Yes, most restaurants and merchants are open on Saturday, but most government entities aren't and many banks are only open for half-days on Saturdays, and bank managers and financial service managers take the weekend off. Some companies-especially utilities-remit bills by mail-although that isn't necessary with most credit card prividers, since the option exists with nearly all of them to go paperless and receive bills and make payments via the internet alone. If you do receive your utility bill by mail, most utilities' billing offices are closed on Saturdays, so if you get your electric, water, or gas bill on Saturday, you can't pay it until Monday anyway.
The public should demand history and civics textbooks in our schools which reinforce Tennessee history and State government:
Such is true for no subjects more than for history and civics. Entirely too many Tennessee students-and yes, students around the country as well-graduate school with very little knowledge of where we, as a State and as a Union, came from, how we got to this point in our history, and who the significant contributors were to that history. Entirely too many young people leave high school with very little knowledge of how their local government works or impacts their life. If we are lucky, they all know who the President is-we hope that a majority of them know who the Governor is (although it might be shocking to learn the sizable percentage that does not). How many know who their State Representative is, or their Senator? How many of these students at least know the process by which a bill might become a law in Tennessee (it differs from the federal Congress)? How about who the Governor of the Southwest Territory was, and what was the Southwest Territory? How many of the students in Tennessee can tell us that the first Governor was John Sevier, or give the name of three battles other than Shiloh-and we hope they know Shiloh-that were fought in Tennessee during the War Between the States?
Meanwhile, Nashville area blogger and conservative activist Ken Marrero has discovered in his research that, lo and behold, America's biggest debt-holder, the People's Republic of China, defaulted on its old debts and apparentlyremains in default, yet that nation is in an increasing position to challenge America's place as the guarantor of global hegemony. China survives, so could America have survived "default," and did we act too soon?
Today, whether the world understands it or not, we celebrate the man with a vision to bring the message of Christianity to Ireland. The Irish have in turn brought the faith to so much of the rest of the world. Our own heritage as a State and a nation have forever been impacted and our history changed because of Irish and Gaelic influence. Our politics have even been impacted. The English are not a people who are known to have a problem with authority and have a tradition of polite deference, and other ethnic groups who settled our area in the early days, such as the many German-Americans who settled all over the country (including East Tennessee), come from a similar tradition. There isn't anything wrong with that, of course, but whose traits won out in the end? Both the Irish and the Scots are traditionally known for distrust of authority, have an extremely strong aversion to being told what to do, tend to be extremely protective of family members and close friends-almost to the point of nosiness (some of the old timers still call this "clannish"), and if you don't like the way everyone else does it, you can go off and do it your own way.
An examination of our current Congressional, State House, and State Senate Legislative districts shows how they were drawn, and shows that mapmakers and Nashville politicos had more control over the process than the voters. Keeping Republican power at bay was the clear intent of our current configuration. As an example, the First and Second Congressional Districts are historically the two most Republican in the State, but both were rubbed against the Third District and counties divieded where (at the time) Democrats believed they had a better chance of winning than in the "Fighting First" or in Jimmy Duncan's Second-both of which have been Republican since Reconstruction. The most damage was wielded on State House districts, some of which were gerrymandered to guarantee a Democratic seat where there otherwise might not be one, as is the case both with the seats currently held by Representatives Harry Tindell and Johnny "Collection Plate" Shaw.
With an election in Britain forthcoming in Britain on May 6, I thought it was time for a bit of nostalgia for my favorite woman leader. I wish in our own country the men had as much in the way of fortitude as Margaret Thatcher did in her great last stand.
Kitchen Sink to Run for GOP State Executive Committee in 4th District
When the the news that Claiborne Countian Daniel Redmond had qualified for the ballot to stand for in most of the counties of the 4th Senate District and New Market resident John Cummins had also qualified (but is strangely absent) along with myself and Hobart Rice, I said to Nicole that it seemed that everyone had gotten into the race for a volunteer position of service to the Republican Party except for the kitchen sink.
