Three Big Days in February!

February is here!!! It’s everybody’s favorite month of the year, of all the months with fewer than 30 days.

Most females love February because of Valentines Day. Guys, I think just sort of get roped into it.

Government employees like February because of that extra holiday – Presidents Day – a day invented by merging the real birthdays of George Washington and Abe Lincoln into a fictitious annual joint birthday, which curiously always falls on a Monday, extending the celebration into a holiday weekend, and no doubt boosting our economy with Presidents Day sales and holiday travel. Long after their demise, two of our most important presidents – Washington and Lincoln—are sacrificing their individual birthdays to boost our national economy. Great Americans, both. (As the brilliant minds in Congress are currently debating how to stimulate our sagging economy, let me put in my recommendation for a few extra holiday weekends. Government can take a day off, which is always good news. And those employees would take some of their tax-funded salaries they’ve been pocketing, and use them to go shopping or traveling. It’s genius!)

This year is a particularly special February. First of all, we get that extra day, which only occurs every four years. All those people who were born on February 29th have an actual birthday… which is a rarity. Most years, our smallest minority – statistically one in every 1,461 people – don’t have a birthday! For example, any of those Feb. 29th guys who happen to turn 40 this year will get to celebrate only their 10th birthday!

In addition to being a leap year, we have Three Big Days approaching early in the month, each of which may carry a very special significance. Two of the days are so big, we’ve actually named them Super Days: First the Big “Super Bowl” Full-Contact Professional Football Game; and second, the Big “Super Tuesday” Full-Contact Presidential Primary Election Day.

On these two days, separated by only a well-placed catch-our-breath Monday, the nation will participate in some of the most important decisions of the year – not necessarily in order of importance -- a) The 2008 NFL Champs; b) The Next President of the United States and Leader of the Free World; and, c) Which is the Best Super-Bowl TV Ad, which, this year will cost a cool $2.7million for a 30 second spot.

Super Bowl and Super Tuesday are Super-Special this year.

The New England Patriots are undefeated and can set a new record and a new standard of perfection with a victory… AND, in the process, crown quarterback Tom Brady as the new All-American, clean-cut, good-guy hero for the national news media to eventually strip of his luster and crush like a bug in the dirt.

Super Tuesday may well be the most important single election day in modern history. For the first time since Eisenhower in the 1950’s, there is no incumbent President or Vice-President seeking the office, so it’s a truly open election. And, for the first time, there is a real likelihood that either a female or an African-American will secure a major party’s nomination and may become President. On Super Tuesday, 22 states will hold contests to help choose the first new American president in the post-9/11 era. It’s a big day. The only thing I can think of which could make it more exciting would be if an incumbent Vice President HAD decided to seek the office. (I’d love to see Cheney in the middle of this. To help keep the campaigns civil, he could volunteer to take ’em all hunting!)

Super Bowl Sunday and Super Tuesday will be big, fun, exciting days… if we ever get to them. First, though, we have to make it past the biggest annual blow-out of them all: Ground Hog Day!

As I’ve cautioned you before: always be sure to wear comfortable clothes on Ground Hog Day, just in case the movie comes true. I’m planning on going even further this year. I’m going to spend Feb. 2nd doing everything I can think of that I like doing, just in case I get stuck living that day over and over and over. That would mean, of course, that I’d never actually get to see the Super Bowl or Super Tuesday… but at least I’d be frozen in time doing the things I like to do… starting with a big breakfast -- waffles, syrup, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, etc. for breakfast – after sleeping really, really late, then taking a shower so long the hot water runs out, then dressing in my most comfortable clothes (really old clothes that happen to have a few holes in them… but they’re real comfortable). Just in case.

Since the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday are so Super-Special this year, this could also be the year Ground Hog Day actually gets stuck on re-runs!

Three big days in less than a week. February 2nd, 3rd, and 5th.

No wonder it’s everybody’s favorite short month.

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You’re always welcome to let me know you agree, disagree, can’t make sense of, or simply don’t care about anything I’ve written here… or about any other topic that happens to be on your mind. You can email me directly at: RodShealy@aol.com.

And, if reading it once just wasn’t enough for you, read it again online – along with previous columns -- at my modern-technology Electronic Internet blog: www.doingthefirst.blogspot.com

Table of Contents

It was just about a year ago that I announced one of my 2007 New Year’s Resolutions to write a column every week. Seeing as how I’m the Publisher and all, and we’re pumping out five different weekly community newspapers – that’s roughly 50,000 papers each week -- I figured that I really ought to buckle down and offer our readers the benefit of my vast storehouse of wisdom each week.

Well, I made it a whole, entire year… writing a column every single week -- although, after the first month or so, it became apparent that my vast storehouse was more like a tiny little closet – perhaps even the bottom shelf in the closet… and the “wisdom” was actually more the like the mindless, frequently unintelligible babbling of someone who probably played too much football without a helmet.

Also, I didn’t actually write a totally new column every week. There were a couple of weeks when I dusted off and freshened up articles I had written 10 or 15 years earlier… plus one or two weeks when, 15 minutes before deadline, I basically grabbed anything I could find from the Internet, changed a few words, and called it a column.

But the point is, I succeeded in occupying this space every week for a whole, entire, total, complete, full year, which is quite an accomplishment, given my tendencies for chronic procrastination and perpetual forgetfulness. Mission accomplished… which is quite an accomplishment, given my tendencies for chronic procrastination and perpetual forgetfulness. I did it!!! A whole year!!! … which is quite an accomplishment, given my tendencies for chronic procrastination and perpetual forgetfulness.

So I’ve decided to keep going.

I’m gonna keep writing a column every week… so I’m giving you fair warning.

And this year, there’s a chance I will actually IMPROVE my writing skills and produce articles, which frankly, aren’t such a gigantic waste of your time. (There’s also a chance Florida will fall into the ocean this year.) There’s always a chance, but I wouldn’t bet on it. As a matter of fact, I’m 99% sure it won’t happen. I’m almost positive I’ll keep pumping out the same menu of mostly useless prattle that I’ve been key-punching out for the last 52 weeks, with virtually no literary, educational, informational, or entertainment value at all… but at least, this year, I’m letting you know in advance.

And, out of my innate sense of fair play and fair warning, I’m providing you with a Table of Contents of sorts, listing what to expect for the rest of the year. Here’s what, with luck, you’ll be missing when you don’t read this column during the coming year:


-- Ground Hog Day. A column in which I explore the possibility that the movie comes true, and the same thing keeps happening over and over… which could actually happen anyway, given my tendencies for chronic procrastination and perpetual forgetfulness. I’ll probably offer the advice to always wear comfortable clothes on Ground Hog Day, just in case the movie comes true.

-- April Fools Day. No way I’m going to let it pass without at least a “Hey, your shoe’s untied!”, or a “Look, your fly’s open!”, or “Oh, there’s a bug on your shoulder!”, or “Beware, interplanetary life-forms are inhabiting this solar system and consuming our cranial contents.” So be on the look out for a good gag… although I’m very unlikely to top last year’s AFD headline: “Publisher Shealy Makes Best Dressed List”.

-- My wrap-up of this year’s South Carolina Presidential Primaries, with my own personal observations and commentary… although there’s a chance I’ll combine this with my April Fools column.

-- TV Scripts. If the writers stay on strike, I think I’m going to include some sit-com scripts in some of my columns. That way I’m killing two birds with one stone… a column, and a TV show. Unfortunately, most of the shows I like have been off the air for about a decade or two… but maybe they’ll make a comeback. If they’re going to stay on strike, we’ll being Mayberry back.

