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The Network
- Little Old Betsy22 May 2013, 1:10 pm
I was having some really, really massive anxiety about turning thirty-nine. Like, you know those nights where you can’t get to sleep and you start thinking about what it will be like to die and whether it will be scary and whether it will hurt and whether you will really exist in some way after […]...
- Happy Birthday from the Butcher22 May 2013, 12:02 pm
I’m not saying that I’m going to send this thing to staff meetings as my proxy. But I’m considering it.... - Let’s Be Honest about Paul for a Second21 May 2013, 4:47 pm
Paul is an asshole. He was an asshole when he was Saul and he was an asshole after the incident on the road to Damascus. He’s the only Christian whose martyrdom was probably a result of having annoyed the shit out of everyone standing within 100 yards of him, and not his religion. It’s nice […]... - There are No Grownups21 May 2013, 1:17 pm
I remember my friends’ parents turning 40. It seemed impossibly grown-up. Like, oh, there you have a house with a yard and a family and your kids are getting ready to go to college and you have thoughts and opinions about grown-up things and have insights and blah blah blah. Tomorrow, I turn 39 and […]... - Why Do They Live There?21 May 2013, 1:05 pm
Last night, on Twitter, some people were asking why people would continue to live in Tornado Alley. I think this is a pretty common misconception here in the United States, that Tornado Alley is some narrow sliver of the county and the rest of us are somehow “outside of Tornado Alley.” Like it’s a real […]...
- One House, Two Different Precincts2 August 2012, 10:10 pm
The Nashville City Paper reports another case of one house but two different voting locations. Exiting a Glencliff-area polling place Thursday morning where she had just voted in the Democratic primary, Virginia Welch picked up on a procedural error in Thursday’s election. Welch and husband Michael Muldoon, who lives in the same residence and showed up at the voting site a few minutes earlier, had received two different ballots and thus voted in two different races. Welch’s ballot included t... - Tennessee Voters2 August 2012, 9:10 pm
The Associated Press talks to voters today. I’m not going to pull a quote from it but the whole piece is rather fascinating on how people vote, and why.... - Redistricting Problems From Hamilton County2 August 2012, 9:05 pm
Out of Hamilton County, redistricting is causing some problems. WTVC with the story. Redistricting is causing some headaches in Hamilton County, not only for voters, but for election officials as well. Daniel Witherow has lived in the Emma Wheeler Homes for the last 9 years, and he’s voted in every election, including Thursday’s. He used to vote at the apartment’s rental office. He knew his polling place had been moved because of redistricting so he cast his ballot at the Bethl... - The Story Of Sen. Joe Haynes2 August 2012, 8:38 pm
From the Senator himself on the TNDP website on his family’s experience voting today: Barbara was asked for her photo identification. She doesn’t have a photo on her driver’s license so she provided the election workers with her state-issued retirement card and her Metro-issued judge’s pass. The latter included her photo. In spite of the fact that most of the people in our polling place knew us both, she was told she would only be allowed to vote using a provisional ballot. She had... - Robert Meyers Isn’t Hiding2 August 2012, 6:59 pm
Got to give him credit, but Robert Meyers isn’t hiding from the media regarding voter problems in Shelby County. Jackson Baker with the story. Give this to Robert Meyers, the mild-mannered and much-beleaguered chairman of the Shelby County Election Commission: He understands that he is accountable to the public, and he is willing to be a stand-up guy about the numerous ongoing glitches in the county’s election process. Meeting with members of the media at the Commission’s Nixon Drive h...
