Day: December 15, 2017

Report: Billy Spivey ‘Disqualified’ from Running in State Senate Special Election ‘Due to an Unpaid Fine,’ Says Appeal is ‘Likely’

Tennessee Star Staff

The Shelbyville Times-Gazette reported on Friday that former State Rep. Billy Spivey (R-Lewisburg) has been “disqualified” from running in the State Senate District 14 special election to replace former State Sen. Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) “due to an unpaid fine levied by the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance.” The Times-Gazette broke the story late Friday morning: The election finance bureau, which is separate from the state election office, informed the election office that Spivey was ineligible, according to Adam Ghassemi, a spokesman for the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office, who referred more specific questions to the election finance registry. Drew Rawlins of the election finance office said that Spivey never paid a $425 fine which was assessed by the finance office because Spivey was late filing his campain finance statements for the fourth quarter of 2016. State law says that this type of unpaid fine makes a candidate ineligible, and because Spivey did not take care of it before the candidate filing deadline, he is ineligible to be on the ballot, said Rawlins. Final deadline The deadline for candidates to file for the special election was noon Thursday. Spivey had filed a candidate petition, but the state announced later…

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Mackler Withdraws from Senate Race to Clear Democratic Field For Bredesen, Launches Anti-Blackburn PAC

Tim Dukeman

Democrat James Mackler announced on Thursday that he is withdrawing from the race to replace retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), a move that clears the Democratic field for front-runner, 74-year-old former Gov. Phil Bredesen. Mackler also launched a political action committee called “Believe in Service” to “continue holding anti-service extremists like Marsha Blackburn accountable,” WATE reported. An Iraq War veteran, Mackler, launched his campaign for the Democratic nomination in April. After Bredesen’s entry into the race for the Democratic nomination last week the 44-year-old Mackler likely did not see a path to the nomination against the far better-known Bredesen, as his announcement indicated: This is a moment for unity and we cannot risk dividing those seeking change in Washington because there is no time to waste. While I am stepping back from this U.S. Senate race, I will continue holding anti-service extremists like Marsha Blackburn accountable through a political action committee called “Believe in Service.” Using the platform Tennesseans helped me build, “Believe in Service” will support federal candidates who will protect and expand our national service programs that provide so many opportunities for service here and abroad. It has been an honor to have been a candidate during this critical time in our democracy and I am humbled…

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U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant Files Identity Fraud Charges Against 20 Illegal Immigrants Arrested in Memphis

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Following the arrest of some twenty individuals who were allegedly a part of an identity fraud ring, U.S. Attorney Michael Dunavant announced Thursday his office is moving forward with a prosecution: On November 28, 2017, law enforcement arrested 20 illegal aliens working under false identities. A Memphis employment agency, Provide Staffing, assigned multiple employees to Expeditors International, a freight forwarder based in Memphis. In the course of their regular duties, Transportation Security Administration inspectors in Memphis noticed anomalies in Security Threat Assessment paperwork submitted on behalf of Provide Staffing workers on contract to Expeditors International, and referred their findings to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Tennessee Highway Patrol’s (THP) Criminal Investigative Division investigated and arrested these 20 individuals on state charges. ICE Homeland Security Investigations conducted a parallel investigation in coordination with TSA and other law enforcement agencies. As a result of that investigation, the defendants are alleged to have presented fraudulent documents, between March 2016 and January 2017, to certify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. The Immigration and Reform Act of 1986, amended, and the Immigration and Nationality Act together require employers to verify the identity and…

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Four Criminals on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List Are Immigrants

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Looked at the FBI’s Most Wanted list lately? If not, you might be surprised to learn that four of the 10 criminals on the list are immigrants — including at least two who were in this country illegally when they committed their heinous crimes. The makeup of the list highlights the problem of illegal immigration and crime in this country that President Donald Trump raised throughout his presidential campaign — something he’s continued to emphasize, with the creation of a special unit at the Department of Homeland Security called Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE).

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Steve Gill Commentary: When It Comes to Understanding Voter Turnout, Information That is ‘Accurate’ is Not Always ‘True’

Tennessee Star Staff

by Steve Gill   A friend of mine recently asked me about a report that claimed that Tennessee had ranked at the very bottom among states in voter participation in the 2014 off-year general election. I was admittedly skeptical,  so I reviewed the report, which is attached HERE. More detailed Tennessee specific data from Pew Research is HERE. In 2014 Tennessee saw just 29 percent of citizens eligible to vote turn out and actually vote. That ranked Tennessee 50th out of all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. (We nudged out Texas to avoid the bottom spot.) Interestingly, 2014 was a low turnout election nationally, as none of the largest most populous states had competitive elections that year. Nationally, only 36.6 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot, the lowest percentage in a midterm since World War II. Only 83.2 million voters turned out, down from 90.9 million in 2010. Not surprisingly, competition is the most important key to voter participation. Thus, while the data about Tennessee’s low voter participation in 2014 may be “accurate,”it doesn’t reflect anything nefarious or diabolical regarding voter suppression or even structural barriers to voter participation that need action. A closer examination of the…

