ILLEGAL HANDICAPPED PARKING PLAGUES SC, OFFICIALS DO NOTHING

I’ve always said that doctors hand out handicapped parking placards like Michael Jackson hands out candy at his Neverland Ranch, and the Charleston Post and Courier has finally decided to back me up here.

According to their Watchdog Report, “a growing number of hospital workers, downtown merchants and others are using parking placards for the handicapped to cheat the city out of thousands of dollars in parking meter revenue. Worse, these scammers are taking spaces that could be used by people with real disabilities, a Post and Courier Watchdog investigation found.”

According to me, “I told you so.”

Doctors sign off on placard applications for vague disabilities, such as “high stress.” Young people use their older relatives’ placards on shopping trips downtown, or in one case, for a prime spot next to a West Ashley fitness center.

Motorists with blue or red placards for the disabled can park all day in metered and public garage spaces for free, so the abuse is most prevalent in downtown areas where parking spaces are at a premium, especially around the downtown Charleston medical complex, King Street, the College of Charleston and the City Market. […]

Those with placards for the handicapped can park at metered spaces for free. (State law says so.) So not only do these commuters get prime parking spots, they can save a pile of money. Spaces in private parking lots, often just a few feet from the metered spaces, can cost $100 a month or more. […]

One Friday evening, a young woman with a blond ponytail finished her workout at Pivotal Fitness in West Ashley and walked out to her Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep was in a parking spot for the disabled, and a blue placard hung from the mirror.

The young woman then drove across the parking lot about 100 yards and parked in another parking space for the disabled next to the Publix grocery store. She shopped a few minutes and walked briskly back to her Jeep, then drove off, removing the placard in the process. According to state records, the placard belongs to a man in his 70s. [Tony Bartelme & Ron Menchaca - Charleston Post and Courier]

This is just the first of a four-part series the paper is doing on this problem. And that quote is just an expert, so you should definitely read the whole thing.

And just for the record, as someone who actually needs these spaces, after seeing numerous examples of the above-written incidents, I am considering condoning a way of efficiently helping these folks earn legitimate handicapped decals. The old fashioned mafioso/Tonya Harding way, if you know what I mean.

In the meantime, I’m sure our trusty legislature or our wonderful governor will tackle this issue with the due diligence it deserves because they’re good like that.

(h/t FITSNews)

STATE SENATE TO FIGHT OVER BILL LEGALIZING MMA BOUTS

The only place more brutal than an Ultimate Fighting — also known as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) — ring is the South Carolina legislature. So it is only fitting that the Senate will debate a bill Wednesday that would lift South Carolina’s ban on the sport, which mixes kickboxing with karate, judo and jujitsu, and direct the State Athletic Commission to regulate all fighting events.

Why is this a good idea? Because we’re missing out on a boatload of cash from what has become a billion-dollar industry, duh.

“You’re having events all around you, and no revenue’s coming into your state,” said Marc Ratner, a vice president of Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship, which has looked at Columbia as a possible venue if legalized.

Ratner said the sport is no more violent than boxing and attracts younger audiences. “It’s just a different form of combat sport,” said Ratner, a former executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Earlier this month, a UFC event in Montreal attracted more than 19,000 fans for a $5 million gross at the gate, he said. Other events are being considered in Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C.

“It’s a moneymaker,” said Sen. Jake Knotts, R-West Columbia, who met with Ratner and sponsored the bill at the State Athletic Commission’s request.

Sen. Larry Grooms said he added his name to the bill because his wife and sons are big fans.

“I find it strange that she can watch it on TV where they fight in other states, but she can’t watch it here,” the Bonneau Republican said. [AP]

As far as I’m concerned, if two meat heads want to get into an octagon-shaped cage, wrestle around in their skivvies and beat the living crap out of each other, then more power to them. And if we can make a few bucks off the event, good for us.

But more importantly, I think the senate needs to take this bill a bit further with an amendment that would allow MMA competitions to replace petty legislative squabbles. It’s certainly a hell of a lot less lethal than dueling.

