June 21, 2006
Hooks Jr. Makes 11 in TN Waltz
Michael Hooks, Jr. is the eleventh public figure to be arrested as part of the Tennessee Waltz sting executed by the FBI.Background summary:
- The FBI makes the first arrests in TN Waltz 26 May 2005, netting five lawmakers, a lobbyist and a bag man.
- County Commission Chairman Michael Hooks, Sr. is arrested as part of the sting on 30 August 2005.
- Michael Hooks, Jr. leaves the Memphis city school board in October 2005 to get a masters degree and "spend more time with his family".
The most interesting bit of information comes from today's Commercial Appeal:
The charges relate to an alleged scheme in the Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk’s office that gave birth to the now sweeping federal investigation known as Tennessee Waltz.In other words, Michael Hooks, Jr. started it all and is responsible for his father's arrest last August. And it was an arrest warrant that was issued for Michael Hooks, Jr. in 2001 that got his father arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia (but not drug charges, even though cocaine was found in the kitchen next to a pot of boiling water).
So Junior screwed Senior once again. Daddy must be so proud.
Hooks' first big controversy (in 1999) was over the awarding of school construction contracts; instead of several small contracts giving local contracts a shot at getting the work he got a slim majority of the school board members to grant one huge contract to a big Detroit-based firm that had ties to U.S. Congressman Harold Ford Jr.
On this topic, Hooks was quoted as saying:
Five thousand dollars [a board member’s annual salary] isn’t worth the beating I’ve taken from my fellow board members or the press. It gets so frustrating that sometimes I feel like quitting altogether.A most telling quote, as evidently $5K and community service isn't enough for this member of the political machine (his great uncle was the civil rights pioneer and NAACP executive director Benjamin Hooks and Memphis' first black judge).
He (allegedly) went for the big dollars of fraud. One wonders if he received money under the table from the Detroit construction company as well. Ah well, some things we will never know for sure.
Kudos to Thaddeus Matthews for having sources tell him way back in August 2005 that an indictment was coming for Michael Hooks, Jr. His sources also told him that city councilwoman Janet Hooks (wife of Michael Hooks, Sr.) could be indicted but that, as yet, has not happened.
Update: TeamGOP quips:
If this keeps up Memphis may actually run out for elected Democrats to put in jail.The Flypaper Theory, which can't help but be snarky when anything Republican is reported, has three lines on this topic.
LeftWing Cracker can only muddle out two lines, but devotes one to hoping for a Republican downfall:
The CA story notes that this whole thing started in the Juvenile Court Clerk's office; please let it be after Steve Stamson took over..........Oh-so-sorry Cracker! Take this, from the CA:
When Willis landed a consulting and lobbying contract with then-Juvenile Court Clerk Shep Wilbun, the seeds of the Tennessee Waltz were planted.So not only has this scandal led to the arrest of ten other people (all Dems or RINOs), it may very well knock Shep out of serious contention for his attempt to retake the court.
Yo Cracker! Stamson cleaned up that court and you want to take him down? Is there an iota of non-partisan back-the-man-not-the-party in you?
Technorati Tags: Michael Hooks, Jr.,
Tennessee Waltz,
FBI Sting,
Democrat Culture of Corruption,
Shep Wilbun,
Tennessee Politics,
Memphis Politics,
Shelby County Politics.
June 15, 2006
Ron Lollar, Candidate for TN House District 99
Ron Lollar, currently serving on the Shelby County School Board, is running for the seat being vacated by Bubba Pleasant. Following are my notes from Ron Lollar's comments made to the Shelby County chapter of the Tennessee Firearms Association.He was raised in west Tennessee and grew up hunting. When he graduated high school he joined the Marines and served in Viet Nam.
He said that he is worried about our children growing up to have the same rights that we have, such as the right to keep and bear arms, because of the efforts to erode these rights. He spoke about being shocked that a governor had the power to confiscate guns and ammunition during a natural disaster, as seen during Hurricane Katrina.
