Judge Durden fights creepy monsters

We're not sure what Richland County Representative Jim Harrison was smoking, but we're thankful that Administrative Law Judge Deborah Durden (who we've featured in the Blogland) could see the obvious when she ruled that a funeral home that cut up bodies should remain closed:

A South Carolina judge Tuesday revoked the license of a funeral home where a worker cut the legs off a 6-foot-7 body so it would fit in a casket.

Administrative Law Judge Deborah Durden gave her decision immediately after hearing the appeal of Cave Funeral Home and owner Michael Cave.

The ruling may be the end the family business founded in Allendale 49 years ago. Cave's lawyer said his client would wait for the written ruling before deciding whether to appeal and the family is also considering selling the funeral home.

The state Funeral Board ordered the home shut down last month after Cave admitted his father, Charles Cave, used an electric saw to sever James Hines' legs at the calf because he wouldn't fit in the casket. The elder Cave does not have the license needed to embalm a body, but helped with tasks around the home like dressing and cleaning bodies, his son told the board.

Michael Cave said he should be allowed to keep his license because he wasn't in the room when the legs were cut and had no idea what his father was about do. He also said there were no other blemishes on his 26-year record in the funeral business.

"It was a terrible act," said Cave's attorney, Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Columbia. "But these aren't terrible people."

We understand that the accused have a right to counsel and representation, but anyone who says that cutting up someone's father and husband to keep the costs of a funeral doesn't make someone a terrible person has to be smoking some pretty strong stuff. A crime like this gives us the creeps.

Our congrats to Judge Durden for a job well done and shame on the now-closed funeral home.

Upstate legislator caught in out-of-state love affair

It would seem as if Governor Sanford is not the only Columbia politico battling reports of an exotic out-of-state love affair.

According to reports we're received, York County Representative Gullick has been enjoying a little out-of-state fun of his own. Our sources indicated to us that he's taken several trips out of state in recent months, and has planned even more.

Gullick, having been caught in this relationship, is now planning to give up his House seat over the situation. Reportedly the woman, who has been identified by numerous sources as "Lynn", is allegedly a successful doctor and healthcare executive.

When we contacted Gullick, who was about to head out of state for yet another meeting with this out-of-state woman, he confirmed these reports and bragged about her in considerable detail, concluding the interview with:

Yes, I'm going out of state to meet her again, but she's my wife, dammit. What's Sanford's excuse?

Unmasked in the Blogland: Parties, women, jealousy and more in state politics

In the wake of revelations over Governor Sanford's affair (not alleged, he admitted it - more than we'd ever want to know), there's been some discussion that stories were going to be told about other state political figures.

For a while, we figured that dragging out the mud wasn't going to solve anything. In fact, we were concerned that such revelations might make South Carolinians even more cynical about state government (how much more cynical can they get?). But then we decided that perhaps we'd share some stories with our readers.

Tomorrow morning, we're going to kick off a series which will tell you several stories about South Carolinians. We're pretty sure you may find these stories hard to believe, maybe shocking, and definitely amusing - but you'll definitely know it's the kind of information you'd only find here in the Blogland.

Stay tuned.

What if Operation Valkyrie succeeded in killing Hitler?

One of the biggest "what if" scenarios historians ask about World War II relate to the final - and most dramatic - assasination attempt on Adolf Hitler. The recent movie by Tom Cruise examines the Stauffenberg plot in some depth, showing a plot which was on the cusp of succeeding, but was foiled at the last minute when Hitler survived.

While some may assume a plot would have led to a best-case scenario of the Nazi Party folding in the wake of Hitler's death, alternative history authors Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson consider a very different outcome of a successful assasination effort. They consider the possibility that Hitler's death would have allowed more rational and ambitious Nazi Party officials, such as Himmler, to outmanuever Stauffenberg's plotters and seize power, overturning some of Hitler's irrational policies in an attempt to allow Germany to attempt to salvage a rapidly-deteriorating strategic picture.