-- Rod-Boy’s Beginners Guide to the Internet. I’ve been promising this column since last spring, but I haven’t produced it yet. I plan to write this column soon, although it may or may not happen, given my tendencies for chronic procrastination and perpetual forgetfulness.

-- Rod-Boy’s Insiders Guide to the National Republican Convention. Back in the 1980’s, I twice served as a delegate to the quadrennial Presidential Nominating Convention, and since it looks as if this year’s convention could be a doozy, I’ll probably piece together some old war tales into a column. On the other hand, if it turns out NOT to be a doozy, I’ll probably skip watching it like everybody else, and watch re-runs of Andy instead.

-- Rod-Boy’s Insider Guide to the Olympics. “Insider” may be a stretch, unless they quickly make “belching” an Olympic sport… in which case, I’m bringing home the Gold for my country!!! If not, I’ll probably write about the Olympics anyway, mainly because how often do you get to use the word “quadrennial”?

-- Rob-Boy’s Lead Up to the Olympics. This column will be my opportunity to once again tell my favorite story about the time I water-skiied 162 miles down the river from Columbia to Charleston, along with my brother Shawn and my good friend, Joe Agnew. After all, why isn’t water-skiing in the Olympics? If it were, I’m pretty sure America would pick up a lot of extra Golds, Silvers, and Bronzes, because I can’t see those pesky Scandinavians doing so well if you replace mountains and snow with a motor-boat. Also, what about NASCAR? Where’s the fairness? They let those geek-walkers have their own event… why not NASCAR?

-- Summer Re-Runs. Be on the lookout. I’m pretty sure there will be some summer re-runs this year, because I really do need a vacation.

-- Rob-Boy’s “Guide” to Proofing… and, Punctuation!!! This one’s going to be tough on me… because – as you prolly know – I’m a “Punctuation-Maniac”, and a “Prooffinggg Mad-Man”!!!

That’s it. I’m fresh out of ideas. I’ll be happy to borrow your ideas. Send them to me via electric email: RodShealy@aol.com. Or, for the Internet savvy, just post’em to my internet blog: www.doingthefirst.blogspot.com

Rod's Quote of the Day

"After watching Sanford's videos in his State of the State Address, the audience was left longing for the good-ole days of Ross Perot and his charts."

Hillary, Obama, Sanford and the Politics of Race

Two major events occurred last week which were reported by the news media as having racial implications.


First, on the national level, Barack Obama lost the New Hampshire Primary after leading in the polls, leading reporters to speculate that some New Hampshire voters had voted against him for racial reasons.


Second, here in our state, Governor Mark Sanford appointed an African-American to South Carolina’s top law enforcement post: Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).


The national media acted surprised to learn that race might play a part in anyone’s decision-making process, as politically incorrect as it might be. Interestingly, this year’s presidential contest might be an exercise in political incorrectness, as race, religion and gender are all center-stage.


Ironically, if this were a job interview instead of an election, it would be illegal to use race, religion or gender as the basis for any hiring decision. But, I assure you, millions of Americans are letting those three items factor into their individual decisions to vote for or against certain candidates.


I have spelled out in this column, over the last couple of weeks, solid reasons to vote for each of the leading contenders, because I happen to believe they each deserve consideration from the voters based on their individual strengths and attributes.


As for race and ethnicity, I’m sure that neither Mr. Obama nor Bill Richardson have been surprised to discover that various voters have used those factors in making decisions, rightly or wrongly, during this process. Like most others actively involved in politics, I have long understood that race, religion and gender frequently enter into the process. I probably learned it at an earlier age than most. I was exactly two years old in 1956 when my father, the late Ryan Shealy, then a candidate for re-election to the S.C. House, became perhaps the first Deep South elected official to publicly denounce the Ku Klux Klan (see newspaper headline at http://www.doingthefirst.blogspot.com/). And it was nearly a quarter-century ago that I first worked to try to elect an African-American to State Senate, the late Earl Middleton, about whom I wrote here a few weeks ago.


The reality, I believe, is that it’s okay to acknowledge that race plays a part. Voting tendencies based on race, gender, ethnicity, or religion do exist, and no one should be condemned merely for acknowledging these facts.


The problem, I believe, occurs when race (or religion or gender) is intentionally used to divide or polarize the population. To their credit, neither Hillary nor Obama have been guilty of this thus far, as far as I know.


Our own Governor, however, may be a different story.


Mark Sanford, it turns out, is a master of PR. If he knows anything, it’s how to make himself look good to the public.


Last week, he employed a master stroke of PR when he chose an African-American, Reggie Lloyd, as the new Chief of SLED. Sanford, of course, knew that by doing so, he would be widely credited with helping to bridge the racial divide in our state. It would make him look very good -- even courageous -- to the public (and very progressive at a time when he might possibly be considered for the Veep slot on somebody’s Presidential ticket.)


Were it not for Sanford’s recently revealed history of hypocrisy, we might have bought it. But we are all too familiar with his “say-one-thing, but-do-another” track record: he has made political hay out of beating up on the legislature – always a popular way to get votes – but has not lifted a finger to work cooperatively with them to actually try to make an impact; he blasted the legislature for their competitive grant program, which he called “pork”, but never mentioned that he had privately helped himself to a $150,000 grant for his own piece of pork… and diverted the leftover funds to his friends, instead of giving it back to the taxpayers; and, for years, he lashed out against special interest “bobtailed” legislation, but seems to forget that he himself, in his final hours as a Congressman, attached such an amendment to force a $1 million, taxpayer financed bail-out of his politically-connected friends.


Let’s analyze Sanford’s SLED appointment. He leapfrogged many, many well-qualified, long-serving law enforcement professionals, in order to make a non-law enforcement attorney, who was already our state’s first African-American federal prosecutor, our state’s first African-American chief law enforcement officer. Who really benefits most from this courageous act? Is it Lloyd? Is it our state’s African-American community? Is it law enforcement?


Nope! It’s Mark Sanford, the master of PR, who put another PR feather in his cap. Like the rest of us, he understands that race does play a role in politics, and he’s taking advantage of it to promote himself. And, as we’ve already stated, no one should be condemned for merely acknowledging the role of race in politics.


But questions lurk. Has Mark Sanford also gone beyond this PR tactic to use race to intentionally polarize or divide? You be the judge…

-- Last year, a number of political groups who follow Sanford’s lead mounted the most aggressive campaign in history to try to block the election of an African-American, Judge Don Beatty, to the S.C. Supreme Court. Never before in history had a TV ad campaign been launched against a Supreme Court candidate. The TV ad, of course, showed clearly that Beatty was African-American. Virtually every Sanford ally was united in their efforts to stop Beatty, using political threats and intimidation to try to influence votes. In the end, Beatty was successful.

-- In the last month, a political group supporting Sanford’s efforts to defeat Republican legislators was discovered using negative push polls which suggested that voters should oppose an incumbent merely because he had supported Beatty.

-- Last year, as a part of Sanford’s effort to defeat Republican legislators, one of Sanford’s closest allies attempted to spread an untrue rumor against a Midlands State Senator that the Senator had fathered a black child. The rumor was posted on a political website with close connections to Sanford.

-- Last summer, when the state legislature was required to hold an election to fill a vacancy in the office of State Treasurer, Sanford approached a number of African-Americans about seeking the post, widely regarded as an attempt by Sanford to divide the legislature along racial lines. Sanford ultimately endorsed an African-American for the post who failed to receive a nomination, or get even a single vote… not even from Sanford’s small group of legislative allies. Sanford, however, “played the race card” and publicly criticized the legislature for failing to choose an African-American… even though he had also given a secondary endorsement to another ally -- a white State Senator who also lost.

