SPLC Hates Trump and Christians But Still Gets Invited By Nashville Jewish Community Relations Committee to Speak Later This Month

The Nashville Jewish Federation’s Community Relations Committee (CRC) has invited Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) co-founder Joseph Levin (pictured) to speak at a community event on May 23rd. The CRC’s Director would not provide a written description of Levin’s talk advertised as Then and Now: Hate in the Mainstream, but based on Levin’s previous presentations, it is reasonable to expect that he will continue to target President Trump conservative groups and other Tennessee-based organizations. Levin didn’t wait long after the 2016 election to start marketing a new narrative for SPLC alleged hate-based fundraising. Having attacked the religious underpinnings of Christian conservative organizations like The Family Research Council, Focus on the Family and The Alliance Defending Freedom, to name a few, and distorted protected political speech of other conservative groups so as to grow the hate lists, Levin realized that combining the election of Trump and the rage of Clinton losers could be the next cash cow for the SPLC. Speaking at a church near New York City, Levin blamed the election of Trump and the President himself for the re-emergence of white nationalist groups and demonstrations like the one in Charlottesville, Virginia last year. True to form, Levin perpetuated the false narrative that…

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Congressional Candidate Bob Corlew Launches New Ad Focused on Border Security

Former judge and current Republican congressional candidate Bob Corlew announced on Tuesday the launch of a new campaign ad focused solely on his commitment to support President Trump’s efforts to shore up the United States’ national security by securing the southern border and reforming the immigration system to reflect the ‘America First’ agenda. The 30-second spot (seen below) features footage of Corlew walking border fence with two agents. In it, the former judge vows to support President Trump’s now-familiar promises to: Build the wall End chain migration Stop the flow of drug Deny amnesty to illegal aliens currently in the countru Renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) SCRIPT: V/O: How do we secure our future? It starts at the border. CORLEW: In Congress, I’ll stop criminal illegal aliens from entering our country by working with President Trump to build a wall, end chain migration, stop the flow of illegal drugs, no amnesty. And I’ll fight unfair trade deals, because open borders also costs Tennessee jobs. I’m Bob Corlew and I approve this message because securing our border and protecting jobs are values I’ll never stop never stop fighting for. Watch the commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIma2hlbDgI              

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State Senator Mark Green Posts Petition to Urge Governor Haslam Not to Veto Anti-Sanctuary Cities Bill

Governor Bill Haslam and State Senator Mark Green

State Senator Mark Green (R-Clarksville) launched a petition Friday to urge outgoing Governor Bill Haslam not to veto his anti-sanctuary cities bill. The bill is widely supported by both Tennesseans and legislators, passing the Senate 27-5 and the House 64-23 – and under Tennessee statue, a bill may pass into law without the Governor’s signature after a period of 10 days (excluding Sundays). “Enforcing our laws and protecting our citizens should not be controversial. I’m asking all Tennesseans to stand with me and call on our Governor to sign this bill that protects our citizens,” noted Senator Green in a statement. SB 2332 adds teeth to existing sanctuary cities laws by prohibiting local governments that enact sanctuary cities from receiving future economic development grants from the state. It also expands the definition of an illegal sanctuary city policy to verbal directives and other means, not just written policies. The bill appears to be serving as a kind of litmus test for many candidates as they seek to earn the support of Republican primary voters, the overwhelming majority of whom soundly reject so-called sanctuary city policies. As The Tennessee Star reported, Rep. Diane Black was the first candidate to urge Governor Haslam – who she hopes to…

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Trained By Tennessee Socialist Organization, TIRRC is Begging Gov. Haslam to Veto Anti-Sanctuary City Bill

Tennessee Star

The innocuous sounding Highlander Research and Education Center located in Jefferson County, Tennessee, is dedicated to creating radical activists that will change the social, economic and political order of the South. Beginning in 2007, the Center provided critical training to leaders and members from the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), which is now using that training to try and convince Governor Haslam to veto the anti-sanctuary city bill passed by the Tennessee General Assembly. Under the guise of championing “social justice,” Highlander provided Justice School for TIRRC‘s  leaders and members beginning in 2007, with “sessions combin[ing] nuts-and-bolts training on organizing and leadership skills with broader discussions of social, political, and economic issues related to immigration and the immigrant rights movement.” The following year, TIRRC was named “Advocacy Affiliate of the Year” by the National Council of La Raza. TIRRC lists the Highlander Center among its coalition members. The formerly named Highlander Folk School was co-founded in 1932, by Tennessee socialists and anti-capitalists Myles Horton and Don West who modeled the school after socialist training centers they had visited in Denmark. The school was established in Monteagle, Tennessee but was shut down by the state for alleged violations of it’s charter. The school…

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Mayor Tim Burchett’s Final Budget for Knox County: No Tax Increases, Modest Spending Increases, Reduces Debt

Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett submitted his final budget for the County Monday as he prepares to leave office this Fall after two terms in office.  Burchett is term-limited and is currently running for Congress in the Second Congressional District Republican Primary to succeed Congressman Jimmy Duncan, who announced his retirement several months ago. The final Burchett budget proposal spends $819 million and includes no tax increases. The budget is a small increase of 2.6 percent ($20.8 million) from 2017-18 and would pay down $9.1 million in county debt. Burchett pointed out in his presentation that the county has paid down some $45 million in debt since he took office. The budget also focuses on provided some additional funds to law enforcement, with raises for the Sheriff’s Deputies that will be higher than what will be allocated to other county employees. There is also some targeted spending in the $35.4 million capital budget, with the Sheriff’s Department receiving $2.1 million for new equipment, which includes forty six new vehicles, body cameras and tasers. The Burchett proposal includes one year of funding for magnet schools and the Project GRAD program, which helps lower-performing, poorer students, subject to the School Board assisting…

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Education Policy Director From La Raza Affiliate Conexion Americas Running for Nashville School Board

Gini Pupo-Walker, senior director of education policy and strategic growth for Conexion Americas, an affiliate of UnidosUS (formerly known as the National Council of La Raza), is on the August 4th ballot to represent District 8 on the Nashville School Board. Pupo-Walker’s campaign biography emphasizes her commitment to Latino and immigrant families and students, including starting the Metro Nashville school district’s first Spanish Heritage classes while she was teaching Spanish at John Overton High School. When Metro Nashville Public Schools announced that Arabic was being added as a foreign language in several schools, it was explained that foreign language heritage classes are “for native speakers to deepen their knowledge of the language and learn to read and write in” their native language. Pupo-Walker’s former school now employs translators and interpreters as part of its staff, and a student enrollment estimated to be 66% minority enrollment 29% of which are listed as Hispanic. Forty-nine percent of the student body tested either below basic or basic in English proficiency. Before joining the staff at Conexion Americas, Pupo-Walker served on the organization’s board whose founder and director Renata Soto, has a long-standing relationship with UnidosUS. Not only is Soto’s Nashville organization a named affiliate of…

