Blue South

• Quote of the Day

  This comes from an article in the Post and Courier about our pro tem's new cannon:
  McConnell spends much of his free time on his new toy, and his fellow re-enactors enjoy helping him polish, wax and fire it. I can't really add to that.
  
  Hat tip to [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 13, 2009, 9:23am EST
  

• Ok, I know I said I'd be busy, but I couldn't resist...

  Compare and contrast. Both of these were headlines in today's State:
  
  Gun Bargains This Weekend: S.C. Firearm Purchases are Tax Free Today, Saturday in Recognition of the Second Amendment
  
  Two Injured in Gunfire at SC Thanksgiving Parade
  
  Oh, the irony.' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 28, 2008, 10:38am EST
  

• Short Hiatus

  The Blue South is going to be busy for a couple of weeks. In the meantime, enjoy these remixes courtesy of Ross over at the Indigo Journal:
  
  
  
  
  
  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 26, 2008, 4:28pm EST
  

• Quote of the Day

  
  Stephen Jones, president of Bob Jones University, has issued an apology for the school's past racist policies. Let's see what he had to say:
  We conformed to the culture rather than provide a clear Christian counterpoint to it. In so doing, we failed to accurately represent [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 22, 2008, 11:25am EST
  

• S.C.: the "Pay Toilet of the Nation"

  
  At least according to Sen. John Courson, our lovely state has become a pay toilet. Source. Apparently it turns out that a loophole in the way that DHEC construes the landfill "needs" of counties allows our landfills to accept millions of tons of garbage from [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 17, 2008, 9:10pm EST
  

• Five Headlines

  (1) Catholic Priest, Father Jay Scott Newman has distributed a letter to his parishioners urging them not to take communion until they have done penance for voting for Obama. Source. See, this was a tough call for me because, on the one hand, if I voted for Obama my [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 15, 2008, 10:37am EST
  

• Exclusive: The Blue South Lands an Interview with Embattled Congressman Paul Broun of Georgia

  
  We here at the Blue South are proud as heck to publish our exclusive interview with Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia's 10th District. Some of you may know Rep. Broun for his recent comments comparing our president elect to Hitler and Stalin, saying that Pres.-elect Obama' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 13, 2008, 11:06pm EST
  

• Sadly Ironic Quote of the Day

  This gem comes to us from David Ignatius column in today's WaPo. The topic: the upcoming G-20 financial summit. Here's the quote:
  Bush administration officials support some items in this package, but they are wary of the unintended consequences of new regulations -- particularly ones that are rushed through during [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 13, 2008, 8:09am EST
  

• The Future of the Republican Party

  I had an interesting conversation today with an author/scholar who thinks the Republican party is no longer, nor has it been for quite some time, on the side of federalism. He said that he has not voted for a major party candidate for president since (and it took him a [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2008, 9:42pm EST
  

• The Case for Raising Taxes (In a Nutshell)

  
  There was a lot of campaign rhetoric about Barack Obama's tax policy being socialist, in that it seeks to redistribute wealth among the population. The problems with that characterization are legion, but the most glaring are: (1) true socialists seek to nationalize the means of production' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 05, 2008, 9:15pm EST
  

• Goin' Rogue on the Daily Show

  For anybody who didn't see this last night, it had me in stitches:
  ' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 30, 2008, 8:28am EDT
  

• Headline Innuendo-"Deep Boat"

  
  Apparently one of our state's competitive grants for filmmaking has gone to a porn producer and the people are loving it. The State featured an article today entitled "Polls Find Deep Support for Drilling". I didn't bother to read the article, but from the headline, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 26, 2008, 9:26am EDT
  

• Everybody's Doing It...It Makes You Feel Good

  
  Former Bush administration mouthpiece, Scott McClellan, seen here looking uncomfortable next to MC Karl Rove, has endorsed Barack Obama for President. Read the story here. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 26, 2008, 8:42am EDT
  

• Quote of the Day

  
  Alan Greenspan on why our economy is tanking:
  I made a mistake in presuming that the self-interests of organizations, specifically banks and others, were such as that they were best capable of protecting their own shareholders and their equity in the firms.
  Oops.
  