-- Last summer, in a legislative election in Sanford’s hometown of Beaufort, an internet rumor was spread suggesting that Sanford opponents had made fake phone calls from a “black-sounding voice identifying herself as Shaniqua”. Although the rumor was widely circulated -- after ironically being first published on that same Sanford-connected website in Columbia -- no one ever in Beaufort ever reported actually receiving the calls. The rumor, it turned out, seems to have originated from Sanford’s own relatives! (His sister is married to the current Mayor of Beaufort!)

Reggie Lloyd is a highly-regarded and respected individual who will make a fine Chief of SLED, and his nomination should be confirmed by the Senate. But the people of South Carolina should keep a wary eye on our Governor and his allies, who have already proven that they are not above racial divisiveness in the name of promoting Mark Sanford.

And now... the Democrats!

The 2008 Presidential election is underway. The Iowa caucuses are now history, and by the time you read this, the New Hampshire primaries will also have run their course. The pivotal South Carolina primaries are now only days away.

In this column last week, you may recall, I offered good, solid reasons to vote for each of the Republican candidates for President, with the promise to cover the Democrats this week. (You can read it online at: http://www.doingthefirst.blogspot.com/)

I believe choosing a president is a complex process. If, as Waffle House claims, there are over 70,778,880 ways to order a hamburger, how many different factors must go into choosing a President. As I wrote last week, there's not a right answer to the question, "Who's the best choice for President?" Nor is there a wrong answer.

Like many of my friends and acquaintances, I still have no idea which candidate I will choose when I go to the polls.

And, although the debate during the days leading up to the early contests always seems to drift toward the negative, I see a lot of positive. The national news media, of course, tends to focus on the negative. TV ads produced by campaigns frequently focus on the negatives of their major opponents. By the time Election Day arrives, as a result, many voters are left to choose between what they now believe to be "the lesser of two evils".

But, knowing that there are no perfect people, I'm trying to look beyond the negative hype, to focus on what's good about the candidates. And, frankly, I see good, solid attributes in virtually every major candidate… Republican and Democrat alike.

So, last week, I offered what I consider to be a good reason to vote for each of the Republican candidates - John McCain, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani, and Duncan Hunter -- and this week, I'm doing the same for the four major Democrats: Barack Obama, John Edwards, Bill Richardson and Hillary Clinton.

Barack Obama appears to be a very nice guy who is smart, capable and likeable. At a time that most Americans appear to be ready for a major change in their government, Obama represents that attitude - not only because he speaks of change, but also because his election as the first African-American president would embody the most significant change in many, many decades. Obama is perhaps uniquely qualified to be the individual who pioneers this final frontier toward unifying a nation divided by race since its inception.

John Edwards talks of his passion for giving voice to the average, working Americans who often fall victim to the rich and powerful. Elements of his personal history - rising up from the humble beginnings of a family of mill workers in Upstate South Carolina; the tragic loss of his son to a traffic accident; even the cancer being faced by his wife Elizabeth - have given Edwards an empathy for the common man that other candidates cannot likely match. Democrat voters should note that Edwards has embraced traditional liberal Democratic philosophies without the luxury of representing a Blue-State constituency, suggesting that his political views come from the heart.

Bill Richardson has the best resume of any candidate, Democrat or Republican. If experience counts, Richardson's record of service - which includes stints as a Congressman, Secretary of Energy, U.N Ambassador, and Governor of New Mexico - make him the most prepared candidate to be President. His election would also mark a milestone for our nation: the first Hispanic President, which could prove useful in dealing with the national crisis of illegal immigration we currently face. Richardson is known as a capable and respected leader.

Hillary Clinton is proven. Her eight-years as a very public First Lady clearly demonstrated her ability to handle the pressure associated with the office. As America seeks to elect the next leader of the free world, we should keep first and foremost in our minds that we must choose someone with the nerves of steel needed to face off against the global threat of terrorists willing to die for their cause. No other candidate has demonstrated more inner-brass than Hillary. Through the many trials and tribulations of the Clinton years, we've never seen her sweat. As President, I believe she will be willing to "do whatever it takes"… a necessary trait of our next President. Additionally, we know she has the ability to work in a bi-partisan fashion, as her joint efforts with our own Senator Lindsey Graham will attest. As a bonus, her election would certainly signal gender-equality in America.

So there you have it: Solid reasons to vote FOR the four Democratic candidates for President… as promised last week when I offered the same type of positive comments about each of the Republicans.

I hope you'll find your own good reasons to vote for one of these dozen or so top-quality men and women who are offering their service. They're each truly impressive in their own ways. And, I can promise you - despite what you might read and hear in the weeks ahead -- not a single one of them is running for President because they DON'T love our country.

70,778,880 ways to choose a President

By the time you read this, the 2008 Presidential Election will be officially underway with the January 3rd Iowa caucuses, the traditional first chance anyone has the opportunity to actually cast a vote for the next president. The South Carolina primary will be only a couple of weeks away.

So, its time for us to start thinking seriously about our choice to be the next leader of the free world.

Choosing a president is a complex process. Even deciding what qualities are most important can be difficult.

I was in Waffle House a few days ago and I noticed on their menu where they claim there are over 70,778,880 ways to order a hamburger.

If there are that many combinations of ingredients for a hamburger, how many different combinations of ingredients must there be in the make up of a president? And, in addition to all these variables, we should also factor in that there are now over 300 million citizens, each of whom have a slightly different set of personal values.

So do the math: What’s roughly 70 million times roughly 300 million? Whatever it comes to, that’s my estimate of how many variables go into choosing a president.

What all that high math means, I think, is this: There’s not a right answer to the question, “Who’s the best choice for President?” Nor is there a wrong answer. There are just millions and millions of individual decisions, based on lots and lots of different factors.

And we here in South Carolina have about two weeks to sort through that massive jigsaw puzzle.

The campaigns of the 20 or so candidates running for President understand the complexity of the choices to be made. Consequently, they focus most of their advertising, not on offering REASONS to choose their candidate, but instead to making voters FEEL GOOD about their candidate. They also, of course, spend a lot of effort trying to make voters FEEL BAD about their opponents.

As I write this, I have absolutely no idea which candidate I will choose when I go to the polls on January 19th for the Republican Primary (or January 26th for the Democratic Primary, which is unlikely… but never say never.) A lot of my friends and acquaintances tell me they feel the same way.

So, what I’d like to do here is this: I want to offer what I consider to be a good reason to vote for each of the candidates, because frankly, I can see good, solid attributes in virtually all of them… Republican and Democrat alike. This week, we’ll run through the Republicans, and next week, I’ll cover the Democrats.

We’ll start with John McCain. I believe John McCain is a good and decent man, proven in the service of his country as a POW during the Vietnam War. He has solid and successful experience in government, and has shown himself to be a consensus builder. He’s battle-tested, and we probably know everything there is to know about him, so we’re unlikely to run into any surprises. McCain would be a solid President during a time of war, and one who truly understands the sacrifices faced by our military families.

Mitt Romney is probably our best choice of a President if we’re looking for a CEO. He has a proven-track record at successfully operating both businesses and government. He probably understands the role of a Chief Executive Officer better than any other candidate, and understands how to surround himself with top quality people to whom he can delegate responsibility. He also seems to be a man of faith with solid family values.

Rudy Giuliani has a solid record as a fearless leader. The world watched him hold his city together – and possibly our nation – in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Long before that, however, Giuliani had proven himself as the U.S. District Attorney who declared war on the Mafia and, to a great extent, succeeded in shutting them down. As Mayor of NYC, he presided over a massive turn-around of his city.

