Commentary
Commentary: Islamaphobia in Tennessee is nothing new
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Tennessee ranks second in the nation for largest number of hate groups with 38 based here, four of which are dedicated anti-Muslim groups. The Anti-Defamation League, an organization that exposes extremism and delivers anti-bias education, says that from 2018 on, Tennessee has experienced more white supremacist incidents than […]
Commentary: State legislature fails us
Now that our state legislature has finished its session, it’s time to tally the damage—not only from what Tennessee legislators did in our name, but also from what they failed to do. Let’s start with the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the legislature and Governor Bill Lee were hell bent on ignoring expert-crafted health safety precautions, despite […]
Commentary: Legislature lacks basic human decency
Let’s cut right to the chase. There’s a lack of basic common, human decency in the legislature. For the last five or six years, Tennessee political watchers have observed the General Assembly devolve. Members have been expelled for campaign finance malfeasance, accused of sexual harassment or assault and too often laws pursued have focused less […]
Commentary: When cult meets crisis
The cult of Trump is something that many of us have been trying to make sense of for the better part of the last four years. Conventional wisdom has it that around a third of the electorate harbors unbridled and unconditional political lust for Dear Leader, with another tenth pretty consistently disposed to like him […]
Commentary: Rural Organizers Understand Sweat Equity
People across the nation seem surprised that Black Lives Matter demonstrations and protests are happening in rural areas and I just can’t seem to figure out why. I live in Northeast Tennessee, surrounded by rural areas consumed by poverty, good ole boy clubs, and a medical monopoly. Trust me when I say people are organizing. […]
Commentary: Wanted – a contributor to justify honoring Nathan Bedford Forrest
Wanted: One contributor to write a single column for the Tennessee Lookout that justifies the presence of busts, statues or honorifics of Nathan Bedford Forrest. Look: I am sick of hearing about Forrest. The debate over his bust in the Tennessee State Capitol – between those who want it gone and those who think it […]
Commentary: The Limitations of Liberalism or How the Democrats Fumbled the Bag
Like many people, I’ve been thinking a lot about what this moment means politically. Every hour there is a new development across the globe in the fight to eradicate white supremacy. I’ve been in and out of this fight for a few years now, working with organizations and campaigns to make this country more equitable. […]
Commentary: Second Thoughts on Biblegate
The morning after President Donald Trump strode the short distance to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. for a staged show of force and a gesture towards invoking religion, I was asked to comment on the event by a British based international Catholic publication, The Tablet. I commented then: “While going to church holding […]
Commentary: The tyranny of racism
June 6 is the anniversary of D-Day, the event in which Allied forces took on the Nazi army in France and began the march to Berlin that culminated in VE – Victory in Europe – Day May 8, 1945. I’ve always been attuned to the date, likely because my dad was a veteran of WWII. […]
Commentary: Gun Obsession Muddies Legislative Agenda
Our state is struggling with a public health crisis, racial injustice issues, inadequate rural health care, record unemployment, and slumping tax revenues to sustain public schools. So, what is a big focus of our state and local government? Yup, guns. As May came to a close, Knox County Commission (a body on which I once […]
Commentary: The more things change, the more they stay the same
1968 was a hell of a year. My memories of the year are few, but powerful, as they are some of the earliest ones I have. I turned four that year, and that may have been the year I got a pink birthday cake but I only know that from old photos. I don’t need […]
Commentary: Party loyalty shouldn’t keep you from speaking up for black lives
“Please, I can’t breathe. My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts. They’re going to kill me.” George Floyd is dead because four police officers made the unanimous decision that his life did not matter. With these actions came an unspoken pact that they would defend this use of force at all costs, with full […]