Crossville Chronicle, Crossville, TN

WE THE PEOPLE: Rethinking Afghanistan
LION AND THE LAMB: Old politics in new times
STUMPTALK: Washington’s war on the American citizen
President Obama fiddled away precious time with indecision over the war in Afghanistan, health care and recovery from the worst economic train wreck since the great depression, while traipsing off to Denmark to nail down Chicago as the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics games.
Want to read more columns? We've got plenty!
Check out some "oldies but goodies" from Mike Moser, David Spates, Dorothy Brush and Ed Wood. There are some doozies in there.
SMALL TOWN GIRL: The hidden dangers of Halloween
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Jackson often stopped in Cumberland
Shortly after "Random Thoughts" appeared last week I received a phone call. My caller said that of the 13 original colonies I listed only three southern colonies, North and South Carolina, Virginia and at that point my voice joined hers with “and Georgia.”
WE THE PEOPLE: Flight of the Falcon: a tale of darkness
When people were setting lighter than air altitude records, the payload was always tiny compared to the size of the balloon, so it seemed immediately odd that the Heeney family balloon was suspected of carrying off a six-year-old boy.
LION AND THE LAMB: You gotta have faith!
"You gotta have faith!" So spoke old friend Bob Beasley, a north woodsman, when he gave us a sourdough starter. It came, Bob claimed, directly descended from a gold miner in the Klondike, circa 1890.
STUMPTALK: They’re giving me and Sarah the Nobel Prize!
Sarah and I are getting the Nobel Prize for literature. No kidding.
GARY'S WORLD: Fifty years of weather predicting tradition
For those who know me, it is no secret that I love the "olden days" and community history. The stories and people are often rich with character and charm. My wife and I often say to each other that we couldn't have picked a better place to make our home than Cumberland County Tennessee.
WE THE PEOPLE: Whose side are our senators on?
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Once upon a time in U.S. history
Most fairy tales begin with "Once upon a time" but that phrase is just as accurate if used to begin stories from forgotten history. Today’s column relives one of those moments in our country’s history where this section of land played an important role in the birth of a new nation.
STUMPTALK: Cap and trade is based on a hoax!
I SAY: Does it get any better than this?
An unspoken tradition of ours is to dine out at least once a week, usually on Friday or Sunday evenings, and that weekly journey sometimes leads us to Cracker Barrel.
It is not a bad choice, especially this time of year, with just a bit of a nip in the air, the first hint of nature showing her fall colors and the smell of a burning fireplace in the air.
LION AND THE LAMB: The struggle against coal combustion residues coming to Cumberland County
WE THE PEOPLE: Good times continue to roll for the defense industry
Almost two million dollars ($1.9 million) every minute. That is what the defense department spent in 2008. With an economic crisis and scarce resources, it seems we would re-order our priorities. But defense continues to be the big winner with 57 percent of the budget while first runners-up, health and human services and transportation, are awarded a whopping 6 percent each.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Is anybody listening?
STUMPTALK: The difference between Obama and ...
SMALL TOWN GIRL: Breaking up is hard to do
Breaking up is hard to do.
There are many emotions involved. Sadness over the loss of something you've cultivated for years. Guilt over making such a tough decision, even though it had to be done. Regret, because even though the relationship is over, you still care.
GARY'S WORLD: Who said growing up was easy?
Sometimes the funniest moments in your life come when you least expect them. Take the other day for instance. My wife and I were shopping in a local retail drugstore — sorry no free advertising here — the store will remain nameless.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Good citizenship includes patriotism
Several years ago I saved an article headlined ‘Americans falter on civics.’ It gave the results of a study done by the nonprofit Intercollegiate Studies Institute. The head of their American Civic Literacy Program said of the findings, “Without knowledge of your country’s history, key texts and institutions, you don’t have a frame of reference to judge the politics and policies of today.”
WE THE PEOPLE: Small Businesses Need a Public Health Care Plan
LION AND THE LAMB: Mental health system still needs improvements
This is what caused our shock, when we learned that our son had a mental illness! We had no education, no insight about what was happening around us. That’s scary.
STUMPTALK: Fixing health care without wrecking it
On Wednesday, Sept. 9, President Obama repackaged his July 22 speech to sell again. Inspiring; kind of like selling left-over cold pizza. Again, the president vilified the insurance companies, disingenuously painting the entire industry with a wide brush.
TIDBITS: Homecoming filled with community spirit
I think I'm coming down with a case of school spirit.
This week, we've had our first cool snap, and folks have been digging through closets for sweaters and jackets to bundle up against temperatures that dipped into the 30s.
WE THE PEOPLE: America — bird in a gilded cage?
LION AND THE LAMB: Will people get smarter soon?
RANDOM THOUGHTS: The clothesline has many benefits
Just when someone decided clotheslines gave a community the look of a tenement or ghetto I don’t know. For generations backyard clotheslines were necessary to dry clothes. As community and homeowners associations grew, today there are over 300,000, they introduced rules prohibiting such “unsightly, lower class conveniences.”
GARY'S WORLD: A sport I can finally reckon with
The champion is back!
What a great weekend it must have been in Chattanooga. I'm sure the fans were celebrating and shooting off fireworks in Japan, too.
Who is all this fuss about you ask? Takeru Kobayashi.
STUMPTALK: 1969: Abbey Road, Helter Skelter, and Woodstock
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Remembering the Guiding Light
There are still a few of us who remember that radio was the introduction to a new world. We learned to be good listeners. There were shows for kids as well as soap operas but they were both squeaky clean. There was Ma Perkins and then 72 years ago "Guiding Light" appeared.
WE THE PEOPLE: DOWN THE MEMORY HOLE
Critics are quick to declare the Obama stimulus package a failure, after only seven months. They choose to forget that 16 months after Ronald Reagan's "miracle" 1981 tax cut, the US was still mired in deep recession, unemployment was a record 10.8 percent, and Reagan's approval rating stood at 35 percent.
LION AND THE LAMB: Choosing our U.S. Congress members
STUMPTALK: Some Healthcare Myths and Facts
No matter which poll one chooses to read, one thing is perfectly clear. High majorities of Americans have serious doubts about Obama’s health care plan.
WE THE PEOPLE: The threat of violence undermines democracy
LION AND THE LAMB: What's happening to us?
RANDOM THOUGHTS: The origins of Johnny Appleseed
Pinocchio has been in my thoughts recently. Before that little wooden boy became a real boy, he learned a hard lesson. Each time he told a lie his nose grew longer.
