Marsha Blackburn Takes Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Task for Censoring ‘Diamond and Silk’

Conservatives have complained for years about being censored by Facebook, but the Silicon Valley giant may have gone too far by blocking Diamond and Silk. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday that his company had moved to correct what he described as an “enforcement error” after the popular social media duo said he shut down traffic to their page, which has 1.4 million followers.

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State Senator Dr. Mark Green Earns Grassroots Giant FreedomWorks’ Endorsement in Congressional Bid

Conservative grassroots group FreedomWorks for America announced Thursday their decision to endorse State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville) in his congressional bid to represent the people of Tennessee’s 7th congressional district, replacing outgoing lawmaker Marsha Blackburn. “Dr. Mark Green is going to be a force for conservatives in the House of Representatives. He will be another reliable vote and a leading advocate for less government, lower taxes, and more freedom,” FreedomWorks president Adam Brandon said in a statement. “He has worked to defend the Constitution from enemies abroad, and now he is seeking to fight to defend it against those in Congress who would trample the Constitution like Nancy Pelosi. The Green campaign notes that FreedomWorks is in good company, as other prominent national conservative organizations including the Club for Growth, FRC Action, GOPAC, and the House Freedom Fund have all backed the conservative firebrand. In Tennessee, Dr. Green has the endorsement of 100 grassroots conservative leaders and 20 mayors in the district. “History has shown us time and again: Freedom works, and government must get out of the way of individual Americans whose ingenuity, persistence, and drive can fuel the next leap forward in freedom and prosperity,” Green said; adding, “I’m honored…

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Joe Carter Commentary: What You Should Know About Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Senate Hearings

by Joe Carter   What just happened? On Tuesday, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave testimony (though not officially under oath) before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation committees. On Wednesday, Zuckerberg testified at a second hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He was asked to appear before Congress to discuss such issues as data privacy and Russian use of his social network to meddle in the 2016 election. Why is Facebook and Zuckerberg now under scrutiny? Facebook has been at the center of recent data privacy scandals and concerns. The Senate hearings were particularly interested in learning about the connection between Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. Last month the New York Times reported that British data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica had “harvested private information from the Facebook profiles of more than 50 million users without their permission.” As law professor Andrew Keane Woods explains, The data that Cambridge Analytica obtained seems to have come from Aleksandr Kogan, a researcher at Cambridge University who convinced hundreds of thousands of Facebook users to take a Facebook-linked personality quiz—thereby granting Kogan access, through Facebook’s developer platform, to a treasure trove of user data. Kogan then shared…

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Off the Record: Who Wore it Best?

Off The Record: Who Wore it Best?

That’s a question usually asked by a popular fashion magazine but now we HAVE TO ask the same question when the same dress is being worn by two politicians – a radical progressive Democrat and an establishment-sometimes-conservative. Before we even get to the judging (and we expect you to weigh in as to whom you think wore it best), the dress worn yesterday by Speaker Beth Harwell on the House floor has called out to The Star to ask the obvious question: Why would Speaker Beth Harwell who is also a GOP gubernatorial candidate do twinsies with the disgraced radical progressive-pro-illegal-immigration-kicked-out-of-office former mayor Megan Barry? You know that old adage – “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” and you could say that fashion is oh so very universal, meaning that Democrats and Republicans can be equally wobbly with “aesthetic intelligence.” But wearing the same dress that adultress Megan Barry wore in her official mayoral website photo??? Just what image is Harwell trying to plant in voters’ minds? Did Harwell think The Star wouldn’t notice??? The Star’s unsolicited fashion advice to the Speaker is simple – first, burn the dress; Megan Barry has simply ruined that look for self-respecting women. Next, remember that softer colors…

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Educators’ Group and Law Enforcement Come Together to Host School Safety Town Hall in Hamilton County

Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond and Professional Educators of Tennessee (ProEd) announced recently they will host a Town Hall on School Safety and Security Monday, April 16th beginning at 4 p.m. at the East Hamilton Middle High School complex in Ooltewah. “The Town Hall will give parents, teachers and other stakeholders in public education the chance to offer their views on school safety,” Sheriff Hammond said in a statement. “Also, we will be able to share information about the Monday morning discussion with elected and community leaders.” “We are grateful to join with Sheriff Hammond and other strong leaders in Hamilton County to have timely, orderly discussion about an issue front and center in Hamilton County, the state and the nation,” ProEd Executive Director Dr. J. C. Bowman added. “This is a wonderful opportunity for teachers, including our members in Southeast Tennessee.” In addition to Sheriff Hammond and Dr. Bowman, Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy, Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson, and National School Security Expert Michael Yorio will serve as panelists. Chattanooga businessman and radio host Weston Wamp will facilitate the Town Hall. Dr. Bowman will discuss research on school safety which ProEd has completed with its membership.  Yorio,…

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Pastors Preach Against New Sunday Package Liquor Sale Law

Pastor Dale Walker

A pastors coalition is condemning the Tennessee General Assembly’s approval of Sunday package liquor sales. The Tennessee Senate joined the Tennessee House Wednesday to pass a bill approving liquor sales in the state on Sundays. “The Bible Belt state of Tennessee had enjoyed a safe, sacred day of worship with liquor stores being closed on Sunday,” said Pastor Dale Walker, president of the Tennessee Pastors Network, in a press release. “This will now change radically. The Republican Super Majority in Tennessee has become the party of ‘Big Liquor,’ passing beer, wine and liquor sales in many new venues, including rural areas for the first time. “Families and church vans will be even in more peril on the roadways now on Sunday,” Walker continued. “I have never had a liquor lobbyist or a liquor-loving politician join me at the grave to help comfort a family of the deceased who died from alcoholism or another tragedy brought on by alcohol. Pastors deal with alcohol ‘after the bottle is empty.’ Now, faith-based addiction ministries will be placed under more pressure from this despicable bill that will increase the need to help the addicted.” Surprisingly, one Nashville liquor store owner told WSMV News 4…

