And on to the race for Attorney General:
First two questions:
1. Did Groucho Marx’s duck have a moustache?
2. Why is it that when I think of Stan Lee and University of Kentucky a vision of George Wallace keeps coming to my mind?
From Alan Hawse in his op-ed piece on Stan Lee in the Herald-Leader:
Webster's dictionary defines a bigot as "a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially: one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance."
Waddles, check; quacks, check; yellow feathers, check. I am pretty sure Lee is a duck….
This whole issue comes down to politics. Lee is just acting like a schoolyard bully to advance his campaign for attorney general. Using the powerful emotions of sex and fear for political gain is immoral.
One thing Hawse failed to mention that Lee is a multi-faceted candidate. Not only has he taken a strong stand on domestic partner benefits he has also taken a virtual stand in the University door way to ban Hispanics from higher education.
From KentuckyVotes.org:
Stan Lee in the 2006 Legislature:
Introduced 2006 House Concurrent Resolution 25 (Study costs of educating undocumented aliens) to direct the Legislative Research Commission to designate legislative staff to study the costs associated with educating elementary and secondary children of undocumented aliens within Kentucky's public schools.
Introduced 2006 House Bill 39 (Require proof of residency for tuition purposes) to direct the Council on Postsecondary Education to require a student who pays in-state tuition to prove legal residency in Kentucky and the United States of America.
Introduced 2006 House Bill 26 (Restrict provision of college student aid) to require that the minimum qualifications for admission to a public postsecondary institution shall require a person to be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident, or meet other specified requirements. The bill would create the same requirements in order for individuals to qualify for early childhood education scholarships, postsecondary grants and scholarships, College Access program grants, Teacher Scholarship program grants, Kentucky Tuition Grant program assistance and KEES scholarships.
Introduced 2007 House Bill 11 (Allow local enforcement of federal immigration laws) to authorize certified peace officers to enforce U. S. immigration laws and prohibit city, county, urban-county, charter county, or consolidated local governments from prohibiting their peace officers from doing so.
Offered an amendment to 2006 House Bill 115 (Mandate certain state and local enforcement of federal immigration law) to limit the range of a section with regard to certain police officers.
I guess Stan probably doesn’t agree with Jack Burch in his op-ed piece in the same paper.
In the controversy over immigration, we are reminded of the liberties afforded to all because of our innate value as humans. The strong work ethic demonstrated by immigrants reminds us that "entitlement" is not an American value.
In the changes that occur as a result of immigration in this country, we are reminded that the identity of America is not about skin color, language or birthplace. America is greater and more profound than those demographics.
America is a dream realized. America is not homogenous, and we are better because of it.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Gambling and Dissonance
You have to give Ernie Fletcher credit for being a good campaigner. His latest move to frame the debate is to take a strongly anti-gambling stance.
From the Herald-Leader:
“The governor, already knee-deep in his re-election effort, began road testing his new anti-casino arguments in LaRue County on Thursday, then the Winchester Country Club on Friday.
In doing so, he has tried to capture the first major issue of the fall governor's race against Democratic challenger Steve Beshear, who harnessed a pro-casino message during his spring primary victory. Without mentioning Beshear specifically, Fletcher told the Herald-Leader that he decided to take a hard-line stance because "some folks" are publicly promoting gambling in a way that has made this governor's race "a referendum on casinos."
He said no new polling numbers prompted him to change his approach. For four years, Fletcher had said he was personally opposed to casinos but would leave the issue up to the General Assembly and voters.
Fletcher's new line is: "That's not going to happen on my watch."
The beauty of this approach is that it not only appeals to Fletcher’s core supporters but it also cuts into Beshear’s liberal base while distracting the voters from the fact that Ernie Fletcher is one lousy governor.
The problem for some liberal voters is that they really dislike Ernie Fletcher and the way he governs but they also really dislike the idea of gambling. My friend Richard Dawahare states the problem on his blog, The PeaceCow Field Journal.
“I face a personal political dilemma. I belong to the Democratic Party (as opposed to being a Democrat. I am a human that happens to believe in traditional Democratic principles, but I am NOT "a Democrat") and have nearly always voted for those candidates.
But in this year’s gubernatorial race the Democratic candidate, Steve Beshear, is not merely pro casino gambling, but is making that the central plank of his platform. Now casino/electronic gambling is the pre-eminent issue that will adversely affect not only the future of Kentucky, but also that of the whole nation. Therefore, although Mr. Beshear is an otherwise solid candidate, his promotion of casino gambling disqualifies him and I would not support him or any candidate who supported this losing enterprise.
The Republican candidate, Governor Ernie Fletcher, has now changed his stance on casinos from one of allowing a referendum to being adamantly opposed to them. He has thus made casino gambling the key issue in the race and has positioned himself as the savior to prevent its ugly tentacles from strangling Kentucky’s future.”
This personal dilemma, that many voters share, is what helps Fletcher. If he can create enough cognitive dissonance about gambling, he may cause enough liberal democrats not to vote.
From the Herald-Leader:
“The governor, already knee-deep in his re-election effort, began road testing his new anti-casino arguments in LaRue County on Thursday, then the Winchester Country Club on Friday.
In doing so, he has tried to capture the first major issue of the fall governor's race against Democratic challenger Steve Beshear, who harnessed a pro-casino message during his spring primary victory. Without mentioning Beshear specifically, Fletcher told the Herald-Leader that he decided to take a hard-line stance because "some folks" are publicly promoting gambling in a way that has made this governor's race "a referendum on casinos."
He said no new polling numbers prompted him to change his approach. For four years, Fletcher had said he was personally opposed to casinos but would leave the issue up to the General Assembly and voters.
Fletcher's new line is: "That's not going to happen on my watch."
The beauty of this approach is that it not only appeals to Fletcher’s core supporters but it also cuts into Beshear’s liberal base while distracting the voters from the fact that Ernie Fletcher is one lousy governor.
The problem for some liberal voters is that they really dislike Ernie Fletcher and the way he governs but they also really dislike the idea of gambling. My friend Richard Dawahare states the problem on his blog, The PeaceCow Field Journal.
“I face a personal political dilemma. I belong to the Democratic Party (as opposed to being a Democrat. I am a human that happens to believe in traditional Democratic principles, but I am NOT "a Democrat") and have nearly always voted for those candidates.
But in this year’s gubernatorial race the Democratic candidate, Steve Beshear, is not merely pro casino gambling, but is making that the central plank of his platform. Now casino/electronic gambling is the pre-eminent issue that will adversely affect not only the future of Kentucky, but also that of the whole nation. Therefore, although Mr. Beshear is an otherwise solid candidate, his promotion of casino gambling disqualifies him and I would not support him or any candidate who supported this losing enterprise.
The Republican candidate, Governor Ernie Fletcher, has now changed his stance on casinos from one of allowing a referendum to being adamantly opposed to them. He has thus made casino gambling the key issue in the race and has positioned himself as the savior to prevent its ugly tentacles from strangling Kentucky’s future.”
This personal dilemma, that many voters share, is what helps Fletcher. If he can create enough cognitive dissonance about gambling, he may cause enough liberal democrats not to vote.
Back Again
Yes, I’ve not been posting for about a month. Computer crashes, changing service providers has taken its toll. But I’m back offering one man’s opinion on a fairly regular basis.
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