Now, the only question is, who would be willing to take to the ring against Jakie Knotts?

(h/t Bloody Elbow)

GOP CANDIDATE DODGES SANFORD VP QUESTIONS, SAYS HE WILL RETURN TO SC BEFORE ELECTION, DEMINT & GUV NO-SHOWS

It will probably be a while before we see Republican presidential nominee John McCain in the Palmetto State again, but on Friday he was in Columbia for a fundraiser that reportedly raised nearly $1.5 million for his campaign.

Prior to the event, McCain held a press conference with local and national media.

Surrounded by South Carolina’s Republican leadership (from left to right: Rep. Joe Wilson, Sen. Lindsey Graham, SCGOP Chairman Katon Dawson, First Lady Jenny Sanford, Treasurer Converse Chellis and his son, House Speaker Bobby Harrell, Secretary of State Mark Hammond, Greenville Mayor Knox White, and Attorney General Henry McMaster) McCain acknowledged the key role this state had in earning him the party’s nomination and thanked those who made it happen before discussing a few aspects of his campaign.

McCain opened the floor to questions (where the above video picks up) and was quickly asked about Gov. Mark Sanford’s possible position on the short list to be the vice presidential nominee. He declined to entertain speculation, noting that, “Sanford is a very important person who we all admire and respect.”

WIS-TV’s David Stanton followed McCain’s response by asking whether or not he would choose a running mate who did not support him during the primary election. (continues…)

PALMETTO STATE’S ONE, ONLY NASCAR RACE GOES TO ANNOYING 23 YEAR OLD

Unfortunately, NASCAR’s annual right-of-passage known as the Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway didn’t go to TPS’s favorite driver Martin Truex Jr., and it totally sucked this year.

Although most of the field earned their “Darlington Stripes,” Nevada’s 23-year-old prodigy Kyle Busch captured the checkered flag to cap off an otherwise uneventful weekend.

At a track-record average speed of 140.350 mph, Busch, who led a race-high 169 laps, pulled away after a restart on Lap 308 of 367 and ran away from the rest of the field en route to his third Cup win of the year and the seventh of his career.

One week removed from last Saturday’s controversial finish at Richmond, where Busch spun Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a late-race battle for the lead, Busch finished 3.115 seconds ahead of runner-up Carl Edwards and extended his lead in the Cup standings to 79 points over second-place Jeff Burton.

Jeff Gordon was third Saturday night, followed by Earnhardt and David Ragan. Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Travis Kvapil, Dave Blaney and Burton completed the top 10.

“Luckily, the team gave me a really strong car tonight, because I like to knock the wall down,” quipped Busch, who recovered from a loose lug nut that brought him back to the pits on Lap 60 for an unplanned green-flag stop and cost him track position. “We had a really good piece tonight.” [REID SPENCER - Sporting News]

Normally I would add something humorously substantive here, but my post-race rage over the fact that Truex went from seventh to 14th in about two laps to allow a loud-mouthed Busch to win has blinded my oft-witty imagination. Sorry folks, you’ll have to check back tomorrow for that.

DNCC CELEBRATES WINNING BET BY SENDING SINGING SUPERDELEGATE IN DONKEY SUIT to RNCC

When the Colorado Avalanche played the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, it spelled disaster for the GOP. That’s because Republican National Convention President and CEO Maria Cino and Democratic National Convention Committee CEO Leah Daughtry agreed to a “friendly wager” between the host cities, Minneapolis and Denver, respectively.

According to the terms of the bet, the losing city’s convention team would send a “taste” of that city’s local delicacy for the winning city’s convention staff to enjoy.

The Avalanche won the series, of course, because they are the best team ever (even though they were swept in the next round) and the Democrats in Denver received an assortment of walleye from the lakes of Minnesota. Umm… am I alone in thinking that might violate the “enjoy” part of the agreement?

But it gets worse.

