A. E. Newman Calls For The Resignation Of County Commissioners Ron Jost and Jerry Lairmore

Published by Jimmy Oldsun, NDRIRSRWRAFTC & Editor

Date:  9/3/2010

A. E. Newman, recent recipient of the 2010 Bland "Man Of The Year" Award, has called for the immediate resignation of both Ron Jost and Jerry Lairmore from the Gasconade County Commission.  At a hastily called news conference in Bland, Newman today (Friday) called for a change of leadership within the county in order to bring about unity of purpose.  Newman told Hermann Hearsay that the resignation of Jost would open the door for Jerry Spurgeon, Democratic challenger, to win the upcoming general election for Presiding Commissioner.  When asked who would fill Southern District Associate Commissioner Lairmore's office, Newman told us that he would be more than happy to serve if that's what the people of the southern district wanted.

Hermann Hearsay understands that, in a separate and completely unrelated dramatic development at Thursday's County Commission Meeting, John Kamler, an Owensville Alderman, called for the immediate resignation of Northern District Associate Commissioner Matt Penning from the Gasconade County Commission.

WOW!  If all the resignations which have been "called for" should actually come to fruition, Gasconade County would be left "leaderless"!  The county would be a ship adrift without a rudder!  How then would we ever make progress on the important affairs of the county?!  How would we deal with our county budget issues?  How would we plan for the preservation and renovation of the county courthouse?  And what of the work which Southern District Associate Commissioner Lairmore has done with the UMR engineering student on the courthouse emergency access road?  And what would happen to Jerry's vision of paving all county roads with chip and seal?  Who would make decisions regarding the repair/replacement of the picnic table on the front lawn of the courthouse?

Hermann Hearsay Performance Metrics - Friday, 9/3/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/3/2010

Performance Metrics:

Total # FREE Subscribers: 000,351

Total # Premium Subscribers: 000,030

Total # Ultra Premium Subscribers: 000,004

Total # Platinum Lifetime Subscribers: 000,003

Subscribers Currently Online: 000,104

New Visitors Currently Online: 000,039

Alexa U.S. Traffic Ranking: 757,816

Alexa World Traffic Ranking: 1,018,694 

Cumulative Postings Since Start-up: 665

Total # Subscriber Telethons, Raffles & Bake Sales: 0

Total $'s Recv'd From Politicians For Promotional Consideration: 0

Total # Subscriptions Revoked for Copyright Infringement: 0

Overall Financial Conditon: Solvent

Hermann Hearsay Local Advertisers - Friday, 9/3/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/3/2010

While others claim to be "cheaper" than bottled
water, Hermann Hearsay is absolutely FREE.
Yes, we are "cheaper" than tap water!
www.HermannHearsay.blogspot.com

John Denver - "Annie's Song" ♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫♫

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/3/2010

TGIF!  It's "John Denver Friday"!  I'll bet that you will all recognize this John Denver song, a love song song which John wrote for his wife Annie.  It is simply entitled "Annie's Song".

Photo Of The Day - Friday, 9/3/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/3/2010

"Alright, stick 'em up ya dad-burned skunks and varmints!"

Laugh Of The Day - Thursday, 9/3/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/3/2010

"Anyone who hates children and animals can't be all bad."  ~ W. C. Fields

Quote Of The Day - Friday, 9/3/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/3/2010

"I think it is absolutely essential in a democracy to have competition in the media, a lot of competition, and we seem to be moving away from that."  ~ Walter Cronkite

Bible Verse Of The Day - Friday, 9/3/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/3/2010

"For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do"  ~ Ephesians 2:10

State Auditor Issues Audit Report For Gasconade County

Published by Dick Schaefer, Award-winning, Unpaid, Part-time Contributing Writer and Amateur Investigative Reporter

Date:  9/2/2010

The final report on the 2010 State Audit of Gasconade County has been issued by Missouri State Auditor, Susan Montee.  The portion of the audit conducted by state employees has been posted on the auditor's website.  The "Yellow Sheet" toplines may be found at:  http://www.auditor.mo.gov/press/2010-105.htm.  And the full audit report may be found at:  http://www.auditor.mo.gov/press/2010-105.pdf.

There is another portion of the report which is still being worked on by a private CPA firm contracted to perform audits for the state.  When this portion of the audit report is released, I will report on the findings contained therein.

I hope that every taxpayer in Gasconade County will read these important audit reports.  They are very revealing.  They tell us how our county government is being managed by our elected county officials.

