The Springfield Chamber had pro-offered nine dates available for Long and Scott Eckersley to appear on the dias together and participate in a forum before the Chamber.
Long, "I ain't afraid of anybody, anytime, anywhere", refused to appear on the same dias with his opponent, so he's going solo.
The Chamber should have just told Long and Eckersley, "Here is the date, show up or we'll put an empty chair up there."
Here is a preview of what can be expected at Billy's appearance at the Chamber meeting: javascript:void(0)
Multi-millionaire Jimi Heselden, the owner of Segway Inc. since December 2009, has died after reportedly driving a Segway scooter off a cliff and into a river.
The fatal accident allegedly occurred at Heselden's West Yorkshire estate, according to the Daily Mail. He was "using one of the machines--which use gyroscopes to remain upright and are controlled by the direction in which the rider leans--to inspect the grounds of his property," writes the Daily Mail. "A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said today: 'Police were called at 11.40am yesterday to reports of a man in the River Wharfe, apparently having fallen from the cliffs above.'"
Police told the Telegraph that a "Segway-style vehicle" was recovered at the scene of the accident.
Hesco Bastion, the company of which Heselden was chairman, confirmed Heselden's death in a statement given to the BBC. "It is with great sadness that we have to confirm that Jimi Heselden OBE, has died in a tragic accident near his home in West Yorkshire," said the Hesco Bastion spokesperson.
Heselden was known for his generous philanthropy: he had donated over 23 million GBP to charitable causes over his lifetime.
According to the BBC, Heselden "worked as a miner before losing his job in a wave of redundancies in the 1980s. His engineering business went from strength-to-strength and he had a fortune reported to be [166 million GBP], making him one of the top 400 richest people on the UK.
“We have an electorate that doesn’t always pay that much attention to what’s going on so people are influenced by a simple slogan rather than the facts or the truth or what’s happening." John Kerry 09.25.2010
Auctioneer Billy Long campaigned with the slogan that he was "FED UP with career politicians and their cronies." If he is fed up with anything it ought to be the conservative congress.
So, when he was endorsed by the group Conservative Congress whose platform includes supporting candidates who seek to dismantle Social Security, we started up the bus and started driving that series of interconnecting tubes looking in every dead end and under every rock, trying to find out more about these guys.
First stop- Conservative-Congress. These guys are way out there. The lede on their website: "Obama is cramming down our throat every thing we do not want..." gives an indication of where this group is politically. They think John McCain is a liberal Republican turncoat.
Also on the front page of their website:
To find worthy conservatives to support in your area, click on: http://conservativecongress.com Also, if you would like to nominate a conservative for Congress to receive our endorsement who can meet a strong qualification standard, also go to the above link.
This link is to ConservativeCongress.com yet the Conservative-Congress.com says "receive our endorsement." Are the two groups the one and the same?
We clicked on http://conservativecongress.com, trying to find out who are the people behind this group. Notice the header topics? Home, then there is About this Project, followed by the Issues Statement (that's the page where Social Security is discussed), States, then links to Research, Candidate Evaluations, Forms, The Lobbyist.
That last one, The Lobbyist is interesting, especially since the auctioneer Billy Long campaigned "against career politicians and their cronies". If these are the guys he is fed up with, why did he accept their endorsement? Did he take any of their money, too?
This is what bothers a lot of voters in the 7th District about Billy Long: he was elected the Republican candidate (with a plurality of votes) by running on a platform of "Fed Up", with what, we are not exactly sure although, by the auctioneer's own words, part of that with what he is fed up includes "career politicians and their cronies".
Since that August election, Long has suddenly become bff with everyone and everything he campaigned against.
Most disturbing, aside from his duplicity, is his apparent endorsement of plans to dismantle Social Security.
Auctioneer Billy Long who is campaigning to replace arguably one of the most corrupt member of Congress, Congressman Blunt seems to have a difficult time answering direct questions from constituents, especially when those question pertain to Social Security.
Frequent Bus riders will remember the stop Long made in Joplin at Missouri Southern State University on September 1, 2010. Appearing before the College Republicans Club, the auctioneer ignored a reporter's question about Social Security: Congressional Candidate Billy Long takes questions in Joplin.
At an appearance of the Spending Revolt Bus here in Springfield on September 13, 2010, the auctioneer chose to ignore the question; "If you get to Washington are you in favor of privatizing Social Security?" On September 13, 2010, when appearing at the MSU College Republicans Club, when asked if he was in favor of raising the social security age to 70, Long replied, "No. no. uh-uh. I'm on record on that."
On September 7, 2010, at the first stop of the "Billy Long Business Tour", I was present and presented the auctioneer with some questions, questions about Social Security:
Female: I have a question, I worry if Social Security is privatized, like the folk, like you know, Blunt and Bush wanted to do in 2005, what would happen to us with our money? And uh, cause I know the private money we had was lost, well over a third of that money.