STUMPTALK: To educate the children, educate the public
RANDOM THOUGHTS: The history of Labor Day
Crossville was honored to have a visit from the highly respected poet Edwin Markham during the 1920s. He spoke and recited some of his poems that evening.
WE THE PEOPLE: Myths versus facts in health insurance
LION AND THE LAMB: We need to control access to firearms
I SAY: All for the love of politics
When dawn broke across the Plateau Tuesday morning, Tennessee was learning that Cumberland County had lost one of its best friends. Retired state Sen. Anna Belle Clement O'Brien died Monday night at the age of 86.
GARY'S WORLD: The future of news is already here
I miss the tick, tick, ticking, bell ringing and carriage return noises of the typewriters. I miss the sounds of the old telephone rings. And I already miss the sound of the rollers running across the pages of the paper being put up on the paste-up boards.
One Man's Trash: Lake Tansi water harvesting
It seems to boil down to a matter of trust.
The lake front property owners around Lake Tansi don't trust the city of Crossville.
LION AND THE LAMB: The Cub and the Kid, Just Another Day
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Display the American Flag on Sept. 11
WE THE PEOPLE: The circus comes to town
And what a circus it was outside the Palace! The secretary of a prominent Cumberland County official carried a sign accusing President Obama of treason (a capital offense), thus subtly licensing violence against the president and his supporters. Another political worker wearing a brown dress and a tri-cornered party hat held a “Don’t Tread on Me” sign.
STUMPTALK: Voter Apathy
GARY'S WORLD: Good characters don't come along often
Of all the people I have met and have come to know in my life, I can honestly say there aren't many who lived the kind of life and were the type of great character as my friend Larry Frazier.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: “We weren’t wealthy, but we lived wealthy.”
“We weren’t wealthy but we lived wealthy,” said a woman whose family was displaced when Oak Ridge became a secret city. During these days of an uncertain economy those are words to remember and to put in practice.
LION AND THE LAMB: You have a right to healthcare
Never in my lifetime have I heard so much criticism of capitalism. It would seem that our current deep recession has stirred up a great deal of needed discussion about what went wrong and how it could be fixed.
WE THE PEOPLE: Workers made the U.S. the most prosperous country in the world
Since the early days of our republic, the struggle of American workers to improve their lives in the workplace has been an uphill fight against rich and powerful conservatives whose primary goal is to maintain a ready supply of cheap labor. In order to keep workers “over a barrel,” they have done their best to destroy one of the most important protections of working people—unions.
Fond memories of the Cumberland County Fair
It's hard to believe that August is nearly over, but before September arrives, we still have the county fair to look forward to. (And also my brother's 30th birthday... haha! Welcome to being old!)
STUMPTALK: The best public schools, college football, and recruiting
Two news items piqued my interest recently. First, Lane Kiffin, former assistant coach to Pete Carroll at the University of Southern California and recently head coach for the NFL Oakland Raiders, will replace Phillip Fulmer as head coach at the University of Tennessee. Second, U.S. News & World Report listed the 100 best public high schools in the U.S. according to Advanced Placement (AP) test and International Baccalaureate (IB) test scores.
TIDBITS: Living the American Dream
I finally did it. I finally decided to settle down and buy my first home.
Last month, I signed on the dotted line and became one of a growing number of first-time home buyers.
Now, I'm going through box after box after box of belongings I have carted from one apartment to the next. I've toyed with my furniture, trying to find the "right" way to situate the couch and the TV and my bookcases. I've organized my kitchen and even — gasp — mowed the lawn.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Remembering football and Ohio Northern University
Ohio Northern University was Ada, Ohio’s only claim to being noticed for many years. The village population remained in the 5000-plus range in census after census. It was a small factory making footballs that put the village on the map. Even though they had only about 130 employees it was the second-biggest employer after the university.
LION AND THE LAMB: “Sticks and Stones can Break my Bones, but Words can Never harm me,” is a lie!
To call someone crazy is one thing. To call someone a schizophrenic is another thing. You are labeling someone by the type of illness they have, or worse, by some outdated stereotype.
WE THE PEOPLE: Money for special interests but not for people's health?
In 2001, Congress passed the Bush tax cuts, estimated to cost $1.35 trillion over 10 years, with no way to pay for them except the discredited "trickle-down" theory of the '80s.
GARY'S WORLD: Put away the chips and hit the books
Well another summer has come and gone for the kids in Cumberland County and it's back to school for their first full week. I feel for the students and the teachers, too.
It's hard to get back on a routine schedule and not being able to lay around, eat potato chips, drink Cokes and watch cartoons all day, or go fishing, biking or play whenever you want.
Preparing for back to school is not a picnic for a teacher, either.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: The secret to Helen Keller was her religion
On July 24, 2009 the president signed a proclamation to celebrate the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The next day a small newspaper article reported that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke at a meeting of the American Association of Americans With Disabilities. She told them that on October 7 a bronze statue of 7-year-old Helen Keller standing at the water pump would be unveiled in the new main hall of the Capital Visitors complex.
LION AND THE LAMB: What if we ran fire departments like health care?
This contribution was published in the Chronicle on March 16, 1994, during a previous health care crisis:
"This is 911. How may I help you?"
"Help! My house is on fire."
WE THE PEOPLE: The time for healthcare reform is now
The uninsured who have no jobs (often because of layoffs or illness) and have no money or access to health care providers end up in the emergency room with problems that could be handled simply as an outpatient if there were a place for them to be treated, or they are seen with life-threatening illnesses because they couldn't receive the proper treatment for their chronic illness (i.e. high blood pressure and diabetes) or couldn't receive preventive care and now have untreatable cancer. These people show up where the care is the most expensive because they won't get turned away.
THEREFORE I AM: I bid farewell, "on a regular basis"
All good things must come to an end. That's what I tell my kids when they whine about having to conclude something they love — playing with friends outside, riding their bikes, leading Mario to brave new worlds, whatever. Nothing lasts forever, and my "Therefore I Am" column is no exception. This is the last column I'll be writing on a regular basis.
STUMPTALK: Let’s get real about health care reform
President Obama pressed his socialist health care plan in primetime (July 22). The plan, which he admitted he hadn’t read, was chocked full of generalities but light on details. What he conspicuously ignores amounts to a tipping point, a situation that has received virtually no mention in the media, but will derail his plan when the American people catch on.
LION AND THE LAMB: Who are the lions and wherefore the lambs?
