Notes from Jefferson County: Cows Come Home to Find Their Room Turned Into a Ginormous Railroad Yard

On March 11, 2010, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

Jefferson County LandscapeAs I spend more time driving around East TN, I see more and more abandoned and/or underutilized existing buildings and structures. Some are historic and some are not, but they are all available.

Seeing this makes me wonder why anyone would want to (or “need” to) confiscate pristine and dwindling open spaces and farm land for development. For any reason. Ever.

Yesterday, I learned that a large shipping and transportation company, with help from the State Government, wants to do just that in Jefferson County.

Norfolk Southern wants to build a new rail yard and truck terminal (Intermodal) 10 – 12 miles from I-40 and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is willing to confiscate the land to build the new highway it will need to connect to I-40.

This is not just about about development, it’s about appropriate development. It’s about smart development. And with so many existing structures already available, why develop pristine countryside simply to build something new? Apparently, there is an idle brownfield Site – no connector needed – available in Hamblen County. Clean it up. Fix it up.

Jefferson County Tomorrow is organizing around opposition to the Norfolk Southern Intermodal and have listed 10 reasons why they oppose this particular plan. Here are a few:

It’s a lousy plan for growing good jobs in Jefferson County. Norfolk Southern projects it may employ up to 77 contract workers – all without normal railroad wages and benefits.

Jefferson County is already listed as a Federal non-attainment area due to its dangerously poor air quality.

The proposed site is close to and upwind of an elementary school.

Intermodal Terminals destroy huge tracts of land. Norfolk Southern wants a yard three miles long on farmland west of New Market, but they also hope to profit from warehouses and storage facilities surrounding the rail yard to form a “logistics park” of more than 1,000 acres. (PS: Jefferson county tax dollars – not Norfolk Southern shareholders – would build the “park.”

Whatever happened to “Smart Growth”? Jefferson County is losing its prime productive agricultural land to development. Down from 172,135 acres in 1940, they have only 101,585 acres left of this critical resource. What will the next 60 years bring?

The New Market site would require an interstate connector 10-12 miles long somewhere across Rocky Valley and Bays Mountain. This road will cost more than $25 million per mile and require hundreds of acres of property to be condemned through eminent domain.

By the way, what is with eminent domain anyway? Do we really need it at this point? I mean, with a railroad and interstate system connecting almost every point in the U.S., what possible “public good” can still come out of it? And in this specific instance, is it really in the public’s interest?

Jefferson County leaders are using bad government to force a bad deal on the county, including:

Closed Government — Signed agreement to work in secret and wouldn’t admit to dealings with Norfolk Southern even after NS had started trying to buy land.

Lack of Environmental Stewardship — Recruiting heavy polluter to an area already out of federal compliance for its poor air quality

Failing to Grow Good Jobs — Missing the green jobs boom enjoyed by rest of state

Head in the Sand — Refusing to admit that there might be any negatives associated with something this big and permanent

Refusing Community Input — Refusing to dialogue with community on possible routes for interstate connector

Poor Costs Control — Making decisions on the basis of costs they admit are unknown

Anti-Education — Buckling under to heavy industry rather than protecting school children’s need to work in a safe environment conducive to learning

The Farmland Protection Bill, SB3634, up soon in the Tennessee State House, would restrict using public funding to develop high quality farmland taken through eminent domain. (Good for Senator Burchett, he must understand that all politics is local). On the Federal level, HR3410, Taking Responsible Action for Community Safety Act, would “tighten the reins” on those with powers of eminent domain and make them accountable to the greater community.

It’s beautiful here in East TN. But it’s also ugly and blighted with large, abandoned structures. Do we really want to replace the beauty and utility of our land with more concrete when it’s not necessary?

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File Under: Wish Freddie Had Said That

On March 11, 2010, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, Media, National Politics, by Mary Mancini

(Because I am too much of a lady…)

“Rush Limbaugh is the fart in America’s elevator.” – Frank Schaeffer, on the Thom Hartmann Show

T/F/B: R. Neal of Knoxviews.