Billy Long (BL): Yeah.
Male: I'm concerned about my son, you know, his future and so forth.
Female: Yeah.
Male: And you know.
BL: I'm concerned about our future. You know we used to say we're worried about our grand kids, you know
Male: Yeah.
BL: our grand kids, spending our grand kids' future and we said
Male: right.
BL: we said we're spending out kids' future and right now we're spending out future so it's what.
Jim Lee (JL): Well, uh, I, uh, I feel like I'm 62 years old and just whenI get ready to collect Social Security, Boehner's talking about raising the, uh, retirement age to seventy and, and I thought, My God, I worked my butt off for forty plus years.
BL: Yeah, we got to honor our commitment to people.
JL: Yeah.
BL: We can't, we got to honor our commitment to seniors.
JL: Well, then, are you saying that, uh, you would consider raising the Social Security retirement age to seventy?
BL: Listen, I'm, I think we need to honor our commitment to our seniors.
JL: So you would vote against, if John Boehner got to be Speaker of the House, you would vote against his plan to raise the Social Security age to
BL: I haven't looked at his plan, to be honest. But I'm not for raising the age of Social Security right now at all.
Female: For any reason? Not even for the future?
BL: We're talking about for now.
Female: Ok.
JL: Well, well, well.
The problem here is that Long told the three of us that he is not for raising the Social Security age right now at all. He didn't answer when we asked for clarification.
So we turn to other sources of information about Long, surveys and questionairres he has answered and who he accepted donations from. If he accepts money from NARAL, that is a pretty good indicator his is pro-choice. If he receives an endorsement from PROMO, that is a pretty good indication he is in favor of gay marriage.
"That's just another out-of-state survey," said Republican candidate for 7th District Billy Long. "We get a jillion of them. There are a bunch of others I don't fill out. I've got my positions listed on my website."
Researchers at Project Vote Smart were "unable to determine how Long stood on privatizing Social Security, capital punishment and regulations to affect climate change."
While we don't know how many surveys or questionnaires the auctioneer/political candidate didn't answer (somehow the number "jillions" seems to be quite the exageration), he did find time to respond questions from two groups that a simple google search picked up: "Citizens Against Government Waste" who said "Billy Long responded to CCAGW’s questionnaire and signed CCAGW’s ‘No Earmark Pledge'.
The auctioneer also answered a survey for "Conservative Congress". He received this group's endorsement also. Conservative Congress supports candidates who seek to dismantle the Department of Education and Social Security.
Conservative Congress supports candidates who are committed to de-regulating and dismantling wasteful federal social agencies and programs. Specifically, Conservative Congress supports candidates who seek to dismantle the Department of Education and Social Security, by and through constructive reforms, and who firmly oppose the expansion of federal control over our nation’s healthcare industry.
In endorsing Billy Long, the Conservative Congress says he is an approved candidate and fully in line with their mission statement.
By looking at these groups and their positions on Social Security, and their endorsement of Billy Long and his acceptance of their endorsements (remember how Long was all over Goodman for accepting casino donations? I do.) can only mean one of two things:
1. Billy really does not want to raise the age of or dismantle social security and he accepts these groups' endorsements because .... well I don't know why he would accept them unless he agrees with their positions in issues such as social security.
2. Billy is exactly who John Kerry is referencing about when he said, “We have an electorate that doesn’t always pay that much attention to what’s going on so people are influenced by a simple slogan rather than the facts or the truth or what’s happening,”
"Fed Up" In A Campaign Commercial And Saying You Are "Fed Up" In A Campaign Commercial And Actually Having A Record Of Doing Something About Being "Fed Up" As Opposed To Just Saying "I'm Fed Up" In A Campaign Commercial.
This is Scott Eckersley. He was "fed up" when "fed up" wasn't cool. This is Scott Eckersley's website. Scott Eckersley is the guy who went head to head with big government and, despite a vicious smear campaign by Matt Blunt's (and Ed Martin) administration, was exonerated.*
Eckersley was "Fed Up" and did something about it. He's got a new campaign commercial up:
Here' a campaign commercial from his opponent, auctioneer Billy Long, just another angry white guy:
*In 2007, Eckersley was an attorney in the office of Governor Matt Blunt. His duties included responding to requests for open records. Eckersley was fired after he said he advised the governor's staff of their duty to maintain e-mails as part of Missouri's Sunshine Law. Eckersley's morals and professionalism were called into question during the ensuing scandal. He was exonerated in letters from current Attorney General Chris Koster, Gov. Jay Nixon and the Missouri Bar Association. -Springfield News-Leader, July 27, 2010.
Well, for a guy who is fed up with with career politicians and their cronies he sure seems to spend a lot of time with the same. Yeah, I know, it is just so much bull...but what do you expect from the auctioneer? (This truck has a driveway guarantee. I guarantee it will drive away. I don't know how far, though. Now who'll start the bidding at $5,000?)
