A spokesman for Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro said the school pays for all efforts to recruit international students from the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. “Those (recruiting) trips are funded by the International Affairs allocated recruitment budget,” said MTSU spokesman David Schmidt, vice provost for the school’s International Affairs. Schmidt made his comments in an emailed statement to The Tennessee Star Tuesday. Schmidt also said MTSU recruiters generally take three to four recruiting trips a year. When asked, Hart said MTSU officials are not pushing for more international students because the school is hard-up for money. Many of the school’s previous exchange programs focused on European countries, Schmidt said. MTSU currently has about 1,000 international students, who all pursue “a wide variety of degrees, ranging from the sciences to the arts,” Schmidt said. “Being a part of a more diverse and global campus benefits Tennessee students by exposing them to other cultures that they may not otherwise interact, and it also prepares them to better compete in a global marketplace,” Schmidt said. As The Star reported this week, more and more international students attend universities in Tennessee. They take the knowledge and the skills they acquire here and apply them…
Read the full storyDay: September 13, 2018
Political Correctness Detours Us from Biblical Truths, Visiting Scholar Kelly Kullberg Says
NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Socialism is a less loving form of government than one that nurtures human creativity. Building walls and teaching a nation to rebuild its faith and its culture is sometimes important. Pansexuality or an anything goes culture shepherds no progress. You won’t hear these things come out of the mouths of the trendy and the politically correct among us, but they are some of our most important Biblical truths. And the world suffers because it seems to have long forgotten those truths, said Kelly Kullberg with the American Association of Evangelicals. AAE is a growing and informal coalition of Christian Americans who want to do three things. One is get back to a Christ-centered Gospel. The second is to explore Biblical worldviews on many issues. The third is to stand up to Gospel opponents. Kullberg was in Nashville this week and spoke with The Tennessee Star. She is most well-known for starting the Veritas Forum at Harvard University in 1992. Veritas has expanded to more than 200 universities and explores hard questions about the Bible and Jesus Christ. “Politically correct people need to use their brains and their hearts and think about what causes suffering and what causes flourishing,” Kullberg…
Read the full storyIllegal Immigration in TN Increased During Karl Dean and Phil Bredesen Administrations
Estimates from both ends of the political spectrum on the issue of illegal immigration show steady and dramatic increases in the number of illegal aliens in Tennessee during the Nashville mayoral terms of Phil Bredesen and Karl Dean and during Bredesen’s two terms as the state’s governor. Bredesen served as Nashville’s mayor from 1991 – 1999 and Tennessee governor from 2003 until the middle of January, 2011. Dean served as Nashville’s mayor from 2007 – 2015. According to the Soros-funded leftist Migration Policy Institute (MPI), between 1990 and 2000, the increase in foreign-born arrivals to Tennessee more than doubled from 59,114 to 159,004. By the year 2000, almost 40% of foreign-born arrivals to the state, 63,484 were listed as “[b]orn in Latin America (South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean).” Within this same ten-year span, the number of “non-citizens” as reported by MPI rose from 32,523 to 105,819 representing 66.6% of arrivals. For purposes of its reporting MPI’s definition of “U.S. born” excludes illegal aliens as does its definition of “foreign-born” which: refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens,…
Read the full storyCommentary: Clowns to the Left of Us, Jokers to the Right, and Media All Around
by Jeffery Rendall Living in the news bubble that is Washington DC it’s easy for swamp dwellers to lose perspective on their own actions and how they’re being viewed by others. Last week’s media circus surrounding the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh must’ve given outsiders the impression American politics is one gigantic sideshow full of freaks and mutants all in search of the spotlight in the center ring. Perhaps they think the average American politician has three mouths, speaking out of two simultaneously and using the other to gulp mass quantities of super-caffeinated designer coffee. There’s good reason to think Americans are nuts too. On one side Republicans worked feverishly to appear impartial by probing Kavanaugh with questions about precedents, philosophies and belief systems. On the other, Democrats were hell-bent on (figuratively) disemboweling the man before his own family just to score political points with party base voters. Then there was the infamous “anonymous” New York Times op-ed which sought to discredit the American president in the eyes of…well, everyone. The implication someone close to Donald Trump was busy thwarting the president’s authority from the inside is a mighty scary proposition considering that person wasn’t elected by over…
Read the full storyWalter Williams Commentary: Brett Kavanaugh’s Opponents Aren’t Really Against Him, They’re Against the Constitution
