Man about Murfreesboro

Tomorrow is a big pre-release event at the comic book store for the new HeroClix set, Supernova. I'm psyched. Usually, we'll have ten or so players show up, maybe double that for a marquee, but for the pre-release (a special tourney where players get access to figs from the new set about a month before it is released) we'll probably have 40 or more.

While at the Post Office the other day, I bought a sheet of the DC superhero stamps. Way cool.

The Corker "Playboy" ad has been traced to a guy named Scott Howell. Howell, who studied at the knee of Karl Rove, is responsible for those loathsome Saxby Chamblis ads that compared Max Cleland to Osama bin Laden. He has a history of producing race-baiting ads, including one for Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn that accused his opponent of being soft on welfare while showing video of black hands counting bills.

Howell also worked for Republican Jerry Kilgore in last year's Virginia gubernatorial race when Kilgore ran an ad saying that Gov. Tim Kaine wouldn't have used the death penalty against Hitler.

HuffPo has posted a story claiming that another consultant associated with the ad, Terry Nelson, who is a media consultant for John McCain, is going to be fired from his consulting job with Wal-Mart over his connection to the ad.

The Nashville City Paper's cover story today says that Harold Ford Jr. received nearly $60,000 in contributions from his dad's lobbying clients since 2001. The Corker campaign has been trying very hard to show that Ford is getting help from his dad, a D.C. lobbyist. This opens up the idea that Ford is part of what they call the "Ford political machine."

That being said, there are no claims, outside of the Corker campaign, that either Junior or Senior have ever done anything wrong. Sure, Ford has taken money from special interest groups. So has Corker. Corker has also gifted his own campaign $2 million.

Elections are expensive. The key is to elect people who show independence from both party and special linterest groups. Corker couldn't get his own party to pull a sleazy attack ad -- how is he going to stand up to the arm twisting and political pressure of the Republicans in the White House and the Senate?

To be clear, I like Ford, but there are a host of his policies I do not like. I don't like his stance on gay marriage, for example. I don't like his position on abortion. But I like the fact that, should he be elected, he will caucus with the Dems. I like the fact that he's not a rubber stamp for the party. I like the fact that he puts forth a positive image for Tennessee.

I even like the way he pronounces "Tennessee" with an emphasis on the final syllable. It's "Tenn-e-SEE" not "TENN-uh-see" as Corker, numerous actors portraying southerners and countless beauty pageant contestants pronounce it. Not that I'm buying into that whole "I'm a real Tennessean" B.S. that Corker is trying to push. I don't doubt Corker considers himself a real Tennessean.

And there are some positions Corker has taken that I agree with. When he ran for Senate in 1994 (losing the primary to Frist) he ran as a pro-choice Republican. Frist's then chief-of-staff called Corker "pond scum." Tennessee Right To Life refuses to endorse Corker.

The Tennessean's cover story is on how tight and mean the race is. The most recent polls give the edge to Corker, but the gap between them is within the margin of error in every poll. This is the time of the election when the flaks earn their money. That's why you hear Corker say things like "our numbers are skyrocketing" and he puts out press releases claiming Ford's campaign is "faltering." Both adjectives are demonstrably false, but in the context of spin, they are allowed. There is no real political definition of "skyrocketing" but the widest margin of any poll is 5 points. An average of the last five polls shows Corker with a 1.4 point lead. Is that skyrocketing? Is that faltering? No, that's just flakking.

In what has got to be one of the wierdest cross-over events ever, Marvel Comics will introduce a new superhero on "The Guiding Light." On Nov. 1 the CBS daytime drama is going to show the origins of a new superhero in Springfield. Meanwhile, this new hero, called Guiding Light, has appeared in a Marvel Comic alongside Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine and Captain America.

Look, I'm a big comic book fan, but this is just bizarre. I'm not sure what they're trying to accomplish. Am I supposed to read the comic and want to watch the soap opera? Or are soap opera viewers supposed to watch the program and decide to buy the comic book?

