The American Spectator

Americans for Prosperity has been conducting a state-by-state “Hot Air Tour” to draw attention to the dramatic economic harm that would be caused by global warming alarmists’ “solutions.” Today they were scheduled to launch their attention-getting hot-air balloon over Al Gore’s home near Nashville, after getting their permits all lined up, but I just got this message from AFP director of policy Phil Kerpen:

UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: From Phil Kerpen, and AFP’s blog,

http://www.nashville.gov/parks/administration.htm

Centennial Park Office
Nashville, TN 37201
Phone: (615) 862-8400
Fax: (615) 862-8414

UPDATE 4:00 P.M.:

Per a phone conversation I had with AFP’s Phil Kerpen, he explained that AFP acknowledged a defect in the permit application to Nashville Parks Dept. So AFP agreed to limit its activity in the park to what it outlined in its application, not fully launch a hot-air balloon, and keep it to tethered rides, and let the event go on. That was not good enough for the Parks Dept., who refused to permit AFP at all to hold an event, and demanded that they leave. Kerpen said the Parks Dept. knew all along what AFP was going to do, to the point that they were asking for insurance information for the balloon rides yesterday afternoon.

Why? Curt Garrigan of the Nashville Parks Dept. told me, “they did not submit an application for the event that was accurate. For that reason we did not issue a permit for the event.” So I asked him, why not still issue the permit if they were willing to comply with the guidelines they laid out in their application. Garrigan’s answer: “They sent out a media release to the public that said they were launching from that site.”

So, apparently the Parks Dept. refused to allow AFP to hold any event at all based upon what they perceived to be public deception. Great public servants at work here: upending a well-publicized event in which they knew all the details, but dismissed on a technicality.