NASHVILLE

“Taking simple steps in our daily lives can make a dramatic impact on our air quality,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely.  “We hope this educational program will lead motorists to make positive changes in daily driving habits.”

TDOT recommends these SIMPLE steps to help Clear the Air in Tennessee:

S – Watch your Speed

• The faster you drive, the more fuel you burn, and that means you’re polluting more without going any further.

I – Idle less

• Idling is a major contributor to harmful air pollution. When parked, it’s more fuel-efficient and better for the air to restart your vehicle rather than to idle for 10 seconds or more.

M – Maintain your vehicle

• A well-maintained vehicle gets better gas mileage and emits fewer pollutants. A routine tune-up can increase your mileage by an average of 4%, and a new air filter can improve your mileage by up to 10%.

P – Plan your trips

• Plan ahead to combine trips in the same area of town, or make adjustments to accomplish your to-do list closer to home or in fewer stops.

L – Leave your car at home

• Carpooling, biking, walking and using public transportation are all excellent ways to reduce vehicle emissions. Using these alternatives even a few days a week can save 1,500 pounds of air pollution a year.

E – Educate Others

• Become a “Clear the Air” advocate and help other Tennesseans change their driving habits to reduce air pollution.

“These steps are easy to do, but can have a large impact on the air we all breathe,” said TDOT Environment and Planning Chief Ed Cole.  “In addition to concerns about public health, our state could lose the ability to spend federal dollars on highway projects if we don’t take steps to Clear the Air. That means less money for road and highway repairs and projects, and more traffic congestion.”

Tennesseans in nonattainment counties will soon notice “Clear the Air” messages on billboards, banners, print ads and on TV and will hear informational spots on the radio.  Tennesseans can also learn more about air quality in Tennessee by visiting www.cleartheairtn.org.  The new web site provides information on the causes of air pollution, ways to reduce individual impact on air quality and helpful links to local clean air groups.

“Breathing polluted air can have serious impact on your health, including aggravated allergies, heart disease, eye and respiratory irritation, decreases in lung capacity, permanent scarring of the lungs, asthma and bronchitis and can even lead to death,” said TDOT’s environmental outreach coordinator Joan Barnfield.

Children are especially at risk from the negative effects of air pollution because they breathe one and a half times more air per pound of body weight than adults.  Almost half of all asthma cases in the U.S. occur in children, a problem exacerbated by poor air quality.  More than half of all Tennesseans live in areas where air pollution poses a health risk.

Nonattainment and maintenance counties in Tennessee are: Anderson, Blount, Cocke, Davidson, Hamilton, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Montgomery, Roane, Rutherford, Shelby, Sevier, Sumner, Wilson and Williamson counties.  For more information on Clear the Air Tennessee and how you can help, visit www.cleartheairtn.org.

About TDOT

TDOT is a multimodal agency with responsibilities in aviation, public transit, waterways and railways.  TDOT maintains 14,150 miles of highway in Tennessee including 1,104 miles of interstate.  The Department of Transportation has approximately 4,200 employees with four statewide region facilities in Jackson, Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville.  TDOT headquarters is located in downtown Nashville.

“Dignity and justice for all of us” is the theme of this year’s International Day for Persons with Disabilities, as well as for the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In the United States, we are fortunate to have the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), passed in 1990, and the recently passed Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA), which restores much of the original meaning and intent of the ADA that has been watered down over the years, and which will take effect on January 1, 2009.  Even so, there is still much work to be done to ensure equal rights for people with disabilities, and to overcome attitudes and stigmas that still exist today, both in the U.S. and in other countries around the world, especially those without such legislation as the ADA. Following are some excerpts from the United Nations Enable website, “Rights and Dignity for Persons with Disabilities”:

• The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, December 3, aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

• Around 10 per cent of the world’s population, or 650 million people, live with disabilities.  If one includes the members of their families, there are approximately 2 billion persons who are directly affected by disability, representing almost a third of the world’s population.

• All over the world, persons with disabilities continue to face barriers to their participation in society and are often forced to live on the margins of society.  They are routinely denied basic rights such as to equal recognition before the law and legal capacity, freedom of expression and opinion, and the right to participate in political and public life, such as voting.  Many persons with disabilities are forced into institutions, a direct breach of the rights to freedom of movement and to live in the community.

• Eighty per cent of persons with disabilities – more than 400 million people – live in poor countries and there is a strong link between disability and poverty. For example, the statistics on employment for persons with disabilities are staggering.  In developing countries, 80 per cent to 90 per cent of persons with disabilities of working age [are] unemployed and in industrialized countries it is estimated to be between 50 per cent and 70 per cent.  The rights to education and health are also routinely denied.   Ninety per cent of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school, says UNESCO.

• Approximately 20 million women acquire disabilities as a result of complications during pregnancy or childbirth.

