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2011-05-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Who's that lady?

The News Leader's Cory DeVera wrote a story in this morning's News-Leader: Seminars prepare public of the worst:

Dr. Howard Shayne of Fox Grape Family Dentistry told about 40 attendees at the dentistry seminar that he believes hard times are coming, perhaps through a natural disaster like Katrina, an earthquake or a flood, an economic collapse, a terrorist attack, a government breakdown and/or a takeover.

He offered a list of items to put in an emergency pack to prevent dental problems and minimize pain or inflammation in the event of a toothache.

The list included: a tooth brush, tooth paste (optional), dental floss, rounded toothpicks, mouthwash, rubbing alcohol to sterilize, cold and hot packs, dental wax that can be used to temporarily fill in a cavity, tooth paste for sensitive teeth, ibuprofen and/or aspirin, Kank-A for mouth sores, vaseline; and a tea bag, which can be placed on a cut lip to help stop bleeding.

But what if you can't get to a dentist?

"If things go to heck in a handbasket, and there is no dentist, then things are going to change," said Shayne. "Things are going to have to be done we probably can't anticipate."

Besides an array of seminars, attendees could visit with a variety of vendors hawking everything from the "Black Ops School of Combat" training courses, courses on conducting legal research from the Erwin Rommel School of Law, custom water-treatment systems, television antenna, gardening equipment and lab tests.

Bring a toothbrush and perhaps a change of underwear.

Several frequent bus riders alerted the driver to the comments on this article, especially this one from KountryKathi, which she posted at 9:50 AM on May 15, 2011:

I went to this on Saturday and was disappointed to say the least. The flyers I saw had all sorts of things that were to be covered and many weren't. The booths had some educational info, but most all were selling their wares. This is fine, but there was no info on how to do it yourself and for less cost than say buying freeze dried food. I asked one person if their filters were interchangeable with another company's set up and she didn't know. Most, but not all, of the seminars were put on by people that were also selling something. The dental one was one that wasn't selling anything, but I didn't wait around 2 hrs to see it either. I think it took us 2 hrs to see everything and we didn't rush thru and did ask questions.

On a more positive note, ABC books was there and they carry a lot of books that would help a person be more prepared and self sufficient. There was a booth that was selling Geiger counters and he was actually explaining how any radiation from the nuclear mishaps in Japan are VERY unlikely to cause harm here in the USA.

There was a couple of booths that dealt with what I would call conspiracy theories, but I am sure others consider them the gospel truth.

I would love to see more how to do it yourself information. For example, canning and dehydrating food, how to shelter in place, bug out bags and what sort of disasters we in the Ozarks can expect. There is another one planned for this fall, so we will see.

As to the Tea Party, they had a gal at a booth and the gentleman friend I was with described her as looking like a hooker. Why?? platform heels, skin tight short dress that shower her obviously enhanced boosom and appeared to have had as much facial plastic surgery and botox as Joan Rivers, lolol. Add to that the white cowboy hat with the big feather enhancement, well, you get the picture. If that is how they want people to see them, it is their choice.(emphasis added)

Could this be the gal KountryKathi is describing? Can't tell for sure, her face is obscured. Say, is that Senator Roy Blunt serenading her?

Maybe it's a photo of Sarah Palin, she wears leather a lot. But I've never seen a photo of Sarah in a cowboy. Seen Reagan in one, seen Obama in one, but never seen Palin in one, almost seen it once, but not never.

Naw, that ain't a photo of Sarah Palin. This is a photo of Sarah Palin:

HEY! Who's that lady with Sarah? Is that our Tea Party Gal? Let's take a closer look. That's definitely a white cowboy hat.

Can we a close-up?
In God We Trust! It is her! It's got to be her. This has got to be the gal manning (no pun intended) the Tea Party Booth at the doomsday festival!

And that is why the Tea Party will never be a real political force in MO 7.

A Dairy Queen Blizzard to whomever can identify the gal!

xxxx

2011-05-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

This post deals with screen captures of various twitter accounts. Click on the images for a larger view.

Both the Huffington Post and Politico have picked up on Billy Long's tweets from yesterday..... the ones he didn't delete that is.

From The Huffington Post:

So as Navy SEALs hunted down one of the greatest threats to America's security in a highly dangerous undercover operation, what was Leon Panetta thinking about? "On Monday, Panetta fielded questions from 25 congressional freshmen during a long-planned and, as it turned out, well-timed tour of CIA headquarters. Rep. Billy Long tweeted from the tour, "Panetta 'watching it unfold live I thought- this is like watching a Harrison Ford Movie' when asked who should play him- he said 'Al Pacino.''" Robert Gates' uncanny resemblance to Ruby Dee really is an asset right now. [Politico's Karin Tanabe]

From Politico:

Movies will certainly be made about the death of Osama bin Laden and the CIA-led operation that killed him.

When that happens, CIA Director Leon Panetta suggests that Al Pacino play him.

On Monday, Panetta fielded questions from 25 congressional freshmen during a long-planned and, as it turned out, well-timed tour of CIA headquarters.

Rep. Billy Long tweeted from the tour,

Long tweeted that the tour was arranged “some time ago,” adding “what a day to tour CIA Headquarters and have a Q & A with Director Leon Panetta- incredible- riveting recap of events.”

