Month: September 2015
California regulates ‘dark money’ while Arizona dithers
Laurie Roberts of The Arizona Republic should take note of this: State panel outlaws ‘dark money’ in California political campaigns:
California’s campaign finance watchdog agency on Thursday adopted new requirements that nonprofit groups that contribute through a federal political action committee to support or oppose ballot measures or candidates in California must disclose their donors.
“The amendment to this regulation clarifies that so-called ‘dark money,’ originating from nonprofit or other organizations whose donors are not disclosed, is not permitted in California elections,” said Hyla P. Wagner, general counsel for the state Fair Political Practices Commission in a report to the panel.
Legislation and previous action by the commission had generally required disclosure of donors where money went to support or oppose candidates and ballot measures in California.
But state officials were concerned about a possible loophole that would allow nondisclosure of donors if nonprofits make contributions through federal or out-of-state political action committees, rather than in-state PACs.
“It is significant that dark money will not be coming into California,” said Jodi Remke, the commission’s chairwoman, after the vote. “We heard rumblings from various federal PACs and out-of-state committees about this rule not applying to them. This closes a major potential loophole in California’s reporting requirements to stop any kind of undisclosed donors and dark money.”
David Brooks for Supreme Court Justice
I’ve reached the point with David Brooks’ NY Times columns that I read them for humor only.
And his post-Debate column from Friday, The Marco Rubio-Carly Fiorina Option, is quite a laugher, at least to me. Essentially, Brooks’ approach channeled our Supreme Court justices. Essentially, they’re political operatives. They decide the result they want, then decide on the legal reasoning to support it. This is most vividly seen in decisions, such as Bush vs. Gore, where conservatives invoke liberal doctrine, and vice-versa.
So, my buddy Brooks wants to see a Rubio-Fiorina ticket. Why?
Journalism film series on the Loft’s Big Screen
Stop the presses!
JOURNALISM ON SCREEN
An ongoing series at The Loft Cinema — Presented by The New York Times (press release)
Various dates, times and admission prices at The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. , 520-795-0844 / www.loftcinema.org
Presented by The New York Times, The University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, The Arizona Inn, The University of Arizona School of Journalism and The Loft Cinema.
An Academy Award-winning screenwriter, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and two icons of The New York Times are among the distinguished speakers who will take part in Journalism on Screen, a new ongoing series launching this Fall at The Loft Cinema. Organized by Professors Nancy Sharkey and William Schmidt of the University of Arizona School of Journalism in collaboration with The Loft Cinema, Journalism on Screen will pair award-winning, nationally-recognized journalists and writers with screenings of their favorite films about the world of journalism. This new series, which begins on Sunday, September 20, 2015, will include screenings throughout the year. The series line-up thus far includes the following events:
Absence of Malice, with Academy Award-wining screenwriter Kurt Luedtke via Skype!
Sunday, September 20 at 2:00pm
General Admission: $8; Loft members/students/teachers: $6
The gripping 1981 drama Absence of Malice, directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Paul Newman and Sally Field, tells the story of an unscrupulous newspaper reporter (Field) whose articles falsely implicate a Miami businessman (Newman) in an explosive crime. After learning the truth of the story, the reporter joins forces with the businessman to clear his name, uncovering a dangerous conspiracy along the way. This screening will be followed by a Skype discussion with Kurt Luedtke, the former newspaper editor who wrote the screenplay. Luedtke’s script for Absence of Malice earned him a 1982 Academy Award nomination. He subsequently won the Oscar for his screenplay of the 1985 film, Out of Africa.
Paul Gosar embarrasses Arizona (again) with an insult to the Pope
The Washington Post recently asked, Can Congress behave itself when the pope visits?
I was with a group of friends the other day and we were speculating about which congressman would win the Joe Wilson “You lie!” Award for shouting at Pope Francis during his address to a joint session of Congress next week.
It turns out that Arizona’s “mad dentist” just couldn’t wait to insult the Pope. Congressman Paul Gosar wanted to make all of the late night comedy shows and keep Arizona’s poor reputation intact, despite the Governor’s silly #Rebrand Arizona campaign. Catholic Congressman Will Skip Papal Address To Congress, Cites Climate Change:
When Pope Francis addresses Congress in Washington, D.C. next week, at least one Republican representative won’t be in the audience.
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) wrote a letter in Town Hall this week outlining why he’s skipping out on the pope’s visit to Congress. The main reason? Climate change.
“Media reports indicate His Holiness instead intends to focus the brunt of his speech on climate change — a climate that has been changing since first created in Genesis,” Gosar writes. “More troubling is the fact that this climate change talk has adopted all of the socialist talking points, wrapped false science and ideology into “climate justice” and is being presented to guilt people into leftist policies.”