Joe Carr and Craig Harris, Part III
The Duality and “Duelity” of Man
Followers of the ongoing tragicomic play starring Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr and County Commissioner Craig Harris were treated to another startling and unexpected plot twist late last week when the Mayor announced that he is now seeking to amend the Tennessee State Constitution in order to “bring back the ancient and lost art of dueling.”
Tennessee’s constitutional ban on fighting duels, which has been in place since the 19th Century, prohibits violators from holding public office of any kind:
Article IX, Section 3. Any person who shall, after the adoption of this Constitution, fight a duel, or knowingly be the bearer of a challenge to fight a duel, or send or accept a challenge for that purpose, or be an aider or abettor in fighting a duel, shall be deprived of the right to hold any office of honor or profit in this state, and shall be punished otherwise, in such manner as the Legislature may prescribe.
Why is this suddenly such a concern for Carr? The reason stems from an incident which took place after a meeting of the Rutherford County Commission’s Steering Committee on Monday, August 7th, in which Carr and Harris (who serves as chairman of the Committee) were recorded on video having an apparent argument.
The two had initially agreed to settle their differences by competing in a Greco-Roman wrestling match, which was to take place at the end of September on the Public Square just outside the Courthouse. But shortly after Labor Day Weekend, Carr (apparently having reconsidered the formidable physicality of Harris) backed out of wrestling deal and said that he believed “an old-fashioned, family friendly fusion of horseback riding, pageantry, and swordsmanship” would be a more appropriate and entertaining form of competition.
Addressing a gaggle of reporters, county employees, concerned citizens and curious onlookers in front of the Courthouse Friday morning, Carr attempted to clarify the newest development in the drama: “So here’s where we are - after discussing all the specifics of our horse-sword fusion festival with the County attorney, we’ve been advised that the ‘swordsmanship’ component, as we’ve envisioned it, might technically meet the definition of dueling and therefore run afoul of Article IX of the State Constitution, which deals with Disqualifications,” explained Carr, “What that means in a nutshell is that regardless of which one of us wins, both of us could potentially be forced to resign from our respective offices. That’s a risk that I’m just not willing to take.”
After finishing his prepared remarks, the Mayor took questions from the restive herd. A few ticketholders demanded to know whether or not they would receive refunds.
“Not really,” replied Carr, “because the event isn’t canceled - it’s just that we’re only moving ahead with the horse and parade portions right now. The swordsmanship part will happen later, assuming we’re able to get the Constitution amended.”
One journalist asked whether that assumption was in fact realistic or just a fanciful pipe dream.
“That’s a fair question, because obviously it’s a complex and challenging process,” said Carr, “I’ve already got the ball rolling with the members of our legislative delegation, and I was appreciative of the fact that all of them were open and receptive to the idea. I was especially delighted that Shane Reeves has agreed to sponsor the amendment in the State Senate. Not only is Shane one of the sharpest and most gifted individuals in the General Assembly, but he’s also one of my closest and dearest friends.”
As he listened to the Mayor attempt to mollify the crowd, Craig Harris paced back and forth on the Courthouse steps, growing increasingly heated and agitated as he wiped beads of sweat from his face and neck with the sleeve of his blue blazer. Finally, he could endure no more. “This whole thing is [expletive]!” bellowed Harris, “Delay, delay, delay - that’s all he’s trying to do here. Why are we even talking about swords and horses and duels anyway? It was supposed to be wrestling! That’s what Joe agreed to, that’s what I agreed to, and that’s what people paid to see - the wrestling match was his idea in the first place! He’s already changed the game, and now he wants to change the constitution. [Expletive] him and the horse he rode in on!”
“This isn’t all just about you Craig,” snapped Carr, as Harris stormed away from the Courthouse, muttering something inaudible back at the Mayor.
“He’s free to say whatever he wants,” continued Carr, “but so am I, and what I want to say is that this new proposition of mine is about something of much greater significance than either one of us. Our great-great-grandfathers fought duels, and their fathers and grandfathers fought duels in the earliest days of Tennessee history. And by the way - most of them won!”
“Some of the most famous men of this state were duelers. Our first governor, John Sevier, and our seventh President, Andrew Jackson, clashed with each other in a duel more than 200 years ago - or at least pretended to go through the motions. Dueling is part of our heritage, it’s part of who we are as Tennesseans, and it’s long past time that we brought it back. If those two men were alive today, I firmly believe that both of them would agree with me and support my proposed amendment.”
Carr is likely to face a grueling uphill battle in his crusade. The process to amend Tennessee’s Constitution requires any potential change to be passed by two successive sessions of the legislature (the second time by a two-thirds majority), and then to be passed by a majority of Tennessee voters at the next general election in which a governor is chosen (the number of “Yes” votes is also required to be a majority of the number of people voting for governor in that election).
The Mayor acknowledged that even if he were successful in his quest, the earliest that he and Harris could engage in their sword scuffle would actually be after their current terms end in 2026.
“I didn’t make the rules,” said Carr.
I want my money back! I paid for tickets to a wrestling match and then it became some sword thing. Now it's just prancing around on horses. This is ridiculous. Go back to wrestling. Give us our money's worth!