[...] FBI has served a search warrant on David “The Popcorn” Kernell’s apartment in Knoxville.  I eagerly await our local Baghdad Bob Roberta to declare no such thing has happened. (h/t Terry Frank) [...]

By Six Meat Buffet » Palin Hacker Dickhead Revealed, Attention Whore Springs Into Action on 09.21.08 3:35 pm

[...] » David Kernell: WBIR Reporting Witness Says FBI Served a Federal Search WarrantPosted 99 minutes [...]

By SERVED: State Representative’s Son Gets A Visit From The Feds : Post Politics: Political News and Views in Tennessee on 09.21.08 4:22 pm

The story is correct, to the best of my knowledge. You did a great job.

Still, please know that Rep. Mike Kernell has nothing to do with this, or David’s mother who just got back from a tour of duty in Iraq.

By Sharon Cobb on 09.21.08 5:37 pm

PS–Terry–I wanted to add that David is free. I just now got off the phone with his father Mike, and they are in Mike’s hotel room in Knoxville.
That’s all I know.

By Sharon Cobb on 09.21.08 5:43 pm

Is this the result of how we insulate even college kids from the consequences of reality? Well, reality is apparently looking to kick him in his teeth.

If this kid did it, throw the book at him. If this kid did not (I’m not holding my breath) then he should be cleared as quickly as possible in the name of justice.

I am still waiting on the media to pull on the short and frail threads to connect this to anyone of consequence. If this had been B-HO’s email, we all know that the NAACP, Jesse, Al and everyone else would already have them convicted and their house burning along with the GOP candidate that they could connect them to. Fair and objective: that’s our media.

By BCB on 09.21.08 6:33 pm

Nice Work!

By TNOPINION on 09.21.08 8:23 pm

You need a post on NBC and General Electrics comedy program “Saturday Night Live”,

http://tennesseefree.com/2008/09/22/beneath-contempt-again/

By Number9 on 09.22.08 6:57 am

What a hypocrite party hack Cobb is, where everything in a Republican’s family is caused by the candidate but in a Democrat’s family the candidate “had nothing to do with it”. Yeah right.

By subpatre on 09.23.08 12:15 am

Sub-
I am not a party hack. Mike Kernell is my friend and I am standing by him. I KNOW he had nothing to do with this. Whatever his son did or didn’t do, Mike had nothing to do with any wrong doings.
As for your need to call me names, go join Six Meat Buffet, they do that there just to be cruel and evil. (And yes, G-dless–just ask them if they believe in G-d)
Terry is too classy to be cruel for the sake of being cruel to a fellow blogger.
But by all means, go join the chorus of G-dless haters at 6 Meat.

By Sharon Cobb on 09.23.08 5:16 am

Sharon Cobb is a party hack, and just posted some examples like: “I KNOW he had nothing to do with this.” and “Mike had nothing to do with any wrong doings.” Sharon should look up the definition of ‘party hack’ –including the part about blind, unquestioning loyalty– before she provides yet more examples of it. It is not name calling, it is an accurate description.

This comes after Sharon’s vicious attacks on Sarah Palin for her daughter children’s actions; blaming the candidate for the others’ acts. Holding two standards –one standard for Cobb’s friends and the other standard for Republicans– is the very definition of what hypocrisy is.

Even Jesus detested such hypocrisy, saying “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matt 7:5)

Cobb is either lying when she claims a politician(R) is totally responsible for their child’s actions; or Cobb is lying when she claims a politician(D) has no connection at all with their child’s actions. It’s her choice.

By subpatre on 09.23.08 6:42 am

You need to not refer to me as a liar. That’s slander.

Mike Kernell is my friend and I’m standing by him, and that has no party.

Terry–would you please request the personal attacks on me stop here.
I didn’t start this, but I want to end it.

You’re being a pro, unlike the names I’m getting called and threats I’m getting because Mike is my friend. Now I have been slandered on your site and I ask you to please see that doesn’t happen.
I am not a liar. What I wrote about Palin is how I feel about her, which is quite different than standing by your friend when your friend is having a hard time because of a family member.
And how typical the slander is coming from someone too cowardly to use his/her real name and give me a way to contact him/her. Bullies.

By Sharon Cobb on 09.23.08 7:46 am

From what I gather, the debate regards parental responsibility re: Rep. Kernell and David/ Gov. Palin & Bristol.

There are legitimate issues to be raised about just how responsible a parent is for the actions of their children. Personally, I believe you teach them to the best of your ability. But no doubt, every child has his/her own choices to make.

