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UPDATE: Christian Grantham, WKRN blogger at Nashville is Talking, reported, via Twitter, that a TN GOP press release earlier today incorrectly charged Tennessee’s Election Board with changing Tennessee election law at the last minute in such a way that would make it easier to commit vote fraud. WKRN will run a story on their 5PM news broadcast wherein a state election board representative will deny any such change in election law ever took place. I emailed the state GOP regarding their take on the new information and was referred to a statement from Randy Stamps, State Director for the GOP. “We are happy to hear that Mr. Brook Thompson has stated clearly that only Tennessee driver’s licenses will be accepted as a form of identification at the polls. Democrat volunteers and operatives led our Republican volunteers to believe Mr. Thompson’s opinion was different than he has indicated today. It is important that everyone understands that Tennessee’s election laws will be enforced on Election Day and the standards will not be lessened for political expediency.”
Perhaps they long for the day when TN was a player in Presidential elections. Perhaps they’re trying to make up for failing to deliver Tennessee for Gore in 2000. Perhaps they’re jealous of all the attention going on in Ohio. Perhaps they want to take away Pennsylvania’s significance by making a grab for Tennessee’s electoral votes. Who knows why they’re doing it.
But there is no denying that Tennessee’s Democratic Party is pulling out all the stops leading up to the election tomorrow. The state Election Commission, literally hours before the election, has changed Tennessee’s election law making it easier for Democrats inclined to commit vote fraud to do so. It wouldn’t be much of an issue except the national trend among Democrats this election cycle is to embrace vote fraud as a legitimate tool for election day success.
From ACORN’s illegal activity across the country to Ohio’s Secretary of State’s refusal to enforce her own state’s election laws and now Tennessee changes its election laws at the last moment. Not to make the process more secure. Tennessee has made the process even more vulnerable to fraud. But perhaps there’s a silver lining in this dark cloud. We’re getting yet another object lesson telling us loud and clear what to expect from an Obama led Democratic Party. What am I ranting about? This presser from the Tennessee GOP tells the tale.
NASHVILLE - Tennessee Republican Party challenges the last minute changes authorized by the Tennessee Division of Elections. Three days before the election will take place State Election Coordinator Brook Thompson notified a Republican Election Commissioner of significant changes his office had made to voter identification (voter ID) standards that will now include out of state driver’s licenses.
Robin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, stated, “In order to be registered to vote in Tennessee a voter is required to be a resident of Tennessee. But now the state election office is loosening standards and allowing people to use out of state driver’s licenses to vote in Tennessee.” Smith continued, “Something doesn’t add up. With numerous reports warning of fraudulent voter registrations taking place in other states we asked the Division of Elections maintain current voter integrity standards not loosen them. I call on Secretary of State Riley Darnell and Election Coordinator Brook Thompson to immediately end this practice. Loosening standards and undermining the law in Tennessee or its intent put the integrity of the elections in jeopardy by and will just encourage fraudulent voting here in Tennessean.”
Tennessee Code Annotated section 2-7-112 (03-C-ii-c) provides instruction for ‘evidence for identification’ to verify a voter’s identity and clearly states that “…a valid voter’s registration card, a Tennessee driver license, social security card, credit card bearing the applicant’s signature or other document bearing the applicant’s signature.”
Voters can provide additional documents to verify their Identity, but it is clear that the law was written to have only state residents participate in electing Tennessee officials.
Smith continued, saying, “Thanks in part to legislation blocked by Democrats in the past, there is very little that can be done to ensure that someone who has already voted in Alabama cannot then vote in Tennessee. The least we can do is to not allow an Alabama drivers license to be used as proof of Tennessee residency and identification.”
Other issues have also emerged during early voting, including recent voting machine irregularities that have occurred with no promise for immediate correction. In multiple counties, voters have attempted to vote for John McCain for president on the [ESS iVotronic] touch screen systems but instead, votes were displayed for Barack Obama. Despite the request for immediate intervention, information was provided by a technician acknowledging the issue with blame being cast to ballot layout, approved by the Secretary of State’s office, and the calibration of the machine to be for an individual 5 feet 2 inches in height.
