Guns

Felon Duke Cunningham begs gun rights for protection in Arkansas

• TOP GUN: Duke Cunningham in his prime.

Former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, currently serving an eight-year sentence for bribery and tax evasion, has written a federal judge begging for restoration of his gun rights on his release.

Why?

He's moving to Arkansas. He's not afraid of us Arkies. But from the letter:

“I will live in a very remote part of Arkansas, and not much threat (sic) from people but they do have a lot of black bears, cougars, and history of rabies.”

The letter says he'll come to a halfway house in Little Rock in December. Then, he said, "I plan to live in a cabin near Greer’s Lake [sic] in the Ozarks and write books." He will be “away from the (San Diego) Union-Tribune,” which exposed the 70-year-old's sleazy ways.

Seth Hettena, who first reported the story, provided the perfect conclusion.

The federal judge who received the request said he couldn't be of help. An ATF review of such applications is required.

“You should be aware, however, that every year since 1992 [including many years when Cunningham was in Congress], Congress has refused to provide funding to the ATF to review applications from the federal firearm ban. And the United States Supreme Court has ruled that inaction by ATF does not amount to a ‘denial’ of the application within the meaning of section 925(c),” Burns wrote. “So unless Congress changes course and decides to fund ATF’s review of applications for relief, it appears you are stuck.”

Greer's Lake, would, presumably be Greers Ferry. Any word from readers in those parts of the felon's plans to become an Arkie? Cougar problem up there? Rabies? Bear attacks?

Maybe Cunningham can enlist the resident gun nut over at the DOG to bring his arsenal up to the cabin and clear the surrounding acreage to ease Cunningham's mind about the safety of book writing in the Ozarks. Make a good outdoor page story if he could get with The Duke and cap a few critters — "Fear and Loathing in Fairfield Bay."

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Posted By Max Brantley | Permalink | Comments (2)

Law / Protest

Little Rock cracks down on petitioners at Riverfest

• Brian Chilson
• MOVE ALONG, 1ST AMENDMENT NOT IN EFFECT TONIGHT: An LR police officer explains to Greg Deckelman, canvasser for the ethics initiative, that signature gathering is not allowed on city streets within three or four blocks of Riverfest entrances. Here, they are at Markham and Scott in front of Korean gate and LR Chamber of Commerce.

Little Rock government outrage of the day:

When the powers that be don't want petitions signed, petitions will not be signed.

The police force of the city of Little Rock is preventing canvassers for various initiative petitions from gathering signatures on public streets near, but outside, the entrance to gated grounds of Riverfest. David Couch, a lawyer representing the ethics petition gatherers, said police are acting on the orders of Riverfest officials.

Said Couch, "Little Rock police are taking the position that anything that's blocked off is under the control of Riverfest. Riverfest people asked them not to allow them to canvass on those localities." The effect of this is to push canvassers blocks away from entrances and the biggest concentration of people. They can encounter only a trickle of festival goers, such as at 2nd and Cumberland, rather than thousands in front of the River Market on Clinton Ave. three blocks away.

Couch said he was told by an officer, in response to a question, that if canvassers continued to gather signatures they'd be arrested for interfering with governmental operations. The officer said he'd also been asked to stop all canvassers, to get information on each of them and to ask them to stop.

Information on each canvasser? Blocking of petition gathering on an open thoroughfare? Couch thinks it blatantly unconstitutional and so do I. Couch had his encounter in front of the Arkansas Studies Center, where he noted that a street musician, mimes and a preacher were soliciting contributions and other commercial activities were underway. The only thing being prohibited was petition of government.

Couch said calls had been made to Mayor Mark Stodola, who, Couch was told, promised to correct the situation. When canvassers returned to the street, however, a police lieutenant told Couch he knew nothing of any mayoral intervention and said arrests would be made.

I suggest we arrange this: A few hundred people march down to Cumberland and Markham, get some petition forms — preferably from Regnat Populus 2012, but the gas tax, casino proposals, medical marijuana or anything else are OK — and start taking signatures. We'll be sure Brian Chilson is on hand for the photograph of citizens engaged in lawful activity, petitioning their government, being arrested, cuffed and loaded in a paddy wagon. Or maybe a quick legal action for injunctive relief. Irreparable damage to the petition effort has already been done.

I'm so mad I could scream. This city, utterly controlled by a narrow sector of the business establishment, has done it again. Spit on its citizens.

It is hard for me not to believe that this isn't related to the Chamber of Commerce's effort to stifle petitioning for the gas severance tax increase, an effort that has already produced intimidation tactics. I have no idea if communications were made, but the suspicion is hard to resist. Shut them all down, using taxpayer police, and it saves the Chamber a lot of money in sending out hired goons to do the job one by one at a mass event attended by a quarter of a million people. That's only speculation. Unless the city says the 1st Amendment does apply in Little Rock after all, I will presume the worst.

Mayor Stodola, how strong are you? Strong enough to defend the 1st Amendment?

I'll update if I'm able.