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Acting Mayor Briley ‘Doesn’t Have Any Comment’ on Carol Swain’s Call for Resignation of Rich Riebeling, Metro Nashville Official at Center of Financial Scandals

Rich Riebeling w Acting Mayor Briley

Acting Mayor of Nashville David Briley has no comment on election day rival Carol Swain’s call for Metro Nashville Government’s Chief Operating Officer Rich Riebeling to resign. “Mayor Briley doesn’t have any comment,” a spokesperson for the mayor’s office told The Tennessee Star late Sunday in response to a request for comment on Swain’s call Friday for Riebeling’s resignation, in light of the $7 million federal funding scandal that originated in 2010 and 2011 when Riebeling served as director of finance in former Mayor Karl Dean’s administration. Two polls conducted prior to the May 1 transit referendum put Briley in first place in the May 24 special mayoral election in which Nashville/Davidson County voters will select a mayor to complete the remaining one year and three months in the term of disgraced former Mayor Megan Barry, who resigned on March 6, the same day she plead guilty to a felony. Both polls showed Swain in a distant second. Briley has stumbled badly in recent weeks, however. His first misstep came when he backed the $9 billion transit plan introduced by Barry before her March resignation. Voters in Nashville/Davidson County soundly rejected that Barry-Briley plan on Tuesday by a 64 percent 36…

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Nashville’s Jewish Federation Community Relations Committee Sponsors SPLC Talk on Hate Speech

The Community Relations Committee (CRC) of the Nashville Jewish Federation has invited Joseph Levin, Jr., co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to speak at an event titled “Then and Now: Hate in the Mainstream.” The May 23rd event is free and open to the entire community. The Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee exists “to promote the general welfare, viability and cohesiveness of the Jewish community of Nashville and Middle Tennessee and to ensure the continuity of the Jewish people locally, in Israel and around the world.” The CRC is a committee that operates under the umbrella of the Jewish Federation and shares similar goals related to advocacy for “Israel and World Jewry,” Additionally, the CRC described as the “central public affairs arm of the Federation” says  part of its mission is “stand[ing] up for social justice.” In July 2017, Imam AhmedulHadi Sharif at the Islamic Center of Tennessee, preached against Zionist oppressors who he calls “the number one terrorists in the world,” directing hatred against Jews who believe that Israel is the Jewish homeland. Since the Imam’s sermon intersects with the missions of both the Jewish Federation and the CRC, The Tennessee Star contacted Mark Freedman, the Executive Director of the…

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Memphis Democrat Tami Sawyer Uses Elite and Expensive Education to Push Radical Socialist Platform

Tami Sawyer, winner of the Democratic primary to represent District 7 on the Shelby County Commission, is not only a leader in the Black Lives Matter movement and a #TakeEmDown901 statue destroyer, she is also a graduate of St. Mary’s Episcopal elite and expensive all-girls private school in Memphis. Tuition at the private school for the 2018 school year starts at $16,300 for kindergarten and increases to $21,660 for the senior year in high school. The base cost does not include fees for snacks, technology, facilities and some textbooks. After graduating from St. Mary’s in 2000, Sawyer continued her elite private school education at the private, historically black Hampton University, with tuition, board and fees totaling over $36,000 a year for 2018. Sawyer left Hampton University after two years, finished up her degree at University of Memphis and moved to Washington, D.C. to attend the historically black Howard University Law School. The cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses to attend  Howard Law School in 2014 was $60,240. There is no indication that Sawyer completed her law degree and no listing was found under her name in the public attorney directory maintained by the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility. Sawyer describes…

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WWE Wrestler Jacobs Wins Knox County Mayor Primary by 17 Votes

WWE wrestler Glenn Jacobs has won the Republican primary for Knox County mayor by a margin of only 17 votes, WATE reported. The Knox County Election Commission says there are, however, a few provisional ballots, so the results won’t be official until next week. Jacobs, a former WWE wrestler aka “Kane,” and insurance agent, faced off against county commissioners Brad Anders and Bob Thomas. The election was not without issues, WKYT reported. Just before 10:15 p.m. on Election Day, the Knox County Election Commission website showed Jacobs with a 17-vote lead taking the candidacy over Anders in the primary election. While Jacobs called it a “WWE finish” to sister station WVLT, Anders said he was not conceding until the provisional ballots have been counted. According to Knox County officials, the county website failed Tuesday night, and election results were delayed as a result of a computer problem, WKYT said. Cliff Rodgers with the Knox County Election Commission said they experienced a “widespread denial of services attack.” The Knox County Election Commission told WVLT that they had recorded 43 provisional ballots for all races, according to WKYT. Of those 43 ballots, 38 were classified as “green,” meaning they were submitted by people who had…

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Sponsor of Anti-Sanctuary City Bill Rep. Jay Reedy Asks Newspaper to Correct ‘Incomplete and Misleading’ Information in Articles About His Bill

State Rep Jay Reedy

Rep. Jay Reedy, sponsor of the anti-sanctuary city legislation passed by overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly, has asked The Tennessean’s editor to correct “incomplete and misleading information” in two of the newspaper’s articles written about his bill. In support of his request, Reedy cited to the Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms posted on the paper’s website: WE ARE COMMITTED TO: I. Seeking and reporting the truth in a truthful way We will be honest in the way we gather, report and present news – with relevancy, persistence, context, thoroughness, balance, and fairness in mind. We will seek to gain understanding of the communities, individuals and issues we cover to provide an informed account of activities. We will hold factual information in editorials and other opinion pieces to the same standards of accuracy as news stories. We will treat information from unofficial sources, which may include social media, with skepticism and will seek to corroborate information. When considering news content created outside of the Network, we will factor the credibility of the source and weigh the value and accuracy of information provided. Specifically, Reedy’s letter points to two stories which omitted a key fact leaving readers to…

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Nashville Draws $70 Million Corporate Finance Headquarters

A global asset management firm will build a $70 million corporate headquarters in Nashville, the state announced in a press release Wednesday, May 2. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and AllianceBernstein L.P. (AB) officials made the announcement. The relocation of its company headquarters will create more than 1,000 corporate jobs, including positions in finance, IT, operations, legal, compliance, internal audit, human resources, sales and marketing, WSMV reported. “Tennessee is home to many world-renowned brands and we’re extremely proud to welcome AllianceBernstein, a global financial leader, to Nashville,” Haslam said in a press release. “Tennessee’s pro-growth policies continue to attract international companies to our state, providing fantastic job opportunities for our citizens. AB’s decision to bring 1,050 corporate office jobs to Nashville is an incredible win for our state and shows that Tennessee will lead in creating high quality jobs.” Rolfe said in the press release, “Since 2011, Tennessee’s financial industry has grown at the second fastest rate in the Southeast, creating approximately 24,500 jobs.” The year-long search for a new location started with 30 cities. In the end, Bernstein said Nashville was the clear choice, WSMV reported. AllianceBernstein’s headquarters are currently in New York…

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Black Lives Matter Leader and Statue Destroyer Wins Democratic Primary for Shelby County Commissioner Seat

