Dear Immigrant, About the police....

Dear Immigrant,

I know the mayor of our city has been critical of Immigration police because immigrants might not know the difference between ICE and Metro Police.  I am going to try to help the Mayor help you sort this out.

In Nashville, as well as in the rest of America, you will see a variety of different types of "police," or law enforcement officers or security people.  You need to be aware that not everyone who has a badge and a vest that says "police" and a leather belt with a stuff hanging off of it are all the same. Not every car with light bar across the top and that looks like a police car is a Metro Police car but if the light is flashing, I would suggest getting out of the way.

We do not have a national police force in America, the way many countries do. Our founders did not think having a national police force was a good idea.  I know the country you came from may have had a national police force and it may have been corrupt and may have been used to suppress descent and to prop up the regime.  Such is not the case in this country.  Police in this country are local. Also, they are usually not used by politician to harass political opponents and prop up the current administration and they do not normally accept bribes. I know for many of you, that bribing the police was part of routine business in your country of origin. In many places in the world the police are corrupt; not so much in America.

In Davidson County, in addition to the Metro Police, we have the Davidson County Sheriff's deputies and they wear a uniform and drive police-type cars, but the Sheriff's office in this county does not have law enforcement duties.  They keep the jail and serve civil warrants. If being served with a warrant, I suggest accepting it and not smarting off.  They are not going to arrest you, all they are going to do is give you a piece of paper. They are not going to ask you about your immigration status.

Locally, other prominent "police" you may encounter are the Fire Marshall and Metro School Police.  The Metro School Police have law enforcement duties on Metro school property and I think they investigate truant students, but I am not sure about that. Also you will see school crossing guards.  They are part of the Police Department. There job is to make cars slow down in school zones and to

help children safely cross the street.  They will not ask you about your immigration status.

Another type of "police" you will encounter in Nashville is the Vanderbilt Police and maybe other college police.  By an agreement with Metro, they can write traffic tickets and they have other police functions. Don't argue with them and say, "Well, you are just a campus police and I'm not a student and not on campus."  They can arrest you.  There authority stretches beyond the campus boundaries.

You may encounter the Berry Hill Police or the Belle Meade Police.  Nashville is one big city that covers the whole county but we do have these little cities within the city.  These police from Berry Hill really are police. Also, much like campus police, they can enforce law near to but outside their city limits.  Anyway, you probably won't know where the city limits are of these small cities. Be aware that the Berry Hill police are very particular about people driving over the speed limit in their city, so be careful.

In addition to local police you may encounter others with police powers. In Tennessee we have the TBI, and the Highway Patrol. Also, Wild Life Resource Officers and Park Rangers and several other people authorized to make arrest and enforce some laws.  Don't get caught fishing without a license or a Park Ranger or a Wildlife Resource Officer or Fish and Game Warden may give you a ticket or maybe arrest you.  I am not sure exactly what duties they have. I am not sure if Wild Life Resource Officers are the same as Fish and Game Wardens or not, they may be a different name for the same thing. Even a native born American and a citizen of the State of Tennessee is not always certain who can do what.

There are also lots of Federal law enforcement agents you may encounter. There are thousands and

thousands of them.  You know about ICE, of course, and the Border Patrol, but another major agency of the Federal Government to be aware of is the FBI. They normally do not enforce local law unless called in to help local police. Other major Federal law enforcement agencies are the United States Marshals Service (USMS), , the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

In addition to the big Federal law enforcement organizations there are dozens of other agencies, maybe hundreds, with limited law enforcement authority. The Department of Agriculture has the Office of Inspector General (USDA OIG), the United States Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations (USFS LEI).  That is just Ag; Commerce Department has a bunch of gun-toting uniformed organizations under Commerce authority. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has there own armed force. the EPA and Social Security have an armed force. In my view we have too many armed federal agents.  If an agency of government has a military-style police force, they will find an excuse to use it.  I think people should be able to deal with their government without being intimidated. I know all of this about the military units of different bureaucracies is a lot of information and hard to keep up with it all.  Don't even try.