Fred Thompson may be our best shot at electing another Ronald Reagan. Reagan proved that being an actor has its advantages. Like Reagan, Thompson possesses the oratorical skills to motivate the masses. Also like Reagan, he seems to be a no-nonsense, straight talker, and an unflinching conservative. His tough persona would serve America well during the decade ahead, when our terrorist foes will continue their war against the world.

Mike Huckabee is a nice guy. He’s a friendly, likeable fellow, who is down to earth. He’s one of the people. He has the experience of having run a state without the insider taint of Washington, DC. America likes to elect ex-Governors who haven’t served in Congress (Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush in the last three decades.) He, too, seems to be a decent man with solid family values.

Ron Paul is a purist. He is THE straight-talker of the group. You can count on him to say exactly what he thinks, without regard to political expediency. And he is a true reformer. More than any other candidate, Ron Paul walks the walk. He would truly be a breath of fresh air for our nation, and a change of direction. He is fearless in standing up for his principles.

Duncan Hunter has solid experience in Congress, and served as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, which possibly gives him more insight than any other candidate into our nation’s actual ongoing military operations. Although sometimes dismissed as a front-runner, he may be my personal favorite. I had an opportunity to speak personally with him on the phone about a year ago (as I did with several candidates during the early stages of their campaigns).

But my chat with Hunter gave me good insight that he was a truly nice guy. As it happened, we talked for over half-an-hour on New Year’s Eve night, 2006. He was taking time off from Congress and campaigning, and was with his family. I could hear the grandkids in the background. He was as genuine as any candidate I’ve ever talked to, concerned for the future of our nation, and wanting to offer himself to do his part. I hope voters give him the same consideration they give the other candidates.

There you have it: Good, solid reasons to vote for each of seven Republican candidates for President.

Next week, I’ll offer equally sound reasons to vote for most of the Democrats.

The Year In Review

Near the end of each year, many newspapers publish stories about the “biggest news events” of the preceding twelve months. To produce this, editors devote many hours of research, planning, analysis, and review, poring through 52-weeks worth of clippings.

I thought I’d try to present my own version of “the year in review”… but frankly, I just don’t have the time to do all that research (since I’m actually writing this column on Christmas weekend, and I also have to start my gift shopping.) So, I’ll just have to try to give you my annual recap from my own personal recollections.

(Here’s one problem: My memory doesn’t always extend back a full year anymore… so my wrap-up of the year might seem more like the highlights of the last six or eight weeks… or maybe even the biggest news items from late-December!)

Anyway, here we go, with my own personal version of “The Year in Review”:

-- The race for the presidency. For the first time since Eisenhower, we have a truly “open” race for the presidency, with neither an incumbent president nor vice-president seeking election. Additionally, we have a reasonable likelihood of electing either our first female or first African-American president. Also, although overshadowed by the Hillary/Obama contest, we also have a chance to elect our first: a) Hispanic; b) Morman; c) Mayor of NYC; d) Baptist preacher; e) OBGYN doctor; or f) former POW. And -- let’s not forget Dennis Kucinich – our chance to elect: g) our first President who believes he has talked to space aliens. The primaries and elections are actually in 2008, but the campaigns here in South Carolina have been center-stage all year long.

-- I lost 35 pounds, and was runner-up in a weight-loss contest. While this probably doesn’t qualify as a big news item of the magnitude of electing the next president, bear in mind that these “top stories” are coming from what’s left of my own memory.

-- Gas is expensive. Most of the year, we paid up around $2.50 - $3.00 per gallon, meaning the cost to transport all goods are higher, and therefore, the prices we pay for all goods are higher. The price of gas spiked suddenly right after Hurricane Katrina, supposedly due to the interruption of Gulf Coast refineries. That was nearly two-and-a-half years ago, and the prices are still high. I may start riding a bicycle.

-- The economy is in rough shape. Well, duh-h-h! (See “Gas is expensive” above.) And I would guess it doesn’t help any that: a) we have now exported MOST of the jobs we once had in America to other countries; and b) the emerging industry in our nation now seems to be lending people money that they probably can’t afford to pay back, ranging from pay-day and title-loans, to sub-sub-prime mortgages, to billions in foreign aid from the federal government. And now you say our economy is struggling? Huh! Go figure!!!

-- Sanford-gate. The world’s most nearly-perfect living human being, our own Governor Mark Sanford, sort of got caught with his hand in the public cookie jar! Well, not exactly. He wasn’t stashing taxpayer cookies into his own pockets… but he was secretly slipping it to his rich and powerful buddies, to help promote their mutual “Lifestyles of the Rich and Powerful” agenda. Stay tuned, I’m sure, as the $101,000 transfer from the Governors Conference to his buddies was just the tip of the iceberg.

-- In Entertainment News for 2007: Marie Osmond fainted on Dancing with the Stars; Brittany’s too-young sister is pregnant; and the Hit Movies of the Year were: “Walk Hard” and “Charlie Wilson’s War”. (I gotta be honest… I haven’t seen either movie yet – they were both just released last week -- and I don’t know if they’re hits or not. They’re just the only movies I can recall, mainly because they’re new and still being advertised heavily. And while I’m being honest… I didn’t even know Brittany had a sister. The only entertainment news I can really remember from the whole year is Marie fainting… mainly because they showed it over and over and over and over.)

-- Al Gore won an Oscar. He also won the Nobel Peace Prize, and, I think, an Emmy. I’m happy for him. It suits me fine if they let him win every prize and award given – a Grammy, a Tony, Major League Baseball’s MVP, the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, etc. – as long as he doesn’t ever win any more elections!

-- The Internets. It’s doing quite well in 2007. Let’s give Al Gore a special award for inventing it.

-- Sports Highlights of the Year. They big sports news story of the year is most likely the annual rivalry collegiate football game between the USC Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers. But, as I mentioned earlier, I’m relying on my own personal memory for this “Year In Review”… and I can’t for the life of me remember back far enough to recall the outcome of this year’s contest. Oh, well… let’s just turn our attention to next year!

-- And the biggest story of the year: Monks no longer selling eggs in the Lowcountry! The animal-rights activist group PETA has succeeded in thwarting those sinister monks who live in their monastery on the banks of the Cooper River in Berkeley County. Selling eggs is cruel to chickens, PETA said. So now the monks have announced they will no longer sell eggs, which was their only means of supporting themselves. No eggs! I feel bad for the monks, I really do. It’s not enough that they devote their entire lives to their faith, and do without the things we all take for granted. They don’t have TV. They don’t have Al Gore’s Internets. They don’t dance. While we’re all New Years Eve Parties, they’ll be fasting in silence. And, of course, no sex. In short, they do without almost everything. And now PETA is taking away their eggs.

So, that’s the way it was in 2007.

Happy New Year! Here’s wishing you a safe and prosperous 2008, and the opportunity to build upon the experiences of 2007… the year PETA took eggs away from the monks.

The New Traditions of Christmas

I was thinking to myself the other day: What Christmas really needs is a few more traditions.

Of course, I was thinking satirically. Because really, the LAST thing Christmas needs is more traditions or symbols.

