There’s a whole lot of finger pointing going on with regard to the demise of Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson.

But, just like every episode of Columbo I used to watch growing-up…there’s some other place and/or some other people we (the audience) should be focusing our attention on that we are not. We are too distracted by the “obvious” stuff; that is right in front of our noses that we view on TV or read in a newspaper or read on a blog.

I recall the $300 million AGL bill fight in the 2006 Georgia General Assembly. I recall getting quite heated about it to the point of a series of angry e-mail exchanges with a few of the (male) lobbyists who pushed the bill.

Every current news article on the Web about Richardson’s resignation has the similar lead paragraph when it describes the events:

“Dec 3, 2009 … Georgia House speaker to resign amid scandal … a co-sponsor of a bill that would have financed a $300-million pipeline for the company…”

“Dec 4, 2009 … Georgia’s powerful House speaker resigned Thursday after a suicide … lobbyist pushing a $300 million pipeline bill he was co-sponsoring…”

Everyone chatters about Richardson, the lobbyist, and the pipeline bill. But…there are SO many more subjects that should be explored (including the blockbuster of one on which I received several calls this afternoon about…I’ll get to that soon enough).

The 2006 $300 million gas pipeline bill was the predecessor to 2009’s Georgia Power’s SB 31 bill, which was rammed through both houses earlier this year. No doubt when that happened, AGL Resources big-wigs got together and asked “WTF? How did GaPower get theirs passed and we didn’t???”

One of the more interesting aspects of the 2006 AGL bill is who else was a “co-sponsor” of it. Do any of the following names ring a bell?

Lead Sponsor: Jeff Lewis (R-No longer in House)

#5 Sponsor: Don Wix (D-Token Democrat Sponsor)

The bill was HB 1325. It passed the House on February 22, 2006 by a vote of 110 Y to 59 N. It died in the Senate, thankfully.

Who Knew & When Did They Know?

In one of the e-mails described in Dale Russell’s interview with Susan Richardson earlier this week is this little blurb concerning the lobbyist involved with Glenn Richardson: “the woman wrote that she was afraid her Atlanta Gas Light boss would fire her…”[Susan] Richardson said her ex-husband responded, “He will not fire you!! I can and will bring all hell down on them if they do.”

You folks are all concentrating on what Glenn threatened he’d do because that sounds quite outlandish. And, it is, of course.

But…more telling is the context in which the lobbyist was writing to Glenn about back then in 2006. Rumor has it that in some of those e-mails written by the lobbyist to Glenn, she describes what was going on at AGL Resources’ government relations department…and what was going on there was that an employee who worked in the PR department of AGL Resources had discovered the affair on his/her own and was making noises about blowing the whistle on it.

That employee is rumored to have been offered a $100,000 severance package with AGL if she kept his/her mouth shut and he/she signed a confidentiality agreement to not disclose what he/she knew about the affair, and he/she just happened to quickly find a new position to work…in none other than Speaker Pro Tempore Mark Burkhalter’s office, fellow co-sponsor of the AGL bill (and, the man who claims he knew “nothing” about the affair in today’s papers).

Now, you may think that a $100,000 payoff is just “political business as usual.” I find it rather disturbing, actually. Disturbing to the point of wondering if this is legal for a public utility to use shareholder money to “hush” someone up while it is attempting to maneuver an entire state government to bend to its will?

If AGL did get knowledge of the affair between the Speaker and one of their female lobbyists, used money to pay-off someone’s silence, and did not remove the bill they were pushing forward…is there anything out of whack about this? One of my callers today suggested that a “bribe of sex is akin to a bribe of money…and if a bribe is involved, maybe the state or federal RICO laws have been violated.”

Hmmm…RICO? Well, I am not a lawyer. Nor a prosecutor. So, I dunno about silly things like “laws.” Maybe someone else does? Like, I dunno, a legislator? Nahhh…what an absurd thought.

While it may not have been the utility who directed the affair to occur, at some point when one discovers knowledge of the affair, and acts to cover it up (i.e., if the $100,000 severance was actually offered and paid), at some point it becomes incumbent on someone to “do the right thing.” And, based on the successful vote that occured in the House in 2006 for the AGL bill, it looks a lot like no one did the “right thing” except cover their own ass, kiss the ass of someone else, and, of course, enjoy someone else’s piece of ass. (Sorry, kiddies, the PV is X-Rated. If you are offended by this, you are too short to go on this roller-coaster ride to start with. Please step away, we’ve already left the station.)

