Lobbying 101 in Clarksville

Thursday, February 1, 7-9 pm
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clarksville
3053 U.S. 41-A

Advancing Equality Day on the Hill

Tuesday, February 20 at 8:30 a.m., the Tennessee Equality Project presents the 3rd annual Advancing Equality Day On The Hill, a day in Nashville meeting with your legislators to express your views on proposed legislation affecting the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community.

 We’ll start at TPAC and move from there to meetings at Legislative Plaza. You should be able to finish by Noon that day! So, please, consider taking half a day off work for this important cause.We look forward to seeing you and all of your friends on February 1 in Clarksville and on February 20 in Nashville.

We need to start getting a count of who is attending Advancing Equality Day on the Hill. RSVP by emailing me at  . I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours,
Chris Sanders
Chair and President

I was going to write an article on the Democrats taking both the House and Senate, but due to my illness yesterday, Christine beat me to the punch. Read her article it’s quite good!

Polling Locations

MONTGOMERY COUNTY ELECTION COMMISSION VOTING PRECINCTS

* Clarksville Online is not responsible for any errors contained herein, the information was taken verbatim from the Montgomery County Election commission web site. Any factual errors are solely their responsibility.

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We met for the first time 9 years ago, and up until a year ago, we dated off and on. Last year, we decided to get serious. Not being able to get married worries us because we aren’t getting the same legal rights as everyone else. We can’t have the same insurance, and if something were to happen to either of us, a life insurance policy wouldn’t be able to help the other. We won’t be able to see each other in the hospital if something serious happens, and without a ton of legal documents and fees, we won’t be able to make decisions for the other if we need to.

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Visit the Vote no on 1 Tennessee website for more information.

It was not until I attended a race relations summit, and I heard Tennessee Rep. and black caucus member Johnny Shaw speak these words that my political lifestyle would be forever changed. He stated:

When it comes to politics you are either on one side or the other, people who straddle the fence are just afraid to make a stand on anything.

So recently when I sat down with family members for our weekly family dinner, I once again reiterated this story to them. I told them why we should, as a family, vote and support the following candidates for office based on the common interest they all represent.

Charles Smith for mayor of Clarksville; Joe Pitts for state House 67th District; Harold Ford Jr. for U.S. senator; Bruce Gibbs for state House 78th District;  Keith Svadba for City Council Ward 3; Tim Barnes for state House 68th District; Bill Morrison for 7th U.S. House District and let’s keep Phil Bredesen for Governor & John Tanner for 8th U.S. House District

It is time to stop straddling the fence and recognize that we need change across the board. Now that I have chosen a side, it completes me and the above-mentioned candidates will help Clarksville to grow, heal, and to become complete by recognizing the true strength of its diverse population and how to use it to its advantage.

On Oct. 23, Family Vote Day, my family and I will vote for change. I hope you and your family will too. God Bless!

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Visit the Vote no on 1 Tennessee website for more information.

Continuing with this logic, if we don’t want homosexuals to upset traditional marriage, shouldn’t we also prevent couples of different races from marrying too? That’s not very traditional, when you consider that from 1776 until then, it wasn’t legal for those couples to marry. Personally, I would consider 191 years more of a tradition than 39 years. So, why is there not an initiative to protect the “sanctity of marriage” from the harms that interracial marriage can do to it? The answer is that to not allow those couples to marry is simply discrimination.

Now, those supporters will reply to your reasoning with the cliché statement that someone’s race is not a choice, but homosexuality is. To which you should promptly remind them that the American Psychological Association does not consider sexual orientation to be a choice.

The next thing they’ll tell you is that children do better with opposite-sex parents. According to a U.S. Study by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institution, and also the American Psychological Association, children do no better or worse with same-sex or opposite-sex parents. Yet again, the supporters of Amendment 1 want you to believe that they’re in this to protect the “sanctity of marriage,” but really they’re in this to spread their hatred and discrimination into our state’s constitution.

