Of haggis, red beans and rice and Buzzard Rock

Scotland is receiving a touch of Madisonville flair this week. Local attorney Gerald Burns and friends Melvin Hicklin, Raymond Hicklin and Brad Hauck are walking the links that are St. Andrews at the British Open. Burns says the course is beautiful and that he was from here to there from Phil Mickelson during a practice round on Monday. The Spin Doctor says enjoy it guys, but stay away from the haggis. If you do partake, you’ll need an industrial sized bottle of Maalox.

If you were down around Buzzard Rock Resort and Marina or Lake Barkley last weekend, the two tall young men on jet skis were Madisonville’s own Jon Hood and UK recruit Enes Kanter. The Doc wonders if Hood explained to Kanter what the Governor’s Mansion is.

Can’t wait for the Oasis to open. The red beans and rice are primo.

If  you haven’t read anything written by new Messenger sportswriter Dave O’Connell,  you should. He’s good. Dave will be joined within the next couple of weeks by Shane Lucas, who is coming to us from Iowa State University.

Michael Todd has notified the county clerk’s office that he is pulling out of the 1st District magisterial race. Todd, a Republican, would have taken on longtime incumbent Magistrate Karol Welch in the November general election. In non-partisan races, Mortons Gap Mayor Frank Stafford and Dawson Springs Mayor Ross Workman are seeking reelection. Linus N. Schwagel is running for Mortons Gap City Council, Harold Gregory will be on the ballot for the Hanson City Commission and former Mayor and City Commissioner Carl Lyell is running for White Plains City Commission.

CNBC released a 1-50 ranking of America’s Top States for Business 2010. Kentucky comes in at No. 40. The state gets high rankings in the cost of living category (3rd) and in transportation (4th). It is ranked 12th in cost of business, 25th in workforce, 35th in technology and innovation, 37th in education, 38th in access to capital, 39th in business friendliness, 44th in economy and 46th in quality of life. Neighboring states’ rankings are Tennessee (16th), Missouri (17th), Indiana (21st), Illinois (30th), Ohio (34th) and West Virginia (46th).

The Doc always had mixed feelings about George Steinbrenner. As a card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation, I was obliged to dislike most things wearing pinstripes (whether a baseball uniform or business suit). There is a deep-rooted hatred for all things Yankees in New England. Following the Patriots  Super Bowl win in 2004, an estimated 1.5 million fans broke into a “Yankees suck” cheer at the victory rally in downtown Boston. However, it was difficult not to begrudgingly respect what Steinbrenner accomplished with the team. He wasn’t afraid to spend to win, and he wasn’t afraid to say what was on his mind. Neither is Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jimmy Breslin. The night of Steinbrenner’s death, the 80-year-old Breslin appeared on ESPN and had this to say about The Boss. “We need to stop deifying this man. He never played first base. He was the owner of the Yankees, and he was a good guy, but that’s it.”

Happy birthday to Woody Guthrie (July 14). Woody died in 1967 at the age of 54. He gave us Tom Joad before moving on.

The Governor, The Lost and the Lame

The Doc is back. I’ve stretched, put on an Ace bandage and in honor of the Hanson brothers, I’m breaking out the foil. Here goes.

Gov. Steve Beshear vetoed $1.3 million earmarked for the Hopkins County fairgrounds before signing the state budget. Shame on him. Right? Maybe not. An insider tells the Doc that the governor had little choice. Seems that some folks in Frankfort (Senate President David Williams?) were unhappy that Beshear keeps bringing up those pesky slot machines for horse racing tracks. So, the fairgrounds and a number other projects were intentionally put in the Department of Local Government operating budget. The idea was to embarrass Beshear by forcing him to veto the projects, particularly one from his home county. The projects totaled 30 percent of the DLG budget and would have “gutted” it, if they were approved, the insider said.

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Political headline of the week — Rand of the Lost. It topped a story about a few missteps GOP Senate hopeful Rand Paul made following his primary win.

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Reports say that former eBay CEO Meg Whitman spent $70 million of her own money in winning the California Republican Party primary for governor. MSNBC reported it averaged out to about $80 per vote. Whitman had a cash bar at her victory celebration.

