Friday, November 6, 2009

Joe Wilson feels compelled to remind himself who he is

Posted by Chris Haire on Fri, Nov 6, 2009 at 12:29 PM

I may be the only one who finds a recent tweet from Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) funny, but that doesn't bother me. I crack myself up all the time.

Anyhow, here's the post:

Joe Wilson A Hit At Capitol Hill Tea Party: Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), who famously yelled out “You lie!” during a s... http://bit.ly/2NSLD

And it gets even funnier. See, when you click on the URL in the twatter post, it goes to an article, allegedly penned by Joe Wilson with more or less the same text from the twit post:


Joe Wilson A Hit At Capitol Hill Tea Party
by Joe Wilson on November 6, 2009

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), who famously yelled out “You lie!” during a speech to Congress by President Obama, just spoke to the Capitol Hill Tea Party, receiving massive applause immediately as he came to the podium.

Who does Joe Wilson think he is? Bob Dole? The Rock? Timmy?

Topics: State Politics, National Politics

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Thursday, November 5, 2009

Barrett continues to ride the No-Gitmos wave, buys anti-terrorist domain name

Posted by Chris Haire on Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 5:38 PM

S.C. gubernatorial candidate — and current U.S. Congressman — Gresham Barrett has finally found his Election 2010 campaign niche and he's milking it for all it's worth: he's leading the charge to keep Gitmo detainees out of the brig in North Chuck.

And frankly it was the boost the Upstate Republican needed to win the hearts and minds of the red meat crowd; for months now, he's been criticized for supporting the TARP bailout by the Teabaggers and 9/12vers, who've taken over the GOP in the Palmetto State.

Now, he's bought a new domain to show everybody just how strongly he feels about the possibility of a Gitmo transfer: WWW.KEEPTERRORISTSOUTOFSC.COM. The domain name goes directly to an online petition urging President Obama to not authorize the transfer. The letter reads:


Mr. President:

The people of this state have already made it abundantly clear that any plan to move terrorists to our soil is unacceptable. I strenuously object to the potential transfer of known terrorists from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to any federal or state facility inside the State of South Carolina.

Furthermore, we believe bringing known terrorists to South Carolina endangers our state’s citizens and makes them potential targets for future terrorist attacks.

I strongly urge you, Mr. President, not to transfer any more of these known terrorists to American soil and I would support any legal or legislative remedy opposing terrorist transfers to the State of South Carolina.

According Network Solutions, the organization that overseas domain name registration, Under the Power Lines, the firm handling Barrett's web operations, bought the domain at 4:15 p.m. today.

Topics: State Politics, National Politics

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Nikki Haley accuses Gresham Barrett of political grandstanding with Gitmo letter

Posted by Chris Haire on Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 7:42 AM

First you have Democrat Mullins McLeod telling Republican Gresham Barrett to take his letter to President Obama and stick it where the sun don't shine (that's what "shove it" means after all), and now you have Barrett's fellow GOPer Nikki Haley giving the Upstate Congressman a pimp slap. All three are seeking their respective parties' nominations in the South Carolina gubernatorial race.

And while Haley agreed to sign Barrett's we-don't-need-no-Gitmo-detainees-in-S.C. letter to the president — she doesn't want those guys here either — she wasn't entirely supportive of Gresham's penmanship either. Here's what Haley said:

However, calling on candidates for Governor to join you in a letter to President Obama, rather than asking your colleagues in Congress — who are actually in a position to prevent this potentially dangerous situation — to do the same, strikes me as little more than political grandstanding.

And it gets better:

I would suggest writing another letter to President Obama that might do even more good. Please ask the President to stop using taxpayer dollars for the TARP bailout. As you were a supporter of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, adding your voice to the chorus of conservative opposition to that continuing waste of tax dollars might actually prove helpful.

Of course, Haley's outburst probably does very little to increase her chances at securing the Republican nom for governor. This is a race between Barrett and S.C. AG Henry McMaster. Haley has a lot of work ahead of her to catch up to these two.

Topics: State Politics

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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Jury decides Nucor created racially hostile environment

Posted by Chris Haire on Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 7:47 AM

Things aren't looking too good for embattled Charlotte-based steel company Nucor. Not only are they facing a class action lawsuit in Chucktown concerning charges of allegedly fostering a hostile racial environment at its Berkeley County mill, but now a U.S. District Court in Arkansas has decided that the company is guilty of racial hostility against black employees at its Blytheville, Ark., mill.