• This continued marginalization against persons with disabilities highlights the need for all States to sign, ratify and implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol.  The United Nations and the global community must ensure that all its work is inclusive of persons with disabilities.

• On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, as well [as] during the year-long celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, let us use ‘dignity and justice for all of us’ as a rallying call, as these principles are far from being realized for everyone.  Dignity and justice are embodied in the civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights promoted by the Convention. Therefore, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a time to make a renewed commitment to the ratification and full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and was opened for signature on 30 March 2007. There were 82 signatories to the Convention, 44 signatories to the Optional Protocol, and 1 ratification of the Convention. This is the highest number of signatories in history to a UN Convention on its opening day. It is the first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century and is the first human rights convention to be open for signature by regional integration organizations.

The Convention marked a ‘paradigm shift’ in attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities. It takes to a new height the movement from viewing persons with disabilities as ‘objects’ of charity, medical treatment and social protection towards viewing persons with disabilities as ‘subjects’ with rights, who are capable of claiming those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their free and informed consent as well as being active members of society.

The Convention is intended as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension. It adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms. It clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and where protection of rights must be reinforced.

Legislation alone will not ensure that persons with disabilities can enjoy their human rights.  States will need to formulate effective policies and programs that will transform the provisions of the Convention into practices that will have a real impact on the lives of persons with disabilities.  For persons with disabilities, as for all persons, the denial of one right can lead to the denial of other rights and opportunities throughout their lives.

This International Day for Persons with Disabilities is a time to make a renewed commitment to these principles of dignity and justice and to ensure implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.  All human beings are not only entitled to rights, but also have the responsibility of making universal human rights a reality for all of us.”

Click on  Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for more information on the convention and its Optional Protocol and International Day of Persons with Disabilities. You can also contact:

Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Division for Social Policy and Development
United Nations Headquarters
Two United Nations Plaza, 13th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10017
Email:

In a special session Monday night, the City Council approved an amendment to the city’s capital project budget, giving the okay to $32 million in new debt and $39 million in re-structured debt for development of Mayor Johnny Piper’s proposed marina, water park and other Fairgrounds “development.” The debt package would extend loans through 2027.

In fact, the “done deal” marina has spurred boats sales, or the illusion and suggestion of boat sales, including the collage of watercraft already on display in a Riverside Drive dealer’s lot and another boat display/storage area strategically poised on the concrete slab that once housed the Fairground Pavilion.

Councilors Wallace Redd, Marc Harris and Wayne Harrison opposed the amendment, with Harris lobbying for a 30-day stay on this vote, a move that would have allowed new city councilors a say in a development project that will, in January, fall under their purview. Not all the new councilors support the marina; the current council make-up was a guaranteed win for marina advocates.

What consideration has been given to traffic flow problems on access roads (state highways) to the new development have been elaborated on. Clarksville already has significant traffic flow issues including along Riverside Drive, and water park/marina development will magnify those issues as well for the people who live, work in or travel that area.

As the new council oversees future development of the marina and the Cumberland as a recreational waterway, it is hoped that among their concerns they will consider the overwhelming noise pollution generated by powerboats and jet skis — the latter can equal the output of a racetrack in one’s back yard. The amount of oil and gasoline residue that seeps from vehicles such as jet skis, particularly older models, is a serious pollutant on many waterways; newer models have adapted to stricter EPA standards. In many forward-thinking states these “toys” have been banned on small lakes and rivers because of the noise, noise pollution, and pollution issues, and earth-friendly reclaiming of rivers and streams — or at least, do no further harm — is the most important priority.

Given that the city for years has endured the stench of wastewater treatment permeating the downtown business and residential district, it would behoove the new council to address that that issue in tandem with any new downtown and riverfront development.

If the current administration is hellbent on this form of development, it is incumbent on the next City Council to be proactive in protecting the natural resources that run through Clarksville, and ensuring that within this development, there are ample protections for the water, the shoreline and the abutting homes and businesses (including new residential development). Or hope that the pollution just runs downstream…rendering it NIMB (Not In My Backyard).

The man impersonating the notification officer was wearing a Class A “dress green” uniform and the other was wearing civilian clergy attire.

There have been a few incidents of this nature in the past two months involving family members living off post, but Thursday’s incident occurred on post. The spouse did not allow the pair into her home and when they left contacted the Family Readiness Support Assistant and Rear Detachment Commander to confirm the information. The command let her know her spouse is still alive and worked to put him in contact with her as soon as possible. Military police were notified and a police report was taken at the scene.

Before Soldiers deploy, they and their families are offered a series of briefings to prepare for the separation. One of those briefings is about the casualty notification process. When a Soldier dies, a notification officer and military chaplain, both in Class A uniform,  not civilian clergy attire, are sent to notify the next of kin in person. Family members can confirm the information with the Soldier’s unit. Typically, the notification team will not leave the family member’s home until a friend, another family member or  arrives to assist.