In addition, the process for certifying poll watchers for county election sites was challenged by Brook Thompson despite previous approval; the questionable use of interpreters accompanying voters who could neither speak nor read English was permitted; and threats to halt poll watcher training were leveled against Republican Election Commissioners.
“Tennesseans deserve confidence in the voting process. Amid national stories of deliberate fraud, the Tennessee Republican Party stands prepared to file civil and criminal charges in any case proven to attempt to defraud the voting process,” continued Chairman Smith. “The disgust of the public toward politics is justified when incompetence and willful disregard for our laws is on full display. We urge Secretary of State Darnell to intervene immediately to make any corrective and necessary punitive action.”
I would close by saying “Shame on you Democrats” but it appears that along with all the other “change” Democrats are championing this year, the definition of “shame” is among the top contenders for redefinition. It used to be people were embarrassed by shameful behavior. Tennessee’s Democrats seem to be proud of it.
If so, blog and link here so I catch your posts or email me with a link. I’m a bit indisposed at the moment and cannot investigate as much as I would like.
UPDATE: 2AM 9-19 Rusty at Rustmeister’s Alehouse and Mushy at The Silverbacks report that the hacker is likely David Kernell, son of Memphis Democratic Representative Mike Kernell. So far all Kernell has done is confirm that his son is the subject of speculation and allegation. There has been no formal admission or charge as of now. The FBI and the Secret Service have both started investigations into the matter but there is no confirmation that Kernell is the focus of their efforts. Terry Frank has some more in depth analysis and some great comments at her place.
All corners of Tennessee’s blogosphere got some nice recognition in the Main Stream Media this morning. Tennessean Staff Writer Jennifer Brooks penned a great piece on today’s front page titled ‘Tennessee’s Political Blogosphere has Something Special’.
Regardless of your political persuasion, Brooks’ notion is quite correct. Here in Tennessee we have something very special in our political blogosphere. Just on the Right side of the discussion, we have almost 75 individual online activists across the state. Other states I’m familiar with have barely a tenth of that! We have bloggers, podcasters and 2, count ‘em - TWO political cartoonists! You can find all these fine folks in the Blogrolls “Tennessee ConserVOLiance” and “Great Tennessee Blogs” in the sidebar here.
My thanks to Jennifer and The Tennessean for a great article. Not only did it highlight the quality and diversity of Tennessee’s online political discussion, I also found 3 new Right of Center blogs to add to the blogroll just this morning because of it! My guess is there are at least 25 more that I simply haven’t found yet! I know they’re out there - back to the hunt.
A friend emailed me about Bob Corker’s involvement in the Gang of 10. He asked, “What is Corker doing?” To quote Bob Corker himself, he is doing “…exactly what I came to the Senate to do.” To the host of Tennesseans who bemoaned the choice of Corker over Ed Bryant as our Senate choice in 2006, he’s doing exactly what we feared. In fairness, for two years Corker has been a pleasant surprise. However, he couldn’t have picked a worse time to begin living down to our expectations.
Just like GOP Senators in the Gang of 14 and judicial nominees, Republicans in Energy’s Gang of 10 are undermining GOP leadership and strategy. Mitch McConnell and GOP leaders have worked this issue for months with the backing of Republicans and Democrats; legislators and voters. Pressure was mounting on Democrats to surrender their sellout of Americans. Gas and oil prices were falling. Support for Energy Independence via drilling and R&D for alternative and renewable energy sources was growing. It seemed inevitable the GOP would get their vote and sooner rather than later. Now, thanks to meddling by Corker, instead of continuing to exploit flaws in Democratic policies, Senate GOP leaders might be forced to regroup and decide if they can even continue in the face of the Gang’s treachery.
Worse is Corker’s betrayal of Tennesseans and Americans in general. The Gang’s proposals ask for less concessions than GOP leadership would likely have been able to get from the Senate. The Gang does call for drilling. But they accept serious restrictions on drilling the GOP would likely not have needed to give up; restrictions which make the oil produced more expensive. Drilling 50 miles offshore is more expensive than drilling 15 miles offshore. Unmentioned is most oil we already know about is inside the Gang’s 50 mile ban meaning more time and expense for exploration.
The proposal also seeks to provide tax incentives for converting cars to non-oil fuel sources, including $20 billion for research and development, grants to help U.S. automakers develop alternative fuel vehicles and consumer tax credits for purchase of highly efficient cars.