- The Family That Plays Together14 April 2013, 8:08 pm
UPDATED: During Ladies’ Hack Day we did a Minecraft workshop in which the demo gremlins were hard at work. I didn’t even get an appropriate moment to use my “I’m not saying she’s a gold digger, but she ain’t messin’ with no stone pickaxe” joke. Nonetheless, we were able to cover a lot of the [...]... - Bad Dates Aren’t Rape!5 December 2012, 5:16 pm
Toward the end of my undergraduate career I interned with two other students at the district attorney’s office in a semi-urban county of Tennessee. We were there to help out in whatever ways the district attorney thought we’d be useful, and being chosen for the internship was a privilege. All of us either had aspirations [...]... - Votes for Women in Tennessee6 April 2012, 2:31 am
Today was the filing deadline for candidates intending to run for the Tennessee House and Senate in 2012. This has been a particularly brutal year in the Legislature given that GOP-dominated redistricting has focused on getting rid of as many Democrats as possible, and most particularly Democratic women. This, combined with a legislative agenda that [...]... - The Brady Bust22 February 2012, 3:55 pm
Here’s the story of a handsome hustler, Who was pimping out three very lovely girls. All of them had hair of gold, like their mommas, The youngest one in curls. Here’s the story, of a man named Brady, Who was busy with campaigns of his own. He was married, with a newborn family, Yet he [...]... - Bills, Bills, Bills10 January 2012, 3:40 pm
At first we started out real cool,(cool) Writing some good laws i ain’t never seen But now your getting comfortable Ain’t telling that truth that you did no more Your slowly makin me read your print Your Bills they all are captioning And now you ask me for my vote (vote) Call me all day [...]...
- Original Poetry30 March 2011, 7:59 pm
Inauguration Dayby maria BrewerStretching dreams Pop into realityand breathe deep. The air of now.Grunting, emerging, we blink.Anticipating beauty in the new expectation of fresh wisdom.Layers of caring, and percolating joy, anddeep strength surge and weRush forward to meet the calm:the sprout that pushes through the soil,the Beginning.... - Original Poetry30 March 2011, 1:30 am
To-Do Listby Maria BrewerBe radiantAlways find connectionBurn through limitsRemain out of controlDemand the room to laughHave awe for the infinity that fills creationSanctify the utter void it springs fromTransfigure self, standing on the cusp of both... - 29 March 2011, 3:35 pm
The American Dream is a noble ideal: equality and reward for hard work. Establishing values like fairness, independence, and empowerment, Americans have long sacrificed to better themselves. But in America, we have always dreamed of bringing along our communities: our palaces have been our public schools; our monuments not towering statues unless surrounded by broad public parks and playgrounds; our legacy is ensconced in public libraries, common thoroughfares, and rural electrification projects... - Take a Lunch with Democracy15 March 2011, 1:32 pm
Today is going to be Rally day on the steps of the Tennessee State House downtown. People are coming from all over Tennessee to be heard by their state legislators. And it's going to be live streamed at the website http://march15.info/What's the use of a rally? Well, haven't you heard? This is What Democracy Looks Like.... - Devastation comes in small packages as well...15 March 2011, 7:41 am
Since Friday's disaster in Japan began, we Americans have watched its unfolding. So far away, yet so close at hand; unimaginably vast disaster striking a society so much like our own. Many of the photos are of an unimaginable scale. The stuff of our civilization made wholly uncivil and unrecognizable.Unlike most of the pictures from Japan, this picture of baby and mother being checked for radiation holds a kind of devastation we can't see. I'm not a nuclear power fear-monger, but I am a realist....