Anyone with information about the false notification incidents are encouraged to contact Fort Campbell Police at (270) 798-2677. Anyone who believes they are being falsely notified should call 911 to alert local police immediately.

One male Caucasian McCain/Palin campaigner donned an Obama Halloween mask, of and by itself not a big deal, but then attached a hand-printed cardboard “Hamas for Obama” sign perpetrating a lie and creating an implication of terrorist ties to presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. On the flip side of the sign are the words “Honk for Socialism NoBama.”

Debating the issues, building an case for a candidate rooted in facts, is one thing. This kind of ill-informed misinformation and dis-information starts with the word “stupid,” meanders into “childish,” and continues with “dangerous” and “malicious.” Where it ends remains a question mark.

There are elements of racism, hatred and politics at a new low, in this display, and it is right here in Clarksville, Tennessee.  Election 2008 has seen levels of viciousness at the local, state and federal level that are appalling, prejudiced, intolerant and ugly.

The reference to “Hamas” is troubling, because Obama is as far removed from Hamas as an American can be.

Hamas, for those uncertain of just what it is, is defined as an organization created in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Mohammad Taha of the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood at the beginning of the First Intifada. Notorious for its numerous suicide bombings and other attacks on Israeli civilians and security forces, Hamas also runs extensive social programs and has gained popularity in Palestinian society by establishing hospitals, education systems, libraries and other services throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Hamas’ charter calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and its replacement with a Palestinian Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Hamas describes its conflict with Israel as political and not religious or antisemitic. However, its founding charter, writings, and many of its public statements reflect the influence of antisemitic conspiracy theories.

America has a lot at stake: economic and military issues compete for ranking as the crisis of the day. Instead of looking at qualifications and abilities, some are presenting incorrect information, blatant lies, as truth. And playing the race card and the terrorism card in the process. They are making judgments rooted in faith and fear, and fear of certain faiths and the color of a candidate’s skin. Never mind that Obama is a Christian  or an American.

This campaigner seemed to be having a good time with his personal little joke. Many  of us, however, are not responding with laughter. We are too disgusted. Appalled. Ashamed.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State is advising houses of worship nationwide to respect federal tax law and stay out of partisan politics.

Americans United announced today that 100,000 letters have been mailed to clergy and lay leaders reminding them that federal tax law prohibits tax-exempt entities, including houses of worship, from endorsing candidates.

“Houses of worship are supposed to tend to spiritual needs and do charitable work, not act as political action committees,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “Our letter reminds religious leaders about what the law requires, why it makes sense and how it could affect them.”
The AU letters were sent to a broad cross-section of Christian denominations, as well as a selection of synagogues and mosques.

“The vast majority of clergy of all faiths reject the idea that houses of worship should be politicized. But misguided religious and political forces persist in pressuring religious leaders to violate federal tax law. We urge clergy to just say no.” ~~ Rev. Barry W. Lynn

The mass mailing comes on the heels of a project by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a Religious Right legal group, which last month urged evangelical Christian pastors to violate the law by endorsing or opposing candidates from the pulpit. Reportedly, 33 pastors took part in the ADF effort; Americans United has already filed complaints with the IRS about seven of them.

In addition to its mass mailing to houses of worship, Americans United is making various resources about church politicking available to religious leaders and laypeople through a Web site it created called projectfairplay.org.

Several recent polls, Lynn noted, have shown a majority of Americans opposing pulpit politicking. Americans of all political persuasions and faith backgrounds are increasingly saying they want their houses of worship to unite people, not divide them by introducing partisan politics.

“Church-based electioneering drives wedges into congregations, violates federal tax law and distracts from the true mission of the religious community,” Lynn said. “It’s a bad deal all around.”

About the Author: Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.

The concert is part of a series of events beginning on Wednesday, October 22nd, all to be held at the 2nd Presbyterian Church, 3511 Belmont Blvd., in Nashville. The church says on its website that it welcomes anyone to join them in their journey of faith, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, economic or family status, ethnic background, mental or physical abilities.

Boltz will perform as the headlining event of the conference. The event’s website lists a brief biography of the world-reknown Gospel singer:

Ray Boltz has dedicated over fifteen years to music and ministry. Through these years he has captured the attention of the CCM industry by garnering three Dove Awards, two gold albums, a gold video, and twelve number one singles. He has also sold more than four million units of product. Through all this time and these accomplishments Ray’s vision for his ministry still remains the same…to produce and perform music that allows listeners and audiences to see Jesus. Ray thanks everyone who has continued to show Christ’s love during his coming out announcement and looks forward to his return to Nashville to perform at Our Family Matters, the one event that brings all of God’s diversity together in faith, hope, joy and love.