The WaPo has a story today about how ugly the advertising has been this cycle and while the writer does manage to cite one or two examples of Democrats getting down in the mud, the overwhelming majority of negative ads are coming from the Republican side. He writes "most harsh Democratic attacks have focused on the policies and performance of the GOP majority."

The result has been a carnival of ugly, especially on the GOP side, where operatives are trying to counter what polls show is a hostile political environment by casting opponents as fatally flawed characters. The National Republican Campaign Committee is spending more than 90 percent of its advertising budget on negative ads, according to GOP operatives, and the rest of the party seems to be following suit.

Should a politician's family be out of bounds? Some say yes, others no. My brother Dan, for example, believes Ford should be tarred by the actions of his uncle in Memphis. Does that also mean that if, for example, a photo of Corker's daughter making out with another woman at a party in which girls danced around in their underwear surface, should that be fair game? I don't think so.

One of the major advertisers on Sirius Radio is IdleAire -- an in-cab heating/AC/entertainment system for long-haul truckers. They're based out of Knoxville and I have to say, after looking at their web site, they've produced an interesting and innovative product.

Long haul truckers can park, hook the Idle Aire hose to a window adapter and pump heat and air conditioning into the cab. That way they don't have to idle their engines while they're sleeping. Plus, the hose has a computer, electrical outlet, cable TV hookup, phone jack and USB ports. It's pretty cool.

I'm seeing reports that the Stand for the Family events, sponsored by Dobson and Perkins, aren't bringing in the crowds they were expecting. I do know the recent Nashville event was originally scheduled to be held in the Municipal Auditorium, but was moved to Two Rivers Baptist (and ticket prices were dropped to $0) because ticket sales were so low.

Maybe the religious right is waking up to the fact that, while Bush and the Republicans really want their support, they're not willing to actually enact their agenda.

And here I thought the days of blaming D&D for your murderous rampage were over. Here's a hint. If your co-worker is psychotic and makes his own swords, it's best not to taunt him about his fantasy roleplaying game obsession.

There is a small post office near my building that serves Berry Hill. I've been going there a lot lately to mail packages for a client as you can't really use media mail with the online "Click and Ship." I'm amazed at how busy that place stays. There are always five or six people in line there no matter what time of day I go. What's even more amazing is that there is always at least one very attractive woman in line. It's as if Berry Hill put in a zip code for hotties. The phenomenon has turned my twice-weekly trips to the Post Office into something of a treat instead of a chore.

When I went today, I thought the streak might have been broken. There were still plenty of people in line and most of them were pleasent looking, but no one stood out as teh hawt. Ah well, I thought, it had to happen sometime.

But just as I was heading out the door, I held it open for a young lady who was jaw-droppingly gorgeous. It made me want to rethink my decision a few years back not to persue a career in civil service.

David Safavian, the former White House head of procurement who was arrested in connection with his association with Jack Abramhoff has been sentenced to 18 months in PMITA federal prison.

Still more fallout from the Corker/RNC ad. The NYT has an article about the racial tensions being stirred up over the ad.

The spot, which was first broadcast last week and was disappearing from the air on Wednesday, featured a series of people in mock man-on-the street interviews talking sarcastically about Mr. Ford and his stands on issues including the estate tax and national security.

The controversy erupted over one of the people featured: an attractive white woman, bare-shouldered, who declares that she met Mr. Ford at a “Playboy party,” and closes the commercial by looking into the camera and saying, with a wink, “Harold, call me.”

Calling the woman "attractive" may have been stretching it a bit. But Ford's campaign chairman Lincoln Davis talks about the ad when introducing Ford at campaign stops. They're using it against Corker and the RNC.

“I’m ashamed at what I see Republicans putting out today,” Mr. Davis declared, as an overwhelmingly white audience of more than a hundred cheered on the small town square. “You tell Karl Rove that we don’t want this stuff on TV in Tennessee. We don’t want our kids seeing that.”

Mr. Ford told his audience here, and elsewhere in recent days, that the attacks were simply a sign of desperation, a sign the Republicans have nothing else to say. He added, “You know your opponent is scared when his main opposition against you is, ‘My opponent likes girls.’ ” The audience erupted in laughter.