  So [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 24, 2008, 8:11am EDT
  

• From Wall Street to the Corner of Main and Gervais

  
  So it turns out that reduced consumer spending means that we're going to have to cut about $500 million from the state budget this year. Apparently our state government receives about a third of its revenue each year from the sales tax. Oops. At least our' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 22, 2008, 8:42pm EDT
  

• Leaky Pipes and Our Growing Water Problem

  
  Unless you have been living under a river rock for the past couple of years, you've noticed that we've been in a severe drought. Anyone who enjoys spending time on any of our numerous lakes and rivers can provide anecdotal evidence of the decline of water [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 22, 2008, 1:34pm EDT
  

• Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama

  The quintessential American moderate has spoken. The video is worth a look. Sorry I can't get the embed to work right, so here's the link.
  
  Update. Let's see if this works:
  
  ' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 19, 2008, 12:40pm EDT
  

• The Gambler's Fallacy and Economic Collapse

  
  I have play a lot of poker in my day...a whole lot. I used to sit around and watch the World Series of Poker on ESPN when I didn't have a game going. I marveled at the skill of the poker pros, the ones who made' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 15, 2008, 7:37am EDT
  

• I Put a Spell on You...And Other Headlines

  
  This week in unbelievable headlines comes the most unbelievable of all: Voodoo Priestess from Blythewood Hired to Kill? Oh man, you've got to read that story if you haven't already. I don't want to spoil it for you, but let's just say when you write [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 08, 2008, 9:05pm EDT
  

• The Boogie Man Cometh

  
  "Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story" is about to open in theaters around the country. It is still playing at the Nickelodeon through October 14. For those of you who have not heard about the movie, it chronicles the rise and fall of S.C. native [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 08, 2008, 4:17pm EDT
  

• You've Got to Know When to Hold 'em

  
  There's a great article at Slate.com (here) that describes those all-too-complicated derivatives in terms we can all understand: gambling, baby, yeah! Turns out somebody smarter than me looked at what the banks were doing, figured out a mathematical probability of the investment banks making money' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 03, 2008, 7:46am EDT
  

• Bailout Alternative Offered

  
  Many of us are skeptical about the wisdom of the proposed $700 billion bailout. Turns out a few House Democrats share the sentiment. Enter Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) and his No BAILOUTS (Bringing Accounting, Increased Liquidity, Oversight and Upholding Taxpayer Security) Bill.
  Aside: Is it just [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 01, 2008, 7:37pm EDT
  

• Adding Insult to Insult

  So the Senate has proposed its own version of a bailout bill, aimed at garnering more Republican support. My immediate reaction was that the new bill would include the erection of a golden statue of Ronald Reagan standing between the World Trade Center Towers waving an American flag that constantly [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 01, 2008, 5:58pm EDT
  

• The House Bails on the Bailout

  
  
  The House of Representatives voted 228-205 today against the massive $700 billion economic bailout (or "buy-in" if you choose Rep. Pelosi's preferred nomenclature). Below are a few gut reactions:
  
  (1) Hank Paulson won't get his chance to do the Scrooge McDuck backstroke in a [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 29, 2008, 5:43pm EDT
  

• Absurd Quote of the Day that Brought Me Out of Hiatus

  You can hear the panicked screams emanating from Capitol Hill all the way down here in South Carolina. Lawmakers are suddenly faced with a very tough decision- how are we going to spend this $700 billion crisis money? Turns out that the bailout is deeply unpopular among the public, but [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 29, 2008, 7:32am EDT
  

• A gem like this:“This thing is ...

  A gem like this:
  

  “This thing is moving fast, and it’s impossible to predict,” Rainey said of the factors affecting the economy. “It’s hard to understand.” Source

  
  prompted me to ask the question: who is John Rainey, and why is it so hard to understand?
  
  John Rainey is [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: July 22, 2008, 7:24am EDT
  

• Random Bits of News

  (1) NBC Nightly News, 6/26/08, 6:40 pm, view the story here.
  
  NBC ran a story about North Korea's recent compliance with international demands that they make their nuclear program transparent. Pres. Bush has announced that he will remove North Korea from the official "State Sponsors of Terror" list [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: June 26, 2008, 6:41pm EDT
  

• Raw Data: Come to Your Own Conclusions

  (1) Top 2 Oil Consumers in the World (Source):
  
  U.S.: 20,730,000 bbl/day
  China : 6,534,000 bbl/day
  
  (2) The Dollar to the Chinese Yuan (Source):
  
  March, 2003: 1 Yuan = 0.120192 USD
  March, 2008: 1 USD = 0.141401 Yuan
  
  (3) Of the $9T (that's $9,000,000,000,000) [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: June 22, 2008, 9:04am EDT
  

• McCain is Going to Lose Unless...