Other featured speakers and singers throughout the four-day event will include ex-gay survivor Peterson Toscano, Dr. Jack Rogers, Mary Lou Wallner, the Holy Trinity Church Choir, and Michael Popham.

Toscano will headline Thursday’s events which are focused on helping those who have wrestled with their sexual orientation and have considered going through ex-gay “ministries,” which generally do more harm than good, according to the American Psychiatric Association. The evening will also focus on helping those who have endured such ministries and will work to help bring healing:

(Thursday) night is dedicated to those persons who have physically, emotionally and spiritually attempted to change who they are, trying to fix what isn’t broke within themselves. Survivors convene for the first time on this side of the country to share their stories, heal intimacy trauma, freeing them to move on and become more of who they are as a unified person created whole and complete.

Peterson Toscano, founder of Beyond Ex-Gay, is an actor and playwright. A short version of his bio as listed on the God and Gays website, which says:

As a gay man, Peterson’s journey out of the closet has been long and complicated. After years of submitting to reparative therapy through counseling, ex-gay support groups, and even three exorcisms, Peterson enrolled in the ex-gay residential program, Love in Action. He graduated successfully from the program nearly two years later, but in January of 1999 he finally came OUT and fully accepted himself as a gay man.

The conference will also feature a screening of the film God and Gays: Bridging the Gap on Friday, October 25th.

As early voting opened in Tennessee to heavy turnouts, Senator McCain’s promised thumping of Senator Obama didn’t materialize. Groups gathered at both local Republican and Democratic party headquarters to watch the debate, discuss their preferences and hear the candidates present their proposals.

The final candidates debate of the 2008 presidential election season was a much anticipated showcase of America’s choices for leadership for the next four years. The debate’s focus was to be on domestic policy, with the recent upheaval in the financial markets to be a focal point. The level of negative ads has increased to  near crescendo as McCain’s campaign unleashed new charges and the Obama campaign refuted falsehoods and returned the fire to McCain. The debate was supposed to offer a clear demonstration of McCain’s superiority to Obama. Sadly, for McCain, the smear adhesive didn’t stick.

Viewers were treated to a consistent presentation of proposals and ideas from Obama as he responded to  McCain’s attempts to hang negatives.

Obama noted that McCain’s own campaign said publicly last week that, “if we keep on talking about the economic crisis, we lose, so we need to change the subject.” Such was the tone for the course of the evening.

The differences in economic stimulation and health care coverage ideas made for strong contrasts.  McCain did not deny that under his health care reforms, employer-based health care coverage would be taxed to the employee, a first in the U.S. He stated that his $5000 tax credit would allow taxpayers to purchase insurance on their own. He suggested that this would afford taxpayers typical coverage, except for such extravagances as cosmetic surgery and transplants. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has stated annual health care premiums average $12,000. McCain had no answer for how that shortfall would be addressed. Senator McCain opposes any tax increases, instead proposing to further President’s Bush’s tax cuts and make them permanent. He says that  Obama would raise taxes on the middle class taxpayer and small businesses. He, however, doesn’t want to raise taxes for anyone.

Obama was reasoned in his calm presentation of his proposals for the American people. He stated under his health care reform, employer-based health care coverage would not be taxed, those with such coverage could keep it and see their premiums lowered; and those without coverage would be offered a coverage plan much like one that he and  McCain enjoy as members of Congress, with no exclusions for pre-existing conditions.  Obama stated that under McCain’s plan, employer-based health care could actually disappear altogether. He based this on a finding released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a traditionally conservative, non-Democrat, business advocate. Additionally, Obama would use the discount-buying power of the federal government, as a consumer, to purchase drugs at a lower cost from the drug companies.

Obama has proposed a tax plan where ninety-five percent of taxpayers will not see an increase, but rather a tax cut. Obama noted that small businesses typically earn under $200,000 dollars a year. Under his plan, small businesses which earn $250,000 dollars or less a year would also see a tax cut. Obama stated that McCain’s approach would give an additional tax break of $200 billion dollars to some of the wealthiest corporations in the nation. He cited Exxon-Mobil and the oil industry as a whole, would receive an additional $4 billion in tax breaks. McCain did not deny either of these charges.

On foreign oil dependence, the candidates had differences as well. McCain supported immediate offshore drilling, as well as drilling in ANWR, to provide short-term relief to our energy situation. He said this would give us time to develop more nuclear energy plants, support alternative energy programs for wind, solar, natural gas, tide and flex-fuels to cut our dependence on foreign oil. He claimed this will make the U.S. independent of foreign oil.

