Evidently people on the phone can say untrue things while using false caller identification information:

FIRST REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE BILL NO. 176

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES McNEIL (Sponsor), STILL, SCHUPP, CARLSON, ELLINGER, PACE, KANDER, WEBBER, WEBB, ATKINS, SCHIEFFER, MEADOWS AND OXFORD (Co-sponsors).

0436L.01I                                                                                                                                                  D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk

AN ACT

To amend chapter 570, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to caller identification spoofing, with a penalty provision.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:

           Section A. Chapter 570, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 570.195, to read as follows:

           570.195. 1. As used in this section the following terms shall mean:

           (1) “Caller”, a person who places a call by a telephone or over a telephone line, even if the person begins the call on a computer;

           (2) “Caller identification system”, a listing of a caller’s name, telephone number, or name and telephone number that is shown to a recipient of a call when the recipient answers;

           (3) “False information”, data that misrepresents the identity of the caller to the recipient of a call; except that when a person making an authorized call on behalf of another person inserts the name, telephone number, or name and telephone number of the person on whose behalf the call is being made, such information shall not be deemed false information;

           (4) “Insert”, the insertion of data by voice communication, by written communication or by otherwise entering into a computer.

           2. Any caller who knowingly inserts false information into a caller identification system with the intent to mislead, defraud, or deceive the recipient of a telephone call shall be guilty of caller identification spoofing.

           3. Caller identification spoofing shall be a class D felony.

           4. The provisions of this section shall not apply to:

           (1) Any blocking of caller identification information;

           (2) Any law enforcement agencies of the federal government, state government, a county or municipality; or

           (3) Any intelligence or security agencies of the federal government.

[emphasis in original]

Who would do such a thing? Oh, yeah, right.

What are the odds in Vegas that our republican dominated General Assembly lets this bill see the light of day?

Robocall anyone?

PoliticoMo reports that Vicky Hartzler, a Tea Party favorite who ran for office promising to diminish government influence, has no qualms about keeping her government-provided health insurance while voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  According to her spokesman:

The issue was and always has been government-RUN health care … not government providing PRIVATE insurance to its employees.

Not the most sophisticated argument since nothing in the Affordable Care Act mandates “government-run” health care. As FactCheck.org noted in the final run-up to the vote on the ACA last spring:

A pure government-run system was never among the leading Democratic proposals, much to the chagrin of single-payer advocates. Instead, the bill builds on our current system of private insurance, and in fact, drums up more business for private companies by mandating that individuals buy coverage and giving many subsidies to do so.

Hartzler’s excuses are also a bit paradoxical. We the taxpayers, via our proxy, the federal government, are really Hartzler’s employers. She is willing to accept a good, guaranteed health care plan from us, but will do little to insure that we, in turn, have access to affordable health care. Instead, by voting for the repeal of the AFC ACA, Hartzler is actively working against that goal.

We all know that health care costs have been going up over the past few years; one of the reasons health care reform was so urgent was the pressure of rising health care costs on our national economy. If costs are not brought under control, which the ACA is designed to accomplish, fewer and fewer of our employers will be able to afford to offer the same type of comprehensive private insurance to their employees that Rep. Hartzler thinks she should be able to take for granted while on our dime.

Of course, we probably shouldn’t expect too much from get-the-government-off-our-backs types like Hartzler. Recently when this foe of big government handouts was asked about federal farm subsidies, which have benefited her family to the amount of $750,000 over the past nine years, all she could do was hem and haw – which, embarrassing as it is, is an improvement over her earlier response.  At one point Hartzler asserted that farm subsidies might be a national security issue.  

The money to support the campaign for the continuation of the earnings tax in Kansas City which will be on the April ballot keeps coming in.

