| Revision as of 22:44, 21 May 2012 editCollect (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers47,160 edits 404 error for cite removed, rm claim not supported as a contentious claim about a living person, DADT editorializing rm, - this is a BLP, not a campaign flyer← Previous edit | Revision as of 05:42, 31 May 2012 edit undoSunray (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers37,109 editsm Reverted edit(s) by Collect identified as test/vandalism using STikiNext edit → | ||
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| ==Early Political career== | ==Early Political career== | ||
| ===Political Campaigns=== | ===Political Campaigns=== | ||
| Shipley was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives as a member of the 106th General Assembly in 2008 after defeating three-term incumbent ]<ref></ref> In 2010, he was re-elected to the 107th General Assembly, again defeating ] Nathan Vaughn, this time with more than 60% of the electorate.<ref>http://www.scelect.org/results.pdf</ref> | Shipley was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives as a member of the 106th General Assembly in 2008 after defeating three-term incumbent ]<ref></ref> In 2010, he was re-elected to the 107th General Assembly, once again defeating ] Nathan Vaughn, this time with more than 60% of the electorate.<ref>http://www.scelect.org/results.pdf</ref> | ||
| ===Controversies=== | ===Controversies=== | ||
| ===="Blackbird" Campaign Mailers==== | ====Questionable "Blackbird" Campaign Mailers==== | ||
| Rep. Shipley has been criticized for his district mailing racially-charged fliers against his African-American general election opponent and perceived fear-mongering during both the 2008 and 2010 Tennessee election seasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mobile.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9026674 |title=Shipley denies charge that ‘blackbird mailer’ in ’08 run was racist - Kingsport Times-News Online |publisher=Mobile.timesnews.net |date= |accessdate=2010-11-02}}</ref> | |||
| Rep. Shipley was criticized for a mailer depicting the heads of ], ], and ] as the heads of a flock of blackbirds, referring to a "...liberal, big government flock."<ref>http://www.nashvillescene.com/imager/vaughn-decries-blackbird-mailer/b/big/1477702/d950/image001.jpg</ref> | |||
| <ref name="nashvillescene1">{{cite web|last=Woods |first=Jeff |url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2009/03/19/the-wrath-of-god-is-coming-beware-rep-tony-shipley-explains-his-doomsday-message |title=The Wrath of God is Coming! Beware! Rep. Tony Shipley Explains His Doomsday Message | Pith in the Wind |publisher=Nashvillescene.com |date=2009-03-19 |accessdate=2010-11-02}}</ref> The so-called "racist" "blackbird" mailer depicted the heads of ], ], and ] (his opponent within the Tennessee House 2nd District general election; a pro-life Democrat considered conservative by party standards) digitally manipulated onto blackbird bodies with a caption claiming that Nathan Vaughn was part of the "...liberal, big government flock."<ref>http://www.nashvillescene.com/imager/vaughn-decries-blackbird-mailer/b/big/1477702/d950/image001.jpg</ref> | |||
| ====Prophesizes God Dropping "California Off Into The Sea"==== | |||
| According to a children's rights advocate, Representative Shipley claimed that "They can do whatever they want out in California, with gays passing babies around, and violating God's law, but when God drops California off into the sea, they will have to deal with the consequences of their actions," further explaining that allowing homosexuals to adopt "ain't gonna fly." "I'm a Southern Baptist, I'm a Christian," Shipley was reported as saying, pointing out his "traditional values, as opposed to any of the alternative things."<ref name="nashvillescene1"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Woods |first=Jeff |url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2009/03/16/rep-tony-shipley-speaks-for-god-on-gay-adoption |title=Rep. Tony Shipley Speaks for God on Gay Adoption | Pith in the Wind |publisher=Nashvillescene.com |date=2009-03-16 |accessdate=2010-11-02}}</ref> | |||
| ====Tennessee Secession From The United States of America==== | |||
| Shipley was also accused of secessionist rhetoric for his reported statement that "If they keep pushing and pushing and pushing--they're pushing us too far, and something will happen--just like we did in 1860," despite the fact that his district was pro-Union during the Civil War he alluded to and he later denied ever advocating secession.<ref>{{cite web|last=Woods |first=Jeff |url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2009/03/16/rep-tony-shipley-speaks-for-god-on-gay-adoption |title=Rep. Tony Shipley Speaks for God on Gay Adoption | Pith in the Wind |publisher=Nashvillescene.com |date=2009-03-16 |accessdate=2010-11-02}}</ref> | |||
