On January 29, state Senator Paul Stanley (R – District 31) introduced Senate Bill 0078 to the Tennessee General Assembly. If passed, this measure would allow only married, heterosexual couples to adopt children:

The Tennessee Constitution provides that “the historical institution and legal contract solemnizing the relationship of one man and one woman shall be the only legally recognized marital contract in this state.”

This bill prohibits certain individuals from adopting a minor child. Under this bill, any individual who is living with another person and is involved in a sexual relationship with that person (“cohabitating”) outside of a marriage that is valid under the constitution would not be allowed to adopt a minor child. This bill states that it would apply to cohabitating opposite-sex and same-sex individuals.

[From the Tennessee General Assembly's summary of the bill. Full text of the bill available here (Adobe PDF).]

How nice of Senator Stanley to note that he’s not looking to discriminate solely against homosexual couples.

With divorce rates in Tennessee fifty percent notably higher than the national average, I submit that the “traditional” marriage isn’t exactly the touchstone of familial stability some would like us to think it is. We need to be finding more ways to get orphaned, abandoned, and abused children into permanent and loving families, not fewer.

Join our forum discussion on this topic.

Amongst many other things, Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) was a staunch Republican.

Boston, Massachusetts. 1879

If I had the power to produce exactly what I want for next Christmas, I would have all the kings and emperors resign and allow the people to govern themselves.

I would have all the nobility drop their titles and give their lands back to the people. I would have the Pope throw away his tiara, take off his sacred vestments, and admit that he is not acting for God — is not infallible — but is just an ordinary Italian. I would have all the cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests and clergymen admit that they know nothing about theology, nothing about hell or heaven, nothing about the destiny of the human race, nothing about devils or ghosts, gods or angels. I would have them tell all their “flocks” to think for themselves, to be manly men and womanly women, and to do all in their power to increase the sum of human happiness.

I would have all the professors in colleges, all the teachers in schools of every kind, including those in Sunday schools, agree that they would teach only what they know, that they would not palm off guesses as demonstrated truths.

I would like to see all the politicians changed to statesmen — to men who long to make their country great and free — to men who care more for public good than private gain — men who long to be of use.

I would like to see all the editors of papers and magazines agree to print the truth and nothing but the truth, to avoid all slander and misrepresentation, and to let the private affairs of the people alone.

I would like to see drunkenness and prohibition both abolished.

I would like to see corporal punishment done away with in every home, in every school, in every asylum, reformatory, and prison. Cruelty hardens and degrades, kindness reforms and ennobles.

I would like to see the millionaires unite and form a trust for the public good.

I would like to see a fair division of profits between capital and labor, so that the toiler could save enough to mingle a little June with the December of his life.

I would like to see an international court established in which to settle disputes between nations, so that armies could be disbanded and the great navies allowed to rust and rot in perfect peace.

I would like to see the whole world free — free from injustice — free from superstition.

This will do for next Christmas. The following Christmas, I may want more.

The news that the hate group from Kansas, which calls itself Westboro Baptist Church, would be picketing in Huntsville, claiming that our “Cheerleaders died for Tennessee’s sins,” sent shockwaves throughout a community already racked with grief. Having just suffered the worst traffic accident in the history of our county, the idea that any group — let alone a church — could celebrate the deaths of these 6 people in such a cruel way was simply unimaginable to most of us.

In the days following the news of WBC’s impending protest, the righteous anger of the people of Scott County was unleashed. News quickly spread, and the morning talk shows in Knoxville were abuzz. More than one radio host  said that the protesters might finally meet their matches in Scott County, Tennessee. After all, we’re “hill folk” to the rest of the world.  In the Scott County Liberals & Friends chat room, and on the forum, there was talk of launching a counter-protest. We would wear T-shirts that said, “You’re not in Kansas anymore,” and form a human chain around the protesters to block their hateful messages from being seen.

