAVE A CAR?: I think the more appropriate question here would be 'Do you have a car that runs?' HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY SPECIAL AWARDS OR RECOGNITION?: I may already be a winner of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes, so they tell me. DO YOU SMOKE?: On the job - no! On my breaks - yes! WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS?: Living in the Bahamas with a fabulously wealthy dumb sexy blonde supermodel who thinks I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, I'd like to be doing that now. NEAREST RELATIVE ....7 miles DO YOU CERTIFY THAT THE ABOVE IS TRUE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE?: Oh yes, absolutely. ***Old People Rock! ***

Hillary-Barack Dream Team? Dream On!

Posted: 09 Mar 2008 12:45 AM CST

Just when I thought I'd heard the last talk of a dream team-up by Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as running mates, everything old is new again. On the morning after Clinton brought her...

Disenfranchising Florida and Michigan?

Posted: 09 Mar 2008 12:40 AM CST

The vote was once denied to women. It was denied to blacks. It was denied to those without land. And today, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm tell us, it is being denied...

Governors Agree: Managing Matters Most

Posted: 09 Mar 2008 12:20 AM CST

WASHINGTON -- The drama of this winter's presidential campaign obscures the fact that for most of us, the government services that most directly impact our lives are delivered from state capitols or...

Nasty Twists in the Democratic Race

Posted: 08 Mar 2008 12:41 AM CST

LOS ANGELES -- Is Hillary Clinton "a monster"? Is Barack Obama no different than Ken Starr? These are the words we end up eating. But how the campaigns deal with them also tells you something...

Newt Gingrich on "Hannity & Colmes"

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 08:30 PM CST

HANNITY: Welcome to HANNITY AND COLMES. We get right to the top story tonight. The big story on the campaign trail today was the resignation of Barack Obama's foreign policy advisor Samantha Power...

Clinton Has Only One Plausible Path to the Nomination

Posted: 08 Mar 2008 12:50 AM CST

Barack Obama won 11 out of 11 primaries and caucuses from Super Tuesday to Feb. 19. Hillary Clinton won three out of four contests on March 4. Suddenly, the look and feel of the...

Clinton Pounces

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 03:12 PM CST

From earlier today: At a news conference at the Train Depot in Hattiesburg, Miss., where she held a rally to finish a two-day trip to Mississippi, where she is not expected to fare well in Tuesday's...

Hillary Mentions Dream Team - Again

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:34 PM CST

For the second time this week, Hillary Clinton spoke about a possible unity ticket: "I've had people say, 'Well I wish I could vote for both of you. Well, that might be possible some day. But first I...

The Threshold Card

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 11:14 AM CST

At a press conference yesterday Hillary tossed out the "Commander in Chief Threshold" card: I assume this is the Exhibit A of the kind of strategy that Jon Chait finds "pretty repulsive." The obvious...

Power Out at Obama HQ

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 10:56 AM CST

No, it's not an electrical problem, but a much more potent political crisis that's knocked Power out at Barack Obama's headquarters. Responding to harsh criticism from Hillary Clinton's campaign for...

The Story of Lazarus

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 08:14 AM CST

Maeve Reston of the Los Angeles Times has written what I would rank as one of the best pieces of the entire 2008 election thus far. McCain's rise from the political dead is one of the most remarkable...

The Daily 2008

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 07:20 AM CST

On this day in 1876 Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone. He was 29. On to today's top stories: "Obama Raises $55 Million in February" (Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press) What's losing Ohio and...

Ammo Dump

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 07:32 AM CST

More ammunition for Barack Obama in this morning's USA Today: LITTLE ROCK - Federal archivists at the Clinton Presidential Library are blocking the release of hundreds of pages of White House papers...

TGIF for Rezko

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 06:03 AM CST

No session in the Rezko case today, the trial will resume on Monday. The Chicago Tribune is running "gavel-to-gavel" coverage, and from their handy summation of yesterday's testimony we learned that...