| ===="Never Paid No Attention To" U.S. Military "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" DADT Policy==== | |||
| ]In the Tennessee General Assembly press room, Shipley has become known as "Captain Apocalypse" for his insistence that the proliferation of LGBT rights will incur catastrophic divine wrath.<ref name="nashvillescene1"/> In an interview Shipley was also accused of being ignorant of national and state laws for saying that he "never paid no attention to" the military's "]" DADT federal law (that came into effect after Shipley retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserves) and that he wouldn't support "softening adoption laws" by allowing same-sex couples to adopt, despite the fact that Tennessee state law already allowed same-sex adoptions.<ref name="nashvillescene1"/> | |||
| DADT became a political issue in the ] with ] and others citing the brutal murder of gay ] petty officer ] by shipmate Terry M. Helvey (with the aid of an accomplice), leaving a "nearly-unrecognizable corpse".<ref>{{cite web|author=Dr. Aaron Belkin |url=http://www.palmcenter.org/press/dadt/in_print/abandoning_dont_ask_dont_tell_will_decrease_anti_gay_violence |title=Belkin, Dr. Aaron. "Abandoning 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Will Decrease Anti-Gay Violence" Naval Institute: Proceedings Monthly. 1 May 2005 |publisher=Palmcenter.org |date=May 1, 2005 |accessdate=October 13, 2010}}</ref> After Bill Clinton won the presidency, the U.S. Congress rushed to enact the existing gay ban policy into federal law, outflanking Clinton's planned repeal effort. Clinton called for legislation to overturn the ban, but it encountered intense opposition by the ], members of Congress, and portions of the public. DADT emerged as a compromise policy.<ref name="Herek">{{cite web| url = Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S. Military: Historical Background | title = Don't Ask, Don't Tell Revisited | accessdate =June 3, 2010 | last = Herek | first = Gregory}}</ref> | |||
| DADT prohibits U.S. military personnel from discriminating against or harassing "]' ] or ] service members or applicants, while barring openly gay or bisexual persons from military service. The restrictions are mandated by United States federal law {{USPL|103|160}} ({{usc|10|654}} | |||
| In September 2005, the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military – a ] affiliated with the ], and renamed the Michael D. Palm Center in October 2006 – issued a news release revealing they had found a 1999 FORSCOM Regulation (500-3-3 RC Unit Commander's Handbook) that allowed the active duty deployment of Army Reservists and National Guard troops who say that they are gay or who are accused of being gay. U.S. Army Forces Command spokesperson Kim Waldron later confirmed the regulation and indicated that it was intended to prevent Reservists and National Guard members from pretending to be gay to escape combat.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chibbaro |first=Lou |year=2005|title=Out gay soldiers sent to Iraq – Regulation keeps straights from 'playing gay' to avoid war |work=Washington Blade |url=http://washblade.com/2005/9-23/news/national/outiraq.cfm |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080516002106/http://washblade.com/2005/9-23/news/national/outiraq.cfm |archivedate=May 16, 2008 |accessdate=March 6, 2006}}</ref> | |||
| A congressional bill to repeal DADT was enacted in December 2010, specifying that the policy would remain in place until the ], the ], and the ] certified that repeal would not harm military readiness, followed by a 60-day waiting period.<ref name="Obama_Signed">{{cite news|author=Sheryl Gay Stolberg|title=With Obama's Signature, 'Don't Ask' Is Repealed|newspaper=]|date=December 22, 2010|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/us/politics/23military.html|accessdate=December 22, 2010}}</ref> A July 6, 2011 ruling from a federal appeals court barred further enforcement of the U.S. military's ban on openly gay service members.<ref name="Judged_Halts">{{cite news|author=Associated Press|title=In reversal, federal court orders immediate end to 'don't ask, don’t tell' policy|newspaper=Washington Post|date=July 6, 2011|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/in-reversal-federal-court-orders-immediate-end-to-dont-ask-dont-tell-policy/2011/07/06/gIQAAdux0H_story.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost |accessdate=July 6, 2011}}</ref> President ], Secretary of Defense ], and Admiral ], Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sent that certification to Congress on July 22, 2011, setting the end of DADT for September 20, 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Obama certifies end of military's gay ban|agency=]|publisher=]|date=July 22, 2011|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43859711/ns/us_news-life/|accessdate=July 22, 2011}}</ref> | |||
