Commentary
Stockard on the Stump: Tennessee joins fight against John Lewis Voting Rights Act
Tennessee Attorney General Herb Slatery is formally opposing passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, signing on to a letter with Republican AGs saying it would allow the feds to “usurp” states’ authority over elections. “If these provisions are enacted, rest assured that the undersigned will aggressively defend our citizens’ rights to participate […]
Editor’s column: Presidential precedent exists for drastic action in times of crisis
On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced a six-prong strategy to try to get the current surge of COVID-19 under control. His platform includes fairly non-controversial steps that include making home COVID testing kits more readily available and extending the mask mandate in commercial air travel. But the leading piece of Biden’s plan is one that […]
Stockard on the Stump: Textbook commission sends ‘hands off’ message to Schwinn
Tennessee Textbook Commission Chairman Linda Cash sent a message to the state Department of Education Thursday, declaring the group’s independence and letting officials know that no vendors should get an advantage in the coming math book selection process. Under state law, “there are no pilots of anything to be pushed out during the 18 months […]
Commentary: Everyone deserves clean air and water, no matter their zip code
I grew up in a loving family — financially poor, but spiritually rich. My family was blessed with the abundance of having my two strong grandmothers who helped us make it out of poverty. But when they both died from pollution-related illnesses, I learned that simply having a good, strong family isn’t enough. You also […]
Commentary: ‘Unapologetic American exceptionalism’ exists in a whitewashed world
I follow Gov. Bill Lee on Instagram. He’s probably not the first person that comes to mind when one thinks of cutting edge, visual social media. I don’t follow him because I’m a fan of his policies or his plaid shirts or even his folksy, staged pictures in Anytown, Tennessee. I definitely don’t follow him […]
Commentary: Right to Work means less freedom for workers, not more
“The only effective answer to organized greed is organized labor.” In the weeks leading up to Labor Day, I’ve found myself reflecting on this quote by Thomas Donahue, former secretary-treasurer and president of the AFL-CIO. Working people across the country, including right here in the South, have been taking this sentence and transforming it into […]
Stockard on the Stump: Governor won’t take the blame for lawsuits or school closings
Under a federal civil rights investigation, facing two lawsuits out of Shelby County over his mask opt-out order and now seeing school districts closing, Gov. Bill Lee refuses to let the buck stop with him. “My responsibility is to work together to make the best decisions in our state that we believe will benefit Tennesseans […]
Commentary: Adults throwing Knox County kids under a school bus
Three weeks of school are in the books, and it is now clear that the kids in our schools are bearing the brunt of the latest surge in COVID-19 cases. How bad is it? Simply, this is the worst point in the pandemic for Knox County’s kids, by far. And while case counts among children […]
Commentary: Anti-Mask and anti-vax
Last week, just two weeks after joining College Grove Elementary School, our 7-year old son tested positive for COVID-19 and just a few hours later, so did our 3-year old daughter. Our story and this surge are not unique; Tennessee recently crossed the 1 million cases mark and the fact that the state’s ICU beds […]
Commentary: Tennesseans need to pull together to blunt COVID’s toll
Recently, the FDA gave full approval of the Pfizer Vaccine, with approval of the Moderna and J & J vaccine to follow. This removes the Pfizer Vaccine from the “emergency use” classification to full approval classification as all other FDA approved medications. Ask any emergency room or ICU physician about the effects of COVID-19 and […]
Editor’s Column: In Williamson County’s underbelly, everything old is new again
Recently, a recording of a Williamson County School Board meeting went viral after anti-mask parents mobbed physicians after the meeting, screaming at the doctors and threatening them. National news outlets, including CNN, The Washington Post, the New York Times and Esquire, covered the disgraceful incident and many locals shared their feelings of distress on social […]
Stockard on the Stump: Republican lawmakers could look outside mask mandates
Even before Metro Nashville Public Schools and Shelby County Schools balked at Gov. Bill Lee’s opt-out order on mask mandates, legislators were considering curtailing vaccine “passports” and possibly even contact tracing in schools. And with the state at loggerheads with both districts, things could get tough. House Speaker Cameron Sexton says everything is being considered […]