Day: July 11, 2018

Steve Gill Commentary: The Californication of the Teachers’ Union

Tennessee Star Staff
NEA

At the recent National Education Association (NEA) Annual Meeting, where Tennessee Education Association (TEA) representatives participated along with other affiliates across the country, the highly partisan NEA took strong positions against immigration reform  and Republicans in general.  They even gave an award to controversial former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick to honor his activism in leading protests against the National Anthem. Now NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia has weighed in on the US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.  Not surprisingly the NEA opposes Kavanaugh.  Their opposition is NOT based on his rulings as a Court of Appeals Judge, but primarily upon the hysterical concerns generated in liberal circles with completely bogus claims about recent Supreme Court rulings.  For example, she claims the Supreme Court  weakened the right of educators and other working people to come together in their unions and through collective bargaining to advocate for fair pay, benefits, and working conditions (Janus v. AFSCME, a 5-4 vote). Janus actually granted teachers and others the freedom NOT to be forced to join a union if they didn’t want to. And the “Muslim ban” that the Supreme Court confirmed, where travel from certain countries was restricted based on national security interests and…

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Dr. Mark Green Commentary: It’s Time for NATO to Draw a Line in the Sand in Ukraine

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Mark Green

by Dr. Mark Green, Tennessee State Senator and Candidate for Congress   Today starts the annual NATO Summit with President Trump in attendance. Founded in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been one of the most effective alliances in history, from standing against the Soviet Union to cooperating fully in the War on Terror. When in Iraq and Afghanistan, I served alongside British Special Operations Soldiers deployed as a joint special operations task force. In one firefight my aircraft hauled off three wounded British Special Operators. It was a rewarding experience and reinforced the link between NATO countries. The challenges facing NATO today are no less strenuous than at the organization’s founding. The primary protagonist, Russia, seeks to recreate the power and influence of the former Soviet Union. Nowhere is this more prominent than in Ukraine, where as many as 12,000 Russian soldiers work with separatist to destabilize the country, where Ukrainian Defense leadership asserts Russia shelled Ukrainian positions over 15,000 times in 2017, and where Russian hybrid warfare focuses on shifting public opinion. Perhaps the most egregious act was the illegal and forced annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. NATO has a significant relationship with Ukraine: “Ukraine joined the…

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Bill Lee’s Contributions to Bredesen and Barry the Focus of New Billboards in Middle Tennessee

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anti-Lee billboard

Diane Black is hitting Bill Lee hard for his financial support for Democrats like Phil Bredesen, Megan Barry and Karl Dean. A new Black ad, “Burn”, specifically targets Lee for his donations to Democrats Phil Bredesen and Megan Barry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7iy1LF_MXs&feature=youtu.be Diane Black “BURN” ad: You know the old saying, fool me once shame on you; fool me twice shame on me. Will Bill Lee fool you again. The last time Bill Lee got involved in politics he pushed liberal Megan Barry for Mayor. She pushed sanctuary policies and gun control and we got burned. Now we learn Bill Lee gave money to liberal Phil Bredesen, too. Bill Lee’s the kind of Republican who helps Democrats get elected. Don’t let Bill Lee burn you again. Now, electronic billboards by an independent expenditure group, Jobs4TnNow, have popped up in Middle Tennessee that are hitting Lee on the same theme. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill says Black has clearly realized she has a Bill Lee problem. Lee is taking voters away from Black and she has to bring them back. The biggest question, Gill has pointed out, is whether and how Bill Lee would respond to the attacks. “If he hesitates to…

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Schumer Leads the Charge as Phil Bredesen’s Allies Rail Against Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh

John Bryant
Chuck Schumer

As Tennessee Star readers surely know by now, it was liberal Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer who personally recruited Phil Bredesen to run against Rep. Marsha Blackburn in the coming U.S. Senate election. And it’s that same Schumer who is now leading the charge  in an attempt to derail President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Via Politico: Schumer lays out path to block Kavanaugh Senate Democrats can successfully orchestrate the rejection of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday morning, if they can convince the American people that his confirmation will lead to the undoing of abortion rights and the Affordable Care Act by the Supreme Court. “Let me say this. I believe if we can prove to the American people, which I believe is truly the case, that this nominee will lead to a court that repeals women’s reproductive freedom, repeals ACA with its protections for pre-existing conditions, we will get a majority of the Senate to vote for it,” Schumer told “CBS This Morning” when asked how he might block Kavanaugh’s confirmation. “Obviously, even if we had every Democrat, we need two Republicans. But if we can make that case, we will get…

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Cost for English Language Learner Services in Tennessee Public Schools Increases Over 100 Percent Since FY 2016

