Updated: 1:36 p.m.
When hundreds of music industry folks came to Capitol Hill on Thursday to take part in the annual GRAMMYs on the Hill advocacy day, one musical lobbyist brought along more than his list of talking points: He was arrested for marijuana possession.
[IMGCAP(1)]Advocacy day participant Ira Tucker was arrested early Thursday afternoon for bringing marijuana into the Capitol Visitor Center, according to a Capitol Police spokeswoman. The Recording Academy confirmed the arrest in a statement, describing Tucker as “an independent music businessman taking part in the advocacy efforts.”
“The incident did not disrupt nor distract the efforts of nearly 250 music professionals in Washington for the day’s activities,” the statement continued.
Hundreds of industry officials took part in the two-day GRAMMYs event, which began Wednesday night with a lively award ceremony at the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel honoring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and country superstar Garth Brooks. Members of Congress even got on stage to honor Brooks by singing his classic “Friends in Low Places.”
On Thursday, Recording Academy officials and advocates visited Capitol Hill to lobby Members on issues related to the music industry.
Giant Sucking Sound. Was there dirty talk on the Senate floor Thursday? It sure sounded like it when Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) used a salty-sounding expression to show his disdain for government spending.
Coburn was talking about a $510 million grant program that he wanted to eliminate, and he noted that President Barack Obama agreed with him. But the program won’t be struck down because “someone, somewhere, is still sucking off this in a way that is not efficient and not a priority for our country.” (To hear it for yourself, check out this clip — the good stuff is at about the 1:51 mark.)
Coburn isn’t the only Senator who likes this particular imagery: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is fond of it and frequently describes inequities that rural areas have as “sucking off the hind tit.”
What’s that? Oh, it’s just the eighth grade calling HOH, and apparently, it wants its sense of humor back.
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