Everyone, including Mark Burkhalter (who gave the departing AGL employee immediate employment), sought to cover-up the whole mess, all because the Speaker had a girlfriend…to the detriment of the ENTIRE state of Georgia. Even though the bill did not pass the state senate, it passed the House under the auspice that it was “good for Georgia,” when it was REALLY only good for the true beneficiaries: AGL and their lobbyists, who were promised beaucoup bonus money if it passed.

If You Love Corruption, & Want More of it, Vote For Burkhalter!

Those members of the House who think Mark Burkhalter will bring “stability” and “moral rectitude” to the assembly are, seriously, on dope. Replacing Richardson with Burkhalter is akin to replacing Newt Gingrich with Bob Livingston in 1998.

The AGL love affair cover-up is not the only example of Burkhalter’s involvement in something that stinks. I find it strange that Burkhalter is the only legislator I’ve heard the same consistent subject matter about over the years…and that subject matter involves something pretty sleazy. Every. Single. Time. And, it did not begin and end with the “Stripper-Gate” of the late 1990s.

BUT…I know…dumber moves have been made before…the world apparently has an infinite capacity for asinine political moves, so y’all have fun down there in Caligula’s Rome if Burkhalter becomes permanent Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives.

Looking for an old story I may have covered? I have archives of the newsletters issued (very few get re-posted to this blog). Follow this link to see newsletters from the 2006 elections to now:

PV Newsletter Archives

At a recent Arizona town hall meeting with President Obama, there was one person carrying a rifle. It happened to have been a black gun-owner with an AR-15 on his shoulder standing with other gun owners outside the town hall building.

In the story, MSNBC shows only a carefully cropped video of that black gun-owner so that you could not tell his skin color, but only see his gun. They then switch to video of a white gun-owner being interviewed by a reporter. While there is plenty of video to be found of the black gun owner talking to reporters elsewhere, MSNBC does not use any of it (see below for the link)

Why did MSNBC crop their video? Because the topic was about how gun-carrying protesters at the town hall meetings are white racists and how the black commentator had to get in HIS comments about predicting Obama would be shot by a white racist.

The rifle was eye-catching, but having a black man carrying it simply wouldn’t do for MSNBC’s propaganda, so they fixed that little problem.

Here’s the edited video from the crooks at MSNBC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYKQJ4-N7LI

(H/T to GeorgiaCarry.org)

AND HERE is the proof that the man was a black man carrying that gun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7syx26QtQIM&NR=1

Any questions? Contact MSNBC President Phil Griffin at:

The Liars Club
Manhattan, NY
C/O Keith Olbermann & Chris Matthews

Attorney Maria Sheffield has become the newest candidate to enter the Insurance Commissioner’s race in the 2010 Republican Primary.

Sheffield is currently an attorney with Burr, Forman, LLP, focusing on regulatory and corporate insurance law, public policy, government relations and coverage matters. Her practice encompasses all facets of insurance regulation.

Sheffield spent six years with the Georgia Department of Insurance working in several different departments including the Regulatory Services Division, the division responsible for compliance and general licensure issues.

Sheffield’s work in the Republican Party stretches back more than a decade. Sheffield worked for the Georgia State Republican Party in the 1990s, as well as serving on the campaign staff of numerous Republican candidates. She also served as the 11th District Chairman for Phil Gramm for President in 1996 and Wilkinson County Vice-Chairman for George Bush for President in 2000.

She served as the Public Relations Manager for the College Republicans at Georgia College and State University, and was President of the Society of Politics & Law at Georgia College and State University.

Sheffield was born and raised in a small town northeast of Macon. Her mother was a nurse and her father spent his career in the air force, retiring from the Air National Guard.

Her mother was killed when she was 15 by a hit-and-run driver and her father died 10 years later from brain cancer. She cared for her maternal grandmother for 9 years, who suffered from dementia, until the time of her death.

Maria worked and put herself through school obtaining a BA, MPA, MBA and JD, all by the age of 25.

Maria is married and lives in Cobb County.

