America is not giving more than its fair share to stop Russian aggression. Others with far less are giving a greater share of their resources.

by Rod Williams, Sept. 28, 2022 - I am proud of America for stepping up to the plate and again being the arsenal of democracy.  As one of the two most powerful countries on earth and the leader of the democratic nations of the world, we have an obligation to keep the world safe for democracy. I am proud of President Biden for his support of Ukraine and for rallying other nations of the world to do the same.

President  Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and abandonment and betrayal of the Afghanistan people was shameful. Many Afghanis had chosen freedom and had trusted the US to stand by them. By the time we withdrew the war was not costing us in American lives and our presence was keeping the Taliban at bay.  Our withdrawal thrust Afghanistan back into a medieval nightmare. While our shameful handing of Afghanistan back over to the Taliban is a black mark against President Biden, he has shown courage and leadership in supporting the brave people of Ukraine. He comes close to redeeming himself.

The opposition to America helping Ukraine has come from the right in America. This surprises me.  Throughout my lifetime, most foreign affairs have been nonpartisan but Republicans could be counted upon to be the more hawkish.  When there has been opposition to American support for those standing up to Communist aggression, it had come from the left. Isolation and appeasement of totalitarian aggressors have not always come from the left, of course. Prior to World War II it was the American right that favored isolationism and appeasement. Since World War II, however, it has been the American left that has been the source of defeatism and pacifism  Now isolationism and appeasement is coming from the right. 

America's favorite political pundit is Fox New's Tucker Carlson and he has shown to be a mouthpiece for Vladimir Putin. Tucker Carlson is a Moscow propagandist. Tucker Carlson and other like-minded "conservative" voices spread the message that Ukraine is a flawed country not worthy of support and repeats the Putin argument that we are antagonizing Russia by supporting a country's desire for independence from Moscow.  To them, we should not antagonize Russia by encouraging a country to align with the West if that country is currently within the Russian sphere of influence. These are the same arguments liberals were making when the US was challenging the Soviet Union's aggression. 

One argument that Putin Apologist Republicans make is that the war is costly and we should be using the funds we are spending to support Ukraine to fix problems at home.  Instead of supporting Ukraine, we should be spending that money on securing our southern border or helping homeless vets. This is not a new argument. It is an argument we are accustomed to hearing from liberals when they were the advocates of appeasement and isolation. They argued we should be spending the money on health care or anti-poverty programs and fighting global warming and global hunger.  The size of the Defence budget has been a constant criticism of the left for decades.  There are always other things our nation could be spending money on rather than military spending.  Realists know, however, that we must stand up to aggressors if we are to exist as a nation and if freedom is going to flourish or survive in a dangerous world. 

Another argument that Putin Apologist Republicans make is that we are doing more than our share. We should not be the one funding Ukraine defense, they argue.  They argue that we are the primary supporters of Ukraine and that other countries should be doing more.  In absolute dollars, America is doing more to help Ukraine than anyone else, but we have more.   We are one of the richest countries in the world. Only a small handful of small countries such as Luxembourg and Monaco are wealthier. When looking at the wealth of a country and the percent of GDP that country gives to support Ukraine we are not doing more than many other nations. We are giving less than Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, or Norway as a percentage of what we have.  These countries are sacrificing to give. We should and could do more. If we let Putin take Ukraine, he will not stop there.  

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Stop the next coup attempt; support the Great Task

 About the Great Task:

The Great Task is a multi-candidate PAC sponsored by Congresswoman Liz Cheney that is focused on reverence for the rule of law, respect for our Constitution, and a recognition that all citizens have a responsibility to put their duty to the country above partisanship. The Great Task is designed to educate and mobilize Americans in a unified effort to ensure that our Republic endures.

Link

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The survival of American Democracy may not depend on who is Senator or President, but who is a state's Secretary of State.

Read the full article at this link

BY CHARLOTTE ALTER/PHOENIX, Time, SEPTEMBER 21,2022 - ... Fontes is running for Arizona secretary of state, a typically anonymous role that oversees the tedious details of election administration: training poll workers, managing the statewide voter-registration database, verifying the accuracy of voting machines, and certifying election results. But in 2022, the job has taken on an outsize importance. Fontes’ opponent, Republican Mark Finchem, is an election denier: an avid promoter of former President Donald Trump’s baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen through widespread voter fraud. He is one of many Republicans running to oversee America’s next elections while denying the legitimacy of the last one. ....