A summer Sunday morning in Tennessee is to some persons a glimpse of heaven and a gift from God. Others see such mornings as the product of billions of years of astrophysical and geological change and evolution. Blackberries are ripening. Wisps of fog cling to the shoulders of the Crab Orchard mountains. Pastures are dotted with sleek cattle and proud horses. Bells peal from churches scattered throughout the countryside and in the towns and villages of this green land we call home.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Are we leaning toward windpower?
“Like a circle in a spiral/Like a wheel within a wheel” were words that stirred the imagination of all who heard the song "The Windmills of Your Mind." It appeared first in the 1968 movie The Thomas Crown Affair. Michel Legrand set the words to music and it has been recorded over and over. The latest recording was last year and as our energy conscious country dots the landscape with hundreds of wind turbines it undoubtedly will remain a favorite for generations.
WE THE PEOPLE: Ignoring evidence of birth is madness
The Vatican urged Copernicus to publish his treatise suggesting that the Earth travels around the Sun. In those days, the all-powerful Christian Church felt no threat from the logic of science. It was only after the Reformation that fundamentalist conservatives gained power and the Inquisition began. Subsequently, the abrasive and arrogant Galileo was called to heel. By then, though, the “cat was out of the bag,” and the states which used scientific logic to address practical problems surged ahead (in an intellectual, material and military sense).
WE THE PEOPLE: Why doesn’t Congress obey their constitutional limits?
Our constitutional form of government is the best in the world. If each division of our government functioned as required by the Constitution, we would not be in the financial and social situation that currently exists. Problems develop when Congress attempts to enact laws that favor one group of citizens over another or when they try to dictate actions.
THEREFORE I AM: Feel like you're living in a meat locker?
If you look up the word thermostat in the dictionary, you'll read something to the effect that it's a device used to regulate indoor temperature. What you won't find in the dictionary is that a thermostat is also the perfect mechanism to drive someone else absolutely, 100 percent, certifiably gooseneck crazy.
WE THE PEOPLE: Fool me once, twice, three times, four ...
In 1836 P.T. Barnum, renowned promoter and circus impresario, bought an elderly slave woman named Joice Heth, whom he then exhibited as the 160-year-old childhood nursemaid to George Washington.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: The Eagle, concussions and earthquakes
When the Eagle landed forty yeas ago it left lasting memories for many. One said, “I remember watching the moon landing on TV when I was a kid.” Today that person is the CEO of Chattanooga Bakery, Sam Campbell IV, and now forty years later he said, “What a treat it is to participate in this wonderful celebration in some small way.”
LION AND THE LAMB: Disposable diapers and the American way of life
Writing in the current issue of "In These Times," Lisa Manterfield offers some startling statistics — about diapers. It has been more than a half century since my wife and I diapered our four offspring, and times were different then. We used washable cloth diapers; we used a clothesline; we thought that was the way everybody took care of baby sanitation.
EDITORIAL: Simple résumés would have saved election commission a lot of work
The Cumberland County Election Commission needs to require applicants for the administrator of elections to provide at the least a listing of their qualifications and experience before it selects the permanent administrator.
THEREFORE I AM: Automatic flush but no automatic door?
Am I the only one who thinks that bathroom automation has gone a bit too far? I feel like a Jedi master when I go to most restaurant restrooms — I wave my hands and things magically happen. It's just a matter of time before bathroom automation gets to the point where I don't even have to unzip anymore.
FROM THE PUBLISHER: Government putting dollars ahead of beauty and safe harbor
They have loaded and cocked the gun to take Lake Tansi's water. The Crossville City Council unanimously voted in favor to proceed with eminent domain condemnation in order to obtain the waters of Lake Tansi.
STUMPTALK: What happened to candidate Obama?
The president ran on a platform of cutting taxes, cutting subsides, cutting government and balancing the budget. Upon taking office he reversed his direction. He raised the top income tax rate as well as indirect taxes on the middle class.
WE THE PEOPLE: The war against poor children
In John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, a hungry homeless man, one of thousands forced off Oklahoma farms and seeking work in California, drives the road with his wife and thin children “…and he saw the golden oranges hanging on the trees…the guards with shotguns patrolling the lines so a man might not pick an orange for a thin child, oranges to be dumped if the price was low…”
LION AND THE LAMB: Balancing democracy with health care
Each of us was born with a certain skin color. Depending on the circumstances where we were born, it could have been a color that was privileged or disadvantaged, but one that could not be changed.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: "He did it his way"
During the 1800s Tennesseans had a strong attachment to Texas. In old papers I found items saying that folks often just left a note on their door saying “Gone to Texas.” In this month’s issue of Texas Highways magazine there is a feature story about Huntsville, TX, described as Land of Big Sam. That is the American hero our two states share, Sam Houston.
THEREFORE I AM: No one should "like" anything this much
In a few short weeks I will begin a grand, decades-long adventure. Inching ever closer to being a certified elementary school teacher, I expect — make that demand — myself to make a positive impact on my students’ lives. OK, so maybe that’s a tad Pollyannaish. Truthfully, I’ll be thrilled if I can teach the kids not to use the word “like” seven times in a sentence.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: News is everywhere
Writers are always looking for stories, me included. This summer I watched a Fairfield Glade bank as it was gradually transformed into the Westminster Presbyterian Church USA. On the daily trip to check my post office box at the adjoining mall I saw a steeple on the ground waiting to be put in place on the roof.
LION AND THE LAMB: Regarding a public option for health insurance
Currently there is a hodgepodge of health insurance programs. A program that covers all federal employees; a program that covers the military and their dependents; a veterans administration program; the Postal Workers have their system, the Federal Reserve has its own; there are state, county and local programs; plus Medicare and Medicaid options for seniors and low income individuals. No one should wonder why there are problems in the health care arena.
WE THE PEOPLE: Our broken health care system must be fixed
There is a big debate in Congress now about adding a public health care plan to our current private insurance system. Let's face it. Our health care system is totally broken and has to be fixed. Today, 46 million people have no health insurance and even more are underinsured with such high deductibles and co-payments that they avoid seeking medical care. More than 18,000 Americans die every year from preventable illnesses because they do not get to the doctor when they should.
STUMPTALK: High School JROTC and the public schools
In case readers don’t know, JROTC stands for Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. The Army operates the program here in the Cumberland County high schools, but all the services have high school JROTC programs around the country.
