Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn

Marsha Blackburn voted to allow foreign countries to dump their nuclear waste in TN! I don’t think any Tennesseans would agree with that vote. Specifically a company was trying to import 20,000 tons of low level radioactive waste from Italian nuclear facilities for processing. The bill in question banned the importation of nuclear waste.

Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill 34-12 on a mostly party-line vote, with Democrats voting yes and Republicans voting no. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Brentwood, the only other Tennessee member of the committee, voted against the bill.

Her explanation “Blackburn is confident that the  foreign waste would have a minimal impact and that processing the material would create jobs in Tennessee”. Blackburn is my representative and I am very unhappy that someone supposedly representing me voted for importing toxic waste into my state.

For more information see the original Tennessean article at: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091120/NEWS02/911200372/1009/NEWS02

Does he really know what he's doing?

I”m a former HGTV junkie. I used to sit and watch hours of it, and I absorbed more interior decorating, real estate, and DIY than I could possibly use in a lifetime. I would probably still be that way, but my current occupations as mommy, taxi, nurse, teacher, finance manager, counselor, cook, maid, and of course, writer, do not leave much of an opportunity for television.

But if there was one thing I learned from my HGTV education, it’s that preparation is key when doing any type of project. I’ve put this principle into practive with every job I have done and have always had great results. Whether it is painting a bookshelf or completely gutting a bathroom, you have to start out the right way.

I wish someone had told that to the handyman I hired a couple of weeks ago to paint my kitchen buffet. As the  DIY mommy, I prefer to do things myself, but for this particular project I was pressed for time and wanted it done before my husband returned from a business trip. So, I found two local “experienced” handymen who came complete with referrals to tackle the simple task of painting a hutch along with a few other small things around my house. Sounds great, right?

Not really.

The handymen arrived rather promptly, give or take 30 minutes, and I laid out all the supplies they would need: drop clothes, 220-grit sandpaper, hand sander, brushes, primer, paint, and trays. I told one of  the guys I wanted the entire hutch painted, the other started working on another job, and I was off to take Little Man to pre-school. I will admit that I am sometimes what you could call a micro-manager. That is one of the reasons why I like to do things myself. But this particular morning, I welcomed the break. Ater dropping Little Man off, I stopped to grab a quick bite, feeling confident that with two able-bodied men working at my house, my hutch was going to turn out beautifully.

When I arrived home, my hutch was black. I was shocked. While black is the color that I chose for the piece, I could not believe that he had had time to sand, prime, and paint a large piece of furniture in the time that I was gone. Pleased that he was such an efficient worker, I went to work in the garage while he helped his partner finish up another small job.

As they neared the end of their work, one of them called me into the house:

“Ma’am, what is this primer in here for?”

A little concerned, I look over to the kitchen table, and there sits a brand new can of primer, unopened, with an unused handsander right next to it. Very concerned, I tell him, “It’s for the hutch, didn’t you prime the hutch?”

“Um, no, you only said you wanted it painted.”

I cannot express the irritation that I felt at that moment. While I did not explicitly say to “sand, wipe, prime, and paint” the hutch, any person who has ever done any type of painting should know that you have to prime first. Especially if you are painting over finished wood. Otherwise the paint will not adhere. For a handyman familiar with painting, this should have been common practice.

So now, even after almost three weeks, I cannot place anything on my buffet.  The paint is still tacky. canisters, boxes, dishes, place mats;  they all stick right to it, pulling the paint off when you pick them up. With nothing to hold it to the wood, the paint comes off at the slightest touch.  The only fix? Sand it down and start again.

Morale of the story: If you want it done right, do it yourself. If you absolutely must hire someone, explain everything. Do not assume that they have any professional knowledge. Leave a list, and if they do not complete everything on it, dock it from their pay. Otherwise you may find yourself redoing and spending your own time, and on your own dime.

The Logo of the Clarksville, TN Gas and Water Department

If the Clarksville Gas & Water Department (CGW) had been upfront and honest, there would be no need for a lawsuit to force the promised return of deposits. If Judge Shelton had followed standard court procedures and issued a default judgment when the duly served defendant Mayor Johnny Piper or his counsel did not appear, the case would have ended then. If City Attorney Lance Baker would right the wrongs, rather than defend immoral actions by the city through his superior knowledge of the law, we would not need an attorney.

However, with the publicity generated by Clarksville Online publishing my letters to the editor, we now have a volunteer. A federal attorney who feels that we can win this case. We are grateful to him. This is good news for all consumers served by CGW. We will seek to establish a legal precedent, and tell municipal bureaucrats that they can no longer be able to tell residents that “The city can do whatever it wants.”

Now we are looking for witnesses and other victims. For the witness we need people who can testify that they paid a service deposit to CGW and later had it refunded back. We also need other consumers who had their deposits seized, even though they had always paid their bill in a timely manner.  It is now appropriate to move to convert this suit to a class action, which will benefit all of the victims of this “theft” by City Hall.

