thetennesseestar--2020-06-06--UN Agency: Iran Violating All Restrictions of Nuclear Deal

VIENNA , Austria ( AP ) — Iran has continued to increase its stockpiles of enriched uranium and remains in violation of its deal with world powers , the United Nations ’ atomic watchdog said Friday .
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported the finding in a confidential document distributed to member countries and seen by The Associated Press .
The agency said that as of May 20 , Iran ’ s total stockpile of low-enriched uranium amounted to 1,571.6 kilograms ( 1.73 tons ) , up from 1,020.9 kilograms ( 1.1 tons ) on Feb. 19 .
Iran signed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States , Germany , France , Britain , China and Russia .
Known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , or JCPOA , it allows Iran only to keep a stockpile of 202.8 kilograms ( 447 pounds ) .
The IAEA reported that Iran has also been continuing to enrich uranium to a purity of up to 4.5 % , higher than the 3.67 % allowed under the JCPOA .
It is also above the pact ’ s limitations on heavy water .
The nuclear deal promised Iran economic incentives in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program .
President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal unilaterally in 2018 , saying it needed to be renegotiated .
Iran has since slowly violated the restrictions to try and pressure the remaining nations to increase the incentives to offset new , economy-crippling U.S. sanctions .
The ultimate goal of the JCPOA is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb .
Since the U.S. withdrawal , Iran has stockpiled enough uranium to produce a weapon , although the government in Tehran insists it has no such goal and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy .
According to the Washington-based Arms Control Association , Iran would need roughly 1050 kilograms ( 1.16 tons ) of low-enriched uranium — under 5 % purity — and would then need to enrich it further to weapons-grade , or more than 90 % purity , to make a nuclear weapon .
With the nuclear deal in place , Iran ’ s so-called breakout time — the period Tehran would need to build a bomb if it chose to — stood at around a year .
As Iran has stepped away from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it slowly has narrowed that window .
However , that doesn ’ t mean Iran would immediately rush toward building a bomb if all the materials were in place .
Before agreeing to the nuclear deal , Iran enriched its uranium up to 20 % purity , which is just a short technical step away from the weapons-grade level of 90 % .
In 2013 , Iran ’ s stockpile of enriched uranium was already more than 7,000 kilograms ( 7.72 tons ) with higher enrichment , but it didn ’ t pursue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expanded its nuclear program , Iran has been open about the violations and continues to allow inspectors for the U.N. atomic agency access to iacilities to monitor their operations .
It remains in violation of all the main restrictions outlined by the JCPOA , which Tehran says it hopes will pressure the other nations involved to increase economic incentives to make up for hard-hitting sanctions imposed by Washington after the U.S. withdrawal .
Though Iran has been hard hit by the new coronavirus pandemic , the IAEA said it has maintained its verification @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primarily by chartering aircraft to fly inspectors to and from Iran .
It cited “ exceptional cooperation ” from authorities in Austria , where it is based , and Iran in facilitating the operation .
The agency raised concerns , however , about access to two of three locations it identified in March as places where Iran possibly stored and/or used undeclared nuclear material or undertook nuclear-related activities without declaring them to international observers .
Activities at all three sites are thought to have been from the early 2000s .
The IAEA said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ determined that one site had undergone “ extensive sanitization and leveling ” in 2003 and 2004 and there would be no verification value in inspecting it .
It said Iran has , for more than four months , blocked access to the other two locations , one of which was partially demolished in 2004 and the other at which the agency observed activities “ consistent with efforts to sanitize ” the facility from July 2019 onward .
The watchdog agency added that Iran has also “ not engaged in any substantive discussions ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about possible undeclared nuclear material and activities for almost a year .
Kiyoko Metzler and David Rising report for The Associated Press .
Rising reported from Berlin .
Photo “ Aliakbar Salehi ” by IAEA Imagebank .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .

VIENNA, Austria (AP) — Iran has continued to increase its stockpiles of enriched uranium and remains in violation of its deal with world powers, the United Nations’ atomic watchdog said Friday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported the finding in a confidential document distributed to member countries and seen by The Associated Press.
The agency said that as of May 20, Iran’s total stockpile of low-enriched uranium amounted to 1,571.6 kilograms (1.73 tons), up from 1,020.9 kilograms (1.1 tons) on Feb. 19.
Iran signed the nuclear deal in 2015 with the United States, Germany, France, Britain, China and Russia. Known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, it allows Iran only to keep a stockpile of 202.8 kilograms (447 pounds).
The IAEA reported that Iran has also been continuing to enrich uranium to a purity of up to 4.5%, higher than the 3.67% allowed under the JCPOA. It is also above the pact’s limitations on heavy water.
The nuclear deal promised Iran economic incentives in return for the curbs on its nuclear program. President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal unilaterally in 2018, saying it needed to be renegotiated. Iran has since slowly violated the restrictions to try and pressure the remaining nations to increase the incentives to offset new, economy-crippling U.S. sanctions.
The ultimate goal of the JCPOA is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. Since the U.S. withdrawal, Iran has stockpiled enough uranium to produce a weapon, although the government in Tehran insists it has no such goal and that its atomic program is only for producing energy.
According to the Washington-based Arms Control Association, Iran would need roughly 1050 kilograms (1.16 tons) of low-enriched uranium — under 5% purity — and would then need to enrich it further to weapons-grade, or more than 90% purity, to make a nuclear weapon.
With the nuclear deal in place, Iran’s so-called breakout time — the period Tehran would need to build a bomb if it chose to — stood at around a year. As Iran has stepped away from the limits of the 2015 deal, it slowly has narrowed that window.
However, that doesn’t mean Iran would immediately rush toward building a bomb if all the materials were in place.
Before agreeing to the nuclear deal, Iran enriched its uranium up to 20% purity, which is just a short technical step away from the weapons-grade level of 90%. In 2013, Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was already more than 7,000 kilograms (7.72 tons) with higher enrichment, but it didn’t pursue a bomb.
As the country has expanded its nuclear program, Iran has been open about the violations and continues to allow inspectors for the U.N. atomic agency access to iacilities to monitor their operations.
It remains in violation of all the main restrictions outlined by the JCPOA, which Tehran says it hopes will pressure the other nations involved to increase economic incentives to make up for hard-hitting sanctions imposed by Washington after the U.S. withdrawal.
Though Iran has been hard hit by the new coronavirus pandemic, the IAEA said it has maintained its verification and monitoring activities in the country, primarily by chartering aircraft to fly inspectors to and from Iran.
It cited “exceptional cooperation” from authorities in Austria, where it is based, and Iran in facilitating the operation.
The agency raised concerns, however, about access to two of three locations it identified in March as places where Iran possibly stored and/or used undeclared nuclear material or undertook nuclear-related activities without declaring them to international observers.
Activities at all three sites are thought to have been from the early 2000s. The IAEA said in its current report that it had determined that one site had undergone “extensive sanitization and leveling” in 2003 and 2004 and there would be no verification value in inspecting it.
It said Iran has, for more than four months, blocked access to the other two locations, one of which was partially demolished in 2004 and the other at which the agency observed activities “consistent with efforts to sanitize” the facility from July 2019 onward.
The watchdog agency added that Iran has also “not engaged in any substantive discussions” with the IAEA to answer its question about possible undeclared nuclear material and activities for almost a year.
– – –
Kiyoko Metzler and David Rising report for The Associated Press. Rising reported from Berlin.
Photo “Aliakbar Salehi” by IAEA Imagebank. CC BY-SA 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-06--Rand Paul Endorses Manny Sethi for Senate

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul ( R-KY ) on Friday endorsed Manny Sethi to replace the retiring U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander ( R-TN ) .
Sethi announced this on his campaign ’ s website .
“ Tennessee deserves a true conservative who supports President Trump , is pro-liberty , and will fight out-of-control federal spending .
I believe Dr. Manny is the right choice .
Like me , he ’ s a physician , not another politician .
We need more outsiders in Washington , and I ’ m proud to endorse him today , ” Paul said in the press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ a strong voice for liberty in the US Senate.
” “ I look forward to working with him , standing on the side of liberty , prosperity , and a return to the Constitution , ” Sethi said .
“ With under nine weeks until Election Day , we ’ re seeing momentum and this is more evidence of just that.
” As The Tennessee Star reported this week , Sethi said Nashville Mayor John Cooper and other Democrat mayors nationwide are too timid to protect people from rioters .
As The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resorted to violence last Saturday following a rally for George Floyd , who died in police custody in Minneapolis .
They vandalized the Metro Courthouse and , later , parts of downtown Broadway .
Cooper embraced the protestors and attended the rally .
“ What we saw this past weekend was political correctness run amok : cowardly Democrat Mayors , like John Cooper , are more concerned about political correctness and about what the liberal media thinks , than about protecting the people in our cities , ” Sethi said .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our leaders have a moral duty to protect our citizens ’ life , liberty , and property .
They must step up .
I am calling on every Mayor and Governor in this country to use every means at their disposal if the lives , homes and businesses of Americans are threatened , and to stop the violent , ANTIFA-led mobs ripping through our cities .
They will not quit otherwise .
We can not allow ANTIFA to tear America apart .
We can not allow them to burn our cities , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ Manny Sethi ” by Manny Sethi .