THEREFORE I AM: Just keep the laundry gripes to yourself
I’m not a griper. At least I try not to be. If I’m going to gripe, I do my best to put a little forethought into the gripe. After all, if I’m going to lodge a gripe, it’s my duty to have a clear understanding about why I’m griping. Like the boy who cried wolf, no one pays any attention to a griper who gripes about everything. Overabundant gripes are very easy to ignore.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Kip, iced tea, grocery bags and goats
It’s time to sort through my idea file folder and remove items that are worth a mention but not enough to fill a whole column. Things like the day this column appears, 7-8-09. Then there is the importance of watching any golf tournament where Brian Gay is a contestant because Kip Henley is there as his caddy.
WE THE PEOPLE: Health care insurance? Bring it on!
Believers in the radical free-market preach that unrestricted individual greed leads to the most efficient delivery of services. Although they constantly proselytize, there have been almost no controlled tests to prove their point. Now, however, an excellent opportunity for a comparison is being offered.
THEREFORE I AM: Paternity leave is more important than dogs — there, I said it
I like dogs just fine, but let's be honest. Dogs can be a lot of work, and quite frankly, I have enough to do already without maintaining indoor livestock. Maybe I should just take our dog to work and be done with it. "Get your bone, Rusty! We're going to the office!"
STUMPTALK: The number of uninsured Americans is a hoax
The widely claimed number of uninsured Americans is dishonest and misleading. A study released by the Employment Policies Institute (EPI) on June 23, 2009 shows that 43 percent of the claimed 47 million uninsured Americans can afford medical insurance and elect to remain “voluntarily uninsured.”
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Remember how freedom was created
It happened on July 2 but was celebrated on July 4, 1776. The resolution of political independence was adopted on July 2 and John Adams, believing that date would be celebrated for generations, wrote to his wife Abigail. “It ought to be celebrated, as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward evermore.”
WE THE PEOPLE: We're number one?
My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Norway, a country of immense scenic beauty, and Sweden, pristine and neat. As we began our journey in Oslo, we noticed the unusual number of young men caring for their babies — pushing strollers, feeding, soothing, and holding them.
KID AND CUB: Did we have an election or what?
The Kid and the Cub were picking berries at the edge of a stand of timber. The Cub was carrying a small radio. It was stuck on a talk-show station. “I thought we had an election last year,” Kid said.
THEREFORE I AM: May I see your bikini license, please?
Before you’re allowed to purchase a bathing suit, there should be some state licensing involved. I’m not a fan of big government, but someone needs to step in. The suits are getting smaller and smaller, but quite a few of the sunbathers, both men and women, are getting larger and larger. It’s a recipe for disaster. During this past week I saw spandex do things that its inventors never intended — stretched, pulled, distended, folded over, you name it.
STUMPTALK: Obama’s uncertainty is scary
Speaking with forked tongues has a new virtual reality as exhibited by Obama. He heaps trillions of dollars onto the deficit, now and programmed for the future, then made a speech that we cannot sustain such a high deficit and obligation or indebtedness to foreign countries. All of this before he addresses health care, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc.
WE THE PEOPLE: May it please the court
Republicans have gotten the word that they are not running the candy store anymore, and they are not accepting it gracefully. Their attacks on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor show a woeful lack of finesse.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: "Wild but fun"
This column gave you the news that Michael Sims was appearing on the CBS Early Show on May 7. He was questioned about his new book, In the Womb: Animals. I was disappointed that it was such a short segment. Later I learned it was planned to be longer but, as anyone knows who watches news shows, other stories intrude at the last minute and plans change quickly. That was what happened in this case but Michael said, “It was wild, but fun.”
LION AND THE LAMB: President needs help with health care plan
Wednesday at 3 p.m. there will be a meeting of citizens wanting to be helpful in passing President Obama's plan for Universal Health Care. Should you be reading this before 3 p.m. and care to go, you would be welcome to attend. It will be held at the Common Ground on Fourth Street.
I SAY: Caboose is nice addition
This country has long held a romanticism toward trains and the railroads, sparked in part because the rails played such an important role in the development of this country. Today the railroad is still an important mover of goods from one point to another. The three Rotary Clubs of Cumberland County, under the vision of the late Bob Patton, took on the project of saving Crossville’s historic railroad depot and with the city of Crossville’s blessing and help, made what was once a centerpiece of Main St. a modern day show place.
EDITORIAL: Clink, clink, clink
You don't recognize the sound coming from the courtroom of the Cumberland County Courthouse Monday night? It is the sound of 30 pieces of silver hitting the table as the Cumberland County Commission sold out our county for a promise and a whim. Can you say hypocrisy?
LION AND THE LAMB: What happened to auto labor?
"This is as far as I go," said the bus driver, as he stopped in the presence of a milling throng of pickets. It was in 1941, and the strike was on at the Ford Motor Company's Rouge Plant.
WE THE PEOPLE: Afghanistan: Make jobs not war
As we begin the process of ending the Iraq war, we must not get bogged down in a perpetual war in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, there are those who profit from keeping America in a permanent state of war, but we the people must say no to endless war that drains the U.S. treasury and puts enormous stress on our troops who have to endure repeated deployments. History teaches us that those nations that rely solely on military force eventually fail.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Treat your flag with deserved respect
Sunday, June 14, was Flag Day nationwide. At our house everyday is flag day. One of the first things we did when we moved into our home was install a tall flag post and a ground light illuminating it so the flag could fly free at all hours. That means we change flags several times a year. Each old flag was carefully folded and stored away.
STUMPTALK: By all means, put George W. Bush on trial!
If people find media circuses entertaining, then they should by all means encourage the new President’s justice department to indict President George W. Bush. If they want a replay of Watergate, Iran Contra, the Clinton impeachment and trial, or the Florida recount debacle of 2000, citizens should push for a trial.
THEREFORE I AM: Let's get in the back seat together
Have you been in your back seat lately? You should go. It’s good. There’s almost a dreamlike quality to it, familiar and different at the same time. Everything is where it should be, just not quite. It’s possible my back seat is the nexus of universal time and space. Actually, since I drive a function-over-form minivan, I have multiple back seats — three to be exact. Two are captain’s chairs, presumably where Kirk and Ahab would sit if we ever went on a road trip together.
LION AND THE LAMB: Churches and homes ought to be sacred places
On Sunday, May 30, Scott Roeder shot Dr. George Tiller to death in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas. Dr. Tiller was handing out church bulletins, but that was not the reason he was shot. During the weekdays Dr. Tiller provided abortions — and to Mr. Roeder, as well as to TV personality Bill O'Reilly, Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry, and others, Dr. Tiller was a baby-killer and a mass murderer.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Anyone need a memory erased?
