Weekend Roundup: Rutherford Rep urges purge; civic pride

Mercifully, as far as I know, no Tennessee public official did or said anything incredibly embarrassing when it comes to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community this weekend.  Sadly, though, that energy was used to attack another group.

Don't Ask, Don't Pray Five Times a Day?:  I believe ThinkProgress broke the story over the weekend of State Rep. Rick Womick of Rutherford County calling for a purge of Muslims from the military.  Here's the video: 



Every citizen should be concerned about this kind of rhetoric.  It inflames existing stereotypes and suspicions and it also inspires legislative proposals.  Do I think any kind of bill banning Muslims from the military would pass or, if it did, pass constitutional muster in the courts?  No, of course not.  But I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a resolution had been filed in the General Assembly urging Congress to administer loyalty tests and the like.

I also look at this issue through the prism of the recent Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal, which social conservatives fought for years (some still are fighting it).  If you can ban a whole class of people from the military, you can reinforce the argument that they aren't patriotic citizens and that some of their other rights can be taken away.  Circular logic, to be sure.

And that brings us to...

Civic Pride:  The constant stream of embarrassments emanating almost weekly from our red state officials is a strong inducement for many of us to retreat into the refuge of our cities.  Our cities aren't perfect by a long shot.  They have petty squabbles, minor scandals, budget woes, etc.  But they tend not to cause nearly the same level of angst in the area of human rights and human relations as our state officials.  At this point, it's far easier to get Tennessee's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community involved in city politics than it is in state politics because we can see positive results flowing directly from our actions like the election of Lee Harris to the Memphis City Council.  We're not giving up on the state by any means, but it's nice to have a refuge from the storm.  Beyond politics what we are beginning to see in Tennessee's larger cities is that our open participation in the ordinary life of the city is not some revolutionary act.  It's just business as usual.  

Team TEP

Our Nashville committee participated in the Mayor's Challenge 5K Walk/Run this weekend.  The organizers didn't hesitate to invite us to form a team a few months ago and there were no gasps when we donned our TEP stickers at the event.  The word "equality" doesn't bring to mind the blood bath of the French Revolution to most city dwellers.  That's perhaps a fantasy of the suburbs.  It was just another day and we were just one of dozens of other groups showing our civic pride.  And that, my friends, is what the so called "gay agenda" is all about.  Equal rights, equal participation until it becomes no big deal.

-Chris Sanders

New Middle Tennessee blog: Volunteer Vets

Chris Atkins has started Volunteer Vets, a new blog that focuses on issues important to veterans around the state as well as updates and commentary on politics.

As he puts it in his first post on Thursday:

I hope that in the coming days I will start a discussion with you about ways that Tennesseans can do more to honor our veterans and ensure that they receive better benefits in our state than in any other part of the country. The Volunteer State has always been about service above self, and I believe that we must do more to serve those who served us. I also believe that service is not limited to the military and that we should all do more to take an active part in our community. Part of that activity is being knowledgeable about local, state and national politics. This is the spirit of Volunteer Vets.

Tennessee's political blogosphere is growing, and a blog with a focus on issues of importance to our state's veterans is a welcome addition.

Gay marriage "...doesn't bother me one bit," says Toby Keith

Great American Country took a look at some of the top stars' views on patriotism. Democrat Toby Keith shows a great deal of independence in his views that defy an easy label.

Toby’s stance on the war in Afghanistan got him mislabelled as a Republican, and many assumed — incorrectly, as it turned out — that he also thought the war in Iraq was a good idea. Clearly, Toby is able to take a stand with either party at various times, showing his belief system to be beyond politics.

"My right to carry a gun is not political," he says. "I’m an American, and that is my right as an American, just like it’s my right to vote... Do I care if gay people get married? I could care less. It doesn’t bother me one bit. When you look at Al Gore trying to save the planet, that’s not a political issue."

Instead, he suggests, it’s a social issue that everyone should be examining.

"If the polar ice cap is melting and we’re doing it, I need to educate myself," he says, adding, "I don’t see things right-left. I see them right-wrong."

One can argue about whether it matters what a country star or any other celebrity thinks about politics. On the issue of same-sex marriage it matters in this way. Very few male country stars are on record as being supportive of GLBT issues. Culture shapes politics. Country music and men's professional sports are still frontiers when it comes to issues of sexuality and gender. If there are whole cultural arenas in which these issues are not addressed in a positive way, then that reinforces negative views about GLBT people. Keith's comments are a breath of fresh air. He makes them confidently in a way that no one could question the masculinity that helps define a male country star. He's his own man.

UT Professor implicated in passing military secrets

This one is pretty serious. A Colorado man is pleading guilty to passing "sensitive military data" to the Chinese and he was apparently conspiring with emeritus UT Professor J. Reece Roth. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/apr/15/physicist-admits-conspiracy-retired-ut-professor/

UT isn't saying much at this point.

Padgett hits Alexander on new GI bill

In a press release today, Mike Padgett asks, “So, why hasn’t Senator Alexander signed on – like 10 other Republicans in the Senate – to support it and give our heroes the benefits they deserve? Maybe he follows the twisted logic of the White House, which says the better benefits will hurt recruitment and military regiment. If you can make sense of that, please explain it to me.” He's referring to the newly revised GI bill proposed by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va) and Sen. John Warner (R-Va). http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=293906 .

Padget may have found the one place where it's almost universally accectable to talk about class--the needs of our troops and veterans. Evoking Jim Webb is a smart move, too, given that unconventional Democrat's ability to win in the conservative Commonwealth of Virginia. I wonder whether such connections will have resonance in upper East Tennessee along the Virginia border where Webb commercials no doubt flooded the airwaves during the last senatorial election.

I am a little surprised that Bob Tuke, the other Democrat in the race, hasn't made more of the issue. As a veteran, he'd surely agree with Padgett, but it appears Padgett got to it first (as far as I can tell) and staked out the ground.