Joe Carr, a conservative leader in Rutherford County, on Thursday endorsed Dr. Manny Sethi in his U.S. Senate race and said he will host the physician as well as U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) at a cookout on July 18.
Sethi posted Carr’s endorsement on his Facebook page here.
“I want a fighter. Dr. Manny stands firm in defending our conservative values, and he will not waver in the Senate. We need to send a conservative fighter to the Washington swamp, and that’s why I support Dr. Manny.” – Joe Carr
The cookout is called T-Bones and Politics, and Paul will be the featured speaker. The event page is here.
The cookout will be held in the rural Lascassas community of Rutherford County.
Carr is a former state representative and lives on a 90-acre farm, according to his political Facebook page. Carr ran unsuccessfully against Murfreesboro pharmacist Shane Reeves in a special primary election in January 2018 for the 14th State Senate District.
The event page describes T-Bones & Politics as offering “some of the best political punditry, entertainment and best food for the politically active in Middle Tennessee and across the Mid South. Attendees have enjoyed insight from speakers such as Former Bush White House Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, political insider and commentator Dick Morris, Wisconsin Governor and Presidential Candidate Scott Walker, Fmr. TN Gov Winfield Dunn, Fmr. TN Lt. Gov Ron Ramsey, FoxNews commentator Judge Jeanine Pirro and nationally syndicated radio talk show hosts, The Politichicks.”
In a statement, Sethi said, “I am so honored to have Joe’s support. He’s a conservative leader who knows the difference between real conservatives and showmen. Joe knows what it’s like to take the establishment head-on, and I am grateful to have his backing as conservatives across Tennessee join this campaign.”
– – –
Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Joe Carr and Manny Sethi” by Manny Sethi.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-06--Twitter Disables Trump Campaign’s George Floyd Video Tribute

Twitter has blocked a Trump campaign video tribute to George Floyd over a copyright claim , in a move that adds to tensions between the social media platform and the U.S. president , one of its most widely followed users .
The company put a label on a video posted by the @ TeamTrump account that said , “ This media has been disabled in response to a claim by the copyright owner.
” The video was still up on President Donald Trump ’ s YouTube channel and includes pictures of Floyd , whose death sparked widespread protests , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy , we respond to valid copyright complaints sent to us by a copyright owner or their authorized representatives , ” Twitter said in a statement .
It did not say who made the complaint .
The Burbank , California lawyer who requested the takedown , Sam Koolaq , declined to identify his client or the copyright violation in the video .
He said in an email that he also submitted takedown notices to YouTube , Facebook and Instagram , where the video was still up as of midday Friday .
Facebook , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t respond to requests for comment .
The three minute and 45 second clip is a montage of photos and videos of peaceful marches and police officers hugging protesters interspersed with some scenes of burning buildings and vandalism , set to gentle piano music and Trump speaking .
Last month , Twitter placed fact-check warnings on two tweets from Trump ’ s own account that called mail-in ballots “ fraudulent ” and predicted problems with the November U.S. elections .
Under the tweets , there is now a link reading “ Get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guides users to a Twitter “ moments ” page with fact checks and news stories about Trump ’ s unsubstantiated claims .
It also demoted and placed a stronger warning on a third Trump tweet about Minneapolis protests that read , in part , that “ when the looting starts , the shooting starts.
” Twitter said that the tweet had violated the platform ’ s rules by glorifying violence .
Trump responded by threatening to retaliate against social media companies .
Last year , Twitter also removed a Trump tweet that featured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took aim at former Vice President Joe Biden , after receiving copyright complaints .

Twitter has blocked a Trump campaign video tribute to George Floyd over a copyright claim, in a move that adds to tensions between the social media platform and the U.S. president, one of its most widely followed users.
The company put a label on a video posted by the @TeamTrump account that said, “This media has been disabled in response to a claim by the copyright owner.” The video was still up on President Donald Trump’s YouTube channel and includes pictures of Floyd, whose death sparked widespread protests, at the start.
“Per our copyright policy, we respond to valid copyright complaints sent to us by a copyright owner or their authorized representatives,” Twitter said in a statement. It did not say who made the complaint.
The Burbank, California lawyer who requested the takedown, Sam Koolaq, declined to identify his client or the copyright violation in the video. He said in an email that he also submitted takedown notices to YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, where the video was still up as of midday Friday. Facebook, which owns Instagram, and YouTube didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The three minute and 45 second clip is a montage of photos and videos of peaceful marches and police officers hugging protesters interspersed with some scenes of burning buildings and vandalism, set to gentle piano music and Trump speaking.
Last month, Twitter placed fact-check warnings on two tweets from Trump’s own account that called mail-in ballots “fraudulent” and predicted problems with the November U.S. elections. Under the tweets, there is now a link reading “Get the facts about mail-in ballots” that guides users to a Twitter “moments” page with fact checks and news stories about Trump’s unsubstantiated claims.
It also demoted and placed a stronger warning on a third Trump tweet about Minneapolis protests that read, in part, that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Twitter said that the tweet had violated the platform’s rules by glorifying violence.
Trump responded by threatening to retaliate against social media companies.
Last year, Twitter also removed a Trump tweet that featured a doctored Nickelback music video clip that took aim at former Vice President Joe Biden, after receiving copyright complaints.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-06--Nashville Boutique Venues Owner Dan Cook Gives an Update on the Phase Three Opening in Nashville

Live from Music Row Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Nashville Boutique Venue Owner Dan Cook to the newsmakers line .
During the third hour , Cook told Leahy about where his business stood in Nashville ’ s unfair phase openings .
He noted that Broadway , which has larger capacities , would be allowed to open up in phase three but private events would still suffer .
Leahy : We are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cook who owns a couple of private venues here in Nashville .
Ruby and Clementine .
Dan , we ’ re still in phase two of Mayor John Cooper ’ s sort of authoritarian non-fact based determination to squelch private venues .
Do you have anything new to report on what ’ s going on with private venues here ?
Cook : Wow .
Great question .
So we are still in the purgatory of phase two .
Apparently any day now we ’ re going to find out if he will let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in phase three we are still the private event world slated to have very few people allowed at private events such as weddings .
The way I describe it is we are still distantly the bars on Broadway .
So we are not only last in line but we don ’ t even see the line in front of us which is obviously grossly unfair in our estimation .
And of course , the music venues and private event spaces in this town in large part make Nashville , Nashville .
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an event that is clearly not put on by the mayor himself .
( Leahy chuckles ) Leahy : If the mayor attends an event with thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters , that ’ s OK .
Somehow there is a waiver for that .
Does that seem like inconsistency on your part ?
( Cook chuckles ) On his part ?
Do you ?
Cook : I think you answered the question yourself there .
( Leahy chuckles ) Inconsistency is a gentle way to put it and should there in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cause to keep the city locked down and keep my business shut down for longer ?
Leahy : Have you considered holding a riot in your venues ?
( Cook laughs ) Apparently , that would be ok. Cook : I had a positive thought the other day that if we are actually looking to host the Republican National Convention than maybe we ’ ll keep our timeline and open up .
But now I ’ m thinking that this is a great excuse to keep the city locked down through August @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re probably right in that regard .
You know the mayor cares about everybody and wants to talk to everybody .
I know you ’ ve tried to communicate with him .
Has he deigned to communicate with you ?
Cook : So we have had some communication which is a breakthrough after three weeks .
And one person who owns a venue in town was contacted by the health department .
And they started negotiating with us .
And what they offered and this has not been made public but what they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 50 percent capacity in phase three which is consistent with the bars on Broadway .
Which is seemingly great news that we catch up to the back of the line .
However , what they want to do is they can never give something without getting something .
It ’ s the way of government .
So what they want to do is then cap that number at 250 people or 200 people .
Now that may seem reasonable but realize that I could go into a Honkey tonk downtown in phase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4,000 and yet only have 2,000 people in there of perfect strangers .
Whereas we can not have a private wedding for over 200 to 250 in the next phase if they make this change which they ’ ve promised but they haven ’ t made public .
So we ’ ll see .
Leahy : So when is phase three supposedly going to be announced by King John ?
Cook : Well , we all thought phase three would go into effect on Monday but of course , that decision was delayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make the decision .
I ’ ve bet poorly all through this process but I would suspect probably Monday or Tuesday because he needs to be seen as his own man .
Leahy : Are you expecting phase three to be announced ?
And when would you expect phase three to go into effect ?
Cook : I ’ m optimistic it will be announced who knows it could be as early as today but maybe Monday .
Certainly not over the weekend .
I would suspect it would go into effect a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time to prepare has not been part of the calculus here .
Leahy : How has this affected bookings for venues like Ruby and Clementine that you own and other private venues in Nashville where 20,000 people are employed one way or the other ?
Cook : It has devastated caterers , bartenders , photographers , transportation companies , they are all flat on their back .
Look , I think when this is all said and done maybe a third of them go out of business .
There is literally blood in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so unnecessary and it ’ s so sad .
And it ’ s incomprehensible to me that the public officials can see what they ’ re doing to other human beings and then just keep doing it .
There is no logic behind it .
There is obviously isn ’ t any logic behind it because all of these protesters are surging in groups and I ’ m talking about the protesters , not the looters .
The peaceful protesters were in groups of tens of thousands .
And the very people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t have more than a certain small number of people in one place those very same people actually stand up and I ’ m not talking about just Mayor Cooper , this is true with mayors and governors all across the country .
They are happy to stand up in front of those groups of ten thousand people and give a speech .
And then turn right around and tell people like you mentioned who are just trying to make a living and the photographers and the caterers and all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t earn a living and put food on their table .
The inhumanity of it is just breathtaking .
How many of those 20,000 people when you count the caterers and their staff and all the different people , how large of a minority group do you think are in that 20,000 people ?
Carmichael : OK .
So here you have the people who are standing up saying we need to have social justice and we need to lift up the black and the minority community .
Then those very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them with these policies and they know it !
It is so contrary to the way the average person treats their fellow human being .
I don ’ t understand it .
I ’ d love for the mayor to come on because I would just ask him to tell us how he thinks about that .
Tell us how you think about how you allow protesters to come together and not only allow them but extoll them .
Leahy : And invite everybody to join you as you join them .
Carmichael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and destroyed the lives of many minorities a lot of whom might actually be in the audience .
And you do that and you do it on purpose .
When you have these edicts they are purposeful by definition .
They are purposeful .
It ’ s not a hurricane .
So anyway .
I ’ m blathering on here like Joe Biden .
( Leahy chuckles ) Cook : He ’ s had three or four weeks of rational arguments to confront and make course corrections and he has at this point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why I don ’ t know .
And Crom , I can only come to the same conclusion that you have .
Leahy : Dan Cook , the owner of Ruby and Clementine and the voice of the voiceless I guess .
( Cook chuckles ) The voices that Mayor Cooper won ’ t listen too .
The private venue folks of 20,000 people here in Nashville .
Dan , come back next week and tell us what ’ s going on .
Cook : You got it guys .
Listen to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .
Photo “ The Clementine ” by Nashville Boutique Venues .