On the the Knoxville news stations’ message boards, things got a tad bit uglier, and we saw comments like, “Scott County ain’t Kansas or New York. We’re backwoods rednecks, and it wouldn’t be the first time somebody went missing without a trace…”

One thing was clear, though: Scott Countians were united. As a community, we mourned the loss of those girls, and as a community, we shared a common rage at the hatred represented by WBC. In many ways, the tragedy which took the lives of those 6 people on October 24th was Scott County’s 9/11, and the steel in us was about to be revealed, just as it had been for the nation 7 years ago.

Today, our Sheriff, in a letter to the citizens of Scott County, urged us to stay home tomorrow, and let the protesters’ message go unheard. He is right. Perhaps there could truly be no greater insult to a group like the WBC than to simply ignore them, even if every fiber of our being tells us to stand up and defend the honor of our lost loved ones.

Nevertheless, on the eve of the protests, allow me to paraphrase a column by Leonard Pitts which was printed in the Miami Herald the day after the tragedies of 9/11.  I believe much of it rings true for Scott Countians today:

You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard.

What lesson did you hope to teach us [with your protests?]

What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that
you failed.

Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause.

Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve.

Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.

Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a
family rent by racial, social, political and class division, but a
family nonetheless. We’re frivolous, yes, capable of expending
tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae — a singer’s
revealing dress, a ball team’s misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We’re
wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material
goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with a certain
sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent, though –
peace-loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and
to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith,
believers in a just and loving God…

THE STEEL IN US

You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of
our character is seldom understood by people who don’t know us well. On
this day, the family’s bickering is put on hold.

As [Scott Countians] we will weep, as [Scott Countians] we will mourn, and as [Scott Countians],
we will rise in defense of all that we cherish.

So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that
maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that’s
the case, consider the message received. And
take this message in exchange: You don’t know
my people. You don’t know what we’re capable of. You don’t know what you
just started.

But you’re about to learn.

Update: It has been brought to my attention that some who were affected by the events of 9/11 have found my comparison of this accident to the events of that day offensive. I sincerely apologize if I have offended anyone by using 9/11 as a metaphor for the recent tragedy in Scott County. I chose the words “In many ways... this is Scott County’s 9/11″ because I recognized that it was not an apt comparison in terms of sheer tragedy. The comparison was aimed more at the unity that our community experienced. Despite the fact that the accident was the worst of its kind in the history of our county, it obviously pales in comparison to the magnitude of 9/11, and it was not my intent to suggest otherwise.

From the Obama victory celebration in Grant Park, Chicago. November 4, 2008:

• William Paul Phillips, District Attorney General, 8th Judicial District

• Dr. Bruce Coffey

• Dr. William Hardy

• Michael (Mike) Swain, Chairman of First National Bank of Oneida

• William (Bill) Swain, former Chairman of the Board of First National Bank of Oneida

• The late James (Jim) Barna, founder of Barna Log Homes

• Don Stansberry

• Howard Baker

• George Taylor, CEO of Taylor Holdings, LLC

• Darrell King, CEO of Lumber King

What do all of these men have in common, besides the fact that they’ve lived and made their remarkable fortunes in Scott County? They’ve all donated hundreds or thousands of dollars to the Republican party over the past several years.

In the primaries this election season, Fred Thompson received some pretty significant contributions from Scott Countians — several donating the maximum amount allowable by law.

Among those donating the maximum $2,300 to Fred Thompson’s campaign were:  William Paul Phillips, Dr. Bruce Coffey AND his wife, Rosemary — for a total of $4,600 down the drain –  George Taylor, Don Stansberry, Howard Baker (no surprise there) and William (Bill) Swain.

Also donating to Fred Thompson’s campaign to the tune of $1,000 was Michael (Mike) Swain, President of First National Bank of Oneida.

The elder Swain (Bill) has made some very interesting contributions over the years, including a $500 contribution to the campaign of Rick Lazio back in 2000. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he was Hillary Clinton’s Republican opponent in the US Senate race in New York. I take it Mr. Swain isn’t a big Hillary fan.