Recently a new drug has been developed that erases memory. It is described as a therapeutic drug but one person who lives with horrible memories expressed doubts about the purpose of this kind of drug. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 Elie Wiesel spent his early years in four different concentration camps and experienced the death of his parents and a sister during that time.
STUMPTALK: Then, on the sixth day, He created an auto crisis
By summer 2008, most financial gurus concluded that the economic bubble that spanned most of the Clinton and Bush administrations was about to burst. Political panic seized the Bush administration, “the sky’s falling and America is doomed” unless the government steps in with new regulations, institutional takeovers and massive lending.
THEREFORE I AM: Hold the "cheese" on your driver's license
The government wants to wipe that goofy grin off your face. Stay in line, do what you're told, and —— above all — no smiling allowed. That's fine by me. My driver's license photos always look horrible no matter what facial expression I have, and smiling is rarely any improvement. Four states are demanding that people not smile in their driver's license photos. You can still smile in the Volunteer State, but I say it won't be long until smiling will be a no-no here as well.
I SAY: What better can one say?
At the end of the day when all is said and done, what better thing can we have said about us than that we were a good person? John Dishman was a good person and I will miss him for a long time. For more than 20 years I saw John nearly every week, sometimes four and five times a week, and sometimes twice a day or more.
LION AND THE LAMB: What is a little white church worth?
The Kid and the Cub lolled in the grass above an expansive valley. The Kid nibbled at tender clover. The Cub stretched and rolled onto his back so his underside could catch the sunshine. It was a near perfect Sunday morning. A small white church with open doors was at the high end of the valley. Flowering magnolia trees ringed the nearby church cemetery.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Another birthday for Tennessee
A belated happy birthday to Tennessee! On June 1, 1796 a long, narrow swatch of sparsely populated land dotted with mountains and rivers became the 16th state in the new United Sates of America. It wasn’t long before it earned an honorable nickname, the Volunteer State. Over its 213 years its citizens could be counted on to answer the call when the country needed help.
WE THE PEOPLE: TVA ash, a dumb idea
I was going to write about Tom Paine. The upcoming 200th anniversary of his death on June 9 certainly needs to be acknowledged, but if the people of Cumberland County can pull together to prevent the despoiling of their God-given land, they will do more to honor Tom’s memory than my feeble words, so I’ll defer for now.
THEREFORE I AM: 39 is (almost) too early for senility
If you’re involved in a hit-and-run accident, don’t ask me what I saw. I have no idea. I’d be a terrible witness. Just ask my neighbor. Troy can’t trim his bushes because of my lousy memory. Don’t believe it? Ask my brother-in-law, Doug. My hedge trimmer is in his garage.
STUMPTALK: Obama and the pirates
With reference to the MILNET and a retired SEAL it seems as though our president is not as transparent as he promised, but then did we expect more?
I SAY: What do you say to grads?
This week hundreds of parents and families gathered at our two high schools as their seniors walked across the stage and received their diploma. To the students, it has been 12 long years. If they only knew. I am in the unique situation of having two make that walk into the next phase of their lives
LION AND THE LAMB: Health care proposal raises questions
Reform of our increasingly dysfunctional health care system is becoming one of the top political issues. All sides are jumping into the fray, resulting (perhaps intentionally on the part of some players) in some confusing and misleading proposals.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Chocolate has made its mark in Tennessee
Chocolate lovers have been in the United States for a long time. Proof of that was found in Chaco Canyon, NM which dates back to 1,000 years. Finding this evidence was the first to verify the sweet stuff was in use north of Mexico.
STUMPTALK: Defining terms used in political discourse helps understanding
People writing about matters political tend to use loaded words, that is, words whose connotations evoke emotional responses. It is helpful, therefore, for those of us who write about things political to define our terms. I will begin by defining some of the words that I often use.
THEREFORE I AM: Psychology is at work at the buffet
I love a good buffet. I even love a bad buffet. There's something about the myriad of choices that I find irresistible, even if the food itself often is less than appealing. But by far the best part of the buffet is all-you-can-eat psychology that's served up each and every time I saunter up to those steaming stainless steel tables.
GUEST COLUMN: Libraries not just libraries anymore
With extraordinary vision to provide for the future welfare of the county, the Cumberland County Commission, under the leadership of Mayor Brock Hill, voted in 2008 to build a new 21st century library for our community.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: The Teardrop Memorial
Monday we remember those who gave their all in the many wars this country has fought. Officially the holiday is Memorial Day but to many from another generation it was called Decoration Day because the custom originated with gracious ladies of the South. They laid flowers on the graves of both the Confederate and Union soldiers who fell during the Civil War.
LION AND THE LAMB: Protesting can be done without violence
Last April 28, some 75 of us went to the Palace Theatre to view a film. At the entrance we were greeted by perhaps a hundred protesters, most carrying picket signs. (Some estimated that there were two hundred there. They were lining both sides of the street.)
WE THE PEOPLE: Ignoring the rule of law is a dangerous precedent
Back in the days when, as someone said, indignation was righteous, no detail regarding Bill Clinton’s merrymaking in the Oval Office was too trivial for the perpetually outraged to investigate. Now those same people have had an attitude adjustment and can’t turn the page on torture fast enough.
STUMPTALK: The greatest hoax of all times
Hollywood has never scripted it. Only fools try to attach a partisan culpability. In fact every president for the last 100 years has been complicit in a hoax that changed America forever. In 1910, some of world’s wealthiest bankers met in extreme secrecy to hatch an ingenious scheme to bilk the American people. As Christmas recess began in 1913, President Wilson signed into law the Federal Reserve System Act whereby Congress handed over its constitutional power to “coin and regulate money” to a cabal of private bankers.
I SAY: Latest ad is just creepy
Am I the only one who doesn't get these Burger King ads? The latest "I like square butts" ad is disturbing and it makes me wonder about the folks who come up with the ad campaign, and the executives at the main office who think this represents the fast food chain and thinks the creepy icon called the King represents them well.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: No one knows the truffles I've seen
Last week this column was all about geocaching, but for centuries Mother Nature had her own version of that popular fun hunt. In her version there were fewer clues to finding treasure and instead of a GPS those early hunters used a pig to sniff for the cache. The hunt was successful when the pig smelled the aroma of truffles in their subterranean hideaway.
LION AND THE LAMB: 150,000 and counting
Each day in our world, an estimated 150,000 people die. The reason may be old age, illness, injury, or a lack of what is necessary to sustain and nourish life. Although these 150,000 individuals are bound together by a common leave-taking experience, each of them represents a unique, never-to-be-repeated human experience.