Sometimes these Federal police agencies act like the police in authoritarian countries.  On August 24th, 2011, a SWAT team of about 20 federal agents armed with high-powered weapons raided the Gibson Guitar factories in Nashville and Memphis. They detained people without charges, and confiscated property and treating people like terrorist. They were not looking for undocumented people but for undocumented wood. Why it took a 20-person swat team intimidating and terrorizing people when one guy with a summons dressed in a business suit could have done the job is beyond me. That should not happen in America, but it does. (link)


Each branch of he military has its own police which usually just concernx itself with military people who are misbehaving, but they may be authorized to enforce traffic laws near their military base. If you are in the vicinity of Fort Campbell, you may encounter the Fort Campbell Military Police.

Sometimes, "police" or not really police but get away with acting like it. Back in 2010 - 2013 Metro Government tried to stamp out emerging alternatives to taxi and limousine service. The city had a price-fixing scheme and arcane regulations designed to protect then current transit companies from competition. To stamp out the emerging competition, the city used police-state-like tactics.  The Transportation Licensing Commission acted like police-state gangsters, illegally impersonating police officers, illegally using blue lights, writing tickets on phony trumped-up charges and intimidating and threatening drivers of the independent private car services.  Many of the drivers of the independent car companies were immigrants and some came from authoritarian countries where the police are feared and corrupt. They were more susceptible to "police" intimidation than native-born Americans. This tactic of intimidation and illegally impersonating police was exposed, got national attention and ended. (link)  You will probably never encounter something like this but just be aware that it does happen.

There is a whole other type of police that are private police.  There are private investigators who often work for attorneys in civil and criminal cases and do things like try to catch a cheating spouses, or investigate fraud, or serve summons. They have to be licensed by the state.  They are often armed. I don't know if they carry a badge in Tennessee or not.  They are not official government law enforcement officers but they know the law. A special type of private investigator is insurance investigators who investigate false insurance claims.

Another type of private police is those who work for alarm or security companies such as ADT. Some patrol neighborhoods in gated communities or patrol large industrial areas. Also, they respond to monitored alarm system alarms. They look like police and drive what looks like police cars. They are usually armed and are licensed by the State but they are not real police.

The most common type of private "police" you will see are the mall cop or big department store cops or the "police" you see at music or sporting events. These are often called "rent-a-cops."  They  protect the public from people who would rob them or commit violence,  deter crime, and do crowd control.  I don't think they really have any police authority.  Some of the "police" you see at things like sporting events really are police and working these events is there off-duty job.  An off-duty policeman is still a policeman with all of the powers and authority he would have working on-duty.

I am not an expert on the exact authority each type of "police" have. This is just a quick explanation.  The point of this essay is to explain that not every person performing policing duties is a Metro Nashville Police Department policeman. The mayor seems to think that that is what immigrants believe.

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Nashville mayor sends letter to head of ICE about immigration enforcement

Astute political observer and influential political activist Rick Williams posted this to Facebook today. I concur.

For more on this story see the following:
Mayor to ICE: Stop posing as police, undermining trust in Nashville Kurdish community
Nashville mayor sends letter to head of ICE about immigration enforcement

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JOINT STATEMENT FROM TNDP AND TNGOP CHAIRS ON THE HORRIFIC ATTACK IN ALEXANDRIA, VA

Nashville, Tenn. - June 14, 2017 - Mary Mancini, Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, and Scott Golden, Chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, released the following joint statement on the shooting in Alexandria, VA:

Today’s attack on United States members of congress, their staff and all in attendance was horrific. Violence can never be tolerated in a civil society. The Tennessee Democratic Party and the Tennessee Republican Party condemn this and any act of violence for any motivation. We are thankful for the courage of the Capitol Police, whose presence and quick actions saved countless lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with Congressman Scalise, the other victims and their families.

