The Northern Forum and common sense

The thing that gets me about the left mocking Sarah Palin and her experience with Russia is that they don't have enough common sense to realize that there would be an organization for the leaders of local governments in that area.

Here's something you won't hear the media report on...the Northern Forum. Not heard of it? I'm not surprised, and here is why:

The members of the Northern Forum's Board of Governors are the senior political leaders of member regions: Governors, Premiers and, in some cases, Presidents. In seeking to work cooperatively to address broad issues of common concern, Board members oversee the implementation of Northern Forum policy and provide guidance for the organization as a whole. The Board also formally manages the Northern Forum Inc., an Alaskan corporation that is the business arm of the organization. The Chairman of the Board is elected during the General Assembly and can serve two terms. The present Chairman, elected in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, in June 2005 is Governor Filipenko from the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug (Russia).

Check out their website...you'll find a photo of Governor Sarah Palin in the "governor's directory" section. The address is http://www.northernforum.org/servlet/content/mission.html.

How many organizations are there in this country for area political leaders? If there's a river or a mountain range, there's a political organization for the governors in that area who have common interests. Why in the world would they think there wouldn't be one for Alaska and the governments that surround it?

Sometimes I wonder if liberals are capable of critical thinking at all. Read more!

Strickland administration admits they're re-classifying some state employees in order to purge Republicans from state government. Isn't that a violation of the Hatch Act?

Find the original story on www.OhioMediaGuide.com Read more!

Marc Dann files to run for Ohio AG

Sounds like a joke, but it isn't. Marc Dann has filed to run for AG in 2010. It's unlikely he'll actually run, but by filing he gets to keep spending his campaign cash. He could use it to refurbish his image...or he could decide to get revenge on those who turned on him.

Stay tuned to www.OhioMediaGuide.com for details. Read more!

California Quake Coverage

Find full local coverage of the California earthquake on www.CaliforniaMediaGuide.com
There's even a link for live coverage from a local TV station in L.A. Read more!

Can someone please explain to me why the national media isn't reporting on the Detroit government? It's the biggest drama since Dynasty. The mayor's affair with an aide was just the tip of the iceberg, but the media isn't reporting any of it. I mean, today there's a report he attacked a policeman who was trying to deliver a subpeona to his sister---a subpeona that was part of the FBI corruption investigation into the mayor AND the city council.

Some highlights:

• The mayor's mistress
• The FBI corruption investigation of the mayor and city council
• The city council's president (who is Rep. John Conyers' wife) took an extended medical leave when the investigation went public to "recover from an undisclosed elective surgery"
• A local news anchor did side work for the company at the center of the corruption investigation and is also wrapped up in it
• The mayor's father may be involved and was definitely wiretapped by the FBI
• Gov. Jennifer Granholm is doing her best to stay out of the fray, but people keep calling on her to remove the mayor

Why isn't the media reporting any of this? Could it be they don't want to plaster video of a corrupt African-American officeholder all over the news at the same time Obama is running for President? Maybe I'm reading more into this than there really is, but I just can't think of any reason why such a juicy story is being totally overlooked by the national media.

If you like reading about juicy political corruption stories, visit www.USAMediaGuide.com. I've listed Detroit news sources on the front page to make it easy to find the info.
Read more!

My first lawsuit threat!

Yesterday was a very proud day for me. After launching www.PennsylvaniaMediaGuide.com, as is my customary practice I e-mailed the news organizations I link to and asked them to check their link to make sure the link and location listed are correct. The only responses I'd gotten so far (after thousands of links) were either "thanks for including us" or "please change/add this...".

But not from the Lewistown, Pennsylvania Sentinel.

From them, I got this:

Mr. Knopp,

The Sentinel does not want to participate in your site or to be featured on or linked to your site in any way. We require that you immediately remove the link to our site from www.PennsylvaniaMediaGuide.com and that you cease and desist any further action regarding our site, writers or online content. Failure to honor our request will result in further action from our corporate counsel.

In addition, please notify me, in writing, when the link has been removed.

Sincerely,
Heather Goodwin Henline
Managing Editor
The Sentinel, Lewistown

Of course, previous litigation has provided clear legal precedent allowing any public website to link to any other public website as a First Amendment free speech right. The only limitations are that you can't slander someone and you can't link to a security-protected internal page.

No doubt this editor is aware of that and was just attempting a pre-emptive strike thinking I would re-publish their copyrighted work (which of course I won't be doing). However, I shared the editor's message with some of the Pennsylvania bloggers and the reaction has been mostly outrage mixed with amusement at the absurdity of it.

Here's one of my favorite blog posts on the subject: lehighvalleyramblings.blogspot.com
Read more!

Hey guys, I've got a great headline on www.OhioMediaGuide.com today. It's a story most of the Ohio media seems afraid to touch. It's about a rivalry between the two Toledo newspapers that has ensnared local charities and has the editor of the Free Press publishing accusations against the Blade. Drama! Read more!

Interested in news from West Virginia? www.WestVirginiaMediaGuide.com is now online! Read more!

Seriously? Am I the only one who sees Jesse Jackson's comments for what they are?

I predicted in an earlier post weeks ago that black pastors--the ones seen as black community leaders, anyway--would turn on Obama. His message "yes you can" flies directly in the face of the "no you can't because they won't let you" message these pastors use to make a living.

Does anyone really think Jesse Jackson just accidentally made those statements? Are we to believe that Jesse Jackson is so naive he didn't know his comments would be picked up when he was wired with a microphone and standing in front of a TV camera in a studio? If here were someone who'd never appeared on television before, maybe.

His comments were deliberate, and so was the location he decided to make them--Fox News. It was the safest place for him because they could easily be made the scapegoat if criticism were to mount.

I don't think motivation is even at issue. There was no reason for him to "distance" himself from Obama. What controvery has Jackson been involved with recently? He's been going on TV talking about heart disease.

No, these comments were a deliberate attempt to turn the black community against Obama. Jesse's comments about Obama's nether region was nothing less than a declaration of war. Just watch what happens next.
Read more!

See what's going on in Michigan politics at www.MichiganMediaGuide.com Read more!

See what's going on in New York state politics at www.NYMediaGuide.com Read more!

See what's going on in Kentucky politics at www.KentuckyMediaGuide.com Read more!

See what's going on in Texas politics at www.TXMediaGuide.com Read more!

Exciting announcement! Ohio Media Guide is going national! See which states have been added already at www.USAMediaGuide.com Read more!

Yet another sister website for my Ohio Media Guide. This time, it is www.CaliforniaMediaGuide.com. Take a look! Read more!

Introducing www.FloridaMediaGuide.com, a sister website to www.OhioMediaGuide.com Read more!

Click here to read a Toledo Free Press news story about my new website www.OhioMediaGuide.com Read more!

John McCain's 96-year-old mother gets yet another speeding ticket....cute story, but also a little concerning. I've always been for driving tests for senior citizens when they renew their licenses. Read more!

Think you know a lot about Ohio politics? Try the new online crossword puzzle on Ohio politics available on www.OhioMediaGuide.com Read more!

You can now read my blog on my website at www.ohiomediaguide.com. While I appreciate Blogspot's free service, it was not very compatible with the three-column style my blog required. Please visit my new blog at the link above. Read more!