He told a story about a Democrat friend of his that promised him a campaign donation, and then asked Ron to support the legislation that Bubba Pleasant sponsored limiting the hours of operation of the Memphis Sports Shooting Association (MSSA). Ron told him that he would not support that legislation. It cost him the donation, but Ron feels strongly that it would be wrong to do otherwise.
On the subject of the restaurant carry bill, he said it does not make sense to have a gun unprotected in a car just because you are having dinner. You are unprotected and your gun is unprotected. It makes sense that if you have the weapon on you then it is safer than sitting in a car in the parking lot.
Ron spoke quite passionately on the subject of eminent domain. He said that he is opposed to taking private property unless you can prove major need and all other avenues have been exhausted. He told a story about needing to build an elementary school: not only did the families need a place to send their children, but it was mandated by law that a school should be built to support the community. One homeowner stood in the way and after seven months of trying to find a solution, the school board resorted to using their power of eminent domain. However, he believes that eminent domain should only be used to obtain property for the government; land taken from property owners should never be turned over to a private developer.
He said that he is opposed to income tax.
Talked about federal interference in local affairs, and noted that the Shelby County school budget is about 6% federally funded, but the spending of $275 million is about 60% federally mandated.
He said that he would not vote the party line, just because the party wants him to. Although he is a strong Republican, and he will probably vote with the party 90% of the time, the Party will not dictate the way he votes. He is here to represent the people, not the party.
There was much discussion about legislation that would allow permit holders to keep guns in their car when parking at their job, even though the employer forbids weapons on their property. He said that he has a problem telling a business owner what he can do.
Personal Observations: Ron Lollar is a friend to gun owners and has proven his commitment to supporting youth shooting programs. He believes in the Second Amendment up to a point, but worries that expanding our rights too far could undo some of the gains that we have made lately. He is, frankly, far too moderate on this topic.
Ron has been an excellent member of the Shelby County School Board, where he has learned about budgets, federal mandates, partisan politics and personal agendas. He should be well prepared to work in Nashville.
As my top two issues are education and gun rights, I believe Ron Lollar is a definite step up from incumbent Bubba Pleasant. Ron is sincere, honest (perhaps too honest) and passionate in his beliefs.
There is a large field of candidates for this position, but Ron Lollar is the best I've heard yet. He is, at this point, the AlphaPatriot Pick for TN House District 99.
Technorati Tags: Ron Lollar, Tennessee Politics, Gun Rights, Second Amendment.
Buh-Bye to Bubba Pleasant, District 99
Bubba Pleasant has been in the Tennessee House for the past ten years and in that time has earned the ire of many a gun owner.First, he cosponsored legislation to allow permit holders to carry in restaurants that served alchohol if they did not partake. But when the legislation came up for a vote he cowardly voted "present and not voting", as documented in an email from the GOA:
There were eleven cosponsors that stabbed us in the back -- which means we would have had 65 votes (two more than needed to pass the bill) if all these cosponsors had voted correctly.Remember, this is from a representative who has carried an NRA rating of A to A- for the last eight years!By their actions, these backstabbers demonstrated that their sponsorship of HB 2225 was more about making you think they were pro-gun, rather than about any desire on their part to really advance gun rights in the state of Tennessee.
Now, there're two groups of cosponsors who worked to keep HB 2225 from coming out of the committee and onto the floor. Each group acted in a slightly different way. But taken together, they effectively KILLED THE BILL.
First, please review the list of six backstabbers who cosponsored HB 2225, but then VOTED AGAINST the bill on the House floor:
Gene Davidson
Dennis Ferguson
Craig Fitzhugh
Bill Harmon
John Litz
Steve McDaniel...these five cosponsors voted "present and not voting," once again hoping that you wouldn't notice that their abstentions kept Rep. Newton from getting the 63 votes that were needed to resurrect the pro-gun bill:
Jim Hackworth
Phillip Pinion
Bubba Pleasant
David Shepard
John Tidwell
In addition, dear Bubba sponsored legislation that would limit the hours that a gun range could operate after developers moved into the neighborhood and built houses. He couched it in terms of noise reduction, but insiders said that it was aimed directly at limiting the operation of the Memphis Sports Shooting Association because of requests from personal friends and the finances thereof.
