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[8/31/05 Wednesday]

[Eric Hogue - radio talk show host KTKZ - Sacramento] 12:01 am [permalink]
MAF a Detriment to Serious Debate? As the argument grows, more people are beginning to understand my concern...

Eric,

Your approach to "emotional adverse PR" is the same as my 'in house expert', do not give it validity by launching an adverse "Jihad". Let it die. Bush himself did not try to confront Sheehan. He took it to Idaho. I also share your implied concern that such demonstrations as those created by Move America are more about the economic viability of the organizers than the cause. There is only so much right of center money to go around and wasting it on emotional displays that actually create press attention for the opposition is counter productive. Indeed it appears Move On Dot Org and Move America Forward in fact help each other in fund raising to the detriment of serious debate on both sides.

[8/30/05 Tuesday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:01am [permalink]
The Sacramento Abstain Game Sacramento legislators are learning to abstain from votes, in order to get their colleagues to offer them special compromises to join them in creating a majority (or supermajority) (Nancy Vogel, LAT). "When you vote yes or no," says an Inglewood Democrat, "it takes you out of the negotiations, and I don't ever want to be out of the game."

California's legislative rules, unlike those in a few other states, require bills to be passed by a majority of lawmakers — not a majority of those who happen to be present and voting.

In the only recent study of non-voting by California lawmakers, researchers found that Democrats decline to vote more often than Republicans — 32% of the time, on average on bills that fail....

Republicans, who make up 32 of the Assembly's 80 members, abstain far less often, and many times they do so en masse to make a point....

One group of 14 Assembly Democrats with more moderate, pro-business views than those of their liberal colleagues makes regular use of abstentions as a way to get bills changed.

[8/29/05 Monday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 9:41am [permalink]
Schwarzenegger's Supreme Court Nominee The Governor put forth three possible nominees, with more possibly to come (Gary Delsohn, Sacbee). He said the matter would be dealt with after the November special election (looks like the Supreme Court seat will be used as a chip in that game):

The choice must ultimately be confirmed by the state Commission on Judicial Appointments, which consists of state Chief Justice Ronald George, Attorney General Bill Lockyer and Joan Dempsey Klein of Los Angeles, the state's senior presiding appeals court justice.

Is this bureaucracy (whereby it is possible for the Chief Justice to reject a future colleague) found in any other State?

Hugh Hewitt probed Schwarzenegger on any conservative appointment possibilities, with no positive results. Two of the three judges proposed are black, one of whom defended Justice Brown (now on the U.S. DC Circuit Court of Appeals) from her critics. Reporter Delsohn describes Brown as "ultra-conservative."

[8/26/05 Friday]

[Tom McClintock] 12:01 am [permalink]
The Propositions: I've been getting calls about the various ballot propositions for the Special Election. Here's how I see them:

• Proposition 73: Parental Notification for Abortion. If parental consent is required for a child to use a tanning booth or get her ears pierced, shouldn‚t parents at least be notified if she‚s getting an abortion? YES. Whether you‚re pro-life or pro-choice, this should be the all-time no-brainer.
• Proposition 74: Teacher Tenure. Do parents have a right to expect a higher level of competence before a teacher is granted life-time tenure? YES. This modest measure simply increases the teacher probation period from two years to five years.
• Proposition 75: Public Employee Union Dues. Shold public employees decide for themselves which candidates they will support with their own money? YES. This measure requires that before a public employee union can take money from that employee for political donations, it has to get the employee‚s permission.
• Proposition 76: State Spending. Should government live within its means? YES. This measure restores the authority that the governor of California had between 1939 and 1983 to make mid-year spending cuts whenever spending outpaces revenue without having to return to the legislature.
• Proposition 77: Re-districting. Should voters choose their representatives in legislative districts that are drawn without regard to partisan advantage? YES. The most obvious conflict of interest in government is when politicians choose which voters will get to vote for them by drawing their own legislative district lines. This measure puts a stop to it.
• Propositions 78 and 79: Prescription drug discounts. Do you want the same people who run the DMV to run your pharmacy? NO. These are rival measures, one supported by drug companies and the other by liberal activists ˆ both of which purport to lower drug prices. What they really do is assure that one group of patients gets to pay higher prices to provide subsidized prices for others. There‚s no such thing as a free Levitra.
• Proposition 80: Electricity Regulation. Do you want the same people who run the DMV to run your electricity company? NO. This measure locks in monopoly control of your electricity by the bureaucratized utilities and forbids you from ever being able to shop around for the lowest-priced electricity available. [McClintock Blog]