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Congressional Candidate Lee Thomas Miller Signs ‘Taxpayer Protection Pledge,’ Speaks to ATR’s Wednesday Group

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Congressional candidate Lee Thomas Miller completed an important rite-of-passage in Republican and conservative politics Wednesday when he traveled to Washington, D.C. to address the Americans for Tax Reform’s weekly meeting – the Wednesday Group – and signed on the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. The non-binding agreement, also signed by fellow conservative and District 7 competitor Dr. Mark Green, states that the signer promises to “oppose any increase in the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses; and to oppose and net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.” “Congress appears to be on the verge of passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts and I encourage then the get the job done now, The reduction in the tax burden on working men and women along with cuts in the corporate tax rates will energize our economy and and create new jobs and opportunities for millions of Americans,” Miller said in a statement sent the The Tennessee Star. “So it was particularly appropriate to stand with Grover Norquist today and sign the Americans for Tax Reform Pledge.” Miller added: Passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts in a final form will be a big step towards…

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Constitution Series: December 15, 1791: The Date Our American Republic Was Fully Formed

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

On December 15, 1791, the legislature of the state of Virginia ratified all ten amendments to the Constitution, making the Bill of Rights the law of the land, and completing our country’s founding document. It had been over a quarter of a century since the Declaration of Independence had been signed on July 4, 1776 by members of the Continental Congress. Now, after a bloody war and many fits and starts, the complete covenant that bound the now fourteen states into a new republic had been sealed. It had also been more than four years since Benjamin Franklin, stepping out of the final day of the Constitutional Convention, told Mrs. Powel the delegates had given the citizens of the fledgling United States, “a Republic, if you can keep it.” All four years had been necessary to fulfill the promise made to the Anti-Federalists in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, and North Carolina during the ratification conventions in those states that in return for ratifying the Constitution, the first order of business in the new republic would be the passage of the Bill of Rights. Thanks largely to James Madison, and the integrity of all those leaders who sided with…

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Scott Williams Receives Patriot Eagle Award at 3rd Annual Blount County Bill of Rights Banquet

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At Wednesday’s Blount County 3rd Annual Bill of Rights Banquet, county commissioner Scott Williams, who is running for the state Senate for Tennessee’s District 2, received the “Patriot Eagle Award” for his work to promote Constitutional integrity and good governance in their local communities: Scott Williams local business owner and Republican Candidate for Tennessee 2nd Senate District received the “Eagle Award” Last night after delivering the keynote speech at the Blount County 3rd Annual Bill of Rights Banquet. The award is given to community leaders who selflessly work to promote Constitutional integrity and good governance in their communities. Joining Mr. Williams in receiving awards were Blount County Commissioners Tona Monroe, Jamie Daily, and Karen Miller. Quoting Mr. Williams at the event “I find myself in the best of company this evening as all three of these commissioners work selflessly for the betterment of our community” Mr. Williams received his award for the work he has done as the volunteer State Director for the Convention of the States project. Working in that capacity over a three-year period Mr. Williams was able to guide Tennessee in becoming the 5th state to apply for an amending Convention that would offer constitutional amendments that would limit the power…

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Nashville Scene Confirms Tennessee Star Reporting: ‘Possible That The Tennessean Bought Into a Smear Campaign’ Claiming FBI Asking Questions About Tim Burchett

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The Nashville Scene published a detailed 3,000 word article on Tuesday by former Metro Pulse reporter Cari Wade Gervin that eviscerates the credibility of the four sources upon which Tennessean reporters Dave Boucher and Joel Ebert relied to form the basis of their December 1 story, in which they reported that sources said the FBI was asking questions about Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett. The Tennessee Star reported on the story by Tennessean reporters Boucher and Ebert with great skepticism three days later on December 4. “Relying upon claims from an ex-wife with a criminal history, three anonymous sources, and two unproduced documents they claim to have seen but refuse to reveal, the Knoxville News Sentinel published a story written by two Nashville-based reporters on Friday, “Sources: FBI asks questions about Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett; mayor says ‘no truth to any of it’,” The Star reported, adding: Burchett, who is term-limited in his current job, is a candidate for the Republican nomination for the Second Congressional District in the election to replace retiring Rep. John “Jimmy” Duncan (R-TN-02), where he faces a hard fought battle against State Rep. Jimmy Matlock (R-Lenoir City). Friday’s article was written by Dave Boucher and Joel Ebert, two Nashville-based…

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