Other prominent Scott Countians making donations include Dr. William Hardy, who has donated more than $1,500 to the RNC & John McCain’s campaign combined, Darrell King, CEO of Lumber King and the late Jim Barna who each donated $2,000 to Bush’s campaign in 2004.

Discuss this on our forum.

Sources:

The Federal Election Commission’s website
The Huffington Post’s FundRace Database

[Click here to read Part I.]

The Helenwood Devil

If you’ve read much about Scott County’s history, you’ve undoubtedly encountered tales of the Helenwood Devil. Our own Museum of Scott County even features an exhibit about the storied creature, a giant, creepy looking statue made by Helenwood man Cruise Sexton, which he claimed to have dug up while prospecting for coal. It was such a big story in its day, that it made it to the New York Times‘ August 12, 1921 edition.

500-Pound Winged Image, Dug Up by Coal Prospector,

Perhaps Carved by Cave Dwellers.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Aug 11 – Further information as to the petrified body of gigantic proportions found near Helenwood, in Scott County, Tennessee was received here today…

The freak is described as having a head of abnormal size adorned by horns resembling those of a ruminant…

Sexton believes the object may be an image left by some old tribe of Indians or cliff dwellers.

Click here for a more in-depth look at the Helenwood Devil.

Axe Murder Near Huntsville

About midway through a July 26, 1889 piece called “Telegraphic Brevities,” theTimes reported on an axe murder near Huntsville, TN. It listed the victim as one R.J. Williams, who was engaged to be married. His poor fiance would be left grieving instead, as L.J. McDonald struck Mr. Williams with an axe, nearly decapitating him. He claimed it was in self-defense, but was locked up for it anyway.

Judge Kills Lawyer in Helenwood

Can you imagine the story it would be in Scott County today if our judge shot and killed a young local attorney over remarks made about his wife? According to a Times article, that’s exactly what happened in Helenwood, Tennessee back in July of 1906.

Samuel Parker was a young Helenwood lawyer who played football and baseball for the University of Tennessee.  Judge J.B. Fulton was a prominent attorney and politician in Scott County. On July 5th, 1906, as Parker stepped off of a train, he was shot by Judge Fulton, who claimed that Parker had made remarks about Mrs. Fulton.  Parker didn’t die instantly, and upon his death bed, emphatically denied the accusations that he had made remarks about Mrs. Fulton, and claimed that he was shot by Judge Fulton without provocation.

Judge Fulton surrendered, though it’s not clear how much time he served, if any.

One Scott Countian Killed on Election Day

We Scott Countians can get really riled up when it comes to politics — you need to look no further than the Scott County Liberals & Friends discussion forum to see evidence of that. But in the November election of 1910, someone in Scott County was killed on election day. As if killings on election day are routine — and they very well may have been back then — there is only one line about the killing in the Times article dated November 10th, which primarily focuses on the results of the election.

The Wheat & Fruit Crops Look Fine

And speaking of politics, it’s hard to believe there was a time in our nation when the Republicans were the “radicals.” It’s true, and in May of 1867 the Times reported that the “radical blacks” of Knoxville, Tennessee held an “enthusiastic” convention, where 800 voters marched to Governor Brownlow’s home. Governor Brownlow — who was interestingly enough pro-slavery and pro-Union — told the group of African Americans that he would “protect them in their rights with all the power in his hands.”

The connection between the two stories isn’t clear, but the Times then goes on to mention that:

Capt. Chambers’ Scott County Militia have been ordered to Anderson County, to remain there during Court, in which several important suits of a political nature are to be tried.

The article ends with a complete non sequitur:  The wheat & fruit crops look fine.

[Update 10/22/08: We received a response from Becky Ruppe yesterday.  Click here to read and/or discuss Ruppe's response.]