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Liberty on the Rocks meets Thursday June 15th.

Liberty on the Rocks meets Tuesday, June 15th at Smoking Thighs on Wedgewood Ave.  LOR has no program, no prayer, no pledge, no speaker, no dues. LOR is just a group of politically aware, well-informed, liberty-loving people who discuss and argue about whatever topic someone brings up. It may be the news of the day or some esoteric philosophical concept. On some rare occasions we don't even talk politics.  Most of those who attend lean more toward the libertarian end of the political spectrum but there is usually a wide range of right-of-center view points represented. The beer is cold and two-for-one in the early evening and the food is pretty good.  If you are attending for the first time, I will buy the first beer. Please join us. If you can't make this one, plan on attending next month.  We meet every third Thursday at 5:30 pm until everyone wants to leave.  Most evening wind up by about 9pm but sometimes may go later, but one can come and leave whenever they want.  To view the LOR Facebook page follow this link.

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Why I would never join AARP: AARP urges Corker, Alexander to vote against AHCA in new TV ads

AARP is not simply an organization that gets senior citizens discounts when they spend money and publishes a magazine that informs old people about senior health issues and retirement options.  AARP is a  partisan organization dedicated to advancing a liberal agenda.  They support policies that would balloon the deficit and make Social Security insolvent. If you want your senior discount and a place of business has the little AARP logo at the check out counter and you explain that you are not an AARP member but are a senior citizen, the establishment will usually give you the discount anyway.  Please do not be tempted to join AARP. It is for political activity such as this that I would never join AARP: AARP urges Corker, Alexander to vote against AHCA in new TV ads.

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Governor's race: Bill Lee tops Randy Boyd, piles up $1.3M at fundraiser

Governor's race: Bill Lee tops Randy Boyd, piles up $1.3M at fundraiser

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Sen. Mark Norris being vetted for appointment to federal judgeship

Sen. Mark Norris being vetted for appointment to federal judgeship

My Comment
Senate majority leader, Mark Norris, although he has not announced he is running for Governor,  has been flirting with a run.  If nominated for a a federal judgeship, he would most likely welcome the nomination and take himself out of the governor's race.

Earlier this year, State Senator Mark Green, who would have most likely been the favorite of sensible movement conservatives and a formidable candidate, withdrew from entering the governor's race when he was nominated for Secretary of the Army. After controversy arose about a position he had taken opposing men using  girls restrooms and some politically incorrect comments he had made, he withdrew from consideration for Secretary of the Army.  He decided to not get back in the governors race.

The slate of candidates for governor is dwindling even before the race even begins. With Senator Norris and Senator Green out of the race, the remaining candidates are Randy Boyd, a wealthy Knoxville business man who served as Director of Economic and Community Development under Governor Haslam; Bill Lee, a Williamson County businessman, and Senator Mae Beavers.  Both Boyd and Lee would vie for the mainstream establishment Republican vote. Senator Beavers would likely be the favorite of a small but dedicated Tea Party fringe of Joe-Carr-type Republicans.

Other potential candidates who would likely be front runners, if they should run, are U. S. Rep. Diane Black and Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell.  Both have broad name recognition and either would be the instant front runner should they enter the race. Other big-name Republicans once considering running for governor but now assumed not be to running are Senator Bob Corker and Rep. Marsha Blackburn. Blackburn has said she will not be running and will seek reelection to the House of Representatives.

Another person sometimes mentioned as running for governor is Andy Ogles, director of  the Tennessee chapter of Americans for Prosperity. He is not well-known outside the AFP organization but that organization has chapters all across the State.  Ogles credentials are thin, mostly having served as a political organizer and working on the campaign of others.  I had heard Ogles was considering a run for governor months ago, but have heard nothing about him in some months.