The Logo of the Clarksville, TN Gas and Water Department

Many readers requested updates to my article about theft by city hall, in which I wrote how I am battling to get the City’s Gas and Water Department (CG&W) to honor contracts and return customer deposits.

Yesterday, September 14, 2009, we suffered a minor defeat when Judge Grimes denied my motion for evidence, due to technical legal errors. He admonished me that although I am without counsel, he will cut me no slack for not having an attorney. I understand this, as it would be unfair to attorneys to hold them to higher standards. However, he should not have given Lance Baker, the city attorney, free legal advice by telling him he can “quash” my future subpoenas.

Similarly, at the original appearance on July 8, Judge Shelton, instead of ruling for a default judgment when the defendant did not appear, phoned the city attorney and had me wait for his arrival. This also displayed favoritism for the city’s Attorneys over ordinary citizens.

My case goes to trial November 9, and if I prevail, it will show our local government that the city cannot “do whatever it wants.” The sheriff served my subpoena against CG&W’s guardian of records on August 10, and I issued a new one against Mayor Johnny Piper yesterday.

We need to see if Baker will successfully “quash” the Mayor’s subpoena, and whether I can locate a local attorney who will help me to help you, either pro bono or for a reduced fee.

The Logo of the Clarksville, TN Gas and Water Department

On May 25, 2005, I opened an account with Clarksville Gas and Water Department, and gave a $225 deposit, which I was told would be refunded after four years. Four years later, on May 26, 2009, I applied for the return of my deposit. The clerk and her supervisor told me that new policies instituted by new management prohibit returns until after service ends, and “THE CITY CAN DO WHATEVER IT WANTS”.

I filed suit, charging breach of a legal contract, diversion, and unfair trade practices. No attorney arrived to represent the city in General Sessions Court on July 8, so Judge Shelton phoned the city attorney, Lance Baker. He later met with me, which gave me the opportunity to explain my case and share the evidence. We then went before the clerk, who reset my case for a two-hour trial before Judge Grimes on November 9th.

My evidence includes printouts, from Clarksville Gas and Water Department of my account.

They show my $225 deposit of May 25, 2005, and my billing and payment history for the past four years, with all payments timely made. They also show the May 26, 2009 comments from gas and water employee Becky W., “Cust. called wanted dep. refunded to his account. It has been 4 years since he paid it. I told him that policies have changed, and we do not apply after 4 years. (He) wanted to talk to supervisor. Gave info to TG BW.” Tracy’s (TG BW) comments are, “Spoke with Mr. Cutting regarding the deposits being refunded and that we no longer refund the deposits, that they are held on the account until closed. He stated he has already contacted The Leaf Chronicle and his attorney.”

Other residents that will also not receive their promised deposits, may wish to contact me, as we may have the basis for a class action suit. Do we really want the city of Clarksville to be able to “DO WHATEVER IT WANTS,”  to whoever it wants, regardless of the law, and whom it hurts?

David L. Cutting
Resident of Ward 8

This is valiant attempt by some shareholders to influence a huge corporation’s policies. This is not a theoretical proposal, you see Fidelity was one of the largest holders of PetroChina, which through its parent company, the China National Petroleum Company, is providing funding that the Sudanese government uses to conduct its genocide in Darfur.

The trustees say “Fidelity seeks to achieve the best investment results for the Fund consistent with the stated investment policies of the Fund” and “investments are lawful under the laws of the United States”. In the tangled web of huge conglomerate speak, Fidelity is saying it’s ok, because they are not directly investing in the parent company of PetroChina, which contributes to genocide, since that is against US laws. I disagree, the parent companies actions also reflect on its children. Why else would it be called the parent company?

So, I am voting in favor of this proposal, despite the Board of Trustees recommendation to vote against it. If you happen to receive similar proxy materials in the mail from Fidelity, I urge you to open it and read Proposal 3.

The deadline for this vote is July 15,2009.

For more information check out Investors Against Genocide at http://www.genocidefreefidelity.net/

Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later… that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love, adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life.  ~ Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

Clarksville Online wants to wish all the dads out there…

Happy Fathers Day!

I am referring to ORDINANCE 97-2008-09, which passed first reading by the city council at the June 4^th meeting. This ordinance would give the city Parks & Recreation Department the authority to ban dogs at any city park or recreation area, for reasons of “protection of public health, welfare, or safety, or for aesthetic reasons.” Fortunately, as an ordinance, it must pass two readings before it becomes law.

I believe that if you tasked park workers to spend the next two weeks documenting the type of waste they cleaned up along the Riverwalk, that left by humans will far outweigh that left by pets. I refer to cigarette butts, fast food wrappers, soft drink cans, picnic refuse, etc. Why is human waste considered acceptable for parks workers to pick up, but they balk at scooping dog poop?