Chris Alto
ESL student

The cost to teach English to non-English speaking students in Tennessee public schools has increased over 100 percent since FY 2016. In FY 2016, the total cost for English Language Learner (ELL) services was $94,110,440. Seventy percent was funded through the state’s Basic Education Program (BEP) in the amount of $65,877,308, matched by a “required” local share of approximately 30 percent, totaling $28,233,132. In FY 2018, funding for ELL services for the upcoming school year will cost state and local taxpayers $198,150,357. The state will fund $138,705,250, a 110 percent increase from FY 2016. The required local match will increase 111 percent from FY 2016 at a cost of $59,705,107. “There are 2,872 EL teaching positions and 287 translator positions that will be funded for this [FY 2018] school year, which are funded at a ratio of 1 teacher per 20 EL students and 1 translator per 200 EL students,” according to information forwarded to The Tennessee Star by the state’s Department of Education Deputy Director of Communications. In FY 2016 the BEP funded 1,570 teaching positions and 153 translator positions, highlighting the sharp increase just two years later. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, Title VI of the…

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Poll: Marsha Blackburn Leads Phil Bredesen by 14 in Senate Race, 55 to 41

Tennessee Star Staff
Phil Bredesen, Marsha Blackburn

A poll released by Axios-Survey Monkey on Tuesday shows that Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) leads Democrat Phil Bredesen by 14 points in the U.S. Senate general election, 55 percent to 41 percent among registered voters. Among likely voters, Blackburn’s lead over Bredesen is even greater, 58 percent to 40 percent. Axios-Survey Monkey conducted similar polls in 13 states where contested Senate races are underway. The overall polling reveals that Democrats will have an uphill climb in attempting to capture control of the U.S. Senate in the midterm 2018 election cycle. Democrats are hampered in their Senate races by having to retain seats in 10 states that President Donald Trump carried in 2016, including five that he carried by double digits. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill said that he is somewhat skeptical of the poll results due to the fact that the survey was conducted over a nearly three week period while typical polling is concluded over 3-4 days. “Nevertheless,” Gill noted, “it appears that Blackburn and Bredesen are both consolidating their party base, with each capturing over 90 percent support from those identifying as Republicans and Democrats respectively.” “Tennessee is a red state that Donald Trump carried handily in 2016 so…

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Two More Countries are Hit with Visa Sanctions for Refusing to Take Back Deportees

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Donald Trump

by Will Racke   The Trump administration has hit certain government officials from Burma and Laos with visa sanctions as punishment for both countries’ refusal to take back their citizens the U.S. is trying to deport, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Tuesday. Going forward, the U.S. embassy in Rangoon, Burma, will halt the issuance of tourist and business non-immigrant visas to senior officials in the ministries of Labor, Immigration, Population and Home Affairs. In Laos, the U.S. mission will no longer grant tourist and business nonimmigrant visas to senior officials from the Laotian Ministry of Public Security. The restrictions also apply to the officials’ immediate families, DHS said. The sanctions come after a review by DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who determined that Burma and Laos have “denied or unreasonably delayed” accepting citizens ordered removed from the U.S. They will remain in place until Nielsen notifies Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that cooperation on deportees has improved, according to DHS. “The decision to sanction a recalcitrant country is not taken lightly,” the department said in a statement. “DHS makes significant efforts, in collaboration with the State Department, to encourage countries to accept the prompt, lawful return of their nationals who are subject…

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Senate Looks Poised To Confirm Kavanaugh

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Brett Kavanaugh

by Robert Donachie   A cloud is looming over the Senate Tuesday and its name is D.C. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Trump nominated Kavanaugh Monday evening to officially replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. The nomination has riled conservatives who are hungry to see a Supreme Court champion conservative causes, but has also struck fear in Democrats. [ RELATED: Kavanaugh’s Record Is Deeply Conservative ] In the larger Senate conference, Republicans made clear Tuesday they believe Kavanaugh is a well qualified, highly respected judge that should make it through the confirmation process, acknowledging there will likely meet a few bumps in the road. “Well, I’m sorry to say that Judge Kavanaugh seems to have already broken that record — because Senate Democrats were on the record opposing him before he’d even been named, before the ink was even dry on Justice Kennedy’s resignation,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement late Monday evening. This is a tell-tale sign that some of our colleagues are throwing thoughtful, independent judgment out the window and are outsourcing their thinking on this matter to far-left special interest groups.” The fight from Democrats is a concern for many within the Republican conference, but only…

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Tennessee’s 6th: Corlew Ad Wants to Make Sure Voters Don’t Confuse Bob CorLEW with Bob CorKER