The Missouri congressman said the details of “how everything unfolded” were “incredible” and “remarkable.”

“What planning, preparation and execution,” he tweeted.

At 9:40 PM, May 1, JamesMNHarris retweeted a tweet from a BenjaminHackett, which Billy Long, tweeting under the pseudonym of "Auctnr1" retweeted: RT JamesMNHarris RT @benjaminHackett House Intelligence committee aide confirms that #Osama Bin Laden is DEAD. US has the body.(click on image for larger view.)

Twenty minutes later, at 10:00 PM, Auctnr1 made the following tweet (referencing the previously scheduled tour of CIA headquarters for twenty-five freshman reps):

We're scheduled to tour the CIA tomorrow and hear remarks from Leon Panetta. Wonder if plans will change or we'll hear Panetta's the best ever!

Several members of new media in Southwest Missouri picked up on that tweet. Randy Turner was the first one to notice it. He was also the first to notice that Long had deleted the tweet

Seventh District Congressman Billy Long rapidly deleted a sarcastic tweet about he expected to hear tomorrow about how great CIA director and soon-to-be Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is.

The tweet, of course, was made before the news that a CIA-led operation resulted in the death of terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Long must have realized that his tweet was in poor taste, even for him and deleted it.

Fortunately for those who are not into revisionist history, Long's tweets and re-tweets were captured through an iPhone app. This was not Billy's first rodeo.Billy Long in Neosho with his ever-ready iPhone

The next morning, Long tweets about his tour of CIA Headquarters in Langley with quite a different attitude from the previous night:These are the tweets the DC new media picked up on:

Timing is everything--what a day to tour CIA Headquarters and have a Q & A with Director Leon Panetta- incredible- riveting recap of events.

Then this one (I almost wish Long was have used the phrase "Penatta's the best ever" in this tweet):

Director Panetta was rightfully proud of our incredible Men & Women in the Military& Intel Communities.

And finally this one:

“Panetta 'watching it unfold live I thought- this is like watching a Harrison Ford Movie' when asked who should play him- he said 'Al Pacino.’”

Ok, picture this: CIA HQ on the day after the President announced to the US and the world (ok so Billy announced it first on Twitter)that Osama Bin Laden had been killed in daring raid on his compound in Abbottabad.

I can just imagine Director Panetta describing the events that lead up to the raid, the intelligence gathering, the planning, the discussions with the President, the final go-ahead and, when the mission was underway, the atmosphere in the White House Situation Room.*
Perhaps sensing that he was loosing some of the members of the tour with the details, I can imagine Director Panetta saying, to describe the night in a framework that even Billy could understand, that it was 'watching it unfold live I thought- this is like watching a Harrison Ford Movie'.
Then I can imagine Panetta opening up the floor for questions. Questions all of us would have wanted to ask: How long was this planned? How did you find where Bin Laden was living? What happened to his body? All questions pertaining to the mission.

Then, a member of the tour asks, "Who will play you in the movie?"

I just hope it wasn't Ozark Billy who asked that question.

But then again, I maybe hope it was so the rest of the twitter universe can see what a lot of us down here in MO 7 see: the man is out of his league.Billy Long with his ever-ready iPhone.

While I was gathering information and screen shots for this post, I went back to Long's Twitter account and Harris's twitter account to nail down the times the tweets came across.

Not only was Long's sarcastic tweet about Panetta deleted, but Long also deleted his retweet of JamesMNHarris announcing the death and capture of Bin Laden's body:

The tweet is here:

Later, the tweet is gone-- it was between the tweet about Geraldo and Greenwood:

Remember, Billy Long retweeted Harris' tweet at 9:40PM, but when I went to Harris' tweets, I can't find it.

I have deleted some of my tweets before, usually for grammar corrections or because I couldn't nail down the facts. But Long, while known for smack talking and code-talking, also tweets some pretty outlandish stuff.

No, don't get me wrong, he did the right thing by deleting them. He screwed up by posting them in the first place. I expect more from a member of congress and a member who secured an appointment to the Homeland Security Committee.

I guess to some in D.C., Billy seems amusing, but that dog don't hunt too much down here.Can Billy Long be trusted with state secrets? Does he need his iPhone taken away from him? Do we want to trust Billy with state secrets?

*President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, May 1, 2011. Seated, from left, are: Brigadier General Marshall B. “Brad” Webb, Assistant Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command; Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Standing, from left, are: Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Bill Daley; Tony Binken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President; Audrey Tomason Director for Counterterrorism; John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism; and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Please note: a classified document seen in this photograph has been obscured. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

(By the way JamesMNHarris, reading your tweets... what kind of vehicle do you drive? I have spent over $125 to fill the tank on my Chevy Suburban, but it's got a 454 motor and I haul our Airstream with it. For my daily driver I drive a 10 year old 4 cylinder 5 speed S-10 that gets about 25 mpg. Maybe you ought to think about getting a car that gets better gas mileage?)

"It's like a big block of cheese, see."

2011-04-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

2011-04-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

John Stone, one of the first Springfield bloggers I met in person, wrote a blog he called "The Curbstone Critic" which is still out there in cyberspace.