5 Republicans signed on to this? How exactly will this help Americans pay for fuel anytime soon? What widely available, inexpensive, “non-oil fuel source” currently exists for Americans to convert to? Propane? Driven past a commercial propane station lately?
R&D grants to automakers clearly indicate any benefits are expected to be future ones. Even the current existence of increasingly fuel efficient cars to which proposed tax credits might be applied is misleading. They are brand new cars, not used ones; many sporting new technology making them even more expensive. Corker’s plan is to give Americans a $2,500 tax credit, for example, to buy a $25,000 car? This is making things more affordable?
Add to this the plan’s call for 85% of cars on the road by 2028 to run on non-petroleum fuel and you see how much this will cost American families already unable to afford $4 gas. Considering there are at least 100 million vehicles now on the road, Americans and American business will have to replace or modify 85 million vehicles in the next 20 years. At $2,500 to $25,000 per vehicle that’s a $212.5 billion to $2.125 trillion high drag, low speed burden the Gang imposes on Americans and the American economy in the name of saving us from high prices. It sounds like the joke about buying things one doesn’t need because they are on sale and justifying the purchases based on “savings”!
Worse, there won’t be any real savings. Adding $84 billion to oil companies’ cost of production only means the product produced will cost $84 billion more at the pump. Americans are going to pay more thanks to Corker and the Gang. R&D is fantastic. Even if it takes years to bring something to market, the wait is generally worth it. But at issue is what do Americans do in the meantime? Cheap oil now while we transition is better than expensive oil now until we transition.
The final insult is that oil produced under the Gang’s plan cannot be sold outside the US. Democrats have whined for years about losing good jobs and weakening the Economy. Here is an opportunity to create jobs and fuel the Economy and Corker and the Gang won’t allow it. Brazil has enjoyed record economic growth and job creation as it has changed from a net oil importer to a net exporter over the last 5 years or so. But for Corker and the Gang, oil production beyond that necessary to eliminate US oil imports cannot be sold on world markets. The jobs, economic growth and general prosperity oil exporting nations enjoy is denied to America and her citizens, corporate and individual.
Thus the next command from government beyond where we drill and where we sell will be how much we produce. Only produce here; only sell there - as if government owned the oil. Couple these restrictions with government requirements that Big Oil finance R&D which makes their product less marketable and you complete the picture of the ignorance the Gang wants foisted on the American public as beneficial. And Bob Corker says this is exactly what he wanted to accomplish in DC. Corker and the Gang would be better advised to join up with their GOP House colleagues’ #Don’t Go Movement. It provides all the benefits they say they want with none of the drawbacks.
To recap, the R&D the Gang proposes won’t be helpful for years. They tease you with tax credits for far off R&D results you’ll end up paying for later anyway via the same high prices they claim to be fighting. As beneficial as R&D is for tomorrow, today’s prosperity requires inexpensive, readily available oil. The immediate burden of surviving lean R&D years falls on Big Oil. But they must work while prevented from drilling in the best places, selling for the best prices or providing the best wages and profits for Americans; all the while dealing with government imposed reductions on the value of their market and product.
Thanks, Bob! Do us a favor and don’t Gang up on us anymore. We can’t afford it!
[Editors Update and RePost: Thanks to Rob Shearer at Red Hat Rob and Warner Todd Huston, this story has received national attention. Rush Limbaugh read extensively from WTH’s post on the matter and mentioned both Warner and our own Rob Shearer by name. Both Rush and Neil Boortz linked to the issue from their daily show pages. This issue doesn’t appear to be going away. Look for more on this here and at The Tennessee ConserVOLiance.]
Recently, the Tennessee State Board of Education ruled diplomas issued to home-schooled students from religious based schools were invalid as proof of the successful completion of High School should it be presented for employment purposes for a job for which state law requires a diploma. You read that right. According to the State Board of Education, all diplomas are equal but some diplomas are more equal than others.
… anyone from a public school (or a private accredited school) who presents a diploma in order to be hired as a daycare worker, police officer, fireman (or any other position which state law requires a high school diploma for) will be automatically accepted. Anyone who presents a homeschool diploma will be automatically rejected.