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Rep. Mark Pody says he is vying to replace Sen. Mae Beavers

Rep. Mark Pody is running for Mae Beavers seat who is vacating her seat to run for governor. Rep. Susan Lynn says she's not running for that seat. (link)

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Southeast Nashville Conservatives' Breakfast speaker will be Mae Beavers

From Robert Duvall

To all:

Just quick note related to our meeting this coming Saturday, June 17, 2017, at the Shoney’s, at the intersection of Thompson Lane &  Nolensville Road. Please make an extra effort to be there as Senator Mae Beavers will be present and deliver our Keynote address.

Mae will not be able to stay, so our new DCRP Chairman, Melissa Smithson will fill our remaining time with updates on the County Party and upcoming elections.

This will be a great opportunity to meet Mae in person. Please take advantage of such a kind jester as being candidate for Governor can consume all your time and this may be the only chance we get to meet with Mae in person.

 Blessing to all, Robert Duvall & Pat Carl

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Mayor Barry vetoes the legislatiion celebrating the homosexual commuity and Gay Pride week.

Mayor Barry returned unsigned a resolution "celebrating the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender

Mayor Barry officiates a lesbian wedding

communities and their enormous contributions to the quality of life in Nashville and Davidson County." Returning a resolution unsigned is the same thing as vetoing, but our charter does not use the term "veto."   

The mayor has been an advocate of gay rights and has stellar liberal credentials so why she returned RESOLUTION NO. RS2017-744 unsigned, I do not know. In 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled that homosexuals had the right to marry, Barry issued a statement saying, “Words cannot express the joy I have for so many of my gay and lesbian friends and family who now have the freedom to marry whomever they love."  Mayor Barry also appointed a transgender "women" to an important position in Metro government and performed one of the first lesbian weddings in Tennessee following the Supreme Courts ruling legalizing homosexual marriage.

The charter states that when a resolution is returned unsigned that it may be accompanied by a message indicating the reason for the disapproval.  I do not find a posting of a disapproval message but have contacted the Metro Clerk seeking a copy of it if one was made.  I have also asked the mayor's office for an explanation for the mayor's disapproval. A mayor's disapproval of a bill or resolution can be overridden by  2/3rds vote of the Council. Here is what the Charter says about a Mayor's disapproval of legislation:

The mayor is authorized to approve or to disapprove ordinances and resolutions adopted by the council and no ordinance or resolution shall become effective without his approval except as herein provided. Every ordinance or resolution adopted by the council shall be presented to the mayor for his consideration. If he approves, he shall sign the same, and it shall become effective according to the terms thereof. If he disapproves, he shall return the same to the council without his signature, which return may be accompanied by a message indicating the reasons for his disapproval. Any resolution or ordinance so disapproved shall become effective when subsequent to its return it shall be adopted by two-thirds (2/3rds) of all the members to which the council is entitled, with the ayes and noes and the names of the councilmen voting for and against the same entered on the minutes. Every resolution or ordinance shall become effective unless the same be approved or disapproved by the mayor and returned to the council at or prior to the next regular meeting of the council occurring ten (10) days or more subsequent to the date when the same was delivered to his office for consideration.(Sec 5.04)

Below is a copy of RS2017-744  showing it was returned unsigned.

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(Update) What happened at the Council on June 6: Public hearing on the budget, celebrating homosexuality, protecting privacy.

This is a long meeting. Despite being a long meeting, it is a kind of boring meeting. If you are going to watch it, you may want to watch the public hearing on the budget in double speed. If you don't know how to do that, follow this link and learn. If you are going to watch the meeting, you need an agenda, staff analysis of the agenda and you may find my analysis and commentary on the agenda beneficial. You can these at this link.



All mayoral nominees to boards and commissions were approved by voice vote with no dissentious, including the appointed of a candidate to the Human Relations Commission.  This is the department of Metro Government that bullies people into bowing down to political correctness and that promotes normalizing homosexual activity among the youth of our city. I am disappointed that not a single council member takes an opportunity to cast an opposing vote against this useless entity of government.