Absent a response from 12th District State Senate candidate Becky Ruppe to our question about why Democrats — especially liberal ones — should vote for her on November 4, the administrators of Scott County Liberals & Friends have decided to withdraw our endorsement of her candidacy. We do this not out of spite or a misplaced sense of pique– believe me, we have no delusions of power or influence as opinion-makers in East Tennessee. Neither do we necessarily take issue with her self-described status as “a conservative leader” or her apparent efforts to disassociate herself and her campaign from the Democratic Party; we knew these things going in. Rather, we are disheartened by her willingness to exploit anti-gay and anti-secularist sentiment in order to beckon conservative voters in her direction.

We know all too well that progressivism makes nary a blip on Tennessee’s political radar despite localized pockets of activism and the best efforts of a vibrant liberal blogosphere. Still, our minority-opinion status doesn’t give politicians license to marginalize or belittle ordinary citizens whose concerns fall largely outside the political mainstream. In using a widely-distributed campaign flyer to point out bloggers and blog commenters who are concerned about how she might act on social issues, Becky Ruppe has done her small part to further polarize a divided nation. She appears to want the voters of District Twelve to vote against certain types of people every bit as much as she wants us to vote for her. If this is Becky Ruppe’s brand of leadership, all we can say is thanks, but no thanks.

In initially endorsing Becky Ruppe, our hope for a Democratic Party majority in the Tennessee State Senate overshadowed our concerns about Ruppe’s conservatism. In all honesty, we figured we were seeing a Democrat steer to the right on token social issues in order to win– as Democrats often feel they have to do. Last week’s campaign circular dispelled our illusions. There can be little doubt that Becky Ruppe is a red-meat social conservative, and one who won’t hesitate to play one group against another. Given that she doesn’t seem to care which party gains control of the Tennessee Senate (she has described the question as “hoopla”), we see no compelling reason to give her our endorsement, support, or votes.

As gay rights activist Jim Maynard has observed, it’s sometimes better to lose on principle than to win by sacrificing one’s principles. We can’t afford to settle for just any ol’ Democrat, much less one who campaigns on fear and loathing.

[Join the discussion on our Forum]

[Join the discussion of this post on our Forum.]

A few weeks ago, we published a profile of Morgan County Executive Becky Ruppe, Democratic candidate for the Tennessee State Senate from District 12. (Twelve is your State Senate district if you live in Scott, Fentress, Morgan, Campbell, Roane, or Rhea County.) Ruppe offered an impressive resume and a compelling personal story in an important state-level race, one that could determine the balance of power in the Tennessee legislature. We realized from the start that she didn’t fit the “typical” Democratic mold, given her self-described “pro-life, pro-gun, oppose-gay-marriage” stance. In fact, the Knoxville News Sentinel was at pains in their coverage of the race to determine who was more socially conservative: Becky Ruppe or her Republican opponent,  Ken Yager.

While conservative Democrats are rare on the national scene, they’re certainly not unheard of in smaller races, and especially in the South. Hypatia and I discussed this as we learned more about Becky Ruppe and her campaign. While she was certainly not the “ideal” candidate for a pair of freethinking, secularist, pro-gay-rights liberals firmly in the minority in this part of the country, we felt that in this case it might be more important to establish a Democratic majority in the Tennessee Senate than to shy away from supporting a candidate who, for all we knew, had tacked to the right in order to deflect potential diversionary criticisms from her opponent and his party. We expected core issues like the 12th District’s runaway unemployment, struggling schools, crippling poverty, and scanty economic opportunity to form the core of Ruppe’s campaign and to dominate the agenda of the next state congress. For all we know, they still may– but it’s hard to tell from the Ruppe campaign’s latest broadside.