Eric Clapton - "My Father's Eyes" ♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫♫

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/2/2010

It's "Eric Clapton Thursday" and here is Eric Clapton performing "My Father's Eyes" .....

Photo Of The Day - Thursday, 9/2/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/2/2010

Tropical Moonlight
Photo sent in to us by Chubb E. Buttocks who is vacationing
with his girlfriend Ima Realfule in Hawaii.

Laugh Of The Day - Thursday, 9/2/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/2/2010

"Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city."  ~ George Burns

Bible Verse Of The Day - Thursday, 9/2/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/2/2010

"While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him."  ~ Luke 5:12-13

Hermann Hearsay Performance Metrics - Wednesday, 9/1/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date: 9/1/2010

Performance Metrics:

Total # FREE Subscribers: 000,350

Total # Premium Subscribers: 000,030

Total # Ultra Premium Subscribers: 000,004

Total # Platinum Lifetime Subscribers: 000,003

Subscribers Currently Online: 000,101

New Visitors Currently Online: 000,037

Alexa U.S. Traffic Ranking: 588,194

Alexa World Traffic Ranking: 1,002,751

Cumulative Postings Since Start-up: 652

Total # Subscriber Telethons, Raffles & Bake Sales: 0

Total $'s Recv'd From Politicians For Promotional Consideration: 0

Total # Subscriptions Revoked for Copyright Infringement: 0

Overall Financial Conditon: Solvent

Anniversary of the 2009 Labor Day Weekend Courthouse Cat Burglary

Published by Dick Schaefer, Award-winning, Unpaid, Part-time Contributing Writer and Amateur Investigative Reporter

Date:  9/1/2010

This weekend will be the 'One Year Anniversary of the 2009 Labor Day Weekend Courthouse Cat Burglary'.  To refresh the memories of our readers, this was the weekend when a group of Matt Penning's citizen volunteers performed clean-up and renovation work at the Gasconade County Courthouse. 

Ah yes!  I can still remember the wonderful aroma of Matt's succulent barbeque pork steaks and world famous German potato salad which Matt served the volunteers for lunch .... at his own personal expense.  My mouth waters just thinking about that fine lunch!

A lot of much needed work was accomplished by the citizen volunteers on Saturday, 9/5/2009, and a good time was had by all participants.  Unfortunately a cloud of suspicion was cast over the entire group when a certain county official reported that her office may have been broken into over that same weekend.  The word soon spread like wildfire among courthouse employees that, upon arriving back to work on the Tuesday after the Labor Day weekend, she found one of her office windows opened, papers disturbed and her radio dial turned to a rock n' roll station.  The citizen cleaning volunteers came under immediate suspicion.  Their public service had gone unappreciated, and on top of that, they had all
become targets of suspicion!

Although accusations were insinuated and rumored, nothing was ever officially reported to local, state or federal authorities.  A trial was never conducted.  But the good names and personal reputations of the citizen volunteers were never fully restored.  No apologies have ever been offered by the county official who made the insinuations and started the false rumors.  An email was sent to her requesting such apology last September but she publicly denied having ever received the email request. 

The unfounded accusations did, however, serve one purpose, intended or otherwise.  The false accusations have been effective in dissuading Penning's cleaning volunteers from doing any further work at the courthouse.  For 52 consecutive weekends now, no citizen volunteers have been organized to perform cleaning, maintenance or renovation work at the county courthouse.  The citizen volunteer efforts were not appreciated by some of the very people they were intended to help, and volunteers don't continue to volunteer when their efforts are not appreciated!

I believe this is a downright shame!  Much needed work has gone undone at the county courthouse during he past year.  And the lieing county official has not yet been called to atone for the harm she has done.

Ray Charles - "I Can't Stop Loving You" ♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫♫ ♫ ♫♫

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/1/2010

It's Wednesday again!  And that means it's time for another Ray Charles song!  Here's one of my favorites .....

Photo Of The Day - Wednesday, 9/1/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/1/2010

A. E. Newman
Bland's 2010 'Man Of The Year'
Recognized at awards presentation ceremony
at McDonald's in Owensville Tuesday evening, 8/31.

