SPARTANBURG SENATOR CONSIDERS NEXT MOVE

COLUMBIA, S.C. (TPS) - The ever-ambitious Sen. Jim Ritchie (R-Spartanburg), one of at least five Republicans rumored to be weighing a run for governor in three years, has sent a letter across the state in an effort to feel out and drum up support for a potential statewide campaign. In the letter, Ritchie made no attempt to disguise his intentions and said, “I will be seriously considering offering my candidacy for Governor in the 2010 election.”

He went on to propose a not-so-subtle plea for feedback on planning his next move by explaining, “I must decide whether or not to seek re-election to the State Senate, or to fully devote my time to exploring a candidacy for Governor.”

The letter, sent from Priority Mailing Services, also came with a reply card for listing issue priorities for the 2008 legislative session.

Read the letter:

We have also heard from a number of sources that Ritchie has been contacting high-level donors by telephone to discuss the likely run.

So what is the real motivation behind the letter and phone calls?

For Ritchie, these are very bold moves - especially when considering that Gov. Mark Sanford’s re-election was a mere 10 months ago. But when the slate of possible primary opponents includes Attorney General Henry McMaster, House Speaker Bobby Harrell, Congressman Gresham Barrett and Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, the relatively unknown Ritchie has little choice but to be brash.

Ritchie may also be testing his statewide viability for another office. If he waits and McMaster runs for governor, Ritchie could become a relatively appealing candidate for attorney general.

Another possibility is that Ritchie is worried about a primary challenge in his senate district. With Sanford prepared to exact revenge on his foes in the General Assembly during the next election cycle, the senate majority whip may be on the governor’s list. The last time a Spartanburg senator became the target of Sanford’s reprisal - John Hawkins in 2004 - he barely made it out alive and only after pleading for his highness’ mercy.

Whatever the reason, Ritchie has certainly made one of the first significant moves in the race for the Governor’s Mansion.

EMBATTLED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LINKED TO ALLEGED ILLICIT ACTIVITIES

COLUMBIA, S.C. (TPS) - An organization backing presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani (R-N.Y.) may soon be the subject of an Internal Revenue Service investigation, The Palmetto Scoop has learned. A source has informed TPS that a complaint will be filed against the South Carolina Fire Fighters Association, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization barred from intervention or participation in political campaigns, for its involvement with Giuliani.

The source said the organization may have used funds - which are tax-exempt “charitable donations” under its nonprofit status - and other resources to aide Giuliani’s White House bid in the state, something that would be a violation of U.S. tax code.

Furthering speculation that the group’s activities could be a violation of federal law, it was announced last week that Executive Director, James A. Bowie (pictured above right) would serve as a co-chair of the “First Responders for Rudy” team.

According to the IRS:

To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual. In addition, it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates.

And this is not the first time that Bowie has come under fire for allegedly crooked activities. The popular blog FITSNews broke the story last week that Bowie “was indicted fifteen years ago by a Lexington County, S.C. grand jury for ‘breach of trust’ related to financial irregularities at the State Fire Academy.”

The 1992 indictment, reported on at the time by The State newspaper, alleged that Bowie cashed a check for $2,975 that was intended to pay for firefighter training and instead deposited the money into a personal account. [FITSNews]

More to come…

Photos: Exclusive images from the May 15 Republican presidential debate in Columbia of S.C. Firefighters for Rudy and Executive Director James A. Bowie.

HEALTH ACCESS AMERICA HELPS OVER 1,000 SOUTH CAROLINIANS FIND AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE OPTIONS

With an estimated 20 percent of South Carolina’s population uninsured, the health care problem in the state has become a full-blown crisis. Representatives from the group Health Access America are looking to improve the current predicament and have attended more than 100 health-related events since March 1, where they educate community members about the importance of health insurance and providing educational information about available options.

The group says their effort has made a large impact in the community, helping increase awareness of existing programs, both public and private.

“It’s a good feeling to know HAA is really making a difference in Columbia,” said John Bayalis, Health Access America field organizer. “We will continue to work hard and educate people about the importance of having health insurance and what is available.”

Concetta Crout of West Columbia, who lost her health insurance coverage one week before the birth of her first child in December 2006, understands the importance of having health insurance. She not only owed thousands of dollars in hospital expenses, but had to pay out of pocket for shots and pediatrician visits.

And this is an all too familiar story for many South Carolinians. But HAA hopes to change the narrative with a successful campaign that includes 61 partners.

