***Palmetto Morning Presented by Jim Dyke & Associates***
THIS FIRST — ETHICS PANEL TEASES — “The State Ethics Commission made the ruling Wednesday but didn’t reveal the specific charges Sanford would face. The panel spent three months looking into Sanford’s use of state, commercial and private airplanes and his campaign funds. His lawyer, Butch Bowers, says the once-popular politician will be cleared and the hearing will give Sanford a chance to tell his side. Bowers says none of the charges are criminal but rather ‘limited to minor, technical matters.’” (AP)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Pop Tarts; also Ted Turner and Larry King
NO JOKE — It’s World Toilet Day
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NATIONAL LENS — Attorney General Eric Holder endured “four hours of hostile questions in a crowded Capitol Hill hearing room about his decision to send the self-described mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes to Manhattan for trial,” reports the Washington Post. “Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont, uniformly praised the Obama Justice Department for ‘bringing justice to the murderers and the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks’ and for signaling that ‘we can rely on the American justice system.’ But conservative opposition ran hot against the move. … Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, a former military lawyer whose national security views win respect in the Obama White House even though they do not always find agreement there, blasted the Justice Department for taking steps that he says will confuse military commanders and blur the lines between armed conflict and law enforcement. ‘Can you give me a case where an enemy combatant caught on a battlefield was tried in civilian court? We’re making history here and we’re making bad history,’ Graham said. ‘The big problem I have is that you’re criminalizing the war.’”
QUOTABLE — “In one of the highlights of Wednesday’s [hearing], Graham attempted to put Holder on the spot with the question: would U.S. officials need to Mirandize Osama bin Ladin if it captured him, including telling the al Qaeda leader that he had the right to remain silent?” (NPR)
VIEWPOINT — TRANSPARENT — Senator Jim DeMint joins former presidential candidate, Ron Paul, in penning a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed, “Americans Deserve a Transparent Fed.” The duo writes, “For nearly a century the Federal Reserve has operated in the shadows, away from the prying eyes of Congress, journalists and the American people. … The Fed’s unprecedented actions over the past year in attempting to stabilize the financial system have now forced it into the spotlight, and caused millions of people around the country to question the opacity of the Fed’s financial transactions. … As strong opponents of government intervention into the economy, we do not want to see Congress directly dictate monetary policy. But while the Fed is involved so heavily in monetary policy and its actions so heavily influence the future of our economy, it is necessary that it be fully transparent. Interventions into the economy on the order of trillions of dollars cannot continue to escape public scrutiny. American taxpayers deserve better.”
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UNIONIZED — “The former Union County Clerk of Court spent 40 minutes in jail Tuesday night after turning himself in to face a charge of embezzling more than $200,000 from public funds he once managed.” (Spartanburg Herald-Journal) “Three former officials [Union] are expected in court to face federal charges” too.
ONLINE SCHOOLS — “South Carolina ranks second in a national study of online education. The California-based Center for Digital Education released a report this week on states’ online learning programs.”
E-NGLIS — Rep. Bob Inglis “is trying to build support in the House for possible legislation to make E-Verify permanent,” reports the Greenville News. “As our economy recovers, the jobs magnet for illegal immigrants will return,” he wrote in a letter. “Inglis wants to gauge the extent of support in the House before drafting an E-Verify bill. If he does write legislation, it faces tough odds.”
CUTTING OFF THE NOSE — “GOP voters are more likely to agree with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) than with those who say they want to broaden the party, according to a new poll. The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey shows 51% of GOP voters would prefer a candidate who agrees on major issues even if that candidate has little chance to beat a Dem, while 43% prefer candidates who don’t agree on some major issues but who stand a strong chance of beating a Dem. DeMint, who is gaining credibility as one of the major voices in the conservative movement, has said he would rather serve in a minority that agrees with him than a majority that includes more centrist members. … On the other side of the aisle, and following two cycles of major expansion in the House, Dems are more likely to back a candidate who can beat a GOPer. Fully 58% say they don’t mind disagreeing with their nominee if that nominee can beat a GOPer, while 38% want ideologically pure nominees.” Hotline’s Reid Wilson writes, “But GOPers privately agree that the party has to expand to include some who disagree with stalwarts like DeMint. If they don’t, some say, DeMint could get his wish.”
RECOUNT — “S.C. Comptroller Richard Eckstrom is hoping to play a role in re-figuring how stimulus jobs are counted,” reports The State. “Wednesday, Eckstrom sent a letter to his fellow members of the National Governor’s Association Job County Task Force, outlining several recommendations on how to count jobs created by federal stimulus funds. Some Republicans and Democrats became upset this week after learning a federal Web site reported $40.7 million in stimulus money had gone to seven nonexistent congressional districts in South Carolina to save or create 46 jobs. The Palmetto State only has six U.S. House districts.”
SCROOGED — “S.C. Secretary of State Mark Hammond urged South Carolinians Wednesday to be knowledgeable about the charities they will donate to this holiday season, as he highlighted this year’s ‘scrooges and angels,’” according to the Post & Courier. “Giving smart is especially important now, he said. ‘We need to make sure every dollar reaches its fullest potential,’ Hammond said at a ceremony at the Statehouse to recognize 10 angel charities and alert the public to 10 scrooges.”
ANDERSON — Jockey Lot raid nets $105,000 in counterfeit merchandise
SPARTANBURG — Wofford professor honored as best in state
AIKEN — Cop suspended for domestic violence charge
DENMARK — District receives $100,000 E2T2 Technology Grant
AIKEN— Schools will offer swine flu vaccine
COLUMBIA — Smoking cessation courses continue for WIS News 10 producer
CLEMSON — Barker faces questions on rankings, diversity
COULD BE BIGGER — “S.C. Commission of Agriculture Hugh Weathers says while agriculture is big business in the state, it could be even bigger. Speaking to the St. Matthews Rotary Club on Nov. 16, Weathers said that based on 2008 statistics, 190,000 people are employed in agriculture in South Carolina and agribusiness brings $34 billion into the state, with $3 billion generated from produce sales. Calhoun County’s share of that is $400 million, Weathers said. ‘Agriculture is the largest impact in South Carolina. Agriculture is big but can be bigger,’ he said, adding that this is where the state’s new ‘50 by 20’ program fits in. The goal of the program is a 50 percent increase in agribusiness by 2020 – an increase of 4 percent a year, Weathers said.”
DAYBOOK — On Thursday, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist Kathleen Parker will speak at the University of South Carolina on the topic of “Seeking Civility in America’s Political Discourse.” The talk is free and open to the public and starts at 7 p.m. in the Belk Auditorium on USC’s campus.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP — “A group of more than 100 student leaders will convene at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College today for the first-ever Orangeburg County Youth Council Leadership Seminar. Friday’s seminar will feature keynote speakers like Bill Connor, author and candidate for lieutenant governor; legendary college football coach Willie Jeffries and S.C. Rep. Anton Gunn.”
FINALLY THIS — ADMONISH is the word of the year (think Joe Wilson)
