Day: August 23, 2017

Commentary: President Trump’s Arizona Speech Drives Left Nuts

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

  by ConservativeHQ.com Staff   Most of what President Trump does or says seems to drive the Left and their fellow travelers in the national news media crazy, but the reaction to President Trump’s rally in Phoenix, Arizona was completely over the top. The media reaction was predictable and savage as CNN anchor Dona Lemon ranted, “Well, what do you say to that? I’m just going to speak from the heart here — what we have witnessed is a total eclipse of the facts,” Lemon began, adding: “He’s unhinged. It’s embarrassing.” That wasn’t all, as Politico put it, Lemon “thundered on” as he compared Trump to a petty 6-year-old who creates imaginary enemies. He said Trump’s speech was “without thought” and “without reason” and “devoid of fact.” “It was devoid of wisdom,” Lemon said. “There was no gravitas. There was no sanity there. He was like a child blaming a sibling on something else.” “This was a Castro-esque speech in length, an astounding chain of lies … by a man who is obviously mentally unstable,” said Rick Wilson, one of CNN’s stable of anti-Trump Republicans. The writers for Time magazine’s website contented themselves with quoting Hillary Clinton supporters to express…

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After Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s Fare Reductions, Just 16 Percent of The Metropolitan Transit Authority Funding Is Self-Generated

Laura Baigert

  Mayor Megan Barry’s July 1, 2017, Metro Budget included proposed fare reductions and no-cost transfers for Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) users, making the “self-generated” portion of MTA’s funding a mere 16 percent, with the balance coming from Metro Government at 60 percent, the State at 6 percent and Federal at 19 percent. In Mayor Barry’s budget for fiscal year 2017-18 adopted by the Metro Council and approved by the MTA Board, effective August 1, 2017, “2nd Ride Transfers” within two hours of initial boarding were eliminated and nearly all other fares were reduced by at least 24 percent and up to as much as 40 percent. The total cost passed on to taxpayers to compensate for just the fee restructuring portion of next year’s MTA budget is $2.75 million. MTA is the public transportation agency based in Nashville that utilizes buses primarily through Music City Central, a paratransit specialized van service for people with disabilities, the Lebanon-to-Nashville Music City Star commuter rail, the free Music City Circuit and contracted services with the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) for service areas connected to Nashville/Davidson County. In 2016, MTA reported that of its $73.6 million budgeted operating funding, $16.8 million or 23…

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ESPN Pulls Announcer Robert Lee — With Asian Heritage — from University of Virginia Football Game in Charlottesville

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Apparently, even being Asian doesn’t mean people won’t take you for being a white nationalist. According to the popular college-football blog Outkick the Coverage, ESPN pulled an Asian announcer from calling a University of Virginia football game. The announcer’s name is Robert Lee. “Did I mention that Robert Lee is Asian?” blogger Clay Travis asked rhetorically…

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BREAKING: Tennessee State Senator Mae Beavers to Resign Legislative Seat to Focus on Campaign for Governor

Wendy Wilson

  MT. JULIET, Tennessee — State Senator Mae Beavers announced Wednesday that she will resign her seat in the state legislature to focus on her campaign for governor of Tennessee. Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) said that she will deliver her letter of resignation to Gov. Bill Haslam and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally on Wednesday, August 30. The resignation will be effective Friday, September 1 at noon. Beavers made her announcement at Mt. Juliet City Hall Wednesday afternoon. In a press release, which was given earlier in the day exclusively to The Tennessee Star, Beavers said she has “mixed emotions” about resigning but said she believed it to be the best decision for her and for her constituents. By resigning now, a special election can be held later this year to ensure that Beavers’ 17th District has a “fully focused representative in place the day that session begins,” the press release said. “I have always taken my duties in the state legislature extremely seriously, and I have concluded that it is simply not possible for anyone to run a statewide grassroots campaign while effectively serving during legislative session,” Beavers said in the release. Beavers is known for her tenacious socially and fiscally…

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Senator Lamar Alexander Joins Calls to Remove Bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from Tennessee Capitol

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander has joined demands to remove a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, reports WKRN News 2. The Tennessee Republican spoke to reporters Tuesday about the issue when he was in Nashville for an event. Alexander said the Civil War can be remembered at museums, birthplaces and battlefields, but that “a place of honor” should be for Tennesseans “who inspire all of us,” such as Roots author Alex Haley, Senator Howard Baker or World War I hero Sgt. Alvin York. The bust of Forrest was installed at the Capitol in the late 1970s. In 1980, when Alexander was Tennessee governor, he was against removing the bust. Acknowledging that he has changed his mind, Alexander said Tuesday that when he was governor he “thought it was more important to appoint the first African-American Supreme Court justice in Tennessee, which I did. More important to pass the Martin Luther King holiday, which I did. More important to (appoint) the first black chancellor in the state, which I did.” Bill Haslam, the current Tennessee Republican governor, as well as activists, have called for the removal of the controversial bust. A Tennessee native, Forrest was a slave…

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Unions Offer the Same Old Song and Dance