SEIU Thugs Are Inspired by Obama

For additional Information: Sheri Kell 678.793.7770
For Immediate Release sheri@olensforAG.com

SAM OLENS RECEIVES ENDORSEMENT OF JOE WHITLEY –
FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY IN THE MIDDLE AND NORTHERN FEDERAL DISTRICTS OF GEORGIA

Marietta, GA – Sam Olens, Republican candidate for Attorney General, is pleased to announce he has received the endorsement of Joe D. Whitley, former US. Attorney in the Middle and Northern Federal Districts of Georgia during two presidential administrations.

“We need a person of integrity, a proven leader and a lawyer with superb qualifications, to be our next Attorney General. For me, and I believe Georgians of all backgrounds, Sam Olens is that person.

“As a lawyer, Sam has amassed a record of excellence. As Chairman of the Cobb County Commission and Chair of the Atlanta Regional Commission, he has been a constant friend and avid supporter of law enforcement. Cobb County and the region is safer and a better place to live and work because of Sam Olens’ ability to get the job done in a way that respects citizen rights, but deals firmly with law breakers,” said Whitley.

Whitley served as the Acting Associate Attorney General, the third-ranking position in the Department of Justice. He was appointed by Presidents Reagan and Bush, respectively, to serve as U.S. Attorney in the Middle and Northern Federal Districts of Georgia. Throughout his career, Joe served under five United States Attorneys General in a number of key operational and policy positions.
In 2003, Whitley was appointed by the President as the first General Counsel of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS),

“I’m honored to be endorsed by a man with the distinguished service and career of Joe Whitley,” said Olens. “His support speaks to the kind of Attorney General I will be and what I will do if given the opportunity to serve the citizens of Georgia.”

Though more and more people have dipped from the middle and working classes in poverty, the rich have been victimized most by the recession – at least they have in terms of dollars lost.

A study by Merrill Lynch reveals that the world’s rich lost 20 percent of their total wealth, mainly because volatile trading markets across the world wiped out two years’ gains.

The number of people with more than $1 million in net assets fell 14.9 percent, while the number of people with fortunes of more than $30 million fell by a quarter, the study showed.

READ MORE HERE

For Immediate Release
June 11, 2009

Audit the Fed Bill Reaches Crucial Benchmark

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Ron Paul’s Federal Reserve Transparency Act, HR 1207, has reached and surpassed the level of 218 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, which means it is now cosponsored by a majority of the members.

The 218th cosponsor was Dennis Kucinich (OH-10), and the bill has since received its 222nd cosponsor.

“The tremendous grass-roots and bipartisan support in Congress for HR 1207 is an indicator of how mainstream America is fed up with Fed secrecy,” said Congressman Paul. “I look forward to this issue receiving greater public exposure.”

Hearings on Federal Reserve transparency are expected within the next month, as part of the Financial Services Committee’s series of hearings on regulatory reform.

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:

We have stuck together since the late 1950’s, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let’s just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.

Here is a model separation agreement:

Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by land mass, each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other
assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.

We don’t like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we’ll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O’Donnell (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them).

We’ll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We’ll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO’s and rednecks. We’ll keep the Bibles and give you NBC. NPR and Hollywood.

You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we’ll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we’ll help provide them security.

We’ll keep our Judeo-Christian values… You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can
also have the U.N.. but we will no longer be paying the bill.

We’ll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can find.

You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We’ll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We’ll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I’m sure you’ll be happy to substitute Imagine, I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.

We’ll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we’ll keep our history, our name and our flag.

Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I’ll bet you ANWAR which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.

Sincerely,

John J. Wall
Law Student and an American

P.S. Also, please take Barbara Streisand, Jane Fonda & Nancy Pelosi with you.

Picture this situation: The person you love most in your life (spouse, significant other, child, etc.) is a target of some violence-oriented group of individuals who intend to murder your loved one. It doesn’t matter why your loved one is targeted for extinction, they just are.

The police have arrested one of the members of the gang. The member knows a lot about the plot to kill your loved one. They know time, place, method.

You can ask them nicely if they will tell you what the plan is. If they tell you, great. You can go save your loved one.

If they refuse to tell you/the authoriities anything, what are you prepared to allow to happen to that gang member in order to extract the truth about how they intend to murder your loved one?

Oh wait…you don’t want any “harm” to come to anyone who threatens anyone else. Guess you’ll let your loved one die so that no “torture” is inflicted (psychological or otherwise) on the ONE guy who can help prevent your loved one from being murdered.