Stuff from Around Arkansas, February 20 (Updated! Twice!!)
Oxford Comma: Looks like it’s a trip to debtor’s prison for the Oxford American Magazine at the University of Central Arkansas, which is of course facing financial troubles. Wait, that’s news? Tell you what, from now on let’s just take it as a given that the Oxford American is in trouble and run a news story if things should ever improve. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
This is Still Going On: Arkansas lawmakers are responding to the draft of the lottery bill with pertinent questions about the structure and….wait a minute, I’m not following this. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
BudJack Watch: Oh, look, embattled Democratic Senator Roland Burris of Illinois is in the soup. Is Lt. Gov. Bill Halter’s hidden hand operative Bud Jackson, who helped Burris get to the Senate in the first place, on the scene to save his bacon? (Washington Post)
The Envelope, Please: Oh, look, Blake’s Think Tank is now prattling on about the Oscars. I couldn’t care less about awards shows, because nothing’s gayer than the Oscars, with the exception of the Tonys. I’m only linking to this so I could use that photo of Marisa Tomei as a stripper in “The Wrestler,” an Oscar-nominated movie that I probably won’t see until it’s on TBS three years from now. (Blake’s Think Tank)
*****************************************************
UPDATE: With regard to item #3 above, a sharp-eyed Arkansas Project correspondent points us to Bud Jackson’s Twitter feed, which may contain potential clues to his involvement in the Burris affair.
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: I tried to sign up to follow old Bud Jackson on Twitter and got a message telling me “You have been blocked from following this account at the request of the user.” I feel so rejected! Oh, well. If you’re a Twitter user, go see if you can sign up to follow BudJack and send me any updates that may be of interest.
I am with the IRS on the Oxford American’s tax situation. Warwick Sabin needs to file a lien on that woman and push the locals to put her on trial. Then he needs to go to the bank and get an operating loan to float until they can get everything aright with the feds. That is what normal people would do.
It isn’t the IRS’s job to litigate that fraud and they can’t, by law, just give people a pass because they have a sad situation. In re the alleged fraud, they need a conviction, a court order, or at least some assets to attach to be satisfied.
Also, if they gave a business other than a liberal rag that kind of break Sabin is asking for, Max Brantley, et al, would be livid. Imagine if Wal Mart was claiming they hadn’t paid taxes because of that Coughlin guys fraud. Right-o.