The past few days at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

A101430 01/11/2011 SAVE KANSAS CITY COMMITTEE The Zimmer Companies P.O. Box 411299 Kansas City MO 64141 1/11/2011 $10,000.00

A101430 01/11/2011 SAVE KANSAS CITY COMMITTEE BlueCross BlueShield of Kansas City P.O. Box 419169 Kansas city MO 64141 1/11/2011 $20,000.00

A101430 01/13/2011 SAVE KANSAS CITY COMMITTEE US Bank 4000 W Broadway Robbinsdale MN 55422 1/12/2011 $12,000.00

[emphasis added]

Previously:

Kansas City antes up to support the earnings tax vote in 2011, part 3 (January 9, 2011)

Kansas City antes up to support the earnings tax vote in 2011, part 2 (January 4, 2011)

Kansas City antes up to support the earnings tax vote in 2011 (January 3, 2011)

Finally, part 2 (December 20, 2010)

Finally (December 14, 2010)

HB 26: an attempt to fix some of the mess of Proposition A (December 3, 2010)

Where’s Kansas City on fundraising for the 2011 earnings tax vote? (November 27, 2010)

St. Louis leads the fundraising way on the April 2011 earnings tax vote (November 16, 2010)

Any bets that the Royals follow through for Kansas City? (November 13, 2010)

In 2010 the Missouri republican Party paid for mail directed against Linda Witte (D) in the 10th Legislative District race.

What’s that?

Oh.

Uh, oh.

That couldn’t be the pattern caused by a Midwestern tornado picking up gravel and hurling it, could it?

And the “paid for by” disclaimers:

On the “A” side:

Oh.

The full mailer:

The problem with using a dog whistle is that not only does your dog hear it, but all the mean, crazy, rabid dogs for a mile around hear it.

Oh, brother. Clueless.

Sarah Palin’s ‘Blood Libel’ Charge Stirs New Controversy

by Frank James

12:53 pm

January 12, 2011

…Needless to say, she probably couldn’t have chosen a more explosive term than blood libel. That term has been used to describe false and beyond-the-pale charges throughout history that Jews committed unspeakable crimes.

The charges were used to justify atrocities against Jews over centuries…

…One irony in all this is that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is Jewish and it’s the born-again Christian Palin who is claiming to be the victim of a blood libel.

It’s an odd tactic to respond to one controversy by starting another. But there you have it…

Is anyone surprised?

Or a dog whistle for far right wingnuts. You pick.

In the Twitterverse:

Johngcole  John Cole

I’m wondering if all the people who mindlessly repeated the blood libel crap are starting to feel stupid…4 hours ago

That would presuppose a modicum of self awareness.

tbogg  Tbogg

Reading that Pat Buchanan defended Sarah Palin over blood libel actually made God shoot milk out through His nose 4 hours ago

Win!

There’s a word for what the former half term governor of Alaska said:

Hoekstroika– A ridiculous statement that greatly minimizes the suffering of one group of people while wildly escalating the suffering of another group of people, when no such comparison exists. Usually for partisan political point scoring. Origin: a “twitter” from Rep. Peter Hoekstra comparing the violent repression of peaceful demonstrators in Iran with Republicans in congress:

Iranian twitter activity similar to what we did in House last year when Republicans were shut down in the House. 8:56 AM Jun 17th from TwitterBerry

And the Twitterverse mocks Sarah Palin:

tbogg  Tbogg

I just sneezed. It was exactly like the Black Plague #bloodlibel #ahistoricalmorans 4 hours ago

eRobin  eRobin

@johngcole Just washed the kitchen floor with ammonia. Now I know how the people of Bhopal felt. 4 hours ago

mvallonesta  Matt Vallone

@Johngcole I had to listen to Pat Buchanan on MSNBC, it’s exactly like the Holocaust #ahistoricalmorans #bloodlibel 4 hours ago

BethEastwood  Elizabeth Eastwood

@johngcole I just walked 200 yards to check my mailbox. It was exactly like the Bataan Death March. #bloodlibel 4 hours ago

EdwinTheRedwin  EdTheRed

@Johngcole My failed thesis defense was like the Spanish Inquisition, only worse. #bloodlibel #ahistoricalmorans 4 hours ago

shortstack81  terry

@Johngcole my bus was late. Totally like the Middle Passage. Exactly like it. #bloodlibel #ahistoricalmorans 4 hours ago

Johngcole  John Cole

I’m hungry. This is just like the Potato famine. #bloodlibel #ahistoricalmorans 5 hours ago

3fecta  trifecta

@Johngcole When the Mongolian BBQ closed, I knew how the defenders of the gates of Vienna felt. 5 hours ago

Johngcole  John Cole

When I ran out of gas, it was just like the trail of tears. #bloodlibel #ahistoricalmorans 5 hours ago

Johngcole  John Cole

Telling Republicans to tone down their rhetoric is just like the Hollywood blacklists. #bloodlibel #ahistoricalmorans 5 hours ago

I don’t think Evita Mosselini’s apologists will get it.