The Trumpian Stop the Steal movement is unprecedented for its scale, its longevity, its resistance to established facts, and its embrace of violence as a mechanism to overturn the will of the voters. Proponents believe that the 2020 presidential race was actively stolen, not just that the outcome was unfair. They believe this so strongly that many of them stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 to stop the election’s certification, breaking a nearly 250-year tradition of peacefully transferring power. They believe it even though judges found that more than 60 of Trump’s postelection legal challenges were lacking in merit; even though state and federal investigations have repeatedly found no widespread voter fraud in 2020; and even though Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department, and FBI vouched for the election’s integrity. In Arizona, the Republican-sponsored audit that set out to prove mass voter fraud in the state actually revealed the opposite, uncovering a handful more votes for Biden and fewer for Trump. ...

If any of these candidates win, experts warn, they would possess a broad array of powers to undermine future elections if they don’t like the results. A rogue election official could attempt to prematurely stop the counting of ballots, pervert the Electoral College process, turn over the outcome of the election to partisan state legislators, or simply refuse to certify the result, all while publicly sowing doubt about the validity of the contest. It could present an existential test for American democracy. “If you can’t have trusted, neutral people running our elections, then you don’t really have free and fair elections,” says Lawrence Norden, senior director of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, a law and policy institute. “Then we’re not a functioning democracy anymore.” 

...of 552 Republicans on the ballot in 2022, 201 have stated that the 2020 election was stolen or taken action to overturn the results, and an additional 61 have “raised questions” about the outcome. According to this tally, roughly 60% of American voters will have at least one election denier on their ballot in November. Many of them are running for statewide roles that would oversee the next election. (link to the full article)

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Stop the next coup attempt by denying election victory to Trumpinista election deniers in Arizona. Support these Democrats.

Support Katie Hobbs
for Governor of Arizona.

 by Rod Williams, September 23, 2022- In looking at the 2022 mid-term election I have determined I cannot support the Republican Party. Not that I will not support any individual Repubicans but I will not support someone just because they are a Republican. I will not support the Party or any subdivision of the Party. To do so is to fund the election of people, some of whom would betray their country if given the chance.  I explained why I cannot support the Republican Party in more detail in a post titled I am suspending my support for the Republican Party. 

In a nutshell, the reason I cannot support Republicans in 2022 is that support for the claim of the stolen election runs deep in the Republican Party. Coast to coast in races that will determine who will have a role in overseeing, certifying or defending elections, Republican voters nominated Republican candidates who supported overturning the results of the 2020 presidential race. I fear that if given the chance these Republicans would support the next coup attempt.  The 2021 coup attempt failed, among other reasons, because Republican officeholders proved to be patriotic Americans who put fealty to the Constitution and love of country above loyalty to Donald Trump. The current crop of Republicans appears, in many cases, to be Trump loyalists who can not be trusted with the sacred duty of upholding the Constitution.

To me, the number one issue in the 2022 election and way out front of any secondary issue, is fealty to the Constitution and support for the peaceful transfer of power. 

Support Adrian Fontes
for Secretary of State of Arizona

Some of the election deniers nationwide don't really have their heart in the denial and try to avoid taking a position on the issue but will throw a lean bone to the Trumpinistas now and then by casting doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 election, or an even a leaner bone by saying they support election integrity. I also support election integrity.  I think one should have to prove who one is before voting. I think most voting should be in-person and I oppose same-day voter registration. Much of the liberal press will conflate anyone who supports election integrity with an election denier.  They are not the same thing. Not everyone who is called an election denier is actually an election denier. Many are, however.

While some people called election deniers are not really election deniers and while some election deniers don't have their heart in it but will placate the base by casting doubt on the legitimacy of the election, that is not the case with the election deniers running for office in Arizona. They are the real deal. They are hardcore Trumpinista election deniers.

Arizona is important as are a handful of other swing states.  In 2020, Arizona was one of the states where Trump tried to flip the results of the election. If Donald Trump can put loyalists in control of counting and certifying the election in Arizona and a handful of other states, the next coup attempt may be successful.

Support Kris Mayes for 
Attorney General of Arizona

 In Arizona, the candidate for governor is Kari Lake a former TV personality and an unequivocalelection denier.  Kari Lake has publicly supported, received endorsements from, or accepted campaign contributions from eight of the 11 fake electors in Arizona. These "electors" were chosen by the Trump campaign and other Republican officials and presented as "alternate" electors to vote in place of the state's actual elected electors. (link)

Not only is election denier Kari Lake in a position to take the governorship, two other state offices with roles to play in overseeing, certifying or defending elections, are being sought by election deniers.  One is Secretary of State and the other is Attorney General.

Republican Mark Finchem, who is running for Arizona secretary of state, has deep ties to the Trump coup attempt. Finchem was one of a number of the Arizona state lawmakers who held unofficial "hearing" at a Phoenix hotel on Nov. 30, 2020 at which Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani made unfounded claims of election fraud.  Finchem took part in the "stop the steal" marched at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and he is a member of the paramilitary Oath Keepers organization whose leader and other members have been charged with seditious conspiracy for their role in the insurrection. One can not get much more Trumpinista than Mark Finchem. If elected Finchem would be the chief of election administration in the state.

