Commentary
The Tennessee Legislature cannot say their names
Evelyn Dieckhaus. Hallie Scruggs. William Kinney. Cynthia Peak. Katherine Koonce. Mike Hill. Those are names of the students and school staff members killed in the March 27 shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School. The Tennessee Legislature had a chance to do something meaningful and stand up for children, but they did not. Instead, members made it […]
Processing a tragedy and looking for solutions in the middle
One month ago, the shooting at the Covenant School took six innocent lives —three children and three adults. It feels like it’s been a year. Normally, after an event of this magnitude takes place, I’m ready to come out fighting – attacking the keyboard with ferocity – about what should or shouldn’t be done; about […]
Stockard on the Stump: Resignation over sexual harassment leads to more embarrassment
As if they needed another headache, House Republican leaders found themselves in another pickle Thursday when news broke that Rep. Scotty Campbell was guilty of sexually harassing at least one intern. Word circulated through the House chamber early in the day that Campbell had trouble. Around noon when NewsChannel5 reported on the matter, the funk […]
A petty and small-minded supermajority can’t last
Tennessee’s Republican legislative supermajority is suffering an apparent collective loss of its senses, as many lawmakers appear deaf to the requests of Tennesseans to develop gun safety legislation and blind to how hard-headed and insensitive they appear not only in the Volunteer State, but to the nation. I’ve long said Tennessee is a forgotten state, […]
Tennessee’s legislature is confused about meritocracy
The Tennessee Legislature is obsessed with extending its infamous “divisive concepts” bill, first targeting primary and secondary education, now going after college education. Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, and House Speaker Cameron Sexton of Crossville (at least sometimes) in particular have been pushing prohibitions against certain ideas being mentioned in our college classrooms. One such […]
It’s the guns
It’s the guns. They’re the constituents our elected officials value the most. To most of our lawmakers, guns need careful handling. Not because they’re instruments of death, but because they’re holy and blameless chalices of liberty. If someone uses a gun as it’s designed, the excuses begin. What we need is more Jesus. Alabama has some […]
Stockard on the Stump: Pearson returns with fists in air but no disruption
Nashville resident Rita Nix waits patiently Thursday morning for newly-reappointed Rep. Justin J. Pearson to arrive for yet another swearing-in ceremony. The War Memorial Plaza crowd is still small as people mill about looking for the Democrats’ rising star to arrive from Memphis. “I jumped up out of my bed to support these young men,” […]
Patients are the real victims of insurance network cuts
As someone well acquainted with our nation’s healthcare system, I can say that for all its complexities, it delivers groundbreaking, innovative treatments that are helping countless Americans overcome chronic illnesses and diseases like cancer, diabetes, and more. But what good are these life changing treatments if patients are denied access to them? The incredibly troubling […]
Appreciation for the Tennessee Three
Thanks to the “Tennessee Three,” the nation, indeed much of the world, now has seen the mendacity and racism lurking just beneath the surface of our Tennessee legislature’s Republican supermajority. Like many, I watched in horror, but not surprise, as our legislators voted to expel two young, Black, eloquent representatives of the people — using a […]