Heh. The Times quotes an RNC spokesperson as saying the ad wasn't withdrawn because of a controversy, but because it had run its course. However, an ABC News story says the RNC admits that the controversy "forced their hand."

To many the message is clear, and in some parts of Tennessee, potentially incendiary with its accusations of a rendezvous between a white woman and Ford, an African-American.

"It is talking about interracial sex, interracial relationships, I mean it's really quite amazing and it's not the kind of ad you'd expect somebody to be running if they thought they were ahead or at least in a tie," said John Geer, the editor of the Journal of Politics at Vanderbilt University.

This ad has backfired on Corker. Sure, he's getting a lot of free plays of the ad as news organizations show it, but they're showing it in the context of being an ugly, desperate move by the RNC and highlighting Corker's helplessness at being able to do anything about it.

The Tennessean story points to both a current radio ad produced by the Corker campaign as well as the next RNC ad which is just as, if not more misleading, on Ford's record.

A blond, white woman tells the African-American candidate, Democrat Harold Ford Jr., to "Call me" in a commercial.

The white opponent in the U.S. Senate race, Republican Bob Corker, tells Tennesseans that Ford is not one of us — he's from D.C. and doesn't share Tennessee values.

A radio ad for Corker uses the sounds of tribal-like drumbeats in the background music when his black opponent is mentioned.

To one Vanderbilt University political scientist, an expert in negative advertising, this adds up to a "disturbing pattern" of playing to racial fears.

The new Republican ad claims Ford "voted to recognize gay marriage" and "wants to give the abortion pill to our schoolchildren."

That commercial hasn't gone over well with the Ford campaign, either.

"They dropped the sleazy ad and put on the libelous one," said Michael Powell, senior advisor to Ford.

The second ad, named "Shaky," prompted a letter from Ford's attorneys to Tennessee TV station managers asking them to not run it, saying the claims on gay marriage and the "abortion pill" are "false and misleading." Both ads were created independently of the Corker campaign.

Republicans back up the gay-marriage accusation by saying Ford voted against a provision to remove review of the 1996 "Defense of Marriage Act" from the jurisdiction of federal courts. Ford's campaign says that was not a vote to recognize gay marriage, and Ford has twice voted in favor of a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Republicans document the "abortion pill" claim with a 2000 vote, but Ford said that vote had nothing to do with the pill, which had not even received federal approval yet.

I heard that the National Young Republicans are sending 50 of their members to Murfreesboro next week for GOTV efforts -- the much-ballyhooed Republican Ground Game. We'll see how it goes. In response the local Democrats are planning "visibility" efforts all day Saturday.

John Kerry and Ted Kennedy have stepped up to the plate, each donating a half million from their war chests to DNC committees to help elect Democrats. Good for them.

I haven't said much about the Nevada governor's race because, well, I'm not from Nevada and have never been to Nevada. So, other than endorse the campaign of Mimi Miyagi for governor, I've stayed away. Mimi lost the GOP primary to Jim Gibbons, Republican congressman. No surprise there.

Gibbons is in some hot water over a drunken encounter with a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas named Chrissy Mazzeo. After joining the congressman's party and having several drinks, Gibbons gets up to leave, but hangs around the parking garage of the restaurant. When Mazzeo left the restaurant, a drunken Gibbons allegedly followed her onto an elevator, propositioned her, then groped her, then threatened her.

Gibbons says the woman was drunk and fell and he grabbed her to steady her while he helped her to her car. No one has asked what the heck he was thinking helping a falling-down drunk woman get behind the wheel. Regardless, the elevator freaked her out enough to run across the street and dial 911. The next day, she told the police that she didn't want to press charges. She didn't recant her story, just that she didn't want to press charges.

All this happened several days ago and I didn't touch it because I'm not an interested party and there seems to be no novelty in a Republican sex scandal anymore. Then I read where Mazzeo says she was approached by someone offering her a bribe to recant her story. Gibbons' response? She's crazy.