[8/25/05 Thursday]

[Nick Winter-administrative editor - found in the ebag] 12:02 am [permalink]
Re: Daniel Pipes An Islamic School for Lodi, California? - a letter from reader A. Shepard:

You’re right; these schools do not encourage assimilation into our society. They also have been known to indoctrinate the students with hatred for “the others” meaning non-Muslims.

If the County Supervisors allow the school to be built, they should allow it only under a conditional use permit with the specific condition that the use will be disallowed if the school is found to be indoctrinating the children with ethnic and religious hatred through either the teachings there or in the text books used on the property.

I’m sure the ACLU would go wild over this, but it’s crazy to turn a blind eye to what is taught in some of these schools.

[8/24/05 Wednesday]

[Daniel Pipes - author, activist, CRO contributor] 12:01 am [permalink]
An Islamic School for Lodi, California?Lodi, an agricultural town of 65,000 in northern California, found itself in the spotlight in early June 2005 due to the arrest of four Muslims, plus accusations that they were connected to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and many unanswered questions.

Then, on July 22, remote from the national spotlight, the San Joaquin County Planning Commission voted 3-1 to grant permission for the Farooqia Islamic Center, a private Islamic school, to be built off Lower Sacramento Road. Some Lodi residents have appealed that decision and, the Lodi newspaper reports today, the County Board of Supervisors will meet on Sept. 27, at 1:30 p.m., to consider their request.

It's strictly a land-use decision so the issue is framed in terms of noise and traffic. One family building a house next to the Farooqia property, for example, argues that the school would encroach on their privacy. The Muslim response brushes aside these concerns and asserts that townspeople just don't want a parochial Muslim school. The debate replicates many others throughout the West, except for the added twist of the terrorism charges and the fact that some of those involved with this Farooqia Islamic Center were also connected to an identically named madrassah in Pakistan, one known to have graduated terrorists.

But there is another angle to be taken into account, apart from land use and the Pakistan connection: the unpleasant fact that Islamic schools in Western countries often offer an Islamist curriculum that prepares students for alienation from their society, if not terrorism. I point out this pattern in "What Are Islamic Schools Teaching?" and focus on one specific school in "A Madrassah in Bridgeview, Illinois." In a third article, I show how the Islamic Saudi Academy helped shaped the views of Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who presently sits in a Virginia jail accused of trying to assassinate the president of the United States.

Therefore, when assessing the request to build any Islamic institution ­ school, mosque, or otherwise ­ the authorities need to pay close attention to the outlook of the founders. That is not a guarantee that things will go right ever after, but at least it improves the odds.

[8/23/05 Tuesday]

[Eric Hogue - radio talk show host KTKZ - Sacramento] 12:01 am [permalink]
Lockyer's Art Removal Explanation KTKZ talked to the Attorney General's spokesperson, Nathan Barankin, regarding the apparent removal of Sacramento Activist artist Steven Pearcy's "T'anks to Mr Bush" artwork this past weekend from the AG's office in downtown Sacramento.

Mr. Barankin has confirmed that the art in question, and two additional pieces, have been moved out the cafeteria as part of a long-standing policy of rotating exhibitions throughout the building.

The "Attorney General Building's Art Task Force" oversees the public art within the building on I street. It was through this group that the move was requested and carried out, with the prior knowledge and approval of Bill Lockyer. Mr. Lockyer's office has a seat on the task force and has great influence into it's recommendations.

