As violent crime leaps, liberal cities rethink cutting police budgets

 The Economist, Jan 15th 2022 -In the days after George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020, protesters took to the streets across America. They urged cities to “defund the police”, and politicians listened. Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, called for his department’s budget to be cut by up to $150m. London Breed, San Francisco’s mayor, announced that she would “redirect funding from the sfpd to support the African-American community”. City councils in Oakland and Portland, Oregon, among other cities across America, approved budgets that cut police funding.

That trend has reversed. Portland and Oakland increased police funding to hire more officers. The Los Angeles Police Department’s budget will get a 12% boost. Last month Ms Breed vowed to “take steps to be more aggressive with law enforcement” and “less tolerant of all the bullshit that has destroyed our city”. Why such a stark reversal, and what does it mean for the future of criminal-justice reform?

The first question is easy to answer. Though crime overall did not rise during the pandemic, the type people fear most—murders and shootings—did, and the surge has not abated. Over three decades from 1990, America’s homicide rate fell steeply (see chart). From 2019 to 2020, however, the rate had its highest-ever year-on-year rise, of nearly 30%, followed by a further rise in 2021. (Subscribers, read it all)

Rod's Comment: Despite Nashville joining the ranks of woke progressive cities, Nashville did not go totally off the deep end. Nashville did not have to reverse itself on defunding the police, because we did not do so. Not that there was not an effort to do so. In 2020 when the insanity of "Defund the Police," was a rallying cry of progressives across America, there was a leftist contingent here in Nashville who also wanted to defund the police. That move did not get very far.  Despite having a progressive electorate and Metro Council that is inclined to waste money on frivolous spending, has no interest in good management, money management, or financial accounting, will waste money on feel-good spending proposals that actually accomplish little, and will waste a lot of time on feel-good meaningless memorializing resolutions, our Council is not totally nuts,  not when compared to some West coast cities.   When the leftist nut-jobs tried to defund the police last year here in Nashville, this is what happened:

To his credit, Mayor Cooper in his budget at least recognized the importance of funding the police. His budget proposal included a $2.6 million increase for police. That increase in funding would fund 46 new position. As the budget process advanced, what emerged as the most likely budget to pass was the Mendes substitute budget. His budget proposal cut the $2.6 million for police and put that money into funding step increases for Metro employees. His proposal kept the police funding flat at $209 million.

Meanwhile the radial left composed of Black Lives Matter, Our Revolution, Gideon's Army and a bunch of other organizations united behind this idea of defunding the police. Now, defunding the police does not mean exactly the same thing everywhere it is proposed across the country. Some want to simply reduce police funding and put the money into social services while some want to completely abolish police departments. Nashville's radical community operating under an umbrella group called Nashville People's Budget Coalition proposed slashing the police budget by 42%. Ginny Welch carried the water for the radicals. 

Ginny Welch is probably the most radical member of the Council. She is an activist who has supported all kinds of leftist causes over the years. Contributors to her Council campaign included LIUNA (Laborers’ International Union of North America) among other radical groups. She received the endorsement of The Nashville Justice League and Our Revolution. Welch was a founder of the low-power, left-wing radio station, Radio Free Nashville. 

Tuesday night, Welch sponsored Amendment 26 to the Mendes budget. It cut the Police by $107,670,143 and the Sheriff by $3,473,855. It got only three votes in favor, a couple abstentions and everyone else voted in opposition. 

Nashville has a very progressive Council, but they are not totally, completely nuts. We are not yet Seattle or San Francisco. Thank God. 

The council then came to Amendment D by Councilman Russ Pulley. Pulley is Chairman of the Council's Public Safety Committee, has worked as a firefighter, paramedic, police officer and state trooper, as well as an FBI agent. He moved to amend the Mendes budget to add back the $2.6 million that had been in the mayor's budget. A lot of people abstained and the amendment got 21 votes, the minimum necessary to pass. 

While I am disappointed the Council approved a huge tax increase, I am glad that we did not slash funding for public safety and that we recognized the need to increase funding for our undermanned police department. I commend Councilman Pulley for his leadership. (link)

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Dems can sue over redistricting but they can't win

 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF), Jan. 14, 2021 — ... Vanderbilt Law School Professor Jim Blumstein said fighting the proposed redistricting plan may most likely be an uphill battle. ... To win in court, Blumstein said Democrats would most likely have to prove racial discrimination was the predominant factor for drawing the lines the way they did.