Of course, any discussion of the same-sex marriage wouldn’t be complete without the all-too-familiar reminder of the “slippery slope of same-sex marriage.” Don’t forget that same-sex marriage will lead to polygamy, since I’ve seen such a barrage of homosexuals demanding the right to marry sixteen people. Also, I’ve noticed a trend of people interested in marrying animals. Now who wouldn’t want to marry Snowball, their beloved feline companion of 5 years? And, I almost forgot to mention incest. But wait, Tennessee already allows for first cousins to marry. It’s completely legal, so let’s just forget about that. I’m quite sure that marrying Ellie-Mae is still upholding the “sanctity of marriage.”

What about those fabulous Las Vegas weddings. There’s nothing more sacred than getting married in a drive-through window by Elvis Presley. Or perhaps, marrying someone and getting an annulment within days (Oops, I did it again!). So this alleged “sanctity of marriage” seems to have a lot of problems with it right now, this begs the question of “Why would it hurt to allow marriage to exist between two loving partners?” The answer is simple. It wouldn’t. On November 7^th, don’t forget to Vote No on TN 1. Live above the lie, the “sanctity of marriage” needs to be reminded that the “equality of marriage” is much more important. Marriage equality matters.

More information against the amendment can be found at http://www.VoteNoOn1TN.com/

Conversely, more information for the amendment can be found at http://www.RealMarriage.org/

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On our 10th anniversary we decided it was past time to get as much paperwork done as was available. The healthcare power of attorney, the living wills, the wills, etc. It was about 2 years after that one of us ended up in a hospital and the other had to carry papers around and was asked to show them each night to regain the permission to stay.

On our 15th anniversary, we decided to combine our last names and went through the process of standing in front of a judge, standing in line at the social security office for new cards, going through the process at our jobs. It was a strange way to celebrate.

However, just recently when the other one of us had to go into the hospital for a couple of days, having the same last name did help! Although they thought she was my sister!

This amendment writes discrimination into the state constitution. There is already a law on the books that keep us from a civil marriage. This is just unfortunate hate speech. Tennesseans can rise above this shame by voting NO on 1.

Read more about Nancy & Joan’s story on CNN.com.

How did this district begin being taken for granted you ask, and why isn’t a lot of talk circulating about this district?  Many point to the fact that the 8,050 registered Montgomery County voters that make up part of District 78 are being over looked due to the fact that the majority of the 78th District voters, over 30,000 of them, rest in Cheatham and Williamson Counties.

For once, let us take a look at where and how the 78th District lines fall in Montgomery County and how we can collectively come together as part of this district and have our voices heard.

The constituency based of Tennessee House of Representative seat District 78 lies partly on the northwest part of Montgomery County.  District 78 consists of the following voting precincts and locations.  Precinct 10 – Minglewood Elementary School, Precinct 7 – Woodlawn Elementary School, Precinct 6B – Bethel Baptist Church, and Precinct 4B – Central Civitan Building.

If you live near anyone of these locations mentioned above and are assigned to vote at one to the locations, chances are, you are in the 78th District and should register and vote so that our voice will be heard on the following issues.

  Those issues are community and family values, family, faith and church, education, minimum wage increase, keeping health care and drug costs down, better treatment and benefits for Active, Retired and Veteran members of the Armed Forces. Additionally, that District 78 and each city in it receive its fair share of state dollars for parks and quality of life issues such as a North Clarksville Public library. Top notch government ethics and tax control is a must.

  We certainly expect our elected officials to conduct themselves in an honest, trustworthy manner at all times and not to repeat the current violations of ethics that affected our current general assembly last year.

So, now that you are a little familiar with the location of District 78, let’s take a look at how we must energize and mobilize our vote to let the powers that be in Nashville know that we might make up only 8% of the voting population of District 78, but when 8% votes 100%, we have the power to decide which candidate will represent our best interest.

Town hall meetings like the one that will take place on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 with candidate “Bruce Gibbs”,  at the First Federal Savings Bank meeting room, 1800 Fort Campbell Blvd, Clarksville, TN starting at 6:30 p.m., are an excellent time for us to discuss what we want for our district.  This will also allow us to set the stage for our community to have its voice heard among the The Tennessee House of Representative members.

There was a time when we had proper and informative representation here in part of the 78th District.  That was during a time when long-time City Council member, Gabriel (Gabe) Segovia served our community.  Since his departure from office, our voices have not been heard, nor represented.  Northwest High school, Minglewood, Liberty and Woodlawn Elementary schools, as well as Montgomery Central High, Middle and Elementary Schools need a voice in the State Capitol that will rally for more educational money right now.