Then another scandal popped up. It seems that Gibbons hired an illegal immigrant to clean his house and watch his kids. He paid her under the table and forced her to hide in the basement when visitors came to the house. She says she was also approached by political opperatives offering her money to go away.

"It's a no-brainer for me," that's how Cheney described giving the CIA permission to "waterboard" detainees. For those who don't know, waterboarding is an "interogation technique" in which you hold a person's head under water or pour water on cloth or cellophane placed over the nose and mouth to simulate drowning until the subject agrees to talk or confess.

Every other civilized country in the world calls it "torture." But we don't. We call it an "alternative interogation technique."

Salon has an article today about how Harold Ford is appealing to white evangelical Christians. He's just not very popular at UT games:

The RNC has now announced it will no longer air the Playboy spot, but the message has already sunk in. Ford has been forced to admit attending a 2005 Super Bowl party sponsored by Playboy. At Neyland Stadium, as they waited for their candidate to arrive at the Tennessee game, Ford supporters were taunted by apparently inebriated fans in orange who shouted, "Hugh Hefner and Harold Ford," and "Ford for senator? How about Ford for Playboy?"

Bush cracks me up. First he talked about all the rumors on "the internets" -- demonstrating how "with it" he is. Now he tells a reporter that he uses "the Google" to call up maps of his ranch so he can gaze longingly at where he'd rather be.

Corker's "Corker Country" campaign bus is sitting outside my office today. I wonder if this means the candidate is going to visit his campaign? He was on "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer recently and Wolf cornered him on whether he had personally asked RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman to take down the Playboy ad. The video is fun to watch.

BLITZER: Mr. Corker, excuse me for interrupting, have you called Ken Mehlman, the chairman of the Republican Party, and asked him to pull it?

CORKER: Our campaign officials have talked to people at very high levels there and asked that this comes down. I don't know who specifically has talked to who, but I know it began the very first day…

BLITZER: But what about you? Have you made a call to the RNC? Have you made a call to the White House and told…

BLITZER: … and told Republicans, you know what, I think this is hurting the state of Tennessee, hurting this debate, and I'd like to see it go away?

CORKER: Everybody at the RNC, from the top down, knows that I want this down. There are senators who are my friends, some of which are inside, that are making calls, to do the same. Everyone knows that we want it down.

As we're seeing more and more ugly attack ads coming from the RNC, the media insists this is a two-way street. ABC Nightline ran a report saying that both sides are slinging mud in attack ads, but didn't cite a single example of a Democratic ad. ABC News ended a report on negative campaigning with this:

"Democrats aren't necessarily running clean campaigns . . . As the races tighten in the next couple of weeks, the left will likely unleash its garbage as well."

Sherrod Brown is leading in the Ohio Senate race. Al Franken recently did some campaigning for him and evidently, the Ohio GOP didn't like it. They issued a press release smearing Franken with a doctored photo and a fabricated quote.

O‘DONNELL: There was a confrontation between you and Congressman Ford on Friday. Describe to me what happened.

BOB CORKER, ® TENN. SENATE CANDIDATE: I had a press conference. You know, we have one every day where we announce the issue of the day, if you will. And this big bus pulls up and Congressman Ford bounds off.

And, really, it was a great day for us. I think we‘ve seen this all along, but I think it called into question whether he has the temperament, the comportment, if you will, the ability to really have those statesman-like qualities that people are looking for in a United States Senator. It was certainly most unusual, if you will, and yet I think it was one of those moments—everybody in the state is calling it the Memphis meltdown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O‘DONNELL: There you heard it. He says it was your Memphis meltdown.

FORD: Bless his heart. We‘re running for the Senate. He won‘t show up for any debates in the state. He was in Memphis. I dropped by to say hello. I said I would love to talk about Iraq with him, to talk about how Republican senators are coming around to our position, that what we‘re doing in Iraq is not working. I happen to think that you need serious thinking at this time and have to be willing to depart from this stay- the-course strategy. I support the Biden-Gale (ph) plan, which calls for decentralization into three different regions, semi-autonomous regions, Sunni, Shia and Kurd.

O‘DONNELL: In Iraq.

FORD: Yes, ma‘am.