...Blumstein said courts have concluded that redrawing lines to favor one political party's chances is just part of politics — perhaps even if it breaks up a city center. 

"There can't be discrimination against Blacks, if that's the predominant factor, but there can be favoritism toward Republicans, and if it turns out a lot of Blacks are Democrats and they're going to be hurt, that's not going to be enough — they'll have to show that's the primary focus," Blumstein said. (link)

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Retired Brig. Gen. Kurtis Winstead expresses interest in running for the new 5th Congressional seat.

Jan. 14th - The Daily Lookout reports that Franklin lawyer Kurt Winstead, a retired brigadier general in the Tennessee National Guard, has expressed interest in running for the new 5th Congressional seat as a Republican. Winstead's wife, Beth Winstead, says Lookout, has been a lobbyist for years but was a staff member for the late Democratic Gov. Ned Ray McWherter. 

With the new districts established, I would not be surprised to see several new candidates emerge.  Also, I would not be surprised if Jim Cooper announces his retirement.

Here is more on Kurt Winstead:

Brig. Gen. Kurtis Winstead retiring from Tennessee National Guard

Press release, Wednesday, January 27, 2021, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After 30 years of service, Brig. Gen. Kurtis J. Winstead, a Franklin resident, is retiring from the Tennessee National Guard on Feb. 6.

Winstead is currently serving as the Director of the Joint Staff for the Tennessee National Guard, a position he has held since February 2017. He began his military career in 1990 when he received a direct commission as a First Lieutenant in the Judge Advocate Corps. He was assigned to the Tennessee National Guard’s 194th Engineer Brigade where he provided legal services to Soldiers in the unit.

Throughout his career, Winstead serve in numerous positions of increased responsibility. In 2004, Winstead deployed to Iraq as the Staff Judge Advocate for Jackson’s 194th Engineer Brigade where he was instrumental in forming a consolidated legal office that provided legal services to over 5,000 Soldiers and Airmen during Operation Iraqi Freedom III. Following his deployment, he became Tennessee’s Senior Staff Judge Advocate at the Joint Force Headquarters in Nashville where he served from 2009 to 2017.  

“Brig. Gen. Winstead has been an integral part of our organization for over 30 years,” said Maj. Gen. Jeff Holmes, Tennessee’s Adjutant General. “His leadership and passion for helping people will be sorely missed, but we thank him for his dedication spanning three decades, and wish him luck on what lies ahead of him.”

Throughout his career, Winstead earned numerous recognitions, including the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Achievement Medal and the Iraqi Campaign Medal. He also earned a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2010.

A graduate of the University of Richmond with a Juris Doctorate, Winstead has been practicing law for over 32 years and is a founding partner in Rudy Winstead Turner, PLLC, located in Nashville. He and his wife Beth have two daughters: Bridget and Mary Hannah.

A retirement ceremony in honor of Winstead will be held at the Tennessee National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters on Feb. 6. Due to current COVID-19 restrictions and CDC guidelines, participation in the ceremony is limited to close friends and family.   

 

 

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Tennessee ranked 4th freest state in the union

by Rod Williams, Jan. 14, 2022 -The CATO Institute has released its 6th edition of the Freedom in the 50 States, Index of Personal and Economic Freedom.

Tennesee ranks fourth as the freest state in the union. New Hampshire, Florida, and Nevada hold the first three positions. 

The least free states are California, Hawaii, and New York ranked 48, 49, and 50. More than 230 policy variables enter into the calculation. To read the full report follow this link. 

Below is what the report says about Tennessee.

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Tennessee Dem's to sue over redistricting. Using redistricting to raise money, but not much. And what about that "he/him" closing?

Jan. 13, 2021- Suprise, Suprise! The Tennessee Democrat Party plans to sue challenging the redistricting. Here is the text of the fundraising I received today:

Rod,

 

In case you missed it, Republicans rigged Tennessee maps in their favor, and we’re preparing to sue. With these new, unconstitutional maps, 1 in 4 Tennesseeans will be discriminated against and underrepresented.

