Jane Cunningham

A tweet from Post-Dispatch reporter Tony Messenger, earlier this evening at a Senate committee hearing on Sen. Rob Mayer's (R-Dexter) SB793: 

Former U.S. Sen. Jim Talent and Sen. Jim Lembke (R-Lemay) and Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield) are all chillin' this weekend at the Constitutional Coalition's Educational Policy Conference in St. Louis.  As you can see from the list over at The Beacon, Talent, Lembke and Cunningham will be joined by a formidable "Who's Who of Right-Wing Lunatics" at the St. Louis Frontenac Hilton. 

What do you get when you mix local heroes like Sen. Jane Cunningham, Sen. Jim Lembke and former Sen. Jim Talent with Glenn Beck, World Net Daily publisher Joseph Farah, former Sen. Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann Michael Medved and more? 

The Constitutional Coalition's Educational Policy Conference in St. Louis, February 4-6. 

Workshops include:

• How to rid your TV of ALL Sexual programs and advertisements
• Science – “Not Evil, Just Wrong!”
• How and Why Biblical Sexuality
• What Research Shows about Sexual Diversity and Marriage
• The War on Children
• ONE LAW FOR ONE PEOPLE: Textbooks -Shariah and the U.S. Constitution

A few hundred conservative activists filled the Capitol rotunda this morning for a "Sovereignty Rally" to hear House and Senate Republicans rail against the allegedly unconstitutional federal health care reform legislation.  Led by St. Louis area legislators Sen. Jane Cunningham, Sen. Jim Lembke, Rep. Tim Jones and Rep. Brian Nieves, the overwhelming majority of the House Republican Caucus was in attendance and on stage, along with a few other GOP Senators and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.

The rhetoric of the rally was all about the allegedly unconstitutional nature of federal health care reform proposals and the tyranny of Democratic leadership in Washington. There was much talk of "patriots" and "sovereignty" -- but no talk, of course, of what they as elected leaders would do to make health care more affordable and accessible to struggling families. 

I'll have more posts and video about the later today -- here are a few photos of the event to whet your appetite.

Over at the conservative RiteOn blog, conservative activist and website founder Chuck MacNab writes about a meeting at the offices of Sen. Jim Lembke he says he attended on Saturday.  According to MacNab, Lembke was joined by Sen. Jane Cunningham and representatives of numerous other conservative organizations and campaigns to focus on three goals for the 2010 elections.

A dedicated group of experienced conservative leaders met for about 4 hours in State Senator Jim Lembke's office in St. Louis Saturday morning, January 9. RiteOn observed a common view and single mindedness among these area leaders that, if allowed to mature, could spell big trouble for RINOS and liberals and impact the status of many who currently believe they control the Republican Party.

Three objectives emerged from the meeting:

- To replace non-conservative candidates and office holders with conservatives in the August Primary elections.

- To make certain a conservative candidate wins in the General election in November.

- To support conservative sponsored ballot issues and to defeat those issues the group opposes.

So long as you don't have too many piercings, sport purple hair, or look like you might not be an upstanding heterosexual individual, Jane Cunningham would like to get "Up Close and Personal" with you next month (and cash your check).

Honestly, this picture is making me "physically ill."

I don't see how any human being could look at this picture for any prolonged period of time without getting physically ill. I think I will throw-up if I look at it any longer.

Steve Kraske reports in today's Star about the curious financial arrangement of Speaker Ron Richard's legislative director, Tom Smith.  Smith is a "key player" in the assigning of bills to House committees, and also happens to run a business that collected $500k last year from Republican candidates last year:

A top aide to the speaker of the Missouri House runs a political consulting business on the side that generated nearly $500,000 last year, records examined by The Kansas City Star show.

In his public job as legislative director, Tom Smith holds significant influence over the life or death of bills moving through the General Assembly. Critics said his political consulting business raises questions about the potential for a conflict of interest in one of the most powerful offices in state government.

Previous Fired Up! coverage of Smith's self-dealing can be found here.

Of course, Smith denies any hint of wrongdoing, and no Republican legislators remember an explicit demand from Smith.  “I think it’s absurd that someone could buy 1,000 pieces (of mail) and somehow have a level of influence,” Smith says. 

I think it's absurd to think that Smith's clients are only buying 1,000 pieces of mail.

Are you familiar with the idea that there's only one holiday fruitcake in the world?  One that keeps being re-gifted with a new bow for every recipient?  And that eventually, the fruitcake that you received from Aunt Ethel and then gave to Cousin Jim will eventually find its way back to you?  Well, the theory of the lone fruitcake is on display right here in Missouri, where legislators are surely forcing a smile and choking out a half-hearted but unconvincing, "Uh, thanks."

After narrowly escaping the 2007 legislative session with the "Emily Brooker Intellectual Diversity Act" [HB 213] dying in the Senate, the enemies of academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas are back for the 2008 session offering the same stomach-churning fruitcake they tried to foist on us last time.  Sure, it's got a different bow attached to it (it's now the "Emily Brooker Higher Education Sunshine Act" [HB 1315]), but it's the exact same American Council of Trustees and Alumni-inspired legislative gut-bomb that legislators wisely refused to act on the last time.