A hole in the Chron’s ASS story : Lone Star Times

A hole in the Chron’s ASS story

by David Benzion · 07/31/2006 6:22 am

From LST to KSEV to MSM outlets around the nation (mostly due to the Associated Press picking it up), for the historical record, here are the two original Perry ASS ‘06 check stories (I and II).

This Dallas Morning News article by Christy Hoppe works in some pretty nice puns, and gives all “props” that are due:

This is A Short Story about what Acronyms Shouldn’t Say.

It began when a conservative anti-business-tax group began a lighthearted protest by sending 2-cent checks to Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign, with the promise more would be sent if the property tax savings he’s touted ever materialize.

But when some of those checks started clearing the bank, the donors noticed that the Perry campaign had written something on them: ASS 06.

While some took offense, others were willing, well, to turn the other cheek.

“Kiss my Perry-iere!” one blogger wrote to the Lone Star Times, a conservative Web site on which a robust discussion of the acronym occurred Friday. [snip]

Edd Hendee, executive director of Citizens Lowering Our Unfair Taxes – or CLOUT – knows a little something about acronyms.

“Even if it were innocent, I could take any number of good words that put together could form an acronym that would get my mouth washed out,” Mr. Hendee said. “I’m thinking their choice of acronym was not prudent.”

That said, there’s a new bottom line: “Now everyone wants to be a member of the ASS club. It’s too much fun,” Mr. Hendee said.

And with that, the chances that Edd Hendee will ever seek the Presidency have been effectively killed. Any future campaign would involve traveling across Iowa explaining what he really meant back in 2006 when he was quoted in the paper saying that “Everyone wants to be a member of the ASS club. It’s too much fun.”

And by the way, it did not escape our notice that the Gary Scharrer story that appears first in the San Antonio Express-News seems to have had some important bits of information wiped away by the time it is republished in the Houston Chronicle.

See if you can spot the hole in the Chron’s piece.

San Antonio Express-News:

Because the unsolicited protest checks were not tied to any specific event, “they were coded as ‘A Small Supporter,’” Perry campaign spokesman Robert Black said Friday.

“In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best choice for an abbreviation,” Black said. “They’ll probably be changed to something like ‘SML’ for ‘Small’ going forward.”

Some of the protest-check writers discussed the special coding appearing on their canceled checks Friday morning with Houston talk show host Edd Hendee. A few posted copies of their check on the www.lonestartimes.com Web site, affiliated with radio station KSEV.

Lisa Stapp of Spring, who protested Perry’s business tax plan with a 3-cent campaign check, shrugged off the special coding for the small-change contributions.

“I am willing to believe that there is a code that says ‘a small supporter.’ I also believe that it is probably a disparaging remark,” Stapp said. “But if I have the right to protest, he has the right to call me ‘a small supporter.’”

And now, the Houston Chronicle:

Because the unsolicited protest checks were not tied to any specific event, “they were coded as ‘A Small Supporter,’ ” Perry campaign spokesman Robert Black said Friday.

“In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best choice for an abbreviation,” Black said.

“They’ll probably be changed to something like ‘SML’ for ‘Small Going Forward,’ ” he said.

Lisa Stapp of Spring, who protested Perry’s business tax plan with a 3-cent campaign check, shrugged off the coding.

“I am willing to believe that there is a code that says ‘a small supporter.’ I also believe that it is probably a disparaging remark,” she said. “But if I have the right to protest, he has the right to call me ‘a small supporter.’”

Priceless. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

[All emphasis' in bold added by LST]

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Comments

16 Responses to “A hole in the Chron’s ASS story”

golfer1 on July 31st, 2006 at 6:27 am

Is anyone really surprised about the Chron’s handling of the article?
dowjones25k on July 31st, 2006 at 6:31 am

well we should name the perry business tax - the BASS tax - for did you catch the big one!
No Higher Tax on July 31st, 2006 at 7:29 am

Sad to know Edd will never travel across Iowa looking for Presidential votes. Good to know that perry’s ASS abbreviation is getting the notiriety he deserves after his huge tax increase on Texas bussinesses. As far as governor good hair being known for more than “ASS” or “Adios Mofo” forget it - candidates who raised their state taxes by the largest amount ever are not what voters nationally want as vice-president or president. To make matters worse they try to lie about it and then get caught “Red Handed” such as bush agreement with foxx about the open borders and social security give away. This will only get better.
Definitely Blonde on July 31st, 2006 at 8:06 am

I could care less about what the Commie-ical thinks or how they report this. The point is we are getting noticed. in getting noticed, our point is being made and others in Dallas and San Antionio are paying attention to why we are angry with gov. hairspray.