  He runs against this guy:
  
  McCain's people haven't figured this out yet. He is unelectable on Iraq and the economy and those are going to be the decisive issues this time around.
  
  It's a pretty well-accepted phenomenon that candidates pander to the far right/left [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: June 14, 2008, 9:30am EDT
  

• Update: Some Speculate that Speculating is the Problem

  WaPo Article Here
  
  According to some lawmakers and some deep-pocketed investors, speculating on the futures markets is at least contributing to the higher prices. Apparently the regulations restricting futures trading to those who actually have a stake in the market (e.g. airlines, farmers, etc.) were lifted at the [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: June 06, 2008, 9:46am EDT
  

• CFTC: "There Will Be Blood"

  The US Commodities Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") has announced that it has been, and will continue to be, monitoring oil futures markets, both at home and abroad, more closely to ensure that the process reflects "fundamental economic forces of supply and demand, free of manipulation and fraud." Apparently the [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 30, 2008, 7:28am EDT
  

• Interesting Story Related to My Last Post:

  James Howard Kunstler, author of "World Made by Hand", a book about America's post-oil future, predicts a much bleaker future for our way of life. Read the story. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 25, 2008, 11:43am EDT
  

• Economists Don't Understand High Oil Prices

  A story in today's Washington Post centers around what seems to be a growing consensus that economists and industry "experts" don't understand exactly why oil prices are rising as rapidly as they are.
  
  The Saudis refused Bush's entreaty to boost production because they didn't want to get caught [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 22, 2008, 7:28am EDT
  

• I Know Its Almost Summer And All...

  But let's take a look at futures for natural gas and heating oil.
  
  
  Crude oil prices are also hitting record highs almost every day. Bush just got back from Saudi Arabia where he asked the sheiks to boost production of crude oil. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 18, 2008, 10:49am EDT
  

• Let the Red Herrings Abound

  First off, I do not think its a vast right-wing conspiracy that state supreme courts keep ruling in favor of gay marriage during election years. They're not nearly organized or principled enough to pull that off. However, I'm anticipating a blitz of media coverage on the recent California Supreme Court [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 15, 2008, 5:53pm EDT
  

• Everybody's Got a Crazy In Their Corner

  McCain supporter John Hagee has officially apologized to Catholics for "any comments that Catholics have found hurtful." Source.
  
  Couple of Things:
  
  (1) What a lame apology. If Hagee were apologizing to his wife for "any comments she might have found hurtful," he would still be sleeping [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 15, 2008, 7:43am EDT
  

• This Just In...Clinton W.Va. Landslide Bolstered by the Banjo Vote

  
  W.Va. union United Banjo Pickers of Americky have put their support behind Hillary Clinton. According to the group's spokesman, their support was garnered due to suspicions about Barack Obama's ties to uppity banjo-picker Bela Fleck and his refusal to wear a West Virginia flag pin on [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 14, 2008, 7:44am EDT
  

• Quote of the Day

  This, from a story about Hilton Head dealing with the problem of over development of its shoreline:
  

  The solution, like so many other things in Hilton Head, came on the back of a golf cart.

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 13, 2008, 7:57am EDT
  

• Exercises in Futility

  
  One priceless picture and a few Sunday headlines that may make you shake your head:
  
  In W. Va., Clinton's Disciples Persevere
  
  That's right, the Clinton faithful(est) are still pushing the rock up the hill.
  
  U.S. Legal Work Booms in India
  
  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 11, 2008, 11:21am EDT
  

• Funniest headline I've seen in a while:

  Republicans Vote Against Moms; No Word Yet on Puppies, Kittens [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 10, 2008, 12:58am EDT
  

• Am I Missing Something Or...

  Isn't the Clinton/McCain Gas Tax Holiday supposed to occur during this summer, while George Bush is still president? Do they really think they can pass that legislation in a month without clear support from the Whitehouse or either chamber of Congress?
  
  Of course not, because Clinton and McCain, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 07, 2008, 7:47am EDT
  

• Desperation is a Stinky Cologne...

