28 responses so far ↓

• 1 C.J.S. // May 11, 2009 at 7:21 pm

  Effing ridiculous…

  FWIW, I think J.D. Sparks is also an official with the Oldham County GOP, judging from their website, the homepage of which features several pictures credited to a “J.D. Sparks” and lists a “James D. Sparks” as head of their Resolutions Committee at the Oldham County Republican Convention in March 2008.

  http://www.oldhamgop.com/

• 2 Jim // May 11, 2009 at 7:31 pm

  What a moron, I hope the LEO sues the dipsh&t for everything they can squeeze out of the weasel.

• 3 Bruce Maples // May 11, 2009 at 8:21 pm

  I did a little web research (not posting the links — anyone who knows how to type and use Google can find the same) and I’m pretty sure it’s the CinTel guy. He’s listed at one site as a fan of McCain, and McBreyer is a friend.

  The LEO reporter was duly credentialed, and anyone holding a public event like this knows that there are going to be recordings. I hope LEO follows through with pressing charges AND notes that he acted independently.

  What an angry, self-important person.

• 4 Crutnacker // May 11, 2009 at 9:01 pm

  Can someone explain to me why so many of these Republicans are angry white men who feel the need to physically and verbally push people around? Do they all suffer from small penis syndrome?

• 5 Crutnacker // May 11, 2009 at 9:05 pm

  JD Sparks…… is that a porn name?

• 6 Thunder Storm // May 11, 2009 at 9:12 pm

  Not the politically correct thing to do but Jonathan Meador should have punched his f’in lights out. This is America isn’t it? No longer Freedom of the press is what is wrong with our political parties

  I truly hope LEO sue’s him for assault.

• 7 C.J.S. // May 11, 2009 at 9:16 pm

  Dug a little further and found Sparks’ website, http://www.jdsparks.com/ along with a Facebook group he created, “JD Sparks for Kentucky,” which was pathetically created by Sparks, possibly as a prelude to a run for political office in the future.

• 8 Mike // May 11, 2009 at 9:21 pm

  found this too

  Jack Sparks
  Retired

  Q2/2007

  $500

  Utica KY
  Donation to Ron Lewis For Congress

• 9 Crutnacker // May 11, 2009 at 9:26 pm

  He says he “likes his second amendment rights.”

  Guess the first amendment ones….. not so important to him.

• 10 AB // May 12, 2009 at 9:15 am

  And John Ziegler wasn’t even inside the Katie Couric venue when he got cuffed by the storm troopers. Where was all your liberal outrage over that event? Oh wait, I forgot that liberals only support freedom of the liberal press, not freedom of any press that represents an opposing view.

• 11 jake // May 12, 2009 at 9:30 am

  Why don’t you wingers read (or re-read and/or retain a few things, as in this particular case) before commenting?

  John Ziegler wasn’t in the area he was authorized to be in and he was doing something he wasn’t authorized to do. He’s not a member of the press and he isn’t a journalist. He’s a radio shock jock who pushes his point of view and opinion – not facts.

  But you can spin all you want about that.

  You keep on with your liberal this and liberal that.

• 12 TJ // May 12, 2009 at 10:49 am

  What an idiot.

• 13 CD HorseSense // May 12, 2009 at 11:39 am

  J.D. was just auditioning for his next job as a mall cop.

• 14 AB // May 12, 2009 at 5:40 pm

  I read the “facts” as presented just fine. What the Sparks guy did was clearly inappropriate, but the clip only begins when he accosts the “reporter”. To know the “facts”, it would help to know what came before to provide the full context of the situation. Of course, most real journalists don’t mill through a crowd with a recording device running.

  We all know Ziegler was intentionally pushing buttons, but tell me there would not have been liberal media outrage had the tables been reversed? If liberals wanted free speech and a free press (which includes dissenting views), why is the current liberal talking head party line to tell Rush Limbaugh to “shut up”? Are they afraid of something he is saying? If they are personally offended they can just not listen.

  So all this leads to my joke of the day – What’s the difference between liberals and Dick Cheney? Give up? Cheney wanted the opposition to talk.

• 15 briansmith // May 12, 2009 at 5:44 pm

  The sick thing is that Sparky McFisticuffs here will probably be considered a folk hero to many of the angry white teabaggers in the GOP. But this sort of violent behavior coming from a Republican true believer is to be expected. It’s a side effect of the recreational use of Cialis, Rogaine and testosterone gel. It’s also the result of having your ideological ass handed to you in the past election.

• 16 jake // May 12, 2009 at 6:56 pm

  No, I don’t believe there would have been liberal outrage. Because most of the outrage over Ziegler and Sparks (that I have personally heard) has come from Republicans.

  Outrage maybe isn’t the appropriate term. Frustration and embarrassment are better descriptors.