Unfortunately, despite many parental warnings, children think they know more than their parents. Thus, being a good parent often means being there when your kids make the same mistakes that you did. You show them how they were wrong, you encourage taking responsibility.

You want to protect them from the stupid mistakes you made. But…it just doesn’t always work out that way.

WIth that being said, let’s just keep the debate along those lines without all the personal stuff. I think we can do that.

By Terry on 09.23.08 8:25 am

Sharon–

Why are you devoting so much of your time to defending MIKE Kernell? So far, I haven’t seen any serious accounts of this story that suggest he and his son had a conspiracy of any kind to derail Palin.

Mike has said to reporters that he’s not involved. It looks like he said this once last week and the reports keep rehashing that quote.

If I’m wrong about any of this, could you please point me to blogs or news stories that accuse him? Because I’ll be honest with you: I can’t find any.

By Juvenal on 09.23.08 12:51 pm

How sad is Sharon Cobb. She posts a totally biased post defending her friend. Then when a poster correctly identifies her as a party hack trying to carry the water bucket for local Dems she issues a not-so-veiled threat at Terry over slander.

Well stick this in your Cobb-pipe and smoke it, best of luck trying to prove that someone calling you a “liar” has somehow damaged you quantifiably and good luck stepping into court and proving you are not a “liar”. I’d love to see the depositions on that one. Sharon surely you are not suggesting you’ve never lied about anything are you?

Thanks Terry for keeping us updated and staying above the fray. Sorry I am unable to do the same.

By Malcolm Tent on 09.23.08 2:40 pm

[...] QOTD: [...]

By Six Meat Buffet » Atheism Is The New Black on 09.24.08 6:30 am

Heh! TF is correct, it would be better to stick to the facts rather than Sharon’s need to inject herself as the centerpiece of the story. However, as is her S.O.P, Sharon must play the perpetual victim, so we must find a way to keep it all about her so that her ego doesn’t suffer undue neglect.

By Preston on 09.24.08 1:07 pm

Would it be possible for everybody to just lay off on these attacks? The party pros have moved in on this and won’t nothing dainty be coming out of that. Who needs it?

By Donna Locke on 09.24.08 2:59 pm

Sharon and I have disagreed on many things on here. I dare say we will again. She apparently is friends with the father. I would hope my friends would stand up for me like that. I also know that friends sometimes let friends down. I hope this is not the case.

That being said, we should discuss the goings on. We should stay informed. I’m not sure that includes name calling. For anyone on here to KNOW that she has lied, they would have to be part of the investigation and sub ject to the dreaded Rule 6E and looking at potential prosecution.

To say you disagree is debate and is welcome in this country. To call names and besmerch reputations for personal gratification is frowned upon even in the schoolyard.

By BCB on 09.24.08 4:15 pm

I’m just pleased to see that they got a warrant. They really didn’t need to do that, did they?

By SemiPundit on 09.25.08 9:56 am

Yes, a warrant or consent to search would have been required to go into the apt or look into the computer. If they had been able to articulate a crime in progress or life endangerment, it might have been different.

By BCB on 09.25.08 10:57 am

Suppose this case was considered a threat to national security under the Patriot Act and this young man was designated an enemy combatant?

By SemiPundit on 09.25.08 12:33 pm

First, he would have to be linked to a foreign power. Then he would have to meet a set of criteria to show how he was connected to actions or incidents that might constitute a threat to National Security. Then, through the use the FISA, his stuff might be searched. Please be aware that FISA is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. They look at things and people that might compromise National Security. FISA is NOT for criminal cases. You would have to acquire a good old-fashioned search warrant in many cases to take these people to court on charges. In many cases you will have both a FISA and a search warrant for the same person or circumstances: one for intelligence and the other to be used in a criminal prosecution. If this kid were up to no good and it was believed to be an imminent danger situation, then an Emergency FISA could be granted with the proper documentation being presented to the FISA court within a certain number of hours. So if he lit the fuse and we, as a nation, had to try to thwart an incident, it would be used. If any info was found using FISA that they wanted to use in a criminal case, it has to pass through a large number of various lawyers and most of it won’t make it since FISA does not deal with standard 4th amendment issues. The ultimate authority on use of that material is not from the Office of the United States Attorney but from THE US Attorney him/herself.

I hope that helped some. The NYT and MSM seems to blur the lines between FISA and established criminal procedures to instill panic.

By BCB on 09.26.08 10:24 am