I have good memories of sitting in the Patton Alley Pub sharing simple thoughts Snarling Marmot, Fat Jack, Rhetorica, the Curbstone Critic and The Complex Mind.

My brother John, in addition to his blog, "By The Numbers" (linked on my link list on the sidebar) and "Hooniverse", has starting posting on "Curbstone Classics". His first post is about this wonderful1972 Oldsmobile 98 Hardtop Coupe. Yeah!

Anyhow, I lost the link to John's post about the big black 98 (I'm partial to those early 70s big GMs-- Dad had a Buick Electra Duece and a Quarter (225) that was bigger than most living rooms I've been in) and, in searching for it, I came across John's blog again. Yeah, it's still out there.

He was a jet fighter pilot, he had strong opinions about dang near everything, took great photographs and died in the downtown bus transfer station taking photographs-- like this picture of Jesus in a tree. The tree didn't make it through the 2007 ice storm... John writes, "Sadly -- now Jesus lies on the ground cut by a chain saw into about ten pieces.... Even more gruesome than the cross.... SGF fundamentalists must have watched the Texas Chain Saw Massacre."

So, on a whim, I did a search of John's blog for any mention of Billy Long. Remember, John died of a heart attack in 2007, so anything he wrote about Billy Long pre-dates Long's foray into politics.

What did The Curbstone Critic have to say about Billy Long? Lots!

October 5, 2004: "Billy Long, a local businessman, who is willing to put his livlihood on the line to be a whore for any freep idea that comes down the line on his radio program on radio KWTO."

February 22, 2005: "Billy Long, a local used car salesman, and peddler of anything and everything, and a good Repug, said something that makes my IQ of 64 look like Einstein."

April 8, 2005: "But we can hold Billy personally responsible for what HE does, can't we? It's the old crazy right-wing idea of taking personal responsibility."

August 2, 2005: "Billy Long fitting in 18 commercials in a 30 minute period and Bonnie Bell doing some sort of Valley Girl talk imitation. So incessantly in-your-face right wing that Bill O'Reilly got an amplifier for his butt plug to drown out the noise."

September 14, 2005: "Billy Long got up early this morning to memorize the latest "talking points" memo for right-wing radio. Unfortunately, he actually believed it, since he didn't bother doing any checking of his own."

John thought Billy Long "half the time (he) doesn't have any idea of what he is talking about. And his only real interest in life is to sell me something."

Yep, I can just imagine what fun The Curbstone Critic would have with Billy Long.

Among the posts mentioning Long was this one, written on the occasion of comments made by Billy Long on his KWTO Morning Line Show on the occasion of the funeral of Coretta Scott King that John titled The Vile State of Local Radio:

Thursday, February 09, 2006
The Vile State of Local Radio
I kinda' like local radio salesman Billy Long. I understand that half the time he doesn't have any idea of what he is talking about. And his only real interest in life is to sell me something. But that doesn't bother me since I can always laugh at him, note I said AT HIM, not WITH HIM.

But he has a bad habit of collecting talking points from KKKarl Rove every morning and then mindlessly repeating them, as he did this morning. By slimeing the funeral of Coretta Scott King. He didn't like it -- said it was too political -- I choked on my oatmeal. That's the same way they threw slime all over Paul Wellstone after practically his entire family was wiped out. And by the way, Billy, who the hell asked for your opinion on this woman's funeral anyway. Who in the world gives a flying fuck at a rolling donut hole what the hell you think about it? When you are dead and gone ... no one will care. Her name will be remembered for hundreds of years.

When you think about it what is the difference between Billy slimeing the funeral of Coretta Scott King, who he didn't know, and the Rev. Fred Phelps, of the Westboro Baptist Church slimeing the funerals of soldiers that he didn't know either?

Billy Long is a vile racist ... but he would deny it ... which only shows how badly out of touch he really is ... perhaps if he had black neighbors, or lived in New Orleans, or was poor, or had the man on his back all day, he would be a little more gracious to those who are less fortunate than he is. But I doubt it. Coming from an area that ran the blacks out years ago.

So I dedicate this song, sung by the Pigman on Billy's radio station, hisself as an inspiration to Billy Long.

But I don't expect him to get the message.

posted by John Stone at 2:29 AM 0 comments links to this post

2011-04-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

2011-04-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

2011-04-14T11:31:00.001-07:00

From Bob McCarty Writes, "Was Poker-Playing Congressman Bluffing?" 03.31.2011:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Almost five months after Billy Long won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in Missouri’s 7th Congressional District, some people are wondering whether the words used on the campaign trail by the auctioneer and real estate industry mogul-turned-politician were serious or just a World Poker Tour-style bluff for votes.

First, some background.

On Nov. 9, 2009, then-candidate Long sat down for a short interview (see video below) with Josh Marsh, Morning News Watch host on KZRG radio in Joplin, Mo.

During the interview, he spoke about the hardships and sacrifices he was willing to make if voters in southwest Missouri elected him to Congress:

“You have to sell your business. If you have a fiduciary business, you have to sell that, so I’ve gotta walk away from a business I built up for 30 years. Who’s gonna buy it without me there? Answer: Nobody. Whoever I sell it to has to take my name off of it. Now, what’s it worth? Absolutely nothing.