  And I think it’s pretty evenly spread amongst all people – not just those of a particular political party.

  The real difference between Cheney and liberals = Liberals want the opposition to give us actual facts and information we can use, Cheney just wants ANY information he can get… even if it’s made-up to appease a torturer.

• 17 AB // May 12, 2009 at 8:57 pm

  We’ll have to agree to disagree over what the media coverage would have been had Z been a liberal. Also, I have to concede that he generally does more harm than good to the conservative cause – just using his incident as an example.

  And please recognize the distinction between ideology and political parties. I never referenced the parties – just liberalism and applied conservatism. I’m a lifelong Democrat who is sad about how the extreme liberal left has taken over the party. If I were a Republican, I’d feel the same way about the extreme conservative right. Guess I’m just part of that massive group in the middle that calls ‘em like we see ‘em regardless of label.

  And I do think Dick Cheney is a great patriot…..and a horse’s arse. Not a conflict for me as I expect the vast majority of our founding fathers fit that description.

• 18 jake // May 12, 2009 at 9:00 pm

  Something a few folks are forgetting: Ziegler went on and on for a full eight (8) minutes before police (not some asshat at a dinner) escorted him from an area in which he was not authorized to conduct his business.

  So it’s quite a stretch to compare his situation to that of LEO & Sparks.

• 19 Crutnacker // May 13, 2009 at 12:10 am

  AB, John Ziegler took the radical step of being a supreme douchebag outside of an event for Katie Couric. What a champion of the first amendment. He really got to the bottom of why Sarah Palin was crucified in the “mainstream media” for the ridiculous crime of being stupider than your average Jerry Springer guest.

  You want to know where my liberal outrage is? How about the fact that the SCLM spent 8 years being overly polite to the worst president in my lifetime and maybe anyone’s lifetime. The people in the White House were so afraid of losing access that seldom did they ever ask hard questions. Let’s not forget that Bush often carried on his events behind closed doors so that the media couldn’t be allowed in. Perhaps they should have behaved like Ziegler or the asshat of the left, Michael Moore.

  JD Sparks is simply an asshole here. He sees a guy with a camera, who I’m guessing had some indication that he was not a card carrying Pub, and he decides to harass him. It’s clear that Sparks for some reason thinks he has some clout, but from his voice and his look, he simply comes off as a bully trying to impress people who probably secretly loathe him for this type of behavior.

  Additionally, did anyone notice a certain quality in Sparks voice that hasn’t yet been mentioned?

• 20 Crutnacker // May 13, 2009 at 12:11 am

  Cinema Verite….. Think he knew what that meant?

• 21 keatssycamore // May 13, 2009 at 9:08 am

  Speaking of John Ziegler, has everyone read the piece David Foster Wallace did on him in 2005? Here’s a link.

  And, Crutnacker, I so want to add ‘Trapped in the Closet’ as background music to JD Sparks’ prissy little hissy fit. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

• 22 jake // May 13, 2009 at 9:17 am

  A person’s voice isn’t necessarily indicative of their sexual orientation.

  I mean, I’m as fruity as the day is long and I don’t exactly sound like a dainty little flower.

  Though… I’m also not pent up and bitter.

• 23 keatssycamore // May 13, 2009 at 12:58 pm

  jake,

  I had hoped the ‘not that there anything wrong with that’ comment would cover my obvious homophobia. {/sarcasm}

  Obviously, it doesn’t matter if JD Sparks is as much a ladiez man ala Newt Gingrich or if he’s a Log Cabin Republican, he’s still a douche for grabbing on reporters who are doing their job.

  But, yeah, given JD’s completely out of proportion anger management issues I figured he has something really bothering him. I hoped to use the old “pent up, bitter, self-hating, closested Republican” canard to get further under JD’s skin (he strikes me as the type of person who google’s his own name a bunch).

  What I wasn’t trying to say was that I can identify a gay man (closeted or otherwise) based on his voice.

  OTOH, for lesbians I do have a surefire, always accurate test. Does she want to sleep with me? Yes = hetero woman. No = homosexual woman. {/sarcasm}

• 24 jake // May 13, 2009 at 1:06 pm

  Haha – just wanted to clarify in case anyone reading didn’t understand that you were egging Sparks on. (And in case anyone actually believed you could determine a person’s sexual orientation based on the way their voice sounds.)

• 25 The Oldham Observer // May 13, 2009 at 3:36 pm

  JD Sparks = Just Dumb & Stupid

  Got an email back from LEO Weekly Editor Stephen George yesterday afternoon thanking me for my take on things in my blog (Jake was so nice as to include it in another section here), and he told me they were going to file a criminal complaint against this lowlife today. Have not had confirmation that the complaint has been filed yet. Both George and Jonathan Meador have interesting takes on the matter on their website today.