 

“Equality of population is still the principal consideration.” – Supreme Court of Tennessee, Lockert v. Crowell, 1982

 

This principle is what should be at the center of drawing district lines. The Republicans’ maps fail to do this, while the maps Democrats proposed were mathematically and proportionally superior in every way. It is possible to draw fair maps, but Tennessee Republicans chose themselves over equality.

We need to raise $30,000 by the end of January to mount our lawsuit — can you chip in now to help us get there? 

It continues with a choice of hitting a button to donate $25, $50, $100, $250, or other. and then this:

 I am not surprised that the Democrats are suing.  I am assuming the Republicans knew what they were doing, had adequate legal counsel when drawing the lines, and anticipated this. I have a couple questions:

#1. Why are Dems shooting to raise such a middling amount of money? If the shoe was on the other foot, Republicans would need $300,000.

#2.  What in the heck does the term "he/him" below Hendrell Remus's signature mean.  I am guessing that in the woke world of Democrats it has become a thing to let readers know the preferred pronoun one prefers to be used when being referenced.  I guess this is to show "he/him" is the preferred pronoun Mr. Remus desires as opposed to "her/She," or "them/they" or "it." 

If there is any Democrat reading this blog post, please enlighten me on these two points. 

Signing Off

Rod Williams

He/Him

A Disgruntled Republican. 

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Odessa Kelly's home is now in District 6. Jim Cooper is in District 5

 Odessa Kelly's home is now in District 6.

District 6: Republican Rep. John Rose's redrawn district includes the northeastern part of Davidson County, comprising much of East Nashville and Goodlettsville. It would extend north to the state line and east past Cookeville.

79% white, 9% Black, 8% Hispanic, 1% Asian. (link, link)

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Goodbye Jim Cooper? U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper will be drawn into a district that voted for President Trump by about a 9-point margin.

 Axios Nashville, Jan. 13, 2021- U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper will be drawn into a district that voted for then-President Trump by about a 9-point margin, according to Cook Political Report editor Dave Wasserman. .... District 5: The plan calls for Cooper's district to curl across six counties. It would move to the east and south and include the southern edge of Davidson County. A chunk of western Wilson County and some of Williamson County would also be included, along with Lewis, Maury, and Marshall counties. ... District 7: Republican Rep. Mark Green's new district would be much of western and northern Davidson County, including downtown Nashville. (link)

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Metro Budget 101 Series: How Does the City Spend Money? Debt Service and General Government

 Metro Budget 101 Series: How Does the City Spend Money? Debt Service and General Government

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Davidson County Moms for LIberty Jan. 27th Meeting

 

Meet Mark Woodward who is running for School Board in District 2

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Redistricting to split Davidson County into three Congressional Districts.

 7th District U.S. Rep. Mark Green will get north Davidson County and 6th District Rep. John Rose will get a swath of eastern Davidson County. The remainder of the county will be used to create a new 5th District

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The Nuclear Option. While our progressive friends dream of Green New Deals and modern economies powered by good intentions, wishful thinking, and unicorn flatulence, about 40 percent of the world’s electricity at this moment still comes from coal.

By KEVIN D. WILLIAMSON, National Review, January 11, 2022  - The most important question in almost every public-policy debate is: Compared to what? And so it is with nuclear energy and, to a lesser extent, with natural gas, .... 

Using nuclear power to produce electricity comes with externalities, and using coal to produce electricity comes with externalities — but they are not the same externalities. ... Operating a coal-fired power plant, even a very sophisticated modern one, produces a lot of greenhouse-gas emissions; operating a gas-fired plant produces only half as much, and less in some circumstances; operating a nuclear plant produces none at all. ... 

The French, showing their too-rarely-seen sensible side, produce more than 70 percent of their electricity with nuclear power and have very little trouble doing it. ... Coal produces 40 percent of the power in the Czech Republic and 70 percent of the power in Poland. ... Natural gas is not anything like 100 percent in the clear when it comes to greenhouse-gas emissions; it is simply better — much — than coal on that front. ... 

if those who say that climate change should be our No. 1 consideration in these matters really mean it, then taking on the relatively straightforward problem of handling nuclear waste in exchange for the very complex problem of trying to reduce emissions in some other way would be a very good trade ... 

(If you have a subscription, read the whole article.)

