Establishment Media Rushes to Defense of Judicial Overlord Piazza

On paper, Chris Piazza is a circuit judge, one of the lower members of the black-robed class.   In his mind, he is our Supreme Judicial Overlord, as evidenced  by his ruling that the Arkansas Constitution violates the Arkansas Constitution when he threw out an amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman in the state of Arkansas.  Naturally, the only state-wide newspaper has leapt to give Piazza cover for his obscene ruling, because the Arkansas Democrat Gazette has consistently led the people of this state astray.  That's why we are behind when we should be among the most prosperous states in the union.

The establishment media of this state, led by the Democrat-Gazette and in this case abetted by the Arkansas Times, must be responsible for poor condition of our state.   We have a good climate, are in a central location with a prime navigable river, abundant natural resources, and a hard working population.  Yet we are consistently behind.   

Whenever a unit of anything underperforms over a long period of time, it is always the fault of whoever is in charge.   In this case, it is the ruling class of the state, with aforementioned newspapers being their mouthpiece.   If you want to know why Arkansas has under performed, look to its leadership.  That's the reason.   The responsibility must lie with those who have been running it.   If the people bear any blame, it is only that they gave into herd thinking for to long and kept following the same folks even as they were being looted.

I note from the coverage of this matter "Judge" Piazza denied the "successful" attorney's their claim for attorney's fees in the case.  Makes sense to me, because Piazza knew in advance how he was going to rule regardless of the evidence, or even the specific issues before his court. He should award himself those fees, not the attorneys- he did all the work and he would have ruled the same way if the attorneys had been replaced by potted plants.

I note with anger, amusement, and disgust that the Arkansas Times engages in their usual dishonesty when trying to defend Piazza's bench-legislation.  I have a link to his ruling in this article where I go over the five most insane things his lordship Piazza actually wrote in that ruling.  The ArkTimes tries to use a federal case to provide cover for their claim that it is OK for a state judge to use the state constitution to find the state constitution unconstitutional.   The claim is ridiculous.

It is a very different thing for a federal judge to rule that a state constitution provision violates the federal constitution than it is for a state judge to rule that the state constitution violates itself!   Piazza barely mentioned the federal constitution in his ruling.  He almost totally used the state constitution to roll into an opium-laced joint which he apparently smoked to come up with the conclusion that the document violated itself, and that he in his wisdom could correct such a conflict by utterly tossing aside the part most recently passed. 

The Real Run-Off Battle is on the Northern Tier Counties

I am amazed that the Republican Run-off for Attorney General has gotten so much attention while the real battle for the future of the Republican Party in this state is going on with little notice or fanfare.   As usual, mainstream media distracts with coverage of the ugly mudfest that the AG's GOP run-off is becoming instead of the issues of substance at stake over the contest in Senate District 17.

Look, it is not going to rock my world either way, because my expectation is that those who are trying to get the Republican Party to actually become the party of limited government and more freedom are going to continue to fail to win that struggle.    I am ready to move on with an experiment in true self-government like they are trying in Garland County, instead of out-sourcing the job of protecting our interests to a D.C. based private club which has proved its corruption and duplicity beyond any reasonable doubt.

Still, I have many friends who are good people who still feel that the GOP is worth saving and can be saved from within.   Maybe I am wrong and they are right.  If you are one of those people, then you should know that the real battle for the future of the Republican Party in this state is going on in Baxter, Marion, and Boone counties.   It is the run-off for State Senate District 17 between John Burris and Scott Flippo.

I don't know much about Flippo, but I know plenty about Burris.   He was voted one of the ten worst legislators in Arkansas in the Arkansas Watch list of Worst Legislators.  He was one of the key voices in getting Obamacare implemented in Arkansas, via the deceptively named "private" option.   The plan simply combines the worst features of Obamacare's socialism with the crony capitalism that establishment Republicans love all combined in one ultimately unaffordable package.   Not that this was his only shortcoming as a legislature, but that, combined with his dishonesty about what the "private" option was and is, makes it the most glaring.

As close as the funding vote to renew the program will be in the state senate next year, I posit to you that this run-off is the race which determines what the heart and soul of the state Republican Party will be like, not the AG race.   If Burris gets promoted from the house to the senate even after shafting conservatives by getting Obamacare implemented, albeit with a corprotist twist, then the others will feel they can get away with renewing the funding (i.e. borrowing more money on your children's credit).   If he loses, then legislators will realize that there is a price to pay for expanding government, even if you are an establishment darling.   Right now the record is kind of mixed on this question.   Some Obamacare supporters won in the primary, but a couple more lost.

Members of the legislature understand that this is the critical race that will define the character of the party.  That is why very conservative legislators like Sen. Bryan King, Alan Clark, and Rep. Jim Dotson, along with more moderate ones like Sen. Cecil Bledsoe, are all backing Flippo.    Burris is backed by many of those who sold out and voted to fund Obamacare.   The legislators themselves understand how important this race is, I just hope the grass-roots do.   It seems like they are more focused on the state-wide race than the race where there is truly the most at stake.

Like the AG's race, it is getting ugly.   Some who back Flippo have raised questions about the $57,000 in expense money Burris has claimed, and about how he got a loan for a $260,000 home in Little Rock when he claims to live in Baxter County.   Something does smell a little, but really there is no proof of anything, nor does their need to be.   The race is not about whether or not Burris is financially corrupt or not.   The race is about his policies, and whether he was being honest with the voters when he made claims about the "private" option.   If he prevails, then it is likely that Obamacare will prevail in Arkansas, confirming the state GOP as the party that only accepts Socialism reluctantly and if their friends get a slice rather than the state GOP as the party of limited government and freedom.

If you are among those who thinks the battle for the soul of the state GOP matters and you know of anyone in Boone, Baxter, or Marion counties who may not understand the importance of this race, you might want to call them up and remind them to vote and vote well.   If you live close enough and have time to give, you might want to knock on doors.   I am not sure how much money matters at this point in the race, but it always matters some.