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Welcome to the Liberadio(!) Live Stream!

On March 1, 2010, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

Live TV : Ustream

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A Note to Tea Partiers: Before You Judge a Totalitarian Regime, You Should Walk a Mile in One

On February 5, 2010, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

On the day that Ana Puig is presenting on the “Correlations between the current Administration and Marxist Dictators of Latin America” at the Tea Party Convention happening right now at Opryland, this essay from Fabian Bedne (by way of BeninTN) – someone who actually did live under a totalitarian regime – is a must read.

Some people have been saying that we live in one. As somebody that spent many years of his life scared to death of living under one, I figure I’ll share some of my memories.

So what does it mean to live in a totalitarian country?

It is to be very afraid of the police, because we have seen them arresting and beating up people randomly, for no other reason than they can.

It is to see the military treating you like the enemy all the time; i.e. by wantonly pointing their guns at you for no reason.

It is because you know that every paper, radio station or TV station is now controlled by the regime and only prints propaganda.

It is to be afraid of the teachers in your school because they carry guns and work for the regime, and because the principal was replaced by a regime guy who is not interested in education.

Go read the rest, including BeninTN’s insightful commentary:

It’s not “Marxist” to recognize that monied special interests and corporate lobbyists are influencing too much of our policy-making and undermining progress in America. It’s not Marxist to recognize the simple fact that America spends 16% of its GDP on healthcare, while the next highest percentage for any industrialized nation is just over 11%. It’s not Marxist to recognize that this status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable. And one thing has become clear in this process – the supporters of the status quo stand to profit handsomely from the failure of comprehensive healthcare reform. With $2.4 trillion spent annually in healthcare in the U.S., and roughly a third of that being spent wastefully (assuming we could cut from 16% to around 10% of GDP and match the other industrialized nations in terms of GDP percentages), that means that we’ve got about $800 billion of excess spending. Someone is profiting from that $800 billion, and they don’t want to let it go.

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President Obama To Senate Dems: The Answer is Not to Do Nothing

On February 3, 2010, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

A leader worth listening to.

“There was apparently a headline after the Massachusetts election. The Village Voice announced that Republicans win a 41-59 majority. It’s worth thinking about. We still have to lead.”

and

“I have little patience for the kinds of political calculations that says the benefit of blocking everything is greater than the cost of doing nothing. That basically says if you lose, I win.”

and

“If anybody’s searching for a lesson from Massachusetts, I promise you, the answer is not to do nothing.”

H/T: TPM Livewire.

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A Bad Decision by Tennessee State Government

On January 28, 2010, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

Concerned about CaremakTennessee did a really smart thing not too long ago and decided to separate out the management of its prescription drug benefits for state employees. Smart, fiscally responsible move in these tough economic times. It could save the state millions!

So it’s curious that the Tennessee Benefits Administration awarded the management contract to CVS/Caremark, a company with zero transparency in its process, a suspect relationship between it’s benefits management division and the drug stores they own (“Don’t worry about knowing the details – we’ll get you the best prices on prescription drugs and then sell them to you too! Trust us!”), and an ongoing investigation by the Federal Trade Commission.

Other CVS/Caremark clients have been running for the hills. Why aren’t we?

Laurie Lee, executive director of benefits administration for the state, did address some of the concerns:

In the course of the procurement, we received correspondence from an outside organization making allegations about CVS/Caremark’s litigation history with various states as well as a pending Federal Trade Commission investigation involving the company. In light of the serious nature of the questions, we referred the issues to [Finance and Administration’s] legal counsel who sought advice from the Attorney General’s office.

As a result of the Attorney General’s office’s advice, we continue to recommend award of the contract to CVS/Caremark as the best evaluated proposer. If the contract is awarded to CVS/Caremark, we will work with the Attorney General’s office to include additional strong language in the contract addressing the steps we will take, up to and including termination fo the contract, if there is a finding of misconduct in any legal proceeding, including the FTC investigation. Please also note that, as indicated above, our proposed contract does address the transparency issues that were part of the allegations that the outside organization raised against CVS/Caremark.