There seem to be a gazillion of them. Let’s try to count:

Santa Claus. Christmas Trees. Parades. Parties. Reindeer. Holly. Mistletoe. Gifts. Shopping. Decorations. Manger scenes. Wreaths. Stockings. The North Pole. Elves. Sleigh bells. Jingle Bells. Silver Bells. Toys for the kids. Snowmen. White Christmas. Blue Christmas. Silver and Gold. Candy Canes. Fruit Cake. Caroling. Egg Nog. Yule Logs. Holiday Movies. The Fireplace and chimney. Cookies and milk. Grandmothers House. Rudolph. Scrooge. Holiday Sweaters. Silent Night. Holiday Break. Turkey and dressing. Shepherds watching flocks by night. The Naughty and Nice list. Candles. Icicles. Sugar Plums. Joy to the World. Secret Santa. Top-hats and scarves. Sounds of the Season. Green and Red. Chipmunks. Dogs Barking Jingle Bells. The Gifts of the Magi. The Grinch. Christmas Pageants. Nutcracker. Holiday Lights. The Little Drummer Boy. Gift Exchange. Christmas Cards. Toyland. The Christmas Cantata. Deck the Halls. Gift Exchange. Ribbons and Bows. Figgy Pudding. Tiny Tim. Santa’s hat. Three wise men. Toys for Tots. The Christmas Ham. Gift Wrap. Garlands. Chestnuts roasting. Poinsettas. Ornaments. Jolly Ole St. Nick. Star of Bethlehem.

Okay, maybe not a gazillion… but lots. And those are just the ones that came to mind while I was sipping my hot chocolate with marshmallows.

We seem to add new holiday customs every year. (Mostly fueled by “the commercialism of Christmas”, I expect.)

As long as we’re going to keep adding new symbols and ceremonies to help celebrate the season, I thought I’d try to slip in a few I’d like to see.

So, just in time for YOUR holiday enjoyment, here are the Top Ten New Holiday Traditions I’d like to suggest:

10. Newman, the Nuclear Reindeer. This is my idea to replace Rudolph. Rather than the out-dated, rather-cliche glowing-nose, Newman would be a “glowing-all-over” reindeer, for cutting through the really dense fog certain to be brought about by global warming. Also, a nuclear powered reindeer could help solve the perennial question of all first-graders: “How can he make it all around the world in one night?” With a nuclear reindeer, the question practically answers itself.

9. Holiday Hum-a-longs. Face it. When’s the last time you went Christmas Caroling and actually knew the words to the carols? Oh, sure, maybe Jingle Bells or O Christmas Tree. But not the actual carols, like Good King Wenceslas. You don’t know the words. No one does. My solution: Hum-a-longs! And what’s the perfect complement for humming? Christmas Clogging!!!

8. Putting up the Grafitti Tree. It’s not unlike the traditional Christmas Tree. But instead of ornaments, garlands, and the ever-troublesome strands of lights, we’ll now just turn an inner-city kid loose with a few cans of spray paint. If you want to show off, add a can of Silly String. And to make it really glisten in the light, finish it off spraying on a light coating of PAM.

7. Nogzilla, the Destroyer. This is my idea for the next big Christmas villain, to go along with Scrooge and The Grinch. (As a writer, I have this notion that everything should come in threes.) The mythical Nogzilla follows St. Nick around on Christmas Eve night, destroying all the toys left by Santa, and leaving a cup of spoiled nog in its place. (There is a happy ending, of course -- just like Grinch and Scrooge – when all the nog magically turns into Peace and Goodwill.)

6. Jingle Bell piercings. I’m not a big fan of facial or body piercing… but some of those grungy kids would love it, I’ll bet. I’m guessing the “grunge” community is somewhat disengaged from the whole Christmas thing, and giving them their own new tradition – jingle bells dangling from various parts of their faces – would help pull them back into the spirit. Plus, for the rest of us, it would help give us early warning when they’re approaching, so we can leave.

5. Christmas Resolutions. Sort of a warm-up for New Years Resolutions, but they would only last a week. It could be a good way to test out our resolutions on a trial basis. Let’s say you want to break the habit of eating straight peanut butter with a spoon out of the jar every night before bedtime. If you can go a week without it, maybe you could give it up for good. I can even envision a new holiday TV show: “Dr. Phil’s Christmas Resolution Special.”

4. The Christmas Cat Exchange. It’s a cross between exchanging gifts and sending Greeting Cards to friends. I haven’t quite got the details of this one worked out, but I think it could work.

3. The Airing of Grievances. Full disclosure: I stole this from the TV show Seinfeld. It’s part of the annual celebration of Festivus, a holiday for the rest of us. For the record, I do not subscribe to the celebration of Festivus. But I’m perfectly willing to hijack their very noble tradition: The Airing of Grievances during the holiday season. And, it could help steer the conversation around the Christmas Dinner table away from “you wrapped up WHAT for her Christmas gift?!!!”

2. The Holiday Spam. Self explanatory, I believe. Need I say more?

1. A cell-phone which also serves as a holiday sweater. They can do every thing else, so why not a sweater? Leading up to Christmas, approximately every third TV commercial is an ad for a new cell phone which can take pictures, play music, send email, etc. They’re trying to make us believe a cell phone is THE perfect Christmas Gift. If they can make one that doubles as a Christmas Sweater, then it will, in fact, be the perfect Christmas Gift.

Well… there you have it: My list of suggested new holiday traditions. Of course, we could also go back to just celebrating that FIRST Christmas tradition -- the reason for the season.

Here’s hoping you have your best holiday ever: Season’s Greetings, Merry Christmas… and Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Holiday Blessings: Part Two

From Thanksgiving weekend until the Christmas Season, right through the annual fresh start afforded by New Years Day, most of us do a lot of thinking.

We think about our blessings. We think about our family and our friends. And we think about our lives, our careers, our future plans, and the improvements we should each make in our lives.
In my case, I try not to dwell too much on the “improvements” needed, because if I do, it ends up occupying all of my thinking time, leaving no time to think about the blessings, etc.

Fact of the matter is I could spend all my time counting the blessings: I have way too many to count. From time to time, I acknowledge some of them in this column – especially my family and friends – because I simply don’t take the time I should to show my gratitude otherwise.

This week, I need to add to my list of blessings: I am truly fortunate to have some of the finest people I know working each week to make this newspaper a reality.

As you probably know, our small enterprise publishes five different community newspapers each week. We believe these very localized newspapers are important to the communities they serve… giving local communities a forum for communicating local issues, allowing small businesses to reach their most-likely customers, and simply helping neighbors know neighbors a little better.

But this newspaper would not be possible without the dedicated efforts of a small, hard-working group of people. We depend on a few individuals who make this their full-time occupation, and a much larger group who contribute a smaller amount of their time and talents each week.

We have writers, reporters, columnists and editors who provide most of the content you read each week, and we have photographers who capture the images which help bring the written words to life. We have account executives who work with local businesses to provide the advertising while actually provides the income which makes the newspaper possible. We have graphic artists and page designers who create the ads, and transform the words, pictures, ads, and headlines into pages ready to print each week. And we have circulation specialists who insure the delivery of thousands and thousands of copies of the newspaper each week.

In addition to these paid staffers, we have dozens of volunteers who contribute news releases, columns, photos, or other creative offerings on a regular basis.

After carefully organizing all those elements together – like hundreds of pieces of a weekly jigsaw puzzle -- we somehow end up with a newspaper each week… a prospect which concerned us a bit when we embarked on this journey back in 1989!

It’s a lot more work than you would imagine could be done with a very small staff. But somehow, it gets done… every week… through rain, sleet or snow, just like the mail.

Probably the biggest key to successfully getting the job done each week is the fact that I stay out of the office most of the time. Years ago I discovered – much to my chagrin – that the business operated better without me than with me!

So, when I say “we somehow end up with a newspaper each week”, I should more appropriately say “THEY end up with a newspaper each week”.

I am blessed to be a small part of a great, hard-working group of people who pull together to provide something important for our community each week.

We will continue to try to improve each week to give this community the newspaper it deserves. And, as always, we ask for your continued help and support. Whether you contribute a neighborhood column each week, send us an occasional photo, use our newspaper to advertise your business, or simply thank local advertisers for supporting the newspaper, your help is appreciated.

And this holiday season, I’m thankful for you.