- Call Sullivan Co Mayor Steve Godsey and demand he apologize for attacking the NBA's Jason Collins for coming out!3 May 2013, 1:36 pm
Timesnews.net is reporting that Sullivan County Mayor Steve Godsey used a National Day of Prayer event to preach against the NBA's Jason Collins for coming out and against President Obama for calling to congratulate Collins. Mayor Godsey said, Mayor Steve Godsey from the Sullivan Co website" It really and truly just irritates me to the point I just, you know ... on the TV all week long we are celebrating an NBA player coming out as a devout homosexual and him getting a call from ... - ABC's Nashville gets a gay kiss, kind of2 May 2013, 3:59 am
Well, it finally happened. I wondered how long it would take. ABC's Nashville had its first gay kiss tonight, kind of. Gunnar's friend Will tried to steal one in an awkward scene. We'll see what the show does with it. It was a little disappointing because it could play into the whole sad, hackneyed "gays are predatory and opportunistic" theme. But there is something gutsy about it, too. Again, we'll see how gutsy if the storyline develops.Gunnar and Will... - Sexual orientation bias hate crimes up 18% from 2011 to 2012, according to TBI report26 April 2013, 12:47 am
The annual Tennessee Bureau of Investigation hate crime report is out. This report compiles data for hate crimes committed in 2012. The results are disturbing.First, the statistics still don't include information about crimes based on gender identity, crimes targeting transgender people. The Tennessee hate crimes law includes sexual orientation, but it does not include gender identity. However, the federal crimes law includes both sexual orientation and gender identity.Se... - Call on Speaker Harwell to remove Rep. Kane from House Education Committee for telling bullied kids "That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger."27 March 2013, 3:50 pm
During yesterday's House Education Subcommittee discussion of HB927, a great anti-bullying bill that was sent to the State Department of Education for study, Rep. Roger Kane made some of the most tone deaf comments about bullying imaginable. In the discussion of bullied students, he said, "That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger."Well, Representative Kane, I guess you haven't heard that bullying does kill, specifically in Tennessee. The cases of Jacob Rogers and Phillip ... - Only 11, Oak Ridge High GSA student talks about being bullied for being gay24 March 2013, 5:11 pm
A student who is a member of Oak Ridge High School's GSA has shared the following thoughts about being bullied for being gay via Beth Adler, the adviser for the club. Please, take a moment to read it and consider what's going on in our schools and in our Legislature: In nature humans think of themselves to survive. In society they do it to elevate themselves to a superior level. Those mighty who travel in packs dictate who I am and don’t allow my true self to just be ... gay. The w...
- I’m Done28 April 2011, 2:37 pm
Even though I know I will disappointing millions of fans (like Oprah and the Soaps), I am suspending my blogging activities. Notice how serious and freaked out I look on my daily blog route, while those yoga blankets beckon behind me to open my chakras and forget the world-wide suicide I am witnessing on the [...]... - Trump…what else you got?27 April 2011, 1:38 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized... - An hour with Tina Fey26 April 2011, 11:43 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized... - FOX News Has Spoken. Period. End of Story?26 April 2011, 5:27 pm
“Fox News can confirm the President of the United States is a citizen of the United States”. Shep Smith (click for video) So, Trump, stick that info up there in your hair nest. Filed under: Uncategorized... - Palin’s SPED Plan25 April 2011, 6:24 pm
Despite Sarah Palin’s claims to the contrary, the main stream media has never seriously taken her on from any vantage point other than pop/political icon. The LA Times’ Meghan Daum’s friends wonder why the gloves have never come off with Palin. They demand she “admit the obvious”… …Palin’s rocket ride to political fame says less [...]...
- Taking a little break for LIFE17 May 2013, 9:32 pm
... - Sid Selvidge has left us far too soon2 May 2013, 9:53 pm
... - And now we lose ANOTHER legend - Maxine Smith.26 April 2013, 5:29 pm
... - A legend is gone. The Possum has left us at 8126 April 2013, 3:22 pm
... - Robert Reich on Chained CPI24 April 2013, 4:30 pm
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- 3rd/4th District Democrats Club Meeting22 May 2013, 2:51 pm
What: 3rd/4th District Democrats Club Meeting When: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 - 6:00pm Where: West Knox Library, 100 Golfclub Road ... read more...... - Conspiracy du jour22 May 2013, 2:35 pm
Alex Jones says the government can "create and steer groups of tornadoes," but he's "not sure" that happened in Oklahoma. Media Matters... ... read more...... - Jimmy Haslam apologizes to NFL owners for any damage caused by federal probe22 May 2013, 1:22 pm
Offers to meet individually with owners to explain the Pilot Flying J investigation. Cleveland Plain Dealer reports... ... read more...... - Haslam: Coal is king22 May 2013, 1:07 pm
Gov. Haslam addressed coal executives at the Eastern Coal Council this week and told them that renewable or even nuclear energy is "not a re... read more...... - Improved Flickr21 May 2013, 2:08 pm
Yesterday my Flickr homepage changed for the better. Large images of the latest uploads from my friends and contacts are displayed, and the... read more......
