More Haslam and Guns
Regarding my boycott of Pilot Oil due to Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam’s membership in an anti-gun group, I received this comment:
As an employee of the Haslam administration I encourage sayuncle to contact me via email as I may be able to offer a communication venue if he is having trouble connecting with the mayor.
I responded via email and offered to re-print anything the mayor had to say without edit. I also asked if he’d answer question about the group. We’ll see how it goes.
Update: BTW, I applaud the mayor’s office for contacting a blogger.
Update 2: He has responded via email and assures me that, after another matter is addressed, he will be in contact with me. Looks promising.
November 17th, 2006 at 10:47 am
Honest and open communication between a politician and a blogger?
Sure sign of the apocalypse, if it happens.
November 17th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
Anytime that anyone gets a large enough group of people that regularly listen to them will get the attention of polititians. Even if the exchange isn’t exactly honest, you still know that they see Uncle as someone they need to watch.
Now if they are honest, you know that Uncle has made it to a point in their eyes as someone they want to keep happy and so keep Uncle’s readers/voters happy.
November 17th, 2006 at 7:46 pm
[…] SayUncle is stirring things up and maybe making a difference. We’ll wait and see. I imagine that the local media blog postings and the NRA coverage of his posts about the mayor’s affiliation with an anti-gun organization have probably caught a little attention in the office. […]
November 19th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
This is a good development.
I haven’t followed up on this with a letter to him, but I will.
The important thing to me is that we not join forces with a bunch of big cities, with respect to which we have nothing in common, on a completely ignoble pursuit.
Why would he think that we would want to align ourselves with such a disreputable group?
What does he think he can learn from these big city mayors of crime infested cities that will help us in Knoxville, Tn?
I spent yesterday walking around D.C. wishing I had a carry weapon, as I do when I am New York and Chicago (the chief offenders among the anti-gun, high crime big cities).
It bothers me when the KPD does its “get the guns off the street” buy-back programs, and I truly do plan to attend the next one with a fistfull of cash.
I am trying to get guns on the street.
November 20th, 2006 at 8:49 am
Sounds to me like he will get back to you so you can do lunch… or his people can contact your people as soon as hell freezes over….
Probably hoping that now that he has “contacted you” to say that he will contact you in the near future, the issue will go away. Don’t let it go away.
He could have 2 or 3 days – but unless your town just suffered a Katrina-like catastrophe, he shouldn’t need more time than that.
November 20th, 2006 at 10:54 am
[…] I have yet to hear back from the Haslam person but they did have some pressing matters pop up. […]
November 20th, 2006 at 11:10 am
Well, Zeb, could be but they really do have something pressing going on.
November 27th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
[…] I said before that I was boycotting Pilot Oil due to Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam’s membership in an anti-gun group funded by the Joyce Foundation. I was pleased to have received correspondence from someone in the Mayor’s office offering to clarify the issue with me. I received that comment 11 days ago and awaited said follow up. But the follow up hasn’t happened yet. Now, I know their office was busy with allegations of racism and the holiday weekend and all. But I have yet to hear back. My offer still stands: I responded via email and offered to re-print anything the mayor had to say without edit. I also asked if he’d answer question about the group. […]