Posted on 05/10/2002 4:54:35 AM PDT by GailA
Threats, rage ratchet up tensions on Capitol Hill By Rebecca Ferrar, The Knoxville News-Sentinel May 10, 2002
NASHVILLE - As a proposal for a state income tax works its way through the legislature, the rhetoric and tension on Capitol Hill is mounting.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has questioned a man about a death threat Tuesday against House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, who has proposed the plan.
Other lawmakers said they have received less threatening calls at home. And an anti-income tax group issued a "terrorist alert" against Naifeh (D-Covington), Gov. Don Sundquist and Sen. Robert Rochelle (D-Lebanon), a leading income tax proponent.
Meanwhile, extra state troopers have been sent to the Capitol, where a tax protest last year turned violent.
Naifeh laid the blame on anti-tax talk radio show hosts, who he said cross a line by inciting such reaction. "But they have no morals and we just have to deal with people like that," he said.
Asked for clarification, Naifeh said he was referring to "talk show hosts and the people they incite. They're about the lowest class I can think of."
But two Nashville talk radio hosts who have played prominent roles in the anti-tax movement said they don't incite threats or violence.
They said lawmakers are to blame for Tennesseans' anger because they are pushing an unpopular tax, often in closed-door meetings.
TBI spokesman Jeanne Broadwell said the agency investigated the threat against Naifeh and turned its findings over to Nashville Dist. Atty. Torry Johnson.
Johnson said in a press release Thursday that no decision has been made about prosecuting the man.
Bertha Walker, a secretary in Naifeh's office, said the TBI told her the man was chagrined and wanted to apologize.
Steve Gill hosts a morning talk show and is critical of an income tax. But he said he has never incited anyone to violence.
"...Anybody who violates the law by making threats ought to be prosecuted," Gill said. "If lawmakers violate the constitution by making secret deals to transfer anything in exchange for a vote on the income tax, they ought to be prosecuted too."
Said talk show host Steve Valentine, "What I've been doing as a responsible talk show host is urging people to show restraint.... I can't control who listens to the radio station. I'm not responsible for anybody who calls Jimmy Naifeh. He's brought that on himself."
State Reps. Charles Curtiss (D-Sparta) and Tommy Head (D-Clarksville) said anti-tax callers to their residences threatened to mount protests outside their homes.
"My family is not up here doing this," Head said. "If they want to talk to me, fine, but leave my family out of it."
The "Income Tax Terrorist Alert" was the headline on an E-mail message to readers of the Web site of the Tennessee Tax Revolt.
"We must stop these terrorists," the E-mail says. "...On Tuesday, the people who have terrorized Tennesseans for three years, Sundquist, Naifeh and Rochelle managed to get an income tax passed out of committee in the House. As usual, it was done with an unrecorded voice vote with no debate...
"Stop what you are doing! Go to our Web site and call the undecided members of the House, call them once and then again and again. Stop this outrage!"
The group was formed by some of the 1,000 or so protesters who stormed the Capitol last year to protest what they thought was the impending passage of an income tax. Rocks were thrown, windows were broken and some protesters pounded on the Senate chamber doors as they chanted against an income tax.
Ben Cunningham, a member of Tennessee Tax Revolt, said he used the word "terrorist" because Naifeh, Sundquist and Rochelle are trying to "force" an income tax on Tennesseans.
"There's frustration," Cunningham said. "There was no intent to incite anybody."
Beth Womack, spokesman for the Department of Safety, said extra troopers have been sent to the Capitol.
"Based on history, when (legislators) are talking about tax votes, and with the outburst of the public last year," Womack said, "it seemed necessary to take some extra security measures."
Contact Rebecca Ferrar at (615) 242-7783 or rferrar@mindspring.com.
You're breaking my heart, Jimmy.
By BONNA de la CRUZ Staff Writer
Law enforcement authorities have a suspect in a death threat directed at House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh earlier this week, but no arrest has been made.
Officials said a telephone call came into Naifeh's office Tuesday, around 3:30 p.m., within an hour of the House Finance Committee's approval of an income tax plan backed by Naifeh.