- The Moment the Charter Authorizer Died20 April 2013, 10:05 pm
Republicans thought they were just sticking it to the Senate. Luckily for Nashville, the Senate stuck back and killed the state charter authorizer because Speaker Ramsey didn't get his judicial redistricting plan... ... - TN House Week in Review16 February 2013, 6:37 pm
This week in the Tennessee State House the topic of education was at the forefront of the debate. Legislation that would limit local control of charter schools in Memphis and Nashville was moved out of subcommittee, and legislators were informed of the poor progress and questionable practices of the for-profit virtual school company K12, Inc. In addition, legislation that would allow for handgun permit holders to carry their firearms virtually everywhere moved forward, as well as a bill to... - Chris Christie Channels Ron Swanson31 October 2012, 4:06 pm
As crews continue the recovery effort in the aftermath of Sandy, Governor Chris Christie has postponed Halloween in New Jersey. Christie signed an executive order which postponed Halloween celebrations across New Jersey until Monday, November 5. (Via NBC) ... - On the Tennessean's endorsement of Mitt Romney18 October 2012, 5:45 pm
The Tennesseaneditorial board has produced an incoherent argument for why voters should choose Mitt Romney in November. The editors rightfully point out that Romney’s foreign policy views would take us closer to another ill-fated foreign excursion, this time into Iran. They rightfully point out that Mitt Romney’s social views are murky, incoherent and inconsistent at best. They rightfully point out that Romney’s economic plans are dangerously opaque and the math simply does not ... - Tutorials in Biased Polling from Beacon13 June 2012, 3:51 pm
The Beacon Center, the folks who brought us their Screw the Poor alternative budget to Mayor Dean's proposal for an increase in the property tax, have commissioned and released a poll which, shockingly, affirms their belief that Nashvillians oppose the Mayor's budget. Beacon released preliminary results yesterday and released the full poll earlier today which they say proves that, even when presented with the Mayor's talking points, voters oppose the plan. Just a few thoughts on the findi...
- Guest Post: The Number of Davidson County Residents in Poverty Could Fill Bridgestone Arena 10 Times12 May 2013, 3:31 pm
By Renard Francois Opening Remarks Of Metropolitan Social Services Commission’s Poverty In Nashville Seminar on May 3, 2013 My name is Renard Francois, and I have the privilege of serving as a Commissioner of the Metropolitan Social Services Commission. Before I begin I would like to ask the staff to stand and thank them for [...]... - Tennessee Politics Is A Fax Machine30 April 2013, 5:32 pm
I believe that so many of our elected officials are like fax machines. Old machines which are out of date and don’t work very well at all other than just spitting out bits of paper that doesn’t have a cohesive message. While we’ve been watching the Ag Gag bill, Campy’s antics on dangerous, attention-seeking legislation [...]... - Placate, Litigate, Agitate23 April 2013, 3:39 pm
I think it is abundantly clear now that session is over here in Tennessee how important elections are. This year we have become a national laughingstock more than usual. Sen. Stacey Campfield has introduced Don’t Say Gay, Starve The Kids and went as far to put up a pressure cooker photo this week less than [...]... - The Era Of Media Overstimulation22 April 2013, 1:29 pm
Session is out which is extremely good news because while the nation watched Boston, our Tennessee House and Senate passed several really stinky bills last week. On Friday, as cable newsers filled the hours with pundits and media personalities over the Boston Marathon bombing and subsequent manhunt, we watched two very controversial bills die due [...]... - I Don’t Understand And I Never Will16 April 2013, 2:43 pm
It just doesn’t make any damn sense that a few random people want to not only kill and maim people, but they also want to steal joy. And it makes me angry. I guess they got what they wanted. Wall-to-wall media coverage, tapping into fear and creating chaos during, for so many, what is a [...]...