Christmas Grab Bag

December has arrived. It’s the Christmas Season for real now. So I thought I’d share a few of my random thoughts about the holiday season.

First, though, I need to wrap-up one of my pre-holiday activities: The Great Weight Loss Contest of 2007, which concluded before Thanksgiving. Seventeen of each threw $100 in the pot, with the Biggest Loser taking it all.

And, for the third time in a row, I finished just out of the money: first runner-up to my business partner, Kirk Luther. This time, I lost a total of 35 pounds in three months… but Kirk lost 37! Barry “Fatback” Walker came in third, losing 27 pounds, and the other 14 contestants seemed to lose an average of 15 or 20 pounds each. I say “seemed”, because we don’t know for sure: most of them didn’t bother to show up for the final weigh-in. But those who did had lost 20 pounds or so… not a bad weight-loss routine for only $100.

Since both Kirk and Rod have each gained about half of their weight back already, I’m pretty sure the other candidates -- Brian Jeffcoat, Danny Frazier, Jake Knotts, Stan Bowen, Gerald Head, Andy Gobeil, Scott Malyerck, Douglas Adam, Ricky Wingard, Terry Campbell, Jim Miles, Angileigh Wingard, Tim Kelley, and R.J. Shealy -- will have another chance during the Great Weight Loss Contest of 2008, which will most likely begin right after New Years.

Sigh. It was fun being thin for a week.

Okay. On to Rod-Boy’s Random Holiday Observations:

-- Christmas parades remind me of trains. Parades have Santa at the end, just like choo-choo trains have cabooses… both of which are everybody’s favorite part!

-- Holiday air travel is always the worst, because that’s when “amateurs” fly. Business travelers know in advance to take their shoes off while they’re waiting to go through the security check-point; holiday travelers invariably think THEY might be the one passenger allowed to make it through without taking of their shoes. So the line moves a lot slower.

-- I’m not a big fan of Egg Nog… just because of the name. In my opinion, beverages should not have the words “egg” or “nog” in their name. It scares me.

-- I AM a big fan of the Gamecocks… but I’m delighted the football team didn’t get a bowl bid. I stated my position on this several years ago: Places like Shreveport, Louisiana are not appropriate destinations for Holiday Bowls. (Similarly, items like the “Weedwhackers” were never appropriate sponsors for a bowl.) And 6-6 is not an appropriate record for a reward. However, I’m still a Gamecock Fan, and I believe in Steve. He WILL have us playing on New Years Day soon.

-- I believe smoking cigarettes in America is declining due to the use of cell phones. (I’m not sure why this is a holiday thought; maybe because I see so many TV ads pushing cell phones as a Christmas gift idea.) My theory is simple: For years, cigarettes have been addictive. People smoked ‘em to make themselves look “cool”. And, of course, they gave the smoker something to do with their mouths and their hands. Now, however, cell phones are doing those exact same things. So people no longer have the need to smoke! (Or the opportunity, because you can’t smoke and talk on a cell phone at the same time!)

-- I’m betting that “Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la” is one of the best known lines of any Christmas Carol…. for that matter, probably of any song, period. (It’s because there are no words… only short syllables.) The Van Morrison song, Brown Eyed Girl, uses some of the same syllables. These are great songs to sing when you have a hard time remembering lyrics… like I do.

-- On Thursday, December 20th, this newspaper will have its annual Christmas Drop-In from 4:30pm til 7:30pm. You’re invited. (The location is at our office is at 7595 St. Andrews Road in Irmo.) If you don’t get another invitation…. This is it!

-- As a special treat for you this year, I’m offering you a few of my personal recommendations of events and activities you should make a point to include in your holiday schedules…

There are two special Christmas Light displays which are great entertainment for the whole family. Riverbanks Zoo is presenting the 20th Anniversary of its “Light Before Christmas” display through Dec. 30 (Go to www.riverbanks.org for info); and Saluda Shoals Park is presenting “Holiday Lights on the River” until Dec. 31 (call 772-1228 for info). Together, these two displays combine for Eleventy-seven Gazillion brightly twinkling Christmas lights.

Two local churches present well known Christmas pageants. Union United Methodist Church in Irmo presents its annual drive-through Living Christmas Story from Dec. 6th - Dec. 9th (call 781-3013). Lake Murray Baptist Church presents its much-heralded “This Man Called Jesus” each weekend through Dec. 16th (call 957-1435 for info).

If you enjoy Christmas musical shows, I can recommend two: The Palmetto Mastersingers’ Christmas Show will be Thursday, Dec. 6 at 7:30pm at the Koger Center for the Arts; and a 31-year tradition continues as “The Elf Show” is presented by Christy’s School of Dance and Tumblebus on Saturday, Dec. 8th at 8pm at the Batesburg-Leesville Fine Arts Center (Call 364-1139 for info.)

On Dec. 8th and 9th, the Historic Lorick Plantation House steps back in time to Christmas season circa 1840 for the Annual Holiday Open House, presented by Capital City/Lake Murray Visitors Center. (Call 781-5940 for info.)

Village Square Theater in Lexington is presenting O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” one-act play weekends until December 9th. (Call 359-1346) And while you’re in Lexington, the Holiday House at Harmon’s Tree Farm is always a great holiday treat.

And finally… I hope you’ll all drop by our newest Christmas Tradition – Gatsbees Worlds Fair Soda Fountain – for holiday desserts after your favorite holiday events. And bring your out of town guests to visit our new tourist attraction. Gatsbees is open nightly til 9pm, located at 7585 St. Andrews Road in Irmo.

Remembering Earl Middleton

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, most of the daily newspapers in the state published articles noting the passing of former State Representative Earl Middleton of Orangeburg at age 88.

Most readers of the newspapers in which this column appears have not lived in the Orangeburg area, and thus may not be familiar with the name. But Earl Middleton was a friend of mine, and I wanted to take the opportunity to add a few thoughts… because Earl was truly a beacon of light for all of us.

The daily newspaper accounts covered some of the highlights from Middleton’s lifetime of achievements. They told of his four years of service to our nation during World War II as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, with rotations in the 4th Aviation Squadron, the 129th Port Battalion and overseas duty in the Pacific Theatre.

It was recalled that Middleton was born in Orangeburg on Feb. 18, 1919, the youngest of Samuel and Ella Middleton's six children. He received his elementary, high school and college education at Claflin University, graduating in 1942 with a B.A. in sociology. While at Claflin, he served as class president for each of his four years in college, and developed a life-long commitment to his Alma Mater. And he served on the board overseeing Charleston’s Middleton Plantation, where his grandfather had been a slave until the end of the Civil War.

Returning to Orangeburg in 1946, Middleton began his business, first as a barber, and later, selling insurance from his shop. Eventually, he entered the real estate business as well, and became a respected business fixture in Orangeburg for decades. In 1974 Middleton was elected to the South Carolina legislature, where he served for 10 years, becoming the county’s first black elected representative since Reconstruction.

It was there that I first met Middleton. In 1983, an acquaintance introduced me to Middleton, who was planning to run for State Senate against one of the most senior members of the Senate, the late Sen. Marshall Williams. At the time, I was still in my 20’s, and an as-yet unproven political consultant… or actually more of a political-consultant wannabe. But Middleton asked for my help in his campaign. I joined his campaign team, and embarked on one of the most memorable times of my life.

For sure, we were an odd couple: Middleton, a senior African-American Democrat from Orangeburg County, and I, a white, wet-behind-the-ears young Republican from Lexington County. But we had an immediate friendship and mutual respect. And I learned much from this gentleman.

