January 10, 2019 - Tennessee Star

OFF THE RECORD: Latest Lee Cabinet Appointment Continues His Refusal to Select Actual Conservatives

January 10, 2019January 10, 2019 Admin

The Bill Lee Transition team announced another appointment with the creation of a new position to focus on criminal justice reform and rural initiatives. Brandon Gibson, from Crockett County in West Tennessee, will serve as a Cabinet Level Senior Advisor to Governor Bill Lee. She is currently a Court of Appeals Judge in the Western Division, the sole woman on that panel of judges. Her selection will leave the Western Division as a completely male domain. She is a 1996 graduate of Mississippi State University with a BS in Agribusiness, received a Masters in Agribusiness Management from Mississippi State in 1997 and graduated from SMU law school in Dallas, Texas in 2000. After a brief stint with a law firm in Texas she moved to Jackson, Tennessee and practiced law until appointed by Governor Bill Haslam to serve on the Court of Appeals in September 2014. She recently participated in Leadership Tennessee, and now serves on its Advisory Council — with former Haslam Chief of Staff Mark Cate — whose wife is the executive director of the group. While the release announcing her appointment touts her as a “principled conservative” there seems to be scant evidence of any conservative political…

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Tennessee Star Report EXCLUSIVE: Ann Coulter Talks About Why Donald Trump Needs to Deliver on His Campaign Promise to Build a Border Wall

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Julie Carr

In an interview on The Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast Wednesday on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Steve Gill spoke to good friend Ann Coulter about the issues facing the border wall, and why the Democrats want the illegal immigration. She explained during the interview that this is not just about a chant but a “serious compassionate policy” and that after two years, it’s time to deliver. Gill: As we get ready to further analyze the President’s speech and his upcoming trip to the border. We’re pre-taping this with the woman who’s being blamed by some on the left for causing President Trump to step up, stand up, and shut down the government to fight for the wall. She and Rush Limbaugh getting the blame. I’m sure my friend Ann will take the credit, along with the blame. And Ann first of all, thank you, for nudging the President into doing the right thing. Coulter: Well let’s hope (Laughter) by the time your listener’s hear this he’s still on the track to do the right thing. I won’t believe it until I see it. …

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James Smallwood Commentary: Following Vital Police Training Is Never a Crime

January 10, 2019January 10, 2019 Admin

by James Smallwood This week, Americans showed their respect and support of local police by celebrating National Law Enforcement Appreciation day. Many government officials recognized this celebration by issuing proclamations, offering tributes, and declaring their admiration for the men and women who keep us safe. Here in Nashville, District Attorney Glenn Funk celebrated by comparing Metro police to Nazis. While outrageous, that slur isn’t the worst of his actions toward police. His politically motivated decision to charge Metro Nashville Police Officer Andrew Delke with a crime for doing precisely what he and every other police officer in Tennessee are trained to do is an attack on law enforcement itself. Sadly, Mr. Funk’s decision may result in more police officers being hurt and killed in the line of duty. Punishing – in this case prosecuting – an officer who follows official training guidelines leads to danger, even disaster. In 2016, a female Chicago police officer was savagely beaten and had her face smashed repeatedly into the pavement by a man high on the drug PCP. While she believed she was going to die from the horrific beating, the officer ignored her training and didn’t shoot the man because “she didn’t…

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U.S. Rep. DesJarlais Supports President Trump’s Border Policy ‘100 Percent’

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Admin

U.S. Rep. Dr. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) said he supports stronger border and immigration security in the wake of President Donald Trump’s Oval Office address to the nation. On Tuesday, Trump said, “This is just common sense. The border wall would very quickly pay for itself. The cost of illegal drugs exceeds $500 billion a year vastly more than the $5.7 billion we have requested from Congress. The wall will also be paid for indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico.” In a statement, DesJarlais said: Weak border security and bad laws are causing a humanitarian crisis at the southern border and in our local communities. Erecting more effective physical barriers would prevent drug and human smuggling into the U.S. We need more border agents and ICE officers, too, but Democrats oppose a wall, a fence and even ICE itself. But over ninety percent of heroin crosses into the U.S. from Mexico, killing Americans, and cartels and gangs are also smuggling women and children. Illegal immigration is overwhelming our court system. “The President presented these clear facts, including his offers to sign legislation Democrats supported until he took office. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are now describing…