  Hillary Clinton before last night's pyrrhic victory:
  

  "There are going to be the rest of these contests, which are very significant, and then in June, if we haven't done it already, we're going to have to resolve Florida and Michigan," she told reporters during a daytime event at the Indianapolis [...]

  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 07, 2008, 7:38am EDT
  

• Comment Period is Open on Vista Farms

  The 30-day public comment period is open on the issue of flood zones and Vista Farms. If you are a resident of Cayce or own property there, now is your chance to let your voice be heard. Comments may be submitted through Cayce City Manager Johnny Sharpe. They are due [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 25, 2008, 8:57am EDT
  

• What Would Jesus Do?

  
  Apparently JC has taken a side in the democratic primary. And his endorsement is...(drum roll, please)...Hillary Clinton. Who knew JC's political consultant was Carl Rove?
  
  Props to Not Very Bright for the story and pic. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 22, 2008, 5:02pm EDT
  

• Sometimes the truth smells funny

  This gem came from WaPo columnist Bill Kristof in today's Post:
  
  

  Solar power is one of the most hopeful technologies but still produces about 0.01 percent of U.S. electricity. The U.S. allocates just $159 million for solar research per year — about what we spend in Iraq every nine [...]

  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 20, 2008, 9:56am EDT
  

• This Just In...Elitist Obama Can't Bowl; Clinton Found Drunk in Darlington Infield

  
  Not only has barrack Obama lost his title as Kingpin of the Democratic Party, but now, in what can only be rationalized as a moment of disgrace and shame, has taken out his elitist anger on the little guy. That's right, for all you little [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 16, 2008, 8:11am EDT
  

• The Problem With Fortune 500 Conservatism

  I would like to issue a challenge to any neo-con out there to square his/her views with traditional conservative ones (e.g. Edmund Burke, NOT Rush Limbaugh). In the title of this post I am borrowing a phrase I heard during a course on business crimes - "Fortune 500 Conservatives". I [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 13, 2008, 10:41am EDT
  

• And Castles Made of Sand...

  So here I am, flogging the dead horse about flood insurance and risk and coastal/riverine development, and then there's this. Not only are we subsidizing the flood insurance for high cost/high risk development on the coast at the federal level, but we are also spending upwards of $100 million [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 09, 2008, 7:28am EDT
  

• Louisiana Supreme Court Rules for Insurance Company in Katrina Lawsuit

  The Louisiana Supreme Court recently decided a case involving private insurance of the flood damage resulting from Hurricane Katrina. The insurance policy at issue, like almost every other insurance policy that is not subsidized by the NFIP, contained the standard exclusionary clause for flood damage. The trial court and court [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 08, 2008, 6:14pm EDT
  

• Mike Gravel is Crazy

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 08, 2008, 7:57am EDT
  

• SC Rule for Adverse Possession

  Google Analytics tells me that a lot of people wind up on my site when searching for the SC rule for adverse possession. I suppose that's because of a post I wrote a while back called "Rule By Adverse Possession," which really has little to do with the actual rule. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 07, 2008, 7:39am EDT
  

• Individual Gun Rights and 6th Grade Grammar

  The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard arguments over the Washington D.C. ban on handguns in District of Columbia v. Heller, No. 07-290. The reason the story is big news is that people seem to think that the time is right (e.g. we have enough Republican-appointed Supreme Court Justices on the [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 05, 2008, 10:54am EDT
  

• Sore Loser

  
  So I'm in my backyard transferring my tomato plants to their permanent homes when Cody, my dog, starts going crazy. I walk out to the street to check it out, and there, in my trashcan, is a stack of Brian Boyer political signs. I guess he [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 02, 2008, 7:55pm EDT
  

• Great Post on Obama-Muslim Hysteria

  Check out this post from a new blogger on the topic of hysterical anti-Obama emails floating around the inter-web. Looks like sanity is finding new homes all around the South. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 02, 2008, 1:12pm EDT
  

• Further Circumstantial Evidence Tending to Show...

  that the Vista Farms Disinformation Project is in bed with the powers that used to be in Cayce. Remember that official Cayce City News website? Turns out they're peddling the exact same propaganda as the Disinformation Project. I mean come on guys, can't you at least [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 02, 2008, 7:54am EDT