Public Hearing on the Budget
The public hearing on the operating budget starts at timestamp 10:15 and ends at timestamp 2:52:09. There is really no need to watch it. Nothing very interesting is said. Each person is allowed three minutes. Numerous speakers ask for more funding for General Hospital than what is proposed in the Mayor's budget; speakers speak against the proposed Hillwood location of the new planned high school and advocate that it be located in Bellevue, speakers advocate for more spending or approval of the proposed spending for mass transit, expanded bus service, sidewalks, green ways and bike ways; speakers advocate for the proposed employee pay raise; more spending for the arts; more for educations; several speak in favor of additional funding for the program "in full motion," which helps at-risk students with additions resources; and speakers advocate for more spending for affordable housing and homeless services. Many of the speakers were employees of General Hospital and member of the SEIU Union.

No one advocates for less spending for anything, nor advocates for a tax cut, nor expresses concern about metro's growing debt liability or pension liability, nor speaks out in favor of reducing waste and inefficiency. That is the way it almost always is; those who want more government advocate all the time while those who do not only show up when a tax increase is proposed. The mayor's Operating budget is approved on second reading with no opposing votes cast. The Capital Improvements budget is also approved on Second Reading. Both the Operation Budget and the Capital Improvements budget are amendable on Third Reading.

Resolutions. Most are passed on the consent agenda which means they are not discussed and are lumped together and pass by a single vote. RESOLUTION NO. RS2017-682   which adopts the certified tax rate, as well as several other resolutions that relate to the budget are deferred to track with the budget. There are several resolutions settling lawsuits against the city and they all pass on Consent as they should. The only issue in settling a lawsuit should be is it in the city's best interest to settle rather than litigate.  Here is a resolutions of interest:

RESOLUTION NO. RS2017-744 is a resolution recognizing Thursday, June 1 to

Friday, June, 30, 2017 as “Nashville Pride Month," celebrating the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities and their "enormous contributions to the quality of life in Nashville and Davidson County." This passed on the Consent agenda. I do not think we should honor a segment of the society for engaging in unnatural sex practices.  Instead of being celebrated, I think ones sexual orientation, deviancy, or fetishes should be ignored.  I am very disappointed in some who I thought may vote against this. There are several Republicans in the Council such as Robert Swope, Davette Blalock, and Sheri Weiner, and they all voted for this.  There are several others who I suspect may be Republican or I suspect they think of themselves as conservative and they all voted for it. I do not think homosexuals should be discriminated against or mistreated but being a sexual deviant is not something to honor and celebrate.  

Bills on First Reading
There are 48 bills on first reading.  All bills on First Reading are lumped together and passed by a single vote, as is the norm. There are some interesting bill on First Reading this time. One would ban party vehicles, which I assume would include pedal taverns but I don't know for sure.  One would prohibit renting any room for lodging for less than a ten hour period. For a city that honors sexual deviancy, it seems a little puritanical to prohibit one from renting a hotel room by the hour. BILL NO. BL2017-739 is on First Reading which may or may not make Nashville a "sanctuary city."  While I think I oppose some of these bills, if I were in the Council, I would honor Council tradition and not vote against any of them on First Reading.

Bills on Second Reading. There is some dissolution of a bill to approve the building of a new high school at the Hillwood location but no motions or debate.  A lot of people from Bellevue want it build in Bellevue. Below are the bills of interest:

BILL NO. BL2017-645  would allow passengers in horse-drawn carriages to drink and ride as long as the beverage was in a plastic or foam cup. This sounds reasonable to me. It passes.

BILL NO. BL2017-687 establishes a process and procedure for naming public buildings, structures and spaces of the Metropolitan Government.  I like this.  I think usually you should have to be dead before you get something named after you. This was deferred from May 2nd and is deferred again at the request of the sponsor to the first meeting in August.