For me personally, Earl’s campaign allowed me to break the color barrier and the party barrier. It was the first time I had directed a legislative campaign for an African- American or a Democrat. And, in so doing, I learned that we had much more in common than in contrast. Working hand in hand with Earl Middleton and hundreds and hundreds of his African-American friends and supporters gave me a perspective that most of my political colleagues never had the opportunity to gain.

Earl also gave me a bit of historical trivia that most others never knew. In the early 60’s, Middleton and two other African-Americans had been chosen as delegates to the Republican National Convention. Unfortunately, the slate of delegates which included Middleton was displaced by a second slate, and he was never seated as a delegate. A decade later, as he embarked on his trail-blazing political career, he ran as a Democrat, and became a leader of his party. But for a twist of fate, history might have been vastly different. It was then that I first realized how unimportant labels could be.

In the 1984 Senate race, another twist of fate came into play. That year, the State Senate for the first time was being elected from newly-formed single-member districts. The district in which Middleton was running against the incumbent Senator Williams had an African-American population of 51%, which favored Middleton. In the spring of that year, however, veteran Senator Marion Gressette, Chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, suddenly died. Marshall Williams was next in line as Chairman, a position he used to halt the upcoming election, and quickly redraw the lines of his district to reduce the percentage of African-American population.

In the end, we lost the race by about 600 votes. Middleton and Williams remained friends, with residents complimenting both on the positive, gentlemanly campaigns they had run.

And for me, although I was not successful in winning the race, the Earl Middleton campaign has endured as one of my proudest achievements of my life. Though we only spoke on infrequent occasions through the next two decades, we remained friends. And the lessons I learned from Earl Middleton have been an important part of my life.

Last week, South Carolina lost one of its true heroes… quiet, unassuming, respectful and dignified. But, the thousands of lives he touched along the way will assure that Earl Middleton’s beacon of light will continue to shine for many years to come.

A Time for Thanksgiving

Since it’s Thanksgiving Week, I though I would do what virtually every columnist in America (plus a lot of bloggers) will be doing this week… tell you about a few of the things for which I am personally thankful.

First and most obvious, I’m thankful my three-month Weight Loss Contest is over… just in time for Thanksgiving. (Someday, I may tell you who won. Or not.)

I’m thankful for my Mom & Dad. I was blessed with good ones. To paraphrase Lincoln, all that I am, I owe to my mom and dad. Dad’s no longer with us, and that leaves Mom to shoulder the blame alone. But she never complains.

I’m thankful for my wife and kids. Again, I’m blessed with good ones. Two sons and a daughter who make me proud, and a wonderful wife who puts up with me… which surprises me! And I’m thankful for the rest of my family. Altogether, they not only provide me with comfort and joy, but also with a high degree of entertainment value. (It’s actually better than TV – somewhere between Reality TV, Day of Our Lives, Dr. Phil, and The Beverly Hillbillies.)

I’m thankful for our Democracy. If you ask me in mid-January, after we’ve endured about 10 weeks of the non-stop TV ads for the presidential campaigns that we’re getting ready to endure, I’ll probably seem a little less thankful.

I’m thankful for my friends. I have a lot of ‘em, and I know they’re true friends. Sometimes, you’re not sure if a person is a true friend… or just interested in your money. Fortunately for me, I never have to question whether my friends or genuine or not.

Which reminds me…

I’m thankful to be free of the burdens and responsibilities of great financial wealth. (In the political world, that’s what we call “putting a good spin” on something.)

I’m thankful to be 53 years old. There are those who didn’t think I’d last this long. By all rights, I probably shouldn’t have.

I’m thankful to live in South Carolina. It’s a great place to live. Now, I know we’re ranked last in the nation in education, health care, income, and lots of other things… and I suppose that should make me less happy to live here. But, somehow, it’s still a great place to live. Statistics or not… I wouldn’t live anywhere else!

I’m thankful for the people I work with: co-workers, associates, clients, employees, suppliers. Lots of good people -- better than I deserve -- hard workers who care about their performance, and generally try to do the right things. They make me look good… at least for a while, until I come along and do something to mess things up.

I’m thankful for my health. Looking at me from a distance, you wouldn’t think I’d be that thankful, given the condition I’m in (and from up close, you’d be even more surprised.) But, in the big picture, as old and out-of-shape as I might be, I’m healthy. I can see and hear, I can walk and talk… and there are lots of people in the world who can’t do those things. So, yes, I’m thankful for my health, as feeble as that may be.

I’m thankful Steve Spurrier is our Head Ball Coach. He’s a great coach. It really gives me hope for next year, even while our Gamecocks are tumbling like drunken sailor down a flight of stairs in a snowstorm. I believe in Steve. Things will get better.

I’m thankful for my readers… especially those of you who have made it this far into my column. You’ve probably already had to jump from the front page to a page somewhere near the back of the newspaper, and it may have taken a lot of time and effort to find the right page. To top that off, if you’re a regular reader, you probably know that my columns tend to run a little long, and sometimes start to fade near the end. Plus, you undoubtedly know that they are usually just random thoughts hastily strung together a few minutes before weekly my deadline, typically with not much rhyme or reason, and very little literary, entertainment, or informational value… and yet, YOU are still here reading…. and for that, I am thankful… and surprised.

I’m thankful for electricity. I think electricity is a good thing, and it’s taken for granted. I take it for granted, too. And I’m not really that passionate about being thankful for it, but I was thinking… there will be hundreds of columns like this written this week about “Things I’m Thankful For” … and nobody else will mention electricity. So I thought I would.

I’m thankful for Random Thought Patterns. Without them, I would not have been able to write this column every week for almost a year.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and a Joyous Holiday Season.

Dirty Money?

Long before Jake Knotts became a State Senator, he was doing detective work to track down criminals for the City of Columbia Police Department. Now, as a member of the General Assembly, the ex-cop has occasion to put his skills as an investigator to work from time to time.

Over the last few months, Knotts has been tracking a governmental paper trail which is now raising some serious questions about Governor Mark Sanford, and his continual, very-public battle with the legislature.

Since the beginning of his political career, Sanford has played the role of uncompromising outsider battling the status quo. As a member of Congress, he relished those issues on which he could be on the losing side of a lop-sided roll-call, often being one of only five or six congressman to vote “no” against more than 400 voting “yes”. At least once, he was the lone dissenter against every other member of Congress, which he believed proved his political courage. While his posturing made him popular politically, it also made him irrelevant as a member of Congress: He readily admits accomplishing nothing during his six years representing South Carolina’s First District.

As Governor, Sanford has continued his “anti-government” approach to government, picking fights with his own legislature so he could continue to claim to be an outsider. His posturing has kept him politically popular, but has made him ineffective as governor. The State of South Carolina had the largest government spending increases in history during Sanford’s years as governor, a fact he blames on the legislature. Never mind the fact that HE is the elected leader of the state, and should be its most powerful official. He is the one person who could have prevented the budget increases if he were anywhere near as effective as former Governors Campbell, Beasley, Hodges, Riley, or Edwards… each of whom found ways to make a difference for the state without the gubernatorial powers or partisan advantages enjoyed by Sanford.

In recent months, Sanford’s feud with the legislature has led his office to develop a “hit list” of legislators marked for defeat at the hands of his allies. The governor announced a special political fund-raising organization – called ReformSC – which is soliciting contributions to use in campaigns to defeat those targeted members. And Sanford’s political allies have already begun an orchestrated effort to damage the reputations of those named on the “hit list”.

And, a couple of months ago, they “fired a shot” at Senator Jake Knotts.

But they missed.

Allies of Governor Mark Sanford published an untrue rumor targeting Knotts on an Internet website read by many political insiders, citing only anonymous sources as the basis of the rumor. It was an outrageous rumor, designed to damage Knotts politically.