Obama corrected him that our oil reserves only total three percent of the world’s total oil reserves and we annually consume twenty-five percent of the world’s oil supply. “We can’t drill our way out of this.” He further pointed out that U.S. oil companies already hold leases on sixty-eight million acres of offshore oil drill sites which they are not developing. He proposed they either drill in these areas or lose them to other developers. He also said he is not opposed to nuclear energy development, but we must also pursue alternative energy in wind, solar, geothermal and bio-diesel and high fuel-efficient vehicles to truly reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reinvigorate the American economy. Energy development can play a major role in revitalizing our economy with job creation and retention. Creation and manufacture of high fuel-efficient vehicles in the United States can serve as a revival of the nation’s economic manufacturing segment and thereby give new vitality to the U.S. auto industry. Realigning our energy perspective can give us the ability to realign so many other segments of the American system- adjusting our education system, focusing on preventive health care measures to reduce later demands on Medicare and Medicaid.

When asked if the federal budget can be balanced in four years,  McCain answered, “Sure, …we can do it with this kind of job creation of energy independence.” He offered to implement an across-the-board spending freeze. However he would not declare what cuts he would impose beyond eliminating the marketing assistance program and some ethanol subsidies. Regarding the fine tuning of specific programs being eliminated, he never quite responded with those details.  Obama suggested that it would take ten years to reach a balanced budget. He suggested starting with eliminating the $750 billion dollars in subsidies to the insurance companies, that doesn’t provide seniors with coverage nor improve the Medicaid/Medicare programs. He also insisted that he would require proper structure of the $750 billion dollar rescue package passed by Congress. He stressed that he has been a strong proponent of pay-as-you-go spending. Every spending bill he has proposed has included financial offsets so that they did not add to the federal deficit.

There were additional questions on education reforms, Supreme Court nominees, suitability of opposing vice presidential running mates, negative characterizations of opponents, NAFTA considerations, and support for human rights. The full transcript of the debate is available at the CNN website.

There is plenty of campaign follow-up activity by both parties. Tonight, the College Republicans and Democrats will hold a debate at the APSU Library. On Saturday, October 18,there will be a Voters Rally at Veterans Plaza, starting at 10 a/m. At the conclusion, voters will proceed to the Election commission to cast their votes. On October 29th, the chairpersons of each political party will hold a debate in the Morgan Center Ballroom on APSU. This event will start at 2 p.m. Both parties offer volunteer opportunities for any persons wishing to support their respective candidates.

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The Clothesline Project is an international event that bears witness to the effects of sexual violence in the community. The project gives its participants the opportunity to print T-shirts in honor of men and women who are survivors of sexual and domestic violence. These shirts will be displayed on a clothesline to raise awareness of the impact violence has on the community.

The Clothesline Project (CLP) originated on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in 1990, and was designed to address the issue of violence against women. Women affected by violence express their emotions by decorating a shirt. They then hang the shirt on a clothesline to be viewed by others as testimony to the problem of violence against women. Locally the Clothesline Project has also been displayed at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Library.

APSU has been hanging the Clothesline Project since 1997. Since its inception, the project has amassed more than 400 T-shirts. For more information, contact Dr. Jill Eichhorn, coordinator of APSU’s Women’s Studies Program, (931) 221-6314. The national project website is http://www.clotheslineproject.org/

I’m not a crier. However, my emotions ran the gamut from elation to tears as I participated in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk for the Cure in Nashville on Oct 4th.  As I walked the 5K race with my daughter and thousands of others, I read memorials on t-shirts such as “In memory of Mom” but also many happier phrases such as ”In celebration of my sister”. I felt overwhelmed by so many who’d been affected by breast cancer. My sister, Pam Thompson, is a survivor and is doing well.  She completed her surgery, chemo, and radiation about 2 years ago.

This year’s Nashville Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® raised over $1 million for the fight against breast cancer!  It’s not too late to make a donation.

There was much celebration and hope. One of my favorite t-shirt slogans was “Cancer Sucks”. If you ever have the opportunity to participate in one of the walks, I highly encourage you to do so. It was an experience I’ll always remember.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, this grassroots effort is an international organization with a network of volunteers working through local Affiliates and Komen Race for the Cure® events.

Komen runs one of the most innovative, responsive grant programs in breast cancer today. In addition to funding research, the Foundation and its Affiliates fund community-based breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment projects for the medically underserved. In 1992, the Greater Nashville area held it’s first Race at Centennial Park with 500 participants. The Greater Nashville Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure was founded in 1997.

Up to 75 percent of the net proceeds raised by Greater Nashville’s participation in Komen Race for the Cure stays in Middle Tennessee to fund outreach programs and initiatives that address the specific unmet breast health needs of our community, and a minimum of 25 percent of net proceeds raised supports the Komen for the Cure Award and Research Grant Program.

Complimentary food and drinks will be offered while supplies last, and the event will feature children’s activities, finger printing, games, air evac helicopter, fire trucks, law enforcement vehicles, ambulance, crime scene unit, bomb squad, K-9 team, tactical team, explorers, Clothes Line Project, wood work shop, handprint project and the Charter Internet trailer.