“I own a third interest in the largest real estate company in Springfield; I have to sell that. Do you want to buy a real estate company today? You know, they’re not worth anything, and I have to give up my real estate broker’s license.”

One of those people interested in comparing Long’s rhetoric to reality is Clay Bowler, the conservative Missouri blogger who became the victim of a witch hunt after a complaint by the recently-elected congressman prompted FBI agents to visit him at his Ozark, Mo., home. Five days ago, he reported there was no record yet of Billy Long selling auction house to meet House rules and campaign promise.

The other person is yours truly.

After reading Bowler’s aforementioned post Wednesday, I decided to ask Congressman Long whether or not he had, indeed, sold his auction and real estate businesses.

In a fax sent to his office early Wednesday afternoon, I asked him the following questions:

1. Please name and briefly describe the “fiduciary businesses” in which you hold a sole or part ownership interest.

2. Have you put any of your fiduciary businesses up for sale? If yes, which ones? If not, why not?

3. Have any of your fiduciary businesses been sold? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

Note: I should have asked him if he gave up his real estate license as well, but, alas, I overlooked that.

More than 24 hours after submitting my questions to the congressman’s Washington, D.C., office, I have received NOTHING — not even an acknowledgment of receiving my inquiry — in the way of a response; therefore, I suspect I will have to wait until mid-June to find out. That’s when federal lawmakers’ annual personal financial disclosure reports become public.

UPDATE 4/14/11 at 11:49 a.m. Central: Two weeks have passed since I asked Billy Long to answer questions about his business enterprises, but the freshman congressman has chosen not to reply to my question. Even this morning, his media flak, Bret Funk, blew me off, saying, “Apologies Bob, we are initially focusing on our district press for media requests. Please keep us in mind in the future.” As the video below shows, he is too busy to take questions.

Stay tuned!

This morning, from The Hill.com, comes this story about our Congressman Billy Long and his auctioneering debut on C-SPAN yesterday: Rep. Billy Long shows off his skills:

How long would it take to auction off the nation’s $15 trillion debt? Presuming you had a buyer, the answer is about 20 seconds.

This news comes by way of former professional auctioneer and freshman Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), who took to the House floor on Wednesday and rolled his tongue at lightning speed, leading an imaginary bidding war up from $3 trillion to the actual debt of $14 trillion.

“The way our debt is, [Rep.] Jeff Duncan [R-S.C.] and I are some of the few people who can actually keep up with the numbers,” Long said.

Long still owns Billy Long Auctions LLC, which auctions a variety of items. Long’s fellow freshman Duncan specialized in real estate auctions.

But no matter, because when Long began “auctioning” the national debt, it was all a blur.

“Do I see 7, 7, 7 trillion? Eight! Eight trillion, 8 trillion. Wamana wamana 9!” he warbled at warp speed.

This went on all the way up to 14 trillion, and when there were no “takers” for the “15,” Long pronounced “Fifteen? Fifteen? No? Sold! At 14 trillion.”

Red in the face from his performance, Long then explained that the good news is that all those numbers could also be said backwards, and he volunteered for the challenge.

“When we get the spending under control here, I’ll be back.”

ITK is very much looking forward to hearing Long do the auction in reverse.

rm2804

2011-04-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

2011-01-27T03:37:00.001-08:00

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
ok

2010-10-30T07:44:00.001-07:00

My father was in the publishing and newspaper business all his life.

He knew that what he wrote and what news he decided would go in the newspaper had the potential to influence people's thoughts and attitudes.

He believed he had a moral duty to his subscribers and readers to explore every aspect of a story, especially a controversial story. He was a strong believer in fact checking.

I used to help him out with the fact checking. In those pre-internets days it was a lot harder to do it than it is now.

A story in today's SN-L demonstrates the need for fact-checking and a red pen.

The story, Billy Long outraises Scott Eckersley six- , attributed to SN-L staff, appeared in today's SN-L. Excerpted below, it appears the reporters made a rookie mistake and the editors didn't catch it:

In the race for 7th District, Republican Billy Long raised six times as much money as Democrat Scott Eckersely, according to reports filed in mid-October.

According to Open Secrets.org Long reported raising $1.3 million. Eckersley reported $201,897. Long has been campaigning about a year and a half, while the Eckersley campaign kicked off in March 2010.

The largest individual expenses listed by the Long campaign in September were to Axiom Strategies for $19,919; followed by $18,000 to Public Opinion Strategies for polling. Axiom got eight payments totalling $51,308. The J. Harris Company, LLC, a consulting firm received $12,494 for consulting and travel.

The largest individual expenses listed by the Eckersley campaign were a $15,005 and a $6,500 media buy, followed by $5,000 for Campaign Strategy Research Services, an Arlington, Va., firm.

OpenSecrets.org said the organization making the largest contribution to Long was Med-Pay, $17,000.

The largest organizational contributor to Eckersley was ActBlue, $10,650.00

Did you catch it?

Federal election campaign limits the amount an individual can donate per election cycle, usually $2400 to a candidate. The chart below is from the FEC website:
The article's reporters said, "OpenSecrets.org said the organization making the largest contribution to Long was Med-Pay, $17,000."

