So, if you’ve been flitting around the internet, you’ve certainly noticed that Campfield is still on his whole “Liberals love puppies more than they love babies” kick. And, unfortunately, he’s got folks riled up. Now, Mark Rose is all “Dogs receive more protection than unborn human beings.”
Really, at this point, this is bordering on ridiculous.
Stacey Campfield is a young, strong, spry man with a good job that allows him plenty of time to also be a state legislator. He lives in a beautiful part of the state with a vibrant culture (as explained by David Oatney right here). He’s got a mom he appears to love dearly (at least if we can take his blog as evidence) who has raised a child and gleaned wisdom from that. Campfield’s got a stable life, good education, good income, and a source of good advice.
He’s not married, but so what?
If “the children” are so important that we must curtail the rights of women in order to protect them, if they are in such dire straights that even a momentary focus away from their well-being onto the well-being of companion animals is a threat that must be mocked at every turn, then why isn’t Stacey Campfield doing more for Tennessee’s children?
There are about a hundred and seventy kids in Tennessee right now waiting to be adopted.
Why hasn’t Campfield adopted even one?
Tiny Cat Pants 
That’s a loaded question. And I have my theories why adoption would be denied Campfield.
Or he could, you know, use his bully pulpit to fight for expanded funding of CoverKids, SCHIP, and TennCare so that the other 51,000 uninsured children in Tennessee could have coverage as well as the 100,000 uninsured kids that are currently receiving basic medical care through those programs.
It’s easier to blog, though.
The Department of Children’s Services put the number of adoptable kids in state care at more like 300. Even more from which to choose, Rep. Campfield!
Ha, Editor, you may have to email me about that.
My point is, anyway, closer to Bridgett’s, which is that, if Campfield is so concerned about the baybees, why isn’t he concerned enough to chip in and raise a kid or two or even propose legislation that would actually help kids?
I’m thinking my theories are not dissimilar to The Editor’s theory.
You mean that the agencies would see that he’s on record as not being able to think about looking after dogs when the fetuses are in danger and he has to think about that, and conclude that he’s too dumb to be entrusted with a child?
Raise those kids right and they could hold off the Persian Army.
We’re having some problems with the Persian Army, I hear. I think his martial arts training leans toward “Talk Saki,” though — more O’Reil-li than Li.
Campfield may want to take note of Dobson’s history.
Ah…This James Dobson.
From the Carpetbagger:
Even more alarming, Dobson admits in one of his books that as a child he arranged a fight between two mismatched dogs. The battle involved a tenacious bulldog and a “sweet, passive Scottie named Baby,” and Dobson provoked it by throwing a tennis ball toward Baby. He writes what happened next: “The bulldog went straight for Baby’s throat and hung on. It was an awful scene. Neighbors came running from everywhere as the Scottie screamed in terror. It took ten minutes and a garden hose for the adults to pry loose the bulldog’s grip. By then Baby was almost dead. He spent two weeks in the animal hospital, and I spent two weeks in the doghouse. I was hated by the entire town.”
Twisted fuck!
Campfield’s position makes perfect sense, when you consider that he’s a Republican. It isn’t about solving real problems, or even identifying real problems. It doesn’t even have to make sense to most of us.
It’s all about blowing the living shit out of market-tested and proven dog whistles to rile up the base.
Right. Democrats never do that. Definitely just a Republican thing.
I can’t believe he’s alive! ^^^
Gosh, Roger, don’t you read Campfield? We’re too lazy to indulge in such shenanigans.
I wish he’d use his power to up the funding of gifted programs and magnet schools. Maybe then my daughter could have the education she deserves, instead of being bored because NCLB has teachers having to teach to the lowest common denominator.
That would be hella helpful to “the children”. 8 billion dollars a year is spent on funding programs for children with disabilities, while a mere 800 million is spent on gifted children. (That’s nationally, not TN-specific). One would think we would spend a shitload of money to encourage the gifted children, but that’s just not so. Depressing, really.
Democrats don’t need dog whistles; they only need to hold up pictures of Republicans. Video clips are even better.
Roger, but thats ALL Campfield does.
8 billion dollars a year is spent on funding programs for children with disabilities, while a mere 800 million is spent on gifted children. (That’s nationally, not TN-specific). One would think we would spend a shitload of money to encourage the gifted children, but that’s just not so.
But if we nurture the best and brightest in the public schools, the better the chances those kids have at competing with the kids from the upper tier private schools.
And we just can’t have that.
And it really shouldn’t have to be either gifted children or children with disabilities — both of whom have legitimate claims on a society that is crazy in love with the fetal tissue they were comprised of just a few years ago. While it sucks that gifted children get the shaft in public schools (they do — I was one of them), it also sucks that the state and national funding for children with disabilites covers a mere fraction of the support they need.
It feels very similar to the way wars are set up…old guys who wouldn’t take any amount of money to send themselves (or their relations) to the desert to fight seemed very keen to get the war going…
Same guys want to explain why 7.50 is all they are going to spend on any kid for any reason….and that they, with no young children and often oceans of money get to dictate how shrinking health care and educational dollars get spent.
Once born, evidently not worth spending on…..
Of course we like puppies better than babies. Puppies never grow up to be Republicans.
Heh, IC.
Campy’s ‘logic’ calls to mind this question from Tom Robbins:
“If a chicken and a half laid an egg and a half a day, how long would it take a monkey with a wooden leg to kick all the seeds out of a pickle?”
As to why Campy hasn’t adopted, perhaps it’s because adoption forms cannot be filled out in crayon….
Joe… Tee Hee
So have you all seen THIS?
Joe, you crack me up. Editor, why can’t I email you? Yahoo keeps bouncing my email back.
Um, hmmm…
email is: TheEditor(dot)TNWaltz@gmail(dot)com
Maybe Stacey Campfield is trying to keep us lazy liberals from hooking up.