“This gives the Division of Elections a tool to detect and deter voter impersonation,” Ketron said. But Sen. Roy Herron, D-Dresden, called it “a modern-day poll tax.” Naming several Democratic constituencies, he said some voters would have to pay to travel distances to obtain photo IDs so that they could exercise their right to vote. “If you’re a senior citizen, if you’re disabled, if you’re poor and don’t own an automobile, that’s a substantial burden,” Herron said. “...The problems that are solved by this, if any, are far outweighed by the problems that are caused by this.”

This past Saturday, Donn Janes, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Tennessee’s 8th District spoke in Paris, TN, to an estimated 300 Tea Party activists from the West Tennessee area. “As of today, I am no longer going to run for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican," Janes announced. "We need to change the way we elect our representatives. We continue to rely on the two-party system to provide us with different choices; but thanks to this corrupt system, there is little difference between the two of them. Both parties voted to increase the size of our government; both parties voted to trade your freedoms for security; and both parties are responsible for our monstrous debt, our failing economy and the exporting of our jobs overseas. I will be running as an independent Tea Party Candidate, a candidate who doesn’t answer to or work for party leadership, but a candidate who will work for the people of West Tennessee.” When asked about what led to this decision, Mr. Janes stated that the National Republican Party continues to aggressively support candidates who lack depth on issues and conservative values, but instead focus on candidates who are able to self fund or raise large sums of money. During the extended question and answer portion following his speech, Mr. Janes was asked if he thought his running as an independent would split the vote. “I intend to. I will be asking for votes from both Democrats and Republicans, many who are fed up with their party’s refusal to adhere to their respective party platforms. Over the course of my traveling within the 8th District, I believe there are enough conservative Democrats and right-minded Republicans who will enable me to win.” Janes was asked about the Proposed “Contract From America”. “We’ve had a ‘Contract From America’ for over 200 years. It’s called the Constitution of the United States. That’s the only contract we need," he replied. Donn first attended a TEA Party event in Memphis, TN, on April 15, 2009. He later challenged the views of ACORN founder, Wade Rafke, at a University of Memphis Lecture. Janes participated in a “Pink Slip” TEA Party event in Nashville on November 7, 2009, to protest the currently proposed health care legislation. Last month he attended the FCC meeting in Memphis to challenge the expansion of its responsibilities. Donn Janes is a candidate for the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District. A Navy veteran and businessman, Janes is an outspoken critic of how both Republicans and Democrats have continued to ignore any calls for fiscal responsibility, causing the United States to plunge deeper into debt.

Let me clear, I'm not suggesting that the NRCC spokesman or any of his (international) male friends are gay. I'm simply admiring his soft boyish looks, his seeming obsession with homosexual innuendo and the male form, and his incredibly muscled, half-naked, Bel-Ami boy friends who like to get together for long hot weekends without the necessity of all that clothing covering their tight sweaty pecs.

Sorry for the late response - I've been swamped with questions about Stephen Fincher's boffo fundraising performance. As for the blog posts, they're pretty funny. Unfortunately for Roy Herron, West and Middle Tennesseans won't find his support for gay adoption quite as amusing.

"Andy Sere gets more tail than anyone I know in DC. He's short, he's French and the girls love him."

The Republican Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington issued a statement saying that "rather than face Fincher and make tortured excuses for his liberal party’s job-killing agenda, Rep. Tanner wisely threw in the towel." Au contraire, said Tanner. Republican tough talk almost made him change his mind and run for re-election. "My competitive juices got flowing," he said. "They almost got me to run, but you don't run for office just to beat someone. When you run, you should run to serve."