| ====Self-Described "Statesman" Suggests Bodily Harm Directed Toward Felllow Republican==== | |||
| Even his fellow party members have expressed irritation with Shipley. Tennessee Senator Brian Kelsey (R) explained that "Tennesseans must still live under the threat of the state income tax" due to Shipley's failure to get the House to act on Kelsey's measure. Shipley, claiming that he wanted to act like a "statesman" rather than "Attila the Hun," told reporters that he went along with the House budget subcommittee's refusal to even consider the Kelsey/Shipley resolution.<ref name="nashvillescene2">{{cite web|last=Woods |first=Jeff |url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2010/06/03/shipley-threatens-to-crack-kelseys-head/ |title=Shipley Threatens to Crack Kelsey's Head | Pith in the Wind |publisher=Nashvillescene.com |date=2010-06-03 |accessdate=2010-11-02}}</ref> In response to Kelsey's criticism of Shipley's inaction, Rep. Shipley responded that "Brian Kelsey ought to have his head cracked."<ref name="nashvillescene2"/> | |||
| ====Shipley's Proposal for "Reasonable Suspicion" Search Warrants==== | |||
| In April 2009, Shipley authored a controversial piece of legislation, HB1961. This measure was written to give law enforcement authorities the power to execute search warrants once they met the threshold of "reasonable suspicion." The Tennessee Attorney General rules the measure unconstitutional, as it violated the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which mandates that search warrants must be served once the threshold of probable cause has been met. Shipley removed the bill from consideration as was quoted in the press as saying that the bill would not impact American citizens, even though nothing in the bill indicated that this was the case. Shipley went on to say "Do we fully intend to allow those who would destroy the Constitution and who would destroy the very rights we defend? Do we intend to allow them to have that protection behind the document of the Constitution? This was intended to be applied to those who would terrorize U.S. citizens.... I think the attorney general and the U.S. Supreme Court in some cases where we have external threats to the United States are overreaching a bit. That’s my personal opinion.” <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9013041 |title=Attorney general says Shipley's search warrant bill unconstitutional - Kingsport Times-News Online |publisher=Timesnews.net |date= |accessdate=2010-11-02}}</ref> | |||
| ===TNGA House Committee Assignments=== | ===TNGA House Committee Assignments=== | ||
Revision as of 05:42, 31 May 2012
| Tony Shipley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 2nd district | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Nathan Vaughn |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Susan |
| Residence(s) | Kingsport, TN |
| Alma mater | University of Tennessee, B.A. |
| Awards | Bronze Star |
| Website | http://www.tonyshipley.com/ |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | US Air Force |
| Years of service | 23 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
Tony Shipley is the State Representative for the Tennessee House of Representatives 2nd District in Sullivan County.
Born in Blountville, Tennessee, Shipley is a graduate of Sullivan Central High School and also a 1976 graduate of the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
After retiring from the U.S. Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel, Shipley taught Tennessee history and world geography in Sullivan County middle schools.
Early Political career
Political Campaigns
Shipley was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives as a member of the 106th General Assembly in 2008 after defeating three-term incumbent Nathan Vaughn In 2010, he was re-elected to the 107th General Assembly, once again defeating Democrat Nathan Vaughn, this time with more than 60% of the electorate.
Controversies
Questionable "Blackbird" Campaign Mailers
Rep. Shipley has been criticized for his district mailing racially-charged fliers against his African-American general election opponent and perceived fear-mongering during both the 2008 and 2010 Tennessee election seasons. The so-called "racist" "blackbird" mailer depicted the heads of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Nathan Vaughn (his opponent within the Tennessee House 2nd District general election; a pro-life Democrat considered conservative by party standards) digitally manipulated onto blackbird bodies with a caption claiming that Nathan Vaughn was part of the "...liberal, big government flock."