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Tennessee Star

  By J.C. Bowman and Justin Owen   This week is National Employee Freedom Week. From August 20 to 26, we celebrate Americans’ right to work freely of compulsory union representation, as well as every citizen’s right to join a union if he or she believes it is in his or her best interest. However, for Tennessee teachers, that freedom comes with some limits. A simple glance at the half page of fine print on Tennessee’s National Education Association affiliate’s membership application offers troubling music for union members’ ears. First up is the “Hotel California” clause. You can check out of the union anytime you like, but you can rarely leave. In order to withdraw from your union, you must provide written notice of termination to multiple entities prior to September 1 each year (how far in advance the notice can be sent is unclear). Otherwise, you are locked in for an entire year. And the key statement on the application form is revocation will only be acted upon in accordance with the established policy of the union board. That’s right, the union leadership decides if you get out of the union based on their policies, not based on your…

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Louisville Black Lives Matter Organizer Asks White People To Give Up Homes

Wendy Wilson

  An organizer for the Louisville chapter of Black Lives Matter has published an expletive-laced list of “10 requests” for white people, which includes asking white people who can afford to downsize to give up their homes. “White people, if you can afford to downsize, give up the home you own to a black or brown family. Preferably a family from generational poverty,” reads one suggestion from Chanelle Helm, co-founder and core organizer of the Louisville group. Another reads: “If you are a developer or realty owner of multi-family housing, build a sustainable complex in a black or brown blighted neighborhood and let black and brown people live in it for free.” Helm’s list was published Aug. 16 by LEO Weekly, an alternative newsweekly in Louisville, Kentucky. She also asks white people without descendants to will their property “to a black or brown family. Preferably one that lives in generational poverty.” In addition, she asks, “White people, if you’re inheriting property you intend to sell upon acceptance, give it to a black or brown family. You’re bound to make that money in some other white privileged way.” Helm also addresses the workplace and asks white people to “get a racist fired…You…

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Laura Ingraham Endorses NeverTrump Senator’s GOP Challenger in Arizona

Tennessee Star Staff

LifeZette editor-in-chief Laura Ingraham endorsed Dr. Kelli Ward in her bid to oust Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) Tuesday on “The Laura Ingraham Show,” saying that Ward “is by far the most committed to the conservative-populist cause.” Ward, who lost a 2016 GOP primary bid against Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), is a staunch supporter of President Donald…

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917 Society Offering Free Resources to Eighth-Grade Teachers to Help Educate Students About Constitution

Wendy Wilson

  Constitution Week is coming up soon, and the 917 Society is prepared to get the word out about why it is so important. The group is making available a free program and pocket constitutions to all Tennessee eighth-grade social studies teachers to mark Constitution Day Sept. 17 and Constitution Week, which falls around that date. The U.S. Constitution is an area of focus in the eighth-grade curriculum. The program consists of a short documentary film narrated by Nick Clooney and a variety of other free resources, including The Tennessee Star Constitution Series. Joni Bryan, founder of the 917 Society, has worked on the Constitution project for nearly three years. The project is funded with private donations. The group does not receive state or federal funds. “We want every year for all eighth-grade students to receive their Constitution as a rite of passage into citizenship,” Bryan said. This September 17 marks the 230th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The 917 Society’s mission is to reach 4.5 million students nationally, with Tennessee being the first state covered. The goal is to reach almost 90,000 Tennessee eighth-graders annually, including public, private and homeschooled students. Bryan said the group will…

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Craft Hayes Named New Finance Chairman for Davidson County Republican Party

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  The Davidson County Republican Party has appointed a new finance chairman. Craft Hayes, who was tapped for the position, received “resounding support” from the executive committee, according to a news release posted Aug. 15 on the county party’s Facebook page. The executive committee includes Melissa Smithson, who became chairman in June and has been working hard to boost the county party’s profile. “I’m excited about the opportunity to work with Melissa and her team to further conservative principles and candidates in Davidson County,” Craft said. “Nashville is a vibrant, growing city that will benefit from investment in business-minded, fiscally sound policies and leaders that will preserve our home as one of the best places to live and work in the nation.” Hayes, who will chair the finance committee for the 2017-2018 election cycle, leads the Nashville team of employer advisers for Bernard Health, where he helps employers get health plans for their organizations. He has an MBA from Tennessee Tech and is a member and former president of the Phoenix Club of Nashville, a nonprofit organization of young men that seeks to benefit disadvantaged youth in Middle Tennessee and to help members become community and business leaders.    

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Historian: GOP Wins Because of ‘Backlash Against’ D.C. Establishment

Tennessee Star Staff

Military historian and political columnist Victor Davis Hanson said during an interview Tuesday on “The Laura Ingraham Show” that Never-Trumper Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) “really shows a lot of ingratitude” for rejecting President Donald Trump and the conservative-populist wave across the country that gave the Republican Party the White House, the Senate, and the House. Hanson,…

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Split on Trump’s Afghanistan Decision Along Partisan Lines

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

Republican Sen. Bob Corker and Republican Reps. Marsha Blackburn, Scott DesJarlais and Chuck Fleischmann released statements in support of President Trump’s decision to keep troops in Afghanistan. Trump announced his decision Monday evening in a televised address. His decision is likely to disappoint some conservatives because he campaigned on pulling out of Afghanistan. “My original instinct was to pull out — and, historically, I like following my instincts,” Trump said in his address. “But all my life I’ve heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office.” Trump said that, as happened with the withdrawal from Iraq in 2011,  “a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill.” Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the following in a statement: I had the opportunity to talk with Secretary Tillerson in advance of this evening’s address, and while I look forward to receiving additional details, I support the direction President Trump laid out tonight for the U.S. role in Afghanistan. While there are certainly substantial questions about whether Afghanistan has the capacity over time to provide stable governance to its people, this more focused…

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