WE THE PEOPLE: Big Business uses tax loophole to send jobs overseas
Big business is gearing up for what may be an epic battle with the Obama administration over its efforts to reform the practice of offshore tax deferrals which allow companies to avoid paying U.S. taxes on profits made overseas as long as they remain there.
STUMPTALK: Washington and that pesky common sense thing
When Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood and EPA administrator Lisa Jackson tried the old “cap and trade” shell game on Capitol Hill the other day (4-22-09) they tried to pass the mess off as a “jobs bill.”
THEREFORE I AM: 156 IQ and not yet potty trained
If you’re not sure what the capital of Indonesia is, ask a 2-year-old. Well, I guess you shouldn’t ask any 2-year-old. There are only a few who would give you an answer that doesn’t cite The Wiggles. Elise Tan-Roberts is one of the few. At 2, Elise has become the youngest member of Mensa, with an estimated IQ of 156.
I SAY: TVA fly ash doesn't fly ... yet
I will be the first to admit that what I know about fly ash could be placed in a thimble but I do have a bit of common sense and enough of it to fear this trojan horse that TVA is trying to give to Cumberland County. Common sense also tells me to not be against something, just because I don't like the sound of it.
GUEST COLUMN: Safdie owes us all a public apology
Last fall, in one of his last acts as a member of the Cumberland County Board of Education, Robert Safdie voted to postpone the scheduled opening date of our local school system.
THE CUB AND THE KID: The end of another era?
The Kid and the Cub were collaborating on a term paper titled “The Death of Print Journalism.” They were having trouble deciding where to begin. “My Granddad was a reporter and rewrite man for years,” the Kid said.
WE THE PEOPLE: Healthy food under attack?
As I write, the new swine flu epidemic is a breaking story. In Mexico, church services have been canceled and schools closed to slow the spread of the disease. In our country, this new flu has already been confirmed in ten states (including Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana) and by the time you read this, it may be in Tennessee.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Look for Sims on "Early Show"
For all those fans of Michael Sims, Crossville’s very successful author, he will be a guest on the CBS “Early Show” tomorrow morning. He will be talking about his new National Geographic book In the Womb: Animals and a new documentary by the same name which will be aired on Mother’s Day. Tomorrow, May 7, you can start your day with Michael Sims.
THEREFORE I AM: Am I ready for a purse? Is any man?
I miss my coat. Well, to be more accurate, I miss the carrying potential my coat affords me. Spring is nice, but for a man, there’s no better time of the year than winter for hauling around all of your day-to-day stuff. Maybe I should buy a man purse. Well, maybe not.
STUMPTALK: Ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is a bad idea
According to news reports, in the not too distant future President Obama will sign an executive order ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the Armed Forces. For those who have been asleep, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is the policy that prohibits openly homosexual men and women from serving in the Armed Forces.
INSIDE THE FIRST AMENDMENT: In public schools, religion by any other name is still religion
The latest flashpoint in the never-ending conflict over religion in public schools is “Spirituality for Kids,” a program developed by a leader of the Kabbalah Centre International in Los Angeles.
GUEST COLUMN: The county needs your feedback
It has been an honor to serve this district as its county commission representative and I am grateful to the opportunity to serve you. Like all of you, I am very concerned about economic development in our community and I find myself at a crossroad.
WE THE PEOPLE: The middle class squeeze, Part I
NBC News recently featured the story of a laid-off IBM worker. He was part of a 5000-employee shift from the U.S. to India, leaving U.S. personnel at just 29 percent of IBM’s total workforce — down from 35 percent in 2006.
LION AND THE LAMB: Tom Warren's sermon
Eric Robert Rudolph was a fugitive in the rugged mountain areas of North Carolina. He was better known as the "Olympic Park Bomber." He was wanted by the FBI for the bombing of the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park in 1996. He was wanted for bombings of abortion clinics in Sandy Parks, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: 2009 a year full of astronomy
2009 is the International Year of Astronomy and in many places it will be a double celebration with Astronomy Day which this year is Saturday, May 2. Now observed annually it was not until 1973 that Astronomy Day was first celebrated by a California group of star gazers. It does not have a firm date but is always on Saturday between mid-April and mid-May at or just before the first quarter moon.
THEREFORE I AM: And the seeds shall inherit the Earth
If you can’t find that packet of beefsteak tomato seeds you bought last week, check your junk drawer. (That’s where I always find lost stuff.) If they’re not in there, you might want to mush your sled dogs up to Norway and ask the folks at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault if they can spare a few. They have plenty.
STUMPTALK: The ascension of a dictator
As economic professor Thomas J. DiLorenzo so apply put it, “It only took the Obama administration a couple of weeks to prove that the national leadership of the Democratic Party is guided by totalitarian-minded socialists who seek to create an omnipotent government.
I SAY: Election commission a firestorm
Never in my life have I witnessed anything that comes close to the spectacle called the Cumberland County Election Commission's reorganizational meeting. If you are a fan of Southern gothic novels, then you missed the show of the century.
LION AND THE LAMB: It's time we do something about peace
Easter season, for Christians, gives us time to reflect on the arrest, trial and death of Jesus. It also gives us time to reflect on the violence and injustice in our community, nation and throughout the world.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Pirates and bedbugs deserve one another
Two pests have reemerged to bedevil innocent victims in the 21st century. Both pirates and bed bugs have engaged in their evil ways since the beginning of time and they are back nastier than ever.
WE THE PEOPLE: Time to repeal ban on gays in the military
Despite Bill Clinton’s promise to repeal the ban on gays and lesbians in the military, a short time after his first inauguration he caved in to a political mutiny orchestrated by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell.
STUMPTALK: Who is Barney Frank?
According to Vasko Kohlmayer, Mr. Frank plays an important role in how the stimulus and bailout money provided by the taxpayers is spent. He is the chairman of the House Committee which oversees the housing and banking sectors that are at the center of the economic crisis.
THEREFORE I AM: What about all of us sophomore citizens?
Everyone knows who the senior citizens are, but I can’t help but wonder what happened to the freshmen citizens, sophomore citizens and junior citizens. What’s the fun of being an upperclassman if you don’t have the young whippersnappers to pick on?
GARY'S WORLD: Crossville has lost someone special
I had the honor of meeting the family of Lance Cpl. Stephan Dearmon this Tuesday. Dearmon, 21, is formerly of Crossville and went to Cumberland County High School. He was killed as a result of a non-hostile incident in Anbar province, Iraq Friday, April 3, while on deployment in Al Taqaddum.