by Walter E. Williams One of the best statements of how the Framers saw the role of the federal government is found in Federalist Paper 45, written by James Madison, who is known as the “Father of the Constitution”: The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce. … The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people. Today’s reality is the polar opposite of that vision. The powers of the federal government are numerous and indefinite, and those of state governments are few and defined. If confirmed, Brett Kavanaugh will bring to the Supreme Court a vision closer to that of the Framers than the vision of those who believe that the Constitution is a “living document.” Those Americans rallying against Kavanaugh’s confirmation are really against the Constitution rather than the man—Kavanaugh—whom I believe would take seriously his oath of office to uphold…
Read the full storyFox News Guest Who Called Out Abortion Advocates For ‘Irresponsible Sex’ Now Faces Death And Rape Threats
by Grace Carr Fox News guest and PJ Media contributor Denise McAllister stated that abortion advocates regard the procedure as an easy solution for irresponsible sex and has since been met with death and rape threats, she told The Daily Caller News Foundation. After McAllister sent out a Sept. 6 tweet “reacting to the Kavanaugh insanity,” she said she received a deluge of direct messages calling her “hateful, awful, terrible,” and that she should be aborted, she said Wednesday. https://twitter.com/McAllisterDen/status/1037678444967079937 She said her tweet prompted a slew of threats against her life and family’s safety. “The vitriol and the way they were delivered is quite frightening,” McAllister told TheDCNF. “I am facing legit death & rape threats because I have dared to call out women who are hysterical about abortion and to challenge them to be responsible and not to elevate sex to the point that they’re willing to kill human life to avoid their responsibilities,” she tweeted Sunday. McAllister also said a number of people had gotten hold of her private number and have been threatening to rape and strangle her over the phone. Her home is now on police watch. “I can’t go outside with having someone who is armed accompany…
Read the full storyTrump-Endorsed Eddie Edwards Wins Crowded Primary for New Hampshire’s Toss-Up Congressional District
A former police chief backed by the Trump administration won the Republican nomination Tuesday in New Hampshire’s toss-up congressional district, while Democrats picked experienced, establishment-backed nominees for both that seat and for governor. Eddie Edwards, who was endorsed by Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, defeated six Republican opponents in the 1st Congressional District, which covers the eastern half of the state. A Navy veteran who also served as enforcement chief for the state liquor commission, Edwards is the second African-American to be nominated to a U.S. House seat in New Hampshire. The district was once reliably Republican but has flipped in each of the past four cycles. In 2016, it returned Democrat Carol Shea-Porter to Congress but backed President Donald Trump. Shea-Porter’s decision to step down after four nonconsecutive terms resulted in a swarm of candidates seeking to replace her, including Levi Sanders, son of Vermont senator and former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. He came up far short Tuesday in an 11-way race won by restaurateur Chris Pappas, who would be New Hampshire’s first openly gay member of Congress. Former Obama administration official Maura Sullivan raised more money than the 10 other candidates combined, but she faced criticism for being both…
Read the full storyState Senator Bo Watson Calls for Review of UT Nike Contract
Taking a stand on Nike’s support of National Anthem kneeler Colin Kaepernick, State Senator Bo Watson (R-TN-11) is calling for a review of university endorsement deals with the seller of running apparel. Watson’s request was reported by Campus Reform. “I have asked the TN Office of Legislative Budget Analysis to review what TN state-financed colleges & universities have Nike contracts and report findings,” Watson, who is the Senate Finance Chair, tweeted. I have asked the TN Office of Legislative Budget Analysis to review what TN state-financed colleges & universities have Nike contracts and report findings. @TN_SenateFWM @TNGOP @tnsenategop @ltgovmcnally #WeStand @robints https://t.co/RoolkmWOY4 — Bo Watson (@SenBoWatson) September 7, 2018 Catherine Haire, Senate budget analysis director in the Office of Legislative Budget Analysis, confirmed to Campus Reform that the office has launched the inquiry and should have the findings by the end of the week. Currently, the University of Tennessee is locked into a deal with Nike as the official apparel supplier until the 2025-26 academic year, The Tennessee Star reported. Tennessee Star political editor Steve Gill says that legislators might have a say about the issue. “Similar contracts with Nike reduce the amounts paid to schools if athletes or coaches cover…
Read the full storyDouble Standards at Orange County California High School Results in False Racism Claims from School Principals
On Wednesday’s Gill Report – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 1510 WLAC weekdays at 7:30 am – Star News Digital Media National Political Editor Steve Gill was flabbergasted regarding an “alleged” incident at a recent football game at Santa Ana High School in Orange County, California. According to principals of the schools and further spun by the Anti-American media, students were chanting “USA, USA” and holding up posters that read, “we love white.” The posters actually read, “we love red, white, and blue.” He goes on to describe the principals’ blatant attempt to label that schools students racist and a offense to ‘dreamers’, however, the other team’s school was allowed to proudly wave their Mexican flags during the game. Gill said: As we look back on 911 and look at the way that some in this country don’t appreciate America it’s not just the NFL athletes on the field. We’ve now got school systems that are attacking students for shouting, “USA, USA” in the stands during a football game. An Orange County high school football game, Orange County, California, was marred by allegations of racism earlier this week. An issue where posters allegedly seen at the Friday night game between…