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University of Tennessee football fans — yeah there are a few around these parts — are laughing it up today in light of the NCAA sanctions against Southern Cal. Lots of luck Lane Kiffin. The Doc thinks it couldn’t have  happened to a nicer guy. Just in case you didn’t know, Kiffin and his good buddy, Ed Orgeron, were assistant coaches at the House of Ill Repute when the shenanigans were going down. Two years probation, no bowl games and the loss of 20 scholarships will put USC in a football wasteland for a while. Dream job, indeed.

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While on the subject of college football, methinks the Golden Domers may run into a scheduling problem when the dust finally settles if they don’t jump into a conference. The Big 12 is about to become extinct, the ACC and Big East could be next. With the Big 10 (Big 14?), the PAC 10 (PAC 16) and SEC cherry picking schools, the in-conference schedules will be increased to more games,  leaving fewer opportunities for out-of-conference match-ups. Teams will be looking for cupcakes to fill out their schedules instead of the guys who give confession to Touchdown Jesus. BTW, that NBC TV contract Notre Dame is apparently not the end all most thought it was. SEC and Big 10 colleges received $15 million each from their conferences’ TV contracts last year. NBC paid Notre Dame $9 million.

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Even if you don’t care about or understand the game, be in front of a TV Saturday afternoon and cheer on the U.S. against England in the World Cup.

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Happy 39th to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (June 10). He and his constituents need something to celebrate about.

Page 425 just another urban legend

Another trip into the world of urban legend.

The Doc received a Facebook message from a friend asking if e-mails she was receiving about President Obama’s health plan are true.

The e-mails talk (if e-mails can talk) about page 425 of the plan that deals with end of life counseling.

It has prompted a wild flurry of blogging and message board traffic with claims that the government will counsel people with terminal diseases on ways to end their life earlier. It has been dubbed “euthanasia counseling,” by those attempting to make political hay.

Snopes.com, a Web site that deals with urban legends, offers the following example:

“One Page 425 of Obama’s health care bill, the Federal Government will require EVERYONE who is on Social Security to undergo a counseling session every five years with the objective being that they will explain to them just how to end their own life earlier. Yes, they are going to push SUICIDE to cut Medicare spending!!! And no, I am NOT kidding YOU!! Also, planned denial of medical care for seniors.

Those are the writer’s all caps and exclamation points, not the Doc’s.
Here are some examples from Twitter:

quantumphonic:  Health Care.• Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death. From the bill itself! More…

westerdk: page 425 & 426 of the bill; all Medicare recipients required every five years encouraged to learn about ways to shorten their lives.
shergraham49: YOU WILL DIE- page 425 Health care will be denied based on age. 500 Billion will be cut from Seniors  http://healthcare.www.fredthompsonshow.com

Hargoosh: THROW THEM ALL OUT!! READ WHAT THEY WANT TO DO TO US! PAGE 425 OF HC BILL http://bit.ly/Ux6aj OUTRAGEOUS! #OBAMAFAIL #HC09 #TCOT

Knightairman: Read page 425 of obamas health care plan. He wants senior citizens to know how to kill themselves to be less of a burden on society.

It’s not just the average Joe or Judy on the street pushing this agenda. Former New York Lt. Governor Betsy McCaughey said on former Sen. and TV District Attorney Fred Thompson’s radio show that “Congress would make it mandatory, absolutely require, that every five years people with Medicare have a required counseling session that will tell them how to end their life sooner.

McCaughey, a Republican who served under former Gov. George Pataki, works with the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank.

The right has run with her comments and Fox News, surprise, surprise, is feeding it to the masses. Fox News claims it is “hidden” in the bill.

The problem for the right is that it’s simply not true. Not that it will stop Republicans from trying to sell it as the hot, smokin’ gospel. They apparently believe it will scare the elderly and stir up the base. Scaring folks has become the substitute for a lack of message.

Snopes.com says the claim is “… erroneous, a mistaken interpretation of a complicated section of lengthy legislative bill.”

However, Snopes.com will not stop the disillusioned from a feeding frenzy. These days, nothing can.