Abraham Hamadeh is seeking the office of attorney general. He won the crowded Republican Attorney General primary race after securing Trump’s endorsement. He has said he would not have certified the results of the 2020 election in his state and has said he would use the attorney general’s office to “prosecute crimes of the rigged 2020 election.” (link)

These three people seeking these state offices deserve to be defeated. I am not supporting the opponents of these three Republicans because I agree with them on border security, or right to life, or the second amendment, or any other policy position. I am supporting the opponents of three election deniers because if elected, these three Republicans would be in a position to make the next coup attempt a success. 

All of the above races and the race for Senator where Republican election denier Black Masters is running against Democrat Mark Kelly are close. (link) All four of the contest are in play. 

In the race for governor, Republican Kari Lake's opponent is Democrat Katie Hobbs. A recent Trafalgar Group poll shows Kari Lake slightly ahead with support from 50% of the likely voters and Katie Hobbs with 45.6 %. Money could still make a difference in this race.  Hobbs is a former social worker, State Senator, and Secretary of State of Arizona. You can learn more about Katie Hobbs and make a donation to her campaign at this link. 

In the race for Secretary of State, Republican Mark Finchem's opponent is Democrat Adrian Fontes. The recent Trafalgar poll shows Mark Finchem ahead with 48% of the vote and Fontes with 41%.  Adrian Fontes is 52 years old and is a sixth-generation Mexican American who can trace his Arizona roots back to 1695. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and the father of three daughters. You can learn more about his candidacy and make a contribution at this link.  

In the race for Attorney General, Republican Abraham Hamadeh's opponent is Democrat Kris Mayes. The Trafalgar poll shows Hamadeh leading with 50% of the votes of likely voters compared to 41% for Mayes. Kris Mayes is an attorney, a mom, a professor, a former journalist, and was an Arizona Corporation Commissioner. You can learn more about her campaign and make a contribution at this link. 

I never did think I would be sending money to support Democrats. I agree with Republicans on almost all policy positions, However, I really believe the survival of America as a democracy is on the line.  The 2020 coup attempt failed but the next attempt may very well succeed if Trumpinistas control the election machinery in swing states.  We must stop the next coup attempt.

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Tennessee ranks second for economic freedom in the US, only behind Florida.

 From Cato Institute:

ANALYSIS

Tennessee has long been one of the economically freest states, largely because of its outstanding fiscal policies, but it also used to be one of the personally freest states in the South. That edge disappeared as it became a more stereotypical red state. As a result, Tennessee fell from third in overall freedom in 2001 to seventh in 2012. It has recovered some ground since and is now fourth overall in this year’s index.

The Volunteer State lacks an income tax, and both state and local tax collections fall well below the national average. We show state-level taxes falling from 5.1 percent of adjusted personal income in FY 2007 to 4.2 percent in FY 2014, then rising to 4.4 percent in FY 2017 and falling to a low of 4.1 percent in the latest data. This shift compares to a national average in FY 2020 of 5.7 percent. Local taxes were already below the national average of 3.7 percent in FY 2009, but they fell off a cliff to only 2.5 percent of income now. State and local debt is low at 14.3 percent of income. Government consumption and investment is low at 9.1 percent of income and has been falling for a decade. Government employment is only 10.2 percent of private employment, a big drop since 2010 as the job market has recovered.

Tennessee’s land-use regulations are flexible, and the state has a regulatory takings law. However, eminent domain reform has not gone far. The state put into place a law preventing employers from banning guns on certain company property in 2015. Tennessee is in the top 10 for labor-market freedom, with a right-to-work law, no minimum wage, and relaxed workers’ compensation rules. Unfortunately, E-Verify was mandated in 2011. The managed care model of health coverage has been effectively banned. Mandates are low. Cable and telecommunications have been liberalized. On the downside, the extent of occupational licensure looks rather high, though different indicators give different pictures. Nurse practitioners lost whatever independent scope of practice they had in 2010, but dental hygienists gained some in 2013. The state marginally loosened insurance rate regulation in 2009/10 but restrictions came back in 2018. The state has general and gasoline-specific minimum-markup laws, as well as an anti-price-gouging law, household mover licensing, and a certificate-of-need law for medical facilities. The civil liability system improved to above average with reforms in 2011 to punitive damages.