And I was interested in getting his thoughts on it.

And there you have the difference in the candidates: Bob Corker says Ford isn't statesmanlike. Ford says Corker won't debate him on the issues.

Bob Corker's web site has been redesigned and I haven't been able to find the word "Republican" on it anywhere.

I also noticed that on Ford's web site, all the news stories are about positive things about Ford. Corker mixes in some attacks on the "Ford political machine" every couple of days.

Even more fallout from the Corker/RNC ad. The Tennessean's lead editorial today takes Corker to the woodshed:

GOP, not Corker, calls the shots in campaign
Senate candidate condemns ad that smears Ford, but to no avail

Bob Corker, you're an honorable man, respected across the state, but you're hopelessly naive. You thought you ran your own political campaign.

Guess you've learned the hard way. The Republican National Committee, not you, determines how to tear down your opponent in the Senate race. You've publicly rejected the television ad the RNC is running about Democratic nominee Harold Ford Jr. Your campaign has objected, called the ad tacky, and asked that it be pulled from the airwaves. But the RNC apparently doesn't listen to you. In fact, it doesn't care about your reputation. All it cares about is the seat you're running for. And Ford stands in the way.

Heh. The truth is that, thanks to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2003, neither Corker or the RNC can ask those responsible to pull the ad. The law allows for something called an "independent expenditure" which means the RNC contracted an individual to produce attack ads. Neither the candidate nor the RNC can see the ad before it airs or can have any direct control over putting it up or taking it down. In exchange for this hands off approach, the independent expenditure doesn't count toward campaign spending limits. That's what RNC Chair Ken Mehlman was referring to when he told Tim Russert he had no authority to pull the ad.

"The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertisement. Paid for by the Republican National Committee and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. WWW.GOP. COM."

If the ad is the sole product of some outside group, then they should not be claiming the RNC is responsible. Either way, the RNC refuses to condem the ad and in fact says it's "fair." That being said, there are those that suspect coordination anyway because the "independent" ad is so similar to an official Corker ad.

Others, however, say the ad plays the race card. because it portrays a white woman whispering for Ford to "call me." This is a reference to Ford's attendance at a SuperBowl Party in Florida sponsored by Playboy. Ford's campaign has been a bit cagey about this. When asked in an interview, Ford said he'd never been to "a Playboy Mansion Party" which is true. The Playboy Mansion is in LA.

In an interview yesterday, Ford said he did attend the SuperBowl party. "I like football and I like girls . . . no apologies for that."

The entire fate of the Senate may fall on Tennessee. For those who do not know, the state is divided geographically into three regions: east, middle and west. Corker has East Tennessee (Knoxville). Ford has West Tennessee (Memphis). That leaves us, here in the middle. While Corker will have strong support in Chattanooga, Nashville will most likely go to Ford.

I love the closing days of a big campaign because it's fun to what the flaks try to make every little thing relevant to the media. A new poll came out that shows the two in a statistical dead heat, well within the margin of error. The Corker campaign issued a press release claiming the poll showed his campaign had momentum and Ford's was "cash strapped and in disarray." The Corker campaign has referred to yesterday's event in which Ford crashed Corker's press conference as "the Memphis meltdown."

"As you may know, Harold Ford Jr.'s family has a long record of being in trouble with the law. Would this make you more or less likely or no difference in voting for Harold Ford Jr.?"

"As you may know, Harold Ford Jr.'s family has a record of committing voter fraud. Would this make you more or less likely or no difference in voting for Harold Ford Jr.?"

That's as slimy as you can get in modern campaigning. What's truly sad is that it works, otherwise creepy campaign workers wouldn't use it.

I was at a party recently when someone told me "I think I hate Harold Ford, Jr."

The fact of the matter is that neither Harold Ford Jr. nor his father have ever been accused of any wrongdoing. Even during Corker's press conference on "ethics" he was forced to admit that he had no evidence of any wrongdoing. To smear a candidate because someone in their family did something wrong is guilt by association -- a logical fallacy.