Hillary: No Do-Over in Florida

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 05:40 PM CST

US News' Ken Walsh asked Hillary Clinton about the possibility of "do overs" in Michigan and Florida. Clinton responded: I would not accept a caucus. I think that would be a great disservice to the 2...

Dean Kicks It Back To States

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 01:47 PM CST

DNC Chair Howard Dean made the morning rounds and answered the question everyone's asking: What about Florida and Michigan? (Note, it starts at about 2 minutes in.) Maybe Dean has no choice in the...

Ready or Not

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 12:39 PM CST

Oy. Obama foreign policy advisor Susan Rice commits original sin on Tucker Carlson's show: (via The Caucus) Here's the full 8-minute interview with Rice, courtesy of the folks at MSNBC. The...

Math Problems

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 12:37 PM CST

I always hated math, which may explain why I'm not totally convinced by Jonathan Alter's ongoing experiment with the delegate calculator. Alter's piece is essentially a summation of the Obama...

The Chicago Way

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 10:48 AM CST

John Kass of the Chicago Tribune goes in search of an answer to the question: What is the Chicago Way? Great stuff:...

How Liberals Play Race Politics

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:25 AM CST

"All is race," wrote Benjamin Disraeli, "there is no other truth." What Disraeli meant by race is what Winston Churchill meant when he spoke of "our island race" -- a tribe, an ethnic...

How Does Obama Feel About America?

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:30 AM CST

Barack Obama's words are often attractive but oddly concealing. His speeches are all balm and mood. It's all very well to seek, as Obama claims, to transcend old categories, to reject the "old...

Obama Needs a New Speech

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:30 AM CST

WASHINGTON -- With arithmetic on his side, Barack Obama still should be heavily favored to win the Democratic presidential nomination. But Obama does have a problem: The world-class orator, attacked...

Crime and Punishment for Reading

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:30 AM CST

WASHINGTON -- If an author can't make the Oprah cut, the next best thing may be getting censured by a university. Ever heard of Todd Tucker? Didn't think so. Obviously, some have because...

Dean Certainly Has Chutzpah

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:34 AM CST

You've got to give Howard Dean credit for chutzpah if nothing else. But he might want to wonder if the White House is worth fighting with your own folks over a few (million) shekels. The Democratic...

The Myth of America's Unpopularity

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:35 AM CST

WASHINGTON -- The one goal that unites and explains the Democratic approach to foreign policy is this: America must try -- urgently and desperately -- to be more popular in the world. "The...

Earmark Nation

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:35 AM CST

Newly minted presidential nominee John McCain stepped into the Rose Garden this week to receive President Bush's blessing. What the cameras didn't catch were pork-addicted congressional Republicans...

The Tragedy of the Democratic Party

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:37 AM CST

Super delegates will determine the next nominee of the Democrats, and a happy ending for the Party looks unlikely. Mathematically, the Democratic Party is nearly locked in to Barack Obama entering...

Congress Punishes American Oil

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:40 AM CST

In a relentless resolve to craft national energy policy, House Democrats last week passed an energy tax bill for the third time and the bill is headed to the Senate. With oil clearing the $100...

The Great Non Sequitur

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:40 AM CST

WASHINGTON -- She threw the kitchen sink at him. Accused Barack Obama of plagiarism. Mocked his eloquence. Questioned his truthfulness about NAFTA. Wasn't enough. Hillary Clinton still faced...

Dems' Agonizing Obsession with Fairness

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:40 AM CST

LOS ANGELES -- There they go again. Democrats have contrived a nominating contest that even Rube Goldberg would have considered too convoluted, too dysfunctional and too improbable to name as his...

Obama is Weak in Key Gen. Election States

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 12:40 AM CST

Two weeks ago we noted that, in spite of all the press hype promoting Barack Obama, the Democrats were only two steps away from chaos in their nomination process. Now make that one step. An Obama...

Previewing Tuesday's Special Elections

Posted: 07 Mar 2008 07:30 AM CST

In what might be called the first tests of this year's political landscape, voters will head to the polls Saturday and Tuesday to fill two vacant U.S. House seats in Illinois and Indiana. Should one...

