Moment of Zen?

Tom Delay lashes out at NBC. Delay is paranoid if you ask me. Now, the GOP is blaming everything on TV shows?

Producer Dick Wolf, creator of the "Law & Order" franchise, took a swipe at DeLay in his own statement on Thursday, saying, "I ... congratulate Congressman DeLay for switching the spotlight from his own problems to an episode of a TV show."

The flap came as ethics questions swirling around DeLay mounted with a Texas judge ruling on Thursday that a political action committee formed by the congressman violated state law by failing to disclose $600,000 in mostly corporate donations.

The show's season finale drew 14.5 million viewers, but DeLay wasn't one of them. An aide said he heard about the show through his wife, who learned of it from someone else who saw the episode.

The series stars a former Senator: Fred Thompson (R-TN).

To show some bipartisan fairness, Jesse Jackson and the DNC have been hit with some campaign violation charges. This isn't good if you ask me but what goes around, comes around.

Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Democratic National Committee violated campaign finance law when Jackson used Rainbow/PUSH Coalition funds to travel the country in 2000 drumming up voter registration and staging get-out-the-vote rallies, according to a Federal Election Commission decision released Thursday.

Under an agreement with the FEC, Jackson, two of his organizations, Rainbow/PUSH and the Citizen Education Fund, and the DNC were levied a $200,000 fine.

In accepting the fine, they also acknowledged violating federal election regulations by engaging in a campaign travel arrangement that saw Jackson's not-for-profit corporations illegally paying for political trips the DNC was supposed to fund.

The fine was split in half, with the DNC responsible for $100,000 and Jackson and his groups responsible for an equal amount. The entire amount has been paid, according to the FEC.

At least they accepted responsibility unlike someone else we have seen in the news.

Rightly so. I don't want to foot the attorney bill for Ernie Fletcher. He got into that mess when he put partisanship over qualifications. He is not going to use my money to pay his attorney fees.

- Taxpayer dollars should not be used to pay defense attorney fees for potential targets of an investigation of hiring practices in Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration, a state prosecutor said yesterday.

Deputy Attorney General Pierce Whites also said in a letter to Finance Secretary Robbie Rudolph that he should "verify that no state money has been used to pay for the criminal defense of individuals employed in the executive cabinet."

Rudolph, in a statement, said no state money has been or will be used to pay attorney fees for any individual who might be indicted in the expanding investigation.

Meanwhile, Fletcher, who returned to Kentucky last night after a nearly two-week economic development trip to Asia, has scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. today "to discuss pending reviews of Merit System employment practices," his office said.[...]

The court approval of the special grand jury makes it "incumbent that no state funds be used to pay criminal defense attorneys who are representing potential targets of this investigation," prosecutor Whites said in his letter yesterday to secretary Rudolph.

Whites said the Louisville law firm of Frost Brown Todd is representing Fletcher employees Brian Crall and Grayson Smith as individuals. Whites called both Crall and Smith persons "of interest" in the investigation. Crall, a former state representative from Owensboro, is Fletcher's policy adviser. Smith represents Eastern Kentucky in Fletcher's local outreach office.

The legal representation of Crall and Smith "has crossed the line into the performance of criminal defense work at taxpayer expense," Whites said.

Attorney Sheryl Snyder with Frost Brown Todd said last night that his firm is representing the governor's office but is "not doing criminal defense work for anyone in the executive branch."

Secretary Rudolph said the attorneys the state has retained "represent an agency, not any specific individuals" and that "the persons named in the subpoenas have been served in their capacity as an employee of the commonwealth, not as an individual citizen."

Rudolph added: "In the future, if there were charges against any individuals, those individuals would then need to retain their own private attorney to represent them."

Several private lawyers have been hired by Fletcher's office and the Transportation, Personnel and Finance cabinets to handle pieces of the investigation. The state Personnel Board also is planning to hire its own outside legal team.

The total cost to the state for the private attorneys will depend on how long the investigation lasts. Most private attorneys who work with the state charge $125 per hour.

Several individuals involved have also hired outside attorneys to represent them. For example, Commerce Secretary Jim Host has hired Lexington attorney Joe Terry as his personal counsel.

Good news. Senator Bayh wants to amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

Sen. Evan Bayh on Thursday blamed banks and the military for not doing enough to make sure military families benefit from a law protecting them from eviction and foreclosure.

The Indiana Democrat said he would introduce legislation to require the Pentagon to educate military families about their rights and to fine banks and debt collectors who violate the law.

Bayh said in a conference call with reporters that he does not know how many military families are not getting the protections they are entitled to, but he said there is anecdotal evidence that changes are needed.

"Even if it's only happening occasionally," Bayh said, "it's outrageous."

Bayh has previously introduced legislation, which has not been acted on, to increase the pay of members of the National Guard and Reserves whose income drops as a result of being called to active duty.

The law Bayh now wants to amend, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, was passed in 2003 as an update to previous protections. It prohibits evictions from homes and rental units, interest rates higher than 6 percent a year for debts incurred before military service, and foreclosures to pay overdue taxes.

It's that time of year again, the Red Sox are facing the Yankees.

That's it for now. Have a great weekend.