The Nashville man, identified by Caller ID, said, ''If he continues with this, he'll have to die,'' and ''Doesn't he know people hate him,'' said Bertha Walker, Naifeh's administrative aide who took the call.
Naifeh said some tax opponents and the Nashville radio talk-show hosts that incite them ''have no morals'' and ''are the lowest class I can think of.''
A second death threat was made but is not under investigation, officials said.
''It doesn't bother me,'' said Naifeh, who said he has no plans to increase his personal security unless the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations instructs him to do so.
The undercurrent of violence appears to be a remnant of an angry tax protest last year marked by horn honking and at least one rock thrown through a window of Gov. Don Sundquist's office in the Capitol. One memo written by tax opponents to Naifeh's office described tax advocates as ''income tax terrorists.''
Nashville talk-radio host Phil Valentine addressed the issue on the air yesterday afternoon, saying, ''We have never incited anyone on the show to any kind of violence or threat. … We have discouraged people.''
The TBI interviewed the caller, Walker said. The man told agents he made the calls and apologized, she said.
No arrest has been made, TBI spokeswoman Jeanne Broadwell said, adding that the case was sent to Davidson County District Attorney General Torry Johnson on Wednesday to decide whether to prosecute. Johnson could not be reached for comment yesterday. Deputy District Attorney Tom Thurman said cases like this usually originate with a warrant, but that, to his knowledge, no warrant had been filed.
The arrogance and stupidity of some public figures continues to astound me.
MANY of the legislators especially the pro-it ones are NOT reading their email
Tennessee General Assembly: CLICK HERE
On the left side of the page are these choices: Information, Senate, House, Joint, Bills and Other Links. These options should get you to any information you need including office numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, committee assignments, legislative bills, etc.
Toll Free calling 1-800-449-8366 + extension or call the switchboard at (615) 741-3011.
EXtention is 1 + the last 4 digits of their Nashville office. Many of these PRO-Income tax legislators are NOT reading their email. I strongly suggest using the toll free number.
Though I came to Tennessee only about 5 years ago, I'm particularly proud to know a few of these folks. I reckon the Americans from Boston and elsewhere who pitched the tea into Boston harbor prior to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War would also be especially proud of them.
-archy-/-
Mr. Naifeh:
SB2646FISCALNOTE Summary of Bill:
IMPOSES sales tax on public pay telephone services, television or RADIO programs which are broadcast over the air waves for public consumption private line, service, or ATM service, wire transfer or other services provided by any coroporation definded as a Financial Institution. Currently by definition, these items are expempt from sales tax.
Imposes full sales tax on electricity and liquefied gas certain medical items and needs air craft parts and a long list of items. Gets Vets, doctors, dentist, eye docs you name it it gets it.
I see that the Speaker of the Tennessee House, Mr. Naifeh, has joined the CA and the Governor in tarring with a very broad brush all opponents of their overtax- and- overspend policies with whatever epithets and mischaracterizations come to mind. Whether you believe it or not, I have a valid opinion and a voice, not just a horn to honk.
So I proudly join the growing ranks of their adversaries in declaring my opposition to redefining the Constitution to fit their redistribution schemes, and I call upon others, similarly vilified and insulted by the Speaker, to do likewise.
Yes, I cannot deny that another tax objector made an improper and intemperate remark to the Speaker, something that might be considered a threat. The Speaker did not reveal what that alleged threat was, but I did not make it, and neither did any of the thousands of other Tennesseeans who are equally outraged by this blatant attempt to abrogate settled law to satisfy political ambitions.
The Speaker then accused talk radio show hosts of inciting violence, but without citing a single specific example, and went on to classify all such hosts AND ALL OF THEIR LISTENERS as having no morals. I ask you to judge the morality of such a statement. But you have made your bed with this lout, so I suppose we can just expect more of the same ... until the next election.
You can't raise the tone of the discussion speaking from the gutter.
Why? Do you think when you take money out of a man's paycheck, you're leaving his family out of it?
It doesn't have far to go.
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