Quote Of The Day - Wednesday, 9/1/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/1/2010

"Life has got a habit of not standing hitched. You got to ride it like you find it. You got to change with it. If a day goes by that don't change some of your old notions for new ones, that is just about like trying to milk a dead cow."  ~ Woody Guthrie

Bible Verse Of The Day - Wednesday, 9/1/2010

Published by Lois Lame, SSALRCYTMVDQJCP & Assistant Editor

Date:  9/1/2010

"The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day."  ~ Proverbs 4:18

The Republican Primary Election Challenge Alleging "Voting Irregularities" In Hindsight

Published by Dick Schaefer, Award-winning, Unpaid, Part-time Contributing Writer and Amateur Investigative Reporter

Date:  8/31/2010

I continue to be bothered by the strategy chosen by Larry Miskel and his attorney P. Dennis Barks when they challenged the 16 vote margin in the recent Republican primary election for Gasconade County Presiding Commissioner.  When I read and reread RSMO 115.601 (copied and pasted hereinbelow), I conclude that the election challenge should have been based upon the "less than one percent difference in vote" (actually a 0.57% of the total votes cast - 2788) rather than upon alleged voting irregularities in certain precincts.  It seems to me there would have been much less "burden of proof" had the point of law regarding vote difference of less than one percent been pursued in the election contest rather than the allegation that "voting irregularities" had occurred in certain precincts.

You read the statute and tell me what you think it says.  If there are any attorneys out there, you are most welcome to comment.  What am I missing here?

115.601. Recount authorized when less than one percent difference in vote—recount, defined.—

1. Any contestant in a primary or other election contest who was defeated by less than one percent of the votes cast for the office and any contestant who received the second highest number of votes cast for that office if two or more are to be elected and who was defeated by less than one percent of the votes cast, or any person whose position on a question was defeated by less than one percent of the votes cast on the question, shall have the right to a recount of the votes cast for the office or on the question.
2. In cases where the candidate filed or the ballot question was originally filed with an electio authority as defined in section 115.015, such recount shall be requested in accordance with the provisions of section 115.531 or 115.577 and conducted under the direction of the court or the commissioner representing the court trying the contest according to the provisions of this subchapter.
3. In cases where the candidate filed or the ballot question was originally filed with the secretary of state, the defeated candidate or the person whose position on a question was defeated by less than one percent of the votes cast on the question shall be allowed a recount pursuant to this section by filing with the secretary of state a request for a recount stating that the person or the person’s position on a question was defeated by less than one percent of the votes cast. Such request shall be filed not later than seven days after certification of the election. The secretary of state shall notify all concerned parties of the filing of the request for a recount. The secretary of state shall authorize the election authorities to conduct a recount pursuant to this section if the requesting party or his position on a question was defeated by less than one percent of the votes cast. The secretary of state shall conduct and certify the results of the recount as the official results in the election within twenty days of receipt of the aforementioned notice of recount.
4. Whenever a recount is requested pursuant to subsection 3 of this section, the secretary of state shall determine the number of persons necessary to assist with the recount and shall appoint such persons equally from lists submitted by the contestant and the opponent who received more votes or a person whose position on a question received more votes than the contestant’s position on that question. Each person appointed pursuant to this section shall be a disinterested person and a registered voter of the area in which the contested election was held. Each person so appointed shall take the oath prescribed for and receive the same pay as an election judge in the jurisdiction where the person is registered. After being sworn not to disclose any facts uncovered by the recount, except those which are contained in the report, the contestant and the opponent who received more votes or a person whose position on a question received more votes than the contestant’s position on that question shall be permitted to be present in person or represented by an attorney at the recount and to observe the recount. Each recount shall be completed under the supervision of the secretary of state with the assistance of the election authorities involved, and the persons appointed to assist with the recount shall perform such duties as the secretary of state directs. Upon completion of any duties prescribed by the secretary of state the persons appointed to assist with the recount shall make a written and signed report of their findings. The findings of the persons appointed to assist with the recount shall be prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein, but any person present at the examination of the votes may be a witness to contradict the findings. No one other than the secretary of state, the election authorities involved, the contestant and the other witnesses described in this subsection, their attorneys, and those specifically appointed by the secretary of state to assist with the recount shall be present during any recount conducted pursuant to this section.
5. For purposes of this section, “recount” means one additional counting of all votes counted for the office or on the question with respect to which the recount is requested.

(L. 1977 H.B. 101 § 13.450, A.L. 1985 H.B. 620, A.L. 1993 S.B. 31, A.L. 1995 H.B. 484, et al., A.L. 1997 S.B. 132)