Live from Music Row Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed Nashville Boutique Venue Owner Dan Cook to the newsmakers line.
During the third hour, Cook told Leahy about where his business stood in Nashville’s unfair phase openings. He noted that Broadway, which has larger capacities, would be allowed to open up in phase three but private events would still suffer.
Leahy: We are joined now by our good friend Dan Cook who owns a couple of private venues here in Nashville. Ruby and Clementine. Dan, we’re still in phase two of Mayor John Cooper’s sort of authoritarian non-fact based determination to squelch private venues. Do you have anything new to report on what’s going on with private venues here?
Cook: Wow. Great question. So we are still in the purgatory of phase two. Apparently any day now we’re going to find out if he will let us move to phase three. And in phase three we are still the private event world slated to have very few people allowed at private events such as weddings.
The way I describe it is we are still distantly the bars on Broadway. So we are not only last in line but we don’t even see the line in front of us which is obviously grossly unfair in our estimation. And of course, the music venues and private event spaces in this town in large part make Nashville, Nashville. We’re still limited to 25 people at an event that is clearly not put on by the mayor himself. (Leahy chuckles)
Leahy: If the mayor attends an event with thousands of Black Lives Matter protesters, that’s OK. Somehow there is a waiver for that. Does that seem like inconsistency on your part? (Cook chuckles) On his part? Do you?
Cook: I think you answered the question yourself there. (Leahy chuckles) Inconsistency is a gentle way to put it and should there in fact be a flair up and just a cause to keep the city locked down and keep my business shut down for longer?
Leahy: Have you considered holding a riot in your venues? (Cook laughs) Apparently, that would be ok.
Cook: I had a positive thought the other day that if we are actually looking to host the Republican National Convention than maybe we’ll keep our timeline and open up. But now I’m thinking that this is a great excuse to keep the city locked down through August.
Leahy: I think you’re probably right in that regard. You know the mayor cares about everybody and wants to talk to everybody. I know you’ve tried to communicate with him. Has he deigned to communicate with you?
Cook: So we have had some communication which is a breakthrough after three weeks. And one person who owns a venue in town was contacted by the health department. And they started negotiating with us. And what they offered and this has not been made public but what they offered was to allow us to open at 50 percent capacity in phase three which is consistent with the bars on Broadway.
Which is seemingly great news that we catch up to the back of the line. However, what they want to do is they can never give something without getting something. It’s the way of government. So what they want to do is then cap that number at 250 people or 200 people.
Now that may seem reasonable but realize that I could go into a Honkey tonk downtown in phase three that may have a capacity of 4,000 and yet only have 2,000 people in there of perfect strangers. Whereas we cannot have a private wedding for over 200 to 250 in the next phase if they make this change which they’ve promised but they haven’t made public. So we’ll see.
Leahy: So when is phase three supposedly going to be announced by King John?
Cook: Well, we all thought phase three would go into effect on Monday but of course, that decision was delayed. Who knows when he’ll make the decision. I’ve bet poorly all through this process but I would suspect probably Monday or Tuesday because he needs to be seen as his own man.
Leahy: Are you expecting phase three to be announced? And when would you expect phase three to go into effect?
Cook: I’m optimistic it will be announced who knows it could be as early as today but maybe Monday. Certainly not over the weekend. I would suspect it would go into effect a couple of days later. Giving business time to prepare has not been part of the calculus here.
Leahy: How has this affected bookings for venues like Ruby and Clementine that you own and other private venues in Nashville where 20,000 people are employed one way or the other?
Cook: It has devastated caterers, bartenders, photographers, transportation companies, they are all flat on their back. Look, I think when this is all said and done maybe a third of them go out of business. There is literally blood in the streets.
Carmichael: That is so unnecessary and it’s so sad. And it’s incomprehensible to me that the public officials can see what they’re doing to other human beings and then just keep doing it. There is no logic behind it. There is obviously isn’t any logic behind it because all of these protesters are surging in groups and I’m talking about the protesters, not the looters.
The peaceful protesters were in groups of tens of thousands. And the very people who are telling people like you that you can’t have more than a certain small number of people in one place those very same people actually stand up and I’m not talking about just Mayor Cooper, this is true with mayors and governors all across the country. They are happy to stand up in front of those groups of ten thousand people and give a speech.
And then turn right around and tell people like you mentioned who are just trying to make a living and the photographers and the caterers and all of the people that you mentioned that they can’t earn a living and put food on their table. The inhumanity of it is just breathtaking. How many of those 20,000 people when you count the caterers and their staff and all the different people, how large of a minority group do you think are in that 20,000 people?
Cook: Oh, a huge percentage. A third.
Carmichael: OK. So here you have the people who are standing up saying we need to have social justice and we need to lift up the black and the minority community. Then those very same people crush them. They crush them with these policies and they know it!
It is so contrary to the way the average person treats their fellow human being. I don’t understand it. I’d love for the mayor to come on because I would just ask him to tell us how he thinks about that. Tell us how you think about how you allow protesters to come together and not only allow them but extoll them.
Leahy: Encourage them.
Carmichael: Encourage them.
Leahy: And invite everybody to join you as you join them.
Carmichael: But then you turn right around and destroyed the lives of many minorities a lot of whom might actually be in the audience. And you do that and you do it on purpose. When you have these edicts they are purposeful by definition. They are purposeful. It’s not a hurricane. So anyway. I’m blathering on here like Joe Biden. (Leahy chuckles)
Cook: He’s had three or four weeks of rational arguments to confront and make course corrections and he has at this point sadly and willfully ignored them. And why I don’t know. And Crom, I can only come to the same conclusion that you have.
Leahy: Dan Cook, the owner of Ruby and Clementine and the voice of the voiceless I guess. (Cook chuckles) The voices that Mayor Cooper won’t listen too. The private venue folks of 20,000 people here in Nashville. Dan, come back next week and tell us what’s going on.
Cook: You got it guys.
Listen to the third hour here:

– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “The Clementine” by Nashville Boutique Venues.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-06--Commentary: Social Justice Cancels Social Distancing

