On Politics

Pop a top again – It seems that Paul Summers, the Tennessee Attorney General must be a very busy man this summer. After issuing some 71 requested opinions through June 1, the office has issued 11 in the month of June. None of the eleven are in answer to the request from Sevier County for clarification on what can and can not be placed in the county beer permit ordinance.
One has to wonder what the hold-up has been to the office that is normally so efficient. After all, the Tennessee Regulatory Authority requested an opinion in mid-May and received their response six weeks later. Sevier County has been waiting more than twice that long. Of course, these matters are done on a case-by-case basis, and the AG’s office policy does not allow comment on any matter of which they may or may not have been asked to express an opinion.
So if a friendly request was made to sit on the matter for a while, the press could not be told because policy prevents the AG office from even confirming the request has been received. It could be days, weeks or months before County Clerk Joe Keener gets a response to the request he confirms was made by the county.

Push too soon – The push by Democratic Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe to move primaries up in the 2004 election year may have some unintended consequences. The schedule seems sure to bring forth a winner from the current field of nine Democratic Party contenders earlier than ever.
However, the party concedes five or six full-scale campaigns are expected to come out of the New Hampshire primaries to make a dash through the front-loaded primary season. That means the candidates will have to raise the bulk of their primary money in 2003. The compacted voting schedule will not allow time for donations to follow primary victories as it has in the past.
This may be the most important election year ever for the private donor with the contribution level maximum of $2,000. The tight economy has all of the contenders looking for matching federal funds, which will require a limit in the primaries of about $43 million per campaign. The Democratic candidates will therefore need to raise over one hundred million dollars from supporters if we are to see five full-fledged campaigns running in the Democratic Presidential Primary.

Our British Cousins – The Independent, a London newspaper, is reporting that in a May court filing Britain’s Home Office opposed early release and parole for farmer Tony Martin, who had been convicted of killing a burglar. Britain’s Home Office argued against parole, maintaining that the government must protect burglars from violent homeowners.

Say Again – In one of the most bizarre lobbying tactics of the year the National Rifle Association bought a quarter-page ad in the La Mesa Junior High School yearbook. The Santa Clarita, California school maintains a policy where students can be expelled for carrying even squirt guns.