Fascism -- Tennessee soft-style Democrats use taxpayer money to support party hall and ... ! an AIP News special investigative column
Fri, 04 December 2009
by: Tom Kovach
 In the world of martial arts, certain techniques are called "soft-style" Kung-Fu. Some experts consider soft-style even more dangerous, because opponents often don't see the move coming until it is too late. Today, we shall examine a type of fascism that I call "Tennessee soft-style". The name comes not only from Kung-Fu, but also from a unique behavioral style that is prevalent in the mid-South. That style is to sugar-coat things beyond recognition, so that even concepts as bad as government corruption and Socialism begin to seem somehow "nice". A man at our church once referred to this peculiar Nashville style (which seemed to originate in the music business) as "a conspiracy of politeness". To the outsider, the term might seem far-fetched. But, to those that have seen it in action, that phrase is quite accurate. And, the soft style is dangerous. At this point, a bit more background is needed. Two years ago, the state's Democratic governor, Phil Bredesen, was in the pre-construction phase of a project to build a two-story, underground party hall at the Governor's Mansion. The project was actually conceived during the term of his Republican predecessor, Don Sundquist. Originally, the state's architect was tasked to oversee long-needed renovations to the mansion, parts of which had fallen into disrepair. The state's legislature, the TN General Assembly, created a foundation to raise money from civic-minded residents. Then, the trouble began. Private money did not exactly pour in the way state leaders had expected. Part of the problem is that -- despite appearances promoted by the LSM* -- the really big money in Nashville is controlled mostly by Democrats. They were not keen to contribute to renovate a mansion occupied by a Repubican governor. But, when Phil Bredesen came into office after the 2002 elections, the tide began to shift. (*LSM -- Lame Stream Media)  Bredesen had made a personal fortune by founding, and then selling off, one of the first HMO-type healthcare companies in America. A few years later, he became mayor of Nashville. That became a natural stepping stone to the office of governor. And, because Bredesen had lived in Nashville for many years (unlike other recent governors, who hailed from various parts of the state), he did not need to live in the Governor's Mansion. So, while Bredesen and his wife, Andrea Conte, continued to live on their estate in the well-heeled acres south of the Belle Meade Plantation, the renovation project at the Governor's Mansion could begin. But, with Democrats now in control of not only both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly, but also the Governor's Mansion, an idea began to take root up on Capitol Hill. That idea was to spend far more government money than had originally been appropriated for repairs at the Governor's Mansion, and to expand the repair project into a the two-story, underground boondoggle that came to be known as Bredesen's Bunker.
One local news outlet, WSMV TV-4, stayed on top of this story more than any other.
The TN General Assembly changed the name of the foundation, which had been started with dubious authority under the state constitution. The new organization's name was inspired by another sugar-coated idea. Andrea Conte wanted to change the name of the Governor's Mansion to the "Executive Residence". Somehow, under the principle of soft-style fascism, the new name was supposed to seem kinder and gentler. Of course, like many things that the Left gets in its grip, even that simple change was frought with falsehoods. For one thing, it wasn't their residence! (Bredesen and Conte live in a house about six miles from the Governor's Mansion.) More importantly, the name of the house was established at the time that it was donated to the state. And, for five decades, maps, road signs, tourism brochures, and popular vernacular referred to the house as exactly what it was: the Governor's Mansion. But, Conte got what she wanted, which was the name change of the quasi-public organization to then be called the Tennessee Residence Foundation. Once the foundation's name was changed, so that it no longer contained any overt reference to the well-known term "Governor's Mansion", Conte was then free to mingle public and private money with impunity. And, because of soft-style fascism, the genteel legislators of the Democratic majority "played nice" and did not disturb the governor's wife with any pesky notions such as legislative oversight. Eventually, when the matter blew up in the legislature's face (after this writer filed a lawsuit against Bredesen and Conte in December of 2007), a legislative committee admitted that they had no idea how much money the TRF controlled, nor what portion was public or private. 