Now before you get all anti-PC PC, and Lord knows this post will likely attract a fair amount of I-may-be-white-but-I'm-a-victim-too tomfoolery, consider this bit from a press release from the attorneys representing the plaintiffs before getting all in a huff:

"The Court noted that 'white employees burned a cross in the roll mill department and covered their heads in hoods,' a supervisor hung 'a chicken with a hangman's noose in another black employee's workstation,' and 'repeated racial slurs, nooses, and similar items hung in the roll mill department, and racially offensive graffiti on bathroom walls."

Not good.

Closer to home, a group of current and former Nucor Berkely workers have claimed that this type of behavior has also taken place at the Huger, S.C., mill. According to a press release from Alabama-based law firm Wiggins Childs, Quinn & Pantazis and Charleston-based firm Derfner, Altman & Wilborn:

"[W]hite supervisors and employees frequently referred to black employees as 'nigger,' 'bologna lips,' 'yard ape,' and 'porch monkey.' White employees frequently referred to the black employees as 'DAN,' which stood for 'dumb ass nigger.' These racial epithets were broadcast over the plant-wide radio system, along with 'Dixie' and 'High Cotton.' Monkey noises were also broadcast over the radio system in response to the communications of black employees. The display of the Confederate flag was pervasive throughout the plant, and items containing Nucor's logo alongside the Confederate flag were sold in the plant's gift shop. Additionally, several e-mails that depicted black people in racially offensive ways, such as by showing them with nooses around their necks, were circulated by various employees.'"

According to The Post and Courier, an appeal from Nucor may keep the case from going to trial for years or it may hit the court next year.

Topics: Local Politics

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Campbell and Associates removes 'lobbying' admission from website

Posted by Chris Haire on Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 7:28 AM

In last week's column, I wrote about attempts by the Carroll "Tumpy" Campbell III campaign to deny previous media claims that the 1st Congressional District candidate is a lobbyist and that his company, Carroll Campbell and Associates, is a lobbying firm.

Of course, Tumpy's denial seemed to contradict earlier statements made by himself and associate Russell Munn on the Carroll Campbell and Associates website in the press release section:

"The addition of our new partners clearly demonstrates our commitment to politics and public policy in South Carolina. We plan to continue our goal of building a premier lobbying practice in this state," says Carroll Campbell, chairman of Carroll Campbell and Associates.

Munn followed with a statement of his own:

"I could not be more delighted to have a core group of accomplished lobbyists in our firm. The skills and reputations of our partners add to our already substantial lobbying capabilities."

Prior to the publication of last week's column, I sent a link to the press release with the above-mentioned quotes to Brent Littlefield of the Campbell campaign.

Now those quotes and the press release in which they were included are apparently no longer on the site. Feel free to look for yourself.

As for the original press release, you can click on the screen grab image below.

Picture_1.png

Topics: State Politics

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

DeMint's Honduran coup buddies set to return power to overthrown prez

Posted by Chris Haire on Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 12:56 PM

A few weeks ago, Jim DeMint journeyed to Honduras to meet with the Honduran government officials who overthrew democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya.

Upon the South Carolina junior senator's return, he declared that the coup was good — and the people rejoiced because they knew that it was good, despite the current state of marshal law in which they lived and the daily curfews that restricted their activities.

Now, Reuters, AP, et al, are reporting that Honduran officials are in the middle of negotiations to return Zelaya to power.

Hmm. Maybe things weren't as hunky-dory as DeMint claimed.

Topics: State Politics, National Politics

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Friday, October 9, 2009

DeMint gets a love letter from Honduras

Posted by Chris Haire on Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 8:05 AM

Jim DeMint and me. We are not friends. Probably never will be. I think he is a blowhard, and he ... probably doesn't know who the hell I am. He's got bigger enemies to worry about, like newly declared Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama. (Really? For what? Getting elected?) and, more likely than not, Manuel Zelaya, the former democratically elected president of Honduras who was ousted during a recent military coup.

Unlike the majority of world leaders, including the big BO, South Carolina's junior sensei DeMint supports the military overthrow. In fact, he returned from a meet-and-greet with Honduras' new leaders, who have imposed marshal law on the civilian population.

I don't know about you, but I seriously doubt DeMint will be honored with a Nobel anytime soon. But I could be wrong.

Which brings us to a letter we recently received at the CP HQ purportedly from Honduras. I can't vouch for the veracity, but it's worth sharing nevertheless. Here goes:

Mr. Haire, I live in San Pedro Sula, in northern Honduras. I cannot comment on your description of Sen. DeMint as a far right reactionary in your article Jim DeMint is a blowhard (Aug 5,2009). I do not know enough about him, South Carolina's politics, nor about you. But what I can tell you with 100% certainty is that in our case, Sen DeMint is on the right side.