Tami Sawyer, a leader in the Memphis Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and organizer of the #TakeEmDown901 activists that resulted in removing Confederate statues in the city, won the Democratic primary to represent District 7 on the Shelby County Commission Tuesday, WREG reported. Sawyer won with 50 percent of the vote, followed by Stephanie Greenwood, who won 36 percent of the vote. Eric Dunn finished in third place with 14 percent of the vote. She will face Republican Samuel Goff, who was unopposed in his primary, in the August general election. During the August 2017 Confederate statue protest during which protestors surrounded police cars, seven people were arrested. According to Sawyer, BLM posted bail for them. The BLM movement was launched by co-founders Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a black Florida teenager. In no short order, BLM became known for protests involving property destruction and violence, oftentimes directed at police. All three of BLM’s co-founders have been connected in some way with one or more of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s (FRSO) groups. FRSO, one of the four largest radical Left organizations in the…

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Shelby County Commissioner Billingsley Suggests County Already Operating As a Sanctuary City

Waiting until only eight of the Shelby County Commissioners were still present to conduct business on Monday, Shelby County Commissioner Mark Billingsley introduced a resolution urging Governor Haslam to veto the anti-sanctuary city bill that was passed with overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly. In discussing his reasons for bringing the resolution, Billingsley said that Shelby County’s law enforcement was “not prepared for this” referring to the legislation determining the state’s policy about cooperation with federal immigration authorities and compliance with federal law. Billingsley’s comment is strongly suggestive that Shelby County law enforcement is currently releasing criminal illegal aliens into the community instead of transferring custody to ICE, a practice that if confirmed, would constitute a violation of the new anti-sanctuary law and potentially make the county ineligible for economic and community development grants from the state. Mauricio Calvo, director of Latino Memphis, spoke in favor of Billingsley’s resolution even though the reasons he cited are unsupported by federal court precedent and the experience in other states that have passed even stricter anti-sanctuary city and anti-illegal immigration measures. Seven commissioners passed the resolution while Commission Chairman Heidi Shafer did not vote citing a lack of information available to…

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Gibson County Democrat Party Saves Turncoat Mayor From Potential Violation of State Voting Law

Last week The Tennessee Star reported that the Williamson County Election Commission has referred materials related to an investigation into a report that seemed to show at least two Democrats – both of whom are currently running for elected office – voted in the Republican primary to the District Attorney for further investigation and possible prosecution. Gibson County Mayor Tom Witherspoon, twice elected as a Democrat on the party’s ticket, was included on GOP gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd’s July 2017 list of county mayor endorsements. Witherspoon credited Randy Boyd for helping “Gibson County stay in the race to land the Tyson Foods plant” and suggested that his vote for Boyd was payback for that assistance saying, “[t]hat man kept his word with me and I’ll keep my word with him.” Witherspoon’s endorsement of Boyd was followed with his confirmation on Facebook that he would he would vote for Boyd in the Republican primary election because he “votes people, not parties.” Shortly thereafter, Witherspoon filed his petition to run for a third time as a Democrat candidate for mayor. Nine days after Witherspoon filed his petition to run for re-election as a Democrat, Keith Cunningham, chair of the Gibson County Democratic Party announced that he would…

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Final Push Begins to Defeat $9 Billion Nashville Transit Plan as Voters Go to the Polls Today

skeptical transit plan man

NoTax4Tracks, a PAC that seeks alternatives to Metro Nashville’s $9 billion light rail plan, is making a final push to defeat the measure on today’s ballot. “From the beginning we knew that this transit plan had problems. We’ve been around government long enough to know that when you hide the price on page 55 of a plan, there is something fishy,” the group said in a newsletter Monday. NoTax4Tracks has previously pointed out that the light rail system would only serve 3 percent of Davidson County’s population and not cover most of the high-traffic areas. “The more we looked, the more we saw the fatal flaws, like it really doesn’t solve the congestion and hits those who can least afford it with one the biggest sales tax of any major city.” The group said a focus group in February provided three key messages for undecided voters: Does this really fix congestion and what areas does it cover? How much is this actually going to cost? How long will the streets be torn up to build this? NoTax4Tracks responded with fact-based commercials. “Online, if you can get 25% of the people to watch a thirty second commercial, you have a home run. Over…

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Rutherford County Mayor’s Race Gets ‘Radioactive’

Tina Jones

The war of words between Rutherford County Mayoral candidates Bill Ketron and Tina Jones has gone “nuclear” over claims of Ketron’s involvement in supporting the dumping of radioactive waste in the Rutherford County Middlepoint landfill well over a decade ago. Debate over what to do with the landfill has been a focal point of the campaign the last few weeks, but the radioactive waste angle has added a new twist. Jones and her supporters have asserted that Ketron was responsible for allowing companies to transport radioactive waste into Rutherford County to be dumped into the local landfill. Ketron acknowledges that radioactive waste was allowed to be deposited in the landfill, but says that he, along with former State Senator Jim Tracy, helped lead the way to obtain a voluntary agreement to stop such dumping in 2007.  The Tennessee Environmental Council has said 10 million pounds in waste from a decommissioned nuclear reactor in Michigan was dumped in Rutherford County in 2005 alone. The locations and amounts of radioactive waste dumped into Tennessee landfills is now kept secret by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and neither the Tennessee Legislature nor Governor Haslam has addressed the issue.  Although the…

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Leftist Diversity Agenda Drove Hiring of Kurdish Refugee Dismissed from Nashville Police Force for Gang Affiliation

Jiyayi Suleyman, a Kurdish refugee resettled in Nashville as a young child with his parents and siblings in 1991, was dismissed from the Metro Nashville Police force after it was discovered that “he lied on his application about who he was” and about his involvement with the Kurdish Pride Gang. Suleyman became a Metro Nashville police officer in 2012. His sister Remziya Suleyman, also made her mark in Nashville. Trained by the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), she organized opposition to a 2011 anti-terrorism bill but failed to stop it from being passed into law. Her efforts did, however, result in establishing the American Muslim Advisory Council with assistance from the Haslam administration. Former Nashville mayor Karl Dean made elevating “new Americans” a priority during his term. Early on he established the New Americans Advisory Council with participation from Conexion Americas and TIRRC. The MyCity Academy program designed to politically empower refugees and immigrants followed. In 2014, Dean established the Mayor’s Office of New Americans and the Parent Ambassador Program whose volunteers would serve as advisors to Metro schools. Without hesitation Dean praised the self-segregation in “growing enclaves” of new Americans that keep them separated from assimilating into and adapting…

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Transit Plan Early Voting Ends, Opponents Make Final Push For Election Day