A doggie waste receptacle

The proposed ban is a knee-jerk reaction, with absolutely no thought put into finding a solution that will allow everyone to enjoy these parks. In state parks such as Dunbar Cave, they provide receptacle bins just for dog waste, with appropriate signage advising dog owners of their responsibility to pick up after their pets. This would be a valid starting point in eliminating the problem.

The city could also implement an education program by working with local pet groups, such as the Kennel Club, veterinarians, local pet supply stores, and the Humane Society.

In law enforcement, you start with the lowest level of force necessary to resolve an issue. Then you escalate up the chain as needed. You don’t start out with deadly force simply because someone ran a stop sign. I ask that the city use this same common sense approach in dealing with the issue of dog waste in city parks.

I have contacted Parks Director Missy Graham and Mayor Johnny Piper about this issue, as well as my councilman and the other council members that serve on the Parks & Recreation Committee. I encourage everyone that finds this proposed ban on dogs as outrageous as I do to please contact your elected officials and make your voice heard. Email addresses and phone numbers can be found at http://www.cityofclarksville.com/.

I plan to attend the next meeting of the Parks & Recreation Committee and the next council meeting to show my support for those seeking to defeat the second reading of the ordinance concerning this issue.

Those of us that are responsible pet owners want nothing more than to exercise our legal rights to walk our well-behaved, leashed pets in city parks that our tax dollars pay for.

If you would like more information on this issue, feel free to contact me at .

Stacey R. Hopwood

Dogs running free in the bark park

Many do not really see the big deal in replacing one liberal with another, but the effects of such a nomination will continue to affect this country long after Obama is gone (just like his huge debt).

Her ruling against the New Haven firefighters was, for lack of a better word, despicable. Firefighters who deserved a promotion based on performance, skills, evaluation, and experience were snubbed because of racial quotas. They call this “reverse discrimination”, but whenever one is judged solely on the color of skin, no matter the color, for any reason, its just good old fashioned discrimination to me. How have we gotten to the point where racial quotas, charity, subsidies and preferential treatment have surpassed traditionally historical methods of advancement such as self-reliance, education, business experience and work skills? Yes, that is old fashioned and mundane, but it has never been more true. You cannot instantaneously ingrain equality into society no matter how badly you want it. Equality is something that has to be attained, not handed out like coupons. Suppose you lived in New Haven and were trapped in a burning building. Would you rather have competent emergency response crews responding, or one which meets the specifications of racial quotas? Would it matter what color the person was pulling you from the fire?

The advancement test consisted of a written and oral sections, carefully constructed to ensure race neutrality. All 20 who qualified for the promotions were white and the results were thrown out after no minorities qualified. How can this discrimination still exist today? People will obviously blow this off as a rare or minor incident, but it goes much deeper, for it is the mindset of people like Sotomayor which we should be afraid.

Much has been made over Sotomayor’s upbringing and struggle to get where she is. If that is the quota Obama is trying to fill, we already have a Justice who came from absolutely nothing in Clarence Thomas.

While overcoming adversity and struggling to get to the top are certainly admirable qualities, for any color of skin, do those traits necessarily mean you are the best for the job? If you were scheduled to have open heart surgery today would you want to be operated on by a surgeon who was chosen because he had to struggle to get where he is or by the best surgeon you could find? What if the surgeon was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had every advantage that an advantaged socioeconomic position could offer, would you still choose the one who had to struggle based on principle? Of course not! If it were you, you would not give two hoots on which surgeon had to struggle and which one had all the advantages, you would want the best surgeon available, even if he was purple.

While Obama has stressed the fact that Sotomayor is “empathetic” towards minorities, it leads me to second guess if Obama really understands the law, or if he is fighting for preferential treatment for certain groups based on their skin color. The words “equal justice under law” which is the motto over the Supreme Court building, is in grave danger of misleading those who enter, if such a person is allowed to preside. The color of skin should not matter, but apparently does if the results aren’t appeasing the minorities or certain groups.

Suppose that same logic was applied to the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball and each team not only had to comply with racial quota percentages, but the starting positions had to reflect it as well. Imagine the NBA and NFL if they were 80% white and traditional qualities such as speed, power, agility, dexterity, performance, physical prowess and ability, and talent no longer mattered, but starting positions were given out in a pre game meeting based on skin color. Imagine MLB without its Hispanic presence because each team would need to be a reflection of society’s color. Now, before everyone gets in a frenzy claiming I am making generalizations about race, you are missing my point.

