Stanton HQ Opening This Saturday

 PRESS RELEASE
JUNE 5, 2012

WHAT:       CAMPAIGN KICK-OFF FOR SHELBY COUNTY GENERAL SESSIONS COURT CLERK

WHEN:       SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 2012 AT 1 P.M. TO 3 P.M.

WHERE:     ED STANTON, JR CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS
                       4118 S. PLAZA DR.
                       MEMPHIS, TN  38116
                       901-244-7907

DETAILS:
SHELBY COUNTY GENERAL SESSIONS CLERK COURT PRO TEMPORE WILL KICK-OFF HIS GENERAL ELECTION FOR THE AUGUST 2 ELECTION.  FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND POLITICAL SUPPORTERS WILL JOIN ED STANTON, JR. AS THE CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES WITH FOOD AND MUSIC.

Go read VIBINC now, please!

Steve Ross has a terrific post up about the Election Commission, go check it out!

Meryl Rice needs our help!

Meryl Rice is challenging Delores Gresham in Senate District 26 and she needs our help!  Meryl is unopposed in the Democratic primary and is campaigning vigorously in the West Tennessee Senate district.

If you are a Democrat on Facebook, LIKE her page here to keep up with events.  if you can contribute, please do, if you can help her canvass or host a party for her, please do that as well as every election COUNTS!

Her website is http://www.merylrice.com/.

Let's elect another strong Democrat to the State Senate!

UPDATE: I let Meryl know about this post, and she commented:

  Thanks so much Steve. I tried to add comments to the blog, have not been successful. I just wanted everyone to know that Dolores sponsored legislation to cut the Hope Lottery Scholarship in half and she voted to DE-Fund the Memphis Megasite. The woman apparently lives on another planet. I need your prayers, your support, your votes, and your money!

Cohen HQ opening TODAY!

Pick up a bumper sticker or yard sign at our headquarters! 2035 Union Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 901-672-7178 Quick Links Cohen for Congress Home Page Contribute to Cohen for Congress Volunteer Bumper Sticker Yard Sign Cohen for Congress Newsletter May 31, 2012    Join Us for the Cohen for Congress Campaign Headquarters Grand Opening This Saturday! Join us this Saturday, June 2nd as we officially open the Cohen for Congress 2012 Campaign Headquarters at 2035 Union Avenue! We'll be grilling lunch from 12PM to 2PM, so stop in, eat with us, and meet Congressman Cohen! We've got the grill, we've got the food... And the final ingredient is YOU. So please join us this Saturday! Where: 2035 Union Ave., Memphis, TN 38104 (Click here for a map) When: This Saturday, June 2nd from 12PM to 2 PM!

The @%$#ing Developers are at it AGAIN

And they are trying to gut the UDC and revert the zoning laws back to the 1980s, which is why the UDC was proposed in the first place.  Allow my friend Louise Mercuro to explain:

This is such a very important and the negative impact on Memphis is so massive that it is almost impossible to put into a few short paragraphs.  Almost every page of the UDC has changes proposed.  Major issues are that all the uses that the UDC prohibited in residential neighborhoods, small business centers and in mixed use shopping centers are back in.

The planned development process has been obliterated retreating to the Gold rush days.  Virtually no public notice will be given on PDs and they will exist forever within City limits.  Developers will not have to show an actual plan for their development, only an outline of their property and a potential list of uses.  Once a PD is approved it can NEVER be changed by the legislative body only by the developer or property owner.  In other progressive cities the PD process is an exception allow innovative developments;  in Memphis it is the rule to get around traditional zoning and subdivision rules and regulations.  Cheaper, faster, no notice to citizens of any consequence and cursory review. 

Use variances (cell towers, billboards, day care centers in neighborhoods, etc.) which were taken from the Board of Adjustment by the Council because of lack of notice, by-passing zoning process, misuse and other issues are to be given back to BOA.  Overlay Districts (Midtown, Medical Center, University, New Town Districts) are slated to be eliminated. 

These changes touch every piece of property in the city and thus all of our citizens and business owners.  In effect what the UDC set out to be a blueprint for the future of Memphis has been obliterated.  All of our work (citizens, consultants and staff) to control sprawl, aid in inner-City redevelopment, protect the environment and openspace, create walkable neighborhoods and on and on will be gone.  God only knows the financial implications to the City and in some cases to the County.  We will be going back to the 1980s and 1990s. 

There is much more.  But just a notice to your followers to call or email the Council and ask for an indefinite hold until OPD holds as many public meetings as it did when the UDC was being developed would help.  THERE HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY NO SUNSHINE IN THIS PROCESS.  IT HAS BEEN DONE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.  A few folks who got wind of it through connections met with Josh Whitehead and MAY have gotten a few concessions, but review of ordinance posted on OPD blog shows that the concessions they thought they got actually were changed again and were made even more onerous.