Door Prizes will be given out at the event and you must be present to win. Grand Prize giveaway will be two sets of Suite Tickets to the December 7th Carrie Underwood Concert. Many other terrific prizes will be given out during the Even

In that debate, Moderator Gwen Ifill asked Senator Biden if he supported “as they do in Alaska, granting same-sex benefits to couples.” His answer was a resounding, “absolutely.” He further said that under an Obama administration, there would be no distinction between same-sex couples and heterosexual couples. When pressed on whether he supported gay marriage, he said no.

Palin’s response was, well, pathetic. It was the same kind of yammering she gave Katie Couric on the topic only a day before that she has “dear friends” who were gay and that she would “tolerate” and “be tolerant” of same-sex couples. Never mind the fact that she’s said before that she believes that sexual orientation is a choice that can be “prayed away.”

Let me say this clearly. I don’t care how much of a pit bull she thinks she is. Sarah, you and your “tolerance” can bite me. We don’t need “tolerance.” We don’t even need assurances that “contracts can be signed.” What we really need is protection — from people just like you.

Tolerance indeed. The last thing we need is a vice president who doesn’t even have the guts to even talk clearly about same-sex couples. She’s no barracuda. More like a betta. That’s a teensy little fish that’s all frills and fight, and wouldn’t even be a proper snack for a cat.

But, I digress.

This only illustrates the simple reality – both parties are the same on paper. Democrats are often long on promises, but short on delivery. Bill Clinton’s promise to allow gays to serve in the military collapsed into the single worst policy in US military history: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. This would allow gays to serve as long as they don’t act gay or disclose their sexual orientation.

Obama has promised to rescind the policy and let gays serve. McCain promised to take advice from his generals (most of whom are as homophobic as their grunts). But would either actually sign any law that would grant gays to serve their country with honor? Well, I’m not going to hold my breath.

As I’ve said before, the big issue in 2004 and 2006 was gay marriage. States all around the country have clamored to pass anti-gay marriage amendments because they all know what Biden said: that the constitution allows for same-sex marriage. This is why bigoted reich-wing groups like the American Family Association are so adamant to get these atrocities passed – not because they’re afraid of “activist judges,” but because they know the Constitution (darn that pesky fourteenth amendment!) guarantees equal protection under the law. So their only hope is to write discrimination into a document that is at its core — liberty.

Many of my fellow gay activists are angry that none of the Presidential or Vice Presidential candidates openly supports gay marriage. Truthfully, I’m okay with this. Because of this, it actually takes the candy of anti-gay bigotry out of the mouths of the already-sugar high right wing nuts who are salivating to have their pet issue back on the lips and ballots of the American people. Too bad. Maybe they’ll boycott themselves one day.

In fact, two of the three states that have constitutional amendments on the ballot, Florida and California, are likely to reject those amendments. The third, Arizona, already has rejected it once. It’s not the driving issue of the day. Thank God.

Let me say this, though. The United States of America, as a whole, is not ready for gay marriage. This isn’t an issue that’s going to go away overnight, and it’s not going to be solved with a simple presidential proclamation. As time goes on, we’ll see more and more states pass laws allowing for civil unions and domestic partnerships. If we’re EVER to see gay marriage in all 50 states, then it will be through education, understanding, and something far more than tolerance: patience. Americans are slow to change, and we’re slow to look beyond ourselves. But that’s what it’s going to take.

If we’re ever to see marriage, we’ve got to have a full set of protections in place first. Why the hell are we blathering about marriage, when in many states – including Tennessee – we don’t even have basic protections in housing and employment? What good is it to be able to marry when there aren’t even hate-crime laws in place across most of the country — including in Wyoming, where Matthew Shepard was killed ten years ago? There’s not even a hate crime law in place at the federal level!

Seriously, folks – let’s not get into the idea that we have to have this pie in the sky when we don’t even have the key ingredients needed for that pie? When even Alaska has a meager domestic partnership policy in place – mandated by its supreme court, it’s clear that we have a long way to go. That policy is still in flux, and several attempts have been made to nullify the court’s ruling. As a my friend Michael Rowe says, Quel surprise! “Tolerance,” indeed.

So we only got one question in the Veep debate. And it was about gay marriage. The two candidates even agreed on it. “Okay, let’s move on,” Ifill said. What an excellent idea.

As posted on Skipping to the Piccolo

Did you know that:

• Every day in Clarksville more than 225 persons rely on local hunger relief agencies for a noon meal.
• More than 200 persons rely on local congregations for their Sunday Lunch!
• Hundreds of children in our schools rely on the F.U.E.L program for food on week-ends.
• Hundreds of families visit local churches for food donations every month.

Several local organizations have joined hands to raise awareness and funds to feed our neighbors. Empty Bowls 2009 is scheduled to be held on February 12, 2009 with all proceeds benefiting local food banks and feeding agencies.    Empty Bowls is a nationally recognized event to help eliminate hunger and raise public awareness of hunger problems in communities across the U.S. and around the world.