WE THE PEOPLE: Paying our dues for Club America
With April 15 having just passed, we can all agree that nobody enjoys paying taxes. But wealthy Republicans positively hate it. They have worked for decades to instill the idea of taxation as some sort of unfair punishment.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Count off, everyone!
Another census year is getting closer and as always the challenges that must be overcome if the count is to be fair and precise are many. The United States made history when it held its first census in 1790.
LION AND THE LAMB: How good is your health insurance?
For the past 60 years access to health care through private insurance plans has been a mainstay of our society. Especially during the past 20 years the health care industry has expanded tremendously. There are many factors for this burgeoning, most notably the great advances in the science and technology of health care.
STUMPTALK: It’s not about curing the sick; it’s about abortion
“Like many smart people, he believes he can talk his way around problems.” Those are the words of Washington Post writer Robert Samuelson about President Barack Obama. “Ya gotta hand it to him. The guy can give a speech,” I’ve heard some say.
THEREFORE I AM: $3 Coke exemplifies supply and demand
Does Coke taste better when you pay more for it? It must. That’s the only meaningful way I can account for the wide spectrum of prices that I’ve paid for Cokes over the years. Why else would a single 12-ounce Coke in a hotel vending machine cost $3, and a 12-pack costs $2.50 in the convenience store across the street?
GUEST COLUMN: Why local newspapers are the basis of democracy
"The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."—Thomas Jefferson
I SAY: We're not going anywhere
To paraphrase a great newsman and American icon of literature, Samuel (Mark Twain) Clemons, "News of our death is greatly exaggerated." There have been some inquiries made to many on our staff from well-meaning and concerned friends who ask, "How are you doing?" This week gubernatorial candidate and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, who also is a businessman, asked the same question.
WE THE PEOPLE: We have it in our power
There are grave challenges before us; a financial mess, shaky health care delivery, a deteriorating environment and financial uncertainty. We’ve reached a fork in the road, and we can either continue to rely on “leaders” and “experts” to solve our problems or we can choose the American way.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Happy Easter to you
“Good people, bless this holy day, For Christ is risen, the angels say. At happy Easter time!” Those few words express the meaning of Easter and each year at Easter time I remember a holy place I have visited that tells the Easter story.
FROM THE OVAL OFFICE: Federal bailout of auto industry not a blank check
One of the challenges we have confronted since the beginning of this Administration is what to do about the state of our struggling auto industry. We simply cannot let our auto industry vanish. This industry is an emblem of America. It is what helped build the middle class and sustained it throughout the 20th century. And it is a source of deep pride for generations of Americans.
THEREFORE I AM: Egads! We're killing the Great Red Spot!
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is shrinking, and I blame the Democrats. No, wait, I blame the Republicans. Or is it the Communists? No, that doesn’t sound right either. I blame the mortgage industry. I blame global warming, I blame high fructose corn syrup, and I blame the labor unions.
STUMPTALK: Plotting the downfall of America
The financial crisis of 2008 provoked a lot of finger pointing. But with deference to my partisan friends, they have ignored the elephant in the living room: the Federal Reserve System.
WE THE PEOPLE: What does it mean to be a patriot?
2010 will mark the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain’s death. Most of know Twain as a humorist, but he was also an anti-imperialist and a fierce critic of the Philippine-American War.
GUEST COLUMN: April Fool's Day dream
The Kid and the Cub were listening to a radio talk show while the Cub fished in the Obed River. “I had a dream last night. It has bothered me all morning,” the Cub said.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: The Phlox Festival returns
On May 13, 1992, this column asked, "Whatever happened to Phlox Festival?" Seventeen years later on March 27, 2009 a headline announced, "Downtown Crossville, Inc. reintroduces Phlox Festival."
STUMPTALK: President Obama budget facts wrong
In Obama’s March 24 press conference/speech he managed to throw 95 percent of the taxpayers under the bus when he said taxpayers would see their $13 per week tax cut by April 1st and then said, “We know that’s going to be in place for at least the next two years…. The bottom line is I want health care, energy, education and serious efforts to reduce our budget deficit.”
THEREFORE I AM: Is five days of mail enough for you?
I love mail. Not email, mind you — I’m talking about real, live, hold-in-your-hand mail. Email is too easy. Mail requires a commitment. I’m a big fan of mail. That being said, I could easily live without getting mail on Saturdays. How about you?
FROM THE PUBLISHER: What are your coupon strategies?
How much do you save a week or month by using coupons when you shop? Do you clip coupons at all? If not, you should. You might be amazed at the amount of savings you can accrue during the course of a week, a month, a year. The Chronicle has many coupons inside during the month.
GARY'S WORLD: Thank our veterans this weekend
A tremendous opportunity presents itself in our community this weekend — an opportunity to honor those who served in the Vietnam War. Personally, after attending last year's first Welcome Home celebration, I wouldn't want to miss this. It was an emotional event for both Vietnam veterans and ordinary citizens. It was a great way to commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day in Tennessee, March 29.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: "Antiques Roadshow" comes to Tennessee
If you are one of the 10 million who watch each episode of the “Antiques Roadshow” mark your calendar. The three upcoming Mondays, March 30, April 6 and April 13, were all taped in Chattanooga last July.
LION AND THE LAMB: An open letter to Sharon Baier
I was happy to read your well-written article, printed in last week's Chronicle. It makes a strong case, in the story of Al and Jennifer, that "To make money, you have to spend money." That misguided couple thought that they ought to cut down on their purchase of supplies, to save money. They did so, week after week, until they lost their business.
WE THE PEOPLE: Veterans storm the Hill
When young men and women risk their lives and sacrifice both physical and mental health for their country, a grateful country should at least provide them with shelter, food, and health care. But there is a lot of hypocrisy between what some windbag says on Veterans Day and what the country actually does for veterans.
THEREFORE I AM: Kids stress out parents? Well, duh!
This just in: According to an expert, children can add stress and strain to a marriage. In other news, further expert studies have indicated that the sky is in fact blue, Paris Hilton is a tad spoiled, peanut butter and chocolate taste great together, and the Middle East has issues. Thank goodness we have experts to tell us these things.
INSIDE THE FIRST AMENDMENT: With shekels come shackles
When President Obama launched his faith-based initiative at the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 5, he promised not only to sustain the Bush administration’s signature domestic program — but to expand it.