Early voting on Nashville’s light rail transit plan ended Thursday, April 26, but one group advocating for alternative transit planning is making a final push for Election Day. There is one more opportunity to vote on the transit plan as Election Day is Tuesday, May 1. In a newsletter Thursday, the NoTax4Tracks PAC said, “This plan is incredibly flawed and costly. What’s worse, it’s being forced onto Davidson County families and businesses before we have seen any alternatives. There are better, less expensive options than making families pay $43,000 in new taxes for a light rail system that won’t even reach them.” In a separate communication, NoTax4Tracks referred people to listen to an episode of the Nashville Sounding Board podcast discussing the light rail transit plan. Nashville Metro council members Freddie O’Connell and Angie Henderson were guests. O’Connell said, “I think that as a councilmember trying to do the best job of representing my constituents… I will say I think a mistake was made by the administration in preparing this plan was a lack of council engagement.” Henderson said, “Absolutely, I concur with that.” James Pratt wrote a letter to the editor that appeared in The Tennessean on Wednesday, April…

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Tennessee General Assembly Passes Immigration Bills That Help Governor Fulfill Campaign Promises to Voters

Gov. Bill Haslam in 2010 & 2018

Running right up to the last hours of the 110th Tennessee General Assembly, legislators passed two related immigration bills by wide margins that help the Governor fulfill campaign promises he made during his first run for office. In 2009, gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam told voters that if elected, his top priority was to “mak[e] Tennessee the No.1 state in the Southeast for high quality jobs” and that he would work to protect the “values we all hold dear.” Deterring illegal immigration in Tennessee was a featured part of Haslam’s plan to deliver on these campaign promises: The Green-Reedy anti-sanctuary city bill passed yesterday in the Senate 23 – 5 and in the House 64 – 23, provides clear guidelines for cooperation by state and local law enforcement with federal immigration authorities in identifying and removing criminal aliens which Haslam said he supported during his campaign. Months before he was elected as governor in 2010, Haslam endorsed the action of a newly Republican majority legislature which passed a bill requiring jailers to contact federal immigration authorities once it was determined that an illegal alien had been arrested. The Green-Lamberth bill, also passed yesterday by a wide vote margin, prohibits local jurisdictions from creating…

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State Sen. Todd Gardenhire Says ‘It’s Not the White Parents That Show Up to Be with the Kids, It’s Not the African American Parents That Show Up with the Kids’

During Tuesday’s debate on SB2333 sponsored by State Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) that would prohibit local jurisdictions from creating their own identity card programs, State Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) offered an amendment addressing parent access to schools. The local identity cards, also called municipal IDs, have been made available to illegal aliens in other states to help them access certain public services and appear as if they are lawfully present, While explaining his amendment, Gardenhire, who annually sponsors a bill to award in-state tuition to illegal alien students, disparaged “White and African American” parents who, he said, don’t “show up” to be involved with their children’s schools: In my district we have an enormous amount of Latino students. Let’s just get right down to the chase of it. We have an enormous amount of Latino students and these parents want to be involved. They’re involved more than any other segment of the population are. And if we exclude them because they can’t show some ID and get into the building and participate, we’re doing the students and the teachers and the principals a disservice. You can watch and hear Gardenhire make these comments at the 5:41:57 mark of this video of the debate…

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Diane Black Challenges Memphis Regional Megasite

Diane Black is taking on a sprawling West Tennessee industrial site that includes a 35-mile-long wastewater pipeline. The Republican gubernatorial candidate blasted the Memphis Regional Megasite in an op-ed that appeared in the April 25 Commercial Appeal. The state government has left West Tennessee “behind” through neglect, she wrote. “Infrastructure is a big part of that,” Black wrote. “It is hugely important both to Memphis and to rural West Tennessee. I’ve spoken with representatives from the Trump Administration and my congressional colleagues about finishing I-69 and I-22. These projects are almost complete, they simply require a governor committed to getting it done. “I will continue to work with the President and Vice President to make sure West Tennessee gets the federal infrastructure dollars it needs to complete road projects and bring broadband to rural counties.” The megasite consists of 4,100 acres of industrial real estate, according to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development website. Black calls the megasite a “boondoggle” 13 years in the making that has cost $140 million and needs an additional $100 million and still is a few years from having completed infrastructure. The wastewater pipeline will cost at least $75 million, she said, and some estimate the…

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Tennessee General Assembly Passes Aggressive Anti-Sanctuary City Bill

State Sen Mark Green w State Rep Jay Reedy

Repeated efforts by House members to derail the anti-sanctuary city bill were unable to stop it from passing on a 64 – 23 vote. Bill sponsor Rep. Jay Reedy carefully explained that sanctuary policies are intended to obstruct cooperation with federal immigration authorities and that these policies protect people who have been arrested for committing a crime under Tennessee law and are then discovered to also be wanted by ICE. Reedy’s explanation did not stop Rep. Patsy Hazlewood from trying to persuade her colleagues not to support the bill. Hazlewood will have a Democrat challenger in the general election. Democrats in both the House and Senate spoke to wanting stronger laws to stop illegal aliens from working in Tennessee. Caucus Chairman Rep. Mike Stewart introduced an amendment that would criminalize employing illegal aliens and make it a Class E felony. In 2011, however, the U.S. Supreme Court held that states could only impose sanctions on employers through measures like revoking business licenses. Rep. Reedy invited Stewart to work with him next session on strengthening the state’s E-verify statute. Sen. Mark Green passed the Senate companion bill SB 2332, with a solid 23 -5 vote. “We’ve seen time and again that…

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Vocal House Democrats & Certain Republicans Voted to Stop Sanctuary Cities in 2009, But Now They Are For Them

State Rep Charles Sargent

Some of the most vocal House Democrats and Republicans trying to kill this session’s anti-sanctuary city bill sponsored by State Rep. Jay Reedy (R-Erin) had, in 2009, voted “yes” to pass a bill that prohibited establishing sanctuary cities in Tennessee. The 2009 bill passed the House with a 80 yes votes. Among the most aggressive efforts to sideline Reedy’s bill this year that closes a loophole in the 2009 law, has come from State Rep. Charles Sargent (R-Franklin) who voted yes on the 2009 bill. Speaker Beth Harwell (R-Nashville) appointed Sargent to serve as chairman of the powerful House Finance Committee, a position he has held throughout Harwell’s tenure as Speaker. Even though Sargent added his name as a co-sponsor on Reedy’s bill, he used his position as chairman to try and kill Reedy’s bill in the House Finance Committee. Sargent voted yes on a motion to send the bill to a study by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) which he then gaveled through on a voice vote despite loud and overwhelming opposition from the no votes. Sargent again voted against a motion to reconsider the bill which passed the committee followed by a majority vote to…

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Retiring House Members Throw Curveball at Harwell’s Bid for Governor

In an unexpected turn during the House Finance Committee yesterday, two long-time supporters of Speaker Beth Harwell, voted against the anti-sanctuary city bill which 67 members of her Republican caucus is co-sponsoring. Finance Committee Chairman Rep. Charles Sargent (R-Franklin) and Rep. Steve McDaniel (R-Parkers Crossroads), both listed as co-sponsors of the bill, voted to effectively kill the bill by sending it to a summer study by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Both Sargent and McDaniel are retiring from the Tennessee House of Representatives and are not on the ballot in 2018. The motion was made by Rep. Patsy Hazlewood (R-Signal Mountain), who does not support the measure. Harwell is listed as a co-sponsor of the bill. After being elected by the Republican caucus as Speaker, Harwell appointed Sargent to serve as chairman of the powerful House Finance Committee, a position he has held throughout Harwell’s tenure as Speaker. McDaniel has also held choice committee assignments under Harwell’s leadership and was the House member she appointed to lead the Ad Hoc Select Committee that put in motion the eventual ouster of former representative Jeremy Durham for alleged sexual conduct at the legislature. Tennessee currently has a narrowly tailored law prohibiting…

