Posted on 08/19/2006 9:27:05 AM PDT by SmithL
The war of words between Democrats and Republicans has escalated to include laser beams and physical confrontation in gubernatorial candidate Jim Bryson's bus tour of East Tennessee, according to somewhat conflicting accounts from campaigners.
Members of Republican Bryson's staff stand accused of directing beams from pocket laser-pointers into the eyes of Democrats who have been following the Bryson bus, making videotapes of the candidate and distributing pamphlets.
Bryson spokesman Lance Frizzell denied that Democratic eyes were targeted by lasers and, in turn, accused the Democratic team of "shoving" a Republican and other "unruly behavior," including "defacing" the bus with Bredesen bumper stickers.
Bo Mitchell, who heads the Democratic "counter-message team" trailing Bryson's bus, said he and another Democrat first came under laser attack Thursday morning at a Bryson rally at the Bradley County Courthouse in Cleveland.
Having the beam directed into his eyes, Mitchell said, left one of his eyes reddened and irritated. Mitchell said he was concerned that further such exposure could damage his eyesight.
The bus then traveled to the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston, where Democratic staffer William Hammond said he and cameraman Ben Griffin came under laser attack from Bryson staff. Hammond, who said the experience left him seeing spots before his eyes for some time, complained to Kingston police.
The resulting police report, signed by Chief Jim Washam and another officer, quotes an unidentified Bryson staff member as saying, "they were not pointing the laser in the person's eyes, but pointing it at the camera in an effort to make the video appear out of focus."
The report says, "He advised they probably would stop using the lasers," adding that police explained to the Bryson staffers the "legal ramifications" of causing an injury to the eye with a laser beam.
The report also says that a "subject later identified as William Pierce" had pointed the laser at Griffin.
Frizzell, after talking with the Bryson bus staff, said that "no one ever pointed any laser pointer at anyone's eyes.
"That would be dangerous and we don't do anything like that," he said.
Frizzell complained that the Democratic team, employed by the state Democratic Party's "Victory 2006" campaign, had been "attempting to intimidate" the Republicans in various ways.
At the Cleveland event, Frizzell said, a Democrat had "shoved" Bradley County Republican Chairman Jonathan Cantrell, who had tried to block the cameraman's video shooting of Bryson.
"I wouldn't say shove," Cantrell said later in an interview. "I'm 6-foot-8 and weigh 290 pounds. I'm pretty hard to shove."
Cantrell said he and the Democrats maneuvered around some, exchanging words, adding, "we did bump elbows a few times."
Cantrell said he was called "a big goon" and he made remarks in reply.
"To be fair, they didn't do anything really wrong. I would say they just showed a real lack of class," he said.
Mitchell denied that any Democrat pushed any Republican, saying the Democratic team is "under orders not to disrupt any events."
Frizzell said that, at an Aug. 9 Jefferson County rally, the Democrats became so "unruly" that a sheriff's deputy was asked to escort them from the scene and did so. He provided the name of the deputy, who could not be reached for comment Friday.
Mitchell and Mark Brown, spokesman for the Democrats' "Victory 2006" campaign, also denied other allegations by Frizzell, including placing Bredesen bumper stickers on the Bryson bus and "aggressive driving" - "tailgating" and "cutting in and out of traffic" - as the Democrats followed the bus along highways.
The dirty secret of the last 130 years of American politics is that democrats win only by use of thugs, fraud, physical intimidation, criminal activity, and rigged elections.
Bruce Stuck and colleagues nicely demonstrated the nature of any realistic exposure when they asked a group of individuals to attempt to point a laser at a detector positioned to simulate the human eye at a distance of a few meters, to see how long the laser beam would remain within the detector's 7-mm aperture (Stuck, et al 2003). The study showed that a hand-held beam only occasionally and momentarily entered the detector, such that cumulative exposures never exceeded the applicable exposure limit. Ophthalmologists, such as Professor Martin Mainster at the University of Kansas Medical Center, have carefully reviewed many incidents and have published a number of papers and editorials in ophthalmology journals, noting the sensationalism that is frequently associated with laser exposures. Mainster explains the concerns expressed by many when dazzled, and why some people think that they have been "blinded" when in fact they have only experienced temporary visual disturbances.
Based on data that have been collected to date, momentary laser pointer exposure does not produce a risk of permanent injury. In most individuals the aversion response will terminate a commercial laser exposure to less than a quarter of a second. So there is no realistic risk of eye damage from accidental viewing of Class 3R commercial laser pointers even at relatively close distances. Brief exposures during the performance of critical tasks, however, can be very disruptive and could cause accidents.
Dem goons squeeling to get some press. Now, if they had been hit with a 40 watt, FR pumped, IR laser - well, that would be different then, eh?
I find it interesting that the dems think they need to counter Bryson's campaign. I would have thought Bredeson had a virtual lock on the race. Bryson will be in my town of Cookeville this evening, perhaps i'll go watch the festivities.
I have a friend who works on the Bredeson campaign and they are worried. He was not even going to run much of a campaign until Bryson got in the race.
Heck, that ain't nuthin.
Ask Charlotte Burkes about her husband's (Tommy) oppponent up thar on the Plateau.
Loony liberals are all over the place, even here in Tennessee. Guess that's where that (locally) famous quote came from "Some people just need killing."
Both my east Tennessee grandfathers were democrats. I had a LONG discussion with one of them the first time I voted, for Ronald Reagan.
This grandpa was a Roosevelt Dem. He said RSV put meat on his table, and he would always be a democrat.
My Daddy, also a registered Democrat, and the most CONSERVATIVE person I have ever known, turned to his Dad and said "Yea, Daddy, I remember that meat -- it was possum, squirrel and anything you killed."
Daddy also voted for Ronald Reagan. Even though he registered Democrat, he was, well, I already said it.
I still have family members here in the Volunteer State, home of Andrew Johnson/Jackson, Polk, Davy Crockett, countless diplomats and scoundrels, who are ACTIVE in the Democrat party here, but I cancel out everything they do :)
And I for one, thank you!
Dogging the Republican opponent must be the RATS 2006 Victory Strategery. They are doing the same thing to Senator Allen.
They were seeing red
Well, We'll just have to start dogging them, won't we?
LOL! Works for me, but wouldn't that bring us down to their level? ;*)
". . . deputy was asked to escort them from the scene . . ."
"... placing Bredesen bumper stickers on the Bryson bus and "aggressive driving" - "tailgating" and "cutting in and out of traffic" - as the Democrats followed the bus along highways."
Those two goons that gave us the finger in Nashville last week -- wonder if they are among these following Bryson.
Wouldn't surprise me. I still agree with what that cop said about these guys looking familiar. Think I'll check out my Tennessee Blue Book to see if they are in there(grin)
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