Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Legislature / Politics / Woods House Speaker Williams Twists Arms for Everyone's Favorite Political Money Guy
Posted by Jeff Woods on Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 11:15 AM
We've been pestering the state Transportation Department to talk about this little embroglio involving Ronnie Barrett, the Murfreesboro maker of humongous guns, and all his political friends in the legislature. But TDOT has refused to comment, citing the old excuse that there's pending litigation. So naturally Pith in the Wind, tireless advocate of the people's right to know, made requests under the state's open records law for the whole damn TDOT file. We're looking at it now.
Whoa! What's this on the very top of the pile of documents? Why, it's a letter from House Speaker Kent Williams to Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely on behalf of Barrett. "My hope is that we can reason together to resolve this issue," Williams writes on Jan. 28.
He suggests that TDOT cave in to Barrett's demands and grant easement along I-24 to extend a road to his ammo factory. As you know, certain legislators have amended a bill to force TDOT to do just that. It would specifically benefit Barrett---big campaign contributor, boyfriend of Rep. Donna Rowland, R-Murfreesboro, and winner of the NRA's coveted Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award.
"I have been asked by my colleagues representing Rutherford County to write you regarding a right of way issue in the district," Williams tells Nicely.
[Let us interject here briefly to point out that these lawmakers are so smart to apply pressure on behalf of a political pal through Williams. This way, the media can't say that they are doing what they are doing. We have been outfoxed again, and we tip our hats to these crafty lawmakers whose names are probably Jim Tracy, Joe Carr, Donna Rowland and Bill Ketron.]
"If we consider what is in the district's best interest for economic development and growth, I think the issue can be resolved," the House speaker writes and goes on to cite national security concerns. You see, Barrett makes this giant rifle for the Army, therefore, TDOT should succumb to his every demand regarding this right of way along the interstate.
"It is easy to understand how this issue is being taken up by our citizens as a source of pride and patriotism," Williams continues. "As this is an asset to the development of national security programs, it is in our best interest to allow Rutherford County and Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. to make the building accessible."
In response, Nicely is undeterred. He points out that TDOT offered alternate routes for Barrett's access road but that he has stubbornly refused to back down. Barrett wants the road to go where he says it should go, despite flooding that a TDOT study shows that route would cause.
"Barrett Firearms has been unwilling to entertain any option for access other than the one they proposed," Nicely writes. "The department has been very consistent in our position with Barrett Firearms."
Now, let's see what else we can find in our stack of public records. Stay tuned.
Comments (9)
Showing 1-9 of 9
like
dislike
Dear Jeff: You are damaging your own point of view with your repeated snippy remarks (and photo captions) about Mr. Barrett's products. From my research, Mr. Barrett legally manufactures a product which is useful for limited applications by military customers, the astronomical price of which prevents it from being commonly misused by civilians. In short, there is nothing inherently illegal or unethical about what Barrett produces. So give that part of your coverage a rest, okay?
What's wrong, if anything, are Barrett's efforts to bribe/influence/hornswoggle the state of Tennessee into providing him with special treatment in exchange for political donations. Such efforts, if true, are so fundamentally wrong that they merit all the scrutiny you and others have devoted to them. Keep up the good work on the investigation, keep your eyes on the prize, and let the snippy "6000 mile" stuff go, pal.
I must chime in with Mark here. If you don't like guns or don't support the right to own guns, that's your business. But douchebaggery is douchebaggery and this sounds like douchebaggery of the highest order. There is a legitimate hard news story here, an important story, but your audience loses sight of that story when it gets diluted by sarcasm and personal opinions. That's why a huge number of people would easily ignore a real news story if, say a Beck or an O'Riley broke it. In this case, the scandal is scandalous enough. Focus on it and dish up the snark some other time.
Sorry if I seem to be double-teaming you with The Other Scott, but:
Matt Drudge and the National Enquirer occasionally break a real news story...but no one pays much attention to them, considering the source. (Okay, this metaphor doesn't work as well since the Enquirer got nominated for a Pulitzer)
Don't diminish the value of your own efforts on this story with unnecessary snark.
The problem with the wave-the-American-flag support for Barrett Firearms is that these rifles are finding their way into the hands of terrorists. In fact, the Violence Policy Center released a report about that, saying that bin Laden has 25 of them -- a fact that poses a particular threat to our military helicopters.
HenryB
That happened in one of three ways...
1. The US Government sold/gave them to him during the Afgan War with the Russians.
2. They were stolen in theater.
3. They were sold to civilians here, who passed the background check, and illegally exported them.
Any way you look at it, it is not Barrett's fault the guns are allegedly in the hands of terrorists.
Also several manufacturers make copies or upper assemblies for AR 15's that look like Barrett's gun but are much cheaper. How can you be certain that they are Barrett Rifles allegedly in the hands of Terrorists.
If we have recovered them then The US knows how they got there, or at least has a trail to follow.
Henry B: you may want to check your source material a little more closely. According to the VPC's own page at http://www.vpc.org/snipercrime.htm there are 35 instances which it describes as "criminal use of the 50 Caliber sniper rifle," dating all the way back to the late 80's. On closer examination, only five instances over the thirty years listed involve the actual use of a 50 caliber rifle in the commission of a crime (one of which was a person who pointed a rifle at a police officer, then surrendered without firing it). The rest are people who were arrested for other reasons, who happened to be in otherwise legal possession of a 50-caliber rifle, among other weapons...or suspects who claimed to have a 50-cal, even though none was ever found.
I suggest to you that more people than that have been killed by 22 revolvers, lawnmowers, or lightning strikes during the same period of time.
You are correct in insinuating that flag-waving patriotism is no justification for granting special favors to Mr. Barrett. To argue otherwise is just as silly as the argument you are making - a none-too-subtle attempt to link Barrett's company with a terrorist threat.
Let's focus on the road issue and our ethically-challenged legislators ... and drop the dopey references (on both sides) to Mr. Barrett's products.
So, when the DEA describes the 50-caliber rifle as the "weapon of choice" among the Mexican drug cartels operating just across the border, it was the U.S. government who gave 'em said weapons?
Or did the Afghan warlords sell them to the Mexican drug lords...?
Or did Al Qaida borrow them from the Pakistani intelligence agency who loaned them to the Afghans who sold them to the Mexican drug lords....?
Wait, I'm getting confused here..
Anyway, no one could POSSIBLY blame Ronnie Barrett for profiting off illegal activity, could they?
Get your guns, or rifles actually, straight.
An AR-15 is a lighweight semiautomatic rifle (more comparable to an M16 than a .50 Barrett) that shoots tiny rounds of 5.56 mm NATO/.223 Remington depending on model. .50 caliber conversion kits for an AR-15 do not caliber up to a Barrett. Not even close.
A Barrett is a BIG single-shot (think Deerhunter movie) sniper rifle M82-M107 that fires big rounds. .50 means it's about a half-inch wide. The hole on the entry wound can be fairly clean, but the hole on the exit wound side is much larger and never a pretty sight. Think of the stopping power of a carefully controlled .50 Cal Browning machinegun with precision scope aim and the sniper squeezing off one round at a time with total breath control, no twitching allowed.
She said: Happiness is a warm gun.
He said: My gun is always warm for you, honey.