- A Note On The First Amendment18 August 2010, 5:06 am
(Yes, yes, I realize that I haven't written anything in over two weeks. I promise that I will get back into a regular schedule of posting once I get myself back on a regular schedule. There will also likely be some content changes around here come the fall, stay tuned for that.)This seems like an obvious point to me, but I guess it's not to Dr." Laura and her defenders:Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced Tuesday night that she would end her radio show following her N-word rant last week."My contr... - Shame On The Anti-Defamation League30 July 2010, 8:36 pm
The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 to "fight anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defend democratic ideals and protect civil rights for all.” Unless, apparently, if its the democratic and civil rights of people they don't like:We regard freedom of religion as a cornerstone of the American democracy, and that freedom must include the right of all Americans – Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other faiths – to build community centers and houses of worship.We categorically reject... - The Tennessee Goobernatorial Race29 July 2010, 4:22 pm
(Note: I'm starting a movement to make #goobernatorial the official hashtag of the Tennessee governor's race. Please consider using it whenever you tweet about the campaign, REGARDLESS of which candidate you're talking about)Tennessee tends to not make national headlines unless something bad has happened, and I guess it was only a matter of time before the Colbert Report picked up on our goobernatorial race, a campaign tailor-made for late-night comedy shows:The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30p... - The Question Of Legitimacy, Deferred23 July 2010, 10:02 pm
Last week, I wrote about the proposed Israeli conversion bill that amounted to delegitimizing Reform and Conservative Judaism. Last night, it was announced that Prime Minister Netanyahu struck a deal to delay the bill for six months until an alternative plan can be worked out.Acting on instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser reached an agreement with Israel Reform and Masorti (traditional) Jewish movements, persuading them to drop a petition to the High... - A Question Of Legitimacy16 July 2010, 12:21 am
Several months ago, Peter Beinart wrote a profound article in the New York Review of Books on the failures of the American Jewish establishment. The main "failure" he recognized is the failure to recognize how many rifts there are among Jews right now--between Israelis and the Diaspora, between secular Jews and the Orthodox, and between younger liberal American Jews and the more conservative establishment.The article set off a furious debate and discussion here in the U.S., although anyone who ...
- I've Moved20 May 2011, 1:59 am
Visit me at my new home at WordPress .... southernbeale.wordpress.com.Thanks!... - I Already Hate WordPress19 May 2011, 7:03 pm
Blogger got buggered again yesterday and I'm so over it. Had to do a bunch of crap to my cookies to be able to access my dashboard. So I've started setting up a new home at WordPress but I can tell you all, I already hate it. Despise it. It's completely illogical, totally not Mac friendly. This was created by people who use PCs, I can already tell with their instructions to "right click" this and that. I hate it. I can't get my freaking blogroll set up, and frankly at this point it may never hap... - Americans Live Within Their Means & Other Wingnut Fantasies18 May 2011, 4:13 pm
Of all the tired, old bromides which have worked their way into our discourse, the old “American families have to live within a budget, and so should the federal government” meme is one of the most annoying. It's annoying because it's so easily debunked; the very people spouting this bullshit are the ones riding mountains of credit card debt, for crying out loud!I’ve written about this before but my first response is always: No! No we don’t! Since when? American consumer debt, which does... - How Dare Those Uppity Plebes Forget Their Place18 May 2011, 12:13 pm
When I first read Felix Salmon’s “Ben Stein's Top 10 Lines About DSK” I thought these were humorous “summaries” of Steins’ column defending Dominique Strauss-Kahn.They were not. They were direct quotes. And oh my God. Without further ado:Was Riker's Island really the place to put him on the allegations of one human being? Hadn't he earned slightly better treatment than that? No, he has not. Justice wears a blindfold.If he is such a womanizer and violent guy with women, why didn't he ... - I’ll Take Things It Shouldn’t Take 30 Years To Do, Alex17 May 2011, 4:18 pm
Waaaaay back in 1990 a law was passed that required the Dept. of Defense to get its books in order so we can do a full financial audit, and yet even though their deadline isn’t until 2017 it seems they won’t be making that deadline. That would be 27 years to do a financial audit of the Pentagon.And they can’t do it.Whew. Okie dokie, well thank goodness we have a bipartisan group of Senators who have a little problem with that :“Based on the findings of today’s FIAR Plan, it appears unl...