My point is not that blacks are better athletes than whites or that Hispanics are better baseball players than whites and blacks, my point is in the flawed concept of racial quotas carried out under the disguise of fairness. How many people would refuse to attend professional sporting events if their favorite player was benched or worse yet, had to be released to make room for a player with a different skin color? There would be public outcry and rage beyond comprehension if the NFL or NBA implemented such a policy. Now imagine if a district court of appeals upheld the league’s decision when the athletes who were more qualified, filed suit. There would be rioting in the streets.

Its unfortunate that society doesn’t really care about the New Haven fire department when something like that actually happens, but if we do not recognize and discard that way of thinking, we are heading down a wrong path of unequal justice that will eventually come back to bite us all.

As if this weren’t enough reason to raise questions about her qualifications, she was then quoted as saying, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.” Better conclusion for who? Hasn’t lived what “life”? I know quotes can be taken out of context, but I find it hard to imagine a world where this would logically apply.

Why would being a Latino or a woman make any difference at all in terms of reaching a better conclusion? Does simply the “richness of her experiences” make her better qualified than a white male who never had to struggle to graduate from Harvard or Yale with honors? I cannot begin to explain how dangerous a doctrine this comment was, and I am sure those on the left will come up with an array of excuses to justify the remark and take attention away from the issue. Just remember what these same people would be saying if Justice Roberts, a white male, had said the same thing and expressed that a white male would reach a better conclusion than a Latino female. He would be crucified.

After all is said and done, she will probably be confirmed as I am quite sure Obama’s staff is grilling her and coaching her on how to answer the questions the Republicans will throw at her in the conformation hearings. I only hope the Senate is gearing up for a thorough line of questioning, in which the mindset behind these remarks are exposed or explained. We must do everything in our power to make sure this doesn’t happen again, it’s too important to our children and grandchildren who are already going to be saddled with paying off our debt.

A judge’s job is not to apply empathy for minorities, but to apply the law so that equality can be attained through individual achievement without barricades from the law. It seems people are more concerned about acceptance between minorities or the “politically correct” views than justice, even if those views do tremendous damage and hinder those it supposedly helps. There seems to be no “empathy” for justice.

Some coaches have fueled the flames of controversy by defying the law and the court. One Tennessee High School coach is pushing the envelope when he stated to the Tennessean, “Every day when we finish practice, we take a knee, bow our heads and say the Lord’s Prayer at practice …” and before each game I tell them to pray for themselves and their teammates.

Defying the courts is an unwise decision and there is a price in doing so by coaches or anyone. Such religious practices have been ruled out of bounds by the courts. A football coach job description doesn’t include religious activities. Coaches in high schools are not exempt from the law; ignoring court rulings is hazardous to a coaching career. The courts’ interpretation and application of this ruling only applies to public schools and does not extend to parochial schools.

It’s patriotic, and American, to call such violations to the attention of school administrators and seek redress in such situations.  The court ruling acknowledges that.  There is a proper time and place for religious activities. As I understand it, a football coach can observe the rules by simply announcing there will be a moment of silence by the team and not making any faith-based comments.

We need to make our voices heard. We cannot continue to see Puppy Mill after Puppy Mill raided on the TV news. We must urge our State Legislators to support this Bill. Please highlight in your emails and telephone calls that Puppy Mills trade in domestic animals and currently have little if any regulation. There have been several puppy mill busts recently and it is time as a community to make a stand against this. It is expensive to the state; to the residents and obviously dangerous and harmful to the animals.

Commercial Breeder Act HB0386/SB258

To regulate puppy mills and protect consumers

• Protects consumers from “puppy mills” that mass produce unhealthy and diseased animals, a growing problem in TN. With approximately 400-500 puppy mills operating in Tennessee, it is estimated to be a $35 million/ year industry which is currently unregulated.
• A “commercial breeder” is defined as: any person who possesses and/or maintains twenty (20) or more unsterilized adult female dogs for the purpose of the sale of their offspring as companion animals;
• Does not affect hunters, hunt clubs, most hobby or show breeders, rescues, shelters, veterinarians, trainers, handlers or other private individuals.
• Bill language was created in collaboration with TN Department of Agriculture, TN Attorney General’s office, the Division of Consumer Affairs, and hobby/show breeders who are leaders in the Nashville Kennel Club.
• Program will be administered by the Department of Ag. The commissioner will promulgate rules regarding standards for housing and care based on existing USDA standards for wholesalers.

Senator Barnes Response

Even though Sen Barnes has indicated that he will vote for the bill, your phone calls and e-mails are still needed so he knows that Montgomery County is strongly against Puppy Mills.

Thank you for your email about SB 258. I am in support of this bill and I believe that commercial breeders should be regulated. Currently this bill has been referred to the Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee. From there it will go to the Senate floor for consideration.

Again, thank you for your email. Call or email anytime you would like an update on this or any bill.

Sincerely,
Tim Barnes
State Senator, 22nd District

Contact Senator Barnes

Email: sen.tim..gov
Address: 305 War Memorial Bldg. Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 741-2374

About Precious Friends

Precious Friends is an Puppy Rescue & Adoption service located in Clarksville, Tennessee.