Earlier reports stated the artworks were relocated due to concerns over current events in the middle east. A notion that the Barankin confirmed.

Artwork depicting a Palestinian male, clinging to barbed-wire fence before him (pictured), and - quote - "a picture of a church with a Bush head" on it were also taken out of the cafeteria. Barankin denies the action was the result of public pressure to remove the "offensive and Anti-bush" art from the state-owned building. He says the rotation was planned as many as a couple weeks prior, but Mr. Barankin said the AG did not want to appear to be succumbing to the public's request, so the move was put off until late last week. [Hogue Blog - email: onair@ktkz.com]

[8/22/05 Monday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:01am [permalink]
You Won't Believe This One "2 Illegal Immigrants Win Arizona Ranch in Court Fight"-- NY Times (Andrew Pollack). It turns out that the owner of the ranch had a criminal record and is now serving 5 years in a Texas prison. He was acquitted of charges of pistol-whipping the detained illegals (referred to as "immigrants" in the NYT story) but convicted of possession of a firearm, "which is illegal for a felon").

Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center claims this is "poetic justice." It's lousy poetry and contains even less justice. Dees has done laudable work against the Klan and other terrorist groups. This assault against a man who wanted simply to defend his property tarnishes his previous good work. The award of the ranch given the two illegals as compensation for their extra-legal detention bears no relation to the temporary suffering they encountered, when they crossed private property and were detained briefly (and later given material aid) by armed locals.

Our own first-hand account of life on the Arizona border appears in the Summer issue of Local Liberty newsletter, available now. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[8/19/05 Friday]

[Eric Hogue - radio talk show host KTKZ - Sacramento] 12:01 am [permalink]
Doolittle Campaigns Against Prop 77 and Governor I thought it would come to something like this...

Let's just call this what it is, "Kingdom Insurance". Republicans should NOT be supporting gerrymandered districts, nor should they be working against the governor's reform initiatives.

The Federal Election Commission voted Thursday to let members of Congress raise unlimited "soft money" donations to fight Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's redistricting initiative.  

The 6-0 decision by the commission came in response to a request from U.S. Reps. Howard Berman, D-North Hollywood, and John Doolittle, R-Rocklin, both of whom oppose the redistricting plan.  

The decision will allow federal officeholders to raise unlimited sums from unions, corporations and other donors to support or oppose any measure on the Nov. 8 special election ballot.  

In general, federal campaign finance law limits federal officeholders to raising $5,000 each from donors for nonfederal elections. Commissioners decided those limits should not apply in the case of the special election, in part because there are no federal officials on the ballot. [Hogue Blog - email: onair@ktkz.com]

[8/17/05 Wednesday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 6:05am [permalink]
A Dissent on LA Police Chief Bratton On NRO "Jack Dunphy," an LA cop, questions the retention of William Bratton as LA's Chief of Police. He thinks Bratton, whom he praises for his earlier work, has now lost his spine.

As was the case during [the "tyrant"] Bernard Parks's tenure, when many cops adopted a "drive-and-wave" attitude out of fear of drawing citizen complaints, officers again see the peril to their careers that accompanies proactive police work.

The risk to life and limb is seen as part of the job, but no one wants to be the next cop on the hot seat and find himself, like John Hatfield [the flashlight-wielding cop], out of a job. South L.A.'s gang members, perhaps emboldened by what they may perceive as a police retreat, seem to be taking advantage of the situation....

Only a motivated police force can bring these numbers down, and as things now stand William Bratton isn't supplying the motivation. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[8/16/05 Tuesday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:01am [permalink]
Lew Uhler Profile UPDATED Andy Furillo of the Sacbee has this informative profile of the long-time conservative activist, who has labored in both DC and Sacramento. Uhler's focus is now Proposition 75, the paycheck protection initiative. UPDATE: Dan Walters notes how the initiative campaign has altered Sacramento politics, moderating, for now, the unions' demands among others (e.g., drivers' licenses for illegals). [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[8/15/05 Monday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:01am [permalink]
Latinos Who Oppose Illegals This profile focuses on Lupe Moreno--see her website--a Latino who outspokenly opposes illegal immigration (Jennifer Delson, LAT). She comes off as an impressive American, whose patriotism and good judgment have triumphed over any pro-illegal ethnic sentiments.