Read the chart above. Medpay's $17,000 contribution exceeds the contribution limit in any category.

Something ain't right here. Let's take the bus over to opensecrets.org and look up Long's top donor list. The chart below is a screen shot of the top half of the page which lists Long's top donors and the amounts given:
Just to be fair and balanced, here is a screen capture of the bottom half of the page which lists Eckersley's top donors (I could not get the entire page in one screen capture but you can see the entire page onOpensecrets.org.

Oh my.

Oh my, my, my.

Look at that disclaimer that is at the bottom of the screen capture of Eckersley's top donors.

Why, parts of it are even highlighted in bold print:

This table lists the top donors to this candidate in the 2009 - 2010 election cycle. The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. Organization totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.

Open Secrets even explains the statement:Writing on the SN-L boards as 'Busplunge', I left the following comments on this story:

"OpenSecrets.org said the organization making the largest contribution to Long was Med-Pay, $17,000."

Are there any fact checkers at the SN-L?

Contribution limit per election cycle is $2400.00 per election cycle.

How can Med-Pay legally contribute more than $17,000 then?

From the Opensecrets web page: "The organizations themselves did not donate, rather the money came from the organization's PAC, its individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families."

ah, jeez

Jim Lee
10/30/2010 8:28:59 AM

and a short time later, this comment:

When a donation is made to a political candidate, there is usually a form to fill out listing the donors employer. A lot of employees at MedPay or lots of Gordon Kinney (sp) family members donated to Long.

www.opensecrets.org/races/contrib.php?cycle=2010&id=MO07

Also, Long told Steve Grant this about farm subsidies (Long wants to end them): "They're bringing milk in from out of the area. Our farmers here have to pay to have milk trucked in from other states. So there's a lot of things in the farm subsidies that have to be looked at."

The California Dairies Federal PAC gave Long a substantial donation.

Why is Long accepting money from the California Dairies PAC when he told Grant that "Our farmers here have to pay to have milk trucked in from other states"?

Haliburton, Arch Coal, Exxon, General Motors, Koch Bros, Beer Wholesalers, Great Southern Employees all donated to Long's campaign.

The FEC site: www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/HSProcessContributorList.do

Jim Lee
10/30/2010 8:46:03 AM

The "our farmers here are having to pay to have milk trucked in from out of state" can be found here: "There's been many a slip between the cup and the lips"-- Billy Long KY3 News.

The documentation for the contribution from the California Dairies Federal PAC can be found here: "The two sides of Billy Long: "They're bringing milk in from out of the area. Our farmers here have to pay to have milk truckedin from other states." Billy Long accepts California Dairies Federal PAC donation to Long campaign."

Other areas of this story that need explanation to the readers:

Who the Axiom Strategies principals are and their history and why did Long pay them so much money: "Decision awaited on libel suit against Billy Long advisor".

James Harris' connection to the fake Scott Eckersley 'withdrawing from the race' email: "Billy Long consultant James Harris pushes false rumor about Scott Eckersley"

"There's been many a slip between the cup and the lips.*" Billy Long and Missouri values

2010-10-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

Anti Billy Long ad runs on KY3. KY3 explains why the ad is run:

The content of it will upset some people because of the use of the "n word" -- a word that is not usually used in broadcasts -- but KY3 and all other stations can’t prevent it from airing, and can’t censor or change it because of federal law.

“I have been asked by viewers as well as staff why we allow certain political ads to air. The truth is that television stations are required by federal law to provide reasonable access for ads for federal candidates. The law also says that, if the candidate appears in his or her own ad, then we cannot censor or edit it,” said KY3 General Manager Mike Scott.

The "n word" is not spoken in the commercial. It is shown on the screen as a part of the letter Case wrote to the Eckersley campaign.

In context, the statement Case attributes to Long: “We need to take back this country from the niggers and women running it… that’s the problem in D.C.”

In vino veritas.

*"There's been many a slip between the cup and the lips." Billy Long

More hyperbolic statements from auctioneer Billy Long: "I've yet to find anyone that's happy with 'Obamacare'. "

2010-10-19T10:49:00.001-07:00

Long says 'the people' are furious from top to bottom on 'Obamacare' -- well, except him. Remember when he said this about 'Obamacare'? It's on the video below: "There are lots of things about the healthcare bill that are good"

Long sings a different song to Steve Grant during the KY3 interview:

The people are furious from top to bottom on Obamacare...I've not, I've have yet to find anyone that's happy with 'Obamacare'.

Well, apparently the auctioneer Billy Long didn't look very hard. Isn't that Billy saying in this video excerpt from the Joplin debate, isn't that Billy saying, more than once, that there are "Lots of things about the healthcare bill that are good"?

Yeah, I thought so.

2010-10-15T08:48:00.001-07:00

On October 13, Cory deVera, reporter for the SN-L wrote an article based on an email distributed to her by the Long campaign spokesperson Jason Klindt:

Jason Klindt, spokesperson from Billy Long's campaign, distributed an e-mail Tuesday to the News-Leader regarding Eckersley's "criminal history," citing 11 "apparent" traffic violations, including three from Utah and two from Arizona.

Who is Jason Klindt? I recalled there was a legislator from up in northern Missouri named Klindt, was this the same guy?

