Birmingham City Council Passes Sweeping Protections For LGBT People

The Birmingham City Council in Alabama this week passed non-discrimination ordinances that include sweeping protections for LGBT people and spell out criminal penalties for violators. The council on Tuesday unanimously passed an ordinance addressing discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations, and a companion measure addressing discrimination in  awarding city contracts. The council will create a human rights commission “to promote principles of diversity, inclusion, and harmony” and to hear complaints. The ordinances also mention other statuses such as race and disability, but the main intent was to offer protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, which are not covered under Alabama law. The legislation is the first of its kind in the state, though there are more than 200 cities and counties across the country with similar protections. Sexual orientation is defined in the Birmingham legislation as “actual or perceived homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.” Gender identity is defined as “actual or perceived gender related identity, expression, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual’s designated sex at birth.” Violators found to be discriminatory can be fined up to $500. In 2014, the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest pro-LGBT activist group, launched an…

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus Stricken with Cancer: ‘Today, I’m the One’

Award-winning “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus has breast cancer, she announced through social media on Thursday. The 56-year-old American actress revealed the diagnosis to her 750,000 Twitter followers, posting a note that read: “One in eight women get breast cancer. Today, I’m the one.” “The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive…

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Physicists Report New, Solid Observation of Gravitational Waves

It’s pretty much official now: there are gravitational waves. A collaboration between the LIGO Lab and the Virgo interferometer collaboration just reported the first joint detection of gravitational waves, adding much more weight to previous detection events. It’s not the first time gravitational waves had been detected. Physicists had recorded three previous events, offering serious proof to support the hypothesis first proposed by Albert Einstein a hundred years ago. Both the LIGO and Virgo detectors picked up the same event – a binary black hole system colliding.…

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Progressive University of Tennessee-Knoxville Professors Lead Discussion on Privilege and Oppression

Two progressive University of Tennessee-Knoxville professors who endorse critical race theory led a discussion on campus Tuesday about privilege and oppression. The Hodges Library hosted the discussion “to begin dialogue on the topic of racial inequality and other aspects of oppression,” according to The Daily Beacon, the student newspaper. Band-aids matching a person’s skin tone was one example of privilege mentioned at the event, though the newspaper did not say who mentioned it. The event, part of a “Lunch and Learn” series, was open to students and others on campus. “I like to remind folks that we’re living in the legacy of 344 years of overt systemic racism in America,” said Michelle Christian, an assistant professor of sociology, according to The Daily Beacon. “We were systemically racist a lot longer than we supposedly did away with these policies.” Jioni Lewis, an assistant professor of psychology, led the event with Christian. She defined privilege as “unearned access to resources or social power only readily available to some people as a result of their advantaged status or advantaged social group membership.” She defined oppression as “a system that maintains advantage and disadvantage based on social group memberships and operates intentionally, and unintentionally,…

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Commentary: Are the Haslams the First Family of the Never Trumpers?

There may be plenty of “Never Trumpers” on the Republican side of the aisle, with John Kasich and Jeb Bush immediately coming to mind, but no family can claim more current political power in the “Never Trumper” sphere than the Haslam family of Tennessee. The controversial NFL protests against the National Anthem and the American Flag have been embraced by Jimmy and Dee Haslam, the owners of the Cleveland Browns. Jimmy Haslam is Governor Bill Haslam’s older brother. The family owns Pilot-Flying J, the 14th largest privately owned company in the country. Jimmy Haslam is the company’s CEO. The Haslams have supported their players’ protests and issued a harsh statement speaking out against Trump’s comments where he called for NFL owners to fire any players or employees who take a knee or don’t stand at attention during the National Anthem. Statement from Dee and Jimmy Haslam pic.twitter.com/QvCmKPkKwc — Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 24, 2017 “We must not let misguided, uninformed and divisive comments from the President or anyone else deter us from our efforts to unify,” the statement said in part. The Haslam family’s animosity towards President Trump is nothing new. During the 2016 Presidential election Governor Bill Haslam announced…

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President Trump Deletes Tweets Endorsing Luther Strange after Judge Roy Moore Win

Several of President Trump’s past endorsements of Sen. Luther Strange disappeared from the president’s personal Twitter account after the Republican senator lost Tuesday’s GOP primary runoff to former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. Mr. Trump repeatedly touted the Republican incumbent’s campaign on Twitter leading up to Alabama’s special election this week, but at least three of…

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Report: Rick Pitino Expects Louisville to Fire Him Due to FBI Investigation of Fraud and Corruption in NCAA Basketball