The Board of Education’s rationale is since they had no input over the curricula which resulted in the diploma, they won’t recognize the diploma since they don’t know what it represents. For instance, the diploma could mean only that the student had 12 years of school yet cannot read well enough to complete an employment application and will need remedial classes for his first year of college.
But there’s a problem. It’s nicely pointed out by Red Hat Rob.
I have some news for the Department of Education officials. When a public school graduate presents a diploma, no one has any way to tell what it represents either. Did the ertswhile young graduate have an A average or a D- average? There is no minimum GPA requirement for graduation from a public high school in Tennessee.
Education has always been a prime subject for measurement. I’m not particularly opposed to that since I’m a big believer in rewarding individual effort if it’s successful and working to improve performance if it isn’t. To do that it is vital we know how well a particular person is doing in the skill we’re measuring. The Tennessee Board of Education and Red Hat Rob are both right on one thing. The presentation of a diploma is no measure of a student’s learning or ability. It only means the student has completed 12 grades. For that reason, Big Education has always touted certain metrics as being indicative of the success or failure of educators in providing a quality education. High on the list of metrics is ACT scores. They are useful for group comparisons as opposed to individual successes or failures.
Red Hat Rob refers us to the ACT itself, which reports in ACT News, that in 2007, the national average score on the ACT was 21.2. The average score for High Scool grads in Tennessee was 20.7. That makes Tennessee students just a little less than average as a group. While that figure is a composite of home educated, privately educated and governmentally educated students who took the test, it generally may be taken to mean that Tennessee’s Board of Education is willing to accept as satisfactory a diploma that represents a slightly less than average education.
Almost 25% of home school students were enrolled one or more grades above their age-level peers in public and private schools.
Home school student achievement test scores were exceptionally high. The median scores for every subtest at every grade (typically in the 70th to 80th percentile) were well above those of public and Catholic/Private school students.
On average, home school students in grades 1 to 4 performed one grade level above their age-level public/private school peers on achievement tests.
Students who had been home schooled their entire academic life had higher scholastic achievement test scores than students who had also attended other educational programs.
It further found,
Even with a conservative analysis of the data, the achievement levels of the home school students in the study were exceptional. Within each grade level and each skill area, the median scores for home school students fell between the 70th and 80th percentile of students nationwide and between the 60th and 70th percentile of Catholic/Private school students. For younger students, this is a one year lead. By the time home school students are in 8th grade, they are four years ahead of their public/private school counterparts.
The results are consistent with previous studies of the achievement of home school students.
Addressing our question of ACT scores, a long standing metric for determining academic success, the digest reports,
Home school students did quite well in 1998 on the ACT college entrance examination. They had an average ACT composite score of 22.8 which is .38 standard deviations above the national ACT average of 21.0 (ACT,1998).This places the average home school student in the 65th percentile of all ACT test takers.
What was the ACT composite score for Tennessee students for 1998? In the year homeschoolers averaged 22.8 and the national average was 21.0, Tennessee’s students scored just 19.8, a full 3 points below home schoolers. This put Tennessee ahead of only North and South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana and Washington DC. The composite home school score places them FIRST among the 51 jurisdictions represented in the study.
Unfortunately, the digest attempts to downplay the astounding statistics noting,
The superior performance of home school students on achievement tests can easily be misinterpreted. This study does not demonstrate that home schooling is superior to public or private schools. It should not be cited as evidence that our public schools are failing. It does not indicate that children will perform better academically if they are home schooled. The design of this study and the data do not warrant such claims. All the comparisons of home school students with the general population and with the private school population in this report fail to consider a myriad of differences between home school and public school students. We have no information as to what the achievement levels of home school students would be had they been enrolled in public or private schools. This study only shows that a large group of parents choosing to make a commitment to home schooling were able to provide a very successful academic environment.
In essence, it says the digest reports home school students outperform government school students by significant margins. They do so throughout their academic careers. They do so measured any way you choose, including standardized tests. They do so consistently as reported in studies covering a variety of samples, locations and times. But ERIC concludes home schools are not superior to government schools. It only demonstrates ” … home schooling [provides] a very successful academic environment.” I only attended government schools but even I can read between those lines and discern the truth.