McCain & Bush Stress Unity, So Do Democrats

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 03:52 AM CST

Washington Post

Lesson of Defeat: Obama Comes Out Punching

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 03:51 AM CST

New York Times

Floridians Might Get Second Vote

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 03:50 AM CST

Miami Herald

Senate Floor Unlikely to be on McCain's Schedule

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 03:49 AM CST

The Hill

Superdelegates Play Hardball

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 03:48 AM CST

The Politico

Hand-Wringing Remarks May Have Paid Off for Clinton

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 03:47 AM CST

NY

Obama Campaign Begins Fundraising in Florida

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 03:44 AM CST

McClatchy

Pro-Clinton Group Prepares for Ad War

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 03:43 AM CST

The Politico

Congressional Leaders Split on Delegates

Posted: 06 Mar 2008 03:43 AM CST

The Hill

Michael Ridgway Law - HB 493 Passes Legislature:

HB 493 Stalking amendments passes Legislature:

The bill modifies the Criminal Code regarding the elements and penalties for the offense of stalking, and addresses the use of new technology of Instant Messaging, email, blogs, and other electronic delivery services used by stalkers.

I have been somewhat silent on this blog regarding this Legislation; however I have been actively involved behind the scenes. I was ridiculed by many bloggers and others indicating that a Stalking Injunction I filed to protect my wife and a child from someone who I personally believe to be mentally unstable was purely politically motivated. This argument was proffered by the defense attorney in the initial emergency hearing, subsequent full hearing, and additionally upon appeal to the Utah Supreme Court. All three court decisions rejected this argument.

This newly passed legislation clearly defines cyber harassment as being included in the law. One only need read the bill and you will see exactly why this legislation was proposed and passed both the House and Senate with only 3 dissenting votes. When elected officials started to personally receive the same cyber stalking harassment, they were motivated to update the law to address instant messaging, email, blog sites, and other electronic delivery systems.

I would hope the Supreme Court decision and HB 493 puts to rest that this action was somehow not warranted, and would expect several bloggers who were very vocal in opposition to my actions, without the actual facts of the case, that they might want to apologize to my wife and family.

Here is the full text of the Bill

http://le.utah.gov/~2008/bills/hbillamd/hb0493.htm

Towner v. Ridgeway
http://www.utcourts.gov/opinions/supopin/Towner030408.pdf

ENPR: Hillary's Wins Raise Prospect of the Unthinkable -- A Contested Convention

by Robert Novak and Timothy P. Carney (more by this author)



Outlook

1. Think about the unthinkable: a contested Democratic convention in Denver, with the identity of the Democratic presidential nominee unknown until just before Labor Day. That's the impact of Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-N.Y.) remarkable performance Tuesday that broke her long losing streak against Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.): a big win in Ohio where she was supposed to win narrowly, if at all, and unexpected wins in Texas and Rhode Island.
   
   
2. A group of prominent Democrats was being formed secretly to go to Clinton to ask her to bow out for the sake of party solidarity. Now, neither candidate, counting their current super-delegates and potential unpledged delegates, can win a majority of delegates even after the Pennsylvania primary April 22. It is hard to imagine either bowing out. That raises the possibility of carnage in Denver with the super-delegates and the disputed Michigan and Florida delegations in play.
   
   
3. The budget fight in Congress beginning next week will be a many-sided political battle touching on issues ranging from Iraq to immigration. Look for Republicans to launch an attack on earmarks and force Democrats to vote on Clinton and Obama spending plans.
   

The fate of American Manufacturing and Management Idiots

A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American company (Ford) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.

Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion.

They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information , but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing team was out-sourced to India

Sadly, The End.

Here's something else to think about: Ford has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the US , claiming they can't make money paying American wages.

TOYOTA has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the US. The last quarter's results:

TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in losses.

Ford folks are still scratching their heads.

IF THIS WEREN'T SO TRUE IT MIGHT BE FUNNY!!!