Previously: It does happen here : “…can you out run a nine millimeter…” (January 10, 2011)

Courtney Cole (D) had her opinion piece on violent political rhetoric published in today’s Kansas City Star:

Political threats are real, and I’ve heard it firsthand

All over America, people spent last weekend in shock over the senseless murder of six people and the wounding of another 13 in Arizona. It was heartbreaking to read quotes from the family of victim 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green that said she was excited about the political process.

Unfortunately, the political process is ill.

In the last election cycle, when I ran for state representative, I received several threats of gun violence on the campaign trail. The most serious involved a municipal elected official in my area. On the day of the primary, I went to a polling location in my district where I stood and greeted individuals as they left the poll after voting. A municipal elected official heard me speaking with another individual about labor issues as he left the poll with his wife. He became very hostile with me and claimed that he would do whatever possible to see that I wasn’t elected after hearing my support for workers.

A police report on his side of the event states: “According to him they argued … until she asked if he was going to hit her. His reply was, ‘No, but can you outrun a nine millimeter?'”

To me, this was a threat and I was concerned enough to go to the police. But I didn’t draw attention to these incidents during the race. My point in sharing this story now is not to rehash the campaign. I want to offer a specific local example of violence in politics. We would like to think that the vitriol is only a part of the national political scene, however, it made its way to Johnson County, Mo.

I believe we have a responsibility to ourselves, Democrats to Republicans, conservatives to liberals, to respect our democracy and political process as well as each other. Our political environment has become more and more hostile. The unseen victims of the current chaos are all of us. Constructive debate is overshadowed by cheap slams and dishonest robo calls.

Not only does it cost us respect for our neighbors, it crowds out the reason needed to solve our collective problems and make coherent decisions about the future.

We can commit to civility. We can be an example of faith in the democracy that has guided us to being the greatest nation on earth. Just as the mother of the young girl who lost her life last weekend pleads, “I just want her memory to live on because she was a face of hope … a face of us coming together as a country to stop the violence and hatred and the evil words.”

Courtney Cole of Warrensburg, a Democrat, lost in November in her race for state representative in the 121st District, Johnson County, Mo. She is a high school teacher in Higginsville, Mo.

Posted on Tue, Jan. 11, 2011 10:15 PM

It’s really interesting to read the online comments from the usual suspects.

Uh, yep:

Sadly this is nothing new. Your district is small, no one knows you. You received one threat. This happens multiple times daily to federal congressional workers and the president. There will always be crazies on both sides of the political spectrum, but the blame is always put upon the republicans simply because of their constitution view of free gun rights which has proven to decrease crime. This debate will go on forever. Every time someone gets shot with a gun, gun control is always brought up…and even if they were tighten this kid could have got a gun anyways legally or illegally.

[emphasis added]

One is one too many.

Reading comprehension isn’t this person’s strong suit.

“…In the last election cycle, when I ran for state representative, I received several threats of gun violence on the campaign trail….” [empasis added]

Compare Courtney Cole’s published Kansas City Star piece above with what ran here on Monday (and at PoliticMo):

All over America, people have spent the weekend in shock over the senseless murder of six people and the wounding of another 13 in Arizona. It was heart breaking to read quotes from the father of nine-year-old, Christina Taylor Green, who was killed in the attack, “She was excited about the political process.”

Unfortunately, the political process is ill.

In the last election cycle, when I ran for State Representative, I received several threats of gun violence on the campaign trail. The most serious involved Holden City Councilman Jim Nipko. On the day of the primary, I went to the polling location in Holden where I stood and greeted individuals as they left the poll after voting. Nipko heard me speaking with another individual about labor issues as he left the poll with his wife. He became very hostile with me and claimed that he would do whatever possible to see that I wasn’t elected after hearing my support for workers.