For more information contact Jessica Sanford at 931-552-0622

In our society an innocent person does not have to fear the intrusion of government into their lives. They won’t be followed by dark men with dark intentions unless of course they commit a crime. Automated enforcement cameras will change our free society to one where everyone is constantly watched, a potential criminal.

We all feel a guilty pleasure when we see someone who proceeds through a signaled  intersection while we stop, getting pulled over for a ticket. There is even a term for it… Schadenfreude: Happiness at the misfortune of others. While it might feel good, these cameras come at a cost: your money, your civil rights, and your civil liberties.

The first cameras have not yet been installed, however, city officials hungry for easy revenue have announced that they already plan to expand their camera programs. They have already authorized red-light cameras, and are now considering installing mobile and fixed speed cameras, and stop sign cameras. These cameras don’t stop accidents; they simply allow the city to profit from technical violations  the vast majority of which, do not result in accidents. The sad thing is these cameras have a rather nasty side affect, they increase accidents, damage, injuries, and fatalities. Don’t take my word for it, go and read the studies for yourself!

Why stop there when enforcment cameras can be used for many other purposes?

Current speed cameras measure your speed at a fixed point. Newer speed cameras can track you between cameras and measure your speed over time. If they decide you momentarily exceeded the speed limit, they can ticket you. They can check the depth of your tire treads, and ticket you if your tires don’t meet their criteria.  I imagine that it will not be too long until they figure out how to check to see if your car’s window tint is a touch too dark.

Cameras can read your license plate as you drive by and charge you a fee for driving when big brother doesn’t want you to.

Cameras exist to detect gun shots, loud arguments, party noise, or that TV that momentarily goes a bit too loud when obnoxious advertisers crank the volume level up during a commercial break.

Cameras can be used to allow the police to track potential criminals, or a crooked politician can use them to track their political opponents every move, all without even leaving their desk. These traffic enforcement cameras can recognize your face and automatically track and record your every move and association, even if you are happen to be in another state, or clear across the country.

Cameras can monitor your behavior and if its algorithms thinks that you are acting in a suspicious manner it can then notify the police. I guess we all better start practicing how to be normal!

Cameras can be placed on residential streets to peer through your windows into your living room or bedroom.  Heck cameras can even peer through your walls,  or clothing.

Check out this video and you will see where this can end up, if we idly stand by and do nothing.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The sad thing is all this can be done without a judge issuing a single warrant.

We have all seen movies like Demolition Man where fleeting moments of profanity are instantly issued fines. Or Tom Cruise’s movie Minority Report where intrusive surveillance is constant and police robots are allowed to enter your home at any time without any repercussions.

This is the future we face people, however we stand at a pivotal point in time where we still can say no.

Take Action

Call your City Council members, the Mayor, your State Legislators, and your Congressmen and tell them all over and over again that we don’t want our hard earned liberty giving way to a constant surveillance society! It’s time to ban automated enforcement cameras before they get entrenched.

In 2009,  we have a favorable wind of renewal available to re-establish virtues, moral principles, and moral quality to our government at all levels. In foreign policy let us be done with torture, rendition and the deliberate misleading of the public in the guise of justifying action that leads to placing our men and women in uniform unnecessarily in harm’s way and demolishing governments of other nations. Let this year be the year to bury the order of pre-emptive military intervention against what we perceive as nefarious nations.

At the community level, in Tennessee, let’s be done with partisan political warfare that is paralyzing and  polarizing our public life.

In honesty, renewal and positive change change will not be achieved in 90 days, or Obama’s first hundred days. It will take time to lead our nation and renew the concept of common good over individual gain and self-interest at every level of our lives, personally and nationally.

The wisdon of President Obama is appropriate here when he warned us that the cure for our economic plight will take months adding up to years. Our political representatives with our prayerful support and suggestions are capable  of serious reform in congressional ethics. National and personal changes can be substantial rather than cosmetic.

In our community and the nation, we are eager and in anticipation of a new tone and mature new way of practically meeting real needs. Honesty and transparency are moral values that we cherish and treasure. These qualities can be delivered by our city, state and national government. Even when the new is bad or calls for discipline in living and sacrifice, we must be receptive and transparent.

In this year we have the opportunity to refresh and renew core demonstrated principles. Politicians who violate our moral principles and laws must answer and be accountable for their deeds. No slap on the wrist for such behavior. Bribery, fraud and tax evasion in a reform government will be dealt with harshly, to include prison terms.The recent politicians — Republican and Democratic — Duke Cunningham, Tom Delay, William Jefferson, Mark Foley for their crimes are examples of the law of accountability at work.