Our ex-president Zelaya was for a time surreptitiously maneuvering to impose upon us a Chavez/Castro type dictatorship. Eventually, since every institution (Congress, Supreme Court, Catholic and Evangelical churches, business groups, 4 political parties as well as his own, etc) lined up against his ruse, his maneuverings became flagrant breaches of our Constitution and violations of court rulings that contravened his dictatorial aspirations.

You affirm so assertively, as the Grand Inquisitors from the ‘international community’ have done, that it was a coup d'etat without even taking the time to carefully (or at least superficially) study what happened. Perhaps if you did, you would know that scholars in jurisprudence and international law at the Law Library of Congress, after studying Zelaya’s removal for 3 months, came to the conclusion that his impeachment had been executed according to rule of law dictated by our Constitution.

I assume that to you, we are nothing more than a banana republic; therefore we do not have the institutional capability to impeach a president following the rule of law. I live here Mr. Haire. I was witness to Zelaya's chaotic, erratic and above all, abusive administration. So this time I can vouch that Sen. DeMint is actually in the side of democracy and freedom.

Even if you find this too implausible, checks and balances actually worked in this banana republic and Sen. DeMint is helping us that it keeps working.

Topics: State Politics, National Politics

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Thursday, October 8, 2009

Mark Sanford pulls a jedi mind trick, evades speeding ticket

Posted by Chris Haire on Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 9:03 AM

Obi Wan knew how to get the fuzz off his back. He waved his hand in the air and recited these words, "These are not the droids you're looking for. Move along." And just like that, the troopers back the fugh up and let the jedi pass.

Well, apparently, Gov. Mark Sanford has learned a jedi mind trick or two from old Ben Kenobi. Check out this report from The State concerning a recent encounter between the Luv Guv's driver, a trooper, and Obi San Kenobi himself:

In the video from a dashboard camera, Lance Cpl. R.S. Salter asks the driver, "You got a good reason for running 85?"

The agent from gets out of the car and walks toward the cruiser, credentials in hand and tells Salter he is driving the governor, to which the trooper replies, "Not a really good reason to be speeding."

"Tell him that," the agent says, walking back to his car.

Walking around to the passenger side of the sedan, Salter peers inside and greets Sanford. The two shake hands, Salter returns to his cruiser, and the agent drives off.

This are the not the grounds for impeachment you're looking for. Move along.

Topics: State Politics

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Saturday, October 3, 2009

Citadel adopts secession flag — Hollywood plans sequel to Civil War, Michael Bay may direct

Posted by Chris Haire on Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 2:14 PM

Since 1992, the Citadel has been using as their "spirit flag" a replica of the flag that cadets flew as they fired on the Star of West, a ship bringing supplies to U.S. troops at Fort Sumter. Many argue that this act was the start of the Civil War, not the later attack on Fort Sumter.

Only now, the folks at El Cid found out that the design they've been using is wrong, thanks to the recent discovery of what is likely to be the actual flag those war-hungry cadets "fought" under.

As for why experts believe this to be the flag, the P&C knows:

The replica the school has been using has a smaller white palmetto tree on a red background, with a white outward-facing crescent in the upper-left corner. The direction of the crescent is important, Curtis said, because an inward-facing crescent was, at the time, a common symbol of secession in the Charleston area.

The fact that the flag in Iowa carries the secession symbol makes it more likely that it is the flag that flew on Morris Island, he said.

Now today, the P&C reports that the Citadel's Board of Visitors voted to adopt the Morris Island flag as its new spirit flag.

I mean, talk about timing. The country is divided in a way that it hasn't been in decades — with some right-wing entertainers and not-so fringey political groups calling for a revolution. And many folks believe that a lot of this strife is racially motivated — surprise, surprise, some saltines are bothered that a black man is president.

And in the midst of all this, the Citadel, a state-supported school, has decided that it's a good idea to choose as its, um, spirit flag, a tattered rag declaring South Carolina's secession from the Union and a symbolic fuck you to Uncle Sam and the American ideal that all men are created equal.

The South Carolina brand just keeps getting better and better.

Here's hoping the folks at Boeing don't hear about this.

Topics: State Politics

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Thursday, October 1, 2009

Lindsey calls Beck a crybaby, birthers crazy

Posted by Chris Haire on Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 3:02 PM

I've never been a big fan of slapstick, but I can always appreciate a good pie fight.

Right now, there's a whole lot of pies being thrown, at Townhall meetings, Tea Parties, cable talk shows, and now the U.S. Capitol.

As unexpected as the pies thrown by the Palmetto State's own Joe Wilson and then just a day or so go from the Sunshine State's Alan Grayson were, now comes a custard-filled salvo from Lindsey Graham, one of the few voices of reason, well, in all of Washington.