That's quite a turnaround. Bill Frist says that if Republicans want to win the midterms, they have to stop talking about Iraq and terror and turn the conversation to "pocketbook issues." But those don't cut the Republicans' way either.

This morning, I heard Harold Ford on "The Bill Press Show." He talked about what a tight race it was and how Corker has stooped to personal attacks rather than talk about the issues -- standard campaign boilerplate. The guest host of the program said he'd invited Corker to be on the show with Ford, but was turned down. That's not surprising. In fact, if Ford wants to have any contact with Corker, he pretty much has to crash his press events:

Heh. What's really funny is that RNC Chair Ken Mehlmen says he's not responsible for the ad and that he hasn't got the authority to take it down because it was an "independent expenditure." He also said he believes it was a "a fair ad."

That's hillarious. The ad clearly states it was paid for by the RNC and says the RNC is responsible for the ads content, but the chairman of the RNC says he has no authority over it? What a pantload.

I sent my congressman, Bart Gordon, a letter this morning requesting that, since he is in a safe seat with only token Republican opposition, he should donate 30 percent of his campaign war chest to either the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee or to Democratic candidates in close races.

According to September figures, 30 percent of Bart's campaign funds would come to around $187,000.

It's kind of fun turning the tables on politicians and asking them to donate to campaigns for a change.

The Family Research Council and Focus on the Family have published their congressional scorecard for the mid-terms. Pennsylvania Republican Don Sherwood -- the congressman who had a five-year affair with a Peruvian immigrant 30 years younger than he and who has accused him of beating her during their years together -- received an 85 percent approval.

1 William Jenkins (R) 85%
2 John Duncan (R) 100%
3 Zach Wamp (R) 100%
4 Lincoln Davis (D) 100%
5 Jim Cooper (D) 28%
6 Bart Gordon (D) 57%
7 Marsha Blackburn (R) 100%
8 John Tanner (D) 42%
9 Harold Ford (D) 28%

We bought our pumpkins over the weekend. I also purchased several pumpkin carving kits. While I'm not a fan of these new fangled connect-the-dot pumpkin pattern kits, I do like the idea of putting Light Bright pegs in pumpkins -- it's an easy, safe way for Max and Rozzy to get in on the fun.

I'm more of a traditionalist. I like to carve a face -- not a haunted house, not a complete graveyard scene, not a portrait of Mt. Rushmore -- a face: two eyes, a nose and a mouth. That being said, some of the patterns are quite clever and I have no problem with other people using them. It's just not for me -- maybe if I had half a dozen pumpkins to carve, but I've only got the one. I keep threatening to plant pumpkins so I'll have a bunch to carve up, but my laziness always wins out.

Dollie pointed out a Corker ad to me over the weekend which left her slack-jawed. It was so horribly done and so pointless that it defied any reason as to what anyone was trying to accomplish with it. Here it is:

As you can see, this is a badly written and ill-conceived bit of rubbish. Anyone who is convinced to vote for Corker because of this ad probably isn't registered. There are numerous distortions in the ad and we can go through them and list them all, but who's got that kind of time? I will hit on a couple of highlights:

"Terrorists need their privacy." This statement was no doubt a reference to a vote against warrantless wiretapping, the purpose of which was not to stop wiretapping terrorists, but to force the president to follow the law and use the FISA court to get a warrant to wiretap terrorists. This is one of Bush's favorite strawmen -- to declare that if you don't want him to tap phones without a warrant, then you don't want him to listen in on calls to and from al Queda.

"When I die, Harold Ford will let me pay taxes again." The GOP loves to call the inheritance tax the "death tax." They say it fights double taxation -- taxing income and then taxing the same dollars when a perons dies. However, the inheritance tax affects about 8,000 families (the first $3 million or so is tax free) and people with that kind of income have shelters in place to avoid income taxes the first time around and trusts in place to minimize any inheritance taxes. To pretend that the average joe on the street is going to pay a death tax is ridiculous.

"Canada can take care of North Korea, they're not busy." There is no attribution to this statement, so was it just thrown in for comic effect?

