Over the years, plenty of states have joined the ranks of biggest laughing stocks in the nation as well as the easiest targets for comedians and late night talk show hosts much easier. There's my home state of Illinois, you have the Cubs, one of the biggest debts in the country and politicians so corrupt that it has become more likely for you to go to jail if you're the state's governor then a murderer. Then there's Arizona, where bad laws have been passed left and right to the point that you can carry guns into bars while arresting people just because they look like illegal immigrants. There are the easy targets like Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and the home to Facebook McPro-life, Alaska. Of course, there's Florida, the state that messed-up the Presidential election in 2000 and made George W. Bush president. And then there's New Jersey, the home to gay governors, rabbis arrested for organ dealing and "Jersey Shore."
Yet, none of these states have made quite a run to join these states as South Carolina have the past thirteen months.
Now, South Carolina is nothing new to being home to the most unique of people. Let's not forget Miss Teen South Carolina 2007 when she made her infamous answer to a question given to the Miss Teen USA pageant about Americans not identifying countries on map. Let's also not forget that this is also the first state to succeed from the Union in the 1860s, named their university's team the Gamecocks, and once made a law stating that people under eighteen cannot play the pinball machine. But since June 2009, it seems that there have been more than one unusual story to come out of the state. Here's a quick timeline of those storylines:
mid-June 2009: It all begins. Just a month before I began this site, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was nowhere to be seen around Father's Day weekend. No one even knew where he was: his wife, his kids, his office or the state's Law Enforcement Division. The only one who knew where he was was one of his staffers, but lied and made the infamous "hiking up the Appalachian trail" excuse that will now be associate with the governor for the rest of his life. Turns out Sanford was just in Argentina, meeting with his lover. Despite using state tax
es on such an expense, becoming another laughing stock politicians and scaring his family, Sanford amazingly did not resign.
07/28/09: You'd figure the Mark Sanford story would be enough of a diversion from the state. Well, it turns out to be just a beginning as the very next month, around the same time I was writing my second official blog post back in late July, I mentioned the story of a South Carolinian named Rodell Vereen, who was sent to jail for having sex with a horse. And even though it was only the second "Story of the Week" I ever gave out to, it's still one of the few stories that still stick out in my mind. Two reasons why:
1. Duh, he had sex with a horse! Hearing stuff like will always stay in your memory bank.
2. It wasn't the first time Vereen was arrested for this crime. The year before, he was arrested for doing the same thing! To the same horse! Either Vereen is a very sick man, or that is the most attractive horse on the planet.
Vereen was convicted of the charge months later. But that's not the point. In about a two months span, we had a state that was home to a lying, cheating governor AND a horsef*****. Quite a combination if I do say so myself. Now, you'd figure that would be enough, right? Well, you would be wrong. After all, this is South Carolina we're talking about.
09/09/09- Turns out Governor Mark Sanford wouldn't be the only embarrassing news to come out the state. Not even close. Nearly three months late, in a speech to Congress on the controversial topic of health care reform, President Obama mentioned that the proposed reforms would not include any single reform on illegal immigration. In response, state representative Joe Wilson interrupted the president mid-speech, simply declaring "You lie!" Wilson eventually apologized to the president, but not before doing enough damage to his nationwide reputation.
Late May 2010: Sarah Palin approved Tea Party candidate for the state's gubernatorial race Nikki Haley was accused of having an affair with two guys while she was still married. Apparently, the cheating bug catches female South Carolina politicians too. Despite all that, though, Haley did eventually win the GOP primaries, which brings up the question: what the hell kind of scandal does it take in South Carolina for a politician to quit or not win an election?
06/03/10: Speaking of Haley, her affair wasn't the only big story she was involved in. During a radio interview on a political talk show, state senator Jake Knotts had this to say about Haley:
"We already got some raghead in the White House, we don't need a raghead in the governor's mansion."
Damn! Da-da-damn! Makes no sense though. After all, "raghead" is a term for Arabs while Haley was born Indian and raised Sikh and Obama was born in Hawaii and raised in Indonesia. Still, though, that's the fourth big story made by a South Carolina politicians not involving actual politics in nearly a year. But it surely can't get any worse...can it?
06/08/10: I stand corrected. Ladies and gentleman, I give you...the Alvin Greene story:
To recap: in a year, we have seen a state home to a cheating governor, a cheating Tea Party candidate for governor, a racist slurring senator, a rude state representative, a guy who ran for senator despite not running any ads or campaign rallies beat every other candidate to become the state's democratic nominee for governor...and a horsef*****. Either it's really that crazy of a state, or it was getting really jealous of all the laughs states like Arizona and Kentucky were having. Or it just wanted to give people a distraction from the two wars and the BP oil spill. It's also the home to two of my 2009 people of the year, one of my quotes of the year, one story of the week and receiver of a person of the week in June. Kind of remarkable that a state could have so much of these kinds of stories in so little time. And for that, I salute you South Carolina! And so does Jon Stewar, apparently:
http://http//www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-august-3-2009/thank-you--south-carolina-
http://http//www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-june-7-2010/thank-you--south-carolina---the-race-to-replace-disgrace
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you want to suggest anything to mj15 for his next blog entry (tips, perhaps?), e-mail him at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
No comments:
Post a Comment