No, it wasn't him, the legislator's name is David Klindt.

Maybe Jason is related to David? Nope. David Klindt has a wikipedia page on which he lists his children and grandchildren, no Jason Klindt listed there.

I knew I recognized that name from somewhere, but I couldn't place where from.

Jason Klindt, Jason Klindt.

And I knew I knew of him through some political connection. I just couldn't remember the connection.

Turns out I didn't have to. Bungalow Bill has a lengthy post about Jason Klindt and his affairs:

Jason Klindt

Remember Billy Long told the Springfield he was tired of negative campaigning? From October 3, 2010,"I deal from a positive prospective," he said. That's one thing about this political world I don't like: all the negative. I finally decided I just have to let it go like water off a duck's back."

For someone who claims to be sick of the negative in campaigning, Billy Long sure keeps some interesting company. Yesterday, we saw how deep the Long campaign is willing to dig to go negative, laying out a story of traffic tickets to Cory DeVera busy in the News-Leader, and delivering this attack propaganda was Jeff Roe operative Jason Klindt. Like I said, for Billy Long to claim he is sick of the negative in campaigning, he keeps some interesting company.

The Long campaign is about to go extremely negative. I have no doubt about it. This little traffic story was the warning shot, and Billy Long's handlers have quite the reputation for launching some very nasty campaigns, and Klindt is closely connected to what has been labeled as the Goon Squad. A group even detested by many in the GOP across the state of Missouri, most recently noted by Republican Brian Neives and his supporters. These Goons threaten unity within the ranks of Missouri's GOP.

Any Republican connected to the Goons mentions above deserve a level of scrutiny in their character and judgement. There seems to be a good reason Klindt was brought into the Long campaign. As you know Billy Long doesn't like to be asked questions in uncontrolled environments that may show Long's weakness on the issues. Klindnt has a history of being the attack dog against any moves the media may make against the candidate he serves and insulating the candidate from the media. Long has been successfully insulated from the local media since Klindt showed up on the scene. Consider the following description of Klindnt's work with Conrad Burns and apply it to what you know about Billy Long.

In addition to his role as one of a half-dozen or so folks charged with making sure an actual reporter doesn’t get anywhere near Conrad Burns, and maybe turning hot laps around Billings in his Mazda, Klindt will also have another title while he’s in the Treasure State: Tourist.

Consider how distant Long keeps from the media and how controlled the situation is when Long is in front of the media. It's obvious why Klindt was called into the Long campaign.

Dirty campaigning is part of Klindt's specialty and he is one of the reasons people around Sam Graves came to be known as the Good Squad.

"They're evil," says Clay County Assessor Cathy Rinehart, who challenged Graves in 2002. "Their tactics are evil."

These tactics are well known with both republicans and democrats across the state of Missouri. A well reported story about Klidnt's role in the Goon Squad told across multiple Web sites, includes intimidation of many by shoving cameras in their faces. It's funny how Billy Long doesn't like these tactics used against him, but he hires people well familiar with the tactic.

In 2004, when Klindt was Graves’ deputy press secretary in his race for the 6th District house seat in Missouri, Graves took part in what could only be described as the Intimidation of a Missouri Senior Citizen. As he walked to his car, 66-year-old Charlie Bloomfield – Graves’ opponent in the race – was approached by a man hiding his face with a camera. The man, who refused to give his name, got in Bloomfield’s face with the camera while yelling at him and snapping pictures, then jumped in a waiting car and sped away. Bloomfield jotted down the plate number for the car, a Mazda sedan owned by none other than Jason Klindt. Half an hour later, Bloomfield filed a report with the Gladstone, MO police. “I think it was fairly close to assault, if not actually assault,” he said at the time.

And as it turns out, this wasn’t exactly an isolated incident.

"Their tactics are the worst I've ever seen, and I've been in politics fifty years," says former Kansas City Councilwoman Teresa Loar, who opposed Graves in a Republican primary in 2000. "It's truly incredible what they get away with."

So, as Billy Long's Minister of Attack propagranda launches the first negative attacks against Scott Eckersley, after Long claimed he was sick of the negative in politics, it's interesting who Long has befriended in his quest for Congressional power. Long picked the most negative campaign team he could, which shows as much hypocrisy on Long's part as about everything else he has claimed to be.

2010-10-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

If you think your food prices are high now....

2010-10-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

I will support the elimination or reduction of obsolete agricultural subsidies. Our food supply is important and should be able to operate in a free market without the distortions of government’s politically motivated subsidies.
Billy Long, CAGW Survey, June 17, 2010.

And he also thinks you only need to get mail three days a week.

Billy's new BFF doesn't answer questions either

2010-10-06T16:41:00.001-07:00

This is important because Think Progress is reporting the Chamber of Commerce (which endorsed Roy Blunt) is using foreign money to buy political ads.

1) The Chamber acknowledges that it receives foreign sources of funding.
2) The foreign funds go directly into the Chamber’s general 501(c)(6) entity.
3) At least $300,000 has been channeled from foreign companies in India and Bahrain to the account.
4) The foreign sources include foreign state-owned companies, including the State Bank of India and the Bahrain Petroleum Company.
5) The Chamber’s 501(c)(6) entity is used to launch an unprecedented $75 million partisan attack ad campaign against Democrats.

