Posted on 06/21/2002 6:17:18 AM PDT by GailA
Edited on 05/07/2004 9:20:03 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
A subdued House held an emotional memorial service yesterday for one of its own, Rep. Keith Westmoreland, R-Kingsport, who took his own life Wednesday night after three days of news accounts on charges he had exposed himself to minors.
An arrangement of chrysanthemums and lilies from House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh stood on Westmoreland's desk at the rear of the House chamber, and someone had placed a cigar
(Excerpt) Read more at tennessean.com ...
Tennessee House suspends business to mourn death of colleague
From staff and wire reports
NASHVILLE - Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives set aside their differences and business Thursday to mourn a friend and colleague, the late Rep. Keith Westmoreland.
Westmoreland, R-Kingsport, shot and killed himself at his home Wednesday night. The former sheriff's deputy was facing charges of indecent exposure in Florida.
A spray of lilies sat on his desk in the House chamber as solemn lawmakers memorialized their friend and prayed for his family. The House canceled all of its business until Monday afternoon so members could attend the funeral Sunday in Kingsport. "Ladies and gentlemen, we don't have any business so pressing that we need to do anything about it today," House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh said in announcing the revised schedule.
During more than an hour of remarks by his colleagues, Westmoreland was remembered as a man of his word, a tough and conscientious lawmaker, and a good pool player.
Several remarked on his habit of standing at his desk in the rear of the chamber, smoking a cigar.
Rep. Randy Rinks, the House's resident practical joker who shared the back corner with Westmoreland, was one of those who noted Westmoreland rarely used his chair.
"I've even got a sign in my desk that says, ‘Sit down Westmoreland,'" Rinks said. "I'm going to miss him. He was a true friend. That corner back there is not going to be the same."
All the members who spoke asked that Westmoreland's wife, Alice, and two sons, Stoney and Joel, be remembered in prayers. Several lambasted the media for their role in Westmoreland's death.
News of Westmoreland's arrest June 14 in San Destin, Fla., surfaced Monday night in a Nashville television report.
Westmoreland was accused by a group of teenagers of exposing his genitals to them on three consecutive days at a hotel swimming pool and hot tub.
On Tuesday, Nashville police said Westmoreland was investigated in March for exposing himself to hotel patrons from a window in his apartment near the Capitol.
The next day, police spokesman Don Aaron held a news conference to announce Westmoreland was suspected of exposing himself to two teenage girls at another hotel in March. Rep. Chris Newton, R-Cleveland, said the media "hounded the man to death."
"It's a sad situation when something like this happens," said Rep. Charles Sargent, R-Franklin, who shared a legislative office with Westmoreland. "We're relentless on getting a story and don't think about the person."
Others commented on how the four years of budget fights have fractured the House in ways that are not good for anyone.
"There is a meanness that has created an atmosphere that when a man looks in the mirror he decides he can't go on. What kind of atmosphere tells a man it's not worth living anymore? What kind of place have we become?" said Rep. John DeBerry, D-Memphis. "I hope all of us who have allowed this to beset us, to alter our very character, would dig deep down and ask themselves - the press, those on the radio, ourselves - have we created an atmosphere so terrible, so resolute in hypocrisy, that an individual would rather die than face it? If we have then woe be unto us, because we have created a place none of us needs to be in," DeBerry added.
Reps. Joe Kent and Curry Todd, former law enforcement officers, said dealing with criminal charges is different for an officer. Westmoreland was a chief deputy for the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department for 10 years before joining the legislature.
"Night before last, several of us met with Keith. We tried to let him know the past is the past, pick up the pieces and go forward," said Kent, R-Memphis. "Law enforcement officers don't think like that. They think they've arrested people who have done the same things...
"The bad thing about this is the light at the end of the tunnel for him was putting out the light and leaving this earth. He was ashamed of himself, for this body, for his family. We tried to keep his spirits high, and we couldn't do it. I don't want anybody to think anything bad about Keith Westmoreland."
Rep. Ken Givens, D-Rogersville, told the Times-News that the events of Wednesday were "tragic, so tragic."
Givens said he focused on the fact that Westmoreland has faced little or no opposition to re-election for several terms.
"I'm shocked," Givens said. "It's just a tragedy for the Westmoreland family and for the district Keith represented.
"When nobody thinks they can do a better job than you and doesn't put their name on the ballot to run against you, you must be doing a pretty dang good job representing 60,000 people in the district. That must be a pretty high level of job satisfaction. He was certainly very highly respected here among his colleagues."
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at First Broad Street United Methodist Church in Kingsport. The Rev. Mark L. Kinsley, the Rev. Jim Gray and Naifeh will be officiating.
Memorials may be given to the Children's Advocacy Center, 150 Blountville Bypass, Blountville, TN 37617.
Westmoreland helped establish the advocacy center.
A plane has been chartered to carry members of the 102nd General Assembly to the Tri-Cities for the services.
Talk radio is the bad boy here according to some lawmakers.
You bad low life talk radio junkies are to blame for westmoreland taking the coward's way out. You talk radio junkies are to blame for his committing sexual preversive acts on minors too. (sarcasam)
"He said, 'Tell them a lot is coming down. I'm a fighter, and I'm going to fight through it. If I feel I can't, then I will let you know in two or three days.' He was obviously in a lot of anguish," Davis said.
Does this mean MORE such flashing incidents were going to come out OR was there possiblly WORSE incidents. Flashing is only a step away from acting on your perversions. His targets seemed to be 13-15 year old girls.
I fortunately haven't known children in this situation, but doesn't this really SCREW them up, or have the potential to? Obviously, there are reasons why this is an egregious act against children.
*I think about the children. Now he won't screw their heads up anymore. Our state taxilators are more concerned about the "reputation" of some sort of pervert...and then SHAMELESSLY use the man's death in their jihad to increase the taxes on people of Tennessee who PRODUCE so they can transfer it to people who can get them re-elected.
We would all be better off if perverts and pedophiles and homos offed themselves, wouldn't we? I'd like to ask some of these people, how would THEY feel if it was THEIR child? My guess is that if it was THEIR child, they'd be glad the perv is dead.
Why does this perv's "right" to go on molesting children somehow garner such sympathy? If it was my family member, I wouldn't allow all eulogies----a child molester is no hero.
Who was the jerk in our statehouse who blamed this on "talk-hate-radio"? These people don't care about his death except insofar as how they can make hay with it to get their agenda forwarded.
As Clinton blamed Rush for OKC, these low-life scum in Nashville are blaming those who oppose the income tax for the suicide of a pervert who at least had enough goodness in him to stop what he was doing to children finally.
(In Tennessee, "talk-hate-radio" is code for anyone who opposes more taxation.)
It's the PRO tax people against whom there should be a backlash for their shameless use of this man's death to advance their agenda.
Relative to phallic symbols, Freud once said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." I don't think that is the case here.
Agreed. But unfortunately, that's not how it will play out.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.