And just like that , social distancing is canceled .
At least for some .
After submitting to house arrest orders for the past three months in order to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus , Americans may have noticed a slight change in the rules this past week .
There are no duct-taped outlines on city streets telling unruly mobs protesting the death of George Floyd where to stand .
Rioters are not instructed to loot stores in opposite directions on downtown streets in order to avoid contact .
Face coverings are optional but certainly useful when attempting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Drs .
Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci are not seizing the White House press podium to lecture lawless thugs about keeping grandma safe from COVID-19 .
Social media shamers , the same ones who just a few weeks ago were publicly denouncing fun seekers in the Ozarks , are in silent solidarity with social distancing rulebreakers in downtown Chicago , Minneapolis , and New York City .
The Atlantic isn ’ t accusing Democratic leaders of unleashing “ an experiment in human sacrifice ” and CNN ’ s Chris Cuomo isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at pricy boutiques and assault police officers “ fools ” for not staying six feet apart .
In fact , the rules have changed so much and so quickly that the very same “ experts ” who demanded we adhere to unproven ( and possibly counterproductive ) social distancing dogma now explain why these rules don ’ t equally apply .
A letter signed by more than 1,000 activists disguised as public health professionals detailed the new terms .
“ White supremacy is a lethal public health issue that predates and contributes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ A ] s public health advocates , we do not condemn these gatherings as risky for COVID-19 transmission .
We support them as vital to the national public health and to the threatened health specifically of Black people in the United States.
” To their credit , the self-proclaimed experts owned up to their galling double-standard .
The “ heavily armed and predominantly white protesters ” who swarmed Michigan ’ s capitol in April jeopardized public health .
The approach to miscreants ransacking towns across the country , however , must be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white protesters resisting stay-home orders ” because the presence of “ COVID-19 among Black patients is yet another lethal manifestation of white supremacy.
” Treating people differently based on skin color is totally not racist , experts find .
( Plenty of the troublemakers are white , I might add . )
But there ’ s even more hypocrisy .
According to an accompanying NPR article , the letter was organized by infectious disease professionals at the University of Washington—the same college that hosts Dr. Chris Murray at the Institute for Health Metrics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ models built around stay-at-home orders were the basis for the extended shutdown that has devastated the U.S. economy , bankrupted small businesses , closed schools , and placed some 40 million people on unemployment .
( May ’ s unemployment rate , by the way , is projected to be around 20 percent . )
Signers of the letter also included doctors at some of the nation ’ s top hospitals such as Harvard , Columbia University , and Johns Hopkins University , which has sponsored the lead tracking site for COVID-19 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and remember all the solemn messages from health care workers begging us to stay home to keep them safe ?
Some nurses wore scrubs and personal protective equipment to protest anti-lockdown rallies attended by Americans daring to want to re-open their businesses .
“ This isn ’ t about politics , choosing sides , this virus does not discriminate at all , ” Lauren Leander , an ICU nurse in Arizona , told CNN in April .
“ It ’ s taking lives from one end of the spectrum to another .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I just would love if we just had that common ground with fighting this virus.
” Many recently have had a change of heart : Health care providers in several cities now are cheering protestors who are in full violation of those very same lockdown decrees .
Nurses and doctors affiliated with an NYU cancer center gathered outside the facility to wave on marching protestors ; ditto for nurses at Howard University Hospital and Sloan Kettering , just to name a few .
And the routine hectoring by Scott Gottlieb , the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on lockdown policies since the start and hasn ’ t met a cable news camera he won ’ t monopolize to warn Americans of pending doom , has taken a much softer tone with the Floyd protestors .
Asked about future spikes in coronavirus cases due to the overly populated demonstrations across the country , Gottlieb refused to give a straight answer .
“ I think it ’ s going to be hard to tease out what the impact of these protests have been on the spread because we ’ re going into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of states , ” he said Wednesday .
Further , Gottlieb added , there ’ s no way to know if the protests were the reason for rising infections since so many protestors were from out of state .
“ It ’ s going to be hard to say , well , we ’ re not seeing spread in New York but you might see spread in Philadelphia and New Jersey so is that a result of the protests in New York ?
We won ’ t know.
” That ’ s probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in three months .
But in perhaps the most egregious double-standard , a massive memorial service was held Thursday afternoon in honor of George Floyd .
Places of worship for all faiths have been shuttered during the most sacred time of the year and people can not hold funerals for family members but politicians and celebrities filled a Minneapolis auditorium to mourn Floyd ’ s death .
Floyd ’ s family , his friends , and his supporters were allowed a privilege every other American has been denied since March : Saying goodbye @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have explained , “ social distancing ” is pseudoscience at best , an ongoing experiment with devastating side effects that most of the “ experts ” failed to predict .
Being wrong is one thing , but demanding that everyone except a select few submit to draconian government rules is its own kind of injustice .
Unlike the looters and rioters and rulebreakers , however , we will suffer in silence .
Julie Kelly is a political commentator and senior contributor to American Greatness .
Photo “ George Floyd Protesters ” by Fibonacci @ @ @ @ @ @

by Julie Kelly
And just like that, social distancing is canceled. At least for some.
After submitting to house arrest orders for the past three months in order to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, Americans may have noticed a slight change in the rules this past week. There are no duct-taped outlines on city streets telling unruly mobs protesting the death of George Floyd where to stand. Rioters are not instructed to loot stores in opposite directions on downtown streets in order to avoid contact. Face coverings are optional but certainly useful when attempting to avoid identification by local law enforcement.
Drs. Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci are not seizing the White House press podium to lecture lawless thugs about keeping grandma safe from COVID-19. Social media shamers, the same ones who just a few weeks ago were publicly denouncing fun seekers in the Ozarks, are in silent solidarity with social distancing rulebreakers in downtown Chicago, Minneapolis, and New York City. The Atlantic isn’t accusing Democratic leaders of unleashing “an experiment in human sacrifice” and CNN’s Chris Cuomo isn’t calling groups congregating to break windows at pricy boutiques and assault police officers “fools” for not staying six feet apart.
In fact, the rules have changed so much and so quickly that the very same “experts” who demanded we adhere to unproven (and possibly counterproductive) social distancing dogma now explain why these rules don’t equally apply.
A letter signed by more than 1,000 activists disguised as public health professionals detailed the new terms. “White supremacy is a lethal public health issue that predates and contributes to COVID-19,” they explained. “[A]s public health advocates, we do not condemn these gatherings as risky for COVID-19 transmission. We support them as vital to the national public health and to the threatened health specifically of Black people in the United States.”
To their credit, the self-proclaimed experts owned up to their galling double-standard. The “heavily armed and predominantly white protesters” who swarmed Michigan’s capitol in April jeopardized public health. The approach to miscreants ransacking towns across the country, however, must be “wholly different from the response to white protesters resisting stay-home orders” because the presence of “COVID-19 among Black patients is yet another lethal manifestation of white supremacy.” Treating people differently based on skin color is totally not racist, experts find. (Plenty of the troublemakers are white, I might add.)
But there’s even more hypocrisy. According to an accompanying NPR article, the letter was organized by infectious disease professionals at the University of Washington—the same college that hosts Dr. Chris Murray at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Murray’s flawed models built around stay-at-home orders were the basis for the extended shutdown that has devastated the U.S. economy, bankrupted small businesses, closed schools, and placed some 40 million people on unemployment. (May’s unemployment rate, by the way, is projected to be around 20 percent.)
Signers of the letter also included doctors at some of the nation’s top hospitals such as Harvard, Columbia University, and Johns Hopkins University, which has sponsored the lead tracking site for COVID-19 cases and fatalities since March.
Oh, and remember all the solemn messages from health care workers begging us to stay home to keep them safe? Some nurses wore scrubs and personal protective equipment to protest anti-lockdown rallies attended by Americans daring to want to re-open their businesses.
“This isn’t about politics, choosing sides, this virus does not discriminate at all,” Lauren Leander, an ICU nurse in Arizona, told CNN in April. “It’s taking lives from one end of the spectrum to another. I know it’s wishful thinking but I just would love if we just had that common ground with fighting this virus.”
Many recently have had a change of heart: Health care providers in several cities now are cheering protestors who are in full violation of those very same lockdown decrees. Nurses and doctors affiliated with an NYU cancer center gathered outside the facility to wave on marching protestors; ditto for nurses at Howard University Hospital and Sloan Kettering, just to name a few.
And the routine hectoring by Scott Gottlieb, the former FDA commissioner who has taken the lead on lockdown policies since the start and hasn’t met a cable news camera he won’t monopolize to warn Americans of pending doom, has taken a much softer tone with the Floyd protestors.
Asked about future spikes in coronavirus cases due to the overly populated demonstrations across the country, Gottlieb refused to give a straight answer. “I think it’s going to be hard to tease out what the impact of these protests have been on the spread because we’re going into them with rising spread in a lot of states,” he said Wednesday.
Further, Gottlieb added, there’s no way to know if the protests were the reason for rising infections since so many protestors were from out of state. “It’s going to be hard to say, well, we’re not seeing spread in New York but you might see spread in Philadelphia and New Jersey so is that a result of the protests in New York? We won’t know.”
That’s probably the most honest answer Gottlieb has given in three months.
But in perhaps the most egregious double-standard, a massive memorial service was held Thursday afternoon in honor of George Floyd. Places of worship for all faiths have been shuttered during the most sacred time of the year and people cannot hold funerals for family members but politicians and celebrities filled a Minneapolis auditorium to mourn Floyd’s death. Floyd’s family, his friends, and his supporters were allowed a privilege every other American has been denied since March: Saying goodbye to a loved one.
As I have explained, “social distancing” is pseudoscience at best, an ongoing experiment with devastating side effects that most of the “experts” failed to predict. Being wrong is one thing, but demanding that everyone except a select few submit to draconian government rules is its own kind of injustice. Unlike the looters and rioters and rulebreakers, however, we will suffer in silence.
– – –
Julie Kelly is a political commentator and senior contributor to American Greatness.
Photo “George Floyd Protesters” by Fibonacci Blue. CC BY 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-06--Attorney Jim Roberts Explains What Is Happening with the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act and the C

Attorney Jim Roberts Explains What Is Happening with the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act and the City’s Fairground Litigation

