# God bless Tennessee congressman, Joe Armstrong **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 4, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465 "2011-08-04T15:02:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/1 "2011-08-04T15:02:28Z")
Without the work of this vigilant civil servant [the bookstore at the University of Tennessee would still be selling dangerous propagandist contraband called Obama DisappointMINTS.](http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/aug/04/other-products-poke-fun-at-variety-of-targets/) Without his good work, some college students might snicker or chuckle at Obama’s expense. BUt now, thanks to Joe Armstrong, many more people know about the distasteful mints than the website who sells them could have ever dreamed of. As a bonus, Joe Armstrong has given us another look into how democrats view 1) freedom of speech, 2) tolerance of opposing viewpoints, 3) fun. But my favorite contribution from Joe Armstrong is his rationale: > [@](#): > > When you operate on state and federal dollars, you ought to be sensitive to those type of politically specific products," Armstrong said. “If it was a private entity or corporation or store, (that’s different), but this is a state university. We certainly don’t want in any way to put the university in a bad light by having those political (products), particularly aimed at defaming the president.” So, notice to all. When federal dollars are involved, the rights put forth in the Constitution are less protected than when private funds are used. And a congressman just might show up and, ahem, “suggest” you curb your ways. Thank, you Rep. Joe Armstrong, thank you for doing such a good job of exposing the inner workings of one elected democrat mind. Keep up the good work. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/2 "2011-08-04T15:09:34Z")
Well done magellan01. At last an honest to god stupid Democrat idea of the day. Only 3,320 more posts to go to catch up to the other thread. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/3 "2011-08-04T15:41:51Z")
I agree this guy is a jackass, and I say that as someone who voted for Obama. Just wish the university had told him to stuff it. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/4 "2011-08-04T15:45:37Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > So, notice to all. When federal dollars are involved, the rights put forth in the Constitution are less protected than when private funds are used. This is not exactly news in any context. Not that I am defending the idiot congressperson. But really, this country is no exception to the general rule that he who pays the piper calls the tune. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![randomface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@randomface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randomface)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/5 "2011-08-04T16:07:57Z")
That is what worries people about government funding. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/6 "2011-08-04T16:08:29Z")
“The other thing I have to say is, I just think it’s really quite odd to hear of a state legislator to take it upon himself to have something removed from a bookstore. It’s the kind of thing people make fun of Mississippi for,…” Oh, no…no, that’s _not_ the kind of thing people make fun of Mississippi for. Not by a longshot… ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/7 "2011-08-04T16:15:27Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > As a bonus, Joe Armstrong has given us another look into how democrats view 1) freedom of speech, 2) tolerance of opposing viewpoints, 3) fun. Why stop at Democrats, why not accuse all Joes of being like this or all men, ro all Tennesseans. I mean if one person is enough to extrapolate out a general conclusion I think we can condemn entire legions of the population. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/8 "2011-08-04T16:24:59Z")
Just shows you again the bias of liberal media, that this huge, huge story isn’t all over the airwaves and the intertubes. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/9 "2011-08-04T16:46:22Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Why stop at Democrats, why not accuse all Joes of being like this or all men, ro all Tennesseans. I mean if one person is enough to extrapolate out a general conclusion I think we can condemn entire legions of the population. Deomcrats on this board extrapolate that all republicans are evil/stupid all the time because one idiot republican did something evil/ stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/10 "2011-08-04T16:52:20Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Deomcrats on this board extrapolate that all republicans are evil/stupid all the time because one idiot republican did something evil/ stupid. Maybe you haven’t been keeping up, but Evil and Stupid is the dance of the day on the right. When the leadership and the rank and file march lockstep to nonsense, it starts to seem like a more general thing. > [@Mitch McConnell](#): > > “I think some of our members may have thought the default issue was a hostage you might take a chance at shooting,” he said. “Most of us didn’t think that. What we did learn is this — it’s a hostage that’s worth ransoming. And it focuses the Congress on something that must be done.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/11 "2011-08-04T16:57:18Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Deomcrats on this board extrapolate that all republicans are evil/stupid all the time because one idiot republican did something evil/ stupid. No, we do it because one does something stupid and the others don’t tell him to get stuffed. ETA: There are people in Tennessee who can read? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/12 "2011-08-04T17:00:33Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Well done magellan01. At last an honest to god stupid Democrat idea of the day. Only 3,320 more posts to go to catch up to the other thread. Do we get to dock him a post because Joe Armstrong isn’t a congressman, but is a state legislator? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/13 "2011-08-04T17:00:48Z")
OK, maybe my reading skills are kinda lacking here. When I read the piece, I think it says that this bonehead tells UT Bookstore manager that it’s offensive and UT Bookstore manager folds like a cheap card table. Was there actual pressure exerted? Was there a threat of legal action, threats of withholding Federal money? To my eyes (and I could be wrong here), it looks like the problem isn’t Joe Armstrong but a lack of intestinal fortitude from the UT Bookstore manager. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/14 "2011-08-04T17:05:10Z")
I agree that this is stupid, and unbecoming of any lawmaker. But… Mints? We’re talking about freedom of speech of mints? This could be a slippery slope - next the jackbooted thugs will be censoring our candy hearts! And what of the M&Ms? What of them?!?!?! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/15 "2011-08-04T17:08:07Z")
Wait a minute. I assumed that Armstrong got the mints pulled by threatening legislative action or something. In fact… > [@](#): > > UT officials pulled the mints poking fun at Obama from store shelves after state Rep. Joe Armstrong, a Democrat, visited the bookstore and told the director he found the satirical mints offensive. …it’s worse! He told them he found the mints offensive! _Help! Help! We’re being oppressed!_ ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/16 "2011-08-04T17:45:32Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > OK, maybe my reading skills are kinda lacking here. > > When I read the piece, I think it says that this bonehead tells UT Bookstore manager that it’s offensive and UT Bookstore manager folds like a cheap card table. Was there actual pressure exerted? Was there a threat of legal action, threats of withholding Federal money? This often isn’t necessary. The ‘suggestion’ can be pressure enough to someone looking to avoid trouble. > [@](#): > > To my eyes (and I could be wrong here), it looks like the problem isn’t Joe Armstrong but a lack of intestinal fortitude from the UT Bookstore manager. This I won’t argue. It might have been best to force the dipshit to the next level. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/17 "2011-08-04T18:39:04Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Do we get to dock him a post because Joe Armstrong isn’t a congressman, but is a state legislator? Nah, there are a lot of state legislators in the other thread too. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/18 "2011-08-04T20:09:37Z")
Clearly State Rep. Armstrong has never heard of this: [Streisand effect - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect) ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/19 "2011-08-04T20:46:00Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > Mints? We’re talking about freedom of speech of mints? This could be a slippery slope - next the jackbooted thugs will be censoring our candy hearts! And what of the M&Ms? What of them?!?!?! Who will speak for the unborn Baby Ruths? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465/20 "2011-08-04T20:59:44Z")
What a moron. It’s amazing that doesn’t have anything better to do with his time. Said **Vinyl Turnip** , ambiguously. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/god-bless-tennessee-congressman-joe-armstrong/591465.md?page=2)