Prophesizes God Dropping "California Off Into The Sea"
According to a children's rights advocate, Representative Shipley claimed that "They can do whatever they want out in California, with gays passing babies around, and violating God's law, but when God drops California off into the sea, they will have to deal with the consequences of their actions," further explaining that allowing homosexuals to adopt "ain't gonna fly." "I'm a Southern Baptist, I'm a Christian," Shipley was reported as saying, pointing out his "traditional values, as opposed to any of the alternative things."
Tennessee Secession From The United States of America
Shipley was also accused of secessionist rhetoric for his reported statement that "If they keep pushing and pushing and pushing--they're pushing us too far, and something will happen--just like we did in 1860," despite the fact that his district was pro-Union during the Civil War he alluded to and he later denied ever advocating secession.
"Never Paid No Attention To" U.S. Military "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" DADT Policy
In the Tennessee General Assembly press room, Shipley has become known as "Captain Apocalypse" for his insistence that the proliferation of LGBT rights will incur catastrophic divine wrath. In an interview Shipley was also accused of being ignorant of national and state laws for saying that he "never paid no attention to" the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" DADT federal law (that came into effect after Shipley retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserves) and that he wouldn't support "softening adoption laws" by allowing same-sex couples to adopt, despite the fact that Tennessee state law already allowed same-sex adoptions.
DADT became a political issue in the 1992 U.S. presidential election with Bill Clinton and others citing the brutal murder of gay Navy petty officer Allen R. Schindler, Jr. by shipmate Terry M. Helvey (with the aid of an accomplice), leaving a "nearly-unrecognizable corpse". After Bill Clinton won the presidency, the U.S. Congress rushed to enact the existing gay ban policy into federal law, outflanking Clinton's planned repeal effort. Clinton called for legislation to overturn the ban, but it encountered intense opposition by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, members of Congress, and portions of the public. DADT emerged as a compromise policy.
DADT prohibits U.S. military personnel from discriminating against or harassing "closeted' gay or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring openly gay or bisexual persons from military service. The restrictions are mandated by United States federal law Pub. L. 103–160 (10 U.S.C. § 654
In September 2005, the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military – a think tank affiliated with the University of California, Santa Barbara, and renamed the Michael D. Palm Center in October 2006 – issued a news release revealing they had found a 1999 FORSCOM Regulation (500-3-3 RC Unit Commander's Handbook) that allowed the active duty deployment of Army Reservists and National Guard troops who say that they are gay or who are accused of being gay. U.S. Army Forces Command spokesperson Kim Waldron later confirmed the regulation and indicated that it was intended to prevent Reservists and National Guard members from pretending to be gay to escape combat.
A congressional bill to repeal DADT was enacted in December 2010, specifying that the policy would remain in place until the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certified that repeal would not harm military readiness, followed by a 60-day waiting period. A July 6, 2011 ruling from a federal appeals court barred further enforcement of the U.S. military's ban on openly gay service members. President Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sent that certification to Congress on July 22, 2011, setting the end of DADT for September 20, 2011.
Self-Described "Statesman" Suggests Bodily Harm Directed Toward Felllow Republican
Even his fellow party members have expressed irritation with Shipley. Tennessee Senator Brian Kelsey (R) explained that "Tennesseans must still live under the threat of the state income tax" due to Shipley's failure to get the House to act on Kelsey's measure. Shipley, claiming that he wanted to act like a "statesman" rather than "Attila the Hun," told reporters that he went along with the House budget subcommittee's refusal to even consider the Kelsey/Shipley resolution. In response to Kelsey's criticism of Shipley's inaction, Rep. Shipley responded that "Brian Kelsey ought to have his head cracked."
Shipley's Proposal for "Reasonable Suspicion" Search Warrants
In April 2009, Shipley authored a controversial piece of legislation, HB1961. This measure was written to give law enforcement authorities the power to execute search warrants once they met the threshold of "reasonable suspicion." The Tennessee Attorney General rules the measure unconstitutional, as it violated the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which mandates that search warrants must be served once the threshold of probable cause has been met. Shipley removed the bill from consideration as was quoted in the press as saying that the bill would not impact American citizens, even though nothing in the bill indicated that this was the case. Shipley went on to say "Do we fully intend to allow those who would destroy the Constitution and who would destroy the very rights we defend? Do we intend to allow them to have that protection behind the document of the Constitution? This was intended to be applied to those who would terrorize U.S. citizens.... I think the attorney general and the U.S. Supreme Court in some cases where we have external threats to the United States are overreaching a bit. That’s my personal opinion.”