This is scary stuff. Read more here.

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2010-10-04T13:41:00.001-07:00

2010-10-03T18:04:00.001-07:00

2010-07-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

Maps No One Wants You To See

2010-03-05T07:34:00.000-08:00

"I don't care if you publish this or email it to everyone you know. I mean I gave this story a year of my life and I didn't do it because I thought it wasn't interesting." Pete Smith December, 2008

Maps no one wants you to see
Access to taxpayer-financed data may diminish as copying costs rise.

Counties throughout Missouri are moving away from hand-drawn maps coupled with thick books of property records and beginning to store property information in powerful databases.

These Geographic Information Systems are commonly harnessed by developers, engineers and a slew of other businesses to derive profits. Yet this information is often inaccessible to the common citizen even though it's funded with taxpayer money.

Although state officials see this information as something that should be free and accessible – one of the compelling reasons to switch to GIS was cost efficiency – local officials tend to guard the data like a hot commodity.

Governments began converting property data and maps into digital format to save time and money. GIS technology makes creating digital maps 10-100 times faster than creating a map by hand-scribing, estimated Kari Craun of the United States Geological Survey.

Craun is chief of the USGS's Central Region NSDI Partnership Office in Rolla and has witnessed the transition from analog to digital mapping techniques for the past 20 years working with GIS in Missouri.

"GIS has definitely been a benefit because we can provide information to a lot more people a lot more quickly," Craun said. "Ultimately, yes, it has saved money."

Still many county administrators continue to view it as an extra expense.

And as GIS datasets are collected over time they can also yield powerful analyses in terms of changes in property tax assessments and appraisals that realtors, developers or the average homebuyer may find invaluable.

But invaluable is just a word. And counties throughout the state are testing the waters to be able to put a more concrete number on their worth and try and create additional funding from their sale.

Currently the price range for one year of a county's GIS property data can start at $30 in the case of St. Louis County and top out at about $20,300 for Jackson County, which encompasses Kansas City.

Putting the data to good use

Most counties that collect data in GIS format provide a rudimentary internet search engine so that anyone can access information about the ownership of a specific piece of land.

When Springfield developer Bob Fitzgerald was first imagining where his Cobblestone Creek subdivision could be located, he began his search on the Greene County assessor's web site.

Bob Fitzgerald, of Fitzgerald First Realty uses GIS data from local governments to make maps that help him develop property.

Fitzgerald is the owner of Fitzgerald First Realty. With over 12 years of first hand experience in the Springfield real estate market, he had a good idea of where he wanted to build his new subdivision. He even had the owner's name of the piece of property he liked.

But when he queried the assessor's online GIS database, his results showed that no map could be found to show information about the property.

To avoid delays such as this, Fitzgerald subscribes to an FTP site run by Greene County where his business can download the raw GIS data known as shapefiles.

FTP sites exist so that any person can download any computer file hosted on the site whenever they need it without the need to request the file from anyone.

With the shapefiles available whenever he needs them, Fitzgerald can then load it into a program called ArcMap for the more in-depth analysis he needs.

The government data quickly shows the locations of sewer lines, utilities, property boundaries, sinkholes and elevation contour lines essential for managing water runoff and creating a profitable housing development.

More importantly, Fitzgerald can join outside datasets to the government data for further analysis.

Mapping property sale prices is one example of how developers commonly merge government data with privately maintained data.

Like any Realtor, Fitzgerald has access to the Multiple Listing Service, which records housing sales prices, information not available through county assessors. With the valuable sale prices from the MLS, plus the GIS files, Fitzgerald could then map not just the last sale price of the property he wanted, but the last sale price of all the surrounding properties.

It's the kind of analysis that no county web site can provide. And it can do more than just shape Fitzgerald's profits, the data also shapes the look and design of the subdivisions he builds.

Without it, his company would have to pay for an expensive topographic survey to determine drainage and then waste valuable time trying to find utility information from various government bodies before he could even think about developing the land.

"It's good information to have when you're looking at a property to develop," Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald said the GIS data has definitely given his business a leg up over the competition in the 6 years he has been using it and that the data pays for itself after one development.

"It's getting harder and harder to find a piece of property of any size that can easily be developed," Fitzgerald said. "This helps us know whether it's economically feasible."

Data's use extends beyond development

The Greater Springfield Board of Realtors also collects the county's data and uses it in an internal mapping application board president Scott Rose said.

The data can help realtors plot out listings and show how close schools, police stations and fire stations are to the property. A thorough analysis of tax records and school info is also critical to
realtors in setting the price of any property.

Former County commissioner Jim Payne was instrumental in converting the existing government data into new GIS databases in the late 1990s. Payne was also involved the Greene County real estate industry for over thirty years and he knows how important the information is to anyone trying to buy or sell real estate.

"It's invaluable," Payne said. "Realtors have to be using this information if they're doing their job right."

GIS is an essential technology for anyone involved in high growth areas, national GIS expert Lisa Derenthal said. Derenthal, now with Gimmal Group, has 25 years experience using GIS that included time at one of the nation's largest homebuilders, Centex Homes.