I know that OPD was the biggest part of my career in Memphis and I learned and grew there.  I will always consider the UDC to be one of the major achievements of the agency.  I just can't let it go down without a fight. 

Meeting of Council is Tuesday June 6th and then I believe it goes to Commission and will go back and forth until there are 3 readings on both sides.  Either the Council or Commission can make changes, but both bodies have to approve. 

A copy of the changes can be found at http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/Blog.aspx?IID=12  It will be very confusing to the general citizen let alone a professional in planning, engineering, architecture, etc. or a savvy layman.

Any help that you can give would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks so much,
Louise Mercuro

By the way, here's what YOU can do to stop this:

 City Council Contacts

Phone:   (901) 576-6786Fax: (901) 576-6796 

Chairman Planning and Zoning Committee:  Ed Ford, Jr.Vice Chairman:  Reid HedgepethMembers:  Bill Boyd, Myron Lowery, Janis Fullilove, Joe Brown
Broad Avenue Councilmen:  District 5 - Jim Strickland   Super District 9 - Kemp Conrad, Shea Flinn, Reid Hedgepeth

Emails for all Councilmen are in this format firstname.lastname@memphistn.gov or you can email them all at once from their page found here:   http://memphistn.gov/framework.aspx?page=690 

So much for an Aerotropolis

Have many of you noticed that if you try to fly Delta out of Memphis, you are gouged on price?  Have you noticed that if you drive to Little Rock, and fly somewhere THROUGH Memphis, it's cheaper than if you leave FROM Memphis?

Well, Tom Jones, our friend from Smart City Memphis, has noticed and is trying to do something about it with a new group on Facebook called DELTA DOES MEMPHIS.

While Delta has said little about this group, The Airport Authority felt the heat and created a group called My Memphis Airport and announced a forum where people could air their concerns (pun intended), but scheduled it from 10:30-11:30 A.M. on a Tuesday morning!  I criticized that on their site, but they spouted PRspeak to explain why this works SO much better.

Folks, the lack of inexpensive flights in and out of this city has caused us to lose The Folk Alliance and its annual conference, and it kills us when we are trying to recruit new business, and Delta cares not one whit.  We need to recruit new airlines (HELLO SOUTHWEST AIRLINES) and we need Delta to drop their fares.

This group is having an effect, but we need more members.  If you are on Facebook, I implore you to join DELTA DOES MEMPHIS, and the group started by Cheri Delbrocco, MEMPHIS WANTS SOUTHWEST AIRLINES.

It's not just about dropping fares, it's about bringing business to Memphis, and we need your help.

Thanks.

A Memorial Day message from Steve Ross

Romney/GOP Economics explained by Tony Soprano

With a tip of the cap to Bob Newman and the Huffington post...

WHO are the Job Creators???

Hat tip to my pal David in Newport for this one, from the MSNBC website. This occurred at the TED Conference in March. Enjoy!

Donna Summer, 1948-2012

Sadly, dead of cancer at 63.

Can we clone Bernie Sanders??

The Police Association fights back!

The Memphis Police Association has decided to revamp their website and fight back against proposed cuts by the Wharton Administration and the City Council.

Go check out their site and decide for yourself, then email the council and let them know what you think.

More Romney Economics

Romney Economics

Shameless Self-Promotion Part MMXII - Reminder

I have been invited to join David McLaughlin this Sunday night from 6:10-6:30 on KudzuVine, an online radio show discussing Southern politics from a Democratic perspective.

You can listen to the show at this link, and can call in if you like at the number listed at the link. I look forward to this, and hope that you will as well!

UPDATE: if you missed it, you can listen at the link above.  I wasn't bad.

On the subject of marriage

David Waters, the terrific religion writer for the CA, got the reactions of several ministers to yesterday's announcement by the President that he now supports marriage equality.

I was struck by this response by Chris Altrock of the Highland Church of Christ:

If we want to have a civil discussion about the status of homosexuals in our culture or about the legal privileges afforded to homosexuals, let’s do so by all means. Jesus would urge us to love our neighbor, heterosexual or homosexual, and to create a cultural climate in which all neighbors are treated with justice and mercy. But let’s leave marriage out of this discussion. From a Christian perspective, marriage has nothing to do status or stability. Marriage between a man and a woman exists to reflect the world-changing love between Jesus and his bride.

With all due respect, Reverend, I must take issue.  Marriage is not the sole propriety of the church, and this is why my gay friends seek marriage EQUALITY.  Marriage may well be a covenant, but what is a covenant? An AGREEMENT, and what is another name for agreement? CONTRACT.

You see, the state governs contracts, not the church. If the Supreme Court of the United States were to rule that gay marriage were legal, all that would mean is that gay couples could not be denied marriage licenses by their County Clerk.  If that couple were to bring their license to your church, sir, you and your congregation would have every right under your guaranteed freedom of religion to politely explain that such marriages were against your beliefs and that you could not honor their request.

