Thursday, July 31, 2008
Politics / Woods Marsha, Marsha!
Posted by Jeff Woods on Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 3:08 PM
See Marsha hold a baby, walk a dog and fire a gun. What else do you need to know?
Education / Politics / Woods Mourners Outraged by Politicking at Funeral
Posted by Jeff Woods on Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 1:11 PM
Predictably, only a week before the election, things are getting a little testy in the school board race between the incumbent Ed Kindall and the Chamber of Commerce-endorsed candidate, Cordenus Eddings.
Kindall supporters say Eddings outraged a grieving family by politicking at a funeral this week.
Carnelle Barnes, a friend of Kindall’s, says he was leaving the funeral of his ex-wife’s mother when Eddings appeared on the front steps of Lawrence Avenue Church of Christ and started handing out campaign fliers.
“I told her, ‘This is a funeral.’ My daughter screamed at her, ‘This is my grandmother’s funeral!’ I said, ‘Someone give me a camera phone so I can take her picture,’ and she took off running. It was appalling. People were crying. How far will a candidate go to get a vote?”
We have asked Eddings to comment on this complaint, but we haven’t heard back yet. She’s been pretty busy. Flush with money from the chamber, her campaign’s sending mail to voters with the headline: “The Ed Kindall Record. Failing Test Scores. Rising Dropout Rates. Fiscal Irresponsibility.” It could have added: “And Pissed Off the Chamber By Voting Against Resegregation.”
It’s a great way to pick a school board, isn’t it?
By the Way / Hannan / Law and Order Alex Friedmann & Co. Deftly Sidestep CCA's Semantics
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 11:43 AM
On Tuesday, Alex Friedmann and CCA went to court. Friedmann, whose Dumpster-diving exploits we profiled this week, was there on behalf of Prison Legal News (PLN) where he works as associate editor.
Back in April of ‘07, PLN made a formal request for CCA records. The paper wanted to know how much the prison-operator paid out in lawsuit settlements. CCA said it couldn’t have the info.
PLN’s logic seemed simple enough. Locking up criminals is a public service. And even though CCA is a private company, 100 percent of its funding comes from the government, making it subject to the same transparency expected of their agencies. Simple, right?
If you answered “yes,” then you’re obviously not a lawyer…
Barry / Crazy Crap / Presidential Politics TK Tries Punditry
Posted by Bruce Barry on Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 11:28 AM
For those who wonder why Nashville sometimes has difficulty overcoming its undereducated hick southern redneck backwater reputation, we need look no further than the highbrow rhetorical stylings of our resident cosmopolitan bon vivant Toby Keith.
A sample:
"I think that the black people would say he don’t talk, act, or carry himself as a black person."
Then again this is the same gentleman who has a hit song that goes I "wanna to talk about I." So maybe we shouldn't expect too much.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Legislature / Politics / Whopper of the Month Mike Stewart is Paying Close, Close Attention to Your Voting Habits
Posted by Matt Pulle on Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 2:27 PM
Well, a day after we told you how Mike Stewart’s campaign sought to shame its supporters to the polls by sending an email blast with the names of everyone who's voted so far, we’re learning that wasn’t a fluke. Here’s a line from another email sent by Elizabeth MK Sullivan, the ever-frazzled campaign manager for Stewart:
The campaign is analyzing early vote rolls daily - please take a moment to vote early. Because if you don't and Mike Stewart is elected, we're not going to care that you put his sign in your yard. We're going to ignore you totally at next year's Hot Chicken Festival. Thanks for supporting Mike Stewart!OK, so only the first sentence actually came from MK's email. The rest we divined. But you get the point.
Politics / Woods Breaking News from Jim Cooper
Posted by Jeff Woods on Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Jim Cooper, reacting to the overwhelming groundswell of speculation that he might leave Congress to serve in an Obama White House, has just made this big announcement:
I already have a great job representing the people of the Nashville area in Congress. I am not interested in doing anything else. I want to stay put as the 5th District Congressman as long as the voters continue to support me. Although I strongly support Senator Obama for president, he’ll need to look beyond me for his team—and there will be no shortage of smart people to help him.I wouldn't want to overshadow Cooper's breaking news but, at this time, I'd like to say that I won't serve in Obama's administration, either, no matter how many times he asks. Update: No word yet from Vic Lineweaver.
Crazy Crap Car “Jacker” Apprehended in East Nashville
Posted by PJ Tobia on Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 10:49 AM
Bruton's Mugshot
Last Friday night, John Bruton was relaxing by himself, masturbating in the cozy confines of his car. He had his pants and underwear pulled down, and an array of porn magazines fanned out on the dashboard.
Unfortunately, Bruton’s car was parked in front of a Kroger at 711 Gallatin Road, right near Eastland Avenue.
You would think that Bruton received the shock of his life when Metro Nashville police officer Jerry Bell walked up to the car and tapped on the driver’s side window. But according to the police report Bell filed, Bruton remained pretty calm.
The carjacker “looked at me and then pulled up his pants and underpants and placed the pornographic magazines in the vehicle’s glove box,” Bell wrote in his report. Bruton exited the car and Bell asked him to turn around and place his hands behind his back for cuffing. “No, I ain’t doing it,” said Bruton, according to Bell’s report.
The officer then forced Bruton to turn around and the two scuffled. “The defendant…grabbed a hold of the front of my uniform… We struggled, which resulted in us hitting the grocery cart bin and then falling to the ground.”
Bruton took off running down Gallatin, though he was apprehended a short time later. Today he will go to court and face charges of indecent exposure, resisting arrest, and assault.
Politics / Woods Veepstakes: Bredesen Down, Kaine Up
Posted by Jeff Woods on Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 9:44 AM
Phil Bredesen's stock appears to be falling in the veepstakes as another Southern governor's rises. Virginia's Tim Kaine is all the buzz lately, said to be "very, very high" on Barack Obama's short list.
Kaine has submitted piles of documents to the committee vetting Obama's potential running mates. Bredesen's office won't say whether the committee has contacted him.
"The governor has long been on the record that he's not seeking this position," Bredesen press secrretary Lydia Lenker says. "Beyond that, this is a political matter, and any questions about who the senator is vetting should be directed to his campaign."
We could be wrong about this, but we think that means the committee hasn't contacted Bredesen, and he's too embarrassed to say so.
Obama is hinting that he's looking for a Beltway outsider. So why go with Kaine rather than Bredesen? Kaine has been governor for only 2 1/2 years, which doesn't help Obama rebut the lack-of-experience argument. Bredesen, on the other hand, won a landslide reelection in 2006. Hmmm, let's think. Wonder if it has anything to do with all those sick people Bredesen tossed off the health insurance rolls?
Will Jeff Woods' Presidential Candidacy Present a Conflict of Interest?
Posted by Jack Silverman on Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 8:10 AM
The above news was just as much of a shock to us here at the Scene as to anyone else. We're not sure what to make of Scene political writer Jeff Woods' presidential candidacy, though it clearly presents a potential for a conflict of interest in Woods' future reporting at the paper. More information can be found here.
By the Way / Kotz / Politics Have May Town Developers Seen the New America?
Posted by Pete Kotz on Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 5:47 AM
What happens in Charlotte isn't likely to stay in Charlotte
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