If there was any doubt that Becky Ruppe is an authentic social conservative, she has dispelled it with a campaign circular distributed in area newspapers this week. She seems so eager to distance herself from the more socially progressive platform of her party’s national committee that the word “Democrat” is altogether absent from this piece of campaign literature. (Neither, for that matter, does she declare her party affiliation anywhere on her campaign website, nor in the one radio advertisement I’ve heard for her candidacy.) Again, it’s not unusual in the South for Democrats to buck the party’s national-level agenda. What gives us pause is her willingness to belittle an entire section of the traditionally Democratic constituency in order to get elected.

The last page of the circular reads like it might have been written by any fundamentalist Republican candidate. Ruppe repeats her commitment to the “Rural Tennessee Values” of being “Pro-life 100%” (I’m not sure exactly what that means; are there exceptions for adult rape, or rape of a minor, or incest, or endangerment of the woman’s health or life? Ruppe hasn’t been forthcoming that I can determine); “100% pro-gun” with an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association; and the pledge that she will “make all [her] decisions regarding [the legal rights of gay couples] based on Christian values.” Of course, Ruppe doesn’t use the term “legal rights of gay couples”; she casts up the distracting smokescreen of defense-of-traditional-marriage and raises the specter of “gay marriage” as though it’s something more than a phantom issue, a dodge to rally popular support. “Gay marriage” isn’t a religious issue or even a moral issue: it’s a civil rights issue, a question of whether or not the equal protection of the laws as mandated in our Constitution shall extend to all citizens. The Democratic platform for 2008 understands this. Of course, the distinction is an easy one to avoid when you’re running for office, and Becky Ruppe does so with the all the deftness of a biblically-correct Republican.

She goes one better in her campaign flyer and dives headlong into the sort of religio-social warfare that would do Sarah Palin proud. She wastes no time in identifying Jim Maynard, a gay rights activist in Memphis who has been critical of Ruppe, as “a gay atheist” (which he is) who “says he is a gay, atheist, humanist, socialist” (so he does). She quotes Maynard’s defense of the Constitution as a wholly secular instrument of government (which it is) as though he’s not only wrong, but that his clear understanding of this nation’s foundational principles somehow represents a threat to the American way of life. She quotes another internet commenter as pointing out that one might expect a female candidate for office who would have had no legal electoral rights a handful of decades ago to be “more open minded.” Given that Ms. Ruppe quotes this as an example of an attack against her and her stand on gay rights, should we take from this that she considers open-mindedness in public service a bad thing? When she quotes this woman as saying that “she [Ruppe] will work to stop us… from being able to adopt, stop us from having the same legal rights that other married or even ‘common law’ couples will have” and does so without comment or clarification, should we assume that if Becky Ruppe is elected she would do exactly that?

Another internet user quoted in the flyer labels Becky Ruppe a “DINO” (Democrat In Name Only), and it may be an apt descriptor. (It’s difficult to tell, since the only place you’re likely to see Becky Ruppe’s name anywhere close to the word “Democrat” is on your November 4 ballot.) Does Becky Ruppe’s pledge to “always stand up for the Christian beliefs no matter who fights her” represent nothing more than a cynical pass at socially conservative voters? I’m inclined to think not. There’s nothing in her campaign to indicate otherwise, so I think it’s a safe bet that Becky Ruppe does not support progressive causes; that given the opportunity she would vote against them, likely even on questions beyond the “gay marriage” bogeyman. The ease with which she plays off one group against another, no matter how deep into the minority the outgroup lies, is not only distasteful: it’s unworthy of any candidate for any public office and furthers the shallow “values-based” politics of fear and misplaced privilege that have come to dominate the American political landscape.

Hypatia has sent Ms. Ruppe an email message, boiling these issues down to a simple and direct question: Why should a Democrat vote for Becky Ruppe in November? It’s not a rhetorical question, and it deserves an answer. Given her eagerness to distance herself from any hint of progressivism, what does Becky Ruppe have in common with the solidly Democratic voters who could very well put her in office? Is she interested in representing the interests of all the voters of District Twelve, or just the straight, Christian ones?