Shooting at a cop is always a bad idea, even if the cop has been retired for more than a decade, and the “shot” is only an Internet rumor.

Knotts’ detective instincts took over, and he immediately started asking questions. He found the individual who owned the libelous website, and quickly determined the source of the rumor. And he kept asking questions.

What Knotts found is a network of people who appear to do Sanford’s dirty work… and a hidden paper trail of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars which is being used to finance the dirty deeds.

The central figure in the network may be Chris Drummond, a former news reporter in Charleston who also served as Sanford's chief spokesman for the first few years of his administration. Drummond left the Governor’s office to enter into private business, but apparently did not cut his ties to Sanford.

It was Drummond who anonymously fed the libelous smear about Knotts to the website which published it, according to the website’s owner, who also said Drummond had been using private investigators to try to “dig up dirt” against legislators..

But why would the Governor’s ex-employee spread untrue information about one of the Governor’s fellow Republicans, Knotts wanted to know.

The answer was easy to guess: Drummond was being PAID to try to smear certain Republican legislators. The 2008 campaign attacks had already secretly begun, and Drummond was being paid to discredit the names on Sanford’s “hit list”.

Sanford, of course, is far too smart to get caught paying people to do his dirty work. That’s why there are a number of new political “organizations” which have been formed in South Carolina during the years Sanford has been Governor. In addition to the newly formed ReformSC, there are groups named South Carolinians for Responsible Government, CIO, Club for Growth… all with close ties to Sanford. It is these groups which funnel money to try to defeat candidates who oppose Sanford’s positions on issues. But the money can never be traced directly back to Sanford.

As Knotts went searching for payments which Sanford or his allies might have directed to Drummond, he came across three stunning discoveries.

First, he discovered that when South Carolina hosted the National Governors Conference in 2006, Drummond received $27,000 from the funds used to pay for the event.

Next, he discovered that part of the $1.2 million used to pay for the conference for 50 state governors was actually taxpayer’s money: $150,000, to be exact, which Sanford obtained through the Competitive Grant fund of the State Budget & Control Board. Ironically, Sanford has repeatedly criticized the Legislature for the existence of this fund, calling it “pork”.

Most stunning of all is this: Knotts discovered that, after the conference was over and all the bills were paid, there was $101,524.14 left over. Did that money come back to the taxpayers? NO! Instead, Sanford’s office quietly directed that the entire balance be given to a Charleston-based group called “Carolinians for Reform, Inc.”… a group which was not even registered with the Secretary of State’s office until after Knotts started asking questions (on October 2nd, two months after they received the check in August!)

Little is known about the “Carolinians for Reform” which took $101,524.14 that should have come back to the taxpayers. Is it related to the “ReformSC” political group for which Sanford is raising money? Is it a political group? Are Drummond or others being paid from this group to do more of Sanford’s dirty work? Because non-profit corporations are not required to disclose recipients of funds, we may never know.

The only information required to be made public about the group are the names of at least three members of a Board of Directors. Interestingly, all three of the names – James K. Kuyk, Frank Zanin, and Tim Reese – can also be found listed as large donors to the Sanford for Governor Campaign.

Knotts has collected a file folder full of copies of checks, documents and correspondence which raise serious questions that deserve in-depth answers. Emails from Sanford’s staff directed the funds to the little-known group without any further explanation of why.

As an ex-cop, Knotts is accustomed to collecting evidence which is eventually used to make a case against the bad guys. In this case, Knotts is planning to turn over his findings to a Senate committee to determine whether any action is warranted.

But, action or not, Knotts has done his state a service by uncovering an questionable practice of which the public was unaware. With election year coming, the public deserves to know what kind of hidden political operations our governor is really up to.




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Rod Shealy, Sr. is Publisher of The Lake Murray News and four other weekly newspapers. Additionally, he serves as an advisor to a number of political candidates and officeholders, including Senator Knotts. His column appears each week, and is intended to reflect only his personal views, not necessarily the views of the newspaper. All readers are always welcome to submit other viewpoints, which are published on a space-avialalbe basis.

I’m On Vacation.

I’m on vacation this week. Truth is, by the time these words are actually published in the newspaper and read by you, I’ll probably be back from vacation.

You’re probably expecting that I’ll use “vacation” as an excuse not to write a column for this week. (In fact, you’re probably hoping.)

I guess most columnists, facing a week-long family vacation, would take the week off… but not me. To the contrary, the typical Shealy-family sojourn provides me some of my best material.

When I speak of the Shealy family, mind you, I’m talking about Momma’s family. Her entire family! That means five young’uns (me and my siblings), our spouses, our kids, their spouses, and – the latest addition – their kids. As of the latest family census, the estimated total is now 32, although that total seems to bounce up and down a bit for various reasons. For the record, only about half of the group was able to make it on this particular week in Florida. When the whole gang shows, the scene is not unlike a cross between two childhood poems: “There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, she had so many children she didn’t know what to do” and, “As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives, each wife had seven…. etc., etc.!!!” It’s a mob scene… but always an adventure.

As I was growing up, Mom and Dad took the family on many vacations. But, as a Baby Boomer in the Leave-it-to-Beaver 50’s, I recall vacations being much simpler. No cruises. No airfare. No vacation packages. Not even any interstate highways. Just a station wagon with a luggage rack on top. Two adults and three kids would pile into the car and start driving in the general direction of a chosen destination. Gas was 19-cent a gallon. We drove until Mom and Dad decided it was time to stop. Then we looked at roadside motels until we found one with three important ingredients: 1) a pool; 2) a vacancy sign; and 3) a manager willing to drop his price to whatever Mom was willing to pay.

By the time I was twelve, I had visited Florida, Maine, California, and a total of 30 states in between.

Lunchtime meant we found a roadside park with a picnic table and pulled over. Vienna sausage sandwiches with mustard were the typical meal.

At some point during our years of travels, we graduated to eating in restaurants, upon which Dad instituted the dollar rule: Each child had a budget of $1 per day for food. We could order anything we wanted from the menu up to a buck for the day. If we didn’t spend it all, he gave us the difference as spending money. (I averaged pocketing about a quarter every day!)


In a way, this trip has been reminiscent of those vacations from decades ago. Mom (Elsie), wife (Pat) and Yours Truly, Your Publisher, Rod-Boy, piled into a vehicle and headed south. (The rest of the family was on their own: I think there was a total of three mini-vans and eight airplane flights.) Just like trips of decades gone by, we played the “A-B-C” game and “I Spy”… although this time we each had to repeat ourselves three or four times on each clue, because none of us can hear very well anymore.

Our destination this time was Club Med near Port St. Lucie, Florida. (This incidentally, is NOT a good place to spend a week during the final month of a $1,700 weight loss competition.)

I am confident that this vacation will provide a lots of good material for future columns. You’ll be hearing about it for months!

But, for now, I’m just going to leave you with a few observations from the 10-hour drive down I-95:

-- Ike was a visionary. He gave us the interstate highway system. Turns out, it was a good idea. As Presidents go, Eisenhower may well have left us with the most lasting legacy of any recent Commander-in-Chief.

-- Bikers don’t look like they used to. Now they look like me: old, overweight, and out-of-shape. And they dress funny on purpose. (There were a lot of bikers heading down I-95 toward Daytona.)

-- When you enter Florida and visit the Welcome Center, nowadays they give you a choice of orange juice OR grapefruit juice!

-- Did you know they now make “Just Married” car magnets, so Honeymooners no longer have to drive with white shoe-polish or soap on their cars?

-- Say what you will about our state’s own South of the Border. It still has the most entertaining signs on I-95. Other have tried to duplicate the impact… but no one else has succeeded.

That’s all for this week. I’m going to lay in the sun.