Quoting directly from the police report on Nipko’s side of the story: “According to him they argued and increased until she asked if he was going to hit her. His reply was, ‘No but can you outrun a nine millimeter?'”

To me, this was a threat and I was concerned enough to go to the police. The county prosecutor, Lynn Stoppy, refused to pursue the case, dismissing it as only an implied threat.

I didn’t draw attention to these incidents during the race. My point in sharing this story now is not to rehash the past campaign. I want to offer a very specific local example of violence in politics. We would like to think that the vitriol is only a part of the national political scene, however, it made its way to Johnson County.

I believe we have a responsibility to ourselves, Democrats to Republicans, conservatives to liberals, to respect our democracy and political process as well as each other. Our political environment has become more and more hostile. The unseen victims of the current chaos are all of us. Constructive debate is overshadowed by cheap slams and dishonest robo calls. Not only does it cost us respect for our neighbors, it crowds out the reason needed to solve our collective problems and make coherent decisions about the future.

We can commit to civility. We can be an example of faith in the democracy that has guided us to being the greatest nation on earth. Just as the mother of the young girl who lost her life this past weekend pleads, “I want her memory to live on that she’s a face of hope…a face of us coming together as a country to stop the violence and hatred and evil words.”

Courtney Cole, Warrensburg

You think the Star checked out the police report?

And there’s still another incident as described in a September 29, 2010 Warrensburg, Missouri Police Incident Report.

According to the police report a Courtney Cole campaign volunteer who was going door to door had to jump out of the way when a van swerved toward her while the occupants yelled at her.

Yep, this is obviously an environment conducive to a reflective and serious democratic process.

Nah, it’s their world, we only get to live in it.  

When I moved to St. Louis, Jim Talent was still in the Senate. He seemed to be a prototypically white-bread, nice Republican boy, who went along with whatever the Bush administration required of him. He certainly didn’t seem to be particularly profound – which is why I’m so amazed to hear Missouri conservatives speak of him as an “intellectual powerhouse” – although perhaps that’s not so remarkable in a state that can send people like Vicky Hartzler and Billy Long to Washington. He did, after all, do time as a Fellow at The Heritage institute where they do make some pretense of having standards, and he’s certainly capable of stringing a couple of coherent thoughts together.

But perhaps I was misled by Talent’s bland persona. Perhaps he does have at least some sort of intellectual integrity capacity. The reason I say this is because of something I read in David Catanese’s column in Politico in which he speculates that Talent is backing away from Missouri’s 2012 Senatorial contest. Among the possible reasons he posits for Talent’s lack of enthusiasm for the race is the following (emphasis added):

It’s not that he doesn’t believe he couldn’t best Steelman in a primary — it’s whether taking up a bruising intra-party fight before a rough-and-tumble general election with Sen. Claire McCaskill would be worth the time, energy and resources.

“The primary bothers him. He saw how broke and battered [Kenny] Hulshof was in August and he doesn’t want to be forced to take positions out of the mainstream,” said another Missouri source who has had conversations with those close to Talent.

Does being forced to take positions out of the mainstream perhaps mean being forced to kowtow to obstreperous, intellectually vapid Tea Partiers – something that  Sarah Steelman, who is agressively campaigning for the nomination, seems more than willing to do? Does this intellectual powerhouse maybe see the Tea Party as a lose-lose proposition? First you lose your integrity, then you lose the general election.

Yesterday, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:

Contribution in Excess of $500 Received Within 48 Hours

C091145 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER [pdf] 1/11/2011

PURPOSE: The purpose of this form is to report within 48 hours the receipt of a single contribution of more than $500.00 received from any single contributor by:

A current office holder or candidate for the office of State Representative or State Senator receiving such contribution during the regular legislative session;

A current office holder or candidate for the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Auditor receiving such contribution during the regular legislative session and any time when legislation from the regular legislative session awaits gubernatorial action.

Required Pursuant To Section 130.044 RSMo. Information is to be included in the committee’s next full disclosure report.

