Rep. Tom Riner's God has been Downsized

See, he's no longer the Director of Kentucky's Homeland Security. Woot! Woot!

Rep. Riner's put a line into law 3 years ago that took 3 years to be struck down. That law was struck down today by Judge Thomas Wingate. Riner assertion that "the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth" is akin to "In God we Trust" is simply patronizing.

If that law had remained unchallenged, I have no doubt that Riner's would have come up with another step on the path to having state employees worship his God as well. Kudos to the ACLU, the Ten Kentucky residents and the national American Atheists Inc. for standing up to this crap.
Newsflash to Riner: Kentucky is not a theocracy. Quit embarrassing us with your lunacy!

And my suggestion to Attorney General Conway...There's no reason to delay on the decision not to appeal. Letting Claudia Riner bully you into appealing this decision would certainly cost you YOUR base and the election.

Here's the story in today's CJ.

Update: And now in the national CBS News. I especially found this Riner comment interesting: "There are real benefits to acknowledging Him. There was not a single founder or framer of the Constitution who didn't believe that."- Psst...those old slave-owning white guys also believed women didn't have the right to vote.

Anyone wishing to let Jack Conway know that this decision should not be appealed, can contact him at attorney.general@ag.ky.gov , and join the facebook group called God is not Kentucky's Director of Homeland Security.

U of L: Re-instate Montequa Jackson NOW.

This incident happened back in April when I wasn't paying attention. But then, Fox 41 didn't have access to the campus surveillance tapes.

Here's what happened: Montequa Jackson came to the aid of her boyfriend, Jermaine Stafford, who was under a attack from a white mob. In the process of saving him, she stabbed one of the white assailants multiple times, who I understand didn't suffer injury. Besides being prosecuted, Ms. Jackson has now been kicked out of the University of Louisville, and I'm outraged. Classes start tomorrow, and I'm not sure I even want a degree from this institution if this is what they stand for. Why is the University dragging it's white feet on her appeal?

View the Fox 41 coverage and the campus security clip here:http://tinyurl.com/lgrylt

TAKE ACTION:

Demand justice by contacting University of Louisville President James Ramsey:

ramsey@louisville.edu, 502-852-5417 (office), 502-852-7226 (fax)

8 Days after 2009 Louisville Flood

Photo by Curtis Morrison, All rights reserved.

8 days after Louisville's most intense rain, residents of the 800 block of S. 22nd St. are still waiting for their trash, formerly known as their belongings, to be removed from their yards.

Most of these people don't have flood insurance, and why would they? They don't live in a flood plain. So they thought. And now, adding to the recession, and the shrinking job market, they have to throw all their stuff away. Definitely not a good time for most folks in Louisville's West End. I'm not saying it's the government's fault this happened, but I do believe Kentuckians deserve a more compassionate response.

It's great that Gov. Beshear did request Tuesday that Obama declare Kentucky a major disaster, but it just doesn't seem like it's enough. Why can't the General Assembly get together now for an emergency session and figure out how to give some help to Kentuckians that really need help?
(Kinda like they did when the horse-racing industry demanded it in July.) It's like we're following a procedure for an unprecedented event, and there's not really a procedure so we're pretending like nothing happened.

On our horizon is a winter with record-high gas and electric rates, and now many of the residents in our community least able to face this challenge, have homes without carpet or insulation in the crawl space. Let's do something about this. Let your Metro Council Member, Mayor, General Assembly Legislator, and Governor know that Kentucky can do better.

What's wrong with Kentucky's New Home Tax Credit...

As you may have heard, there's now a Kentucky's New Home Tax Credit that offers up to a $5,000 credit toward state income tax owed by purchasers of newly constructed homes in Kentucky.

I've been a real estate agent since 1992, and I'm coming up against something I have never seen before.

I have two prospective sellers that each bought their homes a few years ago, and are now faced with imminent moves (one is divorce, other is transfer). Here's the problem, when we are trying to set a price in which to market their homes, we have to take into account that the Commonwealth is actually offering a $5000 incentive for prospective buyers not to buy their home, and to buy a builders home instead.

Here's why this incentive is messed up:
When the builders went to build their current inventory, obviously, they took risks that the market might dry up. So it wasn't that big of a surprise to them.

However, when my sellers bought their homes a few years ago, should they have known they were taking the risk that the Commonwealth would offer incentive to buyers not to buy their homes?

Please contact your state representatives and the Governor and ask them to consider extending this $5,000 state income tax credit program to purchasers buying ALL Kentucky homes, just not new construction.

LOUISVILLE FLASH FLOOD! 08.04.09 AM

All photos by Curt Morrison, curtster3@yahoo.com.




Yeah, the manhole cover one is awesome, I know.