Caption of author's lawsuit against TN Gov. Phil Bredesen
(To read the full text of the complaint, click here.) There are several problems with the very raison d'etre of the Bredesen Bunker. First, even my recurring rhetorical character, Bubba Doublewide, could figure out that building a two-story, underground party hall with state money -- especially in this near-Depression economy -- is just plain wrong. Second, the money is shady at best. Third, the first lady has no authority to head an organization that appropriates state money. Fourth, that organization has no true authority to even exist. But, most importantly of all, the Bredesen Bunker conveniently "just happens" to be large enough to hold all of the members of the Tennessee General Assembly, plus one or two dozen lobbyists, for a swanky dinner -- completely away from public scrutiny, and guarded by Tennessee State Troopers. Again, even the fictional Bubba Doublewide could understand how that might violate the state's "sunshine laws". The story of Bredesen's Bunker is a case study in "soft-style fascism". One side, the conservatives, plays by the rules. The other side either ignores the rules or makes them up as they go along. Twelve days before the lawsuit was filed, Republican lawmakers had asked nicely for Bredesen to suspend plans for the bunker. No answer. Ten days before the lawsuit was filed, the local zoning board notified the state architect that the project was in violation of several building codes. Didn't matter. When the lawsuit was filed, the judge declared First Lady Andrea Conte to be an official of the state! The defense lawyer was a senior attorney from the state's Office of the Attorney General. This writer argued that Andrea Conte -- a private citizen, who happens to be married to a man that temporarily holds the office of governor -- is not entitled to legal representation at taxpayer's expense. When the judge decided otherwise, this writer asked, in open court, "Your honor, my wife works for the state. Does that make me an official, too?" Then, the judge dismissed the case -- citing a little-known (and quite unconstitutional) state law that says that a lawsuit against the state can only be filed in Davidson County (the location of Nashville, the state capital), even though the judge also admitted that the Chancery Court has statewide jurisdiction. This writer argued on constitutional grounds that such a law suppressed the "redress of grievances" clause of the United States Constitution. Judge Charles K. Smith granted a hearing of that argument, but then twisted the Constitution all out of shape with his convoluted dismissal decision. (For the full text of this writer's Memorandum of Law, click here. Keep in mind that this writer is not an attorney. But, I have won several pro-se lawsuits.) greed, power, corruption There, the case might have rested ... except that Leftist fascists don't rest until they have seized all possible money and power from the people that they cheat and oppress. (But, at least in Tennessee, they at least smile at you while they rape you.) Yep, as bad as this stinks so far, there's more. Now having a court decision on her side (albeit, an illegal court decision), First Lady Andrea Conte now has her own "official" page on the Web site of the State of Tennessee. And, what does she do with her taxpayer-funded Web page? Well... she sells things! At the top of this column, there is a dictionary definition of "fascism". That definition includes "private economic enterprise under centralized government control". Well, it certainly appears to this writer that TN First Lady Andrea Conte is operating her own private enterprise under the auspices of a centralized state government. Hmmmmmmm. And, where does the money go? Why... where else? It goes to her "official" Tennessee Residence Foundation! You know, the organization that was created out of thin legal air, with no authority under the Constitution of the State of Tennessee. Conte has told the news media that she draws no salary from the foundation. But, how would anyone know? When state legislators tried to audit the foundation (after news broke about the lawsuit), Conte told them that they had no authority to audit the foundation -- even though they had created it -- because it was a private entity, because it had received some private donations! At least one legislator (Rep. Stacey Campfield, R, Knoxville) found enough testosterone to file a bill (HB 3021) that would've limited the TRF's ability to spend money. But, the Republicans played "nice", and the bill went nowhere. (If you are a Republican, especially if you live in Tennessee, that alone should be incentive for you to join AIP right now.) Two years later, the Republicans captured a majority in both houses of the General Assembly -- for the first time since the end of the War Between the States. That power shift was fueled largely by voter anger against Democratic Party arrogance, as exemplified by the Bredesen Bunker. So, what did the TN-GOP do about the Bunker with their new-found power? Yep, you guessed it: nothing. The terrible irony is that, a few weeks ago, "Conservation Hall" (the official name of Bredesen's Bunker) opened in a luncheon ceremony. But, the ceremony was not held in the hall. (Really!) It was held in a tent in the yard of the Governor's Mansion. (The justification for spending at least $19-million in taxpayer money had been that it was "undignified" for Tennessee's first couple to host visitors in tents in the yard.) Not long before the bunker's opening ceremony, Gov. Bredesen confirmed his position that hundreds of TN state employees would soon lose their jobs because of a budget shortfall. That shortfall -- $20-million -- was first announced in January of 2008, three weeks after the bunker lawsuit was filed. Despite the obvious railroading, most state employees are expected to remain loyal to Bredesen and to the Democratic Party. significant ethical questions As bad as this story is, it gets even worse. Let's re-visit Andrea Conte's "official" shopping Web page. The picture above, from that "official" shopping page, shows ceramic coffee mugs for sale. The pictures of the mugs shows the Tennessee flags. Now, this report will tell you what the Web page does not show. On the other side of the mug is