To celebrate their victory, the Democrats sent the above videoed hideous little donkey mascot to terrorize Minneapolis this week. And terrorize it did.

The best part though, is that the guy in the costume admitted to being a superdelegate. I wonder who he is? My money is on Don Fowler… although I’m pretty sure he’s not a fan of covert, undercover spy missions.

I think the really story here though is that party activists have way, way, way too much time on their hands.

MCCAIN ROLLS BRAND NEW CAMPAIGN BUS INTO COLUMBIA

From what I can tell, the advance preparations for tomorrow’s campaign visit by GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain are fully underway. And that includes the arrival of the brand spankin’ new Straight Talk Express pictured above in all its glory.

The Palmetto Scoop of course was privy to an inside peak at the second version of McCain’s signature campaign bus, and let me tell you, that baby is sweet. Everything from the blinds to the doors was remote controlled and I counted five flat-screen plasma televisions and probably 300 cups of Starbucks coffee.

What a long way he has come since the 2000 Straight Talk Express or even from last year’s model. I heard rumors that the current version cost upwards of $1 million, but I can’t confirm that.

Anyway, here are a few more shots:

JENNINGS HAS HARD TIME TELLING TRUTH IN CAMPAIGN SPOT

Political ads certainly have a propensity for taking a little liberty with the truth. But there is a big difference between embellishing and deceiving voters.

Take for example Blair Jennings, who is challenging 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson in a very heated Lowcountry GOP primary. He is the first to take to television airwaves with a 30-second spot titled “Tough.”

Unfortunately, the only thing “tough” about this ad is the love it garnered Jennings from the Charleston Post and Courier when they went through and debunked some of the untruthful claims in the ad.

“Jennings has put some of our area’s worst criminals in prison, convicting over 60 homicide cases,” the narrator says. “The only candidate to successfully prosecute a death penalty case, convicting cop killer Jesse Sapp.”

But in reality, the newspaper claims, those “60 homicides” include a large number of wrongful criminal deaths, felony DUI deaths and manslaughter.

“His use of the phrase ‘60 homicide convictions’ leaves viewers with the impression that he took that many to trial,” Wilson said. “When most were guilty pleas that never went to a jury.”

Jennings also says he is the only candidate to successfully prosecute a death penalty case.

The Post and Courier notes the problems here are: 1. he only helped late Solicitor Ralph Hoisington prosecute a 2003 in which the jury awarded the death penalty; 2. Wilson worked with Hoisington on a 2000 death penalty case in which the jury recommended a sentence of life in prison; 3. Wilson currently has three death penalty cases on the docket, two of which are scheduled for trial this fall.

I think the only thing that is truthful about this ad is the “Paid for by Blair Jennings” tag at the bottom. And for all I know, that may not even be true.

OBAMA’S CONTROVERSIAL PASTOR SET TO VISIT AIKEN, MAY BE CANCELED FOR SECURITY REASONS

The divisive former pastor of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama that has dominated recent headlines may be coming to Aiken next week. But a conflicting report claims that is not the case.

According to the Aiken Standard, Rev. Jeremiah Wright is scheduled to take part in a revival at the Second Baptist Church on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wright reportedly has visited the church four times previously.
Second Baptist Church pastor Doug Slaughter and another pastor, Brendolyn Jenkins, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

WRDW-TV, who initially broke the story, is now claiming that Chris Thomas, one of their reporters, “has uncovered new information that creates confusion about the Aiken trip.”

News 12 talked with the church Tuesday, and [Wright’s trip] was confirmed.

Wednesday morning, Thomas talked to and e-mailed the media coordinator at Chicago’s Trinity Church. The coordinator told Thomas Rev. Wright has no plans to travel to Aiken next week.

This was news to Second Baptist when Thomas told them. The response was, “Oh really. We are not sure. Have a nice day.” Then the person hung up the phone.”

I spoke with a source who said that, although Wright has been here before, the trip may have been called off for security reasons. The source could not go into further details other than to say, “nothing is set in stone yet.” (continues…)