Tickets are still available for Violins of Hope, Nashville Symphony and Chorus performances of Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ May 31, June 1.
Read the full storyViolins of Hope Make Their Final Nashville Appearance at Nashville Symphony
Day: May 23, 2018
OFF THE RECORD: Corker Claims He Turned Down Trump Offer of Ambassadorship to Australia
The diminutive and retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) has told the Tennessean he turned down an ambassadorship from the Trump White House; however, it appears no one from the White House has confirmed the offer was even made. Critics of Corker might be wondering if this isn’t yet another instance of trying to pad his resume, as opposed to his real estate portfolio. From the Tennessean: The Trump administration wanted U.S. Sen. Bob Corker to join its diplomatic ranks. But the retiring Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman declined, saying he turned down the chance to become the next U.S. ambassador to Australia. Even if Corker were offered the slot, it seems clear he was not the front runner and came in at least second, at best. The real star of the story should be Adm. Harry Harris, who was raised in Tennessee and is a graduate of Crossville High School, sources tell The Tennessee Star, and who Trump had chosen for the spot, before bumping him up to what is a more important posting, especially given current developments in both North and south Korea. Trump previously named Adm. Harry Harris his nominee as the envoy to Australia. But in April, the administration…
Read the full storyHaslam Signs Bill That Makes it Harder for Illegal Aliens to Conceal Immigration Status
Unlike the anti-sanctuary cities bill, Governor Haslam signed into law a bill sponsored by Sen. Mark Green and Rep. William Lamberth which prohibits municipalities from creating their own local identity card programs and the use of any local identity card to be accepted as proof of “citizenship, immigration status or residency.” This bill, the very last one passed by the General Assembly before adjourning “sine die” meaning until the new two year session beginning in January 2019, was passed by reconciling the House and Senate passed versions of the bill. The Senate passed the conference committee version by a 25-3 vote and the House passed it 69-9-1. Local identity card programs have become a popular program in sanctuary cities to help illegal aliens appear as if they are lawfully present. In other cities the cards have also helped illegal aliens avoid arrest and possible deportation during traffic stops. During Nashville’s last mayoral race, all of the candidates including Megan Barry endorsed creating a local identification card program that would include illegal aliens. The bill version Lamberth passed out of committee included a specific reference to prohibiting the use of the matricula consular card being accepted as an identification document because as Lamberth…
Read the full storyGas Can Man Braves Rain to Reprimand Tax-Raising State Rep. Rick Tillis
NASHVILLE, Tennessee–There was a rare Gas Can Man sighting in downtown Nashville Tuesday afternoon. Gas Can Man stood out on the public sidewalks, sometimes in the rain, to scold State Rep. Rick Tillis (R-Lewisburg) for voting to raise the state’s gas tax last year. Gas Can Man held a sign mocking the legislator as “Gas Tax Tillis.” Tillis, as previously reported, promised not to vote to raise the gas tax during the 2017 legislative session, yet he did it anyway. The time and the place for Gas Can Man’s public protest — outside Nashville’s downtown Sheraton Hotel — was no random choice. While Gas Can Man stood outside and braved the elements, Tillis enjoyed his time inside, at the ritzy hotel bar, surrounded by lobbyists, who were reportedly there to hold a fundraiser for him. Tillis had time to feast on appetizers and make small talk with lobbyists. He had zero time, according to one of those lobbyists, to talk to The Tennessee Star about the gas tax or his thoughts about Gas Can Man. The lobbyist told us this was a private event and that Tillis was off limits — even though other hotel patrons seemed able to come…
Read the full storyCommentary: Only in America’s Schools Today Could ‘Partying Like It’s 1776’ Be Offensive
by Jarrett Stepman At the rate we are going, saying “good morning” might become offensive. The principal of Cherry Hill High School East in New Jersey issued an apology after some students deemed the public school’s prom theme, “Party Like It’s 1776,” to be insensitive. “I am writing to apologize for the hurt feelings this reference caused for members of our school family,” Dennis Perry wrote Friday in a letter, accordingto the Cherry Hill Courier Post. “I especially apologize to our African American students, who I have let down by not initially recognizing the inappropriateness of this wording,” he said. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] The principal announced that tickets would not be needed to get into the prom, a name would suffice, the tickets would be redesigned, and “safeguards” would be laid down in the future to make sure nobody is offended by anything the school does. What is especially ridiculous about this whole situation is that the school is hosting the prom at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, a building that pays tribute to the nation’s founding documents. Every American, of…
Read the full storyRep. Diane Black Introduces Novel Crowdsourcing Bill to Fund ‘The Wall’
Embracing the online ‘crowdsourcing’ trend pioneered by inventors and entrepreneurs to raise vast sums of money, support and sometimes, fame, Representative Diane Black (R-TN-06) introduced a novel bill late last week that would create a trust fund in the U.S. Treasury that could accept money donated by individuals and earmark the funds to cover the costs associated with one of the flagship campaign promises by then-candidate Trump: the construction of a border wall along the southern border. “While Democrats block commonsense border security and put illegal immigrants before our families, we are going to put America first,” Rep. Black said in a statement accompanying the proposal. She added: Real immigration reform cannot be achieved without a secure border – President Trump has been clear about this since day one. The most important job of the federal government is the safety and security of the American people, and if citizens in our country wish to contribute to this effort, they absolutely should be given the opportunity. Americans know that President Trump is committed to protecting our nation for future generations, and we are ready to stand with him to build the wall. “The Border Wall Trust Fund Act” is a four-page bill, H.R. 5876 that…
Read the full storyBriley Pushes $125 Million Flood Wall in ‘Residential’ Downtown Nashville While Firefighters, Police Get Pinched on Raises
Nashville Acting Mayor David Briley has resurrected failed plans for a flood wall in downtown, wanting to spend $125 million the city does not have. The latest big ticket item on Briley’s wish list comes days before the special mayoral election on Thursday. Former mayors Megan Barry and Karl Dean failed to get the project approved, The Tennessean said. That is because some City Council members wanted to focus on mitigation efforts in residential areas following the 2010 flood. Metro Water Services Director Scott Potter is trying to sell the flood wall by calling downtown another residential area, the newspaper said. The original flood wall price tag in 2015 was $110 million. Briley has added the wall to the city’s proposed capital improvements budget, which the council will look at next month. The City Council is not exactly rolling in cash — it is considering a proposal to raise property taxes by 50 cents as The Tennessee Star reported earlier this week. News4 I-Team recently ran a story saying former Mayor Dean used $7.4 million in HUD disaster relief money to pay for design and engineering work for riverfront development, including Ascend Ampitheater. You can read more about that report on…
Read the full storyOFF THE RECORD: Boyd Trying to Change His ‘Never-Trump’ History During the Campaign Cycle?
