Thursday, February 23, 2012
Politics It's Bedlam at the Capitol! Haslam and Harwell Lose Control of Asylum
Posted by Jeff Woods on Thu, Feb 23, 2012 at 12:45 PM
- Out and About newspaper
The “Don’t Say Gay” bill is Exhibit A. State law prohibits sex education before the ninth grade, so the bill is pointless except as an exercise in gay bashing. Sensibly, Haslam and Harwell have been trying to kill it—the governor since last year—to stop an onslaught of international mockery. Republicans are supposed to be focused like a laser on the economy. But this stupid bill is hogging all the attention. It’s off-message! Yet still it exists and could become law. It sailed through the Senate last session.
This week, Haslam succeeded in delaying the bill’s passage in the House Education Committee. But the governor and Harwell still are playing footsie with the sponsors—Dunn and Hensley—trying to talk them out of further humiliating the entire party and perhaps even damaging GOP prospects in this year’s elections. We asked Harwell about all this today during her weekly avail, telling her that we were puzzled as to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill's purpose.
“I understand your puzzlement,” she said, “and that’s what we’re addressing with the sponsors now.”
Q: What would Naifeh do? What would Jimmy do? WWJD.
McCormick: Yeah, yeah. That’s a good question.
Q: It would have been shit-canned a long time ago.
McCormick: Yeah, it woulda been. He would have put it in some committee where it got killed. I don’t know. I honestly don’t know how much time Beth has spent on it. I’ve spent almost no time on it. I just haven’t given it that much thought.
Q: But you’re being held up to ridicule all over the world.
McCormick: That’s going to happen anyway. You’ve got 99 people. Anybody can introduce whatever they want to, and you can’t stop it. All you can do is let it work through the process. I don’t think they’re going to pass something that says you can’t say gay in a classroom. It’ll work its way through the process, and if they can gather enough votes, they can pass it. I don’t think they will. But I’m not keeping tabs on it every day.
Q: I guess I’ll just stop asking questions about it.
McCormick: If you do that, that’ll be the best thing.
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Comments (32)
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I am puzzled about when I am supposed to be embarrassed. Please continue to post stories that define international ridicule so that one day I may give a damn. If the Catchphrase!!! defined "Don't Say Gay Bill" can some how get Smash and Glee off my TV I can only see it as a win that prevents further ridicule of another type.
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Judging from your post you should be embarrassed because you're an idiot who probably thinks sweatpants are formal attire.
I'm still not clear on what would happen if it were Michael's two daddies' turn or Susie's two mommies' turn to bring the cupcakes to class.
My kids went through public school, all the way. My husband and I put a lot of time and energy into three public school systems. I get more than a bit annoyed when people with no children or people who put their kids into religiously oriented private schools try to dictate what and how public-school children should be taught.
Witty and clever, you a publicist for Glee? Mad that not everyone appreciates the Ethel Merman-like warblings of Chris Colfer?
FYI, there is a 95% chance that at this moment that I am dressed far better than you will be at any time this week. The emotionally stunted,artistically inclined should avoid talking about the attire of others less someone point out their weird knits and Birkenstocks (4 pairs, right?).
Nice Troll by the way.
I apologize for the previous posts, there is no way anyone deserved to have their attire thrown back at them. Except Goth types who wear Diesel jeans and buy "art" of headless historical characters and white studded belts. They get what is coming to them.
Actually I have seen neither show. I also apologize, I didn't know that you wore your good overalls today. I'll cut you some slack though, I know it's hard dealing with the state of affairs as they exist in this day and age. Pining for that sock hop of yesteryear, when the "gays and wimmins" knew their place. Oh if only we could exist in a bubble where no one challenged our antiquated ideas, and everyone behaved exactly how we want them to. Luckily there are plenty more imbeciles such as yourself who like to ensure our state legislature resembles some kind of sad circus. Just be aware that when normal people giggle as you espouse your "ideas," we aren't laughing with you.
hey moost, you're an idiot and a relic. BTW, I wear Allen Edmonds and Alden shoes and Burberry sport coats and the like most days.
I don't think you can describe the Legislature as an asylum; an asylum is supposed to be a place where people are sent to AVOID hurting society.
@Don't Ask: I think El Jefe meant it's a Soul Asylum.
It seems no one can help me now
I'm in too deep there's no way out
This time I have really led myself a astray-hay
Runaway Train never goin back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I'm neither here nor there-hair
::Smashcut to Stacey Campfield covered in glitter dancing vigorously to Soul Asylum missing and exploited teens video inside a closet. A la bee costume girl from the Blind Melon No Rain video::
The only really hip things I am wearing today are some really smooth Frye dress boots and a Vinyard Vines tie. Everything else is off-the-rack from Parisians. Man it does suck that Belks moved in.