The ad comes from the NRSC and not from the Corker campaign. Bob Corker has even come out publicly against the ad, saying it wasn't the kind of campaign he wanted to run. What's brilliant, though is that he's using the same campaign laws which say he cannot coordinate with the NRSC on advertising to say he cannot ask them to stop running the ad. That's hogwash.

The national GOP campaign office started airing an ad Friday that showed Arcuri leering at the silhouette of a dancing woman who says, ''Hi, sexy. You've reached the live, one-on-one fantasy line.'' He supposedly dialed the service two years ago from a New York City hotel room and billed taxpayers – for all of $1.25 for a one-minute call. He is the district attorney in Oneida County.

Now the Utica Observer-Dispatch today notes that Arcuri's campaign has released records to the paper showing the call to the 800 sex line was followed the very next minute by a call to the state Department of Criminal Justice Services – and the last seven digits of the two numbers are the same.

In Ohio, the NRSC ran an ad claiming Sherrod Brown hadn't paid $1,700 in unemployment taxes for 13 years. The Brown campaign pointed out that they had, indeed, paid the bill in 1994, but the Ohio government hadn't removed a lien until last year.

I have a friend who recently got married. This is her second husband and she believes her last one and good for her. However, her new husband was decided he wants a kid and she knows she doesn't. Here's where the story gets interesting. Her plan is to wait for one of her sisters to have another baby out of wedlock and bring it home to raise -- an event that is not unprecedented in her family.

It got me to thinking. This is a great example of a non-traditional family that is thriving by unusual means. America is changing and Americans are adapting. Bravo.

Bush declared last week "Character Counts Week" via an official White House proclamation. Then he went on the campaign trail and appeared with Denny Hastert, who looked the other way while Mark Foley preyed on young boys in the Capitol. Then Bush took a trip to Pennsylvania to campaign for Don Sherwood, the geezer Republican incumbent who settled a $5.5 million lawsuit filed by his mistress (a Peruvian immigrant more than 30 years younger than he) who claims he hit her and tried to strangle her. In fact, there's a 911 call that says as much, but Sherwood told the cops he was giving her a back rub.

He denies he abused her (even took out an ad denying the abuse) but admits to having an affair. But there was Bush stumping for him just the same:

Bush was careful to avoid the usual lines about family and conservative values; he also skipped the usual first-name-only reference that would indicate that "Don" is a buddy. Onstage, he gave Sherwood the obligatory handshake and photograph but quickly moved to stand with the female Sherwoods.

Spent Saturday night having some really delicious smoked pork loin at the Watts'. They built a fire and we made smores. A few people had guitars and they traded songs for a while. It was great. Max had spent the night there on Friday with his buddy Jake. I brought the two of them to the comic book store on Saturday to play Heroclix. Max got an Iron Man clix for bringing in a new guy.

Meanwhile, Jake's sister babysat Rozzy. Rozzy loves having a babysitter because it means she can play show-and-tell. She loves to show visitors every single thing she owns. She will explain things in exacting detail. It can wear you out.

My weightloss continues. I've dropped about 14 pounds since I started. The challenging part: pizza. I love pizza. I want to marry pizza and have it's babies. But a single slice of pizza can cost upwards of 7 points -- in a 26-point day, that can be a real problem. I mean who eats one slice of pizza?

Dollie and I surveyed the various pizza options at Bi-Lo recently. There were no viable low-fat, low-cal options. We eventually made our own using a soft burrito-size tortilla for a crust, some store-bought sauce, low fat provelone and turkey pepperoni. It was a nice size pizza and you could eat the whole thing for 7 points.

We've been buying this high-fiber bread (which we've nicknamed "colon blow" after an old SNL sketch). A slice of it costs no points. Merita makes a 1-point hamburger bun. We have a freezer full of Chick-Fil-A sandwhiches left over from a fundraiser. A Chick-Fil-A sandwhich is 9 points. Swap the bun out for a Merita and it's 6 points. Just eat the chicken and it's 5.

I have about another pound or so and I drop below 200, which means I go from a 26-point day to a 24-point day. So while swapping out buns may seem silly, it can make a real difference.