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Bob Corlew

Recent polling by The Tennessee Star showed that Senator Bob Corker has a disapproval rating in the 62% range and 6th District GOP Congressional candidate Bob Corlew wants to make sure voters in his primary don’t hold that against HIM just because of a similar last name. The tongue-in-cheek ad also tries to cut through the late campaign season noise and increase Corlew’s name recognition with GOP Primary voters.  It is similar to an ad that Tennessee Republican Congressman Scott Desjarlais once used to increase his own name recognition with a somewhat difficult last name. Desjarlais’ ad depicted a man confused between Desjarlais and Dijon mustard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Ta8owxoMc Transcript of Bob Corlew ad “BOB WHO?”: Bob Corlew: “Hey, I’m Bob Corlew and I’m running for Congress.” Man: “Corker?” Second Man: “Corker?” Bob Corlew: “No, Corlew. Bob Corlew.” Woman: “Bob Corker?” Second woman: “No, Corlew; Bob Corlew. Army veteran. Judge. Conservative Republican.” Young man: “And a supporter of President Trump. Bob’s spent a lifetime serving others.” Bob Corlew: “That’s right. I want to help stop illegal immigration. Help the President build the Wall. And that’s why I approved this message.” The commercial is airing on both broadcast and cable television.    …

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Randy Boyd Calls Diane Black ‘D.C. Diane’ And Questions Her Record On Immigration In Flyer, Website

Jason M. Reynolds
anto-Black mailer

Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd fired a salvo this week at opponent Diane Black by calling her “D.C. Diane” and questioning her past stances on immigration as a congresswoman and former state senator. Boyd’s campaign mailed a flyer which said, in part, “The Real D.C. Diane Black: A typical 20-year career politician who says one thing in Tennessee, but does another in D.C.” The flyer said: “D.C. Diane mocked President Trump’s border wall. In an interview with liberal reporter Katie Couric, D.C. Diane Black openly mocked and laughed at President Trump’s plan to build a border wall saying: ‘First of all, you can’t build a wall. That won’t work. It can’t be done.’ “Voted against funding for border security. D.C. Diane voted against a bill that provided $1.6 billion to fund the border wall, even though most Republicans and President Trump supported it. “Voted to give Tennessee drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. Diane Black voted for a bill at the urging of Democrat Governor Phil Bredesen to give drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. “Voted to give Obama a blank check for his amnesty. The conservative Heritage Foundation slammed a bill D.C. Diane supported that funded Obama’s executive amnesty for illegal…

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NATO Countries’ Spending Record Improves as President Trump Heads to Annual Summit

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Donald Trump

Reuters   President Trump is poised to demand again that Europe and Canada raise defense spending at a two-day NATO summit in Brussels from Wednesday, even as billions more dollars are being pledged for allied militaries. NATO agreed in 2014 that each member state would boost military spending to 2 percent of its gross domestic product by 2024, and cumulative expenditure by Europe and Canada has risen by almost $90 billion since 2015. But only two-thirds of the 28 allies, excluding the United States, have a realistic plan to hit the 2-percent level in 2024, NATO diplomats say. The United States spent 3.57 percent of GDP on defense in 2017. However, European officials say while U.S. defense spending makes up 70 percent of combined allied governments’ military budgets, just 15 percent of U.S. expenditure is spent in Europe on NATO-related defense. Washington pays about 22 percent of the running cost of NATO, including the headquarters and commonly-funded equipment such as AWACS surveillance planes. Here is a rundown of the best and worst performers, based on North Atlantic Treaty Organization data. Top of the class BRITAIN has maintained its defense spending at just above 2 percent for several years and is set…

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The World Celebrates Thailand Cave Rescue Amid Fears of Disease and Infection

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Thai Royal Navy

by Hanna Bogorowski   The world celebrated Tuesday as the last players of a youth soccer team and their coach were rescued from the depths of a flooded cave in Thailand after more than two weeks, but fears for their future health now surround the survivors. In addition to treating the boys for dehydration, malnutrition, oxygen deprivation and other conditions, doctors at the hospital in Chiang Rai are monitoring for symptoms of diseases caused by animals and fungi in the cave. Three boys who were rescued on Tuesday were brought to the nearby hospital to join the eight others already there in isolation wards. The last boy and his coach were treated on site at a medical center, CNN reports. [ RELATED: REPORT: All Boys And Coach Freed From Thai Cave ] The families of the boys have been allowed to see their sons through a glass window in the isolation units and were allowed to talk on the phone, Jedsada Chokedamrongsook, the Thai Health Ministry secretary said. “The reason they’re in isolation is, when your body is without natural light for that long – since you’re literally living in a cave – your body starts to change. Certain things get ramped up. Certain things…