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Gas Can Man ‘Fuels’ Renewed Anger Over Gas Tax Increase in Murfreesboro

Gas Can Man

Gas Can Man made a pit stop in Murfreesboro early Friday morning at DJ Mart on Lascassas Pike to pump out $25 in free gas to 100 lucky – and very happy – drivers. SuperTalk 99.7 WTN morning host Brian Wilson announced the location of the Energize America giveaway at 7:05 am and within 10 minutes dozens of cars were lined up around the gas station waiting for the fuel to flow at 7:30 am. Within less than an hour the giveaway ended after the one hundredth car had been “pumped up.” One driver, who got out of his car for a selfie with Gas Can Man, said his low fuel light came on while he was waiting in line. Several drivers pointed out that fuel prices are moving back towards $3 per gallon and that legislators who added to the “pain at the pump” should pay a price. “I don’t know how my representative voted, but I will find out if they voted for the tax increase,” one man exclaimed. “And I’ll tell him they voted last year but I get to vote this year!” The $25 in free gas provided to drivers who were quick to arrive represented the…

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Challenger Aaron Shane Says Incumbent State Rep. Susan Lynn’s Support of TNReady Testing Process Shows She Is Out of Touch

As State education officials continue to struggle with the failure of the online standardized testing system as part of the TNReady assessment of student progress, Aaron Shane is calling out State Representative Susan Lynn (R-Mt. Juliet) for failing to have taken action to address the problems. Shane is opposing Lynn the GOP Primary in the 57th District, which encompasses the western half of Wilson County. “The state has poured tens of millions of taxpayer dollars into the failed online testing programs,” Shane pointed out. “Graduating Seniors this year have never had the standardized testing work properly in their entire high school career. That is inexcusable. What is more inexcusable is that the Tennessee Department of Education bureaucrats have failed to fix the problem over the past half decade. “I have have had many parents and teachers share their concerns about Susan Lynn’s support for TNReady. One parent, who called her office, was told that TNReady was “not one of her concerns.” When an elected representative’s office tells a parent that the education of their children is “not her concern” it is time for us to elect a representative who will put our children first” Shane said. Shane went on to point…

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Leftist Legislators and TIRRC Want Criminal Aliens in Tennessee Shielded From Deportation

Jason Powell

Leftist legislators and the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) have doggedly tried to stop the anti-sanctuary city bill from moving forward in the legislative process. To date, however, amendments designed to gut or undermine the bill’s objectives have been defeated and misleading arguments offered by opponents have been rejected. Local jurisdictions that declare themselves as “sanctuary cities” do not cooperate with federal immigration officials and instead, put protecting criminal aliens from deportation over and above the interests and welfare of citizens and legally admitted immigrants. The bill sponsored by Sen. Mark Green and Rep. Jay Reedy has continued to add co-sponsors in the Senate along with sixty-six House members that have added their names in support. During the last House State Government Committee, Rep. Jason Powell (D-Nashville) introduced an amendment authored by Nathan Ridley, the lawyer-lobbyist that represents TIRRC. Powell deferred to Ridley and TIRRC’s policy director Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus to explain the amendment to committee members. After considerable debate about Powell’s amendment mostly between Ridley and Reps. Willam Lamberth (R-Cottontown) and Bud Hulsey (R-Kingsport), both of whom have prior law enforcement experience, Lamberth summed it up: [Powell’s] amendment appears to gut this bill and will provide for local governments…

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Diane Black and State Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver Urge Appeal of 10th Amendment Lawsuit Against Federal Refugee Resettlement Program

Diane Black & Terri Lynn Weaver

One year after Tennessee filed suit in federal court challenging the commandeering of state revenue by the federal government to fund its refugee resettlement program, Judge Stanley Thomas Anderson, ignored plaintiffs’ request for a hearing and dismissed the case. The court’s decision did not reach the substantive Tenth Amendment issue ruling instead that the state lacked legal standing to sue. Anderson was appointed to the court by George W. Bush in 2008 and became Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee in 2017. GOP Gubernatorial Diane Black and State Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, a named plaintiff in the suit have said unequivocally that Tennessee should appeal the court’s ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a non-profit public interest law firm filed the lawsuit on behalf of Tennessee and the legislature at no  cost to the state or taxpayers.  Mr. Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the TMLC has already indicated that the court’s decision “is filled with appealable issues” and that his firm is prepared to continue its representation pro bono and appeal the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary:…

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State Rep. William Lamberth Passes Bill That Prohibits Use of Consular Cards for Identification in Tennessee

State Rep William Lamberth

Passing his bill with a vote of 72-23 and one abstention, Rep William Lamberth (R-Cottontown) offered a compelling argument that consular cards were not designed nor intended to be used in this country for identification purposes by people legally in this country and his bill would prevent Tennessee from following the example of other states that have chosen to accept consular cards as a valid form of identification: I humbly think our citizens should be safer and in a better position than any other state in the union. Lamberth, a former Sumner County prosecutor, explained that some states have chosen to accept consular cards as a valid form of identification even though the cards were not designed or intended for that purpose. During hearings on Lamberth’s bill in the House State Government Committee, a representative from the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), confirmed that consular cards issued by foreign consulate offices, are used by foreign governments to locate its nationals who are in the U.S. and in some instances, collect taxes from them. In their testimony opposing Lamberth’s bill, the co-Directors of TIRRC admitted that immigrants who primarily rely on consular cards are “people who do not have immigration…

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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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Anti-Sanctuary City Legislators Hold Their Ground in Committee to Move Strong Bill Toward Full House for Vote

State Rep Jay Reedy

After an hour of debate rehashing Rep. Jay Reedy’s anti-sanctuary city bill, including more testimony in opposition from the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and procedural moves by Democrat Jason Powell to “gut” the bill, 6 of the 7 Republican members of the House State Government Committee voted “yes,” sending HB2315 toward a vote by the full House. The Committee’s three Democrats voted no and Chairman Bob Ramsey, a Republican, passed. Rep. Jason Powell (D-Nashville), offered an amendment which TIRRC’s lawyer explained to committee members. Thorough questioning by Reps. Bud Hulsey and William Lamberth, however, revealed that the amendment was intended to neuter key parts of the bill. Anti-sanctuary city Reps. Daniel, Hulsey, Lamberth, Littleton and Rudd, held their ground to vote down Powell’s amendment; all five are named co-sponsors of the bill. Chairman Bob Ramsey voted “yes” with the Democrats and Republican Bill Sanderson passed. Sanderson then offered his own amendment that would have weakened the strong state policy Reedy’s bill would establish to combat shielding illegal aliens who have committed crimes unrelated to their immigration status, from possible deportation. The same five anti-sanctuary city legislators again held their ground and voted against Sanderson’s amendment. This time,…