Live from Music Row Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed attorney Jim Roberts to the newsmakers line .
During the third hour , Roberts described the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act and gave directions on how to download and sign the petition which would but a referendum on the Metro government to stop non-core spending without a vote .
Also , Roberts gave a brief rundown on the Nashville Fairground ’ s current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line our good friend attorney Jim Roberts .
Welcome , Jim .
Leahy : So you ’ ve got a new project .
We ’ ll talk about the fairgrounds in a bit .
Let ’ s talk about this lowtax4nash.com and what you ’ re working on in terms of getting signatures on a petition and what you want to accomplish .
Roberts : Let me clear , there are actually several groups working on this .
The Low Tax 4 Nash is actually a smaller group of good folks that have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurant owners and people with businesses here in Nashville that came to me and said , what are we going to do with this 32 % tax increase .
It ’ s going to devastate businesses that are already devastated and prevent us from recovering .
I came up with this idea and it just sort of got moving .
We came up with the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act .
Leahy : If people want to go to the web and see the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act , where do they go ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will take you right there .
Leahy : So when we get there Jim , what do we do ?
What do we see and what are we trying to accomplish ?
Roberts : You have to have original signatures .
What we are trying to do is put a ballot initiative that will cap the property tax rate at no more than two percent a year .
We have to gather signatures .
I ’ ll ask your listeners to download it , sign it and mail it into us and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Metro Nashville government .
Leahy : How long do you have to get those petitions together ?
Roberts : We ’ re going to turn the signatures in about the first week of August .
We have basically the next two months to gather signatures .
Roberts : About 7,000-8,000 signatures .
Which is not too many .
If everybody in town picks up a petition and gets 10 signatures we only need 700 people to do that .
We ’ ve got thousands of petitions floating around now but we need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be sure I understand the mechanism , and I want to compare it to a previous one .
It is my understanding which is obviously false that the voters by 10-15 years ago voted on a referendum that was on the ballot that limited the increase on property taxes unless the rate came back to the voters .
Am I wrong about that ?
Roberts : There was a ballot initiative that did that and the problem is that our tax system is really based on two different numbers .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ property and the tax rate itself .
When the appraised values go up the tax rate goes down .
It has to be revenue-neutral .
What has happened in the past with inflation has just let property tax levels by issuing bonds .
This will let them actually raise property taxes a little bit each year just to track inflation so we won ’ t have these emergency situations .
The ballot initiative that was before just didn ’ t solve that problem .
Leahy : Ok .
So it was kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Roberts : Well , that ’ s right .
Making the tax revenue-neutral is sort of a good idea .
You have to be able to raise them with inflation .
The reality is that things are getting more expensive and Nashville ’ s taxes should follow along with that .
Raising it 32 percent is ridiculous .
Carmichael : Here ’ s a question for you Jim .
The revenues for Nashville because our economies been have been strong before COVID revenues have been going up at four to five percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s right because we have been growing .
Carmichael : So what you ’ re saying is that had the council been allowed to increase the property tax rate by two percent a year during that same period revenues would have grown at seven or eight percent a year .
Roberts : Of course , the problem is not the revenue side its the spending side .
Carmichael : And I very much appreciate what you are doing .
Is there a way to get a referendum signed by the voters that limits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your referendum is doing and I applaud it and I will print it out and sign it .
It ’ s on the revenue side , can the voter ’ s sign some kind of a referendum that requires the government to solve certain problems by dictating to the government .
For example , can it say that there will be no more than one non-teacher in the school system for every four teachers ?
Because right now it ’ s one to one .
Roberts : First of all , we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We have the power to abolish the Metro government by referendum .
We can do one today and abolish it in three or five months .
So we can do anything .
This Taxpayer Protection Act doesn ’ t just limit the property tax .
Please read further into it because one of the things that we ’ ve been doing is just issuing bonds every time we want to do something .
The Metro Council has just been using the Metro credit card so to speak to spend and spend and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 3.6 billion in debt .
They took that money that we were making when times were good , instead of using the pay as we go they used it as leverage to spend more than we have to run up a bunch of debt .
We couldn ’ t solve all the problems .
But one of the things that this Taxpayer Protection Act does is limit their ability to issue bonds for non-core things .
If the government wants to build schools , we understand that .
Police stations and fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But if they want to build soccer stadiums and transit systems and things like that then they need to put those ballot bonds to the voters to vote on .
The people should decide whether we want to spend money on ego projects because the council is doing those things without our knowledge .
And we need to make them stop that .
Leahy : Let me follow the timeline .
People go to nashvilletaxpayerprotectionact.com .
They download the petition , sign it , and mail it in .
You get 8,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and what happens next ?
Roberts : We turn those in the Metro clerk about the first week of August .
The number of signatures required is based on the number of people who voted in the last election .
Leahy : Let ’ s say you hit that number of 8,000 or so .
Roberts : And August 6 should be a fairly low turnout election .
We ’ ll turn them in on August 7 .
The petition then has to be set on a voting day 80 days out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t do it on the November election date so we set it for December 6 .
We wanted this to be heard before this 32 percent increase was inflicted on the people .
And that would be January 1 .
Leahy : There will be an election on December 6 and what would specifically be on the ballot ?
Carmichael : When you say the December 6 ballot , would that be an election that would have exactly one thing on the ballot ?
Leahy : Tell me exactly what it would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot longer but basically it does five things .
The entire act itself is one single amendment .
So the people will be able to go in and vote on whether or not you want to not have this 32 % tax increase and limit the government in these ways that will prevent them from spending in the future .
Some of those other things that you want done , we ’ ll do in future years .
We ’ re just trying to get what we can done now .
Leahy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the 32 % property tax increase .
Roberts : I think it would be perceived that way .
Starting January 1 of this year , they are not going to be able to raise our property taxes more than two percent a year without submitting it to the voters .
Remember if you were here in 1996 when they wanted to build a stadium for the Titans they went to the people and said hey , we want to spend $ 2 million to build a stadium what do you all think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for it .
Leahy : It passed 54 to 46 if I recall .
Roberts : Yes .
They wanted it .
I voted against it but I knew it was going to win .
That ’ s what people wanted to do and they did it .
The same thing should happen every time .
Every time the government wants to spend on some big ego project they should submit it to the people and see if they want it and not just shove it down our throats .
Carmichael : Give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roberts : The fairgrounds are a great example of that .
They are giving away a third of the fairgrounds property for free and just shoving it down Nashville ’ s throat .
Carmichael : Is the lawsuit still going on ?
Roberts : There are actually two trials .
One set in the next two weeks over some notice issues which is a side issue .
But the main trial about how the damage that ’ s being done to the fairgrounds is in August of this year .
Ironically right after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will go to trial .
Leahy : Jim Roberts with nashvilletaxpayerprotectionact.com .
Thanks for joining us .
Come back and give us an update .
Listen to the full third hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .

