(H/T Kleinheider)
11/10/2009
Is His Middle Name ‘Hussein’?
Man, they just don’t come any weirder than Knoxville’s State Represenatative Stacey Campfield, the “Batboy” of Tennessee politics. The latest on ol’ Stace is that police officers had to escort him from the UT-South Carolina football game on Halloween night after “a mother and her two daughters became ‘upset because a man was sitting in their section (Section B) with a mask on,’ according to [UT Police Lt. Dana] McReynolds’ report. ‘The girls were upset because they had been told they not could wear masks into the stadium and the mask was such that it was bothering them.’”
Wait, I'm a Republican, dammit!
Yeah, Stace was wearing a “Luchador’s (Mexican wrestler’s) full head mask . . . despite publicity before and during the game that Halloween masks were not allowed inside Neyland Stadium.” As for the rest of the sordid mess:
McReynolds and a Knox County Sheriff’s Office deputy found the masked man and asked him to step into the portal.
“I told him masks were not allowed in the stadium and told him he would have to take it off,” McReynolds wrote. “He asked why and I again told him that masks were not allowed and he could either give the mask to me or take it off and put it away. Before I could finish my sentence he took off the mask and asked if he could keep it. I told him ‘yes’ and thanked him for complying.”
The officer noted that Campfield then re-entered the stadium area but went a different direction than his original seat.
“Curious about this odd behavior and concerned that he had misunderstood our interaction, I caught up with him in front of the concession stand in Section D,” McReynolds wrote. “I … began to tell him that I was not asking him to leave the section, just to take off his mask. Again … he interrupted and said, ‘I was just taking a walk. Is it illegal to walk around?’ I told him ‘no,’ and was surprised by his sudden confrontational attitude. … He again asked if walking around was illegal. I told him ‘no’ and again began to explain that he did not have to leave his seat, just take off the mask. He continued to ask if walking around was illegal. … Thinking that something was not right (he kept saying the same phrase over and over, would not make eye contact and kept shifting on his feet, left to right) I asked to see his ticket.”
When Campfield gave the officer his ticket, it was for Section LL, not Section B.
According to the report, the officer asked Campfield why he had not said he was going to his correct seat, and he said again, “I told you I was walking around. Is it illegal to walk around?”
“After five or six attempts at explaining this to him, I told the man I was not going to play word … games with him,” the officer wrote. “He had violated the mask policy, was in the wrong section and was being argumentative and uncooperative.”
According to the narrative, McReynolds asked for the man’s identification, wrote his Tennessee driver’s license number on his ticket and, along with another officer, escorted him from the stadium.
“While walking to the exit, he kept repeating over and over that he was just walking around and when did it become illegal to walk around,” McReynolds wrote. “The man never became violent, and neither myself nor (the other officer) touched the man.”
Let’s not forget, that this is not Stace’s first brush with the law. Who can forget his 2002 arrest for acting up at a public political event (see the photo above)? Furthermore, does any mature adult not understand why security doesn’t allow people in masks to wander around in large crowds these days? Also, isn’t this the latest lapse in judgment from a guy that wants to serve in the Tennessee Senate?
Finally, is “Mexican wrestler’s full head mask” a euphemism?
Stacey at the ball game?
UPDATE: Tennessee Guerilla Women give the details of Stace’s 2002 arrest.
UPDATE II: Liberadio! notes that Stace is also currently being sued for libel and has been accused of being a slumlord.
11/09/2009
Waiting for Season 4
The Atlantic Wire gives us an overview of coverage of the first three seasons of Mad Men.
(H/T Kleinheider)
11/08/2009
Goodbye, Don Spain
Tennessee has lost one of the truly good guys in the Capitol Hill Press Corps. From the family of Don Spain:
Don Spain, 71, died early Sunday morning, November 8, of natural causes after collapsing at home in Nashville. Spain, a native of Old Hickory, was the owner of Capitol Media Service and the senior member of the Capitol Hill Press Corps. He produced “Legislative Report,” a weekly recap of activities in the Tennessee General Assembly which was broadcast statewide on the public television stations.
Spain was a well-known videographer who had taped many weddings in the Nashville and surrounding areas over the years. He was the former public information officer for the Tennessee Highway Patrol and assistant television news director at WSMV Channel 4. He is survived by his loving wife, Doris (DG), son Jason Spain, and sister Sandy Poteete, all of Nashville, sister-in-law Judy (Anthony) Rose and nephew Jeremy (Amber) Rose of Pulaski, TN and many friends and extended family.
The Spain family appreciates the outpouring of support. “During dad’s long career in journalism, he respected the people he covered and they respected him for his commitment to informing the public in a truly objective way,” said Jason Spain. “Tennessee has lost a talented journalist. Our family has lost a wonderful husband and father.”
Thoughts and prayers to his family.
(H/T Kleinheider)
11/08/2009
You’re The Lone Ranger on This One, Speaker
The Tennessee Journal reports that Senators Jim Kyle and Roy Herron, both of whom are seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, do not support the move by Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey to allow legislators to raise money during session:
But Herron won’t vote for the bill. He sees it as a conflict of interest. Kyle won’t vote for it, either. His position is that he knew the rules when he entered the race and he won’t try to change them in the middle of the game.
But Haslam and Zach get to raise money all year!
Kyle gets to the heart of the matter on this issue. All three of the state legislators running for governor knew before they got into the race that they wouldn’t be allowed to raise money during session. They knew that meant they could potentially lose close to a year of fundraising time. Without a doubt, this was a major point of consideration for all of them when forming their campaign plans, and it’s disingenuous for any of them to argue now about an unlevel playing field.
Finally, all three of these legislators voted for the fundraising ban before they were gubernatorial candidates. The only consistent stance is to continue to support it now. Otherwise, voters can only conclude that a candidate thinks his political future is more important than doing the right thing.
11/05/2009
The Sunny Side of the Street?
Stateline.org reports that some believe the recession is over in Tennessee:
Another index developed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia found that six states — Vermont, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Montana and the Dakotas — were faring better economically in September than three months before, although a Fed spokeswoman cautioned that the index was not meant to predict a state’s future performance. The index is based on unemployment rates, payroll information, hours worked in manufacturing and salary information.
(H/T Kleinheider)
11/02/2009
And You Thought It Was Hobbs
No Chaser is shocked, shocked to find that the Tennessee Republican Party says one thing and does another when it comes to making the database of concealed carry permit holders in Tennessee private.
(H/T Pith in the Wind)
Still waiting on that drink, Chairman Devaney
11/02/2009
That’s Amazing!
ESPN breaks down Johnny Damon’s steal of two bases on one pitch in Game 4 of the 2009 World Series. Jayson Stark and Jim Caple also note that this series is far from over. The Phillies do have Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez going in the next two. Ya nevah know.
Remember, the Yankees blew a 3-0 lead against the Red Sox in 2004.
Seed Newsvine