Since the beginning of March, organizations such as the Mental Health Association, Carolina Pharmacy Network and the National Kidney Foundation of South Carolina have been committed to the HAA cause through various efforts. Whether it is distributing information, supporting events or anything else, the number of uninsured in Columbia is decreasing thanks to this collaborative effort.

To find out where HAA is going to be next, contact Jessica Crosby at (404)724-4649 or log on to http://www.healthaccess4america.org.

HELP US STOP JUDGE MARK HAYES’ RULING FROM SHUTTING DOWN THE INTERNET CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN TASK FORCE

The children of South Carolina are at risk. They have become the target of a rogue activist judge – a man whose job is based around an oath to seek justice, and justice alone – who has employed his radical left-wing tactics to shut down a successful task force aimed at catching online sexual predators.

And as a result, dozens of individuals that use the Internet to victimize minors could be released from having to face justice; free to once again prey on the innocent youth of this state.

WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN.

In a ruling last month, Circuit Court Judge Mark Hayes of Spartanburg unjustifiably claimed that the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was using a federal law to obtain information on Internet predators that is not supported by South Carolina law. And as such, he ordered the task force to cease use of what’s known as a federal “d-order” under Title 18 of the U.S. Code, Section 2703(d), which forces companies to disclose subscriber information.

According to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, this allows investigators to build probable cause for an arrest. If Hayes’ ruling is upheld, the state would have no legal recourse to require businesses to divulge the information. And much of what has already been collected would be inadmissible in court.

In all, 85 cases are in jeopardy of being thrown out for absolutely no reason.

But the federal d-order has already been upheld by another circuit court judge. And in the last five years, state Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal issued three administrative orders permitting judges statewide jurisdiction over matters arising from the use of d-orders.

Thankfully, Attorney General Henry McMaster has refused to suspend the task force and has instructed its members to continue going after predators. McMaster has appealed Hayes’ ruling but admits that if the decision stands, there is little he can do to proceed with many of the cases and that the task force would lose much of its functionality.

“Frankly, it’s a much worse scenario than we originally thought,” Mark Plowden, a spokesman for McMaster, told the Herald-Journal. “The consequences of that order being upheld are dire.”

And that’s an understatement.

Of the previous arrests, Plowden said 24 have resulted in guilty pleas and two defendants have been found guilty at trial. The task force has had overwhelming success in catching these perverts – making their 85th arrest Thursday – and there is absolutely no rationale behind this judge’s decision.

This is a clear case of judicial activism at its worst. Here we have an attorney general who has devoted countless resources to successfully protecting our children through sound legal means, yet it may be all for not because a liberal judge wants to needlessly skirt the law in favor of an ambiguous legal loophole – which may not even exist.

We must stop Hayes before another innocent person is hurt. Every time a child is victimized because of this decision, Hayes will be responsible. And if we do nothing to stop him, so too will we.

Please help us prevent this travesty from happening. We ask that you sign the petition to save the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and show your support for Attorney General Henry McMaster in fighting Hayes’ crusade against our children.

The Habele Outer Island Education Fund, a South Carolina based nonprofit comprised of former Peace Corps Volunteers and other education-minded Americans, announced Monday that it is awarding over $3,500 in high school scholarships to students from a remote and underdeveloped Pacific Atoll of Micronesia. The organization said the recipients are two girls aged 17 and 18 from the islands of Falalop and Asor on Ulithi Atoll in Yap State.

They will be attending classes at the all-girls Bethania High School in the Republic of Palau.

“These isolated atolls in Micronesia face a gamut of social, political, and economic challenges,” said Habele’s founder Neil Mellen. “The Secretariat of the Pacific reports that fewer than a fifth of these islanders have access to acceptable sanitation and that infant mortality rates are five times higher than those the United States.”

Micronesia, which means “small islands,” is a federation of islands in the central Pacific formerly administered by the United States Department of the Interior. With numerous economic problems including high unemployment rates, Micronesia depends heavily on U.S. and foreign aid.

“These girls are the future of our islands,” said Mario Suulbech, a Habele volunteer who lives on the Island of Falalop. “Sadly, some people here are still skeptical about the value of education and the role of women in our changing traditions.

“These particular girls are working hard to prove them wrong, to build a brighter future for their families, and our island community.”

One of the awards being granted, the “Oceanic Society Sea Turtle Scholarship,” is made possible by the support of the Oceanic Society in recognition of the community’s ongoing support for a local sea turtle research and conservation program. The Oceanic Society is a U.S.-based non-profit marine conservation group involved in environmental expeditions and education in Micronesia and around the world. Like Habele, they recognize the unique difficulties faced by students in the region.