Live from Music Row Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed attorney Jim Roberts to the newsmakers line.
During the third hour, Roberts described the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act and gave directions on how to download and sign the petition which would but a referendum on the Metro government to stop non-core spending without a vote. Also, Roberts gave a brief rundown on the Nashville Fairground’s current lawsuit.
Leahy: On the newsmaker line our good friend attorney Jim Roberts. Welcome, Jim.
Roberts: Good morning to you!
Leahy: So you’ve got a new project. We’ll talk about the fairgrounds in a bit. Let’s talk about this lowtax4nash.com and what you’re working on in terms of getting signatures on a petition and what you want to accomplish.
Roberts: Let me clear, there are actually several groups working on this. The Low Tax 4 Nash is actually a smaller group of good folks that have latched on to this. It is restaurant owners and people with businesses here in Nashville that came to me and said, what are we going to do with this 32% tax increase. It’s going to devastate businesses that are already devastated and prevent us from recovering. I came up with this idea and it just sort of got moving. We came up with the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act.
Leahy: If people want to go to the web and see the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act, where do they go?
Roberts: It’s www.nashvilletaxpayerprotectionact.com and it will take you right there.
Leahy: nashvilletaxpayerprotectionact.com.
Roberts: Yes sir.
Leahy: So when we get there Jim, what do we do? What do we see and what are we trying to accomplish?
Roberts: You have to have original signatures. What we are trying to do is put a ballot initiative that will cap the property tax rate at no more than two percent a year. We have to gather signatures. I’ll ask your listeners to download it, sign it and mail it into us and we’ll turn those signatures into the Metro Nashville government.
Leahy: How long do you have to get those petitions together?
Roberts: We’re going to turn the signatures in about the first week of August. We have basically the next two months to gather signatures.
Carmichael: How many?
Roberts: About 7,000-8,000 signatures. Which is not too many. If everybody in town picks up a petition and gets 10 signatures we only need 700 people to do that. We’ve got thousands of petitions floating around now but we need more.
Carmichael: I want to be sure I understand the mechanism, and I want to compare it to a previous one. It is my understanding which is obviously false that the voters by 10-15 years ago voted on a referendum that was on the ballot that limited the increase on property taxes unless the rate came back to the voters. Am I wrong about that?
Roberts: There was a ballot initiative that did that and the problem is that our tax system is really based on two different numbers. It’s the appraised value for people’s property and the tax rate itself. When the appraised values go up the tax rate goes down. It has to be revenue-neutral.
What has happened in the past with inflation has just let property tax levels by issuing bonds. This will let them actually raise property taxes a little bit each year just to track inflation so we won’t have these emergency situations. The ballot initiative that was before just didn’t solve that problem.
Leahy: Ok. So it was kind of a sledgehammer to hammer in a nail?
Roberts: Well, that’s right. Making the tax revenue-neutral is sort of a good idea. You have to be able to raise them with inflation. The reality is that things are getting more expensive and Nashville’s taxes should follow along with that. Raising it 32 percent is ridiculous.
Carmichael: Here’s a question for you Jim. The revenues for Nashville because our economies been have been strong before COVID revenues have been going up at four to five percent a year.
Roberts: That’s right because we have been growing.
Carmichael: So what you’re saying is that had the council been allowed to increase the property tax rate by two percent a year during that same period revenues would have grown at seven or eight percent a year.
Roberts: Of course, the problem is not the revenue side its the spending side.
Carmichael: And I very much appreciate what you are doing. Is there a way to get a referendum signed by the voters that limits spending? In other words, what your referendum is doing and I applaud it and I will print it out and sign it.
It’s on the revenue side, can the voter’s sign some kind of a referendum that requires the government to solve certain problems by dictating to the government. For example, can it say that there will be no more than one non-teacher in the school system for every four teachers? Because right now it’s one to one.
Roberts: First of all, we can do, as the people, anything. We have the power to abolish the Metro government by referendum. We can do one today and abolish it in three or five months. So we can do anything. This Taxpayer Protection Act doesn’t just limit the property tax. Please read further into it because one of the things that we’ve been doing is just issuing bonds every time we want to do something.
The Metro Council has just been using the Metro credit card so to speak to spend and spend and spend. That’s why we $3.6 billion in debt. They took that money that we were making when times were good, instead of using the pay as we go they used it as leverage to spend more than we have to run up a bunch of debt.
We couldn’t solve all the problems. But one of the things that this Taxpayer Protection Act does is limit their ability to issue bonds for non-core things. If the government wants to build schools, we understand that. Police stations and fire stations.
Those are core government functions. But if they want to build soccer stadiums and transit systems and things like that then they need to put those ballot bonds to the voters to vote on. The people should decide whether we want to spend money on ego projects because the council is doing those things without our knowledge. And we need to make them stop that.
Leahy: Let me follow the timeline. People go to nashvilletaxpayerprotectionact.com. They download the petition, sign it, and mail it in. You get 8,000 of those by the end of July and what happens next?
Roberts: We turn those in the Metro clerk about the first week of August. The number of signatures required is based on the number of people who voted in the last election.
Leahy: Let’s say you hit that number of 8,000 or so.
Roberts: And August 6 should be a fairly low turnout election. We’ll turn them in on August 7. The petition then has to be set on a voting day 80 days out. If for some complicated reasons we can’t do it on the November election date so we set it for December 6. We wanted this to be heard before this 32 percent increase was inflicted on the people. And that would be January 1.
Leahy: There will be an election on December 6 and what would specifically be on the ballot?
Roberts: That’s right.
Carmichael: That one thing.
Roberts: The goal is December 6.
Carmichael: When you say the December 6 ballot, would that be an election that would have exactly one thing on the ballot?
Roberts: Correct.
Leahy: Tell me exactly what it would say.
Roberts: It’s a lot longer but basically it does five things. The entire act itself is one single amendment. So the people will be able to go in and vote on whether or not you want to not have this 32% tax increase and limit the government in these ways that will prevent them from spending in the future. Some of those other things that you want done, we’ll do in future years. We’re just trying to get what we can done now.
Leahy: So in essence its a referendum on the 32% property tax increase.
Roberts: I think it would be perceived that way. Starting January 1 of this year, they are not going to be able to raise our property taxes more than two percent a year without submitting it to the voters. Remember if you were here in 1996 when they wanted to build a stadium for the Titans they went to the people and said hey, we want to spend $2 million to build a stadium what do you all think about that? And the people voted for it.
Leahy: It passed 54 to 46 if I recall.
Roberts: Yes. They wanted it. I voted against it but I knew it was going to win. That’s what people wanted to do and they did it. The same thing should happen every time. Every time the government wants to spend on some big ego project they should submit it to the people and see if they want it and not just shove it down our throats.
Carmichael: Give us an update on the fairgrounds.
Roberts: The fairgrounds are a great example of that. They are giving away a third of the fairgrounds property for free and just shoving it down Nashville’s throat.
Carmichael: Is the lawsuit still going on?
Roberts: There are actually two trials. One set in the next two weeks over some notice issues which is a side issue. But the main trial about how the damage that’s being done to the fairgrounds is in August of this year. Ironically right after we turn in these signatures that case will go to trial.
Leahy: Jim Roberts with nashvilletaxpayerprotectionact.com. Thanks for joining us. Come back and give us an update.
Roberts: I will.
Listen to the full third hour here:

– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-06--Kanye West Attends Chicago Protest, Donates $2M to Victims

Kanye West has donated $ 2 million to support the families and legal teams for George Floyd , Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor .
A representative for the rapper confirmed that some of the money donated would fully cover college tuition costs for Floyd ’ s 6-year-old daughter , Gianna .
Floyd died last month after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck for more than eight minutes as he pleaded for air .
Donations were also made to the legal teams of Arbery , who was gunned down while jogging in Georgia in February , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home in Louisville in March .
Friday would have been Taylor ’ s 27th birthday .
West marched with protesters in his hometown of Chicago on Thursday night .
Largely peaceful protests following the deaths of Floyd , Taylor and Arbery have led to outbreaks of violence in many larger cities .
About the Headline Photo : This Nov. 17 , 2019 file photo shows Kanye West on stage during a service at Lakewood Church in Houston .
West has donated $ 2 million dollars to support the families and legal teams for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor .
A representative for the rapper confirmed that some of the money donated would fully cover college tuition costs for Floyd ’ s 6-year-old daughter , Gianna .
Floyd died last month after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck for more than eight minutes as he pleaded for air .
( AP Photo/Michael Wyke , File )

Kanye West has donated $2 million to support the families and legal teams for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
A representative for the rapper confirmed that some of the money donated would fully cover college tuition costs for Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, Gianna. Floyd died last month after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck for more than eight minutes as he pleaded for air.
Donations were also made to the legal teams of Arbery, who was gunned down while jogging in Georgia in February, and Taylor, who was killed in her home in Louisville in March. Friday would have been Taylor’s 27th birthday.
West marched with protesters in his hometown of Chicago on Thursday night.
Largely peaceful protests following the deaths of Floyd, Taylor and Arbery have led to outbreaks of violence in many larger cities.
– – –
About the Headline Photo: This Nov. 17, 2019 file photo shows Kanye West on stage during a service at Lakewood Church in Houston. West has donated $2 million dollars to support the families and legal teams for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. A representative for the rapper confirmed that some of the money donated would fully cover college tuition costs for Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, Gianna. Floyd died last month after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck for more than eight minutes as he pleaded for air. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke, File)


thetennesseestar--2020-06-06--Five Democratic Senators Kneel at George Floyd Memorial

Five Democrat senators knelt during a moment of silence for George Floyd in a caucus meeting on Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon .
Sens .
Tim Kaine ( D-VA ) , Sherrod Brown ( D-OH ) , Chris Van Hollen ( D-MD ) , Martin Heinrich ( D-NM ) and Michael Bennet ( D-CO ) knelt , which lasted for eight minutes and 46 seconds , The Hill reported .
That was the length of time fired Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd ’ s neck before he died .
Chauvin faces a second-degree murder charge over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be remembered not for his death , but for being family-oriented , loving and Godly , ” Booker read .
“ For eight minutes and 46 seconds Officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on George Floyd ’ s neck , ” Booker described .
“ As he kneeled on his neck , and he yelled , “ I can ’ t breathe , I can ’ t breathe ” and called for his mother — today we gather here in solemn reverence to not just mark his tragic death but to give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) tweeted , “ As we continue working on policing reform and demanding Senator Mitch McConnell commit to holding a vote ASAP : Senate Democrats stood together for a moment of silence in Emancipation Hall to honor the life of George Floyd , Breonna Taylor , Ahmaud Arbery , and far too many others.
” Congressional Democrats are preparing a massive package of police reforms , the Associated Press reported .
Both the House and Senate bills are expected to include changes to police accountability laws , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a database of police use-of-force incidents .
Revamped training requirements are planned Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years ’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes .
AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report .
Photo “ Kneeling Senators ” by Chuck Schumer .