Gregg Hartley tweeted this earlier this evening
gregglhartley: attended fr for Billy Long #MO7 and meet Mike Pompeo running for Todd Tiahrts KS seat today about 5 hours ago via web from Deale, MD Retweeted by you
Also--- John(Hell NO!) Boehner and his Freedom Project-- from his website:
The Freedom Project is a political action committee (PAC) established in 1995 to provide assistance to Republican candidates for federal office.
The Freedom Project 1) provides direct financial assistance to Republican candidates for federal office; 2) supports Leader Boehner's political efforts to promote and fundraise for Republican candidates across the country.
We focus on candidates in House races because that's our mission: to help elect a new Republican Majority to Congress. We feature candidates enrolled in the National Republican Congressional Committee's “Young Guns” program.
Well, Well, Well, look who is featured on Boehner's Freedom Project website! It's the auctioneer Billy Long!
Auctioneer/Candidate Billy Long didn't want to debate Scott Eckersley on the courthose steps because "Meeting at noon at the courthouse steps really doesn't work for many voters here in Southwest Missouri. People are working, taking care of their families, in school."
The media will only be invited if all three candidates agree. TYCOA say this debate is about promoting their organization and is for their members, even though the public is invited.
After too long of an interlude, we returned last night to our chronicling of "Leaves From An Ozark Journal", the reminisces of Ozark preacher E.T. Sechler. We pick up from where the bus stopped last night:
Church basement being built at the Houston Church. Delmar and Della Pownall went to Nagle with me. Big crowd here. Glad to meet the Bradford family with whom I stayed overnight in 1929 when preaching at Clear Springs. Very few members at Nagle. Letter from Vernon Kiess in Colorado. He sent $5.00 to help send youth of Oak Hill to Lindenlure Camp.
Nora sick, Lulu doing the housework with Mrs. Maurer helping. To Dallas County, Lulu and Louise stayed in R.B. Turner home in Buffalo.
Services at Lindley, 20 present. Mrs. Haney thought it "unusual to have four young men at church and attentive." Overnight at Haney's. I learned of George Watkins gift of $1,000 for Dallas County work. He sold 98 acres of land near Indianapolis for $300 per acre and now subsidizes the ten Christian Churches in Dallas County $100 each.
Talk with Lulu about father's estate. Grace's estate is to be shared equally. Took Lulu and Louise to Faye Taylor's house for Club meeting. Made talk at Lynchburg CCC Camp on "What Happens In Prayer." Men attentive. Full house at Long Hollow services. At home Nora informed me that Lulu wrote Will to advance us estate money. Dr. Tilley absorbed C.E. losses on the Success Picnic stand.
At Camp Aurora I met Mr. and Mrs. Loomis from University of Missouri.Loomis rather socialistic in Rural Church Problems Class. Professor Eckoff disappointed in that the Director of the Camp smokes. Eckoff reported how in New O'Leans People say they can tell a clergyman--"." Eckhoff thinks Christianity has compromised too much with the world. I agreed.
July 13. At Dave McWilliams for supper. 45 at Evening Shade services. Friedly told me how people there are about ready to go back to a Union Sunday School. More sickness at home.
July 16. A trip to Springfield, Talks with Errett and Lulu. $300 check from Will.
At Houston July 18 the Board reported all bills paid. $50 in the bank. Prosperity returning. Nora and I both sick. Earl Brown drove for me to Oak Hill. A sense of failure experienced. Dr. Tilley tells me his ambition now it to quit medicine and help his community in school and church. I learned of his $5,000 annual income in years past.
A letter form Bob Crawford at Summersville to come baptize him. Mrs. Crawford ready for baptism also. Tears were shed.
Some hard feelings in Summersville over the question, "Who wrote the card for the liquor inspector to come?" I replied, "I did," but refused to tell who asked me to write it.Reading Dale Carnegie---"How To Influence People."
Baptized Christine Marler Aug.14, 9 A.M. Youth gave Camp echoes at C.E. Aug. 15. Two confessions and baptisms at Houston. Church voted to finish the basement. Clara Creason staying with the children at home.
Mathematically proven the Best Blogin Springfield and worrisome to Billy?
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming...Wow! What a ride!" Melvin Trotter 1924-2006
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I've got opinions about dang near everything. Not only that, I'm retired so I've got the time to tell you them. I keep my mouth shut and my ears open and read a lot. Sometimes I add 2 + 2 and get 5, sometimes I add 2 + 2 and get 4. I strive to abide by the "Fina Philosophy" that "Old Lonesome George" espoused: Work hard, sell a good product, don't try to kid anybody.
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The Auctioneer is in He's doesn't know what speech to give! He needs to pick one: the "All About Me" or "I'm FED UP" speech. 