So much good can be wiped away with one bad decision. Glad they are keeping a close eye on the situation.

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Not the Last Word on the Bush Supreme Court Legacy

On January 28, 2010, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

AlitoOr, why Presidential elections really matter…

Glenn Greenwald on Justice Scalito’s Alito’s behavior during the State of the Union (Justice Ginsburg should have turned around a smacked on his hand with a ruler):

By contrast, the behavior of Justice Alito at last night’s State of the Union address — visibly shaking his head and mouthing the words “not true” when Obama warned of the dangers of the Court’s Citizens United ruling — was a serious and substantive breach of protocol that reflects very poorly on Alito and only further undermines the credibility of the Court. It has nothing to do with etiquette and everything to do with the Court’s ability to adhere to its intended function.

There’s a reason that Supreme Court Justices — along with the Joint Chiefs of Staff — never applaud or otherwise express any reaction at a State of the Union address. It’s vital — both as a matter of perception and reality — that those institutions remain apolitical, separate and detached from partisan wars. The Court’s pronouncements on (and resolutions of) the most inflammatory and passionate political disputes retain legitimacy only if they possess a credible claim to being objectively grounded in law and the Constitution, not political considerations. The Court’s credibility in this regard has — justifiably — declined substantially over the past decade, beginning with Bush v. Gore (where 5 conservative Justices issued a ruling ensuring the election of a Republican President), followed by countless 5-4 decisions in which conservative Justices rule in a way that promotes GOP political beliefs, while the more “liberal” Justices do to the reverse (Citizens United is but the latest example).

And Stephen Colbert dismantles Chief Justice Roberts’ weak logic for ignoring stare decisis and overturning “hundreds of years of precedent” for the Citizen’s United ruling:

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word – Prece-Don’t
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy
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Satan to Pat Robertson: “Not How I Roll”

On January 18, 2010, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

Pat Robertson and Rudy GiulianiSatan writes an open letter to Pat Robertson:

Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I’m all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I’m no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth — glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven’t you seen “Crossroads”? Or “Damn Yankees”? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there’d be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox — that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it — I’m just saying: Not how I roll. You’re doing great work, Pat, and I don’t want to clip your wings — just, come on, you’re making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That’s working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best, Satan*

*Or as he’s known in Minneapolis, Lily Coyle.

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ACTION NEEDED: Email Your Senator for Paper Ballots

On January 11, 2010, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

Tomorrow, the State Senate votes on SB0872, the bill that would delay implementation of the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act.

If you want a 100% unverifiable election come November with no ability to recount or audit the results, do nothing.

But if you want a paper ballot system that will record your vote as intended on a piece of paper that can then be audited and recounted in the case of a close election (and let’s face it, some of our House races are going to be close), then email your Tennessee Senator NOW and ask him to vote NO tomorrow on SB0872 – the bill that would kill any chance of a reliable voting system in Tennessee.

Go to this webpage, fill in your address and email will be sent to your Senator.

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Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining: Good or Bad?

On January 8, 2010, in Liberate Your Radio from The Right, by Mary Mancini

Mountaintop RemovalIf you said “bad” then you agree with the smarties:

Based on a comprehensive analysis of the latest scientific findings and new data, a group of the nation’s leading environmental scientists are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to stay all new mountaintop mining permits. In the January 8 edition of the journal Science, they argue that peer-reviewed research unequivocally documents irreversible environmental impacts from this form of mining which also exposes local residents to a higher risk of serious health problems.

…

“The scientific evidence of the severe environmental and human impacts from mountaintop mining is strong and irrefutable,” says lead author Dr. Margaret Palmer of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park. “Its impacts are pervasive and long lasting and there is no evidence that any mitigation practices successfully reverse the damage it causes.”

In mountaintop mining, upper elevation forests are cleared and stripped of topsoil, and explosives are used to break up rocks in order to access coal buried below. Much of this rock is pushed into adjacent valleys where it buries and obliterates streams. Mountaintop mining with valley fills (MTM/VF) is widespread throughout eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, and southwestern Virginia.

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