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The Left’s Delusions on Economics and the Slow Decline of Human Employment

Julie Carr
Steve Gill

During Monday’s broadcast of The Gill Report – live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville – conservative political commentator and Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill questioned whether the left truly understands the dynamics of equality and economics and how mandating the rise of minimum wage may inadvertently deplete a human work force. Gill pondered, “Among the many things that kind of make me scratch my head and wonder about, well the left and those that don’t understand basic economics – kind of like the woman NBA player complaining about not getting paid as much as men.” He continued: When the WNBA creates 25 million a a year in revenue and the men’s NBA creates 7.4 billion in revenue. You can only pay what’s produced at the gate and until women’s basketball produces more fans more interest more viewership more butts int the seat. Women’s’ basketball players aren’t going to get paid what men’s basketball players get paid when they generate the eyeballs. It’s simple economics. You’re also seeing folks on the left complain that we’ve got to raise the minimum wage. And were seeing it take place around the country. Where some places are seeing $15.00 minimum wage at fast…

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Phil ‘Duck and Cover’ Bredesen Playing Games with Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee?

John Bryant
Brett Kavanaugh, Chuck Schumer, Phil Bredesen

The Tennessee Republican Party is calling Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen to task for his lack of candor in dealing with President Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Along with asking if Democrat Chuck Schumer’s “Tennessee recruit” Phil Bredesen will oppose President Trump’s latest Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, the way Schumer is,  they’re also going after him for playing a game of duck and cover on the issue. “Chuck Schumer recruiting Phil Bredesen to run for the Senate has, without a doubt, always been a part of his plan for a full frontal partisan attack against any nominee from President Trump. His ‘everything he’s got’ would 100% include Phil Bredesen if elected. While Phil Bredesen can pretend he would give serious consideration to any Supreme Court nominee from President Trump, you have ask, with Chuck Schumer and liberal Democratic PACs committing millions of dollars to the Senate race in Tennessee, would Phil Bredesen even have a choice?,” says their latest release. In effect, they also accuse Bredesen of being dishonest with voters on the issue. Instead of being honest with voters about President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Phil Bredesen is playing a game of political…

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Commentary: Suicidal Democrats Risk Disaster by Defending the Remorseless Maxine Waters

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by Jeffery Rendall   Isn’t Maxine Waters indefensible? It’s a question Democrat leaders must be asking themselves these days as the furor over Waters’ recent inflammatory “resist” comments has drawn apologists of the California congresswoman out of the woodworks. These people seem to think Maxine deserved a more stringent public defense of what she said a couple weeks back. Why, you ask? Because Waters is black! Victor Morton of the Washington Times reported last week, “A group of black women sent a letter this week to the two top Democrats in Congress demanding that they apologize for their veiled criticisms of Rep. Maxine Waters and threatening repercussions at the ballot box in November if they do not. “’For Black women, who are the most loyal base of the Democratic Party and the Progressive Movement, Congresswoman Waters is our shero [sic],’ declared the letter signed by nearly 200 people, mostly black female academics, activists, local elected officials, political consultants, and religious leaders, along with a few male allies. “The letter, a copy of which was posted by Politico on Wednesday, accused House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, both of whom are white, of racial insensitivity and expressed ‘our…

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President Trump Pardons Dwight and Steven Hammond, the Oregon Ranchers Behind 2016 Stand-Off Against Federal Authorities

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Dwight Hammond, Steven Hammond

President Trump has pardoned two Oregon ranchers whose five-year prison sentences sparked an armed occupation of federal property. The White House announced Tuesday that Trump has ordered the full pardon of rancher Dwight Lincoln Hammond, Jr. and his son Steven Hammond. The two were convicted in 2012 of a 2001 arson on a wildlife refuge that abuts their cattle ranch. A White House stament said, “The evidence at trial regarding the Hammond’s responsibility for the fire was conflicting.” Further complicating the matter, the judge who sentenced them in 2012 gave the father, now in his 70s, three months in prison. The son was given one year in prison, despite a federally mandated five-year minimum sentence for the charges on which they were convicted. Upon a federal appeal, however, the Hammonds were re-sentenced and returned to prison in 2016, despite having served out their initial sentences. In response, supporters of the Hammonds staged an occupation of the wildlife refuge from January 2, 2016, to February 11 of that year, saying the federal officials were guilty of overreach. The occupation ended a few days after the ringleader of the movement was arrested and another man, Robert LaVoy Finicum, was shot dead by…

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