GIS technology originated in government planning, Derenthal said. Eventually the real estate industry finally began leveraging the data after years of outsourcing the work to engineering firms.

From the development aspect, in an undersupplied market, the data is used to show current ownership, acreage, school boundaries, value and how those values have increased over time.

In an oversupplied market, the marketing department would use it to map where buyers and leads were coming from and then target direct mail in those specific areas.

"In better times and markets, developers were willing to go out and purchase the data because the value of finding the right tract of land was so valuable," Derenthal said.

It's not just realtors combing the web for data. Almost every recent home buyer has done internet research on the market and properties they are interested in.

"Google earth has driven an awareness of what is possible in the general population and demand for that information will only continue to grow," Derenthal said.

Rose warned that market snapshots collected from internet data are often times wrong or misleading. But that doesn't mean the Board of Realtors will bend over backwards to correct all those errors than stem from the so-called snapshots.

"We don't release information from our web site," Rose said. "A lot of clients wouldn't want people to know what they sold their house for or what they paid for it."

Or, as Derenthal said, "Realtors don't want you to know too much."

Access to housing data is often out of reach to government agencies as well as the public.

Because Missouri doesn't require the disclosure of home sales prices, property appraisals by local assessors often have little grounding in reality and instead rely the subjective judgement of local assessors.

How price affects access

A map of counties using GIS technology for storing and analyzing land records shows that its use directly correlates to population density and real estate activity.

Forty percent of the 115 counties in Missouri currently use GIS and an estimated sixty four percent will have it in the next year. Of that percentage, ten counties refused to provide the News-Leader with copies of the data at any price.

"The GIS statute is a terribly written law," James Klahr of the attorney general's office said of the law that governs how the information is to be shared.

If the varying prices and differences in access to the data don't illustrate the inconsistency written into the statute, then the sharp contrast between how state government and county governments interpret the law is blinding.

The state of Missouri's policy in regards to GIS data is to post every file that doesn't violate privacy or security to the state-run Missouri Spatial Data Information Service web site so that any person can download it at anytime for free said State Geographic Information Officer Tim Haithcoat.

"In many cases the law needs to come up to speed on how to interpret data sharing," said Haithcoat.

Right now the state is in the midst of discussing GIS data sharing policy and should have an answer by early next spring.

"I would come down on the side of sharing everything we can," said Haithcoat.

Even then, a state policy could not mandate a change in the practices of county government.

So what then is to stop a county such as Greene from next year charging $20,300 for its GIS data like Jackson County does?

Greene County spokeswoman Jenny Filmer Edwards said the question is leading and declined to answer.

According to documents from the county assessor's office and developers such as Fitzgerald, Greene County provides access to the shapefiles via a subscription FTP site on the county's web site.

When the News-Leader asked Edwards and Information Services Director Jason Kerr why the county charged the public anything to access the FTP site, Kerr denied that the files were available online. He appeared surprised to discover such an FTP even existed when the News-Leader guided him to the site on his own computer.

The pay-for-access FTP site is available under the "public information" section of Greene County's web site.

"Government ought to be providing data in the most expedient and cheapest way," said Charles Davis, a University of Missouri professor and co-author of a 2002 paper on public access to GIS data. "Instead, they do it in the most expensive way. It's illogical," said Davis.

Level Headed Kit Bond

2010-02-19T09:48:00.001-08:00

Representative Roy Blunt (R), MO 7

2010-02-18T14:26:00.000-08:00

City of Springfield, Mo., to Receive Brownfields Grant for Contaminated Land Cleanup and Local Job Creation

2010-02-16T18:00:00.000-08:00

Release date: 08/04/2009
Contact Information: Belinda Young, (913) 551-7463, young.belinda@epa.gov
______________________________
__
Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., Aug. 4, 2009) - EPA has announced that the City of Springfield, Mo., has been selected to receive $510,000 to provide loans and sub-grants to help carry out cleanup activities, redevelopment projects, and create jobs for local residents living near brownfields sites.

EPA selected Springfield to receive the grant based on the city's demonstrated ability to assist the community through effective brownfields redevelopment loans. Revolving loan funds are generally used to provide low- or no-interest loans for brownfields cleanups. This grant was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Acting Regional Administrator William Rice said, "The Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund provides up to $1 million to capitalize a fund from which loans or sub-grants may be made to conduct cleanups of Brownfield properties."

Springfield will use its supplemental funding to replenish the revolving loan fund, from which it will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities at several of 11 shovel-ready projects identified as being contaminated with hazardous substances and petroleum.

Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (Brownfields Law) was passed. The Brownfields law expanded the definition of what is considered a brownfield, so communities now may also focus on mine-scarred lands or sites contaminated by petroleum or the manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs.

The Brownfields Program encourages redevelopment of America's estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites. Since the beginning of the Brownfields Program, revolving loan fund grant recipients have executed 146 loans and awarded 41 sub-grants to support brownfields cleanup totaling more than $76.8 million. The loan funds have leveraged more than $1.8 billion in public and private cleanup and redevelopment investment and enabled the leveraging of 3,285 jobs in cleanup, construction and redevelopment.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009, and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at
http://www.recovery.gov.

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2009-05-12T12:22:00.001-07:00

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