Mr. Parker

Yesterday morning the phone rang and when I picked it up a friend said, Did you read Gary’s blog about David Parker? and I said, No;―I’d been scrupulously avoiding reading one word about Mr. Parker’s foibles on the theory no one cared except a dozen crazed political hacks at Democratic Headquarters and another dozen hacks down the street at Republican headquarters but since Gary wrote about Mr. Parker, while I waited for the baby to be born (meaning waited for George Holding’s poll to arrive by email), I clicked on Talking About Politics and read his blog.
 
Now, Gary is one of those rare men who gets along with everyone – he rarely says a cross or unkind word and about the only thing he can’t tolerate is a phony. He even gets along with me and I’m a grump and a porcupine so when I read Gary describe David Parker as ‘arrogant’ it set off an earth tremor of curiosity. I clicked on WRAL’s website and watched Mr. Parker’s whole press conference then the baby (the poll) arrived and after I have digested the 400 pages of dry, anesthetizing statistics I’ll report about Mr. Holding and Mr. Coble but, first, back to Mr. Parker.
 
It’s not every day you see a fellow walk into a knife fight wearing a bowtie but that’s what Mr. Parker did when he walked into that press conference. He made his case to the reporters like this: Yes, he said, Mr. Parmley did give Mr. Ortega shoulder rubs. Yes, Mr. Parmley did rap Mr. Ortega in the crotch. Yes, Mr. Parmley did show Mr. Ortega a photograph of a gentleman standing naked on a street corner in San Francisco. No, Mr. Parmley did not touch Mr. Ortega’s thigh – he punched it. And there was absolutely no, none, not any sexual harassment. Not one scintilla. Mr. Parmley is completely 100% innocent and the only reason he (Parker) agreed for the Democratic Party to pay a settlement to Mr. Ortega was because it was ‘the right thing to do.’
 
The dots didn’t connect and the press didn’t buy a word of it – if Parmley didn’t harass Ortega why pay Ortega a red cent? The answer, of course, was Parker was dead-set on sweeping the problem under the rug – it’s a classic case: Someone does something bone-headed and then tries to cover it up. WRAL reporter Cullen Browder cut right to the chase when he asked Parker, ‘You just defended Parmley – so you think Ortega lied?
 
Parker rocked back in his heels, stared up, contemplated the ceiling, pursed his lips.
 
I think, he said, there was no harmful or offensive or unwanted touching.
 
Now nobody has said so outright but anyone reading all this folderal can hardly avoid the conclusion Mr. Parmley is gay, and he rapped Mr. Ortega in the balls. Heck, even if Mr. Parmley’s not gay what fellow on earth wants another fellow rapping him in the scrotum?
 
And that’s more than enough Democratic politics. I’m going back to reading the dry, statistical pages of George’s poll.
 
 
Avatar photo

Carter Wrenn

Categories

Archives

Recent Posts

Mr. Parker

Yesterday morning the phone rang and when I picked it up a friend said, Did you read Gary’s blog about David Parker? and I said, No;―I’d been scrupulously avoiding reading one word about Mr. Parker’s foibles on the theory no one cared except a dozen crazed political hacks at Democratic Headquarters and another dozen hacks down the street at Republican headquarters but since Gary wrote about Mr. Parker, while I waited for the baby to be born (meaning waited for George Holding’s poll to arrive by email), I clicked on Talking About Politics and read his blog.
 
Now, Gary is one of those rare men who gets along with everyone – he rarely says a cross or unkind word and about the only thing he can’t tolerate is a phony. He even gets along with me and I’m a grump and a porcupine so when I read Gary describe David Parker as ‘arrogant’ it set off an earth tremor of curiosity. I clicked on WRAL’s website and watched Mr. Parker’s whole press conference then the baby (the poll) arrived and after I have digested the 400 pages of dry, anesthetizing statistics I’ll report about Mr. Holding and Mr. Coble but, first, back to Mr. Parker.
 
It’s not every day you see a fellow walk into a knife fight wearing a bowtie but that’s what Mr. Parker did when he walked into that press conference. He made his case to the reporters like this: Yes, he said, Mr. Parmley did give Mr. Ortega shoulder rubs. Yes, Mr. Parmley did rap Mr. Ortega in the crotch. Yes, Mr. Parmley did show Mr. Ortega a photograph of a gentleman standing naked on a street corner in San Francisco. No, Mr. Parmley did not touch Mr. Ortega’s thigh – he punched it. And there was absolutely no, none, not any sexual harassment. Not one scintilla. Mr. Parmley is completely 100% innocent and the only reason he (Parker) agreed for the Democratic Party to pay a settlement to Mr. Ortega was because it was ‘the right thing to do.’
 
The dots didn’t connect and the press didn’t buy a word of it – if Parmley didn’t harass Ortega why pay Ortega a red cent? The answer, of course, was Parker was dead-set on sweeping the problem under the rug – it’s a classic case: Someone does something bone-headed and then tries to cover it up. WRAL reporter Cullen Browder cut right to the chase when he asked Parker, ‘You just defended Parmley – so you think Ortega lied?
 
Parker rocked back in his heels, stared up, contemplated the ceiling, pursed his lips.
 
I think, he said, there was no harmful or offensive or unwanted touching.
 
Now nobody has said so outright but anyone reading all this folderal can hardly avoid the conclusion Mr. Parmley is gay, and he rapped Mr. Ortega in the balls. Heck, even if Mr. Parmley’s not gay what fellow on earth wants another fellow rapping him in the scrotum?
 
And that’s more than enough Democratic politics. I’m going back to reading the dry, statistical pages of George’s poll.
 
 
Avatar photo

Carter Wrenn

Categories

Archives