As the August 7th primary nears, campaign strategy turns “ugly”

August 5, 2008 |

Senate District 22 incumbent floods mailboxes with negative ads

Many Montgomery County voters found another mailing from incumbent State Senator Rosalind Kurita assailing the character of her challenger, Clarksville attorney, Tim Barnes. This latest mailing seems to be an extension of her proposed ban on advertising by attorneys who accept DUI cases. That proposed ban was ruled unconstitutional by the State Attorney General as a violation of the State Constitution’s and the U.S. Constitution’s freedom of expression and legal representation guarantees.[Leaf-Chronicle, April 27, 2008: "Kurita's bill looks like politics"]

The new mailing attempts to paint Barnes as specifically tailoring his law practice to represent spouse abusers, drunk drivers and repeat offenders. Mind you, the yellow pages are filled with ads by a myriad of attorneys offering their services for a wide of array of legal situations. Tim Barnes has no exclusive lock over legal representation for anyone needing it. Thus, it would seem the declared ‘three strikes’ of this flyer are invalid. Voters must be vigilant and diligent in reviewing campaign material that ends up in their mailbox.

This media outlet is reminded of a previous refrain by the senator when her ban proposal failed, “I’m a nurse, not an attorney.” Fortunately for her, we are all U.S. citizens with guaranteed rights and protections of the U.S. Constitution and Tennessee State Constitution.

When contacted for a response to this last minute mailing effort, Barnes, who is challenging Senator Kurita for the Senate District 22 seat, would only say, “Either this an intentional attempt to deceive the public or an appalling display of ignorance of our constitutionally protected rights in a criminal proceeding.”

Thursday, August 7th, is the State Primary Election. For any registered voter who has not yet voted, please exercise your franchise, in other words, your right to vote and cast your ballot. Examine the candidates and make an informed decision.

Vote. It’s the “American Citizen” thing to do!

Sections: Events, Issues, News, Opinion, Politics | 2 Comments

II. Are you ready for disaster? Plan to survive!

August 5, 2008 |

Editors Note: This is Chapter 2 in a reprint of this five-part series, published on Daily Kos and originally published online by AlphaGeek {9.9.05}. From the diaries — Plutonium Page. The series offers a practical way to assess risk and prepare a variety of disaster scenarios. The series will appear chapter by chapter at 3 p.m. through Friday.

Chance favors the prepared mind. - Louis Pasteur

In any given disaster situation, you will find a group of people who maximize their chances for survival by making the correct choices before, during, and after the crisis. These folks have a few things in common:

• Each of them personally decided that he/she was going to survive
• They accurately assessed their immediate and near-term risks and needs
• They made the best plan they could based on available resources
• They executed that plan in a flexible, adaptive manner
• They kept going until they had reached safety, and did not give up

The single most important thing you can do to survive a disaster is to be mentally prepared.

Being prepared for disaster does not have to be time-consuming or expensive. In this multi-part series of DailyKos Diaries, I will share with you, dear reader, many of the lessons I’ve learned regarding the most effective ways to prepare for an emergency.

This is the second installment in a multi-part series on personal disaster preparedness. Your humble correspondent is a Silicon Valley technical executive with both professional and personal experience in risk assessment and disaster-readiness planning. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Business, Education, Issues, Opinion | No Comments

Voters Council, Small Business group, endorse Senator Rosalind Kurita

August 5, 2008 |

The Clarksville-Montgomery County Voters Council and the National Federation of Independent Business have both endorsed Senator Rosalind Kurita in her State senate re-election bid.

The Clarksville-Montgomery County Voters Council has thrown its support to Senator Rosalind Kurita (D-Clarksville) in the Democratic Primary for Senate District 22. The endorsement was made at a rally held at New Providence Outreach Center. The council is a voter advocacy group focused on minority issues.

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Voters Council,” Kurita said. “I am and will continue to be a staunch advocate for women, minorities, children and seniors in the state legislature.” Senator Kurita is speaker pro tempore of the Senate.

On the heels of that endorsement, the National Federation of Independent Business, Tennessee’s leading small business advocacy association, also announced its endorsement of incumbent Rosalind Kurita in Senate District 22. Sen. Kurita has been a strong supporter of the needs of her small business constituents, NFIB/Tennessee State Director Jim Brown said. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, News, Politics | 1 Comment »