NASHVILLE — Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, said today he was dismayed when Senate Republicans refused to approve his resolution urging the erection of statues honoring Nobel Peace Prize recipients Al Gore and the late Cordell Hull on the state Capitol’s grounds.
The resolution failed on a 15-14 vote with most Senate Republicans voting against the measure.
“I am embarrassed that our Senate would refuse to honor two great Tennesseans who received the Nobel Peace Prize, arguably the most prestigious award in the world, because of their partisan dislike of one of the recipients,” Sen. Berke said, alluding to Mr. Gore, the former Democratic vice president who was Democrats’ presidential nominee in 2000.
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Andy Sher is a Nashville-based staff writer covering Tennessee state government and politics for the Times Free Press. A Washington correspondent from 1999-2005 for the Times Free Press, Andy previously headed up state Capitol coverage for The Chattanooga Times, worked as a state Capitol reporter for The Nashville Banner and was a contributor to The Tennessee Journal, among other publications. Andy worked for 17 years at The Chattanooga Times covering police, health care, county government, ...
Sen.Berke,democrat,should be embarrassed to even suggest such an idea
Indeed
Don't feel bad, Senator Berke. Conservatives once (and many still do) view Martin Luther King as an evil man. I even know some conservatives who think Abraham Lincoln was evil.
Perhaps Gore's day will come... he's already won the Nobel Prize, though. That should be enough, for now.
Why do the politicians whine like little babies when their pet pork projects get canned, but they have no problem telling us to suck it up because times are tough and we need to make cuts? I know the whole thing was voted down (probably) because of partisan politics. However, it needed to be rejected on principle. You don't spend money on silly projects, if you don't have the money to spend on useful projects. This whole thing should have been rejected by the other 18 senators on principle, but I guess most of them don't have any of those left.
Moonpie - Please tell me you're not seriously trying to compare Al Gore to Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln. An opportunistic politician whose only real talent is generating huge amount of cash from the creation of "global warming" It ranks right up there with his invention of the internet. He isn't fit to occupy the same paragraph as either of them.
A taxpayer funded statue of Al Gore would be an insult to the American people. Nobel peace prize - so what? Apparently the statndards aren't very high - Yassir Arafat won it too.
The appropriate statue for Al Gore would not be suitable for public viewing. I mean with his pants and head up..I mean out of sight...it just wouldn't be suitable for children.
Wow, what bitter tones. No, Al Gore isn't Abe, but someday he may be as well remembered for his struggle to "bring the light" to those who think we can continue as we are without paying the bill. And it will be their grandchildren who will thank him for his selfless efforts. After all, what does he gain from it personally? I'm not saying he is a saint, nor were most of our revered leaders. But he carries on, he has a mission. What have any of those who criticize him done for humanity? (Notice, I said humanity, which means people not corporations and their like.) I find the “doers” are often criticized by those who just sit and let others do their thinking (and doing) for them.
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