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Sunday: Scandal Sheets
posted at 2007-07-22 22:28 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
It seems like just about everyone's looking at some scandal or other today - and the menu's become much more extensive after the past couple of weeks. So if you just couldn't tear yourself away from the new Harry Potter, here's what you missed:
Looking back
Rob Christensen at the N&O says the resignation last week of DMV head George Tatum is just about par for the course -- and he backs it up with a brief, hilarious history of the agency's scandals over the past few decades.
I read most of the column with my jaw hanging open, except when I was laughing out loud. They just don't make scandals like that anymore.
Well, okay, maybe they do. But in the case of former Rep. David Almond (R-Stanly), we don't really know for sure. The N&O's Martha Quillan and Lynn Bonner had this piece on the clouds and rumors swirling in the wake of Almond's resignation, even on his home ground.
But Almond isn't the only GOP lawmaker under a cloud. The (Southern Pines) Pilot's David Sinclair says Moore County freshman Joe Boylan is also wading through some clouds of his own after allegations that might or might not be rooted in the NC GOP's internal vendetta.
And then there's former State Rep. Coy Privette. The AP reports the retired preacher is resigning from his leadership position at the State Baptist Convention after his arrest on six charges of aiding and abetting prostitution. He's also resigned his position as president of NC's Christian Action League.
But wait...
It gets even weirder from there. Char-O's David Ingram reports on the strange but true tale of Rutherfordton physician Dr. Bob Crummie, last Tuesday's legislative "Doctor of the Day," who showed up with copies of his free book espousing the wonders of lobotomization and self-hypnosis. He's also no fan of gays and lesbians, whom he claims are psychotic. From Ingram's item:
"In what he describes as "one of my funniest stories," Crummie tells how he once put a stop to homosexuality at an N.C. prison when, as superintendent, he threatened to give electric shock therapy to anyone caught in the act. With several inmates present, he demonstrated the procedure on one inmate who was severely depressed, he writes."
Niiiice. Good thing Sen. Julia Boseman didn't need a band-aid.
Bipartisan bashing
In case you're wondering, no, the D's did NOT escape the weekend unscathed. Fayetteville Observer Editorial page editor Tim White compares Dem watchdog Joe Sinsheimer to Paul Revere. And Greensboro's Mark Binker says there's more than enough blame to go around in the long, complicated story of SB3, the "Renewable Energy Portfolio" Bill.
Whew. Here's hoping for a budget this week, and nothing else.
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