BILL NO. BL2017-705  would establish an incentive program for neighborhoods that are in full compliance with codes.  A neighborhood could be awarded $5000.  Under this plan, if a neighbor has an overgrown lot, codes could review the violation but not impose penalties and the neighborhood could exert pressure on the offender to come into compliance. I do not like this. I do not want to give more power to neighborhood leaders who may have been elected by a tiny fraction of the neighborhood.  Neighborhood organizations have no official status and no legal authority I don't want to give them power. This program could cost up to $875K per year and is not in the FY18 budget. It was deferred from the May 16 Council meeting to this meeting and is deferred again to July 6th.

BILL NO. BL2017-707  would allow Metro to purchase internet and telecom service at specific facilities without submitting those services to a competitive bidding process. It is withdrawn.

BILL NO. BL2017-723 is a bill establishing the tax levy for 2018 for the Urban Services District. Since the mayor has not proposed a tax increase, this tax levy will be the same as the certified tax rate discussed above. This is bill is amended but I do not know what changes. This passes and is amendable on Third Reading.

BILL NO. BL2017-724 establishes the low-income elderly tax relief program for 2018. This is a continuation of a program that has been in place for many year. The State provides a certain amount for tax relief for the low-income elderly and this program is Metro's expansion of the program to provide more tax relief than the State. The income limit to be eligible is $29,180 and applicants must be over the age of 65. This cost Metro $3.9 million. I support this program. It passes.

BILL NO. BL2017-725  establishes a Greenways Commission and a Conservation Assistance Grant Fund and appropriates $500K to the fund.  The purpose of this is to preserve properties having great natural, cultural, and environmental importance. From what I know about it, I support this. As we grow, it becomes important to preserve certain features of our community that make Nashville livable and enjoyable. The commission could not appropriate any funds without coming back to the Council. This passes.

BILL NO. BL2017-726 would require the Finance Department to maintain a written debt management policy for the metropolitan government. This is a good step in getting control of Metro's increasing indebtedness. It is deferred.

BILL NO. BL2017-728 would place restrictions on who can "boot" or unboot a vehicle. It would require criminal background check of those who apply for this job.  I have reservations about this. It is hard enough for ex-cons to get a job without imposing additional restrictions on what jobs they may do. This passes.

Bills on Third Reading. There are 16 bills on Third Reading. Here is one of interest:

BILL NO. BL2016-498   requires approval by the Metropolitan Council for obstructions or excavations which close or occupy any portion of the public right of way for a period in excess of one (1) year. I support this. We should accommodate construction but a sidewalk or street should not be closed to public use for over a year without a plan to accommodate the public. The Chamber of Commerce and the construction industry opposes this bill. The sponsor withdraws it and explains why. He explains that other reform in regards to this are in the works and he plans other legislation.  To see his comments see timestamp 3:51:07.

BILL NO. BL2017-646   would prohibit a company from installing surveillance

equipment, such as cameras and 16 other types of technology that captured activity on a public sidewalk or street without prior Council approval. It also would prohibit the police from using license plate recording technology and restrict the stockpiling of certain date. This is a good bill.

It passes on  roll call vote of 25 form, 2 against, 3 abstaining and 9 not voting. To "abstain is to push the button that records one as abstaining. Why nine simply did not vote, I don't know. This is near the end of the agenda of a long meeting and some members may have skipped out early. If so, shame on them. There are several empty seats in the chamber. Some may have been absent or in the bathroom or distracted, or they may have just sit on their hands. To hide out in the bathroom or sit on your hands is a cowardly action, the way I see it.  Council members should have the courage to cast a vote. Nine not voting is a lot. It the sponsor would have lost five more votes the bill would have died.  On final reading a bill must pass by a "a majority vote of all the members to which the council is entitled." Even if there are vacancies in the Council, a bill on final reading must still get 21 votes. I will post the roll call tally in another post and list the names of those not voting. To see the discussion see timestamp 3:57:05.

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Senator Mark Green Special Guest of 2 Point Club on June 27

To register follow this link. 

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