Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Late night notes— saber rattling, lawyer rattling
Posted by Max Brantley on Tue, Feb 12, 2013 at 8:23 PM
Mailbag notes:
* TOM COTTON SHAKES HIS FIST AT NORTH KOREA: What's a North Korean nuclear test got to do with the 4th District of Arkansas. It's represented by U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, fair-haired boy of the neo-con establishment and the Club for Growth, who's being groomed to run against U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor. Tough defense talk will be part of his strategy, this a call for tough sanction and other stuff. Kim is shaking in his mukluks now. Said Cotton, in addition to calling for the ever-popular tough sanctions:
... the threats posed by a nuclear North Korea highlight the urgent need to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear-weapons capability. Iran already exports murder around the world, props up illegitimate regimes such as Bashir al-Assad in Syria, and sponsors terrorist organizations such as Hizballah and Hamas. Imagine what Iran would do acting under the umbrella of a nuclear deterrent. The United States already faces in North Korea one outlaw regime with nuclear weapons; we cannot allow a second outlaw regime to join them.
These guys really want to go to war. Can a Dick Cheney visit to the 4th District for a little hunting be far behind?
* FOREST HILLS RESIDENTS SHAKE FIST AT TECH PARK BOARD: Tonight's the night for yet another discussion by the LIttle Rock Technology Park Authority on where to put the taxpayer-financed spec office building. Chairman Mary Good and Tech Park godfather Dickson Flake don't like any of the finalists sites. They've clearly favored the Forest Hills neighborhood along I-630 across from UAMS from the start. Some in the neighborhood say they might sell, though not at the point of a condemnation proceeding. This letter is from a group that vows to figh, with a lawsuit if necessary. The release:
Today the We Shall Not Be Moved coalition released a letter from coalition members living in the three residential sites that are being considered for the Little Rock Technology Park. The letter is in response to one sent last week to the Technology Park Authority by property owners living north of 12th Street. The letter is being distributed through the mail and door to door.
The letter follows on the jump:
We are writing in response to a letter that was recently released to the press concerning the Little Rock Technology Park.
First, there are three potential residential sites listed for the technology park. Until the Little Rock Technology Park Authority votes to choose a site, every resident in these three areas lives under a cloud of uncertainty.
Second, placement of the Little Rock Technology Park in any of the three residential sites will impact everyone who lives in central Little Rock. The use of city sales tax revenue to build the Technology Park means that all Little Rock taxpayers should have the right to say how their money is spent in developing the park and to attach conditions to the use of these funds. Our coalition consists of residents from all three of the listed sites, interested Little Rock citizens, and community and faith organizations that are united in
opposing the taking of residential neighborhoods through eminent domain to build the park.
Third, the signers of the recent letter claim that they oppose eminent domain, but want to negotiate to sell their homes to the Technology Park. This position is naïve. No institution that has the power of eminent domain will ever be without that power. The Technology Park will always have the upper hand in any negotiation because it can always wield the weapon of eminent domain.
Fourth, many of us want to stay in our homes, enjoy the convenience of our Midtown location, work to make our community stronger and enjoy the benefits of new investments like the Children’s Library. We are not going to move. Other people can sell to anyone at any time. We like it here. We plan to stay.
Fifth, we are ready to join a lawsuit in the event that the Technology Park Authority should choose a residential site. The Arkansas Public Law Center has researched a potential suit and will pay for all of the costs. If you want to stay in your home, you should know that there is free legal help available.
Finally, we are stronger together. Divide and conquer is an old strategy. We aren’t fooled. Contact any one of us. We want to work with you to keep our homes and build a stronger Midtown.
Sincerely,
Donna Massey
1410 S Tyler
Little Rock, AR 72204
Laura Howard
923 S. Jefferson
Little Rock, AR 72204
Leif Hassell
1902 S. Pierce
Little Rock, AR 72204
Speaking of...
-
Coalition wants formal disavowal of Tech Park use of neighborhood
May 14, 2013The We Shall Not Be Moved Coalition, formed to oppose location of the proposed Little Rock Technology Park in residential neighborhoods north of UALR, has written Mayor Mark Stodola to praise him for asking for a halt to Tech Park development until the board of the city-financed agency can figure out exactly what it thinks a tech park is supposed to be. /more/
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Morning report: Leaks, guns and welfare kings
May 14, 2013The morning roundup: * WHEN WILL REP. TOM COTTON PRAISE OBAMA'S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT? Republican mouthpieces are howling about the news that AP reporters' phone records were gathered by the Justice Department in an apparent investigation of leaks about a Yemen-based terrorist plot to bomb an airliner. /more/
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The Homeless and Wounded Edition
May 10, 2013The tech park's decision to hit the reset button, why Arkansas hospitals charge wildly different rates for the same procedure, the scandal that introduced the country (and me) to the town of Imboden, Arkansas—all covered on this week's edition. /more/
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Tech Park about to heat up
May 7, 2013I wrote this morning about the latest development on the woebegone Little Rock Technology Park — a rump effort to take over the site selection process because of factional divisions. /more/
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Who wants to be a U.S. senator?
May 4, 2013The New York Times reports this morning on the wave of retirements from the U.S. Senate and a lack of clamor from people anxious to join the filibuster-frozen body. /more/
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Tom Cotton burnishes his warhawk image
April 30, 2013"Media sweetheart" is how this piece in Politico puts it and they should know, having been pumping U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Club for Growth) since forever. /more/
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Monday night line
April 29, 2013The comment line is open. Final words: * TOM COTTON STATEMENT ON OBAMA: 'MOSTLY FALSE': Politifact has reviewed U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton's overhyped statement on the House floor on terrorism during the administration of President Obama versus what he claimed were zero events under George W. Bush (not counting that little 9/11 thing). /more/
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The Extremism Edition
April 26, 2013A Republican even crazier than Nate Bell, the last vetoes of the session, the latest outrage from Tom Cotton and Bloomberg versus Pryor — all covered on this week's podcast. /more/
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Tom Cotton's 'odd' argument on terrorism fight
April 26, 2013U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton of the Club for Growth was right proud the other day of his rush to make political hay of the Boston bombing by lumping it with some other incidents that he said represented failure of counter-terrorism efforts of the Obama administration. /more/
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Wednesday night line
April 24, 2013Sorry, folks. I've been working on a project and away from blogging duties. /more/
- More »
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