Incidentally, the article refers to "white," in opposition to Latino. As Latino physical characteristics vary widely, it hardly seems appropriate to counterpoise that broad category of the white race to Latinos. What is the LAT's rationale? If Latinos are among the group of officers who beat Rodney King, should the story be about white cops beating a black man? If Latinos serve on a jury trying King, do they count as white or non-white? In selective university admissions, Asians (most ethnic groups) are treated as white. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[8/12/05 Friday]

[Eric Hogue - radio talk show host KTKZ - Sacramento] 12:15 am [permalink]
Senator Speier's Attack on Capitalism Liberal Democrat State Senator Jackie Speier, has offered a new piece of junk legislation for the "Belly of the Beast". Today, she asks that the 'top elected officials', or the Constitutional Offices of the State, be banned from holding a second job while in office.

Here is the announcement from News 10 tonight:

Saying the public believes state officials are 100 percent committed to their jobs, state Senator Jackie Speier announced she will introduce a bill to bar top state officeholders from having a second job.

Speier said she would introduce the bill on Monday as well as a constitutional amendment that would bar the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, insurance commissioner, secretary of state, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction and state controller from taking second jobs.

Speier is responding to the controversy surrounding Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's multi-million-dollar deal with two fitness magazines. Schwarzenegger says he has abandoned the job and claims he took it because of his love of body building, not for the money.

A few questions Senator...

• What would a politician like former Secretary of State Bill Jones do with his ranch? Would he have to sell his property, and his ranch. Or, better yet for the Democrat Party, he would be disqualified from a statewide political office because he is a successful rancher.
• What about the former business owners, who are riding their millions in the stock market through investments that are made, directly impacted by legislation and leadership of the nation's largest economical state. What will this mean for State Controller Steven Westly, who is a millionaire because of his business relationship with eBay...should Westly sell off all of his shares of stock, so he can oversee the state's financial control office?
• Better yet, why are we singling out the top eight offices? Why not the Speaker of the Assembly, where all legislation is created and controlled in committees? If it is wrong for the governor to have an outside, second job...then it should be wrong for the Speaker of the Assembly to have a separate consulting contract with members of the public employees unions of the state - talk about conflict of interest.

In the end, this is simply a target of the free market. Democrats are known for lifetime employment inside of government; Republican are a majority of business owners, members who have signed the front of a check - not just the back.

This legislation will reduce the number of qualified Republican candidates, exactly what the Democrats desire. [Hogue Blog - email: onair@ktkz.com]

[8/11/05 Thursday]

[Bill Morrow - State Senator, columnist] 12:05 am [permalink]
The defense of our nation begins at our borders! The Illegal Immigration Crisis: A frank discussion on how Illegal Immigration affects:

• Healthcare
• Homeland Security
• Education
• Economy
• Environment

Featuring

• Congressman Tom Tancredo (of Colorado) Chairman, Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus
• James W. Gilchrist Founder, MinuteMan Project
• Dr. Madeleine Cosman, Esq. Pulitzer Prize Nominee, Medical Lawyer & Health Care Expert
• Pete Nuñez Former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, U.S. Attorney
• Emceed by Rodger Hedgecock, Nationally recognized radio talk host

Thursday, August 11, 2005 7 – 9 pm
Carlsbad Community Cultural Arts Center
3557 Monroe St., Carlsbad 92008
For information, call: 760.434.7930

[8/10/05 Wednesday]

[Eric Hogue - radio talk show host KTKZ - Sacramento] 12:09 am [permalink]
The Vacaville mother has ties to "Move' On" After speaking with Catherine Moy, conservative columnist with the Vacaville Reporter during the show, we discovered that Cindy Sheehan, (and one of her daughters), had volunteered for "MoveOn" during the presidential campaign of 2004.