Five Democrat senators knelt during a moment of silence for George Floyd in a caucus meeting on Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon.
Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) knelt, which lasted for eight minutes and 46 seconds, The Hill reported. That was the length of time fired Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck before he died. Chauvin faces a second-degree murder charge over the incident.
Senate Chaplin Barry Black led a prayer, then Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., spoke about Floyd, Fox News reported.
“His family wants him to be remembered not for his death, but for being family-oriented, loving and Godly,” Booker read. “For eight minutes and 46 seconds Officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on George Floyd’s neck,” Booker described. “As he kneeled on his neck, and he yelled, “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe” and called for his mother — today we gather here in solemn reverence to not just mark his tragic death but to give honor to his life.”
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tweeted, “As we continue working on policing reform and demanding Senator Mitch McConnell commit to holding a vote ASAP:
Senate Democrats stood together for a moment of silence in Emancipation Hall to honor the life of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and far too many others.”
As we continue working on policing reform and demanding Senator Mitch McConnell commit to holding a vote ASAP: Senate Democrats stood together for a moment of silence in Emancipation Hall to honor the life of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and far too many others. pic.twitter.com/sytEIVqMHP — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 4, 2020
Schumer referred to pending legislation in Congress.
Congressional Democrats are preparing a massive package of police reforms, the Associated Press reported. Both the House and Senate bills are expected to include changes to police accountability laws, such as revising immunity provisions and creating a database of police use-of-force incidents. Revamped training requirements are planned
– – –
Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes. AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
Photo “Kneeling Senators” by Chuck Schumer.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-06--Crom Carmichael: The Democratic Party Opposes Conservative Speech

Live from Music Row Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio .
During the second hour , Leahy and Carmichael discuss the Democrat Party ’ s opposition to Conservative and common sense speak as recently witnessed by the shaming of New Orleans Saints ’ quarterback Drew Brees and Denver Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio .
Recently , both men have walked back their comments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Leahy : Crom Carmichael who joins us here .
The original all-star panelist .
Crom , tomorrow June 6 , 2020 , will be the 76th anniversary of D-Day .
Leahy : When Americans and the British bravely invaded France .
Thousands died heroically on the beaches of Normandy .
And you know when you think of that sacrifice I think of the famous thing that Ben Franklin said in September of 1787 when he stepped out of the doors of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and Mrs. Powell asked him “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” And he said , “ A republic if you can keep it.
” Those who died on the beaches of Normandy gave the ultimate sacrifice so we could keep the republic .
How are we doing on that task today ?
Carmichael : When you look at what ’ s going on now with the nation .
James Mattis wrote a scathing piece at The Atlantic and said that Donald Trump is the most divisive president in the history of the United States and he doesn ’ t even pretend to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former Secretary of Defense James Mattis .
A former decorated Marine general .
Carmichael : Here ’ s what ’ s interesting to me about that subject .
About his comment .
Leahy : Who was by the way selected by the president .
Served for two years , resigned , and now is turning on the president .
Carmichael : Yes .
I think he was fired by Obama also .
I don ’ t care about that .
I care more about the comment .
Imagine for a moment because here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he essentially said was even if you want to be divisive you need to pretend to be otherwise .
Because those are the words that he used .
He said he ’ s divisive and won ’ t even pretend to be otherwise .
Now , so according to Mattis , and by the way , I think that encapsulates where we are right now better than any other single phrase .
What you are seeing the Democrat Party as a party is now the party that opposes Conservative speech .
Carmichael : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say Conservative , I just mean limited government .
That ’ s really what I ’ m defining as Conservative .
Leahy : You are not allowed to say something they don ’ t like .
Carmichael : Right .
Right .
The comment by the Denver coach that he has come under so much pressure for… Leahy : The head coach of the NFL Denver Broncos Vic Fangio said I don ’ t think we have a racism problem in the NFL .
He ’ s been attacked mercilessly .
Carmichael : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He was comparing the two and he said the NFL is a meritocracy .
He said we are all on a team together with a common goal .
It was all these really kind of uplifting kind of statements .
Carmichael : Common sense kind of things .
But because he said we get along and because he said we don ’ t have racism in the NFL .
And it was a comparison .
He got blown up for that .
Then the voice of the Sacramento Kings , he merely made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Carmichael : He got fired for that .
Leahy : He ’ s been there since 1988 .
So apparently you can ’ t say… Carmichael : And then Drew Brees when he was asked questions on an interview and he said I will not dishonor the flag and here ’ s why and he talked about what you are talking about .
The people who fought and died for our country .
The civil rights leaders in the 60s .
He says when I see the flag that ’ s what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so now he has been attacked by his own teammates .
Leahy : Not only that , but the way it works now in professional sports .
NFL and NBA particularly is once you make a thought error and express it you must humiliate yourself and apologize and beg forgiveness .
In the case of Drew Brees a great quarterback .
Carmichael : What is the thought error ?
You say once you ’ ve made a thought error .
What is his thought error ?
That ’ s not a thought error @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it is .
Carmichael : But you didn ’ t qualify .
That ’ s the point we ’ ve come to now .
Carmichael : You have one side that gets to arbitrate and determine .
Be the arbiter of what ’ s allowed speech .
It is really interesting that I watch the old movie 1984 not long ago and I ’ m reading about the French Revolution right now because of those two things , but this is so much different than the problems we ’ ve had in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governors and mayors and we are one election away from having a president who says free speech is no longer allowed you must say only what you are allowed to say .
Carmichael : That ’ s how close we are .
Carmichael : We have a very prosperous society .
And it fits together .
It ’ s a very very fragile net of our supply chains and all of these other things .
For example , when COVID went down we had Dan Cook who talked about the 20,000 people employed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t even think about it as a venue operator .
When hotels go down you have all kinds of small companies that service hotels .
When you have restaurants that close you have all the small farmers that do the field to fork and their supplies are shut down .
And so there ’ s a web here .
And if you break apart that web we will descend into chaos .
Leahy : We are at that turning point right now .
And the next five months I think will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American history .
Carmichael : Here ’ s the question .
Will the mayors try to close down the voting precincts where they know that they tend to be Republican .
Leahy : Yes .
That ’ s the other thing coming .
I will just tell you .
You are prescient as to what ’ s going to happen .
What ’ s going to happen is that Democrats everywhere are going to press for vote by mail .
Another word for that is a fraud .
Voter fraud .
The Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 .
It ’ s going to happen here .
John Cooper who has shown himself to be nothing but a partisan hack .
They are all going to do that .
We have multiple problems before now and the election .
Carmichael : I ’ m talking about overtly letting Antifa riot at particular voting precincts .
Carmichael : Not to intimidate .
But to literally stop them .
Leahy : To stop them .
That ’ s on the horizon .
Carmichael : And the media is so bought in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s interesting is that the media is sustained by money that comes from the private sector .
Universities are sustained in a similar way .
The tax base comes from the private sector .
You have a lot of wonderful state and city employees who are caught up in the middle of this .
I think there is an Antifa element in our government .
And when I say Antifa element , it ’ s a small percentage of people in the state and local governments who have been as radical as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I guess some police chiefs .
Leahy : One of our listeners just sent into me an email about a Twitter account that just went up .
It ’ s called Our Revolution and Middle Tennessee and it ’ s got some steps to take for folks .
Number one .
How to defund the police in Nashville .
Serious things to be done .
Then showing that they are well educated .
They ’ ve misspelled this .
Learn what ’ s in Nashville proposed budget , except they missed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your own council member .
And then here ’ s what you say .
It ’ s the dialogue .
Its the same dialogue that went forward in that Kabuki Theater Metro Council meeting where they just wouldn ’ t talk about anything except defund the police .
Carmichael : Defund the police can end up taking two courses .
Either you literally defund them or the government officials essentially tell them to more or less stand down when private property is being destroyed .
Just don ’ t arrest anybody .
Leahy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Leahy : Don ’ t enforce the law .
Enforce the law against private business owners that are trying to open up .
But rioters that are breaking windows they can go ahead and do it .
Leahy : That ’ s where we are Crom .
Yikes !
Carmichael : Well , it ’ s not like it was before .
Listen to the full second hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Radio .