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Tennessee State Comptroller and Treasurer Re-Elected To Their Posts

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – On the second day of the 111th Tennessee General Assembly in a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives, the state’s Comptroller and Treasurer were re-elected to additional two-year terms. Justin P. Wilson, Comptroller of the Treasury, and David H. Lillard, Jr., Treasurer, were both unanimously re-elected by voice vote to their respective posts, after having served in them since 2009. The offices of Secretary of State, Comptroller and Treasurer are called for in the Constitution of the State of Tennessee and are elected by the General Assembly. The Comptroller and Treasurer are elected every two years and the Secretary of State, a position held by Tre Hargett also since 2009, is elected every four years. Hargett is currently in the middle of his third term. According to the December 2018 Guide to the Office of the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, the General Assembly approved legislation in January 1836 to create the office for the purpose of ensuring state and local financial integrity, as well as bringing a sense of order to the state’s finances. In 1870, the position was added to the state’s Constitution as a constitutional officer voted on by both houses…

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Questions About North Carolina Governor’s Pipeline Fund Persist

January 10, 2019February 2, 2019 A.P. Dillon

Questions persist about the $58.7 million dollar fund tied to the Atlantic Coast pipeline permit process and the North Carolina Governor’s office. Over a year has passed since the fund’s existence was made public. Questions from lawmakers and the media have gone largely unanswered by North Carolina’s Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. The latest question being asked about this fund comes from Dan Way, a staff writer at Carolina Journal: If Gov. Roy Cooper felt so strongly he had legal authority to create the unusual $57.8 million Atlantic Coast Pipeline mitigation fund, then why didn’t he sue to prevent the General Assembly from commandeering the money? “That’s a good question. I don’t know,” said Pat Ryan, spokesman for Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham. “Maybe [the governor and his staff] didn’t think they had a strong enough case.” What is this multi-million dollar fund all about? In 2017, officials involved with the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project and the Cooper administrations engineered an agreement that include monies to be directly controlled by Cooper. The payment information in the amount of $57.8 million was couched in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and expressly states the funds would be deposited into the bank of Cooper’s…

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Democratic Operatives Used Misleading Facebook Pages to Suppress GOP Turnout in Midterms

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Admin

by Peter Hasson Democratic operatives funded by left-wing tech billionaire Reid Hoffman ran a widespread campaign using misleading Facebook pages in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections, The Daily Caller News Foundation has found. American Engagement Technologies (AET), which was founded by former Obama administration official Mikey Dickerson, bought ads for two Facebook pages, “The Daily Real” and “Today’s Nation,” encouraging Republican voters to stay home in the midterm elections, Facebook’s ad archives show. Both pages appear to be designed to give the impression that they were operated by frustrated conservatives rather than by Democratic operatives. The American flag-adorned pages encouraged conservative voters to either stay home in November or vote for Democrats to punish Republicans for being insufficiently conservative. Other ads called polls predicting a “blue wave” in the 2018 elections “unreliable” and downplayed the election’s importance. The misleading ads collectively garnered millions of impressions on Facebook, TheDCNF’s review of Facebook’s archives found. Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn and an early investor in Facebook, previously acknowledged funding AET after both he and the group came under fire for running a self-described “false flag” campaign during the 2017 Alabama special election. That misinformation campaign was intended to falsely…

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Democratic Responses to Trump’s Speech Highlight a Divided Party

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Admin

by Joe Simonson While the media has focused on the official Democratic Party response to President Donald Trump’s Oval Office remarks given by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, two other prominent lawmakers on the left shared their thoughts in what further emphasized a party being pulled in separate directions. Though not televised, Sen. Bernie Sanders live streamed his own nine-minute reply to the president on various social media platforms. In his speech, the self-proclaimed socialist and failed presidential candidate contrasted the priorities of Trump with what he saw as the most dire issues facing the country like climate change. “The scientific community has made it very clear in telling us that climate change is real and is causing devastating harm to our country and the entire planet,” the Vermont senator said. “They have told us in no uncertain terms that if we do not transform our energy system away from fossil fuel, our nation and our planet and the planet we will be leaving our kids and grandchildren may well become unhealthy and even uninhabitable in the not-so-distant future.” Sanders also dismissed the idea of a crisis on the southern border as “artificial” and…

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Commentary: Anti-Semitism Just Gained a New Foothold in Congress