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Retiring State Senator Thelma Harper Honored by Colleagues, Friends, and Mayoral Candidate Carol Swain

Retiring State Senator Thelma Harper (D-Nashville) was honored on Thursday by her colleagues in the Tennessee General Assembly, friends and constituents, and mayoral candidate Carol Swain. The event was held at the Legislative Library Lounge of the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville. “I, along with thousands of other Tennesseeans, will miss Senator Thelma Harper,” Swain, who attended the celebration of Harper’s career, said in a statement released by her campaign. “As the first elected black state senator and the first woman to ever preside over the state Senate, Sen. Harper has earned her place in Tennessee history. Thelma Harper is a legend. I would like to see the Frist Museum or another state or local museum offer the public a special exhibit of her signature hat collection,” the former Vanderbilt professor added. Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Harper’s colleague in the State Senate, also gave Harper high praise.  

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EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Revises CAFE Standards

By Printus LeBlanc   On April 2, 2018, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt EPA’s Administrator, Scott Pruitt, announced the completion of the Midterm Evaluation (MTE) process for greenhouse gas emission standards. Pruitt concluded the current standards for vehicles in 2022-2025 were unrealistic and needed to be revised. Of course, environmental radicals went crazy, refusing to care how many people might be hurt by government regulations. Thankfully President Trump and Administrator Pruitt are not scared of the big green radicals and have set a course of prosperity for the American people. The Obama administration didn’t even try to hide its hatred for the fossil fuel industry. The industry was attacked from every angle. It restricted oil drilling, imposed excess regulations on transportation of oil and gas, and raised Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for the future to unrealistic levels. The increased CAFE standards were a direct attempt to social engineer the population. The administration didn’t like the fossil fuel industry, so it imposed regulations it believed would lead to the death of the light truck and SUV. When the Trump administration took over, one of its priorities was to ensure excessive regulations from the EPA were not putting people…

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Conservative Talker Steve Gill Finds Common Ground with Democrat Lawmaker on Legislation to Punish Employers of Illegal Alien Workers

Conservative political commentator and Tennessee Star contributor Steve Gill said on The Gill Report, broadcast live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville, that he has found common ground with State Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville), who submitted legislation that would penalize employers of illegal alien workers. The new proposal would be an amendment of the much talked-about Green and Reedy anti-sanctuary city bill. “I mentioned just a moment ago the raid by ICE agents in Granger County at that meatpacking plant that rounded up about a hundred illegals said has caused one state legislator – Jeff Yarbro, a Democrat state senator from Nashville – to propose legislation that would start punishing employers, in addition to the employees, who work here illegally,” Gill said. He continued: It makes a lot of sense to me. If you’re going to punish to the person working, why wouldn’t you punish the company, the people who hire illegals? They’re both breaking the law. And if you have a construction company that wasn’t just trying to save money and make bigger profit by hiring illegals for cheaper than they can hire Americans – why would we tolerate that, but not tolerate then using substandard materials that would be dangerous in constructing…

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‘Facebook’s Treatment of Diamond and Silk’ Is ‘Latest Example of Censoring Conservative Voices’

Something isn’t adding up here. Wednesday was day two of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional hearings, and as with the Senate’s questioning on day one, members of the House of Representatives repeatedly referenced the social media giant’s reported squelching of Diamond and Silk on its platform. The North Carolina-based sisters, Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson — better known as the outspoken and entertaining conservative duo Diamond and Silk — gave their take on the situation on Wednesday night’s “The Ingraham Angle” on Fox News.

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Rev. Enoch Fuzz Commentary: Vote Against the Transit Tax Plan May 1

by Rev. Enoch Fuzz As we try to inform voters about how wrong this transit tax plan is for Nashville, we encounter again and again how almost impossible it is to oppose Metro and whatever Metro does. Many people I know, including those who volunteer with our group Better Transit for Nashville, cannot exercise their freedom of speech and have to remain private and behind the scenes because of fear that speaking out may hurt them in their job and career. They might work for Metro, the state, Vandy, in health care, some corporate business, or a job related to those same places, and they cannot speak what they believe: that this transit plan is very bad for our city. It’s a shame. The opposition message stays more quiet than it really is. Politicians don’t know if this plan will even work to help traffic or transit. The worst thing is that the plan will take funding from the vital programs that need it, such as health care, housing, schools, fire, police and many others. Join a local group like Better Transit to get involved and learn more. Vote against the transit tax plan May 1.        …

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Pro-Life Group Endorses Diane Black For Governor

Diane Black

National pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List announced its endorsement of Diane Black for governor of Tennessee. “We are thrilled to endorse a dear friend of SBA List, pro-life champion Diane Black for governor of Tennessee,” said former U.S. Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, SBA List’s vice president of government affairs. “Her heroic leadership in Congress has been a driving force for pro-life progress. From investigating America’s largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood, for its role in trafficking baby body parts, to stopping taxpayer funding of the abortion industry, to speaking out against late-term abortion, she is a tireless defender of unborn children and their mothers. Diane will make an outstanding governor. We urge all pro-life Tennesseans to support her.” The announcement made headlines on at least one pro-life website, LifeNews.com. Black accepted the endorsement, saying: “I’m honored to have the endorsement of Susan B. Anthony List. As a nurse, fighting for the unborn has always been an issue that is near and dear to my heart. In the state legislature, I sponsored SJR 127, which became Amendment 1 – the most important pro-life measure in the history of our state. And in Congress, I sponsored the bill to defund Planned Parenthood and…

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