I Stand Corrected

So you spend your time working on blog, trolling the Internet, looking for interesting topics to expound upon. You try to make it good. And what happens? Nobody reads it. Your voice is an echo in the wilderness.

Then, you have days like today, when you get comments like this one on my "Follow The Money" post from April 18:

I am writing to correct the record to this posting.

The "Pete Geren" listed is most likely Preston M. Geren Jr. - the father of Acting Secretary of the Army Preston M. Geren III.

The Acting Secretary of the Army Geren did not make any contribution to the Rudolph Giuliani presidential campaign. He does not make contributions as a matter of practice. He certainly would not make a contribution to a presidential campaign while serving a president.

Very Respectfully,

COL Dan Baggio
Chief of Army Media Relations

OK then. So I check the Google and find that the Army does have a spokesman named Dan Baggio. So I go back and check my post. Pete Geren, $2,300, Rudy Giuliani. OK. Go back to the database. Preston Geren, $500, Rudy Giuliani. OK, where's the number 2,300 come from? Which Preston are we talking about?

So I go to the FEC database. We find that Preston M. Geren Jr. donated $500 to the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee Inc. on March 27. Research would seem to support the good Colonel's claim. So did the numbers change? Do I just suck at reporting? What happened? I don't know.

But here's what I have to do -- man up and say I just screwed the pooch. So here goes:

Dear Secretary Geren:

Your Chief of Media Relations, Col. Dan Baggio, contacted me regarding my post of April 18 where I reported that you had donated $2,300 to the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee. I was wrong. You didn't donate the money. Looks like your dad did. And it was only $500. My bad. I apologize.

But as long as I got you here reading my blog and all, I'd like to ask you a few questions:

What's up with all the Preston Gerens? I know it's a family name and all, but could you mix it up a little for those of us who can't keep y'all straight.

Next time you talk to Charlie ... could you ask him for one a those "Life's too short to live in Dallas shirts?" I wear an XXL. Too many Railhead ribs, y'know.

Next time you see Col. Dan you might check his computer. He's on the Interwebs a lot. He might be looking at porn. Check his hard drive just to make sure.

Regarding Iraq: I know y'all are working on it a lot, and you're spending a lot of money, but could you do one thing for me: please help Pfc. Joshua Calloway. He seems like a good kid who is suffering from PTSD at Walter Reed. And, honestly, it sounds like the Army is doing a horrible job of helping this young man. Please, please get Joshua the help he deserves.

Respectfully and sincerely,

Steve

P.S. The next time I see you up at Ocean Rock, I'll buy you a beer. Friends?

Is Cowtown Crazy for Giuliani or What?

As dicussed previously, Fort Worth is crazy for Rudy Giuliani. But is Rudy Giuliani just plain crazy? Vanity Fair’s Michael Wolff seems to think so. “It’s a Catch-22 kind of nuttiness. What with all his personal issues -- the children; the women; the former wives; [Bernard] Kerik and the Mob; his history of interminable, bitter, asinine hissy fits; the look in his eye; and, now, Judi!, his current, prospective, not-ready-for-prime-time First Lady -- he'd have to be nuts to think he could successfully run for president. But nutty people don't run for president -- certainly they don't get far if they do.”

Or do they?

UPDATE: Rudy Giuliani hates ferrets and the people who love them and here is the audio to prove it. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.

Follow the Money: Fort Worth

I have a confession: I love Paul Burka. In another life, I will be Paul Burka. But I am no Paul Burka. I am not worthy to rinse out his coffee cup. Sad, but true.

However, Paul had a fun play-along-at-home game today called Follow The Money. Thanks to this handy link in the Left Coast Media Conspiracy (also known at the NYT) anyone with a CPU and an internet connection can dial up 2008 campaign contributions to presidential campaigns thru March 31 or this year. Heh. (Gawd I love the interweb.)

Anywhoo, Burka and associates have been looking at where the money is flowing around the state:

Austin: 78703, 78746, and 78731

Austin: 78701

Houston: 77002, 77019, 77006, and 77027

San Antonio: 78208, 78212, 78209, 78257, 78258, and 78207

Dallas: 75220, 75229, 75225, 75230, 75209, 75219, 75244, 75093, 75254, and 75201. (Funniest line here: "Merrie Spaeth, $2,300 to Giuliani. Founder of Spaeth Communications; widow of Tex Lezar. If the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were the cast of Ocean's 11, she would be Angie Dickinson."

CEOs

But what about Cowtown? I just couldn't let this one go. So I did a little searching. What did I find?