Tennessee’s Board of Education is going with the government line “Home schooling must be automatically rejected since we don’t know what they’ve learned” and “Government schools must be accepted since we know what they’ve learned.” Unfortunately, State educators missed the widely available and easily located studies and reports that prove them wrong. They didn’t do their homework. Or perhaps they missed the lesson on how to do a research paper. We shouldn’t hold it against them, though. They probably went to government schools, too.
Legacy. Governors and Presidents worry, “What will my legacy be?”. It’s a fancy-shmancy way of asking, “What exactly will they say I DID for 8 years?”
Tennessee’s Governor, Phil Bredesen, is no different. Not up for election, and a Lame Duck, it appears he’s started thinking about his. Just before Christmas Bredesen found a building project he liked, and, likely caught up in the Christmas story’s drama, found a legacy in that season’s account of the life and death of Christ. With so many characters to choose from, you’d think the Governor would have picked someone inspirational. You’d be wrong. Instead of forging a legacy from role models such as Joseph or the wise men or even Mary; in short, instead of choosing a hero, he opted for a villain. There were three to choose from but I can’t decide which he was shooting for. So I’ll outline the options and let you all decide which role Governor Bredesen is playing. Feel free to leave your choices in ‘Comments’.
Up first is Herod the Great. This role fits many of the Governor’s actual actions. Herod was sort of Jewish but not Jewish enough for the citizens. He continually tried to win the hearts and minds of his subjects. One method used was building projects. Bredesen has lived in Tennessee for years but isn’t really a Tennessean to many. Seen as a Carpet Bagger, he’s viewed suspiciously. Still, he won enough hearts and minds to get elected. Herod, after gaining power he embarked on a building program financed by the people and erected a magnificent Temple. Like Herod, Bredesen started building but all he managed was a multi-million dollar entertainment bunker for a mansion he never uses anyway. In their own minds, the two despots were serving the public. Yet, neither group of subjects appreciated what was done for them. Probably because the projects are monuments to tyranny rather than evidence of benevolence. That, and the fact the people were taxed into poverty to pay for it. I assume the bunker will be nice.
Up next is Judas; personally chosen by Jesus and made part of His inner circle. Unfortunately Judas retained a core of selfishness he couldn’t suppress. He never managed to reconcile Service and Authority; failing the lesson his peers learned - the greatest was the servant of all. That failure led Judas to betray what he claimed to love for personal gain. 30 pieces of silver. Bredesen was chosen by the majority of Tennesseans to be their chief advocate. For years he’s led a privileged life. But selfishness proved too strong and he established his legacy with a construction project costing more than 30 pieces of silver. A lot more. Despite pleas from those who trusted him to speak for them not to waste millions on a needless bunker, the Governor betrayed Tennesseans with a kiss and went ahead with his plans. Or perhaps it was that he offered Tennesseans a part of him to kiss …
Lastly, we find Pilate. Pilate had the authority to right the wrong that unfolded before him and which originated with others. He tried to dodge his responsibility by handing the decision off to Herod. He even got good advice from his wife; “Have nothing to do with this man!” Ultimately, he was coerced into a decision by the masses which begs the question, “What good is having authority to do good if you don’t actually do good with the authority you have?” Pilate responds with his famous handwashing scene after tossing an innocent man under the bus. Just so, Bredesen’s decisions in the matter started with the actions of others. The original plan to renovate the Governor’s mansion came from Bredesen’s wife, Andrea Conte, and would have been a fantastic legacy for the First Couple. Unfortunately, the renovation mushroomed from a few hundred thousand dollars in private donations to millions in tax dollars spent on new construction. Bredesen dodged responsibility by sending disgruntled citizens to Mike Fitts, the state architect. Fitts, an innocent, was tasked with defending the indefensible and did such a good job of taking arrows meant for the Governor that Andrea Conte herself praised him while dismissing the complaints of Tennesseans.
“You are doing a magnificent job of deflecting hits and correcting erroneous information regarding Conservation Hall,” [Conte] writes. “This is an innovative design and a long time coming—what a shame partisan political hacks have targeted the project out of meanness of spirit and selfishness.”
Conte concludes her note with a hearty dose of good cheer.