  Our children are our greatest investment and right now, some of our elected leaders are not investing in our children or our future.

Before I close this commentary, I would like to re-emphasize the importance of having the constituents of the Tennessee House of Representative seat for District 78 th understand that your vote does count and that your vote is your voice, as so well stated in the following quote from Louis L’Amour. Our words we should remember as we lobby our district for our cause.

  “To make democracy work, we must be a notion of participants, not simply observers.  One who does not vote has no right to complain.”

Terry McMoore
Constituent TN House of Representatives, District 78

My opponents are also well qualified in this campaign. I do not intend to run a smear campaign or engage in any form of dirty or dishonest platforming. I believe my own platform stands on its own and represents a clear distinction between my values and the values of my fellow candidates. I am ready to campaign across the state of Tennessee talking about peace. But the message of progressive politics cannot happen without your support so I am writing to you today to ask for both your personal and financial support this election season.

I am proud of my service on the board of the Nashville Peace and Justice center, as well as my continuing work as a contributing editor to the Tennessee Independent Media Center as well as my longstanding work to end the war with the Nashville Peace Coalition, without whose support I would not have considered this campaign. I am also proud of my own work with the Green Party of Tennessee as well as the work of so many others who have helped to sustain and grow this party since its inception in 1996. I understand the important public trust the Green Party has placed in me by nominating me as their candidate as well as the trust the peace community has placed in the message of my campaign.

I pledge to be an honorable candidate and to run my campaign with truthfulness and compassion, understanding that it is my mission to serve the people of Tennessee and that the best way to do this is by promoting the progressive values which the peace movement and the Green Party stand for.

I am asking for your help today. You may contribute to my campaign by sending your contributions to Chris Lugo for Senate, 9 Music Sq So #164, Nashville, TN 37203 or by visiting my web site at http://www.chris4senate.com/ and making your commitment there.

Also I would like to invite you to join the Vote for Peace listserv to keep you updated about the Chris Lugo for US Senate campaign in Tennessee.

To sign up for vote for peace go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/voteforpeace

Please feel free to contact me at 615-593-0304 to share your concerns or request a speaking engagement or meeting with your group or other groups and once again, thank you in advance for your support this election season.

Sincerely,

Chris Lugo
Green Party of Tennessee
Candidate for US Senate
email:
phone: 615-593-0304
web: http://www.chris4senate.com/

(ASHLAND CITY) – Bruce Gibbs, democratic candidate for State Representative in District 78, today challenged State Representative Phillip Johnson to seven debates.“Every voter in Cheatham, Montgomery and Williamson Counties deserves to know where Phillip and I stand on the issues that are important to our communities,” Gibbs said. “I look forward to debating and discussing the issues in an open and objective forum, and I trust that Philip is willing to give the voters this opportunity.”

Gibbs has proposed a debate in each of the following communities: Ashland City, Pleasant View, Kingston Springs, Woodlawn, Cunningham and Fairview. These seven communities are located in the three counties that compose District 78.

“I believe it’s time for a change in the 78th district. We need real leadership that produces real results for our families,” said Gibbs. “We should be focused on bringing new resources to our schools and teachers, increasing access to affordable healthcare, and attracting more and better job opportunities to our community.”

Bruce Gibbs, former teacher, coach and Director of Schools in Cheatham County, is running for state representative in District 78. Gibbs kicked off his campaign August 26th with friends and supporters at Riverbluff Park in Ashland City. Those in attendance included Commissioner of Revenue Loren Chumley, State Representative Butch Borchert of Camden, former State Representative Tommy Head of Clarksville, and AFL-CIO President Jerry Lee.

The election for State Representative is November 7 with Early Voting beginning October 18. Bruce Gibbs and his wife, Elaine, live in Ashland City.

For more information Contact:
Bruce Gibbs
(615) 792-7144

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I was unable to find one for Bob Corker, so if anyone knows of one online let me know! I try to be non-partisan in my election coverage. If you are a local Republican Party supporter, or candidate, and are interested in contributing as an author, we would welcome your contributions to the site as well. Balance is important.

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