My Take On The Williams-Lynn Matter

For the record, I'm an independent who thinks there isn't much of a difference in general between the Democrat and Republican parties.

If you follow Tennessee politics to any degree, you probably have heard about recent news regarding the allegations in 2007 made by Susan Lynn regarding Kent Williams.

I do question the timing of the release. I mean, when it involves something like sex, the media is usually all over it from day one. Did the media all of the sudden become interested in anything related to Williams just because he is now the new Speaker of the House?

I'm sure Jason Mumpower isn't losing any sleep over this. But you know what? I've been involved in politics long enough to know that when you have something documented like this, it can always come back to bite you especially if you are two-timing people. Williams played politics and now he is learning the hard way how politics is played. As for the events as detailed by Rep. Lynn, I don't doubt the facts as she laid them out. She is one of the few legislators that I do trust.

Eventually, whatever comes to pass, let it come to pass. But for now, Williams is learning that being Speaker of the House isn't what he apparently thought it was cut out to be.

This also goes to show you have be on your guard and use the head on your shoulders. Usually when men get together or when women have a Girls Out Night, they crack jokes about the opposite sex. But in each other's presence, those jokes take a whole other turn. This is one reason I'm very business-like with women with physical contact limited to a handshake and nothing more. I'm also keenly aware of how this issue can be made a political football at times. Ever notice how NOW sought to "hang" Clarence Thomas because he was the Supreme Court nominee of a republican president when ignoring even worse transgressions from their hero, democrat Bill Clinton. So it becomes a case of damn if you do and damn if you don't.

One final note: Jimmy Naifeh, the long-time former speaker of the house (and the public face of political corruption in Tennessee) was made aware of this charges almost as soon as it happened, and being the Speaker at the time, he was in his per view to handle this matter. I'm not saying we should hang Kent Williams, but for Naifeh to not even act is something worth noting. He knew this memo existed in addition to the accusation that he had was acting unprofessionally towards a fellow legislator, but went about making sure that he could be voted in as Speaker anyways. The ultimate joke is on him and the district he represents. The more things change, the more things stay the same.