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Admin

by Joel Griffith In 1948, the Jewish people secured sovereignty over their ancestral homeland for the first time in nearly 2,000 years. Once again, they could thrive—religiously, economically, culturally—in the home their ancestors were forced to flee. But more than 70 years after the rebirth of the Jewish nation, enemies of her very existence are using boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) to economically harm and morally impugn one of our closest allies. Unfortunately, several newly elected members of Congress are vocal advocates of BDS—particularly Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. Following her election victory, Tlaib said, “Americans should not be aiding any country that doesn’t support human rights. I’ve been very clear. I will not support racist countries that pick and choose who gets access to justice.” She further claims that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pursuing “apartheid policies.” During Israel’s 2012 war against Hamas (an entity designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization), Omar claimed, “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.” She has also claimed that Israel is an “apartheid … regime.” Following her election victory in November 2018, her campaign said she…

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State Rep. London Lamar Reportedly Gets Leniency from State Board Over Campaign Violations

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Chris Butler

New State Rep London Lamar, D-Memphis, who made headlines last fall for calling Tennessee Republicans racist and uneducated, has reportedly gotten leniency from the state’s Registry of Election Finance for filing her disclosures late. Lamar was originally supposed to pay $8,175 in fines, as registry officials decreed in November, according to The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Lamar reportedly told registry officials this was her “first rodeo.” But registry officials reduced her fine to $300, the paper went on to say. “Lamar cited her inexperience in running for office, adding that her campaign treasurer ‘stopped coming around,’ which led to her disclosures being filed late,” The Commercial Appeal reported. “Lamar said she did not know about the delayed disclosures or the fines she was facing until she read her name in the newspaper. She vowed to file her future reports on time and noted that she was actively looking for an accountant.” As The Tennessee Star reported in November, Lamar said on a Facebook livestream that “Tennessee is racist, period.” On that video, she also complained about a base of people in the state who “don’t believe in sharing their wealth” and “believe you need to work for your own.” Newsweek, FOX News, The British Daily…

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Lt. Gov. McNally Congratulates Comptroller Wilson, Treasurer Lillard on Re-elections to Their Constitutional Offices

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally (R-TN-0-5) said he was pleased to see Comptroller of the Treasury Justin Wilson and Treasurer David Lillard re-elected to their offices. McNally, who also serves as Speaker of the State Senate and was re-elected to those positions Tuesday, said Wednesday in a statement: I was pleased to see Comptroller Wilson and Treasurer Lillard win re-election overwhelmingly. As Comptroller of the Treasury, Justin Wilson keeps his eagle eye out for waste, fraud and abuse of public money wherever it occurs. Tennessee taxpayers are well-served with “The Wonderful One” as our money cop. As State Treasurer David Lillard manages the state’s money with great skill and expertise. Due to his hard work, Tennessee’s pension system is fully-funded and recognized as one of the best run in the nation. This state could not ask for a better individual to oversee the treasury. Our constitutional officers are the unsung heroes of our Tennessee success story. I continue to be grateful for their willingness to serve.” Gov.-elect Bill Lee tweeted, “Congratulations to Comptroller Justin Wilson and Treasurer David Lilliard on your re-elections today! These two men have been exceptional public servants for our state, and I look forward to working alongside…

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The Climate Paper Most Widely Covered by the Media in 2018 was Actually a Call for Global Socialism

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Admin

by Michael Bastasch The most popular climate paper of 2018 called for “collective human action” to keep global warming from turning Earth into a “hothouse,” according to media tracking data. The so-called “Hothouse Earth” paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in August, sparked a wave of alarming media coverage the planet was “dangerously close” to reaching “unstoppable” warming. “The paper was the fifth most talked-about of all journal papers published last year,” and the most talked about paper related to global warming, according to the website Carbon Brief. “It was the subject of 460 news stories in 326 outlets, including the Guardian, BBC News, Sky News, New Scientist, Al Jazeera and the Sydney Morning Herald. Links to the paper were also included in 5,392 tweets and 34 Facebook posts,” Carbon Brief reported Tuesday. Carbon Brief ranked climate papers based on data from Altmetric, a group that tracks papers mentioned in “news articles and blogs and shared on social media sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Reddit.” The paper, co-authored by a group of prominent scientists, called for a “deep transformation based on a fundamental reorientation of human values, equity, behavior, institutions, economies, and…

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Commentary: Market Fundamentalism or Love of Country?

