Kilgore is still using Gate City as a prop it appears

By: Lowell
Published On: 3/30/2005 2:00:00 AM

gcIt's bad enough that Jerry Kilgore wants to use my alma mater as a prop in his campaign. That is his prerogative, I suppose, as long as his campaign pays for the use of a public facility.  But why exactly was the Gate City High School band required to perform there?  I don't recall them being sent up to welcome Tim Kaine up at Scott County Park on Monday morning. 

This isn't the first time, by the way, that the Gate City band has been used as a political prop by the Kilgore machine. I do recall them being made to perform at an event in 1994 at the Gate City courthouse for some legislation Terry was working on regarding child abuse or something of that nature while I was a member.  That's one of the more harmless examples and I'm sure that no one objected to getting out of class back then. 

However I am troubled by the story of a girl who got demoted to third chair merely for objecting to performing at a partisan event after school hours.  I'd like Principal Michael Brickey and the Band Director, Rick Lake to explain themselves.  I'd also like to know if all the campaign materials that promote Jerry Kilgore such as these signs indicating the "Road to Richmond Begins Here" have been removed. I'd encourage everyone to email Mr. Brickey to find all this information out at gchprinc@scott.k12.va.us. 

Jerry might be from Gate City. He might have played football for the legendary Harry Fry under the Friday Night Lights of Legion Field, which is as good a place as any to watch a football game in the Commonwealth.  And he might have walked across that stage as a Gate City High School graduate in the late 1970s. But so did a lot of other people, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, who do not support his positions, including myself. 

There are lots of folks who graduated from Gate City High School who do not have health insurance or good jobs, and who in general are struggling to get by.  Sadly, this is at least in part because of the failed economic development policies of the Kilgore family, not to mention their reliance on cronyism and soundbites rather than real ideas.

Those people are noticeably absent from the Kilgore event pictures.  I do see Principal Brickey there clapping his hands as well as many of the well to do folks in town that I recognize and have gone to church with in the past.  I see the Honest Reform sign hanging over Jerry Kilgore's head  and realize that's the biggest joke of all -- reminiscent of Orwell's "war is peace" quote.

Jerry Kilgore's friends and family have ran Scott County for much of the past century.  Now, we in Scott County need "honest reform" all right.  The kind of honest reform that comes from real ideas emanating from people who care about things other than their political careers, or about finding their friends and family members good jobs while forgetting about the rest of us.  Scott County and Virginia needs honest reform that comes from throwing the Kilgores out of office and making sure they stay out of office. 

So go ahead, Jerry. Use Gate City High School as a prop.  You can even toss a football around Legion Field and reenact past state championships or bring out the old Big Blue Cannonball to your campaign rallies, but a lot of us from Scott County know who you are and what you really stand for, and you should be scared that the rest of the state will find that out very shortly. 

Coach Harry Fry, who was your football coach in the 1970s on the way to three state championship games always said on Friday Nights in the fall that there are no Republicans and Democrats in Gate City. On Friday Nights everyone loves everyone. That is still true. But on a certain Tuesday in November you'll find a lot of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans from Gate City don't love you as much as you want the rest of the state or Southwest Virginia to think.


Comments



I would just like to (Anonymous - 4/4/2006 11:26:07 PM)
I would just like to say that I am the said girl who got demoted in band. No, it was not demoted for the entire concert season, but while the other 40 or so people in the band were having to practice for this event I had to sit there and play with them and got demoted during the 2 week period. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Lake is a great teacher, but I do think he should've scheduled other times to practice for this event. He even made the band have sectionals (everyone from the same instrument group gets together and works individually) just so we could perform for Jerry Kilgore. Also, the sign "The Road to Richmond" is still up in the high school along with other Kilgore for Governor stickers and posters. Just for future reference I am the only person who did not attend this partisan event in the band. The next day, however, I heard everybody talking about how great it was. People were wearing buttons and stickers and carrying posters and talking about the food and carrying the special Kilgore for Governor water. Ooh la la. Or not. Too bad just about everybody in the high school band that was playing was in 9th grade. That's just a hair too young to follow through in the Kilgore political machine, unfortunately.


I WON'T let it go. t (JMS - 4/4/2006 11:26:07 PM)
I WON'T let it go. the Kilgores and their kind have gotten away with too much because things have been let go. I like and respect Mr. Lake too, but I'm not going to let that keep me from calling him out when he's wrong. It was WRONG to perform at that event on anything but a voluntary basis. And yes, the Kilgores do have family that work and attend the school system and they will be guaranteed good jobs in the school system or local government when they finish college whether they deserve them or not.  I am a doctoral student in Public Administration and Policy. its my JOB as an academic to critique and analyze public figures. And regarding Gate City, as Hunter S. Thompson said: If I have to live in certain place I don't want some kind of idiot running ths show. And if I have to go head to head with the bastards I will. If it means calling out anyone in Scott County or Virginia I'll do it if it helps Tim Kaine get elected. Because if Tim Kaine is elected, it will mean more jobs in Southwest Virginia, it will mean people will be drinking cleaner water and breathing cleaner air, it will mean that a few more people get the healthcare they need, it will mean responsible fiscal leadership that Jerry Kilgore and his kind duck and avoid like the Bubonic Plague. I'm not throwing stones for the sake of throwing stones, son. I'm doing it because I CARE about Gate City and Virginia.