THEREFORE I AM: Jim Croce and I will keep you safe and sound
My philosophy of life is simple: When in doubt, follow the advice of a dead folk-rock star. I always found Jim Croce to be particularly handy in this capacity. Don’t tug on Superman’s cape. Don’t spit into the wind. Don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger, and regardless of how badly you may want to, do not, under any circumstances, mess around with Jim.
STUMPTALK: Stimulating a war on prosperity and freedom
Near Bush’s sunset, Treasury Secretary Paulson and Fed chairman Bernanke terrified the nation with “the sky’s falling and America is doomed” unless the government steps in with new regulations, institutional takeovers and massive lending.
WE THE PEOPLE: Thoughts on bringing a recession to heel
Responding to the recent full-throated baying of conservative “economic watchdogs,” I slogged into the swamp of their icon Adam Smith’s murky tome, “The Wealth of Nations,” to see if they had finally treed anything of value.
LION AND THE LAMB: Reality
Dim blue of early morning shines into the living room
while you flip through television channels.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: I don't miss those Northern winters a bit!
Native Tennesseans probably wonder now and again why northerners move to their state. As one of those Yankees I can answer with one word – winter! A good share of my life was spent in my home state of Ohio and then as an adult in Michigan.
THEREFORE I AM: I need to brush up on manliness
Are you man enough? C’mon, take it like a man. Are you a man or a mouse? Man up! Be a man. He’s a man’s man. You da man! Stick it to the man. Oh man. Stand by your man. All men are created equal. We might need to rethink that last one. Apparently all men are not created equal — constitutionally perhaps, but not where it counts. Now before you get carried away, I’m talking about manliness as it relates to what we all agree is the most crucial criterion — the perception of a multinational corporation that sells junk food.
STUMPTALK: What have we done?
Apparently, we have elected either a criminal or a buffoon to the presidency. Obama ran for election on the platform of hope and change and then proceeds to name mostly former Clinton people to his list of “must haves” in his administration, along with many more of the “inside-the-beltway-crowd.”
GUEST EDITORIAL: Public documents should remain open records
Lawmakers in Nashville often talk about the "slippery slope," which is a political euphemism to describe what could follow if government opens the door to certain ideas or concepts. For example, if legislators pass a law this year banning the wearing of Alabama-themed sports wear in public places, what's to stop the General Assembly from banning Gator gear or Gamecock hats and shirts next year?
RANDOM THOUGHTS: How are y'all doing?
As long as there has been a South there has been the expression "y'all." That is the way it sounds to me but the dictionary is more proper and spells it "you-all." It has stood the test of time. Distinctly Southern in origin those folks from other regions of the country embrace it and feel accepted by those who address them with that friendly greeting, "you-all."
LION AND THE LAMB: Bump in the evolutionary road
The Cub was reading the Sunday funnies. The Kid was perusing the editorial page. “Here’s a letter from a vegetarian,” the Kid mused. “She’s upset because when she was a child her parents butchered pigs and hunted deer. She wants humans to stop killing other animals and eating them without understanding what she calls ‘the bloody horror’ it takes to turn millions of animals into the meat for their tables.”
STUMPTALK: Recent events remind us of Tom Wolfe’s 'Bonfire of the Vanities'
“Life imitates art far more than art imitates life,” said Oscar Wilde, and the current financial mess involving Wall Street and the Duke Lacrosse team outrage of 2006 provide stark testimony to the accuracy of the Wilde quotation.
THEREFORE I AM: It's supercolumnist to the rescue!
I thought supermodels died out with Y2K, dial-up modems and Monica Lewinsky jokes. Apparently not. We still have supermodels in the world, fighting for truth, justice and the American way, which, of course, includes silicone enhancement and thigh-high boots worn to the grocery store.
LION AND THE LAMB: Life, destiny and money
This is not a time to be a member of the so-called silent majority. Our prevailing economic system has concentrated almost unlimited power in the hands of a few. Believe it when you hear the words "money is power."
WE THE PEOPLE: Tag! You’re It!
As George Bush prepared to go his merry way, leaving the country in shambles, some asked whether or not we can afford the distraction of holding him and his wrecking crew accountable for what they have done to our country. Faced with the gigantic task of repairing the damage, would it not be wiser to forget him?
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Only a fool would “unfriend” such a person!
In Hamlet Shakespeare used these words, “Those friends thou hast ... grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel.” That is the way I feel about friends and then recently I saw this headline.
THEREFORE I AM: School projects are for kids, not parents
When I was a kid I never liked it when my classmates' parents did their school projects for them. Now, as a parent and a soon-to-be teacher, I like it even less. If some of you parents thought second-grade projects were time-consuming, you had better brush up on your calculus, physics and English literature. It only gets tougher.
STUMPTALK: Education a global crisis
Cumberland County citizens are clearly exercised about the state of their school system judging by the rash of letters to the editor that have appeared in the Crossville Chronicle.
WE THE PEOPLE: Join the movement for change
The election of Barack Obama was historic in many ways. It was a crucial and powerful blow against right-wing Republicans and their corporate bosses that signaled a major realignment of the nation's politics.
LION AND THE LAMB: Take heed, Wall Street!
The current economic meltdown has given us a good look at how our free market system works. The Reagan-Clinton-Bush belief that free markets will regulate themselves if big government doesn't interfere has turned out to be voodoo religion.
RANDOM THOUGHTS: "Random" still can have purpose
Today’s column is truly created by random thoughts. Random is defined as having no specific pattern or objective. The actions of the two subjects I write about happened randomly. Both I encountered years ago but in the past several weeks they have become newsworthy once again.
THEREFORE I AM: Participatory trophies a double-edged sword
Before I was a parent there were things I promised myself I would never do. I would never demand that my kids go to the same college I went to. Check. I would never tell them that the music they're growing up on is worse than the music I grew up on. Check (even though it is — well, some of it). I would never hand out participatory trophies at the end of sports seasons. Hmmm. Well, you see, umm.
STUMPTALK: Beam me up, Scotty. No one here listens
“Communication is a two way process,” says the cliché. Communication will not occur unless the message sent is also received and it must be received accurately, as the sender intends.
INSIDE THE FIRST AMENDMENT: Darwin at 200: Still controversial after all these years
Whether by random selection or grand design, Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were both born 200 years ago on Feb. 12, 1809.
GARY'S WORLD: A once in a lifetime story
In a reporter's career at a small-town newspaper, there are probably only a few stories one can cover that will stand out as being remarkable. I have been blessed with many, but one story stands out to me as incredible. It was a once in a lifetime story that I was fortunate enough to cover for Memorial Day 2006.

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