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Early Voting Opens In Crucial Nashville Transit Referendum

Early voting has begun in Nashville-Davidson County, and groups seeking an alternative to the $9 billion light rail transit plan are urging voters to head to the polls early. Election Day — and the transit referendum —are May 1, but early voting began April 10 and will run through April 26. Poll locations for early voting are posted on the NoTax4Tracks website. “We need as many people as possible to vote against this costly and fiscally irresponsible transit plan,” the group says in a newsletter. “Otherwise, Davidson County will have the highest sales tax of any major city and households will pay an extra $43,000 for a transit plan that does NOT solve the traffic congestion problem and does NOT serve the whole county. “The other side is making false claims so it is essential we fight back to provide residents with all the facts. Reaching out and communicating with potential voters is the most important thing we can do during this critical time.” NoTax4Tracks also reports that the neighborhoods with the worst traffic will see little relief from light rail. Better Transit For Nashville posted what it calls the Top 100 reasons to vote against the light rail plan.…

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Nashville’s High Traffic Neighborhoods Have Low Chance of Relief From Light Rail

Dear Nashville resident: Does your neighborhood have bad traffic? If you answered yes, the city’s $9 billion light rail transit plan probably will not help you, one organization says. NoTax4Tracks says only 3 percent of Nashville’s population will be served by the proposed light rail transit plan. The group has posted a map that shows the haves and have-nots when it comes to service. The have-nots that have high traffic counts include Bordeaux, Whites Creek, W. Trinity, Haynes Area, Parkwood, Dickerson Pike, Metrocenter, Donelson, McGavock, Hermitage, Old Hickory, Mt. Juliet, Green Hills, Bellevue, Belmont, 12 South, West End, Antioch, Haywood Lane, Antioch Pike, Mt. View Road, Blue Hole Road, Cane Ridge and Priest Lake. NoTax4Tracks urges residents to share copies of the map with others. “We need everyone to see what they’d be getting and paying for if this passes May 1: Only 3% of the population will be served and families in Davidson County would have to pay $43,608 more in taxes. That is a huge amount for a light rail system that leaves out so many neighborhoods.” Better Transit For Nashville posted a top 100 list of why residents should vote against the plan on May 1. Reason…

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State Senator Mark Green Bringing Strong Anti-Sanctuary City Bill To a Floor Vote on Wednesday

On Wednesday, April 11th, the Tennessee State Senate will consider updating and closing loopholes in the state’s law prohibiting sanctuary cities. Sponsored by Sen. Mark Green, SB2332 will make it harder to shield criminal illegal aliens in Tennessee. In June 2017, the Metro Nashville Council was working to pass an ordinance that would have made Nashville the most liberal sanctuary city in the country. The ordinance, drafted with help from the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), proposed instituting a practice of “don’t ask so you don’t have to know or tell” which would prohibit Davidson County and Nashville employees, including law enforcement, from providing pertinent information to ICE regarding criminal aliens. Metro Councilman Colby Sledge, one of the two chief co-sponsors of the ordinance is married to the co-Director of TIRRC. The proposed ordinance was withdrawn, however, due to overwhelming grassroots opposition and pressure from state legislators, but a 2017 report released by Openthebooks.com still lists Nashville as a sanctuary city. Tennessee’s current anti-sanctuary city law passed in 2009, only prohibits written policies that obstruct cooperation with federal immigration authorities. It’s not clear whether this narrower definition of “sanctuary city” would have applied to the proposed Metro ordinance. Other states like Georgia…

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Saul Alinsky-Styled Organizing Continues in Nashville Through the ‘2018 Conference for Neighborhoods’

Mike Hodge of NOAH

Using neighborhood newsletters like the one that circulates through Nashville’s hipster Sylvan Park, progressive activists are advertising a full day of Alinsky-styled community organizing with speakers answering the question “what kind of neighborhood are YOU building?” The inaugural 2018 Conference for Neighborhoods will convene at the Tennessee Bankers Association Barrett Conference Center on Saturday, April 14th. The conference is sponsored by the Neighborhoods Resource Center (NRC) which describes itself as a local non-profit, non-governmental, and non-partisan organization “created by local residents.” The organization offers three services to residents and neighborhood associations – Training and Mentoring, Networking and Consultation. This year’s conferees will learn how involved leaders at the neighborhood level can find their way to an elected position on the Metro Nashville Council: From Neighborhood Leader to Metro Council Member Panel Moderator: Ronald Douglas, Jr., and Panelists: Angie Henderson, Jeff Syracuse, and Brett A. Withers Increasingly, neighborhood leaders are running for Metro Council. This panel discussion will welcome three neighborhood leaders who were recently elected to the Metro Council. They will share what motivated them to run, what the campaign was like, and what it is like now that they are in office. Speakers in the conference break-out sessions include veteran community organizer Mike…

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University of Tennessee Knoxville Students Want to Challenge ‘Christian Privilege’ on Campus

The student leader of a soon-to-be established student group calling itself the “Interfaith Network UTK” says the organization is needed at the University of Tennessee because “there’s been a lot of anti-Muslim rhetoric (and) Christian ideological privilege on campus.” According to leaders of the new group, two campus events this year sparked the idea of creating an interfaith group that would focus on service projects to demonstrate shared “core values” and is open to both those who hold specific religious beliefs and those who do not. In February, Eboo Patel, founder of the national Interfaith Youth Core lectured about his organization and how religion can be used to build bridges in a diverse community. Days later, Matthew Heimbach, leader of the Traditionalist Worker Party  which ascribes to while nationalist ideology, launched his campus speech tour at UTK. During the campus demonstration organized by UT Knoxville’s Progressive Student Alliance to protest the administration’s decision allowing Matthew Heimbach to speak at the university, Drost Kokoye, a founding and current board member of the American Muslim Advisory Council (AMAC), Tennessee’s most prominent Muslim organization, added a police shout-down to the protest. Kokoye’s tweet described the police assigned to protect the protestors as the “KKKPD.”…

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IT’S OFFICIAL: Carol Swain Launches Campaign for Mayor of Nashville

Carol Swain runs for Nashville Mayor'

Former Vanderbilt University professor Carol Swain announced late Monday afternoon she is a candidate for Mayor of Nashville in the upcoming special election to name a new mayor to serve the balance of former Mayor Megan Barry’s term, which ends in August 2019. In a statement, Swain said she “secured the necessary petition to become a candidate this morning, obtained more than the 25 signatures required to become an official candidate, and filed the petition this afternoon, which will qualify her to appear on the special election ballot.” That date is currently set for August 2, but the Tennessee Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a legal challenge next Monday that could set the election date earlier, either on May 1 or May 26. “The reason I’m running is that Nashville needs a choice between two different visions for the city. I believe the city is headed in the wrong direction, like many large cities headed by Democratic mayors,” Swain said in the statement, adding: “Nashville is currently following the ‘tax-and-spend’ prescription that has resulted in so many of our cities becoming wastelands of poverty, crime, failing schools, and high taxes,” Swain noted in announcing her plans to run…