It wasn’t very long after Randy Boyd announced that he’d spend however much of his mega-millions to buy get himself elected as governor, that The Tennessee Star revealed that he was a named member of the globalist-open-borders big-business-cheap-labor lobby called the Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE). Boyd is listed as the CEO of his company Radio Systems, Corp. right there, second page, last name on the first column. Given the PNAE’s commitment to amnesty for illegals, continued and increased refugee resettlement and pushing in-state college tuition for illegal alien students, membership in the PNAE hasn’t helped Boyd’s favorability ratings (no matter how much money he spends on TV ads), among conservative voters. Statute-violating Democrat cross-over voters maybe, but not conservatives. After Boyd threw his name and support to PNAE, the organization teamed up with former TIRRC director David Lubell who now runs Welcoming America (started with a little Soros seed money), in a grant giveaway program called Gateways for Growth, designed to get more immigrants and refugees into embedded into U.S. towns. It just so happens that half of the G4G grant recipients operate as sanctuary cities listed in Openthebooks.com’s report Federal Funding of America’s Sanctuary Cities – including Nashville. So after a while, PNAE shortened its…
Read the full storySteve Gill: Questions Surround Proposed NFL Penalty for Kneeling During National Anthem
Conservative political commentator and Tennessee Star political editor Steve Gill discussed the NFL’s contemplation of “an in-game penalty against teams whose players kneel in protest during the national anthem” on The Gill Report, broadcast live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville. Gill pointed out the many questions swirling around the move in terms of how it could be implemented and even prevent players who want to stand for the National Anthem by standing if teams simply opt to remain in the locker room to avoid the situation and potential penalty entirely. As Sports Illustrated reported, “On Tuesday, NFL owners put three hours aside for a privileged session to speak—amongst themselves and family members—about the most sensitive of topics. One was how the league will handle players kneeling during the national anthem going forward. An idea being floated in the room goes like this: It would be up to the home team on whether both teams come out of the locker room for the anthem, and, should teams come out, 15-yard penalties could be assessed for kneeling. The league is currently being sued by Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, with the two unsigned free agents alleging that NFL teams colluded to keep them unemployed. Kaepernick was…
Read the full storyTennessee Pastors Network President Dale Walker Decries ‘Big Liquor’s’ Property Tax Break
On the heels of Governor Haslam’s signing a law to formally exempt a certain type of property tax of the world-famous distillery Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey Company, among others, Tennessee Pastors Network President fired back, denouncing the move as another victory for ‘Big Liquor.’ “Tennessee Republicans, the party of Big Liquor, continue to insult the voters with tax cuts to Jack Daniel’s Distillery at a time when Tennesseans are paying higher fuel taxes because of the Improve Act,” Walker said in a statement. Walker continued: Big Liquor doesn’t deserve any tax breaks with the havoc that alcohol wreaks on our society. We are already in an addiction crisis. The Republicans who voted for this law must all be drunk and have forgotten their vow of ‘so help me God’ to uphold the Constitution. Politicians use ‘God’ to get elected and then are influenced by powerful liquor lobbyists to pave the way for more profits for Big Liquor that only help destroy our Christian culture and ruin the lives of our citizens. Sales on Sunday and now tax cuts—only the devil knows what’s next for the party of Big Liquor! The tax carve-out was introduced at the beginning of the 2018 session and passed overwhelmingly by…
Read the full story‘Boondoggle Briley’ Vows Continuity of Disgraced Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s Progressive Policies and Insider Dealings
Acting Mayor David “Boondoggle Briley” has vowed “continuity” if voters in Nashville/Davidson County elect him to serve the remaining one year and three months of disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry’s term in tomorrow’s special mayoral election. Nothing illustrates Briley’s embrace of his predecessor’s progressive policies better than this pink hat he donned back on January 21, 2017–and proudly featured on his Facebook page– shortly after President Trump was inaugurated to express his support for the women’s march in Washington where far left critics gathered to decry the new president’s “Make America Great Again” agenda. The Tennessee Star has identified the policies that constitute this promised “continuity” in a potential Briley administration, following on the heels of eight years of former Mayor Karl Dean, now a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, and two years and six months of former Mayor Megan Barry. Briley earned his nickname “Boondoggle Briley” for supporting the original Barry boondoggle–the $9 billion transit plan conceived of by Barry and the developers, lobbyists, attorneys, engineers, and architects who stood to benefit from its adoption. Fortunately, the voters of Nashville/Davidson County overwhelmingly rejected that particular set of boondoggles on May 1 by a 64 percent to 36…
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