Oddly enough, our protest is educating others about the issues.
Robert on July 31st, 2006 at 8:39 am

One may start to wonder if “no press” would have been better than “bad press” when it comes to this discussion. The Perry camp may have drawn too much attention to themselves, negatively. It seems what was once was a shoo-in election for Gov. Perry, his campaign has now made it too close for comfort. “Oh!!! the webs we weave when we try to deceive” now comes to mind!!!!!!!
tedtam on July 31st, 2006 at 8:51 am

I am sure that the “Ass 06″ club membership is now closed, as Perry’s staff will come up with a new acronym for us. As a proud member of said club, I am exercising my civic duty to assist my government and propose the following “groups”.

1. Foolish Union of Crazy Kooks (sorry for starting off with this one!)
2. Many Organized Funny Oddballs
3. Loud Obnoxious Sorry Egomonaniacal Republican Saps

Let the games begin…
taylanmom on July 31st, 2006 at 9:07 am

I sent my check to Gov. Rick on May 4, 2006 - but I sent only $.01, AFTER ADJUSTING FOR INFLATION.
RonnieB on July 31st, 2006 at 9:59 am

Woo Hoo!!! This story even made the “Galveston Daily News”
jimb on July 31st, 2006 at 10:54 am

I didn’t know we could say ‘ass’ and ‘hole’ in the same sentence around here. Where’s the penguin?
Neocon on July 31st, 2006 at 12:06 pm

Jimb
#9

The penguin is on another thread playing bingo over the internet!
beccisue on July 31st, 2006 at 12:30 pm

The Chicago Sun-Times…
http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-check31.html
beccisue on July 31st, 2006 at 12:35 pm

Google A Small Supporter under News and it is showing 72 articles. WOW!! I wonder what they are saying in Austin right now. We really should get to work on those A.S.S.06 bumper stickers….
Squawkbox Noise on July 31st, 2006 at 12:39 pm

Jimb

The penguin is trying to get his ass out of the hole it fell in.
Definitely Blonde on July 31st, 2006 at 2:12 pm

This is great, look at the attention / support and horror for gov hairspray we have generated.

people are paying attention and learning what a liar and do nothing this latest crop of pols really are. Our message is being heard

GO KINKY - he may not win but WHY THE HECK NOT vote for em anyways!
k-mac on July 31st, 2006 at 5:10 pm

Since the gubner’s little helpers are making such an “ASS” of themselves, maybe somebody should call in this Dallas detective to clean up the mess…
TJohnson on July 31st, 2006 at 11:14 pm

So the good citizens follow the law and appeal their valuations to the ARB chosen by the County Appraiser. The ARB agreed with the citizens, so now the citizens must defend themselves in District Court. This is an apparent end run against the arbitration process just enacted. The CAD can’t sue their appointees, so they sue the property owners who took time off to appeal their unjust appraisals. Dan Patrick, David Benzion HELP! How does a taxpayer get justice when the CAD changes the rules so it can crank values? I smell a TML plot!!!

Tom Johnson
Wharton, TX

http://www.journal-spectator.com/

CAD TO SUE OVER REDUCED TAX VALUES

By RONALD K. SANDERS - The Central Appraisal District will go to district court to fight the decisions of its own judicial arm, the Appraisal Review Board.

The CAD unanimously reached that decision Tuesday night, after meeting in closed session with their attorney for one hour and 15 minutes.

A written resolution said, in part, that “the board of directors of the Wharton County Appraisal District has determined that it is in the best interests of the public and the taxing entities to appeal certain 2006 orders of the Wharton County Appraisal Review Board.”

The CAD’s primary concern is Boling Independent School District values.

The Texas Comptroller’s Office has deemed that Boling ISD’s values are below full market value for two years in a row. A cut in state funding is looming as a result.

In response, new Chief Appraiser Tylene Gamble and her staff have conducted a massive reappraisal this year, not only in Boling. The comptroller’s report says unrealistically low values are scattered throughout the entire county. (If values are not increased in Wharton and El Campo ISDs, they are subject to state funding cuts next year.)

Gamble believes the reappraisals achieved the objective. However, it angered many property owners. More than 800 appealed the preliminary values released in May to the Appraisal Review Board.

In just the first nine days of hearings, the ARB sliced values by $12.1 million county wide. Of that, $1.8 million was within Boling ISD.

The district court will be asked to reverse some of those ARB decisions.

The ARB is five-member body appointed in staggering terms by the CAD board.

The district court appears to be the only legal recourse to reverse an ARB decision.