This is not a political smear campaign. This is despicable behavior. And I don’t care that he is a member of my party, and that the loss of his seat from the Republican column could turn the balance of power in the House of Representatives.
Leaders don’t be have like this.
UPDATE:
Brittney noted this link in the comments below. I saw the same thing on NBC and CNN this morning. There’s more here.
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From a report by Kate Howard in today’s Tennessean:
Students at low-performing Metro middle schools could have two more educational options if the Metro school board approves the applications of two charter schools.
Let’s hope that Metro Schools more willingly embraces school choice than they have recently.
If you elect me as your state senator, I’ll do even more to improve education options for parents and students across Tennessee
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There are only two days left to donate to Bob Krumm’s campaign for State Senate before the end of the third quarter!
You can donate online here.
And because we believe in open government and full disclosure, you can see a list of Bob Krumm’s contributors here. (Note: we’re still compiling the most recent donations, so this list is not quite up-to-date, but it’s close.)
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Please join us again at Bob Krumm’s tailgate party prior to the Vandy-Temple game from 4:00 to 6:00 on Saturday September 30th. We’re again at Tent #10 in Vandyville.
This tailgate party looks like it will be a little drier than last week’s. Then it was raining so hard that even Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Bob Tuke took shelter in our tent–Giving proof to the claim that this Republican, at least, believes in a “Big Tent” Party. Not to mention, a “Big Tent Party”.
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Leonard D. Holder was the father of my first regimental commander. His name is now etched on a black granite monument in Washington. A three-quarter scale replica of that monument is now in Nashville through October 1st.
The Vietnam Wall Experience, a replica of the Vietnam Memorial is now at the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Berry Hill. The same 58,000 names adorn this smaller wall. It will be here through Sunday.
Also on display is an exhibit of the photography of combat photographer John Hosier. Hosier, a former airborne infantryman, said that he was reassigned to be a photographer after he “didn’t duck quickly enough.” In addition to the combat photos like those shown here, most of Hosier’s pictures portray the every day life of a soldier in Southeast Asia circa 1968.
Short stories are attached to some of the photos. Many betray the trademark dark humor that has been the soldier’s coping mechanism since time began.
“Gilligan’s Island” is what they called the tiny bit of land where Hosier’s squad made a fighting position in the midst of a flooded rice field. You’ve never seen a smaller island.
“Rock and Roll” was both noun and verb. It meant either the crew who carried and fired the M-60 machine gun, or it meant to use the same gun–i.e, “It’s time to rock and roll,” meant to fire the M-60 at the enemy.
“Puppy Chow” is a picture of a dog that a fellow soldier bought from “mamma san” so that their squad would have a pet. You’ll have to see the exhibit to see how that worked out for them.
And throughout the exhibit you see the names soldiers called the enemy: Viet Cong (the South Vietnamese insurgents) became “Victor Charlie” (from the phonetic letters for “V” and “C”), which morphed into “Charlie,” then finally into “Mr. Charles,” perhaps the formality indicating a begrudging respect for a formidable opponent.
Go see the exhibit. Go see the pictures. Go talk with the docents–all of them veterans–who will be there to guide you through the exhibit every hour of every day until the wall is taken down.
Go pay your respects to soldiers past, as a way of saying thanks to soldiers present.
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Liz Garrigan follows up her earlier blog entry about the KIPP charter school controversy in the Nashville Scene’s print edition today. She again defends KIPP in its struggle to educate some of Nashville’s under-served children, all the while Nashville’s public school system appears to be more concerned with securing its bureaucratic turf.
. . . there is no school in Nashville doing more to close the performance gap between black students and white, rich and poor, than KIPP. This rigorous academic bastion, which is transforming underperforming students into high-achieving, college-bound learners, struggles six long days a week . . . to accomplish some pretty heady goals. It shouldn’t have to wear body armor when it is arguably the best school in the Metro system, when its motivations are unimpeachable, and when it’s on the right side of the law to boot.
Further refinement of Tennessee’s charter school laws will go a long way to helping schools like KIPP to focus on winning the battle against the lack of education among impoverished children, instead of having to spend valuable resources fighting the public school system.
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Please stop by Bistro 215 in Green Hills from 5:30 to 7:30 tonight for a wine tasting to benefit Bob Krumm’s campaign for Tennessee State Senate.
Click here for more details.
Hope to see you tonight!
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Don’t forget about the fundraiser tonight hosted by Beth and Bill Campbell at their home on Timber Lane in Green Hills from 5:30 to 7:30. Click here for more information.
We also have another fundraiser on Wednesday. It’s a wine tasting from 5:30 to 7:30 at Bistro 215.
Hope to see you there.
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John Rodgers follows up his earlier story about incumbent candidates using their taxpayer-funded official mail accounts to send out mailers that resemble campaign literature.
A couple notes about this story:
I’m as disappointed in members of my own party who engage in these kinds of practices as I am disappointed in Democrats who do the same. Senator Ketron’s bulk mailing to announce a forum on illegal immigration appears to have been for a legitimate purpose. However, the letter’s timing–only two months before the election–makes the use of taxpayer funds to send the announcement inappropriate.
Secondly, I’m not questioning Senator Henry’s ethics. I don’t think that Senator Henry, if he had stopped to think about it, would have used taxpayer funds to send out these mailings. As I’ve said before, after all, this is a man who doesn’t even keep his per diem.
However, I am calling into question his judgment on this matter. I think that when you serve 36 years in the Legislature, and you become accustomed to how business has always been done there, you can lose sight of how things appear to the people you are there to represent.
From the outside, this is how it appears:
Senators have a nearly $7000 annual mailing account for the worthile and necessary purpose of maintaining contact with their constituents. However, instead of using it routinely every year, they stockpile the money and consume most of it during election years, borrowing what they don’t have from their party’s caucus chairmen. Then they use the taxpayer funds to send either targeted mailings (to government workers) or letters announcing plans to deal with a popular topic (illegal immigration) just before an election.
This is wrong. And I’m encouraged that Senator Henry seems now to recognize that changes in the mailing privilege are “worth exploring.” Whether I win or Senator Henry does, the Senator representing Tennessee’s 21st District should sponsor legislation in January that will stop this practice.
Related Posts:
Bob Krumm proposes legislation to prohibit taxpayer funds going to incumbent campaigns
On John Rodgers’ first story and the June newsletter
On the September 15 letter to government employees
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Due to the uncertainty surrounding this afternoon’s weather, Bob Krumm’s Taste of Tiger Tailgate before the Vandy-TSU game has undergone a slight change in plan. We’ll still be there with liquid refreshments. So please stop by and say hi.
McDougal’s Village Coop assures me that for next week’s game against the Temple Owls that they can get their hands on some owl meat. So plan to stop by then too.
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