Before that national event occurs, though, representatives of local churches and their ministries, and delegates from local organizations are invited to an informational session to learn about the Empty Bowls project on Thursday, October 16  at 11:30 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church,  317 Franklin Street, in Clarksville. To reserve a spot at the table, call  Tara at 648-8007 by October 14.

APSU Art students have made 250 handmade bowls that will be decorated by local seniors and Project Excel (Inner City youth, YMCA program) and local artists; twelve bowls will be made into celebrity bowls for a Gala and silent auction at the Museum. A Soup Supper will be held on Feb. 12, 2009. Ticket holders will pick out a handmade bowl and will be served soup, bread and a dessert. If you are an artist or know of someone who might want to hand paint a bowl for this project, please call Rita at 931-648-6133.

The Empty Bowls Porject is sponsored by the APSU Student Art League, Senior Citizens from Walking Horse Meadows, YMCA Project Excel Program, City of Clarksville Office of Housing and Community Development, Trinity Episcopal Church, and Clarksville Montgomery County Customs House Museum.

Montgomery County Democratic Party

Montgomery County Republican Party

The Joe Biden/Sarah Palin debate is over and history. The verdict: Biden held his own, scored particularly well in areas of foreign policy, and, I believe, won the debate. Palin, after a spate of blundered interviews and disingenuous flubbed questions from “Katie” (Couric) and “Charlie” (Gibson), did better than expected but still managed at best a break even score, up from her previous level — which was sounding ridiculous.

Watching the man/woman voter scrolling scoreboard at the bottom of the TV screen, a tally of sorts based on Ohio voters, both candidates managed to find sharp and prolonged spikes of interest, catching the attention of listeners not by political affiliation but rather by the issues that were being discussed. What were those topics: the economy, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the economy, the economy and the economy. The Economy encompassed middle class tax relief, health care/insurance, jobs, gas prices, and the high cost of higher education.

Sen. Joe Biden

BIDEN: Yes, well, you know, until two weeks ago — it was two Mondays ago John McCain said at 9 o’clock in the morning that the fundamentals of the economy were strong. Two weeks before that, he said George — we’ve made great economic progress under George Bush’s policies.

Nine o’clock, the economy was strong. Eleven o’clock that same day, two Mondays ago, John McCain said that we have an economic crisis.

That doesn’t make John McCain a bad guy, but it does point out he’s out of touch. Those folks on the sidelines knew that two months ago.

Palin did her “I am one of you sitting around the kitchen table” complete with incorrect grammar, slang (”betcha” was the most irritating by far), and mispronounced words (can any Republican say “nuclear” instead of “nucular”? Please? Most notable, though, was Palin’s inability to stay on course and simply answer the darned question. All domestic roads, or in her case, questions, led back to taxes. Many of her foreign policy responses led back to taxes.The problem is, while I want a United States President and Vice President to have a real sense of what the average American wants and needs, I want that leader to sound, well, intelligent and functioning at a level commensurate with interaction on a global scale. “Betcha” doesn’t quite do it. By the time she spurt out the “six pack American” cliche she was, in my book, more than done. Nothing has offended me more in this campaign than that reference. Except the sappy “Charlie’s” and “Katie’s” in those CBS and ABC interviews. Maybe “six pack American” or “Joe six pack” was just my tipping point. Just how condescending can she get, I wonder.

Gov. Sarah Palin

PALIN: My experience as an executive will be put to good use as a mayor and business owner and oil and gas regulator and then as governor of a huge state, a huge energy producing state that is accounting for much progress towards getting our nation energy independence and that’s extremely important.

But it wasn’t just that experience tapped into, it was my connection to the heartland of America. Being a mom, one very concerned about a son in the war, about a special needs child, about kids heading off to college, how are we going to pay those tuition bills? About times and Todd and our marriage in our past where we didn’t have health insurance and we know what other Americans are going through as they sit around the kitchen table and try to figure out how are they going to pay out-of-pocket for health care? We’ve been there also so that connection was important.

But even more important is that world view that I share with John McCain. That world view that says that America is a nation of exceptionalism. And we are to be that shining city on a hill, as President Reagan so beautifully said, that we are a beacon of hope and that we are unapologetic here. We are not perfect as a nation. But together, we represent a perfect ideal. And that is democracy and tolerance and freedom and equal rights. Those things that we stand for that can be put to good use as a force for good in this world. (Palin’s tolerance and freedom and equal rights did not extend to gay marriag or the choice issue).

Biden stumbled on words and names from time to time, and it seemed as if his mind had more to present but not enough time to dish it out. At times he almost seemed to be playing a game for which Palin remained ignorant of the rules, the first and most important being “Answer the question”. Biden zero’d in on detail and stayed on task; Palin, well, didn’t. Palin frequently responded with statements that became lost in a maze of topics, ending nowhere near an actual answer to the original question.