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House, Senate agree on redistricting plan to split Davidson

 House, Senate agree on redistricting plan to split Davidson

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The Bastiat Society, Jan. 27th, "The Truth About Americans' Standard of Living"

 

Register here

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Earth’s surface continues to significantly warm, with recent global temperatures being the hottest in the past 2,000-plus years.

For more of my post on global warming and arguments that it is time for climate change realism, follow this link.

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Leftist activist try to coerce the owners of The Factory at Franklin into canceling The American Dream conference.

 Left-leaning Groups Try To Stop Conservative CRT Conference

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Nashville's 5th district could split. The new maps will be revealed this week.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) Jan. 11, 2021 — House Speaker Cameron Sexton said Tennessee Republicans plan to carve fast-growing Nashville into several different congressional seats.

The move will potentially make it easier for the state’s GOP supermajority to gain even more power in a previously Democratic-controlled district. (link)

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How am I hurting others if I choose not to get vaccinated?

Dr. Ming Wang

by Dr. Ming Wang, Jan. 4, 2022 - As a physician who has been involved in the care of patients, including those with COVID, I am frequently asked, “How am I hurting others if I choose not to get vaccinated?” 

The answer is this: By choosing not to get vaccinated, you are increasing the chances of the generation of new mutants of the virus that may eventually make all of the current vaccines ineffective, hurting us all. 

A virus has a given error rate of replication of, say, 0.0001%, meaning that when the virus replicates 1,000,000 times, it generates an average of one replication error, and therefore one new mutant. 

In a vaccinated person, the moment the virus enters, it is immediately met with a fully prepared and strong host defense system of antibodies which have been produced by the vaccine prior to the arrival of the virus. The virus is subsequently overwhelmed by the large number of the pre-existing antibodies and is destroyed. This is why the chance of a vaccinated person dying from COVID is 10 times SMALLER than that of an unvaccinated person. 

Furthermore, when faced with such a prepared and strong opposition, the virus simply does not have much time to replicate before it is killed. In such a short period of time, the virus can only achieve a very low level of replication of, say 1,000 times. Hence the number of new mutants generated is very small, i.e., 0.0001% x 1,000 = 0.001. So essentially, no mutant is generated in a vaccinated person! 

In contrast, in an unvaccinated person, there is actually very little if any existing defense (since even if one has a previous infection natural immunity typically lasts a shorter period of time than a vaccine-caused one). The host’s antibodies won’t be developed for days, so the virus takes advantage of the situation and replicates completely unopposed and at a very high rate, destroying a large number of host cells and causing significant damages. That is why an unvaccinated person has a 1,000% HIGHER chance of dying from COVID than does a vaccinated person. 

Furthermore, since the virus can grow for days without any opposition it can thus achieve an astronomically high number of replications of as many as, say, 100,000,000, the number of new mutants generated is thus very large also, i.e., 0.0001%x100,000,000 = 100. So new mutants are typically generated in an unvaccinated person. An unvaccinated person is therefore a fertile ground for producing new mutants! 

Every time a mutant is generated in a population, it has the chance to evade the defense of all existing vaccines, which means all the vaccines that vaccinated persons have had all could become totally ineffective. 

My main point is this: Those who refuse to get vaccinated are essentially helping the production of new mutants that could potentially wipe out all of the protection vaccinated persons have from existing vaccines, hence increasing their chance of dying by 1,000% as well! 

In essence, a person who refuses to be vaccinated is like someone driving a car without any experience or license to drive. The chance of a fatal accident is dramatically higher, not just for that driver but for all others on the road as well. 

Vaccination is not a political issue, it is a medical one. Let’s overcome the polarization and find the common ground that we all do have, i.e., we all want to survive and we don’t want to hurt others! 

Dr. Ming Wang, Harvard & MIT (MD, magna cum laude); PhD (laser physics), is a world-renowned laser eye surgeon, philanthropist, and a co-founder of the non-profit Common Ground Network. Dr. Wang can be reached at www.drmingwang.com, www.commonground.network and drwang@wangvisioninstitute.com.

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How Moms For Liberty is fighting Critical Race Theory in Tennessee

 

Brandon Lewis, Founder of The Tennessee Conservative, interviews Brandy Howard of Hamilton County, Robin Steenman of Williamson County and Jennifer Conder of the Davidson County chapters of Moms for Liberty.