Renewal for us personally is to rededicate ourselves to democratic principles; let’s bury the nefarious partisanship. Cooperation instead of partisan argument and resentment will precipitate renewal.

The February 28th PAT 2009 Regional Conference continued with a luncheon and afternoon sessions. This report covers those activities and discussions.

Dr. Minoa Uffelman introduces the keynote speaker, Dr. Ted Ownby.

The luncheon keynote speaker was Ted Ownby, University of Mississippi, Professor of History and Southern Studies, Director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. His topic was “Free Bird, Roots, and Family Values: Southern Culture in the 1970s.” Ownby centered his talk on “What it means to be part of a family in the South in the 70’s.” Three elements must be considered. “The South in the 70’s is working out integration and is no longer a rural agrarian culture. The South is establishing a new relationship with the federal government.”

Southern Rock Music in the 70’s is dominated by groups such as The Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Greg Allman Band, The Allman Bros. , Charlie Daniels and ZZ Top. These bands, and others of their genre, focused on life on the road as an admirable endeavor and a worthwhile way of life. Unlike country music, these new Southern music advocates did not reminisce about being at home or a favorite pet dog, nor did they bemoan Mom or good times past or the hardships of growing up poor. These music groups glamorized the life of the wanderer. They held a distinct pride of the South and being Southern people. They acknowledged not all of Her Past was good, even alluded to a certain loss of mystique of the Old South, but defiantly defended The South from rebuke by non-Southerners, particularly Neil Young.

Dr. Ted Ownby, Prof. of History, Director of Center for Study of Southern Culture, University of Mississippi

In 1976, Alex Haley published “Roots.” “Roots” is important in many ways. To American History and African American History, it shows the continuity from America back to Africa and the connection between the two continents. It proclaims, “Every child is important as the new thing in the world.” “Roots” highlighted the complexity of African American family life, showing the strength of the Black Family, it’s ability to adapt, to change to adapt to conditions and situations. In “Roots,” the flexibility of the Black Family, in all its many guises, was put on display before all the world.

“Roots” ultimately showed America the true definition of ‘Family’ as a group of people, not necessarily blood-related, who adapt to change and adapt to survive as a group with shared interests.”

The third element is the Rise of a New Religious Conservatism, the advent of the Religious Right. The South in the 70’s saw the rise of a religious movement that stressed that the family needs to be separated from the general society. This movement proclaimed that with the shifting winds of social change let loose by the civil rights movement, there was a need for the family to structure and conduct itself if it was to survive. The biblical ties in Southern culture have always been strong. The disruption to what had been ‘the accepted norm’ poised new questions and doubts to the family structure. To circumvent those doubts and restore a sense of stability and familiarity, this new religious conservatism arose. Groups such as American Family Values and the Morale Majority grew out of these precepts.

Dr. Uffelman presents Dr. Ownby with an APSU Shirt in appreciation

Dr. Uffelman presented Dr. Ownby with a APSU Sweatshirt as an appreciation token for his presence. Lane College was announced as the host for the next regional conference. In getting the promotion stream for that conference rolling, she displayed a souvenir shirt that was for sale at the register table as reminder to the attendants of what fun things to expect at Lane College.

She also took the opportunity to again acknowledge the hard work of her support team in coordinating the conference, thanking Dr. Dewey Broder, Pamela Allen, Dr. David Nelson for communications; Denise Richards-President, Julia Dittrich-Vice President, Leslie Crouch-Secretary, Theta Delta Chapter and especially Asia Parker, student assistant.

Following the luncheon and its celebrations, the afternoon panel sessions got under way. These panels continued the trend of the morning sessions, covering an equally compelling diverse range of subjects.

Panel 15: U.S. Military in Nontraditional Roles – “Deconstructing de-Ba‟athification” by Ron Martz, Austin Peay State University; “United Nations Peacekeeping: At Birth and Today” by David Ogan, Austin Peay State University with Comments: Dr. Dewey Browder, Austin Peay State University.

Panel 16: American Revolution: Sea Battles – “Small Boat Operations in Long Island Sound, 1775-1779” by Eric Turner, Austin Peay State University; “Losing Command of the Sea: The Royal Navy in the American War 1775-1780 and Mast Shortages” by Andrew Breer, Austin Peay State University with Comments: Dr. Kevin Tanner, Austin Peay State University.

Panel 17: Labor and Economy in Nazi Germany – “Hitler‟s Economics: A Truly Dismal Case in the History of Dismal Science” by William Austin Newsom, Maryville College; “Women and Nazi Germany” by Maggie Fields, Austin Peay State University with Comments: Prof. Antonio Thompson, Austin Peay State University.

