Day: April 8, 2017

Clarksville NAACP Opposes U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s Visit To Austin Peay

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  The Clarksville NAACP is opposing U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn’s visit Monday to Austin Peay State University, according to an article in The Leaf-Chronicle. The group said in a press release sent to The Leaf-Chronicle that Blackburn (R-TN) refuses to host a town hall meeting to address concerns of Montgomery County residents. However, Blackburn was quoted as saying she has offered to meet with the group’s leaders but they have declined. “This press release misrepresents the willingness we have displayed to sit down and have a conversation,” she said. Leaders with the NAACP said they didn’t want to meet with Blackburn on their own because it wouldn’t afford an opportunity to address the concerns of the entire community. Blackburn will be in Clarksville Monday to host the 4th annual Congressional Leadership Summit for high school juniors and seniors. In February, Blackburn hosted a town hall in Fairview in Williamson County where she faced protesters, few of whom were from the Fairview community. The Tennessee Star reported earlier on how those on the left are organizing online to disrupt town halls and other forums, in some cases traveling far from where they lived to attend. The left has attempted to turn the traditional town hall…

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Alexander Staffer Resigns Amid Identity Theft Charges

Tina LaFleur
Tennessee Star

Johnathon Cox Griswold, a staffer in Senator Lamar Alexander’s Knoxville office, has resigned as a result of felony identity theft charges filed in February. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports: A staffer with U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander’s Knoxville office has resigned after being charged with felony identity theft for allegedly withdrawing approximately $6,000 using a stolen bank debit card, according to an arrest warrant. Jonathan Cox Griswold, 38, was charged Feb. 21 after being captured on a surveillance camera making multiple withdrawals from an ATM at Home Federal Bank, 5538 Kingston Pike, using the victim’s personal identification number and card, the warrant reads. David Cleary, Senator Alexander’s Chief of Staff said in a statement that while the Senator is disappointed to hear of Griswold’s arrest, as far as he knows, the alleged wrongdoing is unconnected to his official duties in Knoxville. Griswold’s arraignment is set for April 13 in Knox County General Sessions Court.

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Commentary: Pro-Trump Conservatives Being Massacred In The Battle For The Pentagon

Tennessee Star Staff

Conservative HQ Staff As CHQ Chairman Richard Viguerie has been telling CHQ readers for many years, “Personnel is policy.” And unfortunately, right now pro-Trump conservatives are getting massacred in one of the biggest personnel and hence policy battles Washington has seen in many years – the battle to staff the Trump Pentagon. The latest rout of conservatives at the hands of Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and the establishment James MattisRepublicans who occupy the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, came in the fight over who should be nominated as Secretary of the Navy to replace Philip Bilden, who decided to withdraw his name from consideration after saying that meeting the government’s ethics guidelines would require too great a financial sacrifice. The scuttlebutt in the Pentagon and in the defense-oriented media is that today the White House will announce that the next SecNav nominee will be former Marine aviator Richard V. Spencer. Spencer has had a distinguished business career after leaving the Marines. He worked on Wall Street for 15 years with Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Bear Sterns and Paine Webber and served as vice chairman and chief financial officer of intercontinental exchange. He is now an investment banker who…

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Despite Ethics Cloud, ‘Proud’ Barry Doss Presented ‘New and IMPROVED’ Gas Tax Bill for ‘Rebranding’ as ‘Tax Cut Act of 2017’

Laura Baigert
Tennessee Star

  Rep. Barry Doss (R-Leoma) told the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday he was “proud to bring the bill before you,” as he presented Governor Haslam’s IMPROVE Act, the gas tax increase proposal he co-sponsors, for consideration.   Rep. Doss continues to sponsor and present the bill, despite the call for an ethics investigation by the Tennessee Republican Assembly over potential Tennessee Department of Transportation contracts for his company. Doss statement of pride in the gas tax increase proposal came both in his opening statement and again later in response to Rep. David Hawk (R-Greeneville). Hawk said he would continue to work to “present a plan our colleagues can vote for, as opposed to presenting a plan that our colleagues may have to hold their nose and vote for.” Doss took exception to Hawk’s comments, and said again that he was proud to sponsor the gas tax increase bill and that he is “not holding my nose today.” He conceded, however, that it’s “going to take some education of our constituents,” something he said he has “been doing for a solid year.” Although he has served two previous terms in the House of Representatives, Rep. Doss has not been a member…

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Faith: Verse of the Day for Saturday, April 8

Dana Hunsinger Gill
Tennessee Star - Verse of the Day

VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing April 8, Saturday Matthew 26:26-28 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

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