My fellow Republicans should quit talking. Just for a minute. Calm down and be nice. You’re giving the rest of us a bad name.
State Sen. Frank Niceley (R-TN) scored an entire column in the April 14, 2022, Washington Post. Rising in support of a bill to criminalize homeless encampments on public property, Niceley said homelessness is not necessarily a dead end. He said Hitler was homeless for two years before “getting his name in the history books.”
State Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-TN) shared a video of Niceley’s remarks that had been viewed over a million times as of Thursday afternoon. Johnson said that “not a single day passes without TN GOP embarrassing the hell out of our state.”
Sen. Frank Niceley
And this set me to wondering what would Frank Cagle say?
Cagle, a veteran journalist, was best friends with Niceley. They were neighbors in Jefferson County – both farmers, both conservative, both named Frank. Cagle wrote a Tuesday column for KnoxTNToday.com until he died of cancer on Feb. 25, 2021. Niceley hosted the celebration of Frank’s life on his farm.
I don’t know what Cagle would have said, but I suspect he might have told Niceley you don’t have to talk just because there is a pause in the conversation. Sounds like something he would have said.
The Post writer harkened back to remarks Niceley made in October when he argued that companies like Ford and Smith & Wesson moving to Tennessee showed that the South was winning the Civil War. Niceley said he told his grandson, who had asked which side won the war between the states, that it was still going on and, “It’s too early to tell.”
By the way, HB0978 passed the Senate April 14 and is headed to the governor. It creates a Class C misdemeanor offense, punishable by a $50 fine and community service work, for solicitation or camping along a controlled-access highway or entrance or exit ramp. It also expands punishments for unauthorized camping on state-owned property to all public property.
It passed the Senate 22-10 with support from all of Knox County’s senators: Briggs, Massey and McNally. It passed the House 62-22 with support from Reps. Michele Carringer, Dave Wright and Jason Zachary. Reps. Gloria Johnson and Sam McKenzie voted no, and Reps. Eddie Mannis and Justin Lafferty were not present.
Final thought: If homeless people cannot sleep on private property or public property, where shall they sleep?
Sandra Clark is editor/CEO of Knox TN Today.