NewsChannel 5's Brent Fraiser had a good story last night on controversy in Williamson County over a flyer put out by sheriff-wanna-be Tommy Campsey. It showed illegal immigrants as a dark figure in the shadow waiting to wreak criminal havoc.
The sheriff's race here between eight candidates as turned into a "who can be toughest" contest on undocumented workers and their families. But Campsey this week took the matter further and lower, with his flyer calling undocumented workers "criminals" and showing these human beings as shadowy figures.
Here's what we can determine as the truth about Campsey's candidacy and the impact of undocumented workers on Williamson County's welfare:
* The shadowy figure is certainly not Campsey. He makes Jabba the Hut resemble a Richard Simmons devotee. His gross obesity is a very poor image for Williamson County to the public and to children who are fighting an obesity epidemic.
* With his size, it is obvious that Campsey has greatly benefitted from undocumented workers pilng on food at local buffets and harvesting foods at a lower labor cost.
* I was in the Puffy Muffin restaurant 12 days ago in Brentwood at the invitation of a colleague, and it was packed for lunch. I estimated that at least a quarter of the women there were free to dine at leisure because they had undocumented nannies watching their children at home during the summer break. You learn things about a community after living here almost 12 years.
These women privately testify to the dependability and compassion of these undocumented workers with their children. They could not do without them. But when it comes to going public, and watching shameful campaigns such as Campseys, they do not dare say a word in defense of these good people in their very homes. Shameful.
* Being illegally in this country is a civil offense, a misdemeanor. You pay a fine. If we are to call undocumented workers "criminals", then any person who gets stopped driving too fast in a school zone or having a broken taillight is a criminal, too. But Campsey would not dare call white folks any despicable and inaccurate name.
Campsey may well triumph because he has stooped to this despicable low. But I can guarantee him and Williamson County taxpayers -- of which I am one -- that I will sue a Sheriff Campsey and any of the various city police chiefs if any undocumented worker is treated in the least bit unfairly or questionably, as in the case of Mrs. Juana Villegas in Nashville.
There also are two other prominent Hispanic leaders of means who live here. So I will seek their support, too, since they are attorneys who could file the lawsuit themselves.
So voters of Williamson County, you have a choice. Go with Campsey and his bigotry and threaten future economic development and your wallets, or denounce his candidacy and choose a lesser evil.
Your new neighbors at the Nissan headquarters are watching, and so am I.
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11 comments:
You are parsing your language on illegal immigration pretty finely. Being here illegally - as in overstaying a visa - is indeed a civil offense. Entering the country illegally is a criminal offense punishable by fine and/or imprisonment.
As for the girth of Mr Campsey, you've hit a new low when the race becomes a beauty contest. Or then again maybe your illness and treatment has affected your judgement?
And what was the basis for your estimation of the percentage of ladies at the Puffy Muffin that had nannies at home watching their children, and the percentage of these nannies that are here illegally? Did you go from table to table taking a poll? If so what percentage 1) have no children at home, 2) use daycare, 3) used a church based mothers day out program, 4) were working women that just came for lunch, etc? Or did you just make a totally unsupported statement to suit your position?
By the way, I do not plan on supporting Mr. Campsey. I do not believe he has the best qualifications.
Dear Anonymous,
Unless you are the border with a camera, you cannot prove illegal entry.
That's why authorities revert to charges of illegal presence. Remember, they're following the letter of the law and what can be proved before a judge.
As far as a new low, a man who cannot control his waistline even to a respectable means cannot be expected to control other things like crime. Both take discipline and self control.
Remember, too, that he started the analogy that people who break the law once can be expected to break it again and again.
Why does that analogy work with Hispanics but not with Mr. Campsey's embarrassing weight problem? We know why, don't we?
Let both examples stand before the public for their consideration.
Thank you for reading and writing,
Tim Chavez
As for the estimation, it is a conservative one (appropriate for Williamson County) based on experiences of 12 years here and the comments from various heads of households I've met who stated they had undocumented nannies.
That's been a quarter of the people I've talked to.
So I assigned that percentage to the Puffy Muffin, which is a high-end place as far as what it charges for its meals and it would be households with higher incomes that could afford nannies. In addition, the really affluent are the ones who could afford a high-priced lunch in the middle of the week.
Also, Williamson County is big on the raising of families. Almost every adult I've noticed at church has children with them. Every Franklin street festival is crawling with children. And the women in the Puffy Muffin were predominantly of child-bearing age.
So I applied experience with logic to reach the estimate, which again was a conservative one.
Thanks for writing and reading.
Tim Chavez
Tim,
I find it interesting you judge a man based on his appearance. If the physical characteristic you upon which you were basing your thinking was skin color rather than portliness, you would be screaming racisim.
It is also interesting your estimate of the number of families employing nannies was based on your personal experience and extrapolation of that experience. Sounds like profiling to me. If a law officer did the same when exercising judgement on whether or not someone should be arrested based on his experiences (as officer Coleman assumed correctly), you would scream.
Since we are all jumping to conclusion here, Timmy!! I guess I will go ahead and assume you and your collegue are homosexual (not that there's anything wrong with that) since you were eating at the Puffy Muffin. Everyone knows that if your not a soccer/tennis mom eating there, then you must be. Absurd, I know, but if the best you have on Tommy Campsey is that he is a Fat Arse then you need to get to know him. Come on down to City Cafe next time you are in Brentwood and eat with Tommy. I promise you will not find him to be a racist, but one heck of a nice guy! Not to mention the most qualified to be our next Sheriff.
Rick
Well, I guess at the end of the day the solid and informed voters of Williamson County made a choice that isn't going to please any of you. However, your opinions and lame comments would indicate the validity of my theory anyway; Big dog walks down the street, little dog barks!" We have a big dog in office now. Get back to "investigating" and eating doughnuts Tommy.
Hey Tommy Boy, ever been cow tippin?
What's sick is we just went through the most expensive County election for law enforcment in our history. Tommy knew 3 months ago he had no chance of winning. It's called polling. The other 6canidates were a joke the day they entered. Yet, Tommy especialy, kept on taking people's hard earned money. Now THAT, should be a crime!
Hey Tommy, perhaps you can stretch the leave of absence into a medical leave, then personal time, then vacation, then jury duty, then EARLY RETIREMENT. I understand the security gig is great with Barnum and Baily.
Hey, Tim -
First, cut the racist/bigot crap. We're all Caucasians. You know that. Talk about culture/class. Then we can have a dialogue about the problems.
Second, I'm curious about Campsey's "leave of absence." Was it paid or unpaid? What about the benefits - additional leave, insurance, disability, etc. - he accrued at taxpayer expense during his foray into political failure? Is every other Brentwood city employee afforded the same privilege with the promise of returning to his or her job? Can the janitor at city hall take an extended leave of absence to sail around the world or lie around at home, or do any other thing he choses to do with his time, and accrue benefits then expect to return to his job?
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