Comments on: Progress, but pride is a tough nut to crack

By: boris

boris — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:15:15 +0000

If I was Cornyn, I would have kicked your ass. Your obsession with him borders on sexually deviant behavior, so maybe the Sargeant of Arms should issue a restraining order on you.

By: Mike Stark

Mike Stark — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:16:28 +0000

no, it’s not that they have arte blanh, it’s who enforces the law and what law applies. Definitely weird legal terrain.

By: Teddy Partridge

Teddy Partridge — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:05:50 +0000

The speech and debate clause was never meant to include simple assault while not on the Senate floor, but that’s what Big John will try to get a committee of his oligarch peers to believe.

Good luck, Mike, keep up the great work.

By: Holdek

Holdek — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:37:59 +0000

So Senators have legal carte blanche to do whatever they want as long as they’re in session? That’s kind of scary. What if a Senator takes a bribe? Sounds a little fishy.

By: Mike Stark

Mike Stark — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:20:03 +0000

Hey Holdek,

Glad to have you around. Agreed on sticking with one name. StarkReports.com is the final destination. Had to change it from TheCrookedDope though; too many people agreed that it diminished my credibility.

Advertising will come, I’m sure of it. Have to get the traffic numbers up first, then join the ad network. But unless this site succeeds beyond my wildest expectations, ad revenue will never be enough to sustain my work.

Re: Cornyn… No doubt about it – I respected the man’s personal space. He invaded mine. Which is precisely the point… If I had done what he did, I’da been arrested. He should suffer the same consequences.

Evidently, the process isn’t simple. It turns out that a Senator cannot be arrested for actions taken while in session – or at least that is what I am led to believe by the Senate Sgt. at Arms office. I need to file a written complaint and they will diret it to the proper committee – maybe rules or ethics. Interesting stuff. Especially since I was told at the time that if I had done what the Senator did, Capitol Police would have arrested me. But they are Constitutionally prohibited from arresting the Senator.

By: Holdek

Holdek — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:54:34 +0000

Hey,

I’ve been a fan of yours since “Calling All Wingnuts.”

Couple of points of advice:

Stick with just one website name. Otherwise it’s confusing, people lose track of where you’re updating, and your “brand” diminishes. Second, consider putting up some advertising for revenue purposes. Just a couple of ideas.

Now, as to this particular post: Cornyn is my Senator and fancies himself as a bit of a tough guy (Google the “Big John” video for proof). Therefore, I doubt he’s going to give in. On the other hand, you may have a tough time proving battery from that video…it’s hard to tell how close the camera was to him. If it appears you shoved it in his face, they are going to side with him. If you can prove you didn’t enter his personal space, you have a shot.

Sorry for the long post. Again, I’m a fan and appreciate what you are doing.

By: Mike Stark

Mike Stark — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:29:46 +0000

So he can slap at my hand and try to take my camera away from me, but if I were to act in a substantially similar aggressive manner toward him, I’d be arrested.

And you are ok with that?

Something sounds wrong here…

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:59:32 +0000

This story does not pass the laugh test. You, my friend, have a misplaced and inflated sense of purpose. In an effort to present yourself as a victim, you end up looking more like a fool. I don’t think you’re going to convince anyone of your assault case, but best of luck in your efforts. This is a very admirable cause.