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State Senator Todd Gardenhire Lashes Out at Fellow Republicans As His Bill to Expand In-State Tuition Benefits Dies in Committee

State Rep Todd Gardenhire

For the fourth year in a row, Chattanooga-area State Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga), a Republican, has tried and failed to pass a bill that would grant in-state tuition discounts to illegal alien students in Tennessee. Calling his defeat a “victim of election-year politics,” he told the Times Free Press, “It’s my understanding that the House leadership doesn’t want to schedule it for a vote in the House Education Committee,” adding that the Senate leadership wanted to wait until the bill passed in the House before taking it up. Gardenhire spoke bitterly of his fellow Republican lawmakers, telling the Times, “The House for a third year in a row has killed it under the leadership of Beth Harwell.” Turning his ire to the gubernatorial candidates who publicly opposed his proposal, the said this year’s failure was “very disappointing when you’ve got all four [Republican] gubernatorial candidates against it and one of them in particular, Diane Black, being personal about it.” Upon hearing the news of the bill’s demise for this year’s legislative session, Black tweeted: Good to see conservatives stand up and say “no.” Read my statement from a few weeks ago on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants: https://t.co/6BpDJKW7Fk https://t.co/SSAdekVmAl — Diane Black (@DianeBlackTN) March 28, 2018 The Times…

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Illegal Immigrants in Tennessee Can Already Get Cheaper College Tuition Than What is Proposed in Gardenhire/White Bill

Graduation

State Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga) and State Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) have failed three times to pass a bill that would award the in-state tuition benefit to illegal aliens but they are trying again this legislative session using the same argument about financial accessibility of in-state v. out-of-state tuition. A less expensive college tuition, however, is already available to illegal aliens and, it doesn’t require passing the Gardenhire/White bill. University of the People (UoPeople) offers completely free “quality, online, degree-granting educational programs to any qualified student” including refugees, asylum seekers and illegal aliens: Founded in 2009, University of the People is the first non-profit, tuition-free, accredited American online university. To date, the university has enrolled nearly 10,000 students from more than 200 countries and territories around the world – almost half of whom reside in the US. Recently, the university has seen a significant spike in enrollment from immigrants in the US, among those, refugees, DACA and undocumented students. According to a recent student survey, 69% of US-residing students reported being immigrants, of whom, approximately 30% are DACA or undocumented. ‘It is our duty to support anyone who wants to improve their lives through education,’ says [UoPeople founder] Reshef. ‘We…

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Vast Majority of Tennessee House Republicans – 58 Out of 74 – Are Co-Sponsors of Anti-Sanctuary City Bill

Jay Reedy

Fifty-eight Tennessee House Republicans are named co-sponsors on the anti-sanctuary city bill HB2315. Adding the bill’s chief sponsor, State Rep. Jay Reedy (R-Erin), means that 80 percent of the House Republicans support strengthening and closing the loopholes in Tennessee’s existing anti-sanctuary city statute. (Seventy-four of the 99 members of the Tennessee House of Representatives this session are Republicans, while 25 are Democrats.) Tennessee’s anti-sanctuary city law passed in 2009, only addresses written policies that prohibit local governments, officials and employees from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. This narrower definition of “sanctuary city” would likely not have applied to at least one of the sanctuary city ordinances proposed by the Metro Nashville Council last June. The two ordinances proposed by the Metro Nashville Council would have made Nashville the most liberal sanctuary city in the country. One of the bills included a “don’t ask so you don’t have to know or tell” practice prohibiting Davidson County and Nashville employees, including law enforcement, from providing pertinent information to ICE regarding criminal aliens. Reedy’s bill expands the definition of sanctuary city to include practices that obstruct cooperation with federal immigration authorities and help shield illegal aliens who have also committed crimes. North Carolina and Georgia…

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Off the Record: Busted! ‘Fast Eddie’ Smith Files an Amendment That Could Make Boyd’s Property Redevelopment Very Profitable

State Rep. “Fast Eddie” Smith (R-Knoxville) just “filled in” his caption bill, HB2361 last week in the House Transportation Subcommittee and the “amendment that makes the bill” as they say in the legislature, looks like it’s gonna help La Raza Randy make more millions. Think of the caption bill like a shell game. It identifies the shells, but doesn’t necessarily tell you what’s really going to be underneath them. And somehow, the intended filling isn’t disclosed until very late in the legislative session, hidden from controversy until it’s simply rushed through the system. So the bill that Smith filed at the start of the legislative session was supposed to be about reporting the number of automobiles owned or leased by the state government that could use alternative fuel. By the end of the Subcommittee hearing last week, the bill was about a public-private partnership to bring light rail to the greater Knoxville area and voting power to create a Central Business Improvement District that could be based on high land value ownership. Coincidentally (or not), two years ago, while serving as Commissioner of Economic & Community Development, multimillionaire Randy Boyd bought about 7 acres of property in what Knoxvillians call the “Old…

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TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition Leaders Finally Admit to Legislative Committee They Want to Keep Illegal Immigrants in Tennessee

During testimony by the co-Directors of the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), opposing Rep. William Lamberth’s bill that would prohibit municipalities from creating their own local identity card programs and from accepting the matricula consular card as an identification document, the TIRRC leaders admitted that immigrants who primarily rely on the matricula card are “people who do not have immigration status.” Lamberth’s bill is consistent with Tennessee law that prohibits using the matricula consular card to get a state driver license. 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. This has become a popular program in sanctuary cities that help illegal aliens access certain public services and 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. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago-issued municipal ID card available to illegal aliens will be accepted as valid voter identification. In Cincinnati, working with local law enforcement and city officials, Catholic Charities is producing and providing the municipal ID card to immigrants in the city who don’t have or can’t obtain…

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Senate State & Local Government Committee Passes Two Important Anti-Ilegal Immigration Bills

A bill to strengthen Tennessee’s law prohibiting sanctuary cities was passed by a majority vote of the Senate State & Local Government Committee with only Democrat State Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) voting no. Among other features of SB2332, sponsored by State Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville), is a broadened definition of “sanctuary policies or practices” that help shield criminal illegal aliens and encourages more illegal immigration to those locations. Several weeks ago, the State and Local Director from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) spoke to the committee reminding them that “sanctuary policies come in all shapes and sizes:” Some are written, some are not. Some are enacted through local laws while others masquerade as ‘welcoming resolutions; some even appear as internal law enforcement agency policy. Despite these differences in appearance, the uniting factor is that sanctuary policies place a greater emphasis on the welfare of illegal aliens than the welfare and safety of citizens and legal residents in their own communities. Tennessee’s current statute only addresses written sanctuary policies. Nashville promotes itself as a “welcoming city” – in fact, so welcoming that in June 2017, two ordinances were introduced by Councilmen Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge promoting practices that…