In two books - "Fox on the Rhine" and "Fox at the Front", Niles and Dobson look at how a Himmler regime might have sought to reverse its decline by rationalizing Germany military decision-making and unleashing its best generals to make the best use of what is left. These two books examine the role which might have been played by General Erwin Rommel, pitting him in a series of battles in the West, including a military historial dream match of a Battle of the Bulge between Rommel and George Patton.

In addition to considering the potential for Stauffenberg to become a victim of his own success, they also consider the possibility that, no matter what deals are cut and undersupported high-tech weapons programs are accelerated, Germany may already be past the point of no return.

There are a lot of plot twists and turns that make these books rather enjoyable summer reading - but you'll have to look these titles up on Amazon to get them.

High school reunion time

A while back, I'd run across - and discussed - news of a 20th reunion of my high school class - the 1989 graduation class from James Island High School. Had my life gone according to plan, this is the bunch of friends and others I'd have shared four years of my life with before graduating and going off to college.

But as I've shared with my readers, my life didn't go that way - and it was a life much more difficult than it would otherwise have been.

In recent years, as I climbed the education and career ladder, I felt like I was getting my life back to the path it was supposed to be on. I returned to my old high school sport - cycling - last fall (the 7-10 hours a week of riding pale in comparison to the time I used to log back in high school), I reconnected with some old friends from school days and began to slip back into the rambling brainy-geeky mode that I used to be in back in those days.

I even bought another pair of checkerboard Vans shoes.

When I read about the high school reunion, I considered it, but I figured since I didn't graduate, I wouldn't be allowed to attend. After some prodding from an old high school acquaintance and fellow blogger, I decided that I would see if I could get into the upcoming event. For me, it presented an opportunity to connect with some old friends and tie up some loose ends from where my teenage life went astray.

Sallie Baldwin Spangenberg, the lead organizer of the event, graciously allowed me to attend the event - so that's where I'll be this weekend, and I'm looking forward to it! I'll report back on how things went.

Here's to hoping the rest of y'all have a great weekend!

The Blogland's latest winner

Sorry it's taken so long to name a winner, but with the unfortunate events involving Nettie Britts, Jenny Sanford (let's face it - she's been treated horribly in recent weeks) and my priest's family all hitting the same time, I felt it best to hold off on announcing a winner.

We had a number of people who named some of the individuals, but the first one to hit the nail exactly on the head as to who they were collectively was Brian Huckabee. Honorable mention is due to David Dangerfield, who just received his MA in History from the College of Charleston last month (with yours truly cheering him on). David's answer came just a little bit after Brian's.

The portrait was of the first African-American members of Congress:

Standing: Robert C. De Large, M.C. (R-SC), Jefferson H. Long, M.C. (R-GA)
Seated: U.S. Sen. Hiram R. Revels (R-MS), Benjamin S. Turner, M.C. (R-AL), Josiah T. Walls, M.C. (R-FL), Joseph H. Rainey, M.C. (R-SC), Robert B. Elliot, M.C. (R-SC).

Brian wins the prize, which is two free hotel nights anywhere in the US (sorry, no trips to Argentina at our expense!). Brian joins these other Blogland contest winners - Rick Beltram, Brian McCarty, and Mike Reino. Congratulations and thanks for tuning in to the Blogland!

Be sure to stay tuned to the Blogland for more fun and prizes from the only blog that is out to buy YOU - our readers - off.

Introducing the new State Fairgrounds parking area

With plenty of time to spare before football season draws hordes of Gamecock fans to the Williams Brice Stadium, my company wrapped up our work on rebuilding the State Fairgrounds parking area.

Those who have suffered through tailgating in a boggy parking lot will find assurance that these experiences will largely become a thing of the past, as well as a parking area which is far more aesthetically appealing that the empty open lot.

One of the most interesting aspects of the project is the innovative approach to handling stormwater. While the roadways were paved, the spaces were left grassed to help reduce runoff. In addition, an underwater stormwater retainage system - the largest of its kind in South Carolina - was put in place. Improved lighting will make things easier and safer for people parking there.