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Admin

by Henry Olsen Tucker Carlson’s much-discussed monologue last week leaves much to be desired. But factual errors or rhetorical excesses are not why it attracted vociferous criticism on the American Right. What really set the critics off is Tucker’s underlying moral premise: American republicanism sometimes requires public restraint of private vice, even in the sphere of economics. The fact that this is even a debatable premise speaks volumes as to why American conservatism has struggled to become a majority for nearly 90 years. And the fact that this is the bottom line of President Trump’s approach to economics speaks more volumes as to why he swept the Republican field and won the White House. Carlson and Trump agree that American business owners have long since stopped thinking they owe anything to American workers or communities because they are American. They contend too many American executives, responsible only to shareholders who in turn value only the highest monetary return possible, are unconcerned about whom they contract with so long as the contracts are upheld. Nearly everyone concedes this is how business operates today; the question is whether correcting or influencing this is a proper matter for public action. Conservative dogma…

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Students Stunned to Find Out Dems Actually Once Supported Building a Wall

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Admin

by Neetu Chandak Campus Reform asked American University students for their thoughts on President Donald Trump’s statements on immigration and building the wall in midst of the partial government shutdown. The only catch being that the quotes were actually said by Democratic politicians. Students were given the following quotes: “We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented and unchecked,” former President Barack Obama said in 2005. “I voted numerous times… to spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in. And I do think you have to control your borders,” 2016 Presidential nominee for the Democratic party Hillary Clinton said in 2008. “Illegal Immigration is wrong, plain and simple. Until the American people are convinced we will stop future flows of illegal immigration, we will make no progress,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in 2009. Many described the statements as “divisive,” “hateful,” and “dehumanizing.” Reactions were different when finding out the statements were made by Democrats with some speechless and shocked. “That’s a very good surprise by the way,” one student said. “If this were a Trump quote, I believe it would be maybe a lot less…

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Audit: Clarksville School System Employee Stole from Taxpayers

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Chris Butler

A maintenance employee with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System stole money from the school system, according to an audit Tennessee Comptrollers released Thursday. That employee, Shay Patterson, stole at least $1,750. Patterson used his school system-issued procurement card to make personal purchases. With that card he bought, among other things, materials for fuel, cigarettes, personal auto insurance, and a driver’s license renewal, according to the audit. “In addition, Patterson inappropriately used the school system’s government tax-exempt status on his personal purchase of remodeling supplies for a private project,” auditors wrote. “As noted, he was not charged the required taxes.” This is the first Comptroller audit to report alleged government theft in 2019. “The Comptroller’s Office initiated the investigation after officials with the school system reported questionable transactions related to a maintenance employee’s procurement card,” auditors said in a press release. In May of last year, Patterson paid $1,750 to the school system for personal charges on his school system procurement card, claiming a family member mistakenly used it. Patterson later admitted to investigators he used his procurement card for personal purchases without the knowledge or the authority of school officials. “Patterson stated that he used the procurement card as a…

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Kasich Launches Broadside Against Trump After President’s Prime-Time Speech

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Andrew Shirley

Following President Donald Trump’s prime-time address to the nation Tuesday, Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) issued a blistering rebuttal of the president over his handling of the current government shutdown. Though he was also critical of Democrats and Republicans, he specifically stated the problem was the result of a lack of “leadership.” The President needs to put the country ahead of politics. pic.twitter.com/ZyXZilJdfs — John Kasich (@JohnKasich) January 9, 2019 Kasich began by noting: The President and the Democrats need to learn how to compromise and put the American people first. It starts with the President putting the country ahead of his politics and being more flexible with his goals. The majority of media outlets have interpreted these comments as a direct attack on Trump. Though Kasich does go on to reaffirm his commitment to having “a secure border,” he ends his statement by saying that “our country needs real leadership to solve our problems. Right now it doesn’t look like that leadership exists in Washington, DC.” The president’s Tuesday night address was a brief and direct appeal to the American people to support his effort to secure funding for a border wall. He outlined the many lives that have been affected by illegal…

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Multimillionaire Dean Phillips Won’t Take Pay During Shutdown, 0.2 Percent of His Net Worth