Habele says the scholarship winners will travel to and from the school with money raised by their families, and have signed a strict performance contract that ties their scholarships to academic targets.

For more information, check out Habele’s official website or read the official blog.

When we heard late Monday that fellow blogger and Summerville resident Earl Capps, 36, announced he would accept the state treasurer post vacated by Thomas Ravenel if elected, we were elated. We consider Earl to be a friend and ally in the blogosphere (Check out his site, “The Blogland of Earl Capps,” here). He is a constant source of poignant commentary and information on subjects often not covered by mainstream media news sources but important to South Carolinians. And following his announcement, we are proud to make one of our own.

After weighing the decision overnight, The Palmetto Scoop staff has decided to officially endorse Earl Capps in his bid to become South Carolina’s next treasurer. We feel comfortable that Capps is a welcome alternative to some of the old-hat options being considered to fill the void and that the College of Charleston graduate student will make a bold effort to restore dignity to the tarnished treasurer’s post.

We’ve expressed our qualms with this Friday’s election, but assuming it proceeds as scheduled, Capps is the only candidate that we would back. But it will take some effort to get him elected.

The only votes that count will be cast by the 170 state legislators, so the best thing we can do is contact them — by e-mail, phone or even in person — and request they back Earl Capps. You can find your senator and representative, as well as contact information, at the S.C. Legislature’s online site.

But the election is this Friday, so time is short. Let’s make Earl Capps the next S.C. Treasurer!

Could a blogger really be elected State Treasurer? We’re not sure. But all he needs is 86 votes to win.

The Palmetto Scoop proudly Backs Capps, and we hope you will call your state senators and representatives and encourage them to as well.

The D.C. Madam controversy has already claimed a few political scalps — including Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) — but could it soon claim one closer to home?

Contained within the volumes of Pamela Martin & Associates’ phone records, many of which have yet to be fully explored, are a pair of curious calls stemming from Columbia, S.C. On July 1 and 2 of 2006, two calls — 51 and 64 minutes, respectively — were placed from the telephone number (803) 400-4455. They only appear on those two dates and, as far as we can tell, no where else.

Considering that these calls consume an abnormally large chunk of time, the number is, to say the least, quite suspicious. Adding to that intrigue is the fact that the Madam, Deborah Jean Palfrey, catered almost exclusively to the political crowd in D.C. - politicians, staff, lobbyists, etc. Whoever made these calls spent a lot of time in Washington and has some deep connections inside the beltway.

So who’s the caller? Well, we have no idea. But you might.

If you have any information, please email it to news@palmettoscoop.com.

The always witty and sometimes sassy conservative blogstress Elizabeth “Media Lizzy” Blackney, one of The Palmetto Scoop’s favorite bloggers and GOP strategists, has just released her first book, Sex, Lies & Politricks. The book details how Blackney feels the political process is working, and reminds Americans that they “have an obligation to participate.” And it does so with her characteristic “Buck the Beltway” flare.

“It is not anyone’s kiss and tell,” Blackney said in a press release heralding the book’s arrival. “I do not want to get into the personal lives of any political figure.”

Sex, Lies & Politricks addresses the Bush Doctrine, the Conservative Ground Game, and the perils – and payoffs – of American Politics from Blackney’s unique perspective. It presents her argument for a robust and preemptive, foreign policy through her hard-hitting approach to politics and policy.

Blackney, a political consultant by trade, decided to write the book because, as she says, “For years, I have marveled at the people I have in my rolodex.” And through the publication, she fully-harnesses her “stable of advisers” and their “wealth of political, corporate and publishing experience.”

But the native Oregonian - don’t hold that against her - who was raised in Atlanta, Ga. is quick to note that Sex, Lies & Politricks is not an effort in promoting any particular party or agenda. “When I highlight the political shortcomings of some leaders, which I have in this book, I am articulating publicly what I have advised friends and clients privately for years.

“Not all Republicans and Democrats fit the stereotypes we see on television.”

Her forward-thinking, conservative mindset in present throughout the book as she lays-out her vision for the generation beginning to take power. “I believe the struggles we see in Washington are really about the generational turnover beginning to happen,” she cautions. “It’s goodbye Reagan, hello globalism.”

The book is more than an account of the American political process though. According to Blackney, it opens with a high impact, controversial statement and delivers a punch straight through to the end.

Sex, Lies & Politricks by Lizzy Blackney is available on Amazon.com or on her website, MediaLizzy.com.