one that I think is quite revealing.
I live in Tennessee, a state that is, and will remain for a long time, very red. So, I have to search hard for hope that things will change some day.
For a truly bizarre story about a member of our state legislature, follow me below the fold.
(BTW, at this moment, halftime: USA 1 France 0!)
Last week, it was reported that the initials "JCH" were found carved into one of the desks on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives in Nashville. The desk happened to belong to Rep. Julia Hurley (R-Lenoir City). Of course, there was no direct evidence that she was the one who did the carving. It was initally reported, along with other defacings in the chamber, simply as vandalism.
But Rep. Hurley's desk wasn't the only one defaced. We decided to investigate every desk on the House floor Friday looking for more initials.
We found the word "Houston" on Representative Tim Wirgau's desk, a dollar sign on Rep. Dennis Powers's territory, what appears to be the initials W.M. on Rep. Janis Sontany's desk, and an "A" on Rep. Sheila Butt's desk.
As we mentioned, this isn't the first time the Capitol has been vandalized, so it's important to note we don't know who carved the initials on Hurley's desk or who is responsible for the markings on the other lawmakers' desks, or how long the carvings have been there. Legislators do switch desks periodically.
Most of the news attention received by Hurley previously was because of her past as an employee at Hooters and an altercation she had with an officer from the Tennessee Highway patrol during a traffic stop.
Yesterday, Rep. Hurley confessed to carving the initials in the desk, but...
"It was like 1 in the morning on the last day of the session," Hurley told the paper. "I wasn't thinking straight."
Hurley, 29, of Lenoir City, said she doesn't remember what she used to cut her initials into the desk.
"To ask me details about what happened three months ago, I couldn't tell you," Hurley said. "I don't understand why its news and I don't want to talk about the desk."
(France just equalized, arrrgghhh1)
I am hesitant to express too many conclusions. I do not believe that all 29 year-olds are too inexperienced for such positions. Generally, I would like to see candidates with a few more years on them, but a bright and dedicated young adult can do the job well. I do not believe that working at Hooters automatically disqualifies someone from holding responsible positions, including elected office, in the future. I am curious about how a candidate like this gets elected by a party that puts so much emphasis on family values.