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) announced Wednesday that he will forego his congressional salary during the government shutdown “in solidarity with hard-working federal employees who are working without pay or on furlough.” “I have officially requested that my salary be withheld until the shutdown ends. I’ll divide my shutdown pay equally, and contribute it to 2harvest, CornerstoneMN, and VVAmerica,” Phillips wrote on Twitter, saying he would donate the money to three different charities, including one that works with victims of domestic violence. In solidarity with hard-working federal employees who are working without pay or on furlough, I have officially requested that my salary be withheld until the shutdown ends. I’ll divide my #shutdownpay equally, and contribute it to @2harvest, @CornerstoneMN and @VVAmerica. pic.twitter.com/JDHhV4FYPO — Rep. Dean Phillips 🇺🇸 (@RepDeanPhillips) January 9, 2019 It’s now well-known that Phillips is the heir to the Phillips Distilling Company, and has started several successful businesses of his own, including Talenti Gelato and Penny’s Coffee. His personal financial disclosure forms show that he has an estimated net worth of up to $77 million, meaning the average congressional salary of $174,000 is just 0.22 percent of his projected net worth. His wealth was the subject of a…

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Fifty-Five Years into the Great Society, Tennessee Still Plagued with Poverty

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Chris Butler

As of Tuesday, poverty still exists in Tennessee and elsewhere around the nation. But former President Lyndon Johnson promised us this wouldn’t happen. Tuesday was the 55th anniversary of the day Johnson announced government would end poverty as we know it and he would thus begin his Great Society programs, costing the country trillions of dollars. According to the most recent U.S. Census figures, Tennessee’s poverty rate is about 15 percent. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research Poverty as well as Statistica.com, those numbers in Tennessee have remained almost level since the 1970s. Memphis, meanwhile, is one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the nation, according to media reports. Johnson was unavailable for comment Tuesday to defend his actions —he died in 1973. But if Johnson was still alive, The Tennessee Star would have a lot to ask him, especially about the taxpayers’ return on investment. We’d ask him to defend the perverse incentives the feds taught poor people, thus changing some of their very natures. We’d ask him about the spike in illegitimacy rates and, by extension, the number of people in jail because of his policies. According to Forbes, since the mid-1960s federal…

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NC State House Democrat to be Seated Despite Absentee Ballot Objections

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 A.P. Dillon

A newly elected North Carolina State House representative will be installed despite objections made by the North Carolina Values Coalition of absentee ballot irregularities. Similar issues with absentee ballots have kept Mark Harris, the winner of North Carolina’s Ninth Congressional district, from taking his seat in Congress. Rachel Hunt, a Democrat and daughter of former North Carolina Democratic Governor Jim Hunt, defeated Rep. Bill Brawley (R-Mecklenburg) by an extremely narrow margin of just 68 votes or .08 percent. Brawley led by 52 votes on election night, but when absentee ballots were counted in the days that followed, Hunt took the lead. By the end of the week following election day, Hunt led Brawley 19,134 to 19,064. The District 103 race was the last Mecklenburg County area race to be certified sometime after a recount held on Tuesday, November 13. The final vote tally was Hunt 19,133 and Brawley 19,065. While Brawley led in-person voting, absentee-one-stop and absentee mail-in ballots favored Hunt with 12,427 and Brawley at 10,676. The NC Family Values Coalition issued a letter to Speaker Tim Moore on Tuesday, January 8 requesting that the General Assembly refuse to seat Hunt until an investigation into absentee ballot irregularities could be…

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Governor-Elect Lee Appoints Judge Brandon Gibson as Senior Advisor

January 10, 2019January 9, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

Tennessee Governor-Elect Bill Lee announced his appointment Wednesday of Court of Appeals Judge Brandon Gibson to serve as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Governor, a cabinet-level position. “Brandon is a principled conservative with deep rural roots in our state,” Lee said in a statement. “She is widely respected for her service on the Court of Appeals and I am honored that she will continue her commitment to public service in this administration.” Lee has drawn sharp criticism from some for the lack of conservatives in positions of authority in his administration. The Tennessee Star has pointed out that perhaps the only other conservative so far, Courtney Rogers, has limited authority as Commissioner of Veterans Affairs. Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill recently told Fox 17 News that while Rogers was a good appointment, the “power positions” are the chief of staff (which went to an out-of-stater), the chief of operations (a Democrat) and the finance commissioner (a Democrat). There are also a lot of holdovers from Gov. Bill Haslam’s staff, none of whom support President Donald Trump or will hire conservatives, Gill said. Lee’s newest appointment, Gibson, of Crockett County, serves as a judge on the Tennessee Court…

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