- Why Your Property Tax Rate WILL Increase13 May 2013, 4:12 pm
And why that’s not such a big deal really Its budget time again. A time of wrangling and posturing about spending and tax rates and the “appropriate role of government”. In City Hall, the County Commission, and most importantly, the school board, politicians will be putting together numbers for the upcoming year. The schools budget [...]... - With schools, the only certainty is uncertainty1 May 2013, 7:26 pm
Last night, among other things, the School Board who shall not be named voted to delay their search for a new Superintendent at the suggestion of national search firm Proact.. Who, in their right mind, would want this job? Think about it: 23 members who can’t seem to come to a decision on anything. 16 [...]... - School budget presentation for Livable Memphis30 April 2013, 4:43 pm
Over the weekend, I was honored to give a presentation on school funding for Livable Memphis at Rhodes College. Since the we don’t have a budget for the upcoming year yet, even though we’re just 60 days out, I talked about the budget from last year, and hoped to give a little insight as to [...]... - Blogs for a Blue TN23 April 2013, 2:07 pm
Democratic members of the State House and Senate need our help beating back the ridiculous policies of the GOP majority. If you’re like me, and sick of being the butt of a national joke, give to the House and Senate Democratic Caucuses. They directly support the election of Democrats to the state legislature and are [...]... - Put your money where your mouth is22 April 2013, 7:51 pm
If you’re like me, and watched in horror as the Tennessee General Assembly considered, and often passed one bad GOP sponsored bill after another, bringing shame to our state, you’re probably wondering what you can do about it. If you thought Stacey Campfield and his bevy of bills that would harm regular Tennesseans was dispicable, [...]...
- Mad Libs18 June 2010, 2:15 pm
Dear TNDP, I’m not alone in saying it, but this is a problem. (That’s seven months, and many “Chip Forrester is Outraged on a Friday” pressers ago.) We know you know better. How about acting on it? Is…... - He’s So Excited! He’s So Scared!28 May 2010, 4:43 pm
I didn’t watch the Tea Party-hosted Republican gubernatorial debate, not only because I had other plans but because I figure such a thing would be as substantive as a pageant. While nobody emerged wearing a sash and tiara, ... - Just the Facts, Ma’am25 May 2010, 6:20 am
Last night the state House voted to commend Arizona on its upcoming centennial (in 2012) as well as for passing controversial legislation which many argue encourages racial profiling. Here’s the breakdown of how your state Democrats voted. …... - Liberal Blogger Afternoon on the Hill12 May 2010, 4:55 am
Everyone’s favorite Aunt B. did a great job summing up the Liberal Blogger Afternoon on the Hill at Tiny Cat Pants and at Pith. She fails to mention, however, the great restraint both she and I exercised in…... - Sandbagging the MetroCenter Levee4 May 2010, 5:30 am
Approximately 200 Nashvillians sandbagged the levee at MetroCenter today – despite MNPD officers explicitly saying we were entering the neighborhood “at our own risk,” and that if the levee went out we’d likely go out with it – with some…...
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