Technorati Tags: Bubba Pleasant, Tennessee Politics, Second Amendment.
June 9, 2006
Roscoe Dixon Guilty on All Counts
Arrested by the FBI as a result of the Tennessee Waltz sting, Democrat Rosco Dixon has been found guilty by a jury of his peers. Dixon is a former Tennessee Senator who resigned his post to work as an assistant administrative aide to Shelby County Mayor A. C. Wharton (also a Democrat).During the trial, Dixon admitted that he took the bribe money, but:
The former senator insisted, however, that the money had nothing to do with his sponsorship of special legislation purportedly needed by the fake company, E-Cycle Management Inc.I just can't imagine why the jury didn't buy such a good story! But they found him guilty on all five counts:
- Count 1
Between July 20, 2004, and May 20, 2005, Roscoe Dixon and aide Barry Myers conspired to obstruct, delay and affect commerce by means of extortion by obtaining property from another with his consent under color of official right. - Count 2
Dixon and Myers illegally obtained $6,000 from a representative of E-Cycle on Feb. 12, 2004, under the color of Dixon's position as a Tennessee state senator. - Count 3
On March 5, 2004, Dixon, with the aid of Myers, illegally obtained $1,500 from a representative of E-Cycle. - Count 4
On May 14, 2004, Dixon, with the aid of Myers, illegally obtained $2,000 from a representative of E-Cycle. - Count 5
Between Feb. 12, 2004, and May 14, 2004, Dixon and Myers corruptly demanded $9,500 in cash, intending to be influenced and rewarded in state business transactions involving more than $5,000.
AlphaPatriot prediction: Dixon will receive fewer than five years in prison and be ordered to pay fines in the neighborhood of $10,000 — about the amount that he took in bribes. He will serve three years and be elected to office by the ignorant people of Memphis by 2012.
Technorati Tags: Roscoe Dixon, Tennessee Waltz, Tennessee Politics, Memphis Politics, Shelby County Politics, Culture of Corruption, Democrat Culture of Corruption.
June 8, 2006
Tonya Saafir: Candidate for Criminal Court Judge Division 1
Attorney Tonya Saafir (website not yet active) addressed the SCCRC (Shelby County Conservative Republican Club), and the following is the results of my rather hurried notes.
She was quite a good speaker and had quite a good story to tell:
She is a veteran who is the daughter of veterans. She comes from a patriotic family and her mom was in Desert Storm.
After getting out of the service she went to Austin Peay State University. In spite of being a single mother of four small children (she was divorced), she graduated magna cum laude with a law degree.
She became a public defender and after a year she stepped out into private practice (something difficult to do for anyone, particularly difficult for a single mother whose oldest is ten).
She spoke about trying to raise her children in today's environment. She is afraid for them and feels "locked in" because they have to hide behind locked doors.
She believes in second chances for non-violent offenders. Those that assault, rape and murder are a different story, but she believes in rehabilitation and change.
As I said, Tonya was an impressive speaker. She did not mention her party affiliation, although after listening to her I think that she would be a most conservative Democrat. Voting in Memphis lists her as having voted only three times in the last 12 years, one of which was in a Democrat primary. Then again, she didn't register to vote in Shelby County until September of 2000 and (obviously) she has been rather busy.
Tonya's opponent is incumbent Judge Paula Skahan, who was appointed by Gov. Bredesen in 2004. Skahan has voted 16 times in the last 12 years, 9 of those times were in Democrat primaries.
Judge Skahan acheived local noteriety when she disallowed 33 pounds of cocaine discovered during a traffic stop. The drug smuggler was going eight miles over the speed limit, but Skahan ruled that the police officer illegally detained the criminal and subsequently illegally searched the criminal's vehicle. There has been much debate about the case, but the bottom line is that her decision was upheld by the appeals court.
AlphaPatriot Pick: If the vote were today, I would pick Tonya Saafir. Her drive, committment to family, ability to get ahead in spite of obsticles, her passion, her background and her (admittedly brief) talk about values were impressive. Besides, LeftWing Cracker is supporting the incumbent, a diehard Democrat appointed by Bredesen.