Panel 18: Roundtable - MTSU Recent Projects in Public History- “You call that Progress?” Displaced Community Residents Reclaim Their Past” by Dollie Boyd, Middle Tennessee State University; “Family Tradition: the Williams Family Legacy” by Kristen Deathridge, Middle Tennessee State University, “Restoring Historic Photographs” by Ashleigh Oatts, Middle Tennessee State University; “‟The Second Independence Hall‟ The Wesleyan Chapel of Seneca Falls, NY” by Elizabeth Smith, Middle Tennessee State University with Moderator: Rebecca Conard, Middle Tennessee State University.

Panel 19: Blues, Baseball and Black Male Identity – “‟I Ain‟t Gonna Raise No More Cotton, and Tell You the Reason I Say So”: Delta Blues Music‟s Origins in Cotton Tenant Farming and Sharecropping” by Tyler Moore, Middle Tennessee State University; “The Memphis Red Sox: Barely Hanging On, 1947-1960” by Kathleen Cooper, Union University; “Generation Lost: The Creation of the African American Male Psyche” by Ash Johnson, Belmont University with Comments: Michael Bertrand, Tennessee State University.

Panel 20: Post WWII US Politics- “Harry S. Truman: The Enduring Southern Buck” by Julia Dittrich, Austin Peay State University; “Joseph McCarthy and the Power of Fear” by Meagan Kelly, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga; “Scalawags and Carpetbaggers: The Politics of George C. Wallace” by Stefanie Porter, Austin Peay State University with Comments: Terry Lindley, Union University.

Panel 21: American Influence Overseas: Two Perspectives, Direct And Policy-“William Walker: Putting Man‟ in Manifest Destiny” by Tonya Parham, University of Memphis; “Fruit of a Foe: Food as a Weapon in the Cold War” by Meghan O’Dea, University of Tennessee Chattanooga with Comments: Prof. Christos Frentzos, Austin Peay State University.

Sitting in on Panel 19: Blues, Baseball and Black Male Identity, the following highlights are conveyed.

Tyler Moore’ s presentati0n was titled ” I Ain’t Gonna Raise No More Cotton and Tell You the Reason I Say So: Delta Blues Music’s Origin in Cotton Tenant Farming and Sharecropping.”

Tyler Moore, MTSU, presents "Blues, Baseball ... "

Cotton farming in the Mississippi Delta was more productive than anywhere else in Southern farming. The Southern custom of single crop farming actually led to the South’s poor economic advance. Rotation of crops was not a farm tradition practiced in Delta cotton farming, nor tenant farming. Sharecropping was a perpetual farm labor system. The labor force was never able to retire the debts it accumulated during winter and the growing season. Black families dominated the tenant farming population in the South. This was especially so in the Mississippi Delta. Tenants were ever in debt to the landowner who controlled the price system which declared the price paid for a bale of cotton. The tenant farmers never knew the weight of their harvest, nor how much the landowners were paid for the crop. This way, the landowner kept the tenants in perpetual continuing debt. Middle Class white property owners saw sharecropping as the single and best means to control their labor source. As social norms changed, Mississippi took extreme measures to try to retain its feudal sharecropping system. During the Black Exodus from the South for the Harlem Renaissance, the state actually enacted laws forbidding its Black citizens from leaving.

As in any human situation of despair and suffering, a means of release and relief always comes into the fore. For the Black tenant farming population, that relief manifested itself in the creation of the ‘Delta Blues.’  Or more specifically ‘The Blues.’ Many of the pioneering legends of The Blues  had their upbringing in the Mississippi Delta as the background for their inspiration. Songs always refer to some misfortune of the labors of tobacco farming, the abject poverty of that life, the lack of ever having something to call one’s own, the harshness of  living in the South, the misfortunes of a love affair; all of these things were elements, if not actual topics of Blues songs. They still permeate the modern day Blues repertoire. Chicago’s Blues scene owes its very existence to the migration of Mississippi sharecroppers who managed to migrate there from their dire circumstances ‘Down South.’

Kathleen Cooper, Union University, presented “The Memphis Red Sox- Barely Hanfing On 1947-61960“

Kathleen Cooper, Union University, makes her presentation.

In the days of segregated baseball, colored baseball teams struggled to survive. The players did not enjoy the support system of their white counterparts. Sponsors were virtually nonexistent. Training and game facilities were never the parallel of the ‘Establishment’ teams. Among the Negro League, Memphis’s Red Sox enjoyed a unique existence. The Martin Brothers’ ownership of their own stadium contributed greatly to the Red Sox’s long tenure in pro-baseball. Martin Stadium was the homebase of Memphis Negro Baseball in the days of early integration of baseball following Jackie Robinson’s admission to White Pro Baseball. The Memphis Red Sox made extra efforts to attract attendance- beauty pageants, free give-a-ways, Ladies Night, special discounts on food, special menu items; all of these promotions were part of the allure of Red Sox Baseball in Memphis.