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Report: Painters Union Center in Nashville Luring Illegal Aliens Using False Information

An “ICE Free Zone” flyer  was reported to have been posted on the door of the new worker resource center opened in Nashville by Local 456 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT). Regardless of the union’s effort to lure illegal immigrants to the the center, it is not, according to ICE guidelines, off bounds to immigration officials. The Star asked ICE Public Affairs Officer, Mr. Nestor Yglesias whether an “ICE Free Zone” would discourage ICE officers from entering the premises if they had probable cause to believe a removable alien was inside the building. Mr. Yglesias referred The Star to the FAQ on Sensitive Locations and Courthouse Arrests posted on ICE’s website. “Sensitive locations” are those places where ICE enforcement and removal actions are less likely to occur although there are circumstances under which, exceptions will be made and enforcement actions will proceed. Places like the union’s Nashville office are not included in any of the “sensitive location” categories. Local 456 has teamed up with the TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) and Worker’s Dignity Dignidad Obrera to provide information and assist those who seek out the center’s resources. Nashville Workers Dignity organized in 2010 to represent “wage theft” from low wage…

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Conservative Grassroots Leader Andy Ogles Wins Republican Nomination for Maury County Mayor at Convention

Conservative Grassroots Leader Andy Ogles Wins Republican Nomination for Maury County Mayor at Convention

The Maury County Republican Party held their nominating convention Saturday, and in a surprising twist, selected former Americans for Prosperity State Director and U.S. Senate candidate Andy Ogles to be the Republican nominee for County Mayor. “Maury County faces major fiscal issues in the coming years, and I think I am the candidate to solve them,” Ogles told The Daily Herald moments after his nomination. State Rep. Sheila Butt (R-Columbia), who is not seeking re-election in 2018, nominated Ogles for the office at the convention on Saturday. “I have worked with Andy Ogles on several issues over the past few years. I was delighted when he and his family chose to move to Maury County several years ago,” Butt told The Tennessee Star in an exclusive statement, adding: Andy understands the issues facing our community and the process of governing. He understands budgets and taxes. He understands the importance of a community being financially sound and meeting the needs of a growing population. There are challenges ahead for Maury County. We are in the process at the State level of passing a Private Act that will help with the accountability and the transparency of our County budget. There are real problems that need to be addressed. Andy…

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State Sen. Todd Gardenhire Sponsors Bills to Punish Illegal Aliens Who Commit Crimes But Reward Parents of Illegal Alien Students

Lacking any consistent rationale, State Senator Todd Gardenhire (R-Chattanooga), the perpetual sponsor of the Senate’s bills to give illegal alien students taxpayer-subsidized in-state tuition, last year co-sponsored a bill allowing judges to give illegal aliens convicted of felonies longer sentences based on their immigration status. The bill was signed into law in 2017. While Gardenhire is willing to punish illegal aliens who commit crimes, he prefers to dismantle state law and reward parents for violating the country’s immigration laws, forcing Tennessee’s taxpayers to provide a free education for the children they brought with them. English Language Learner (ELL) services in Tennessee’s public schools are funded through the state’s education funding formula called the BEP (Basic Education Program) and comes primarily from state and local revenue meaning that every Tennessee taxpayer shares in the cost regardless of which county’s schools are providing the services. State education funding provides 70 percent of the expenditure leaving the local share at 30 percent. In fiscal year 2012, total funding for ELL services was $70 million with the state share at $49 million and the local share at $21 million. The most recent fiscal year’s total funding has grown to $122.3 million with the state share…

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State Sen. Mark Green and State Rep. Bryan Terry Unapologetic About Not Giving In-State Tuition to Illegal Aliens

State Rep. Bryan Terry and State Sen. Mark Green

State Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) and State Rep. Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro) are clear that the goal of their in-state tuition bill is to block awarding the state benefit to illegal aliens. Their bill augments the Tennessee’s “Eligibility Verification for Entitlements Act” with precise language identifying in-state tuition as a state benefit. Terry’s explanation leaves no doubt in this regard: In-state tuition only covers between 25-75 percent of the cost to provide the college education. Taxpayer funds support the rest. That is clearly a state benefit. Any attempt to exclude post secondary assistance in the definition of a state benefit is contrary to the facts and our bill will ensure taxpayers are protected. There are U.S. citizens who live out of state, but pay business or property taxes in Tennessee. They still must pay out of state tuition. We shouldn’t be incentivizing illegal immigrants to take advantage of Tennessee taxpayers when we don’t even provide a courtesy to Americans who are investing in our state. And his bill, HB2101 directly contradicts State Rep. Mark White’s (R-Memphis) bill, HB2429 which is trying to exempt in-state tuition from state law that defines what is a “state or local public benefit.” Last week the House Education Subcommittee…

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Volunteers Presenting Alternatives To Nashville’s Proposed $9 Billion Transit Plan Build Strong Case

A group that is opposed to the $9 billion light rail transit plan is making waves on social media. Better Transit for Nashville’s Facebook page like count reached nearly 2,900 last week compared to Transit for Nashville’s page total of just under 2,700, the former reports in an email newsletter. BTN calls itself an all-volunteer local group. BTN’s popularity may be due in part to its running the numbers on the light rail plan’s alleged drawbacks. Nor is Facebook the only social media platform BTN is using effectively. Its YouTube page has posted a number of videos laying out details such as this: “In 2.5 years, (ex-Mayor Megan) Barry spent $2.4 million on frills, bodyguards & her love affair. The video has all the data. Now she wants to spend $8.9 BILLION for a transit plan that directly serves the rich & only 2% or less of commuters. The plan will spend $568,000 per current transit rider.” The per rider number is garnered from an $8.9 billion cost divided current transit riders totaling 15,650. BTN cites these sources: MTA audits; apta.com BTN says light rail will serve parts of five roadways and 6 percent of downtown workers. The group contends…

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Tennessee Legislators Continue to Deny Voters Right to Elect State’s Attorney General

State Sen. Ken Yager

The Republican dominated General Assembly has already moved the appointment of judges to the Governor and if they have their way this legislative session, they will continue to keep the selection of the state’s chief law enforcement officer out of the reach of Tennessee voters as well. Forty-three states elect their Attorney General. Sen. Ken Yager (R-Kingston), chief sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 611 which partially reforms selection of the State Attorney General, has previously stated that selecting an AG through popular election is the least-preferred method of selection Yager’s resolution would instead require the General Assembly to confirm the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Attorney General nominee and if rejected, require the court to submit another nominee. The AG’s term would also be reduced from eight years to four years. In the past, the state’s Supreme Court has held a public hearing during which lawyers applying for the AG position made presentations in open court. However, most of the court’s process is kept from public view. Judges conduct private interviews of the candidates and there is no record of how they vote on the AG nominee. Yager’s resolution would open the Supreme Court’s process – “[t]he nomination shall be made by the Supreme Court in open court…

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