BIDEN: Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we’ve had probably in American history. The idea he doesn’t realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that’s the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that.

And the primary role of the vice president of the United States of America is to support the president of the United States of America, give that president his or her best judgment when sought, and as vice president, to preside over the Senate, only in a time when in fact there’s a tie vote. The Constitution is explicit.

The only authority the vice president has from the legislative standpoint is the vote, only when there is a tie vote. He has no authority relative to the Congress. The idea he’s part of the Legislative Branch is a bizarre notion invented by Cheney to aggrandize the power of a unitary executive and look where it has gotten us. It has been very dangerous.

As the debate drew to a close, Biden summed up the state of the nation under President Bush:

BIDEN: I’ll be very brief. Can I respond to that?

Look, the maverick — let’s talk about the maverick John McCain is. And, again, I love him. He’s been a maverick on some issues, but he has been no maverick on the things that matter to people’s lives.

He voted four out of five times for George Bush’s budget, which put us a half a trillion dollars in debt this year and over $3 trillion in debt since he’s got there.

He has not been a maverick in providing health care for people. He has voted against — he voted including another 3.6 million children in coverage of the existing health care plan, when he voted in the United States Senate.

He’s not been a maverick when it comes to education. He has not supported tax cuts and significant changes for people being able to send their kids to college.

He’s not been a maverick on the war. He’s not been a maverick on virtually anything that genuinely affects the things that people really talk about around their kitchen table.

Can we send — can we get Mom’s MRI? Can we send Mary back to school next semester? We can’t — we can’t make it. How are we going to heat the — heat the house this winter?

He voted against even providing for what they call LIHEAP, for assistance to people, with oil prices going through the roof in the winter.

So maverick he is not on the important, critical issues that affect people at that kitchen table.

While both candidates were speaking into a dais-mounted microphone, at times it looked as if Palin was wearing a wire, possibly with an earpiece tucked beneath her hair (hair that, I might add, is a messy semi-upswept style fit for a bad prom night circa 1968 — sorry, Sarah); at the end of the debate as she walked across the stage, she pulled a device out from the hem of her suitcoat. We might almost suspect she was being prompted as each question arose.

The vice-presidential debate only served to affirm my choices in leadership for the next four years.

Terry McMoore

The last day to register to vote in Montgomery County is October 6.Early voting begins October 15.

The right to vote and exercising your right to vote is the most valuable constitutional right we have. It is both a right and a privilege.

If you don’t vote, you deserve the government you get. It doesn’t matter which side of the political fence you’re on, because all Americans have the same issues and concerns for their families and their country.

The economy, the war, taxes, education, health care, social security, women rights and, especially in our community, veteran’s rights are at the top of the list in every household.

Many people over the centuries have fought, marched and even died so we could have the right to vote, yet many still don’t vote. In the August primary election in Montgomery County, fewer than 12 percent of voters participated. With this kind of turn out how do we expect to ever hold our elected officials accountable to the public?

Some say the system is broken, so that is why they don’t vote. There is some truth about the broken part, but by not voting we allow the same governmental practices to continue regardless of which party is in power.

Your vote is your voice. I am starting to take the same position as most politicians: If you don’t vote then I don’t want to hear your complaining. Ever wonder why your calls, letters and e-mails to your local, state, and national representatives don’t ever get answered? It’s because any smart politician checks to see if you are a registered voter first, then your voting record over the years and how you voted.

This information is public record and if I have it — which I do — then you can bet the politicians have it, too.

Another excuse I hear for not voting is the claim that “my vote does not count or does not matter.” Well, let me give you a little history lesson.

In 1800, when the results of the electoral college votes were opened by both Houses of Congress, there was a tie vote for President between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. That threw the election of president into the House of Representatives where Thomas Jefferson was elected our third president by a one vote margin.

In 1824, the House of Representatives defeated front runner Andrew Jackson by one vote and elected John Quincy Adams as the nation’s sixth president.

In a 1999 city election in Hillsborough County, Fla., one of the city council candidates won by a single vote.

And in 2000 the U.S. presidential election was decided by less than 1 percent of the vote.

Even felons don’t have an excuse for not getting registered to vote.

In 2006 our Tennessee state legislators passed a bill that specified the following: If you are off of parole and have paid all your fines and restitution to the courts and state, and if your child support payments are up to date then you can apply at your local election commission to have your voting rights restored.

Folks, it does not get any simpler than that.

Many election commissions allow you to register to vote online, but personally I prefer that you visit the election commission in person or just drop by the headquarters of the political party headquarters of your choice.

Either way you need to get it done! Register to vote by the Oct. 6 deadline. It sets a good example for our youth and it’s your personal responsibility!