The pols are representing the voters in their districts. When the voters get turned off they'll vote them out of office. So far that doesn't seem to be the case no matter how much a relatively few noisy people want it to be so.
Not a very loving and accepting crowd on here today. Kind of mean spirited group if you don't think exactly like them. I sure wish people were more accommodating about differences in lifestyle, thought, and expression.
Bless your hearts.
+1 use of "Bless your hearts" as a passive-aggressive Southern bitchslap.
Judging by the abysmal turnout at most polling places here in Tennessee, I do wonder how many legislators represent the people of their districts as opposed to representing the people who _showed up_.
Yay for American democracy inaction!
Watch out pack - you're turning gast on. He'll be popping viagra and chatting you up.
I wore a vintage black wool hat today. The wind in Memphis nearly took it completely off my head.
As for the legislature, where the hell were you all last year? There's nothing new about all this howling at the moon. The crazies were embarassing the crap out of reasonable Tennesseans last year, too.
Just enjoy your cappuccinos, read The New Yorker, frame the newly enlarged copy
of your Vanderbilt diploma, and enjoy the day. P.S.: You may want to think about
acting on Nancy Pelosi's suggesting on the high gas prices, classic: " Buy and ride
more Mopeds and move closer to where you work"!
sometimes I get up in the morning and think just maybe Tn will not be the laughing stock of the world .. then I log on and read post from many different countries ..
it amazes me that there are men so afraid of gay men .. that they put themselves out in the world to be viewed as idiots .. and yes you are afraid of us .... because you look in the mirror and know we do better in life because we have to always fight against the white hetero and sometimes the black hetero men and some women too who cant or wont let go of things that dont make sense and before you quote the BIBLE to me dont eat shrimp, wear mixed fibers or worship the Titans on sunday all those things are there
also
Have a nice day
Vinyard Vines is way too fucking preppy. Zegna and Brioni are for grownups, moost.
Hey, Pelosi has a point. Try reacting to high gas prices by acting according to free market principles. I missed the part of civics class where it said cheap gasoline was an American birthright.
gast sez"
"The pols are representing the voters in their districts. When the voters get turned off they'll vote them out of office. So far that doesn't seem to be the case no matter how much a relatively few noisy people want it to be so."
Unfortunately, evolution takes time.
"Unfortunately, evolution takes time."
Yeah, it took decades to finally eradicate the power of the boll weevilers and the Sunday-church-meeting-hat-wearers in the State capital. Time marches on and the state had to progress out of the back water Democrat controlled government.
The Vines tie was a gift, not a choice. It was defintely not something I would buy. I will eventually put it in storage right next to that two-patterned Hilfiger tie from the 90s.
Was just trying to express the image I have of Mr. Moost, and I inadvertently started a fashion war.. I love it! Still trying to figure out how you expect me to wear four pairs of Birkinstocks as I'm a biped. Tried wearing the extra pair on my hands, but that inhibited me from writing reasonable responses to your nonsense.
Calling all gaysayers ... You have some additional time to phone the members of the state House Education Committee and tell them to kill this bill, HB 0229, the "Don't Say Gay" bill. Leave a message if they don't answer the phone. Give your name and the town or county you live in. You may call after office hours. To call toll-free, phone 1-800-449-8366 and then enter the last five digits of the legislator's office phone number.
http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/committees…
Jdilla: When you wrote that "sweatpants" comment, I had on a pair of dress sweatpants -- as I call them. Tight, dark gray. They look like leggings. No one knows. Well ... they do now. #From the barn to dinner and back to the barn -- one outfit.
I just spit taked on Donna's post, too funny.
J you do own Birkenstocks though correct? Sorry if you took it that I was impugning you were wearing 4 pairs of sandals, I must have left a comma out. Please tell me you do wear them with Diesels.
Well, Moost, surely you know the Republican ranks will have to be thinned. They have been bad.
I do not think the party that continually selects Chip Forrester as its leader is capable of thinning anything except its own membership. He is the biblical plague that is punishing the wicked.
You are correct, Moost. It would be up to the independents and assorted common-sense libertarians to do the pruning.
How, please tell me did all these Cro-Mags get elected at one time? Usually there are enough serious and sane in Nashville to handle the children, who are desk carving and wearing masks, to make the Legislators appear sane. Tennessee is in one mell of a hess.
Calling people Cro Mags with an air of false superiority and hating on the beliefs they have has probably done a lot to paint your causes into a corner. Witty banter like this may come off as endearing in a 12 South coffee shop or an alternative paper newsroom but in the reality outside of your bubble its what causes MASSIVE election losses.
Your overlords tossed us a bone by allowing us to keep our single congressional district. They should have split us up and laughed at us with irony.