And the targets of his pie flinging is quite unexpected: Glenn Beck and the Birthers.

Sam Stein at the HuffPo reports:

"Only in America can you make that much money crying," Graham said of Beck. "Glenn Beck is not aligned with any party. He is aligned with cynicism and there has always been a market for cynics. But we became a great nation not because we are a nation of cynics. We became a great nation because we are a nation of believers."

Appearing before a crowd of Washington's elite power players and opinion-makers, Graham spoke largely without filter, offering acidic takes on subject well beyond Beck. The Senator called the birther community that questions the president's U.S. citizenship "crazy" and implored them to "knock this crap off" so the country could get on to more important matters.

"I'm here to tell you that those who think the president was not born in Hawaii are crazy," said Graham, who went on to dispel another myth: that Obama is a closet Muslim.

Nyuk. Nyuk. Nyuk.

Topics: National Politics

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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Tumpy Campbell, fan of 30-year-old pop culture references, enlists in the Burger War

Posted by Chris Haire on Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 8:20 AM

After months of speculation, Carroll "Tumpy" Campbell III has entered the First Congressional District race against the Republican Workhorse, Henry Brown. Smokey Bear was at Tumpy's side when he made the announcement.

Just kidding.

About the Smokey part, not that some bloke named Tumpy actually thinks he has a future in D.C., and he's going to start by challenging a longtime incumbent.

Tumpy? Really?

Sounds like the name of a Pokemon character, you know, the one that looks like a dirt brown toad and squirts a tarry substance out its mouth that makes the victim forget that South Carolina politics isn't currently a cesspool of shame and self-destructive narcissism. (I can see Mark Sanford now, after such a horrible attack, starring into a pig trough saying, "Pig trough, pig trough, in which we wallow, who is the most delusional of them all?")

Now that Tumpy has entered the race, fans of the '80s can rejoice. Not only is Tumpy the son of former Gov. Carroll Campbell, who served South Carolina from 1986 to 1994, but Tumpy is a big fan of 30-year-old pop culture references. Consider this bit from The Post and Courier:


Carroll Campbell III, a Charleston businessman and son of former Gov. Carroll Campbell, formalized his entry into the 1st Congressional District race Wednesday and wasted no time blasting a fellow Republican, incumbent Rep. Henry Brown.

"I have been in the Wendy's restaurant business. And when I take a look at Mr. Brown's record, I have to ask, 'Where's the beef?'" Campbell said. "Unfortunately, Mr. Brown's beef is nothing but pork."

Well, Tumpy, that's three strikes against you.

One, I love bacon.

Two, I hate John Hughes movies.

Three, I go to Burger King. The double cheeseburger is the best burger in the world.

Topics: State Politics

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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Will Folks plays the Nazi card in discussing Capitol Hill dust-up

Posted by Chris Haire on Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 8:35 AM

There's not much I want to say here. I don't want to spoil the fun. But suffice to say it involves blogger and former Sanford spokesman Will Folks, Capitol security, U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, and the No. 2 prettiest face on Capitol Hill Brecke Latham, Barrett's former spokesperson.

Here's Sic Willie's opener at FITS News (And as usual, this is Will Folks, so proceed with caution):

An attempt to ask a government employee a simple “yes” or “no” question on public property escalated into a showdown between the “new media” and the “old guard” on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning.

Call it the “Fifth Estate” versus the “Fourth Reich,” although the winner of this particular skirmish remains unclear at this point. What is clear is that a story that may have never seen the light of day is suddenly seeping out due to what can only be described as a colossal overreaction by a Congressional staffer — and the U.S. Capitol Police.

Here’s what happened …

Shortly after 9:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday morning, three agents of the U.S. Capitol Police detained FITS founding editor Sic Willie — author of the Palmetto State’s most influential, widely-read political website — for nearly an hour. After grilling Sic with questions and running a background check (presumably to see if he had any outstanding warrants), the officers eventually escorted him from the Rayburn House Office Building and enjoined him from re-entering the premises under the threat of arrest.

This is why I moved back to South Carolina. No one plays dirty like we do.

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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Another day, another example of right-wing hypocrisy: The Pledge of Allegiance edition

Posted by Chris Haire on Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 8:09 AM

I think I'm going to give myself a nickname.

How about Mr. Friendly? Or Mr. Sensible? Or Mr. Fair? Or Mr. All Bright and Cheery?

Anyone of those fits, don't you think?

I mean, if Lou Dobbs can call himself Mr. Independent, I can call myself Mr. Southern Hospitality.

