Commentary
Stockard on the Stump: True colors coming out against anti-slavery amendment
The Yes on 3 campaign to remove all vestiges of slavery from the state Constitution has bipartisan support from across the state but is running into an odd hurdle, one that some call “psychotic ramblings.” The opposition is popping up from a familiar foe, state Rep. Susan Lynn, who is telling constituents she can’t vote […]
Few competitive races, apathy, lack of investment: the conundrum of low voter participation
Last week, the Tennessee Lookout published a story about voter registration figures after writer Kathy Carlson contacted all 95 of Tennessee’s county election administrators. Carlson personally spoke to at least a dozen administrators, including in the state’s three biggest counties — Shelby, Davidson, and Knox — and suburban ones like Williamson, which typically posts the […]
A bad deal
The prospect of a new $2.1 billion domed stadium for the Titans finally dropped from the ether to the table last week when Nashville Mayor John Cooper unveiled financial particulars that will go before the Metro Council for its approval. Cooper’s sales pitch — now being endlessly recycled on every media platform that will give […]
Stockard on the Stump: Republican Congressman questions Tennessee’s abortion ban
Hammered by emergency room physicians about the state’s new abortion restrictions, Congressman Mark Green says the Legislature needs to “clarify” the law’s language to allow doctors to perform surgeries on ectopic pregnancies and similar problems without the threat of arrest. Those are pretty shocking words just months after the Legislature banned abortions of all kinds. […]
Volunteer organization collective key to preparing for disaster
Around 1 a.m. on March 28, 2021, after days of heavy rain, our neighbor called to ask us if we’d looked outside. “Your cars are halfway underwater,” she said. Hers was too. I watched as the waters swallowed my vehicle. It floated in the driveway for a few seconds, drifted slightly down the way, and […]
Stockard on the Stump: Book challenges becoming the rage in Tennessee schools
Book banning is in vogue, and I’m not talking about Madonna. Anyway, the Sumner County School Board is set to consider a request to remove an elementary school book, “A Place Inside Of Me: A Poem to Heal The Heart,” because of references to Black Lives Matter and a portrayal of police handling a riot, […]
Notes from my lawn (Now get off of it.)
In my youth, I’m ashamed to say, I often teased my father when he complained about “the old days” or “kids now,” but with each passing year, I see more of him in me and understand where he was coming from. As I was stewing on who knows what issue last week, seething myself into […]
Stockard on the Stump: Release inmates with more than just 30 days of meds
State lawmakers serving on a new committee studying Tennessee’s prison release policy are running into a harsh reality: Rehabilitating violent prisoners isn’t easy or cheap. Cleotha Abston Henderson, who is charged with raping and murdering Memphis kindergarten teacher Eliza Fletcher, committed his first major crime when he was 16, kidnapping and robbing attorney Kemper Durand. […]