I'm glad you know me (ChadG - 4/4/2006 11:26:07 PM)
I'm glad you know me.  The problem that I have is that you can't let this go.  I will not slam Mr. Kaine on this web site I won't even do it on the street corner.  I don't know the man or what he has been through in his life.  With that said, did you check if Mr Kaine asked the band to perform?  Our who's ideal it was to have the band perform?  I bet you don't know.  I never would have even responded to your comments if you had not have included Mr. Lake in your babble. I respect him as one of the greatest teachers that I have ever had.  I do have one question, If kilgore will hurt schools why would Mr. Lake and Mr. Brickey be so helpful to him? And doesn't Kilgore have family that are teachers in Scott county?  I don't know who i will vote for yet, I don't want anyone to think that I am a diehard kilgore fan.  I just think that we all need to get the facts straight before we start casting stones at anyone.  If the girl lost two chairs, there has to be a reason.  If it was because she would not perform that would be wrong.  But I think there is more to it than that. 


I know who you are. (JMS - 4/4/2006 11:26:07 PM)
I know who you are. and I know what it takes to move the band. and it doesnt make it right just because the band room is next door. The children of Scott County should not be used in partisan political events and they most certainly should not be punished fo refusing to participate. and the Gate City school teachers and students are going to be a topic in this campaign because Jerry Kilgore INSISTS on using them as a prop as part of his background propaganda never mind the issues of the school system being a tool of the Kilgore political machine in Scott County. Good job with the Fire Department, and maybe Kilgore has helped them out. I don't know and quite frankly it doesnt counteract all the bad him and his brother have done in Scott County and the Commonwealth since 1993. I may also disagree with you on Jerry Broadwater. Roscoe P. Coletrain was much smarter.


I don't know which o (ChadG - 4/4/2006 11:26:07 PM)
I don't know which one of the Kilgores craped in your coffee, but I'm sure it was a attack on you personaly.  I myself am a gradute of Gate City and a former member of the band.  If you have forgoten what it takes to move the band maybee you can pay for the buses and the truck to haul thme to the next Kaine event.  I'm sure they will be happy to perform.  I have not spoken to Mr. Lake since after gradution,  but this I dought was an attact on Mr. Kaine. Considering that they only had to carrie their chairs and equipment accross the school grounds.  Come on man get a hobbie.  I don't know Mr. Brickey so I don't have a hat in that one. 
As A long time firefighter in Scott County I know this for certain Jerry Kilgore has been a tremendous help to our brotherhood.  If you are A Kaine supporter and I think you are.  Lets leave Gate City school teachers and students out of this and get to real topics.  By the way I don't remember the Hazard fire department being as advanced as the seven in Scott County alone.  And Jerry Broadwatwer ant no Rosco.


We do have hope for (Matusleo - 4/4/2006 11:26:07 PM)
We do have hope for a better day for SWVA.  Tim Kaine may not be a ntaive of SWVA, but he's got a great father-in-law in ex Gov. Linwood Holton.  Because of that, and Kaine's own devotion to service, he'll know what needs to be done down here in our part of the state.

We also have some good candidates down our way that can help.  Phil Puckett is one of th enominees for Lt. Gov, and is a SWVA native. I'm supporting him in the primary, and I believe he would do the most to help Tim Kaine.

And then there's the Attorney General nominee, Creigh Deeds who for a time represented part of SWVA.  He's a strong contender to be the first Democratic AG in years.  With him in office, we may see actiosn taken to cleaning up the Kilgore cronyism in Scott County.

So there is hope yet to come.  Kaine - Puckett - Deeds!



I'm sorry to say tha (John - 4/4/2006 11:26:07 PM)
I'm sorry to say that I and Jerry Kilgore have something in common, we are both from South-West Virginia.  Thats pretty much the end of it.  As much as I would love to see a South-West Virginian be governor again, it saddens me that the best we are offering is Kilgore.  As the campaign gathers steam, the more the rest of the world will see the "Boss Hog" Kilgore machine.  I come from an area that, if there is a high paying government job, you can bet the farm a Kilgore will have it.  As far a voting them out, well there always seems to be a problem getting the votes counted correctly, since theres a Kilgore counting them.  Maybe we should try calling the United Nations for their election monitoring team?  I'm still waiting to see the campaign commercial of Jerry & Terry in white suits and hats, riding in a white convertible cadillac shouting "Vote for Me, No Taxes!", they seem to leave out no schools, no roads, and sadly in Scott County, no jobs......


AMEN! The Kilgores h (Tabitha - 4/4/2006 11:26:07 PM)
AMEN! The Kilgores have tried using all of SWVA as a prop, but we won't allow it anymore.

Though I can't imagine Jerry actually "playing" football. I bet his job was to eavesdrop on the other team's huddle and report the plays back. :-)