Read the full storyBredesen Budgets Like Bernie Sanders Does, New Ad Says
Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen had a “rare rendezvous with the truth” in Chattanooga Tuesday, according to the Tennessee Republican Party, saying about the federal deficit, “Democrats — my own party — have never been great on the subject.” To mark the occasion, the GOP released a new ad showing how Democrats budget — just like U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) does. The ad is available to watch here. The ad mentions how Democrats’ plans to provide Medicare to everyone would cost $32.6 trillion over 10 years, citing a study by the Mercatus Center of George Mason University and reported on Fox News. “If Phil Bredesen is elected and Senate Democrats regain control, they would choose current ranking member and socialist Bernie Sanders to lead the Budget Committee,” said Gillum Ferguson, the Tennessee Republican Party press secretary. The ad will run digitally statewide. “Bredesen’s claims to care about the federal debt are downright laughable since he would vote to put socialist Bernie Sanders — whose healthcare proposal would cost $32 trillion — as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee,” said Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden. “As governor, Bredesen irresponsibly raided hundreds of millions of dollars from the state highway fund and rainy…
Read the full storyCommentary: Social Justice Teaching Has Invaded Business Schools
by George Leef Many professors cannot resist the temptation to smuggle their personal beliefs into the courses they teach. As long as those beliefs are “progressive,” there is little chance that higher-ups in their departments or top administrators will try to rein them in. For example, engineering has been infiltrated by activists who are concerned about social justice concerns, not just how to best design objects for performance and safety, as Michigan State professor Indrek Wichman pointed out. A recent article published on Inside Higher Ed, “B-Schools That Don’t Boast About Billionaire Alumni,” similarly informs us that some business school professors have decided that they should teach students about their own social justice concerns, not just how to best manage an enterprise. Writer Marjorie Valbrun explains that increasing academic concern about income inequality is justified because, in the words of the leftist Institute for Policy Studies, income inequality “has been growing markedly by every major statistical measure for some 30 years.” In fact, there is good reason to doubt that income in the United States is distributed much differently that in other major industrial nations. Former Senator Phil Gramm and John Early (former commissioner in the Bureau of Labor Statistics) explained in this…
Read the full storyFormer State Representative Jeremy Durham Continues to Fight for Vested Insurance Benefits
Despite the fact that in 2016 Connie Ridley, Director of Legislative Administration for the Tennessee General Assembly, specifically confirmed that State Representative Jeremy Durham was entitled to retain his health insurance benefits even if removed from the Legislature, the State of Tennessee subsequently terminated his health insurance access after he was expelled in a vote of the State House in Special Session. Durham continues to contest what he and his lawyers have termed an “unlawful” termination of his vested benefits. The case is currently awaiting a ruling by the 6th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals on whether a dismissal of the case for “lack of standing” by the trial court was proper or not. Unlike other former lawmakers who have been convicted of felonies and retained their health insurance benefits, Durham has never been charged with nor convicted of any crime. Nor was any complaint ever filed by any alleged “victim.” As noted by the Tennessean, former Sens. Ward Crutchfield, D-Chattanooga, and Roscoe Dixon, D-Memphis, were enrolled in the plan even after they were convicted of crimes related to the “Tennessee Waltz” bribery scandal. Crutchfield died in April, 2016. State Representative Roger Kane (R-Knoxville), who joined with legislators who voted…
Read the full storyFox News Poll: Blackburn Leads Bredesen by Three in Tennessee Senate Race, 47 to 44
A new Fox News poll of likely Tennessee voters indicates that Republican Marsha Blackburn is leading Democrat Phil Bredesen in the race for the open U.S. Senate seat by a three point margin, 47-44, with eight percent remaining undecided. The Blackburn lead is within the poll’s margin of error. In the Governor’s race, Republican Bill Lee enjoys a significant twenty point lead, 55-35%, over Democrat Karl Dean. Ten percent remain undecided. Backburn’s television ads in the campaign have relied heavily on tying her to President Donald Trump. With the Fox News poll revealing that the President has a 58-38% approval/disapproval rating among Tennessee likely voters her strategy seems to be on track. Blackburn and Bredesen enjoy similar approval/disapproval numbers, which may indicate that the Trump factor is the difference in the race at this point. Blackburn has a 51-39 approval/disapproval gap while Bredesen’s is slightly better at 54-36. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill cautions that the Fox News poll seems a bit more heavily weighted to the Republicans than Democrats so the results should be viewed with that in mind. “The poll construction has 35% Democrats and 53% Republicans with 12% described as Independent,” Gill notes. “I think the…
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