Moy also mentioned that Sheehan's husband, Patrick, is nowhere to be found during her national media 'sit-in' in Crawford, Texas. During their return interview from Seattle, Washington, after Sheehan's 'first' visit with President Bush, it was Patrick who mentioned that they visited with the president with great respect - because they determined to treat the encounter "the way Casey would have wanted us to".

So, the question being, "where is Patrick now?" Have the organizers of "Code Pink" corralled the male, and caged him from the press so to keep his opinions and speech quiet, while Cindy makes a fool of herself in Texas?

Also, where are the other siblings? They are all of age, and should be asked of their opinions of "Mom". Moy informed us today that one of the daughters appeared in a "MoveOn" commercial during the election. Why hasn't this daughter appeared before the media?

If Mom has entered the family into the political arena, then the family should engage with conversation. Why are they silenced? [Hogue Blog - email: onair@ktkz.com]

[8/9/05 Tuesday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:09am [permalink]
Profiting From Illegal Immigration Not agriculture, public service, or labor but rather housing. Unlike some countries — Mexico, for example — the United States generally does not restrict foreign citizens from buying real estate.

But for years, because qualifying for a mortgage required a Social Security number, the only way for an illegal immigrant to do so was by using a false number. In addition, such immigrants often were rejected or overlooked by legitimate lenders, leaving them vulnerable to fraud.

Lenders have a powerful incentive to find ways to get around those barriers: tens of thousands of potential customers. The National Assn. of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals estimates that more than 216,000 undocumented immigrants, including many who have been in the country for decades, could buy homes if they had better access to the market.

Hence the banks' support of the 'Matricula Consular.' [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[8/8/05 Monday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:09am [permalink]
Once More, Redistricting Jill Stewart reminds us of what's at stake in the redistricting initiative, should the courts slap down Attorney General Bill Lockyer's attempt to derail it. In an essay several months ago, I described the misshapen senate district Claremont sits in: it resembles a fat-headed question mark, stretching from the northern tip of L.A., in the valley, east to Claremont, and down the 57 to Anaheim. Just to name one of the absurdities, the areas mentioned here are not geographically contiguous, in any meaningful way: they are three discrete clumps of largely Republican voters, held together by the Angeles National Forest, which of course contains few voters, unless coyotes have been registered.

See our Reapportionment File for more. BTW, the LA Times editorials did have a good series on redistricting, illustrating the absurdities of the boundaries the legislature drew to aggrandize its Democratic majority and stifle its Republican minority, both of which collaborated to produce the final result. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[8/5/05 Friday]

[Bill Morrow - State Senator, columnist] 12:04 am [permalink]
Criminalizing Law-Abiding Citizens: Two bills are sailing through the California State Legislature that, despite their noble intent, threaten to hurt California business and inhibit the freedom many citizens currently enjoy.

SB 357 (Dunn) would require every bullet ­ imported into the state for sale or personal use, kept for sale, offered or exposed for sale, sold, given or lent ­ to be serialized with a unique identifier that stays intact after a shot is fired. Among the provisions in the bill, all nonserialized ammunition would be forbidden from any and all public spaces, including shooting ranges, within ten years.

Similarly, AB 352 (Kortez), would force all new models of semi-automatic pistols to be configured with a firing pin or other mechanism that would imprint identification information on the cartridge when the firearm is shot. Specifically, it would require that the make, model and serial number of the pistol be imprinted on the cartridge. Both of these bills do little to address the author’s goal of improving public safety.

For instance, criminals could easily file off the microstamping on a firing pin. They could also switch the firing pin from one pistol to another pistol. Similarly, how does eliminating your ability to go to a firing range improve public safety? It doesn’t. All these bills do, in reality, is make the gun market less competitive, which does nothing to uphold public safety, but rather harms law-abiding citizens and California business.