a printed version of Phil Bredesen's signature. That personalizes the mug. That makes it more of a campaign item than any sort of souvenir of the bunker project. Even though Bredesen will soon enter his "lame duck" year, the fact remains that Bredesen's name has come up as a possible candidate for the United States Senate against incumbent Lamar Alexander in the 2010 election. (That might be why Bredesen turned down Obama's offer to become a high-level advisor on healthcare issues.) Therefore, having the wife of the governor using the state's resources to host a shopping page that sells merchandise that boosts her husband's political name recognition prompts at least as many ethical questions as there are toilets in the Bredesen Bunker. But, wait, there's more. the Communist connection We have looked at: a) the questionable need for an underground party hall at the Governor's Mansion, b) the questionable way that the Tennessee Residence Foundation was created and then funded, c) the questionable way that the TRF has sidestepped attempts at legislative oversight, d) the questionable way that a judge dismissed my lawsuit to stop the ridiculous bunker project, e) the questionable way that Andrea Conte has turned her wedding ceremony into an inauguration as "an official of the state", f) the questionable way that Andrea Conte is using taxpayer-funded resources to raise money -- which apparently cannot be audited, g) the questionable way in which an ostensible fundraiser for a "nice" project could be used as an illegal stealth fundraiser for her husband's continued political aspirations, and h) the fact that the hapless Republican Party has done nothing to slow down this Left-wing juggernaut. With all of the shady motives, ethical quesitons, and political sleaze, how could this Bredesen Bunker situation get any worse? The coffee mugs that she's selling are made in Communist China! AIP News has obtained several of the mugs, and they are clearly marked "made in China". So, during a time when TN Gov. Phil Bredesen has repeatedly announced that he will cut hundreds of jobs from Tennessee state workers, he is helping to boost sales and job growth at a coffee-cup factory somewhere in Communist China. One does not need a degree in economics or in Constitutional law to see what's wrong with that picture. 
Speaking of pictures...
(source: Serr8d's Cutting Edge blog)
Two years ago, I tried to prevent the construction of the Bredesen Bunker before the first stick of dynamite blew a hole in the rocky Tennessee soil in front of the Governor's Mansion. I used the "civilized" approach. A popular quote says that there are four places to effect change in America: 1) the suggestion box, 2) the ballot box, 3) the jury box, and 4) the cartridge box. I hope that members of the state legislature can find a booster supply of testosterone, before Bubba Doublewide decides to buy a booster supply of ammunition.
Tom Kovach (rhymes with "watch") is an author, inventor, horse wrangler, paralegal, and a former USAF Blue Beret. He is the Tennessee state chairman of America's Independent Party. Tom has been on the ballot for Congress twice (and, he is considering running again in 2010).
Edited by TomKovach-AIP-TN 2009-12-04 9:28 PM
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jbevis, First of all, thanks for recently joining AIP-TN. Expect an e-mail from me soon. Second, to answer your questions: - Yes, I think that the salary deferral was part of the "softening" technique.
- "Why" is a difficult question to answer, but it seems more than coincidental that the Bredesen Bunker is just the right size to seat all of the members of the General Assembly, plus a couple of dozen lobbyists, out of pubic view and accessibility. (Of course, there is also the question of whether those in office view themselves as simply the "ruling class", and therefore somehow "entitled" to a party hall at the expense of their "subjects". Again, that would prove how little difference there is between the Big Two political parties.)
The "powers that be" are quite upset about this particular column -- partly because it reveals that the Republican governor (Sundquist) was actually the one that laid the "legal" groudwork for the current Democratic governor (Bredesen) to build the underground party hall. This past Saturday morning (05 Dec 2009), I was the target of a scathing on-air rant by Republican talk-radio host Steve Gill. I was on hold for two hours, trying to call in and mention this topic. A friend had called me on my cell phone several times, and had become irritated that I was still on hold. On his own initiative, and without consulting me first, my friend called Steve Gill and told him, on-air, that he had someone on hold that has very interesting details that the people of Tennessee need to know about how Andrea Conte is misusing state resources, etc. Gill blew a gasket, claiming that I "always lie" when I call his program, and the I "always" have other people call his show to tell him that I'm on hold, etc. (In reality, I've been calling various talk-radio programs for more than forty years, and have never done that. The one time that someone did it on my behalf, I was against it. And, my statements are always backed up by solid facts. In the rare event that I discover that the facts are not solid, I retract the statement.) This morning, I called the local Ralph Bristol show to mention this story. He actually said that, if Andrea Conte is using the site to raise money, so that fewer tax dollars would be used, then, "I don't see what the problem is." He actually said that. Of course, if all of the blame could be laid upon the Democrats, then he would've been all over that story. But, the historical facts show that Sundquist (and his wife!) were actively involved in setting up the foudation and pushing it through the General Assembly. (When I did the research for my lawsuit, two years ago, even I was surprised by that fact. Then, after a minute or two, I realized that I should not have been.) And, on the Tea Party Nation political networking site, there has been a similar sudden flurry of negative comments about me. It seems that someone is very upset that I have pointed out exactly how little difference there is between the Republicrats and the Demublicans. Hmmmmmmm. |