Also see, Moms for Liberty complaint about age-appropriateness and context of material taught to 2nd graders dismissed without a hearing.

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Beacon's January young professionals' happy hour Tuesday, Jan. 25

Beacon Center Young Professionals January Happy Hour

 WHEN: Tuesday, January 25

TIME: 5:30 PM until 7 PM

WHERE: Up! at Fairfield Inn and Suites, the Gulch (901 Division Street)

RSVP on Eventbrite

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1st Tuesday meets Tuesday Jan. 25th. Guest speaker NEW Nashville-Republican-Congressman-to-be, Congressman JOHN ROSE.

Congressman John Rose

From Tim Skow:

 2022 1ST TUESDAY Members, Long time friends and Guests! 

Our JANUARY version of 1ST TUESDAY is set be on Tuesday, JAN 25th [ yes 4th Tuesday !! ] and features 1 of Nashville's 2 NEW Republican Congressmen starting in 2022 !!

Please join us to welcome our NEW Nashville-Republican-Congressman-to-be, Congressman JOHN ROSE for an incredibly insightful day!!   

[ We aim to bring you NASHVILLE's NEW Republican Congressman Mark Green when his schedule allows] 

As we move into Election Season 2022, the news seems to be constantly filled with a slew of important stories. Congressman John Rose is one of the few who know a slew of the back stories and many of their implications for the future!

TOPICS will include, but not limited to:

1. BIDEN & Fauci -- "Covid policies of the day" --- test kits, masks mailed, HEARINGS, new Fauci emails exposures and more  
2. RUSSIA / Ukraine -- invasion ramifications, US responses, what are we telling / showing China? / What are US National security implications 
3. REDISTRICTING -- in TN, new seats elsewhere in play for Republicans so far, other DEM retirements to look for, future Committees will he seek now that he represents Nashville? Who will be his point person for Nashville area?
4. ANYTHING passing in the House -- with BIDEN BBB now dead...WHAT is in play before Elections?
5. The HOUSE in 2023 -- can you say "HEARINGS" ??? Given Republicans take The House, WHAT will we see?  Hearings on Hunter Biden deals / revisit of what House DEMS hid 
6. AND MUCH MORE !!! 

Doors at Brentwood's LUDLOW & PRIME [ 330 Franklin Road ] will open at 11:00. Lunch starts being served at 11:25. Program starts at Noon with our noted Q&A session closing at 1:00PM sharp 

Lunch is $30 for GUESTS and still $25 for 2022 MEMBERS who have paid 2022 DUES ! 

Visit our updated 1ST TUESDAY website at Home | Firsttuesdaynash.

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University of Memphis professors incentivized with extra money to teach Critical Race Theory. Apolitical courses will be used to turn students into activists.

by Matthew Foldi,  The Washington Free Beacon, January 3, 2022 - A public Tennessee university is offering professors financial incentives for "infusing" social justice into their classes.

The University of Memphis told faculty they could collect a $3,000 stipend for redesigning their curricula to align with the university's commitment to "diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice," according to an email sent to all faculty obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. The offer is part of the university's "Eradicating Systemic Racism and Promoting Social Justice Initiative." (Read more) 

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ERICKSON: The Real Truth Of Jan. 6

Protesters crowd the rotunda of the state Capitol in
Madison, Wisconsin on February 24, 2011. The building
 has been the scene of 24-hour demonstrations against
the state budget proposed by Republican Gov. Scott
Walker for the past 10 days. UPI/Brian Kersey

By  Erick Erickson, Jan 8, 2022,  DailyWire- The truth is Jan. 6 was a dark day in the history of our republic. Fueled by repeated lies from President Donald Trump, a group of men and women stormed the United States Capitol to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote. Along with those men and women were many more who wandered in, curious, thinking they were allowed to be there. We should not lump them all in together, but we should not give the veneer of patriotism to the criminal trespassers.

The truth is a lot of Republicans who condemned the activities of the day have now tried to claim it was something worth celebrating or was not bad. ...

In 2009, progressive activists stormed the State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. ...  Progressives were trying to stop a vote making Wisconsin a right-to-work state, which would undermine labor union powers. Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it an “impressive show of democracy” and said she stood with the protesters. The media was mostly matter-of-fact about it and by no means condemnatory. 