One thing jumps out: FORT WORTH LOVES THEM SOME RUDY. (And you wondered why Rudy was smiling up there.) In a town full of money from investments and oil, it's not much a shock that money would flow toward Republican candidates. But it is by far going toward Giuliani, with McCain in second and Mitt Romney third. Among the Democrats, trial lawyer money is flowing toward John Edwards. Hillary is a distant second among the left leaning fat wallets. What was surprising: No Bob Simpson from XTO Energy. No one named Bass. Anywhere. Now for a a look at the West Fort Worth zip codes:

76109 (Tanglewood/Overton Park/Colonial)

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Socialite Kim Baldi gave $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani.

Preston M. Geren, Jr.*, Father of Pete, the acting secretary of the Army, gave $500 to Rudy Giuliani.

William Reimann, of Barbnet Investments (affiliated with the Bass Family), and his wife, Ruth, each gave $1,000 to Rudy Giuliani.

Dr. Joseph Milne, an orthopedic surgeon, gave $1,000 to Mitt Romney.

William Jones of Richard Carbon and Energy gave $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani.

Henry Stewart of Bass Enterprises gave $2,000 to Rudy Giuliani.

Randall Lyle of South Platte Energy gave $1,000 to Hillary Clinton.

76102 (Downtown)

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David Bonderman, Founding Partner of Texas Pacific Group Capital (they're buying TXU and everything else), $2,300 John McCain.

Greg Blaies, Partner at Blaies and Hightower, $4,600 to Rudy Giuliani.

David Chappell of Chappell Hill LLP and his wife, Ann, each gave $2,300 to John Edwards.

Tom Chambers, Chairman of Chambers Interests, gave $4,600 to Rudy Giuliani.

Investor Richard Davidovich gave $2,300 to Mitt Romney.

Socialite Karen Davis gave $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani.

Ben Fortson, independent oil producer and trustee emeritus of Texas Christian University, $4,600 to Rudy Giuliani. Kay Fortson, president and chair of the board of directors of the Kimbell Art Foundation since 1975 and as a director since 1956, gave $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani. Lisa Burton, daughter of Ben and Kay Fortson, gave $4,600 to Rudy Giuliani.

Mark Hart of Corriente Advisors LLC, and his wife Shannon each gave $4,600 to Rudy Giuliani.

Dee Kelly of Kelly, Hart and Hallman, really loves to cover his bets (in true lawyer fashion). He gave $2,300 to John McCain, $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani and $2,300 to Mitt Romney. Yeesh! Pick one already!

The Moncriefs: Richard Moncrief gave $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani and $2,300 to John McCain. Marsland Moncrief gave $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani and $2,300 to John McCain. Charles and Kit Moncrief gave $2,100 to John McCain. W.A. Moncrief gave $2,100 to John McCain.

Katherine Wynne of Wynne Petroleum gave $4,600 to Rudy Giuliani.

Richard Rainwater, investor/fund manager/billionaire, $2,100 to John McCain. Darla Moore (aka Mrs. Richard Rainwater), gave $2,100 to John McCain.

Geoffory Raynor, lead partner of the unfortunately named investment group Renegade Swish LLC, gave $4,600 to Rudy Giuliani.

Robert Schumacher, President of Texland Petroleum, L.P., gave $2,000 to John McCain.

76107 (Arlington Heights/Westover Hills)

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The Corbetts: Brad Corbett of S&B Technical Product gave $4,600 to Rudy Giuliani. His wife, Jennifer, gave another $2,300. Gunhild Corbett gave another $2,300. Todd Corbett gave another $2,300.

Cliff and Georgina Condrey of Moncrief Oil each gave $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani.

James Dunaway of Dunaway Associates and his wife, Carol, each gave $2,300 to Mitt Romney.

Pediatric dentist Gene Kouri and his wife, Moselle, each gave $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani.

Wade Nowlin of William Rigg Company gave $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani.

Charles Shewmake, Associate General Counsel for BNSF Railway Company, gave $1,000 to Mitt Romney.

76132 (Mira Vista)

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Dave Gillespie, Q Investments, gave $2,300 to to Rudy Giuliani.

Darrell Keith of the Keith Law Firm gave $2,300 to John Edwards.

Donald Mason of Bass Enterprises LP gave $2,000 to Rudy Giuliani.

76116 (Ridglea/Ridgmar/Westover Hills)

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William Harvey of Harvey Properties gave $4,600 to Rudy Giuliani.

76110 (Mistletoe Heights/Ryan Place)

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Paul and Barbara Grunde of S&B Technical Products gave $2,300 each to Rudy Giuliani.

* CORRECTION, 6.22.07: I mistakenly reported that Army Secretary Pete Geren donated $2,300 to Rudy Giuliani's campaign. He did not. According to FEC records, his father donated $500 on March 27, 2007. I apologize for the errors. You can find my letter of apology to the Secretary here.