“Keep a song in your heart and a smile on your face” [Conte] assures Fitts. “We will prevail.”
Legacy. So many politicians seek one. They forget they forge one via their daily decisions as opposed to manufacturing one with a few selected projects. If Bredesen had served Tennesseans as opposed to himself, his legacy might have been different from the one he’s building in a bunker. Future “public servants” would do well to remember the actual legacies of our three choices; Herod, Judas and Pilate. As for Bredesen, he’ll get his bunker by despising and belittling those he was to serve, preferring instead to serve himself. Not exactly the legacy he was looking for but it’s the one he earned.
Those who remember almost any recent election will likely stop to read that headline again. After all, isn’t it the Democrats who have been making the claim every other year that their voters have been disenfranchised? Isn’t it the other guys that do that sort of thing? The answers are yes and no. ‘Yes’, it’s the Democrats that claim it but, ‘No’, it’s not the other guys that do it. Hypocritically, it is Democrats that claim it and the Democrats that do it. One need look no further than Tennessee SJR 127 for proof.
In 2000, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that common sense legislation pertaining to abortion in Tennessee be struck down. Things like a 48 hour waiting period and full disclosure of the impact of having an abortion to any woman seeking one were thrown out. It is vital to note that none of this legislation prevented, in any way, a woman’s access to abortion. Just the opposite. How is it possible that more information and consideration of such a decision would be bad for a woman considering such a medical procedure? The Court, as courts often do, ruled otherwise. Once again, a small group of appointed individuals, set aside the will of the people as expressed through their duly elected representatives.
Since 2004, SJR 127 has been introduced into the Tennessee Senate and passed by a wide majority each time. Each time it has gone to the Tennessee House where it has died in Committee, the Public Health and Family Assistance Subcommittee of Health and Human Resources Committee to be precise. It was the same earlier this year. On a party line vote, the Subcommittee refused to allow SJR 127 to come out of committee to the full House where it would pass and then be put on the ballot in 2010 for all Tennesseans to vote on. Six committee members, all Democrats, are preventing six million Tennesseans from having their say. Talk about disenfranchising voters!
The resolution these six anti-democracy Democrats are keeping from appearing on the ballot is as follows:
Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother.
That’s it. It’s a simple, factual declaration the truth. There is no language in the Tennessee Constitution that secures the right to an abortion or funding for the same. Instead, it is up to the people of the state of Tennessee to decide!. Who could be against that? In 2008, in the United States of America, who could oppose letting the people vote on such an important issue and have a say in the way things are done in their state?
Who, indeed? It is the Democrats who oppose such a thing! It is the Democrats who insist the people be forbidden from voting on the matter! It is the Democrats who say there’s no need to put such a matter on the ballot for the people to decide. One has to wonder why. Isn’t it the Democrats who loudly and continually tell us that the people overwhelmingly support abortion on demand? Isn’t it the Democrats who proclaim themselves the champions of choice? Isn’t it the Democrats who are first to rush to the microphones and reporters with charges of voters being disenfranchised? Yes. It is.
But when it comes to actually having to support such a concept as opposed to merely talking about it, it is also the Democrats who are saying one thing and doing another. It is the Democrats who won’t allow the people to actually have a say on abortion. It is the Democrats that refuse to allow the people to choose. It is the Democrats who sit in Committee and refuse to speak when the voters of Tennessee are disenfranchised. It’s the way they want it.
Tennessee House members Lois DeBerry, Joanne Favors, Sherry Jones, Mary Pruitt, Jeanne Richardson - all Democrats, along with the chair of the full Health and Human Resources Committee Joe Armstrong, also a Democrat - all voted to deny Tennesseans the ability to exercise their right to govern themselves via the vote. It’s six against six million!
Once again I find myself wondering why so many good people with solid values continue to support the Democratic Party when the Party repudiates everything they stand for time and time again. I think it’s time for those folks to rethink supporting Democrats. I think it’s time for Tennessee to be governed by Tennesseans and not by out of touch, out of the mainstream Democrats who don’t even understand enough about our government to know that it’s government of, by and for “the people”, not “the powerful”. Email or call these Representatives. Let them know you’ll be thinking of their vote as you cast your vote in November! At least the Democrats haven’t found a way to take that vote away from you … yet …