The Memphis Red Sox existed in the time of the Segregated South, in the South. Southern politics affected every aspect of Black Life and Baseball was no different. Edward “Boss’ Crump controlled politics in Memphis. The Martin Brothers partnered with Crump, which allowed them to become members of the Black High Society. Under Crump, Blacks were even allowed to vote, but they had to vote as Crump dictated. The era of segregation and racism had created a  system of sub-culture entertainment and opportunity for Black baseball players.

Jackie Robinson’s admittance to White Pro Baseball heralded the end of the Negro League. With the rise of the Civil Rights Movement in the South, the institution of Black Baseball also felt pressure to be supportive, if not actually involved in the changing social tide. For team owners and operators like the Martin Brothers, this was not possible, from an economic standpoint. Their alliance with “Boss” Crump was incompatible with the growing demands from the African American community for recognition and support of the civil rights movement. When Dr. King sought to stage a rally at Martin Stadium, the brothers denied the request and a firestorm of outrage and protest ensued. Their connection to the Crump machine was a serious impediment to their endorsement or participation in the emerging struggle that was gripping the South.

Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the ‘Color Barrier’ opened the way for other Negro League players to switch over to the major leagues and this further stressed the Negro League’s ability to survive. The civil rights movement’s advancing pace also added to that stress as players saw their future more in the major leagues than in staying with the Negro League. A unique African American institution was brought down with the advance of equality and the struggle for civil rights.

The final paper of the panel was “Generations Lost: Creation of the African American Male Psyche” by Ash Johnson, Belmont University.

Ash Johnson, Belmont University, gives his presentation.

With Barack Obama having succeeded in becoming the 44th President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief and African American males lead major  major corporations, sports teams and other segments of American society, many may think that American has become post-racial. This is not reality.

“While the cultural contributions of African American society is appreciated by White Society. But their physical presence is not.”

American society has greatly benefited from the many contributions of African Americans, Inventions by African Americans have made life more prosperous, convenient and safe. White America does appreciate the many contributions of African Americans, sometimes begrudgingly, but all the while creating endless tactics not to have to contend with their presence. There exists a perpetual unease in White America in accepting and acknowledging the physical presence of African Americans. This undercurrent of unease  has had a continuing negative impact upon African Americans.

From the time of slavery, skin tone has been used as a device to create division within the African American community. Forced interracial congress upon African American female slaves by their slave masters introduced lighter skin tones into the population and discrimination based on skin tone crept into the slave demographics.These lighter skin toned slaves often were assigned to work in the slave-owners house as cooks, maids and hand-servants. Their days were immensely more tolerable than that of the field slaves.

Another tactic has been the practice of White Society to marginalize the African American male while elevating and praising the African American female. The African American male has suffered from the degradation of being portrayed as an inherently uncontrollable demon-monster, a slackard, a sexual aggressor, a mental deficient, a physical dynamo, inherently accomplished in entertainment, unreliable, not family oriented, inherently prone to criminal behavior, obsessed with interracial sexual congress-usually by force and being without salvation. Such labels place inhuman burdens upon the African American Male and work to unnaturally imperil the survival and success of their demographic.

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Uncredited photos are by Turner McCullough Jr.

At Fort Leonard Wood, the Army’s largest basic and advanced training post, I served with command leaders to include hundreds of drill sergeants of all ranks. I served, too, commanders that I would have followed into combat at any time and any place. How did these men and women impress me and receive my loyalty? They were leaders trained in reassuring and encouraging others. They elicited a sense of self with new recruits, NCOs and officers with a reassuring word.

On Inauguration day I followed my daily routine of exercising at the Athletic Club. As my legs moved my mind was also active as I listened and watched President Obama give his address. His speech captivated and motivated me. before I realized it, I had exceeded my goal at the treadmill of 50 minutes. This awesome speech motivated me; his words somehow improved my power of endurance.

Reassuring spoken words renew and enable us to accept and successfully overcome the challenges of daily living. One source of such reassurance is to be found in the Bible, a book on the nature of God and mankind. In what we call the Old Testament, there is in Zechariah 3:17  words that lifted my morale.  This verse is a potent message:

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to see. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he shall rejoice over you with singing.”

On this day the words “delight” and “rejoice” from the verse give me confidence. Think of it and let this thought massage you spiritually: we are giving to the Almighty delight and our attitude and behavior cause the Almighty to rejoice.

Meditating on this verse fortifies and releases the spiritual resources. in all of us.  Focusing upon these words will enable us to successfully overcome daily challenges and release inner strength to face obstacles honestly and bravely.

Pamela Frueh, as she pondered these words,  wrote:

“God delights in me. I think of the delight I feel when my children and grandchildren, the powerful heart-stopping, breath-catching delight that seems to be part of unconditional love …  I am God’s child, awed by God’s love.”

Thought for the day:

God delights in me — and in you. Repeat these words frequently and experience a healthier outlook.