I’m eager to see how (or even if) Ms. Ruppe responds. There’s a troubling social arrogance on display in the final weeks of Becky Ruppe’s campaign, and I see little reason to believe that it’s anything but authentic. She’s not only campaigning against her Republican opponent, but also a larger share of her constituency than she’s likely to take the time to realize. Would she denounce this site and its membership if she knew we existed? (Now that she does, I half expect her to ask that we withdraw our earlier endorsement.) There are too many politicians all too eager to cast progressive values as unworthy of concern and out of touch. We don’t need another one.

[Join the discussion of this post on our Forum.]

Incumbent U.S. Senators of either major party are notoriously difficult to unseat. Consider Democrat Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the longest-serving U.S. Senator in history at 49 years (and counting). Ted Kennedy has weathered controversy, tragedy, and a malignant brain tumor in his 45 years of Senate service for the state of Massachusetts. “Independent” Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut became an independent in 2006 after losing the fight for his party’s nomination — almost always a fatal blow to any candidacy, Senate or otherwise — yet won re-election against two major-party opponents. Senators tend to be very popular with their constituencies, often in spite of their records or the prevailing political sensibilities of any given Senatorial election cycle. Even men on the wrong side of history like Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms enjoyed long Senate careers despite antebellum sensibilities and long-obsolete policies. At six years apiece, Senate terms are the longest of any elected officials in Washington. Senators know how to raise money, make deals, and generally play the political game better than anyone else inside the Beltway.

In short, it takes guts to challenge your Senator for his or her seat in Congress, and Nashville area Democrat Bob Tuke has them in abundance. He’s running for US Senate against Republican Senator Lamar Alexander, and he needs your vote this November.

A lifelong Democrat and a Marine who served in Vietnam, Bob Tuke is former chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party. He was co-chair of the 2004 Kerry/Edwards campaign in Tennessee, and headed Tennessee Veterans for Kerry from 2003 to 2004. He has recently served as Tennessee Political Director for the Obama campaign. A Fellow of both the Tennessee and Nashville Bar Foundations, Tuke is a Trustee and past President of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. An Adjunct Professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Law, Bob Tuke teaches Professional and Ethical Considerations in Corporate Practice: a vital consideration in this season of financial meltdown and corporate malfeasance. He has practiced law in the financial services industries for over 30 years, so he knows a thing or two about promoting corporate accountability and correcting fiscal incompetence in government.

Alone among Tennessee candidates for Congress this year, Bob Tuke has endorsed the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, a bold and sensible initiative to not only bring our fighting men and women home with honor, but to reinvigorate U.S. diplomatic power in the Middle East and restore our Constitution as well. Tuke will honor our soldiers’ service to this country by working for reforms to the woefully broken Veterans Administration.

He supports a national health care plan to not only re-regulate existing insurance plans, but to also provide individual and family benefits at least as good as those enjoyed by members of Congress; “because if it’s good enough for our nation’s public servants, it’s the least we can provide our citizens.” He pledges to end corporate welfare for the oil and drug companies, and to sponsor meaningful tax relief for middle-class Americans. He will fight to end tax breaks for businesses that ship American jobs out of the country. Corporations lobbying for new free trade agreements can expect stiff opposition from Bob Tuke until existing agreements have appropriate labor, human rights, and environmental protections firmly in place. A proponent of fiscal discipline in Washington, Bob Tuke supports “pay-as-you-go” budgeting: any new spending by Congress on one hand or tax cut on the other must show where those dollars will come from.

As a means of curbing this country’s oil addiction, Bob Tuke would build upon Tennessee’s history of innovation in energy production by supporting the development of “biorefineries” in the state, plants that would use existing technology to produce ethanol from switchgrass, farm waste, and even trash at a production cost of less than a dollar a gallon. The benefits of such fuel production would be huge for Tennessee and the nation, creating jobs across a wide spectrum of different industries, cutting fuel costs, reducing greenhouse emissions, and reducing or eliminating our dependence on foreign oil. Bob Tuke knows that “Tennessee can become a global leader in alternative energy production”, and his campaign website offers a highly-detailed and frankly impressive energy policy.

