Exit 1 growth explosion continues: Cheeseburgers, Ice Cream and O’Connor’s woo neighbors

By David W. Shelton | December 20, 2007 |

Residents who live near Exit 1 in Clarksville have seen a level of growth in the number of homes and businesses which begs the question, “how did THAT happen?” Congestion has given way to newly widened and repaved roads, along with the opening of Tiny Town Road’s improvements. A stop light has been added to the west bound exit of I-24, which is a breath of fresh air to motorists who have struggled with the intersection. If nothing else, these road improvements are a clear indicator of major developments in the area.

However, one doesn’t have to look very far to see this development. This month, Cheeseburger Charley’s and Cold Stone Creamery opened brand new locations with a grand opening that drew hundreds on a cold, wet Saturday. The stores are located in a strip mall in an outlot of the Great Escape Theatre at the corner of Tiny Town Road and Trenton Road. Construction has begun on what is rumored to be a new Walgreen’s store. O’Connor’s, a new Irish pub & grill, will open at the intersection of Tylertown Road and Trenton Road later this month. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Business | No Comments

‘Taxi to the Dark Side’ details U.S. torture

By Bill Larson | December 19, 2007 |

From the director of “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” Alex Gibney’s Taxi to the Dark Side is a gripping investigation into the reckless abuse of power by the Bush Administration.

By probing the homicide of an innocent taxi driver at the Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, the film exposes a worldwide policy of detention and interrogation that condones torture and the abrogation of human rights. This disturbing and often brutal film is the most incisive examination to date of the Bush Administration’s willingness, in its prosecution of the “war on terror,” to undermine the essence of the rule of law. The film asks and answers a key question: what happens when a few men expand the wartime powers of the executive to undermine the very principles on which the United States was founded.

Incorporating rare and never-before-seen images from inside the Bagram, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay prisons, and interviews with former government officials such as John Yoo, Alberto Mora and Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, interrogators, prison guards, New York Times reporters Tim Golden and Carlotta Gall (who wrote the first stories about the homicides in Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan) and the families of tortured prisoners, the film dissects the progression of the Administration’s policy on torture from the secret role of key administration figures, such as Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzales and others to the soldiers in the field.

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Sections: Arts and Leisure | 1 Comment »

Eminent Domain: The continued assault

By James Butler | December 18, 2007 |

Clarksville citizens are certainly up in arms over the proposed Clarksville Center Redevelopment plan, and with good reason. The plan designates large portions of the downtown area as “blighted” (whatever that means) and therefore subject to eminent domain takings. Sadly, unless the council is convinced to repeal or amend the ordinance authorizing the plan there is not much anyone can do to stop such takings.

The Tennessee Code, Constitution, and at least theoretically the United States Constitution provide that private property may only be taken for ‘public use’ and then only after ‘just compensation’ has been given. The Tennessee Code theoretically should prohibit the proposed action, except for the minor problem that theory is fine and well, but as written the title does absolutely nothing to affect the actual eminent domain power with its list of exceptions and lack of definitions of the key terms involved. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Opinion, Politics | 3 Comments

Stop drunk driving with a red ribbon?

By Blayne Clements | December 18, 2007 |

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) was founded in 1980 with the mission “…to stop drunk driving and support the victims of this violent crime. ” That’s a big, if not impossible goal, “to stop drunk driving”.

One way MADD is trying to stop drunk driving this holiday season is through their “Tie One on for Safety” campaign. According the the Leaf Chronicle (12.10.07), the Tennessee office of MADD is distributing over 10,000 red ribbons state-wide to raise drunk driving awareness. According to the article, the red ribbon campaign has three stated goals

1. “high visibility of officers, meaning many officers on patrol,
2. sobriety checkpoints
3. and more ignition interlock vehicles, which requires a driver to breathe into a register to prove they are sober before the vehicle can start.”

Goals one and two appear redundant, but that is beside the point. The article does not explain how the display of red ribbons assists in accomplishing the campaigns stated goals.

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Sections: Issues, News, Opinion | 4 Comments

Residents pack Station to protest “blight,” demand repeal of development ordinance

By Christine Anne Piesyk | December 17, 2007 |

They came, by the hundreds, and they were concerned. Worried. “Mad as hell.” And determined to do something about it. Nearly three hundred Clarksville residents turned out at the Historic L&N Train Station for a 6 p.m. meeting and petition drive to fight the designation of blight applied to their neighborhoods by the recent City Council approval of a Downtown Redevelopment Plan.

The meeting, called by the Clarksville Property Rights Association, came just three days after a similar meeting held Friday at the HOPE Center on Legion Street. That first meeting drew approximately 50 people. A mailing campaign, and a public relations push saw that first crowd grow to a shoulder-to-shoulder crush of about 300 people at the station. The Property Rights group was stunned but pleased by the turnout, and had done their homework, with petition postcards printed and filed by property owner names, each card ready to be mailed to the City Council. Additional cards were available for anyone not already on the list who wanted to support this effort at rescinding the legislation and the “blight” designation. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, News | 3 Comments

TACIR commissioners recommend voter-verified paper ballot for Tennessee

By Bernie Ellis | December 17, 2007 |

The TACIR “Trust But Verify” report recommends that Tennessee move to voter-verified paper ballots to improve election integrity.

Our efforts to achieve more secure elections in Tennessee moved forward this week when the TN Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) voted unanimously to release the TACIR staff report, Trust But Verify, to the state legislature and the general public.

The TACIR Commissioners were obviously influenced by the outpouring of emails and other messages they received from many of you last week. They told us that hearing from so many people did influence their deliberations. We need that to happen again in the next 2-3 days in order to move safe elections legislation forward.

The joint legislative study committee that is considering a bill to require optical scan voting systems statewide by November, 2008 meets on Tuesday, December 18. The recommendations of this study committee and the actions it recommends to the legislature will go a long way toward determining if our elections will be secure in 2008. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Opinion | No Comments

Stunning, sensual Romeo and Juliette delights Metropolitan Opera fans

By Christine Anne Piesyk | December 16, 2007 |

When was the last time you heard applause in a movie theater? Playing to a packed theater, the 2007-08 Live from the Met HD season opener — Romeo and Juliette — came just in time to please a Christmas audience who were not the least bit shy about breaking the otherwise absolute silence for a round of applause…

The performance was a live worldwide broadcast of Gounod’s Romeo and Juliette, the operatic rendition of Shakespeare’s classic and tragic love story. It was a stunning performance. Though the stage itself was stark, the backdrop of moonscapes and nebula created a romantic, dreamy setting for the lovers. From a gala birthday ball with grand costumes and elaborate masks the the sweeping declarations of love in the “balcony scene,” to a sensual wedding night on a softly draped bed that seemed to drift among the stars on a moonlight breeze, Romeo and Juliette seemed to offer individual vignettes, paintings for our imagination to savor. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure | No Comments

Changes to Social Security Disability: Detrimental to people with disabilities?

December 16, 2007 |

For decades, Congress, the United States Supreme Court, and the Social Security Administration have recognized that the informality of SSA’s process is a critical aspect of the program. Creating unreasonable procedural barriers to eligibility is inconsistent with Congress’ intent to keep the process informal and non-adversarial, and with the intent of the program itself, which is to correctly determine eligibility for claimants, awarding benefits if a person meets the statutory requirements.

On October 29, 2007, the Social Security Administration (SSA) published proposed regulations that make significant changes to the SSA appeals process, including hearings before administrative law judges (ALJs). Comments must be submitted on or before December 28, 2007 to the Commissioner of Social Security, P.O. Box 17703, Baltimore MD 21203.
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Sections: Issues | 1 Comment »