Of course, both of us are completely full of shit. And, I don't know about Lou, but that's the way I like it. Dishonesty is the best policy folks. And hypocrisy is a way of life.

Last night, Lou and his guests were gargling words about some BS involving the Pledge of Allegiance.

According to Fox News, the education sec for the state of New Mex considered an ACLU-backed measure that would not only allow students to refuse to recite the pledge but would require schools to notify parents that their children had the right to keep their mouths shut when everybody else in Mrs. Crabapple's class talked about "one nation under God" and all that.

Well, this didn't sit too well with Lou and his pals, nor with Fox fans. Their argument more or less was this: giving kids the right to not say the pledge is simply un-American; that's not the way we do things here in America, and that's not the way we did it when I was child, so you're darn tootin' them kids gotta say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Here's the thing: Dobbs and his fellow "independent" friends will be the first to tell you that's it's your god-given right to call for the demise of the federal government, the ouster of each and every member of Congress (except for the guy from your district), and the failure of the president of the United States, but your right to thumb your nose at Uncle Sam, to exercise your right to rebel against the government — to let the powers that be know that you're mad as hell at the direction this country has taken and you're not going to take it anymore — just doesn't extend to the Pledge.

You can show your dissatisfaction in other ways (particularly if the head buffoon is a Democrat), but you have to, have to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Your right to protest only goes so far. Free speech has it's limits. Hypocrisy has no bounds.

Topics: National Politics

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Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Don't believe the hype: Teabaggers are GOPers

Posted by Chris Haire on Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 8:52 AM

Driving into work yesterday, I was listening to The Morning Buzz with Richard Todd. I don't do this as much as I did in the months leading up to the presidential election. Since then, the normally right-neutral Todd has veered a little further onto the partisan propaganda off-ramp for my tastes, but he's still one of the most level-headed of talk radio hosts around. He still allows his guests to speak and he still disagrees with the GOP overlords. And that's a good thing.

But here's what's not a good thing: Continuing to try to portray the Tea Party phenom as anything but a movement of pissed off right-wingers, mainly Republicans. Come election time, the vast majority of these folks will vote for the GOP, while a few anti-establishment types will cast their ballots in favor of a fringe Xian group like the Constitution Party or the also-ran Libertarians. You know it, I know, we all know it.

That said, hosts like Todd, congressmen like Jim DeMint, and many a Teabagger will claim that the Tea Party movement is not partisan, but anti-government. Fine. But, as we know, of the two major parties, only one has oxymoronically portrayed itself as, um, "anti-goverment" for 30 years or so, and that's the GOP. Rightly or wrongly, the Dems are a big government-loving party — the Republicans, not so much, at least when it comes to rhetoric. (The other parties are minor leaguers in a major league world; they simply aren't a part of the debate, no matter how vocal they may be from time to time.)

So come on, guys, lay off the BS. The Tea Party movement is partisanship politics at its best. And I mean that sincerely.

Topics: National Politics

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Thursday, September 3, 2009

Knotts knows who "outed" the 100% not gay Bauer — Mark Sanford's men

Posted by Chris Haire on Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 4:11 PM

Jake Knotts used to be a cop. For 29 years. Now, he's just a bull-necked buffoon who with one big ole blast of hot air just made the press coverage surrounding the Andre Bauer "outing" that much worse. And the funny thing is, it doesn't sound like that was Knotts' intention at all.

See, according to Palmetto Scoop, Knotts has sent a letter to his fellow members of the General Ass., proclaiming that he is "100% certain the rumor [that Andre is gay] is false" and Gov. Mark Sanford's folks are behind it.

In fact, he says that "with absolute certaintity this attack was orchestrated on behalf of Mark Sanford, either directly or indirectly, and financially subsidized by him or one of his many 'front groups.'"

Knotts' proof that Mike Rogers of BlogActive is wrong about Andre and the govenor's men are behind this "false rumor": Jake has known 'Dre since he was eight years old ... and he himself was once the victim of a similar "internet smear campaign" by Sanford's evil henchmen.

And that's it. No proof. No documentation. No taped recordings. No alcohol-fueled confessions. Just a stupid gut feeling. Way to go Walker, Texas Ranger.

Before the end of the letter calling for Sanford's removal, Knotts proclaims that the governor is a "danger to our state" and that if the lege doesn't get Mark out of office, "you and your family could be the next target."

And that means you Dorothy and your little dog too.

Way to look after a friend, Jake. You just couldn't let the "outing" story disappear. You had to go provide even more fodder for the blogosphere and cable news.

Thanks to City Paper news editor Greg Hambrick whose analysis provided the basis for this silly post about a silly man.

Topics: State Politics

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