Live from Music Row Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio.
During the second hour, Leahy and Carmichael discuss the Democrat Party’s opposition to Conservative and common sense speak as recently witnessed by the shaming of New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees and Denver Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio. Recently, both men have walked back their comments and apologized due to accusations of racism.
Leahy: Crom Carmichael who joins us here. The original all-star panelist. Crom, tomorrow June 6, 2020, will be the 76th anniversary of D-Day.
Carmichael: Wow.
Leahy: When Americans and the British bravely invaded France. Thousands died heroically on the beaches of Normandy. And you know when you think of that sacrifice I think of the famous thing that Ben Franklin said in September of 1787 when he stepped out of the doors of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and Mrs. Powell asked him “What sir have you given us?” And he said, “A republic if you can keep it.” Those who died on the beaches of Normandy gave the ultimate sacrifice so we could keep the republic. How are we doing on that task today?
Carmichael: When you look at what’s going on now with the nation. James Mattis wrote a scathing piece at The Atlantic and said that Donald Trump is the most divisive president in the history of the United States and he doesn’t even pretend to be otherwise.
Leahy: This is the former Secretary of Defense James Mattis. A former decorated Marine general.
Carmichael: Here’s what’s interesting to me about that subject. About his comment.
Leahy: Who was by the way selected by the president. Served for two years, resigned, and now is turning on the president.
Carmichael: Yes. I think he was fired by Obama also. I don’t care about that. I care more about the comment. Imagine for a moment because here’s what he said. What he essentially said was even if you want to be divisive you need to pretend to be otherwise. Because those are the words that he used.
He said he’s divisive and won’t even pretend to be otherwise. Now, so according to Mattis, and by the way, I think that encapsulates where we are right now better than any other single phrase. What you are seeing the Democrat Party as a party is now the party that opposes Conservative speech.
Leahy: Yes.
Carmichael: As a party. And when I say Conservative, I just mean limited government. That’s really what I’m defining as Conservative.
Leahy: You are not allowed to say something they don’t like.
Carmichael: Right. Right. The comment by the Denver coach that he has come under so much pressure for…
Leahy: The head coach of the NFL Denver Broncos Vic Fangio said I don’t think we have a racism problem in the NFL. He’s been attacked mercilessly.
Carmichael: It was even less than that. He was comparing the two and he said the NFL is a meritocracy. He said we are all on a team together with a common goal. It was all these really kind of uplifting kind of statements.
Leahy: Common sense…
Carmichael: Common sense kind of things. But because he said we get along and because he said we don’t have racism in the NFL. And it was a comparison. He got blown up for that. Then the voice of the Sacramento Kings, he merely made the statement that “All Lives Matter.”
Leahy: He got fired.
Carmichael: He got fired for that.
Leahy: He’s been there since 1988. So apparently you can’t say…
Carmichael: And then Drew Brees when he was asked questions on an interview and he said I will not dishonor the flag and here’s why and he talked about what you are talking about. The people who fought and died for our country. The civil rights leaders in the 60s. He says when I see the flag that’s what I see in my mind. And so now he has been attacked by his own teammates.
Leahy: Not only that, but the way it works now in professional sports. NFL and NBA particularly is once you make a thought error and express it you must humiliate yourself and apologize and beg forgiveness. In the case of Drew Brees a great quarterback.
Carmichael: What is the thought error? You say once you’ve made a thought error. What is his thought error? That’s not a thought error.
Leahy: According to the Left, it is.
Carmichael: But you didn’t qualify. That’s the point we’ve come to now.
Leahy: Exactly.
Carmichael: You have one side that gets to arbitrate and determine. Be the arbiter of what’s allowed speech. It is really interesting that I watch the old movie 1984 not long ago and I’m reading about the French Revolution right now because of those two things, but this is so much different than the problems we’ve had in the past. Because you now have governors and mayors and we are one election away from having a president who says free speech is no longer allowed you must say only what you are allowed to say.
Leahy: Right.
Carmichael: That’s how close we are.
Leahy: Very close.
Carmichael: We have a very prosperous society. And it fits together. It’s a very very fragile net of our supply chains and all of these other things. For example, when COVID went down we had Dan Cook who talked about the 20,000 people employed by the venue industry and he didn’t even think about it as a venue operator.
When hotels go down you have all kinds of small companies that service hotels. When you have restaurants that close you have all the small farmers that do the field to fork and their supplies are shut down. And so there’s a web here. And if you break apart that web we will descend into chaos.
Leahy: We are at that turning point right now. And the next five months I think will be perhaps the most important five months in American history.
Carmichael: Here’s the question. Will the mayors try to close down the voting precincts where they know that they tend to be Republican.
Leahy: Yes. That’s the other thing coming. I will just tell you. You are prescient as to what’s going to happen. What’s going to happen is that Democrats everywhere are going to press for vote by mail. Another word for that is a fraud. Voter fraud. The Democrats are all going to use this excuse of COVID-19. It’s going to happen here. John Cooper who has shown himself to be nothing but a partisan hack. They are all going to do that. We have multiple problems before now and the election.
Carmichael: I’m talking about overtly letting Antifa riot at particular voting precincts.
Leahy: To intimidate voters.
Carmichael: Not to intimidate. But to literally stop them.
Leahy: To stop them. That’s on the horizon.
Carmichael: And the media is so bought in and the academia.
Leahy: Yes.
Carmichael: What’s interesting is that the media is sustained by money that comes from the private sector. Universities are sustained in a similar way. The tax base comes from the private sector. You have a lot of wonderful state and city employees who are caught up in the middle of this.
I think there is an Antifa element in our government. And when I say Antifa element, it’s a small percentage of people in the state and local governments who have been as radical as the governors and the mayors have been and I guess some police chiefs.
Leahy: One of our listeners just sent into me an email about a Twitter account that just went up. It’s called Our Revolution and Middle Tennessee and it’s got some steps to take for folks. Number one. How to defund the police in Nashville. Serious things to be done. Then showing that they are well educated. They’ve misspelled this.
Learn what’s in Nashville proposed budget, except they missed the O in it. Call or email your own council member. And then here’s what you say. It’s the dialogue. Its the same dialogue that went forward in that Kabuki Theater Metro Council meeting where they just wouldn’t talk about anything except defund the police.
Carmichael: Defund the police can end up taking two courses. Either you literally defund them or the government officials essentially tell them to more or less stand down when private property is being destroyed. Just don’t arrest anybody.
Leahy: Yes. They are doing that.
Carmichael: Just don’t arrest anybody.
Leahy: Don’t enforce the law. Enforce the law against private business owners that are trying to open up. But rioters that are breaking windows they can go ahead and do it.
Carmichael: Exactly.
Leahy: That’s where we are Crom. Yikes!
Carmichael: Well, it’s not like it was before.
Listen to the full second hour here:

– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-06--Chinese Dissident Xu Zhiyong to be Honored by PEN America

NEW YORK , New York ( AP ) — Xu Zhiyong , a prominent Chinese activist and legal scholar detained by the government since earlier this year , is being honored by PEN America .
The literary and human rights organization announced Thursday that Xu is this year ’ s winner of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award , which recognizes those imprisoned for free expression and previously has been given to dissidents everywhere from Cuba to Turkey .
Xu ’ s award comes on the 31st anniversary of the so-called Tiananmen Square Massacre , when Chinese soldiers shot and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has strongly criticized Chinese leader Xi Jinping for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak .
Xu had been in hiding since last December , but continued to attack Xi on social media , accusing him of covering up information about the virus and calling him unfit for his job .
“ You didn ’ t authorise the truth to be released , and the outbreak turned into a national disaster , ” Xu wrote in February , shortly before he was detained .
“ I don ’ t think you ’ re an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not wise.
” According to friends , Xu faces charges for “ inciting subversion of state power.
” In a recent interview with The Associated Press , PEN CEO Suzanne Nossel cited a “ confluence ” of factors in giving the award to Xu , from highlighting China ’ s record of human rights violations as the country ’ s influence grows worldwide to the dangers of official secrecy on public health .
“ The suppression of information and the punishment of those who tried to blow the whistle has unquestionably contributed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said .
“ We really see the catastrophic consequences of muzzling those who try to tell the truth.
” Xu has a long history of taking on the government and was jailed in 2014 for “ gathering a crowd to disturb public order , ” a charge stemming from his leadership of the reformist New Citizens Movement .
In 2009 , he was arrested on charges of tax evasion but released a month later .
PEN will highlight Xu ’ s life and work at its annual gala , scheduled for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from May because of the coronavirus .
Other honorees will include the musician and author Patti Smith and Hearst executive president Frank A. Bennack Jr. Hillel Italie reports for The Associated Press .
About Headline Photo : In this July 17 , 2009 file photo , legal scholar Xu Zhiyong , is seen at a meeting in Beijing , China .
Zhiyong , a prominent Chinese activist and legal scholar detained by the government earlier this year , is being honored by PEN America .
The literary and human rights organization announced Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winner of the Freedom to Write Award , which previously has been given to dissidents everywhere from Cuba to Turkey .
( AP Photo/Greg Baker , File )

NEW YORK, New York (AP) — Xu Zhiyong, a prominent Chinese activist and legal scholar detained by the government since earlier this year, is being honored by PEN America.
The literary and human rights organization announced Thursday that Xu is this year’s winner of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, which recognizes those imprisoned for free expression and previously has been given to dissidents everywhere from Cuba to Turkey. Xu’s award comes on the 31st anniversary of the so-called Tiananmen Square Massacre, when Chinese soldiers shot and killed pro-democracy demonstrators.
The 47-year-old Xu has strongly criticized Chinese leader Xi Jinping for his handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Xu had been in hiding since last December, but continued to attack Xi on social media, accusing him of covering up information about the virus and calling him unfit for his job.
“You didn’t authorise the truth to be released, and the outbreak turned into a national disaster,” Xu wrote in February, shortly before he was detained. “I don’t think you’re an evil man, you’re just not wise.”
According to friends, Xu faces charges for “inciting subversion of state power.”
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, PEN CEO Suzanne Nossel cited a “confluence” of factors in giving the award to Xu, from highlighting China’s record of human rights violations as the country’s influence grows worldwide to the dangers of official secrecy on public health.
“The suppression of information and the punishment of those who tried to blow the whistle has unquestionably contributed to the uncontrollable spread of the coronavirus,” she said. “We really see the catastrophic consequences of muzzling those who try to tell the truth.”
Xu has a long history of taking on the government and was jailed in 2014 for “gathering a crowd to disturb public order,” a charge stemming from his leadership of the reformist New Citizens Movement. In 2009, he was arrested on charges of tax evasion but released a month later.
PEN will highlight Xu’s life and work at its annual gala, scheduled for December 8 in Manhattan after being postponed from May because of the coronavirus. Other honorees will include the musician and author Patti Smith and Hearst executive president Frank A. Bennack Jr.
– – –
Hillel Italie reports for The Associated Press.
About Headline Photo: In this July 17, 2009 file photo, legal scholar Xu Zhiyong, is seen at a meeting in Beijing, China. Zhiyong, a prominent Chinese activist and legal scholar detained by the government earlier this year, is being honored by PEN America. The literary and human rights organization announced Thursday that Xu is this year’s winner of the Freedom to Write Award, which previously has been given to dissidents everywhere from Cuba to Turkey. (AP Photo/Greg Baker, File)