Tennessee’s criminal justice policies have been improving the past few years, though it still ranks outside the top 30. The crime-adjusted incarceration rate rose steadily from 2000 to 2011 but has been on a downward trend since. It is still above average, but the past two years have seen a good drop. Drug arrest rates and victimless crime arrest rates are also moving in the right direction. The latter is below average. Asset forfeiture is mostly unreformed, but equitable sharing revenue is going in the right direction. Cannabis laws are strict, though a very limited medical marijuana law was enacted in 2021. Tennessee is mediocre on gun rights in our index, but its passage of permitless handgun carry in 2021 has significantly expanded gun freedom in the state. The new Smith & Wesson presence will provide a positive interest group force in the state. Alcohol freedom is now above average because of blue law relaxation in 2017/18. Beer taxes remain excessive. The state has little gambling, though it now has sports betting as of 2019. Educational freedom is slightly below average, but a voucher program was passed in 2019. Private schools and homeschools face significant regulatory burdens. Tobacco freedom is a bit better than average, with relatively low taxes, but new regulations on internet purchase appeared in 2017.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Fiscal: Separate spending and tax committees in the legislature, a reform shown to correspond to lower spending over time. Sales taxes are high and could be cut.

Regulatory: Repeal the price-gouging law and all minimum-markup laws.

Personal: Deregulate private schools and homeschools by removing mandatory approval and teacher licensing for private schools and relaxing annual notification requirements for homeschoolers.

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Vandy Pediatric Transgender Clinic gives irreversible hormone drugs to kids as young as 13. Gov. Bill Lee Calls for Investigation.

 By  Zach Jewell, Sep 20, 2022, DailyWire.com - Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee has called for an investigation of the Pediatric Transgender Clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) after shocking videos posted by Matt Walsh detailed a doctor’s promotion of “big money maker” transgender surgeries.

The videos obtained by Walsh also show apparent threats made against medical professionals at VUMC if they objected to the procedures, even for religious reasons. 

“The ‘pediatric transgender clinic’ at Vanderbilt University Medical Center raises serious moral, ethical and legal concerns,” Lee said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “We should not allow permanent, life-altering decisions that hurt children or policies that suppress religious liberties, all for the purpose of financial gain. We have to protect Tennessee children, and this warrants a thorough investigation.”(link)

(link)

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On banning the use of License Plate Scanner technology for abortion law enforcement, Metro Council vote was 31-0. No abstentions, no "no" votes.

 BL2022-1385

An ordinance amending Section 13.08.080 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws pertaining to the use of License Plate Scanner (“LPR”) technology to exclude assisting with enforcing laws outlawing abortion or outlawing interstate travel to obtain an abortion as an allowed use of LPRs.

Council Member Withers moved to pass the bill on third reading, which motion was seconded and approved by the following vote: 

Yes (31): Mendes, Hurt, Allen, Suara, Toombs, Gamble, Parker, Withers, VanReece, Hancock, Young, Hagar, Evans, Bradford, Sledge, Cash, O'Connell, Roberts, Taylor, Druffel, Murphy, Pulley, Johnston, Nash, Porterfield, Sepulveda, Rutherford, Styles, Lee, Henderson, and Rosenberg; 

No (0); 

Abstain (0).  

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A Gay fairy tale (no pun intended) is in Metro primary school libraries.

From a Moms for Liberty Davidson County email:

Rod's Comment: In my view, this book should not be available in school libraries. Libraries cannot offer every book published, so someone must decide what gets carried and what does not.  Woke progressives view failure to shelve a particular book promoting the gay agenda or the critical race theory agenda as "censorship."  Choosing one book over another is not censorship.  Failure to choose to carry a certain book is not "book banning."  

I do not trust librarians to make the decision of what to place on the shelves and new procedures need to be in place to guide what books make it to the school library shelves. At the primary school level, I favor a policy that would be denounced as "don't say gay."  

Deciding what books to carry and who gets to make that decision can be complicated. There are fundamentalist Christians I would not want making the decision. My dad would have prohibited any books in which alcohol was mentioned or evolution. I would not have wanted him picking the books for the school library. 

 I applaud Moms for Liberty for letting parents know what is going on in public schools. 

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Nashville council passes law barring license plate reader use for anti-abortion law enforcement

by Cassandra Stephenson, The Tennessean, Sept 7, 2022- Law enforcement will not be permitted to use license plate reader technology in Nashville to enforce any laws criminalizing abortion, the city's council decided Tuesday.

The council separately deferred a $500,000 allocation of Metro funds toward a grant providing "comprehensive sex education," "safer sex supplies" and support for resident access to out-of-state procedures.

These items are Metro Council's latest actions intended to insulate Davidson County residents who "choose to explore any reproductive rights options" from harm under the state's recent abortion ban. ... The council passed an ordinance in August restricting LPR use for assistance with immigration enforcement.(link)

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Who is the richest billionaire in Tennessee?

37. Tennessee | Thomas Frist Jr. & family

City: Nashville

Net Worth: $15.6 Billion

Rank: 126

Source Of Wealth: Hospitals

Frist, a former Air Force surgeon, cofounded Hospital Corp. of America with his father in 1968. Frist doesn’t hold a position within the company, but two of his sons have board seats. (link)

 

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