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Monday, July 20, 2026
David French: Republicans Preached Character Until Donald Trump Put It to the Test.
by Rod Williams, July 20, 2026 - I am dismayed that most Republicans no longer think character is important in an elected official. Trump's sexual assaults and his corruption and close friendship with Jeremy Epstein just don't concern most Republicans. I think policy aside, character is important. The same voters who were morally outraged about Bill Clinton's behavior are accepting of Donald Trump's behavior. Democrats are no better. They only "believe the women" when it is the opposition that has a scandal. Unfortunately, it seems Democrats and Republicans are in a race to the bottom. Dems turned on Graham Platner only after he was credibly accused of rape, when it was clear he was a person who lacked character before that allegation surfaced.
Below is a video featuring Sara Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, and New York Times columnist and attorney David French. They explore the topic of character in some detail. When is winning worth sacrificing your values to achieve? When you sacrifice your values for expedience, do you become the thing you hate? This is thought-provoking. If you watch the video, I welcome your thoughts.
I watched this video with my good friend Gene Wisdom, which led to more discussion. Today, Gene Wisdom posted this Facebook commentary:
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Attorney General Skrmetti Announces Opening of Claims Process in Metropolis Parking Settlement. If You Are a Victim, You Are Due a Refund.
Also, parking is terribly expensive. Recently I took my grandson to the Fisk Art Museum. I have season tickets, so I did not have to pay for admission. When we went inside the gallery, I went to the help desk and got a little card for a parking discount. Unfortunately, I lost the little paper ticket that the machine at the gate spits out when entering the parking lot. Upon discovering this, I went to the museum help desk, and they said there was nothing they could do. I still had the parking discount card. When leaving, I explained to the person at the parking gate my problem, and they could not help. It ended up costing me $28.69!
I am all for peak pricing. It is the operation of supply and demand in real time. However, I have talked to people who have to park downtown, and often they have no idea how much parking is going to cost them and don't know how much they paid for parking until they look at their credit card statement. That is wrong.
Worse than the hassle and the expense of parking, people are being ripped off. One problem is that cars are being booted that shouldn't be, or the signage is unclear or absent. Private companies like Nashville Booting LLC and Parking Authority LLC are authorized by property owners to enforce parking rules on private lots. They can place boots on vehicles that violate posted signage, often without prior warning. This has been used at places like the Inglewood post office off Gallatin Pike, where drivers have reported being booted for parking in front of a building without realizing the space was in a private lot. I have talked to people to whom this has happened. This problem with cars being booted has been addressed and occurs less often now than in the past. Most car booting is now prohibited in Nashville, but it was a big problem for a while.
Another problem with parking is the tactics of parking giant Metropolis Technologies. There have been complaints of drivers getting billed for parking in lots they never entered or receiving fines for just driving through garages looking for a parking place. Our Attorney General sued Metropolis and reached a settlement. If you were a victim of Metropolis billing you for services you never received, you may be eligible for a refund. Below is the press release from Skrmetti's office, including a link to file a claim.
On January 12, 2026, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced a multi-million dollar settlement with Metropolis Technologies, Inc. (“Metropolis”) following an extensive investigation into its business practices in Tennessee. Part of the settlement included millions of dollars in restitution for Tennessee consumers who were improperly charged by the company. The claims process for restitution payments opens today, and payments are expected to be made in early 2027.
Some consumers will immediately begin receiving email notices with information about filing a claim to receive payment from the restitution. The fastest way to file a claim is by using the unique Claimant ID and Access Code listed at the top of the email notice. Eligible consumers may file a claim even if they do not receive an email. Eligible consumers may need to provide documentation of these violations to receive payment.
To be eligible for payment, you: (1) must have paid for a parking session at a Metropolis parking lot in Tennessee between July 1, 2021, and January 6, 2026; (2) were wrongfully overcharged, ticketed, or booted; and (3) have not previously received a full refund from Metropolis for your parking session.
“I encourage every eligible Tennessean to file a claim and collect what they're owed as Metropolis works to make things right,” said Attorney General Skrmetti. “This settlement means real money back where it belongs, with the hard-working people who got ripped off.”
The electronic claim form can be found at www.metropolisparkingsettlement.com.
If you have any questions, please visit the settlement website. If you need further assistance, please contact the settlement administrator by emailing info@metropolisparkingsettlement.com or by filling out a contact request form on the settlement website.
Thank you Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.
If you were a victim, file that claim!
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