Southwest Missouri Leadership PAC

PO Box 1725

Joplin, MO 64802

1/10/2011

$7,000.00

[emphasis added]

A “run of the mill” PAC contribution (at least for republicans). Then there’s this:

Contribution in Excess of $500 Received Within 48 Hours

C091145 FRIENDS OF PETER KINDER [pdf] 1/11/2011

PURPOSE: The purpose of this form is to report within 48 hours the receipt of a single contribution of more than $500.00 received from any single contributor by:

A current office holder or candidate for the office of State Representative or State Senator receiving such contribution during the regular legislative session;

A current office holder or candidate for the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Auditor receiving such contribution during the regular legislative session and any time when legislation from the regular legislative session awaits gubernatorial action.

Required Pursuant To Section 130.044 RSMo. Information is to be included in the committee’s next full disclosure report.

CNS Corporation

500 E. 9th St.

Kansas City, MO 64106 1/10/2011

$10,000.00

[emphasis added]

CNS Corporation is registered as a business entity with the Missouri Secretary of State. Charles Sharpe is listed as President and as a member of the Board of Directors in the April 22, 2010 filing with the Secretary of State.

There was a campaign contribution by the same Charles Sharpe to Vicky Hartzler’s (r) successful 2010 campaign (via the Federal Election Commission):

SHARPE, CHARLES

, MO 64106

CNS CORP/PRESIDENT

HARTZLER, VICKY

VIA VICKY HARTZLER FOR CONGRESS

10/18/2010 2400.00 10992432794

[emphasis added]

Listed on the same reporting form is a contribution of $600.00 from Laurie Sharpe, who is also listed as being on the Board of Directors for CNS Corporation in the April 22, 2010 filing with the Secretary of State.

There’s a history of contributions to far right wingnut politicians:

SHARPE, CHARLES

KANSAS CITY, MO 64106

CNS CORP

  VITTER, DAVID

   VIA DAVID VITTER FOR US SENATE

10/29/2004 1000.00 24021092604

SHARPE, CHARLES

KANSAS CITY, MO 64106

CNS CORPORATION

  AKIN, W TODD

   VIA TODD AKIN FOR CONGRESS

07/17/2000 1000.00 20035903456

  GRAVES, SAMUEL B JR ‘SAM’

   VIA GRAVES FOR CONGRESS

06/20/2000 1000.00 20035884816

  HULSHOF, KENNY CHARLES

   VIA HULSHOF FOR CONGRESS

10/08/1999 1000.00 20035220069

09/02/2000 500.00 20036201622

  TALENT, JAMES MATTHES

   VIA TALENT FOR SENATE COMMITTEE

08/28/2001 1000.00 22020092365

08/28/2001 1000.00 22020092366

SHARPE, CHARLES

KANSAS CITY, MO 64106

CNS CORPORATION/CHAIRMAN OF BOARD

  TALENT, JAMES MATTHES

   VIA TALENT FOR SENATE COMMITTEE

09/09/2005 2100.00 25020430606

SHARPE, CHARLES

KANSAS CITY, MO 64106

CNS CORPORATION/CHAIRMAN OF THE B

  KITPAC

01/10/2008 4000.00 28990782370

SHARPE, CHARLES

KANSAS CITY, MO 64106

CNS CORPORATION/FOUNDER

  BLUNT, ROY

   VIA FRIENDS OF ROY BLUNT

03/20/2001 1000.00 21990234478

12/07/2001 1000.00 22990182415

SHARPE, CHARLES

KANSAS CITY, MO 64106

CNS CORPORATION/PRES CHAIRMAN OF

  BLUNT, ROY

   VIA FRIENDS OF ROY BLUNT

07/27/2004 2000.00 24962519579

SHARPE, CHARLES

KANSAS CITY, MO 64106

CNS CORPORATION/PRES, CHAIRMAN OF

  BLUNT, ROY

   VIA FRIENDS OF ROY BLUNT

08/02/2010 -4800.00 10020810909

08/02/2010 7200.00 10020810908

SHARPE, CHARLES

KANSAS CITY, MO 64106

CNS CORPORATION/PRESIDENT

  HULSHOF, KENNY CHARLES

   VIA HULSHOF FOR CONGRESS

04/15/2003 2000.00 23991366814

[emphasis added]

A friend of Roy, too?

It must be nice to have consistent corporate friends.