NewscomaGot A Two-Pack Habit And A Motel Tan

As I do not blog from work, I did follow the Rob Briley story through Carter over at Volunteer Voters although I really couldn’t comment on it.

Here’s where yesterday’s drama started in a good piece from Bill Hobbs. Being that I rarely agree with Hobbs, I must say that when he’s on fire, it’s nuclear.

And then we find this about Jamie Woodson having her hand in the pie. Did she mastermind this?

But I did keep reading. Here is the Nashville City Paper’s take on things.

And then we learn that this was a bill that appeared to be snuck through the backdoor (my take on it). Carter lists a ton of links to other bloggers expressing their shock at the bill.

There was a great deal of outrage, but one of the biggest turnarounds I’ve ever seen by a group of politicos.

Carter says this at the end of a very long day for Briley and Woodson:

Remember that the bill was killed but also remember that this was not, it seems to me, a case of a blogger bringing to light a mistake.

I have one Rep. and one Senator who represent my district. I’m going to be asking about this when I head to the TPA next week. My questions will be simple.

What is the buzz in the General Assembly about bloggers and blogging rights? Are members of the house and senate worried about us? Who is talking about or are we, as bloggers the only one talking about issues like this?  Is there a sense of fear of political bloggers creating a discussion that mainstream media in the state might not be covering? Does the political machine just see bloggers as instruments creating “malice intent?”

Is that how they see bloggers? Being that I work in both journalism and keep this little site on the side for my own amusement, I know that some people in journalism are very leery of the blogging community. Not all of them, but some. I also know that with the power of blogging’s influence during recent elections and political scandals has created a very big voice.

Former candidate Bob Krumm broke it down on his site as well.

Tennessee State Rep. Rob Briley has filed legislation that could, if it becomes law, require bloggers and other website publishers and writers to remove within two days from their website any statement that someone alleges is defamatory – and if they fail to remove the statement within two days that failure will “create a presumption of malice intent.” The contested statement does not actually have to be defamatory for the web writer to be required to remove it or face that legal presumption of guilt.

I want to know what’s being said the the back rooms about this, because in my history, that’s were it starts. Being that I don’t live in Nashville, I don’t have the luxury of having   the ability to pop in the car and banging on my rep’s door to ask “What the hell is going on?”

I want to know the history of this bill’s conception and the conversations that are really happening about it, not canned press releases.

There has to be a buzz. I want to know what that buzz is that would put this stupid piece of legislation out there.

Big Daddy can hear.

I’m so glad about this I could just scream. I love my father and for years, his hearing has  diminished to the point we had adjusted our volume control to a loud yell so he could hear us. I don’t know why this has happened but it did, and Homer and I’s hearts were broken because we wanted him to experience each of the senses of this world that are so beautiful and wonderful.

As a man who loves music more than he loves anything else, you have no idea how great this is. He’s tried several times to use electronic help for his hearing but it was either painful or just didn’t work.

He found a cool beans device and now, BAM, he is hearing again.

I’m so proud and happy I just can’t breathe. I saw it over the weekend, and it’s sexy and discreet and I think he will be happy.

I’ve thought about this all week and wanted to weep. He can now hear his music (Don McClean’s American Pie. He loves it. And So many others, but that is the one I know he loves.)

Woot.  A big ass Woot.

Yeah. They say tomorrow we will have snow.

If this happens, I will be a happy camper. After today at work where there was a leery eye cast to the sky by every one of my co-workers, I can tell you either way it doesn’t matter.

We still have to work tomorrow. It doesn’t matter. As long as we are there at the opening bell, all is good in the world. We can leave early, but only if we are responsible with our decision of when to leave (and not do it for nefarious reasons.)

Welcome to the wonderful world of news. Having been in radio in my past life, my voice still had to be on the air every morning at 9 a.m.

In print, the editorial staff has a bit of flexibility, but we still have to be on the job.

I love snow on a personal level, but yet, on a professional level, I don’t.

I’ll probably do what I want to anyway, but that’s how I swing.

And they talked about seventies hairdos, and this made me feel less than because I would have not thought of anything so clever, and they had no idea that a marketing plan would have been turned into a terrorist plot.

As Americans, when did we become so frightened? I don’t blame the city of Boston for being cautious, but maybe they shouldn’t have been so gungho. So go ahead and yell at me, but it is sad and amusing at the same time. What happened to America? We used to have a sense of humor.

And we did.

Two men who authorities say placed electronic advertising devices around the city were released from jail Thursday, apparently amused with the publicity stunt that stirred fears of terrorism and shut down parts of the city.

snip

Officials found 38 blinking electronic signs promoting the Cartoon Network TV show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”

on bridges and other high-profile spots across the city Wednesday, prompting the closing of a highway and the deployment of bomb squads. The surreal series is about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball. The network is a division of Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc.

But then there is this. This guerilla marketing campaign was held in several different places who did not overeact.

Turner Broadcasting said the devices had been in place for two to three weeks in Boston; New York; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; At

lanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; San Francisco, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Not everything needs to be looked at as a terrorist threat. Call it corporate greed if you choose, talk about overreaction, talk about the world is a different place than it was six years ago, but the reality is that we have become more scared than we have become brave.

Let us remember:

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” said by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt at his first inaugration.

It was the Moonites for Pete’s Sake. I’m 41 years old and I know about the Moonites. I love Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

I’m an old broad compared to some of you, and the guys that were arrested are going to be seen as rock stars.