This project joins our portfolio of prominent Midlands projects, including the Lake Carolina and Lake Frances residential developments, as well as interchanges at Peach Road in Fairfield County and Sunset Boulevard in Lexington County, as well as the final phase of Clemson Road, near I-77.

You can learn more by visiting the project website, as well as watching a video on The State's website.

Facebook and "Friends"

Recently, I gave in to considerable pressure to join Facebook. Almost immediately, I got hit with a wave of friend requests from people I know, but I don't really know.

In other words, these are people I've heard of, or people who know people I know, but whom I have never met offline or worked with online or offline.

A while back, I discussed an article I'd read, which posed this question about how social networking has served to lessen (in my opinion) the meaning of the word "friend":

When I accept requests on a social networking site, often from people I don't know, they tell me,

- Congratulations. You have three new friends.

Really? Will they check on me when I'm going through challenges, celebrate my wins with me and share their deepest secrets?

Social networking "friends" cheapen the word, and suggest that all there is to friendship is to agree to be in each other's network.

I still agree with the premise of that article - social networking sites are serving to lessen the meaning of the word "friends". Even if I did join Facebook.

Maybe I'm not "with it" or I'm just being a jerk, but I don't feel like I've got to have an online club of hundreds of people I don't know and will never meet in person.

Maybe I just a bit old-fashioned and enjoy the human experience - even as anti-social and socially-clueless as I can be. For me, computers and technology should help mediate communication and facilitate human connections.

So if you're reading this and planning to send an add request, don't do it if you don't want to get to know me in real life - or at least are willing to buy me a beer the next time I'm in your neck of the woods.

Karen Fulcher

Karen Fulcher, the wife of Father Titus Fulcher, my priest - as well as a fellow blogger and Blogland reader - left this Earth this morning following a struggle with brain cancer.

When she was first diagnosed with cancer several months ago, early treatments had seemed promising. For a while, she had seemed more clear and focused than in any time I had known her, just in time for them to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary earlier this year.

Considering the degree to which the cancer had progressed when they had found it, even having the last few months together was a small miracle in itself.

Please keep Father Titus and their daughter in your prayers. If you'd like to share some words, you can go visit his blog directly.

For those who wish to pay their respects in person, funeral services will be Tuesday at Our Lady of Mercy on America Street in downtown Charleston, beginning at 11am. Visitation is at 10am. Burial will follow at St. Lawrence Cemetery at 60 Huguenin Avenue, Charleston, SC 29403.

"Nettie Lives"

The Blogland is absolutely pumped to share news of positive developments on the condition of Nettie Britts, a Midlands GOP leader and Blogland reader:

This is a screen capture from Nettie's Facebook page from about an hour ago.

While this is excellent news and a great gift in time for the 4th of July, there's still a long road ahead, so please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers. She certainly has been in mine plenty the last few days, as she has been in those of many others whose lives she has been part of.

Guess what? Bush didn't lie

Reports now indicate that the Bush-hating lunatics were wrong - Bush did not invent intelligence information to justify ousting Saddam Hussein. Evidence now shows the late dictator admitted to engaging in a massive bluff about having restarted his weapons of mass destruction program, afraid that vengenace from his neighbors was more of a threat than being found not in compliance with the terms of the cease-fire agreement from the 1991 war:

Unclassified FBI interviews conducted during his incarceration at a U.S. detention center offered new details Thursday about the late Iraqi dictator's life on the run — both before and after he was ousted.

The documents also confirm previous reports that Saddam falsely allowed the world to believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction — the main U.S. rationale behind the war — because he feared revealing his weakness to Iran, the hostile neighbor he considered a bigger threat than the U.S.

... but for those losers who kept harping on the "Bush lied" line - it never really was about the war. If it was, we'd see them raging mad about Obama's about-face over withdrawing troops from Iraq and closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

But they're not, which shows them for the gutless hypocrites they really are.