  I also emailed the chair of the Oldham County Republican Party today seeking comment and clarification on his role in the Oldham GOP. No reply yet…and notice, not one Republican has come to the defense of this scumbag!

  Stay tuned…

• 26 Crutnacker // May 13, 2009 at 8:03 pm

  I pointed out the voice only because so many of these guys look and talk the same. They’re angry, chubby, doughy looking men with soft features and lispy voices. This doesn’t mean anything, but I have to think the anger, sabre rattling, warmongering and giving LEO reporters purple nurples is essentially a byproduct of overcompensation for feeling inadequate as a man.

• 27 GinaL // May 13, 2009 at 8:38 pm

  Well, I am a Republican; and unless I am viewing a completely different video than everyone else – I did not see Mr. Sparks violently accost the reporter. I saw said cameraman/reporter address Mr. Sparks. I saw Mr. Sparks asking ‘cameraman’ why he was taping in a ‘sly’ manner: Mr Sparks clearly stated, “Instead of doing it like a secret dog, why not do it like a man…you know..and bring it up here?” Mr. Sparks then covered the camera lens. He clearly did not wish to have the camera in his face, as Mr. Meador clearly should have respected. I then saw Mr. Sparks attempt to avoid the confrontation, and heard him ask said reporter to “not secretly film”. (The camera was clearly being held at cameraman’s hip) The only thing I saw Mr. Sparks do ‘repeatedly’ was ask the cameraman to leave him alone and to keep moving.

  In fact, the video I saw (the one embedded on this page) depicted an entirely different story than the one narrated in the article above. The video here clearly portrays Mr. Meador as the aggressor. Mr. Sparks attempted to terminate the confrontation and Mr. Meador pushed the issue – then started chanting, “don’t man-handle me.” The comment, “you fu**ing retard,” made by Mr. Meador, was especially classy!

  Where is the evidence to support the title of this article? If this video is meant to provide such evidence, then maybe LEO needs better reporters. I certainly did not see Mr. Sparks “violently accost reporter repeatedly” – I did, however, see reporter belligerantly escalate the encounter, ultimately making such a stink that Mr. Sparks had no choice but to leave the room. I wonder if Mr. Sparks just gave in and left for the sake of preserving the dignity of the event since the other fellow was being so obnoxious.

  Now I am reading all these comments that are so full of insults and name-calling, and wondering if we all viewed the same video. The reference to a ‘criminal complaint against this lowlife’ is particularly amusing and confusing. What would the charge be? Standing up for the guests’ right to not have a ‘voyeur’ among them? Did the other ‘commentors’ actually pay attention the the content of the video and determine for themselves what happened? Maybe they just followed the title in ‘mob-mentality’ fashion??

  All of these comments seem rather rediculous when considered as accompanyment to this article and this video; as if political affiliation has anything to do with common courtesy. It also seems a bit rediculous to even comment myself in the face of so much bias and ignorance and grandstanding.

  I think it would be just silly if a criminal complaint is pursued or filed; and a clear case of Mr. Reporter’s attempt to ‘market’ his ‘tale’ with frivolous mis-use of our gov’t's resources…aka…..being a whiney-butt!! Maybe if he had better reporter skills he wouldn’t have to resort to such tactics to get the public ear.

  But alas, we are already well aquainted with the Liberal Media’s motus operandi….aren’t we?? This is the stuff they feed on…..brings to mind those hyenas from The Lion King!

  I am one Republican…and I’m NOBODY either!!

• 28 Crutnacker // May 13, 2009 at 9:16 pm

  GinaL. Mr. Meador was there as a guest. Mr. Sparks was there as a guest. He was not security, and he was not in charge.

  Mr. Sparks is the aggressor, coming up, assuming that Meador has no reason to be there (which is wrong) . I’m guessing that Meador looked out of place and the camera wasn’t exactly screaming “Channel 11″ so he assumed it was one of those crazy socialist liberals trying to get video. Sparks does not talk to security, the people running the event or anyone else. Instead, he gets in Meador’s face. As any reporter would do, Meador tries to put the camera on the action, and Sparks gets more upset, presumably now acting like the “man” he said Sparks should be.

  There was NO reason for Sparks to touch anyone. Meador didn’t threaten him and asked a legitimate question, which is “who the hell are you and why are you in my face.” He said nobody but then started to act like he was somebody.

  I don’t blame this on Republicans, I blame this on a type of person who seems to hold onto a misplaced anger and rage against things that challenge them, either real or perceived. The media (notice I didn’t label it) is not the enemy of your party, instead its the small minded men and women like this who have turned a once vibrant party into an ideological wasteland where anger, ignorance, and twisting of reality rule the day.

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