... In Texas, protesters stormed the State Capitol in Austin to stop Republicans from passing a pro-life measure. ... In Washington, D.C., progressive activists stormed the United States Capitol to stop the vote on Brett Kavanaugh and to intimidate United States senators. ... the coordinated and concerted Democratic efforts starting in 2000 to treat any election they lose as illegitimate. Bush was “selected not elected,” and Trump was fraudulently accused of being bought and paid for by the Russians. 

...The bottom line is all of these should be condemned, but we should not be surprised some Republicans got tired of playing by the rules after two decades of Democrats breaking them without consequence. (Read it all)

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Moms for Liberty complaint about age-appropriateness and context of material taught to 2nd graders dismissed without a hearing.

by Rod Williams, Jan. 5, 2021 - In case you missed it, Moms for Liberty of Williamson County filed a
complaint with the State Department of Education a few months ago alleging that the Williamson County Schools were teaching Critical Race Theory.  The complaint was dismissed by the Department of Education on a technicality. Williamson County Schools Superintendent Jason Golden has denied that CRT is being taught in WCS. 

This is what the law says may not be taught in schools (link): 

(a) An LEA or public charter school shall not include or promote the following concepts as part of a course of instruction or in a curriculum or instructional program, or allow teachers or other employees of the LEA or public charter school to use supplemental instructional materials that include or promote the following concepts:

(1) One (1) race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex;

(2) An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously;

(3) An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of the individual's race or sex;

(4) An individual's moral character is determined by the individual's race or sex;

(5) An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex;

(6) An individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or another form of psychological distress solely because of the individual's race or sex;

(7) A meritocracy is inherently racist or sexist, or designed by a particular race or sex to oppress members of another race or sex;

(8) This state or the United States is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist;

(9) Promoting or advocating the violent overthrow of the United States government;

(10) Promoting division between, or resentment of, a race, sex, religion, creed, nonviolent political affiliation, social class, or class of people;

(11) Ascribing character traits, values, moral or ethical codes, privileges, or beliefs to a race or sex, or to an individual because of the individual's race or sex;

(12) The rule of law does not exist, but instead is a series of power relationships and struggles among racial or other groups;

(13) All Americans are not created equal and are not endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; or

(14) Governments should deny to any person within the government's jurisdiction the equal protection of the law.

The law continues, however: 

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), this section does not prohibit an LEA or public charter school from including, as part of a course of instruction or in a curriculum or instructional program, or from allowing teachers or other employees of the LEA or public charter school to use supplemental instructional materials that include:

(1) The history of an ethnic group, as described in textbooks and instructional materials adopted in accordance with part 22 of this chapter;

(2) The impartial discussion of controversial aspects of history;

(3) The impartial instruction on the historical oppression of a particular group of people based on race, ethnicity, class, nationality, religion, or geographic region; or

(4) Historical documents relevant to subdivisions (b)(1)-(3) that are permitted under § 49-6-1011.

I support the law.  It sounds reasonable to me.  Moms claimed that Williamson County Schools was violating this law. Here is an excerpt from their complaint:

I have not read any of the cited publications.  My gut reaction is that they are not objectionable if part of a balanced presentation and age-appropriate. I seriously doubt they rise to the level of constituting CRT or violating the law as stated above. 

Moms for Liberty claims in its complaint that the materials are not age-appropriate. According to the Moms complaint, the material is being presented as part of a nine-week module taught to second graders. Assuming this is true, and I have no reason to doubt that it is, that seems more like indoctrination rather than education.  Nine weeks?  Second graders?

By Second grade many children may know almost nothing of our history.  If a smaller module and taught to fifth graders, the material may very well be appropriate. I want children to be taught about slavery, Jim Crow, the civil rights movement, the Trail of Tears, and the Japanese internment. However, the bad should not be taught before the good or in place of the good. The bad should not be taught before children have enough knowledge to understand some context.

Children should learn of the wisdom and heroism of our founders, of pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving, the exceptionalism of America, and how our founding ideas were new ideas in the world and changed the world, and of "give me liberty or give me death." And they should learn of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Davy Crockett, and Paul Revere, and a whole host of American heroes.

If they are being taught of our blemishes instead of our glories, then that is wrong. The key to determining if the material is appropriate or not is, in my view, if it is taught in context and if it is age-appropriate.