"International Driver's License": Fake documents, very real threats to employers

Recently I was talking with someone who, like me, does human resources in the construction industry. They were asking questions that had arisen from a recent incident where an injured employee was taken to the hospital and presented a so-called "International Driver's License" as identification, wondering if they should allow that employee to continue operating a company vehicle. I did a little research to get to the bottom of this matter and learned that not only are these documents bogus, trusting those with such fake documents could expose employers to some major financial risks.

These documents are manufactured and sold extensively in the state's Hispanic community, under the mistaken impression these documents will allow them to con an unsuspecting employer into thinking they are legal to work in the United States. As discussed recently, the state's Illegal Immigration Reform Act specifically states that a new hire is to be verified through E-Verify or must present a license or ID card issued by South Carolina, or any of the following states: AK, AZ, CT, FL, GA, ID, IN, ME (credentials issued after 11/15/08), MA, MI, NH, NJ, PA, RI, TX and VA.

I talked with a state trooper I knew about the subject. He told me these are invalid licenses and if he stops someone with one of those, they will be cited, could be arrested and if no legitimately licensed driver was able to take over, the vehicle would be towed at the vehicle owner's expense (the company if it's a company car).

South Carolina law is very specific about the requirement that anyone residing in this state must obtain and drive only with a license issued by the State of South Carolina:

If you are a new resident, you may use a valid driver's license from your former state for up to 90 days. However, you must convert to a South Carolina driver's license before the end of the 90-day period.

(http://www.scdmvonline.com/DMVNew/default.aspx?n=initial_driver_license)

This means that if your employee lives here, they must have an ID or license issued by the state of South Carolina, period.

Further, this story in the Orangeburg Times and Democrat reports these are NOT valid drivers licenses:

Police pulled his car over Tuesday morning for a routine traffic stop. He said he had left his driver's license at home. When asked, the Hispanic man confirmed it was an International Driving Document.

Police are warning residents that such licenses are part of a scam foisting a comparatively expensive document as a legitimate driver's license.

"Let there be no mistake, these documents aren't worth the paper they're written on for the purpose of driving in the state of South Carolina," Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Capt. Mike Adams said. "They're not valid anywhere in the United States for that matter."

(http://www.timesanddemocrat.com/articles/2004/02/26/news/news1.prt)

Next, I called someone in the construction insurance business to see if insurers would pay in the event of an incident involving an employee who does not have a valid license. He told me that in the event of a collision with a driver who did not have a valid driver's license, they would not pay any claim. This would create some potential problems for the company as the employer would have to pay for all costs directly, or risk a lawsuit.

Should an accident result in a lawsuit by an injured party, it seems jurors would give a generous award to the plantiff (and their attorneys) to punish them for allowing unlicensed individuals to drive. Given the general public attitudes towards illegal aliens, if the driver was an illegal, they may give an even larger award as a punitive measure.

Someone who presents a so-called International Driver's License when being hired may present two major risks to employers: state and federal penalities for hiring an illegal alien, as well as considerable financial risks if they get behind the wheel of a company vehicle. If a new hire cannot present a state-issued license, employers should ask themselves how much of a risk they are willing to take to hire that individual before they proceed with bringing them onto their payroll.

Sanford or no Sanford - the need for reform remains

For six years, Governor Sanford repeatedly called for sweeping reforms and increased accountability in state government. While his actions have show his commitment to reform to be hollow, there is no small irony in how his actions – and those of his administration - have helped make the case that the need for governmental reform is greater than at any time since the days of Operation Lost Trust.

This blog sounded the alarm about how Sanford, who once called out for cleaning up campaign finance in South Carolina, abandoned this reform effort as soon as large amounts of undisclosed third-party cash began working on his behalf. Without his support, campaign finance disclosure reforms are no closer to getting passed than before Sanford took office. This first test of his commitment to reform showed that Sanford was far more adept at political posturing than being truly committed to reforming state government, as well as the state’s nasty reputation for pay-to-play politics.

