Topic: Clarksville Online

COL Editor interviewed by Goddard College

By Debbie Boen | April 20, 2008 |

Early in 2005 I started the group, Clarksville Freethinkers for Peace and Civil Liberties. Christine was in the local Democratic group. We joined forces. I would call Christine and tell her what I was thinking of doing, and her instant response was, “When do you need me there? What can I do to help?” She lived out by the base, and when we had a downtown vigil, she hopped on a bus to get to it. She made things happen. She made no excuses. She took over planning vigils and calling the media.

Our most memorable, binding event happened when we heard that President Bush was landing at Fort Campbell in Tennessee, the home of the 101st Airborne, to travel to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where he would talk to people (Republican supporters only) about his desire to seriously change social security. We tried without success to get onto the audience list, but Christine found out the exact line of travel that the Bush motorcade was going to take. We spent a day looking for places to ‘greet’ the motorcade. We made a list of possible places to stand, but when the day came for the presidential visit, the police tailed us, and kicked us out of all but one. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News, Opinion | 1 Comment »

Quiet vigil honors 4000 fallen soldiers

By Debbie Boen | March 25, 2008 |

A group of eleven gathered on Monday at Public Square to light candles, view the statistics of war, read poetry, hear a song, sing a song, and acknowledge the 4,000 US military dead in Iraq.

We who gathered this time are all disconnected from the war, in the way that we are not relatives of anyone enlisted. But we know co-workers, students, clients, neighbors and acquaintances who are connected with the military. We are surrounded by military.

David and I read Christine Piesyk’s recently published poem, Songs, written for vigil we held 1,000 soldier fatalities ago. The pain of picking up all the pieces of war from Vietnam to Iraq, is potent angst; something that you never want to have to do again. It is unfair for wars to take our best, chop them up and dump them back on our society, often as shells of their former selves, haunted by the war they waged in the name of duty. We who oppose the war have good reason to do so.

There is no good bomb. There is no good war, said my Grandmother, who survived WWI as a child in Germany. We who gather are in between, in between the “nothing is going on” stance of the media, and the overwhelming way the war rages on. In attendance this time were all middle class white Americans with one veteran. Three of our group were under 18. On this occasion, all of us except the vet, are Unitarian Universalists (UU’s). «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, News, Opinion | 3 Comments

Election fraud evidence in UNCOUNTED: The Movie, to be shown at Public Library

By Debbie Boen | January 26, 2008 |

UNCOUNTED is a wakeup call to all Americans. Beyond increasing public awareness, the film inspires greater citizen involvement in fixing a broken electoral system. As we approach the decisive election of 2008, UNCOUNTED will change how you feel about the way votes are counted in America.

The Clarksville Public Library will be the setting for a free screening of the film UNCOUNTED on Saturday, February 2, at 3 p.m. in the large conference room. UNCOUNTED was produced and directed by Nashville’s own David Earnhardt, and made its world premiere in that city last November to a standing room only crowd.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Issues | No Comments

A letter from Clarksville NAACP President, Jimmie Garland

By Jimmie Garland, Sr. | January 23, 2008 |

Thanks Clarksville Online for your support. Your devotion to covering events hosted by the Clarksville Branch of the NAACP throughout the city of Clarksville this weekend was unparallel. We, as the sponsor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative celebration, salute you and your staff on making our programs more available to those who desired to partake.

The MLK holiday for some was just a day-off, but for members of the NAACP, it was a day-on. By this I mean a day set aside to pay homage to a man who made a tremendous difference in the way we live today. Believe it or not, there were some who chose simply to forget the contributions he made to freedom irregardless of race, creed or national origin.

We, the NAACP, chose to devote quality time to keep the dream alive by attending religious services, preparing and presenting workshops and marching. Although the march was symbolic, it had its relevance to society as we know it today. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion | No Comments

Season’s Greetings

By Bill Larson | December 25, 2007 |

The staff and writers at

Clarksville Online

wish all our readers the happiest of holidays

as you celebrate the spirit of Christmas.

Sections: Events | No Comments

Since 2000, more issues than answers arise in e-voting’s short history

By Bernie Ellis | December 13, 2007 |

In the wake of 2000 election issues, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002. HAVA was intended to address the problems of accuracy and functionality such as “hanging chads”– of the voting systems then in use. HAVA’s mandate also included ensuring that all voters with disabilities have access to voting systems that would provide private and independent voting.

These changes were required in every state for the 2006 federal election. Millions of tax dollars were allocated and dispersed to the states to upgrade and buy new equipment that would incorporate these requirements. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues | No Comments

Voters: Demand a verifiable voting process

By Bernie Ellis | December 11, 2007 |

It’s not too late to take action on the issue of electronic voting machines and demand a “verifiable vote” through paper trail and/or auditing. Activist Bernie Ellis (right), who is featured in the film UnCounted:The Movie and who addressed a Clarksville audience on Friday, today offers a fledgling “action kit” for worried voters who want to register their concerns with state leaders. These words from Mr. Ellis:

This “action kit” will get you started (or moving faster) to register your concerns with our state leaders.

Here are three things YOU CAN DO NOW to help up ramp up the discussion for voter-verified paper ballots and mandatory random audits here in Tennessee. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion, Politics | 1 Comment »

Do you love sports? Write about it for Clarksville Online

By Bill Larson | December 9, 2007 |

Baseball? Little League? APSU sports? Titans, maybe?

Love sports? Love to write?

Clarksville Online is seeking a sports enthusiast and writer(s) to generate coverage of local, youth, amateur and professional sporting events.

We are seeking, first and foremost, a person with a genuine passion for sports. We require excellent writing ability, attention to detail, and professional style. The ability to take digital photos is a plus. Earn by-line and photo credits for your resume. Build a portfolio while you break into the realm of sports writing. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Sports | No Comments