Rick Pitino reportedly informed his assistant coaches and basketball staff that he expects to be fired as head coach at Louisville. Pitino, according to ESPN and Yahoo Sports, said in a statement he was not aware of the fraud and corruption charges that brought the FBI to the campus as part of a national probe launched…

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Latinos For Tennessee Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, Focuses On American Identity

Tennessee Star

When Montgomery County Commissioner Tommy Vallejos was first elected to the commission in 2010, he said his race was not an issue. The statement he gave at the time was featured in a press release from Latinos For Tennessee this week, part of a series of news releases from the conservative political action group celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Vallejos serves as the group’s board chairman and also is a pastor. “My race or ethnicity never came up, nor was an issue,” said Vallejos after winning his county commission seat. “Still I am proud to be the first Latino to be elected as a county commissioner in Montgomery County. I believe the likelihood of more Hispanic men and women being elected to office is possible because we are are all Americans and should dream and dream big. So many politicians are using Latinos as political piñatas. I never allowed that to be a determining factor in my decision to run for office.” The press release also included a short video featuring Vallejos produced by the 917 Society, a Nashville area nonprofit that promotes the U.S. Constitution. In the video, Vallejos talks about growing up in New Mexico surrounded by gang violence. “My out…

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Letter to the Editor: NFL Athletes Have a Right to Protest, I Have a Right to Never Watch the NFL Again

Tennessee Star

Dear Tennessee Star, I spent ten years serving this nation in uniform. My dad served four years when he was young. My son retired from the Air Force, serving honorably with multiple tours in the Middle East. I have friends who made careers serving in the military. One in particular served over thirty years earning several medals, including three purple hearts and the Bronze Star. Another friend served 28 years, and lost her husband in combat while he served in Afghanistan. Other friends served in WWII, saving the world from fascism. Some came home maimed while others buried their friends on foreign soil. Back in the ’60’s, soldiers returned from Vietnam only to be met by protesters who berated and spat on them. While the protesters were protected by the First Amendment, their actions were deplorable. As far as I’m concerned, professional athletes who refuse to stand for our National Anthem not only disrespect our flag, they are figuratively spitting on every man and woman who served this nation in uniform. Athletes play their sport because they’re talented. We served our country because of our principles: Duty, Honor, Country. I’m a strong advocate for the Constitution. I’m a firm believer…

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John Rose Steps Up Campaign to Represent Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District

John Rose is ramping up his campaign for Congress. The DeKalb County Republican, who announced last month that he is running for U.S. Rep. Diane Black’s seat in the 6th Congressional District, held a campaign kick-off Saturday in Carthage, where he was endorsed by Smith County Mayor Michael Nesbitt. Campaign spokesman Braden Stover said 300 people attended. On Sunday, Rose released a statement on the national anthem protests in which he backed President Trump. “Our flag is a symbol we all hold dear, and it is important that we Americans honor it,” Rose said. “It is also important that we respect our men and women in uniform and recognize the sacrifice that they are making for all of us. There is too much division in our country, and our flag and national anthem should be symbols that unite us, not divide us.” On Monday, Rose attended an Upper Cumberland Young Life banquet in Cookeville, noting on his Facebook page that he was “encouraged to see young people pursuing Christ in their lives.” Black is giving up her seat to run for governor. State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) is also in the race for the Republican nomination. Rose is a small business…

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Peyton Manning Has No Interest in Running for Any Elected Office in 2018

Tennessee Star

  As Tennessee potentates, politicos, and possible politicians vie for the various elected offices up for grabs in 2018, one individual makes if clear he will not run for any office at all. In 2018. Nope. Not interested. Not even a little. We’re talking, of course, about Vol-for-Life Peyton Manning, who appeared on Nashville’s 3HL on 1045 The Zone Wednesday. When asked if he might have an interest in running for Bob Corker’s now-open seat, Manning replied: Peyton Manning said, “I certainly have an interest in politics and in our country. I just have zero interest in being a politician." — 3HL (@3HL1045) September 27, 2017 WATE reports: Corker announced Tuesday he would retire from the Senate and not seek re-election in 2018, sparking a large amount of buzz about who will run to fill his seat. Corker himself spoke Wednesday, saying while it was possible Manning would run for his seat, he didn’t think it was likely. “Is he going to run for this seat? I think the chances are low. Is there a chance down the road that he could be enticed to run for the United States Senate or something like this? I hope so. He’s the…

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Faith: Verse of the Day for Thursday, September 28

Tennessee Star - Verse of the Day

  VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing September 28, Thursday Matthew 25:31-34 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

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