One must wonder how a Governor who disappears for days at a time can exercise proper stewardship of state government. The failures of SC DSS resulted in mega-million dollar fines which compounded the state’s budget shortfall, allowed millions to be embezzled, and asked no questions when children died in DSS care. Similar problems of neglect and lack of leadership plague other agencies under the Governor’s authority, including Corrections and PRT. It is little comfort in knowing that once caught, Sanford will pay the state back for his trips to Argentina. Real reform should ensure that effective checks-and-balances are placed upon all parts of state government to ensure that much-needed stewardship of each agency and department.

But the problems aren't just with Sanford. During his tenure in office, the state saw not just one, but two, constitutional officers removed from office and convicted on federal charges – the first such occurrences in decades. Orangeburg County – one of the poorest in the country – has struggled through a string of indictments and convictions of county and municipal officials. The sum total of these problems add up to a troubling pattern of problems which cry out for real reform.

There’s nothing to suggest that Sanford, whose record of working with others is virtually non-existent, will listen to the voices of Republicans who are concerned that Sanford’s negative ratings will gut his party in the upcoming 2010 elections and resign. While examples of voter backlash against the parties associated with scandal-ridden Governors in other states, most notably Ohio in 2006, support their concerns, there is little to be gained by the GOP-led General Assembly leading a high-profile witch hunt that consumes much of the agenda for next year’s legislative session.

Whether Sanford resigns this year, or leaves when his term ends in 18 months, he will soon be gone (as if his administration has any relevance anyway). Therefore the General Assembly should focus on the positive and work on long-overdue ethical reforms which can help ensure the next administration starts off on a more productive footing.

Enacting long-overdue campaign finance reform and setting higher standards for the stewardship of government in South Carolina should be among the top priorities for the General Assembly when it returns in January.

Nettie Britts update

For much of the last week, a lot of our readers have been focused on the Sanford mess, which has made it difficult to make much headway with organizing an event. But we're back on track with the first progress update on the event planning.

At last report, she's making progress towards recovery, but it's going to be a long road for her. A show of support, as well as a successful fundraiser, can help keep her and her family focused on the important work ahead, knowing that they're not alone and have the support of a lot of people who care.

An initial round of calls and emails got positive responses from a number of statewide candidates, GOP leaders and concerned citizens. From that, we've got tentative offers from three bands interested in performing, and a couple of leads on locations, but nothing confirmed as of yet - which is where we need the help of the Blogland readers.

If you know a location in the Midlands with ample parking, a stage and sound system, and is set up for such an event, please inquire with the owners to see if they would be willing to host a concert benefit. If they're willing to consider host the event, even if it requires a little money up front, we may be willing to discuss this with them. While ideal locations would include downtown or a waterfront location, we're willing to consider anything.

We'll also need lots of hands to help work such an event, and door prizes for a raffle would be appreciated as well.

Please email me at earl@earlcapps.org if you have any location leads or want to be kept in the loop on this event.

Mudslinging starts early in the Lt. Gov race

With almost a full year to go before the GOP primary, the race for Lieutenant Governor saw it's first round of mudslinging. A recent petty shot tossed out by the Bill Connor campaign makes this blogger wonder what is to come next.

A couple of weeks ago, a Connor staffer attempted to convince me that I needed to do a story on the fact that two candidates for Lt. Governor had not filed campaign disclosures (Ken Ard and Ralph Norman). While he was trying to convince me I should diss them for not getting their disclosures in, convincing me I should be a "campaign finance watchdog", he forgot a some disclosure of his own when he didn't mention who he was working for, but since I knew who he was working for, his motives weren't difficult to figure out.

I wasn't really bothered by the lack of disclosure. Since it's so early in the campaign, the candidates have spent little money. I doubted that they're hiding a whole lot at this stage in the game.

However, I was trying to figure out what he was doing calling me at my office. NOBODY calls me at my work, nor have I invited anyone to call me there, and I certainly don't need - or want - to drag politics into my workplace.

When I recently asked the candidate about this, he didn't seem concerned that his campaign took the first negative shot of the campaign, nor that they tried to play me for a fool. In fact, he didn't seem to understand why I would have a problem with what was done.

Hopefully, this isn't a sign of things to come in the race for Lieutenant Governor, but if the mud is already being thrown a year out over things this petty, who knows what's next?