TNGA House Committee Assignments
Shipley served in the 106th General Assembly on the House Health and Human Services and Transportation Committees as well as the Public Safety and Professional Occupations Sub-committees. He was awarded Legislator of the Year 2009, his first year in office, by both the American Automobile Association and the Tennessee Psychologists Association. In 2010, his second year in office, he was selected as Legislator of the Year by the Rural Health Association of Tennessee.
Shipley served in the 107th General Assembly as: Secretary, House Republican Caucus Secretary, House Government Operations Committee, Chair, Joint Government Operations Health and Education Subcommittee http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h2.html Member, House Transportation Committee Member, House General Sub-committee of Transportation Member, Joint Fiscal Review Committee Member, Joint Committee on Diabetes Prevention Chair, Republican Caucus Task Force on Energy
Education: B.A., University of Tennessee in Knoxville Post Graduate Intelligence Program (PGIP) at Defense Intelligence College in Washington D.C. U.A.S.F. Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama; U.S.M.C. Command Staff College, Camp Smith, Hawaii Paramedic, Northeast State Community College, Blountville Critical Care Paramedic, Roane State Community College, Knoxville
References
- http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h2.html "Rep. Tony Shipley" (TNGA Official Biographical Web Page)
- http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=104718 "Project Vote Smart - Representative Tony Shipley (TN)".
- Sullivan County Election Commission - 2008 General Election Results
- http://www.scelect.org/results.pdf
- "Shipley denies charge that 'blackbird mailer' in '08 run was racist - Kingsport Times-News Online". Mobile.timesnews.net. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
- ^ Woods, Jeff (2009-03-19). "The Wrath of God is Coming! Beware! Rep. Tony Shipley Explains His Doomsday Message | Pith in the Wind". Nashvillescene.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
- http://www.nashvillescene.com/imager/vaughn-decries-blackbird-mailer/b/big/1477702/d950/image001.jpg
- Woods, Jeff (2009-03-16). "Rep. Tony Shipley Speaks for God on Gay Adoption | Pith in the Wind". Nashvillescene.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
- Woods, Jeff (2009-03-16). "Rep. Tony Shipley Speaks for God on Gay Adoption | Pith in the Wind". Nashvillescene.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
- Dr. Aaron Belkin (May 1, 2005). "Belkin, Dr. Aaron. "Abandoning 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Will Decrease Anti-Gay Violence" Naval Institute: Proceedings Monthly. 1 May 2005". Palmcenter.org. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
- Herek, Gregory. . Retrieved June 3, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - Chibbaro, Lou (2005). "Out gay soldiers sent to Iraq – Regulation keeps straights from 'playing gay' to avoid war". Washington Blade. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2006.
- Sheryl Gay Stolberg (December 22, 2010). "With Obama's Signature, 'Don't Ask' Is Repealed". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- Associated Press (July 6, 2011). "In reversal, federal court orders immediate end to 'don't ask, don't tell' policy". Washington Post. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- "Obama certifies end of military's gay ban". NBC News. Reuters. July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ Woods, Jeff (2010-06-03). "Shipley Threatens to Crack Kelsey's Head | Pith in the Wind". Nashvillescene.com. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
- "Attorney general says Shipley's search warrant bill unconstitutional - Kingsport Times-News Online". Timesnews.net. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
- http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h2.html "Rep. Tony Shipley" (TNGA Official Biographical Web Page)
- http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h2.html "Rep. Tony Shipley" (TNGA Official Biographical Web Page)
- http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h2.html "Rep. Tony Shipley" (TNGA Official Biographical Web Page)
- http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h2.html "Rep. Tony Shipley" (TNGA Official Biographical Web Page)
- http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/members/h2.html "Rep. Tony Shipley" (TNGA Official Biographical Web Page)
External links
- http://www.tonyshipley.com/ Campaign website
- http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/house/members/h2.htm Tennessee House Member Tony Shipley