Now, Moms for Liberty may go a little overboard at times and their rhetoric may be extreme. If it is true that "Moms for Liberty" group demands schools ban books with "sexy" pictures of seahorses, then that is just nuttiness. If they get unruly at school board meetings, then I do not approve. Despite their faults and excesses, however, I think they are right in advocating for context and age-appropriateness in what is taught in schools. 

Instead of a dodge on a time-frame technicality, I wish the charge would have been evaluated. I hope this charge is renewed this year, assuming the same situation exists. 

For more see link, link, link,

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What's up with Senator Janice Bowling, bless her heart? Someone needs to tell her Trump won in Tennessee and won big.

Sen. Janice Bowling

by Rod Williams, Dec. 24, 2021-  Some Republicans continue spreading the lie that the 2020 election was stolen and that Trump actually won. This has led to lawsuits, recounts, and audits in an attempt to find where the theft occurred.  It can't be found because it is not there.  The hand recount in Arizona found Trump lost by 45,469 votes whereas earlier county results showed he lost by 45,109.

Usually, these fruitless investigations happen in states where Trump lost. In Tennesee Trump won.  He won big. Trump carried Tennessee with more than 60% of the vote. He won all 11 electoral college votes. Not only did Trump win big, but there has also been no allegation of irregularities in Tennessee voting, no legal challenge, and every county election commission in the State has a Republican majority commission. I guess, however, that Senator Janice Bowling thinks somehow Democrats were able to cheat in Tennesee and Trump won by even more votes than were recorded.  

Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, has filed legislation asking the Tennessee secretary of state and the state election commission to investigate the state's 2020 election, including presidential and congressional results. Here is what Senate Bill 1657 calls for:

(a) The secretary of state, in collaboration with the state election commission, shall conduct an investigation into the results of the 2020 general election results in this state. The investigation must focus on the results for President of the United States and for each United States congressional race in this state. In conducting the investigation, the secretary of state shall perform:

1.  A forensic audit of each ballot, including absentee ballots, available for review from the 2020 general election;
2. A complete canvassing of each ballot, including absentee ballots, for purposes of confirming the vote tallies for each race; and
3. A thorough review of the chain of custody for ballots, including absentee ballots, ballot boxes, and voting machines and equipment.

The bill also says the secretary of state has broad authority to: "Conduct the investigation in the manner most likely to yield accurate and reliable results, including the authority to examine witnesses and subpoena documents and records other than ballots relative to the investigation that the secretary of state reasonably believes will assist in carrying out the investigation."

This is just nuts. This would take extra staff, time, and money and would disrupt the operation of every election commission in the state. And why?  Do we think Republican-controlled election commissions stole votes to benefit Joe Biden?

The bill is not going anywhere and this investigation and audit will not happen. The Tennessean reported on this and got comments from relevant state officials. Here are excerpts from their report:

Secretary of State Tre Hargett's office said there is no reason to question the results in Tennessee.

"Tennessee had a safe, secure and trustworthy election in 2020. Not a single federal or state candidate legally challenged the 2020 election results in Tennessee," Hargett spokesperson Julia Bruck said. "With the strong voter integrity laws and hard work performed by Tennessee election officials, Tennesseans should be confident with the 2020 election held in Tennessee."

Adam Kleinheider, spokesperson for Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, acknowledged there is no evidence of widespread voting irregularities in Tennessee during the 2020 general election.

The bill, he said, appears to be "a solution in search of a problem" in the state.

"Due to the efforts of our outstanding Secretary of State, Tennessee's election infrastructure is strong and secure," Kleinheider said in a Friday statement. "While this kind of legislation might be worthy of consideration in other states, it would seem to be a solution in search of a problem here in Tennessee."

Senator Bowing is one of the ones who supported the coup attempt on Jan. 6th and signed a letter urging Senator Marsha Blackburn and Senator Bill Hagerty to reject the electoral college votes.  Of course, that did not happen. Some Trump supporters were so certain Trump would win, that when he didn't I think it caused a mental breakdown of some sort.  Senator Bowling may be in that category. I think Senator Bowling may be suffering from Trumpinista Delusion and Hysteria. 

I think it is time for Senator Bowling to retire.  If she doesn't, she needs to be challenged by a sane Republican. 

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