Of late it seems that perhaps Kitchen Sink has qualified to stand for the Republican State Executive Committee in the 4th District.
Kitchen Sink
Of course the idea that I might actually be elected to serve on the State Executive Committee proves so heinous in certain establishment quarters that candidates considered to oppose me also included Batman, Cobra Commander, Jack Daniel, Eddie Van Halen, Enya, and former British Labour Party Leader Neil Kinnock ("We're alright!").
It was also rumored that Dr. Frankenstein was going to be brought in to attempt to cause either William Gannaway Brownlow or former Lord Protector of England Oliver Cromwell to return to life as zombies in order to stand on the ballot for the Executive Committee to decrease my chances of election.
My wife has decided that as part of our Lenten pledge to engage in reducing our food intake that she would purchase fat-free half and half for us to use in our coffee-we both drink copious amounts of the bean juice.
It tastes alright, not as good as real half and half-and yes, there is a noticeable difference in taste, though it isn't bad. The problem comes when you read the ingredient label and see corn syrup and titanium dioxide.
Titanium dioxide?
This is supposed to be half and half-half milk, half cream. It is not supposed to be fat free, cream is not fat free. That is not natural...titanium dioxide in half and half? Fat free half and half is not half and half, it is corn syrup, titanium dioxide, and skim milk.
It can be argued that skim milk is a natural product (though this is questionable) since it is basically milk with all of the fat removed. However, there is nothing natural about half and half with titanium dioxide. It is not a natural product that is part of God's creation.
The winter nastiness that much of East Tennessee either is experiencing or is about to experience has moved in an eastward path almost entirely through the corridor of Interstate 40. As a result, the eastbound snowstorm is about to be the first ever given its own theme song thanks to Smokey and the Bandit and Jerry Reed.
Since we know the President speaks in a political language that needs translated, here is the real translation of the President's last two speeches to joint sessions of the Congress.
This is Barack Obama's version of a budget reduction. Realizing that this is what Obama believes to be a cut, it really makes one wonder what the man's personal definition of a spending increase happens to be.
Highly placed confidential sources within the White House have confirmed to The World that President Barack Obama may change course in his economic policy. "The President was extremely embarrassed that he would be criticized for his economic policies by the Red Chinese," the source said, "I mean, the French are one thing, they always run their mouths and find something to complain about without doing anything much of anything, but the Chinese?" Obama is apparently concerned that the economy may collapse under the weight of increasing debt that will be magnified by his planned spending programs because "the damn Chinese won't buy our bonds."
In addition, the President has reportedly grown increasingly concerned in recent days over the fate of his immortal soul. "He now believes that he is in serious trouble with the Almighty because he lied to some of the people who voted for him when he promised a tax cut. It was clear when the President promised this that he would never be able to give a tax cut given his spending goals," said an anonymous White House aide. Further, President Obama has apparently been contemplating a religious conversion. A Catholic priest has been seen quietly making his way into the Oval Office very early in the mornings. This development has given rise to speculation that President Obama may soon be received into the Catholic Church, a major development since House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced Monday that he would be received into the Church during the Easter Vigil April 11, and rumors are flying in Catholic circles that former President George W. Bush, whose brother Jeb is Catholic, will be next.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs adamantly denied today that the President is converting to Catholicism, but said that Obama is covering his spiritual bases. "With the final squandering of all of our collective national wealth, the public lying, and total indifference to the issue of aborticide in America, the President merely wants to be certain he can somehow make things right with God," said Gibbs, "the President does not want to be eternally consigned to Hell, where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. He is in the midst of contemplating his previous errors."
A conservative journal of social, cultural, and ecclesiatical affairs grounded in a realistic Catholic Christian worldview. It is my hope that this site will be a reflection of Christ,the teachings of His Holy Church, and of the basic vision of a Christian social morality.