While I’ve already voiced my opposition to and voted no on SB 357, it is still moving its way through the legislative process. As AB 352 the Senate, you can be sure that I’ll be standing in opposition.

[8/4/05 Thursday]

[Eric Hogue - radio talk show host KTKZ - Sacramento] 12:02 am [permalink]
Desperate Democrats to Cancel Election Interesting  Legislative Legal Opinion regarding the ability for Governor Schwarzenegger to cancel the called and scheduled 'special election'...

How desperate are the Democrats to cancel the special election and protect their union master and money machine?

How desperate are the Democrats?

The Democrats are so desperate; they want to pass a law to increase the Governor's power, in this case, to cancel a special election.

The unions know what's at stake - why don't the rest of us get it? [Hogue Blog - email: onair@ktkz.com]

[8/3/05 Wednesday]

[Eric Hogue - radio talk show host KTKZ - Sacramento] 12:30 am [permalink]
John Fund Highlights November Election Fair Oaks native,  John Fund, of the  Wall Street Journal has offered an opinion or two on the November 'Special Election'.

"The outlines of a proposed deal have been circulating around Sacramento for weeks. Together the governor and the legislature would agree to cancel the election in exchange for a Democratic promise to go easy on a watered down measure reforming the state's gerrymandered political boundaries on next June's ballot. In exchange, the governor would embrace a reform of the state's 15-year-old term limits law allowing legislators to serve 12 years in each house, a significant increase over the maximum of six years in the Assembly and eight years in the State Senate currently allowed."

Coming from, and following the 'Belly of the Beast', Fund understands that much of the governor's negative downturn is directly due to the 'web of control's money machine' - the public employee union's never ending cash flow used to dirty the Schwarzenegger efforts by "misconstruing", as Governor Gray Davis said on my show last week, Arnold's comments and efforts... 

"The "reality" is that the coordinated campaign by the public employee unions has badly damaged the governor, sending his approval ratings into the 40% range. The governor and his team have made a lot of ham-handed mistakes in selling the need for a special election. But it's too late to turn back. It's time the governor raised the stakes and publicly embraced the initiative restricting the use of public employee union dues, which is currently leading in the polls and which is the measure his opponents fear most. In 1998, a more ambitious version of the same idea won 47% of the vote. As perilous as his political situation looks, Mr. Schwarzenegger overcame much longer odds in pulling off his 2003 recall victory by appealing directly to the people."

"And the battle is worth having. Even if he lost one or more of the initiatives on the ballot this November it wouldn't be as damaging as losing the belief his core voters have that he is a strong leader who is fighting for what he says he believes in."

Fund was also good enough to mention the Davis appearance on KTKZ, something the majority of the 'MSM' has refused to due up and down the California coast. [Hogue Blog - email: onair@ktkz.com]

[8/2/05 Tuesday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:03am [permalink]
SCOC Talk: Governor's Court Opportunity With all the SCOTUS talk it's all too easy to forget the Supreme Court of California's vacancy, with Janice Brown finally safely on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, the next best place for her in the courts. Harold Johnson emphasizes the importance of the Governor's choice for her replacement: a property-rights vigilant jurist.

From my think-tank vantage point the people who come most readily to mind are from our better law schools: Gail Heriot of the University of San Diego and Doug Kmiec of Pepperdine, and of course John Eastman of Chapman and our own Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence. I would put forward the names of some appeals court justices, but I will spare them the embarassment.

And speaking of property rights, did you catch Howard Dean's denunciation of the "right-wing" Court for its Kelo decision? Patterico is typically astute on this. I have to concede however that three of the five Kelo majority were moderate or liberal Republican appointees, as were the three conservative dissenters, plus the retiring Justice O'Connor. All the more reason to focus on the intellectual, political, and jurisprudential qualities of nominees.