Really. Does Riverfest get to decide who walks on blocked-off streets? Because if it decides what speech is legal there, the power is the same.

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Posted By Max Brantley | Permalink | Comments (33)

The Riverfest line — Sign the ethics petition

• SIGN IT: Jennifer Pierce will join other volunteers in yellow shirts gathering petitions for the ethics reform initiative. No gifts for legislators. No perks. No kidding. Sign it.

I'm outta here shortly. The line is open. Closing out:

* LOTTERY JUDGE RECUSES: Latest development in the contested $1 million lottery ticket dispute. The Searcy judge who ruled for a woman who claimed to be the real owner and then invalidated that decision has recused from hearing a retrial of the case. I think that was a good call given the weirdness to date.

* DON'T BELIEVE YOUR LYIN' EYES AND EARS: Lawyer for cop accused of participating in marijuana operation says don't believe all the evidence — tapes and stuf. His client is innocent. No developments today on the obvious question these arrests raise: Did they have confederates on the police force? I think Chief Thomas will go where the evidence leads, based on action so far.

* MAKE RIVERFEST WORTHWHILE: If you go to Riverfest, you should encounter canvassers with petitions for the ethics initiative. Sign one, please. If the Chamber of Commerce doesn't have its initimidators out, you also might meet people with petitions for the severance tax increase. Sign it, too. Let the people vote.

* WHEN THEY SAY IT'S NOT ABOUT RACE .... Arkansas writer Suzi Parker comments in the Washington Post on President Obama's so-so showing in the Democratic presidential primary in Arkansas. "....racism runs deep in Arkansas." Uh, yeah.

* SEX TRAFFICKING INDICTMENT NAMES LITTLE ROCK: A national sex-trafficking ring headed by a violent pimp, headquartered in Little Rock? That's what it says here in news about an Iowa indictment. Those accused, including a Hot Springs woman, supposedly used on-line advertising to find prostitutes and advertise for business. They worked nationally. Recruits allegedly included a 17-year-old homeless girl who worked in Little Rock. Women were abused and threatened to keep them from leaving the business.

* PETITION UPDATE: As I left the office today I encountered a group of young men wearing T-shirts that said, I think, "Keep Your Money in Arkansas." They were paid signature gatherers for the Poker Palace casino amendment. One said he was being paid $1 per signature.

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Posted By Max Brantley | Permalink | Comments (16)

What's going on

Tonight: A remembrance for Victor Wiley

• Victor Wiley

Just got word from Wes Broadstone about a cool show tonight around 7 p.m. at Dedicated Art Studio. It's in remembrance of the late, great Victor Wiley, Little Rock's sui generis artist, activist, musician, dancer and guy who threw glitter all over everybody.

Broadstone said there would be some of Wiley's art on display and live performances from the Broadstone brothers' band, The Crisco Kids, as well as The Intestines and The Side Hustlers. The cover is $3.

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Posted By Robert Bell | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music

Here's a track from the forthcoming album by The Alpha Ray

• The Alpha Ray will release its debut album this fall on Thick Syrup Records.

Little Rock's The Alpha Ray — playing the Stickyz Music Tent at Riverfest tonight — has an album coming out this fall on Thick Syrup Records. It's being mastered as we speak by none other than Ken Stringfellow, of The Posies/Minus 5/Big Star/a jillion other bands.

While the record won't be out quite yet, you can check out this track, "Berlin Rainbow," after the jump.

The Alpha Ray dudes are Bryan Frazier, Jonathan Teague (Clicking Beetle Bad Omen Band, The Many Persian Z's), Chris Avakian (Flaming Death Fairies, The Many Persian Z's), and David Stone (Landrest).

/more/  

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Posted By Robert Bell | Permalink | Comments (0)

Film

The dude from 'Twilight' is making a movie about 'The Band'

• The Band

Robert Pattinson, the actor who plays sparkly, emasculated vampire Edward Cullen in the "Twilight" series, has told the magazine Les Rockuptibles that one of the projects he'll be taking on in coming months is a film about "The Band."

Before you start thinking the ghost of Levon is going to appear and stake his ass, this might actually be interesting. Beyond all the Twigasming, Pattison is an reasonably good young actor — his turn as Stephanie Meyer's whiny, tubercular virgin-slayer not withstanding — and probably has enough pull in Hollywood these days to bring some real money and talent to what will have to be an ensemble project.

Besides, you can't possibly hate Edward as much as Robert Pattinson does.

From the interview with Les Rockuptibles:

Q: What are you working on right now?

RP: I'm going to do a movie about The Band, the one that played with Dylan: a beautiful script about the nature of songwriting. I'm preparing a thriller too, with a beautifully written script too. It doesn't have a director yet. Tons of French directors are in line to to do. A few years ago, Latin America was where it's happening, it seems it's France turn now ... I'm filming another movie with Cronenberg but i don't know when he wants to start filming. It's going to be his first one in the US and he promises it's going to be very strange. The next two or three years are going to be crucial for me. It's now that that everything happens.

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Posted By David Koon | Permalink | Comments (1)