His regular “Tuesdays with Tuke” web essays are a pleasure to read, and his policy positions make a great deal of sense for Tennessee and the rest of the country. We need more progressives like Democrat Bob Tuke working for us in Washington.

Tuke for Tennessee – the official campaign website
Bob Tuke on Facebook
Tuke for Tennessee on YouTube

[UPDATE 10/15/2008: What a difference a campaign flyer can make. Given Becky Ruppe's apparent enthusiam for stirring up anti-gay, anti-secularist feeling in her bid for the Tennessee State Senate, we no longer back her candidacy. Read more here and here.]

Let’s face it: Obama is probably not going to win Tennessee. Our state is solidly in McCain’s column this year, and there’s not a whole lot we can do about it at this juncture.

Let not your hearts be troubled, my friends.  You can make a difference this November with your vote in a race that you may not even realize the importance of — the 12th District State Senate race, which pits Morgan County’s Executive & Democrat, Becky Ruppe, (sounds like Roo-pee) against Roane County’s Ken Yager, a Republican.

Since 2007, when Sen. Mike Williams made his departure from the Republican party and declared himself an Independent, the Tennessee State Senate has been split with 16 Democrats, 16 Republicans, and 1 Independent. This 12th District race will help decide which party ends up with control of the State Senate, which means that the citizens of Morgan, Scott, Campbell, Fentress, Roane, and Rhea Counties will be making a very important decision this November.

The seat is being vacated by Democrat Tommy Kilby of Wartburg who has decided not to seek re-election. Kilby also served as Morgan County Executive before being elected.

Becky Ruppe has a very compelling life story. When she was 13 years old, her mother was killed in an automobile accident, leaving Becky to care for her brother, sister, and father who had been disabled in World War II. Ten years later, when Becky was pregnant with her second child, her husband was killed in an automobile accident.

Becky worked in factories while going to night school and raising her 2 young children. She also worked for a local newspaper, and for the campaigns of Lincoln Davis and Tommy Kilby before being elected to the Morgan County School Board, where she served for 6 years. In 2004, she was elected as Executive of Morgan County.

Becky is running as a conservative Democrat. She is pro-life, pro-gun, and anti-gay-marriage. While many of Becky’s views clash with liberal stances and some aspects of the Democratic platform, it is clear that she is the best choice for Democrats, and for the people of our District.

We have our work cut out for us. The Republican candidate has an impressive resume. He’s an attorney, an educator, was the Roane County Executive for 24 years, and he is raising almost double the campaign funds. Even so, Becky Ruppe leads in the polls. The most recent data I could find gives her a 5 point lead.

What You Can Do to Help

If you’re able to do anything at all to help Becky’s campaign, click here to sign up as a volunteer. Even if you’re not inclined to get actively involved in a political campaign by putting up signs, handing out cards, or making phone calls, you can still make a difference just by talking to your friends and family about how important this race is.  In not-so-high-profile races like these, you’d be surprised how many votes come down to name recognition. Make sure everybody you talk to knows who Becky Ruppe is, and what she stands for. Even your Republican friends and family members might be swayed when they learn that she is pro-life, pro-gun, and anti-gay-marriage.

Tell everyone who will listen that Becky Ruppe will fight for the middle class, for affordable health care, for  improved education in our rural schools, and for economic development in our impoverished region.

We may not be able to turn Tennessee blue in this presidential election, but we can help our party in one of the most important state level races in years, and help ensure that the people of our District have a real fighter in office working hard for their best interests. Yes, we can!

Becky Ruppe Resources:

Becky’s Campaign Website

Becky’s MySpace Profile

Article on the Candidates in The Knoxville News Sentinel

Pictures from one of Becky’s Campaign Stops in Scott County

Listen to Becky’s Radio Ad

Coming soon: A profile of Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, Bob Tuke.