And I would dissent as well from Harold Johnson's notion that former Governor Pete Wilson "won a place of honor in history by putting Janice Brown on the high court." That would have required many more penances. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[8/1/05 Monday]

[Eric Hogue - radio talk show host KTKZ - Sacramento] 12:30 am [permalink]
Davis' Endorsement Ignored by Media How hard is it for Governor Schwarzenegger to get 'positive press', even when it comes from the former Democrat, Governor Gray Davis? Answer: if it doesn't fit the template for the 'MSM', they won't report it.

After the 'interesting' phone call and interview with Governor Gray Davis on Thursday morning, I was inundated with media phone calls. One in particular conversation was with Phil Matier of the SF Chronicle.

Matier had great interest in the Davis call and conversation that morning on 1380 KTKZ. Actually, our discussion turned to the 'recalled governor' calling the "Home of the Recall" radio station ("News Talk 1380 KTKZ"), to endorse the re-districting initiative (Prop 77) authored by the "Father of the Recall", Ted Costa. A weird bit or irony, wouldn't you say? What a nice hook for a major newspaper in a major market.

Today, I turn to the "Matier and Ross" Sunday column in the Chronicle, expecting Phil to break down the interview, and offer an opinion on the motives of Gray Davis' endorsement. I was shocked with what I found - nothing!

Rather, Matier and Ross decided to go after Governor Schwarzenegger for - as they are saying and reporting - 'shooting his campaign committee's bank account'. Matier and Ross totally ignore the California political news of the week; Gray Davis endorsing  Arnold's re-districting initiative, as well as siding with Ted Costa - the man who was the official petitioner of the recall that removed him from office.

How can you ignore a story like this Matier, especially when I handed you the story 'personally' for the San Francisco market? The only explanation is that the story doesn't fit your political ideology.

Rather the Davis endorsement, they run a story on how Arnold has spent his 'cash pile', while totally ignoring the mathematics of the Public Employee Unions grabbing 'millions', and throwing it into TV/Radio ads that represent the "Big Lie", as well as waist $10-15 million dollars of tax based salaries, that go directly to manipulated union dues for political power and personal union protection.

Remember, Governor Schwarzenegger's campaign committee cash comes from private sector "DONATIONS", the Public Employee Unions campaign cash comes from public sector (tax dollar salaries) MANDATED UNION DUES that are used as muscle for favorable political legislation and political pressure.

A Real Columnist Finds a Nugget...

If Matier and Ross would have offered the story some attention, they might have noticed an under reported comment offered from Gray Davis, revealing the motives of the unions in creating the 'big lie' tactic. When I asked Governor Davis about the message that Arnold was attacking nurses, teacher, firemen and peace/rescue workers, the former governor responded by saying;

"I like Governor Schwarzenegger; I think he's a good person. I think he is, like all of us, I certainly made more than my fair share of mistakes, he's made some mistakes. The one thing I learned very early on as governor when you say something as governor people take it very seriously. And I think occasionally some of his remarks about nurses and otherwise were misconstrued and it created some friction. That having been said, anytime you try and change existing pensions, you're going to get resistance."

A small amount of attention, and some journalistic elbow-grease, Matier and Ross would have stumbled into a can of worms surrounding the Davis conversation.

As an example, the Sacramento Bee's Dan Weintraub noticed what I noticed the immediately confusion surrounding 'what' Davis was endorsing...as revealed by the Hogue Blog immediately following the interview.

Dan writes in his blog that Davis was sketchy on his endorsements, not just his comments on Prop 77, but also this line in the dialogue;

"I believe the issues he wants to put on the ballot should go before the public. I'm not convinced, Eric, that they have to be done this November. It looks at the moment, like we're down to two initiatives. One having to do with teacher tenure, one having to do with the budget. I don't see why those issues couldn't wait until June. But that's his call."

This comment is what prompted the Davis Office to release an immediate statement, clarifying his statements on Prop 77, as well as the rest of the Schwarzenegger reform initiatives.

But for rest of the MSM, and Matier and Ross, it's ignore it all and go on with your 'gate keeping agenda'.

The next time they call, I might be unavailable...[Hogue Blog - email: onair@ktkz.com]

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