But it would still be a MARRIAGE license.  And MARRIAGE, not civil union, is what gives not only legal protection, but EQUAL STATUS in this great land of ours.  To not grant the right of MARRIAGE to gay people is to deny them EQUALITY.

And that is a civil rights issue, ladies and gentlemen.  I support civil rights for all regardless of race, creed, origin, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation, even though I am a straight white male.  Civil rights should be the birthright of all human beings, and last I looked, gay people were human.

So, Rev. Altrock, while I appreciate that your response was not homophobic, (and, frankly, much more open and welcoming than some of your fellow ministers in the article), I must gently remind you and all ministers, regardless of faith, that MARRIAGE belongs to all, not just the church.

Civil rights is civil rights.  NEVER forget that.

At a time when it was very much needed, President Obama leads on marriage equality

From Think Progress;  thank you, Mr. President, for leading.

Foamy The Squirrel has the proper perspective on gay marriage

Even if North Carolinians do not.

Kennedy Day is coming!!!

Speakers are not known yet, but we'll have that here soon.

The Shelby County Democratic Party is pleased to announce its Kennedy Day dinner.

June 8th from 7 to 10 pm
Balanise Ballroom
330 N. Main, Memphis, TN.

A VIP reception will also be held that evening from 6 to 7 pm.

Tickets for the dinner are $100 per person or $1000 for a table.

Tickets for the VIP reception are $50.

All can be purchased online here.

How do you steal $53 Million in a town of 15,000?

The City Comptroller for my birthplace, Dixon, IL, is accused of embezzling $53 million dollars over the last few years, and she apparently just got caught!  This has been amazing to watch; it is a town of 15,000 people, and I never thought there was ever THAT much money in Dixon at any one time in my life.  Here is a report from WQAD of Moline, which used to be a sister station to WREG: I hate that this happened to Dixon, but to those of you who think Memphis has problems, realize that a small town like Dixon can have just as big a problem with crooks, because everyone assumes that something like this could NEVER happen here!

SCDP Happy Hour This Thursday

Liz Rincon sent this to me and asked me to inform all of you about this event, which is from 5 PM-7:30 PM this Thursday, May 10:

Come join the Shelby County Democratic Party for our bi-monthly happy hour. We are excited that Mollie Fontaine's Lounge is having our group in their amazing space! Drink specials and good political talk. See you there!

Go read Newscoma. NOW, please.

The best writer I know is having a rough week, and I think you should go read her now.  And while you are at it, kick a little in the Paypal over there while you are at it, if you can, because for some reason while Republicans support their own financially, Democrats do NOT, well, most of them, anyway.

Seriously, she writes, she sends out the terrific DAILY BUZZ every morning (and if you are a lefty, you should sign up if you have not already done so) and she is trying to stay afloat as best she can.  When she wrote about this other day, she was attacked by Freepers.  I took this as a sign that she is being wildly successful at bring ALEC's evil to light, so they sicced the Freepers on her.

In short, we need to rally behind her now, and fully support her fight, because it is OUR fight, too.

Go read her and appreciate her, because she is badass and fighting for US.

ONE CHANCE.

West Tennessee Resource Center Opens April 28! (Updated)

 You Are Invited

Grand Opening Celebration

With Guests of Honor

Mayor A C Wharton

&

Congressman Steve Cohen 

West Tennessee 

Democratic Resource Center

 in the Century Building

3294 Poplar Avenue,  Suite 310

Saturday April 28, 2012

Grand Opening 1:00PM

Ribbon Cutting 2:00PM

Sponsored by:

A & R Bar-B-Que	Cooper Hotels	Ryan Properties
Mayor A C Wharton We are asking attendees to donate office supplies to help us operate this new regional resource center.  Click here to find out what you can contribute.

April 24 - SCDP Fundraiser "Sunset on the River BBQ"

From our friend Liz Rincon at the SCDP:

The Shelby County Democrats will be hosting the "Sunset on the River BBQ" Fundraiser on Tuesday, April 24 at 6-9pm. The fundraiser will be held on a beautiful rooftop by the Mississippi River at 648 Riverside Drive, Memphis, TN 38103. There will be Ghost River beer and local foods served as well as the musical talent of Lee Taylor and Evan Hurst!

Suggested Donation of $25 and students can pay what you can. RSVP to Liz Rincon at liz@shelbydem.org.

The SCDP would like to give a special thanks to Skip Ledbetter for hosting this event!

We welcome THE GULLYWASHER to THE ENDLESS BLOGROLL

Our friend Cheri DelBrocco, noted for her co-hosting of the EYES ON MEMPHIS radio show with Lexie Carter on AM990 Wednesday mornings, and her MAD AS HELL column in the Flyer, has decided to start blogging, which we welcome.

Her blog is THE GULLYWASHER, which can be found down and to the right in THE ENDLESS BLOGROLL!  Go check it out; congratulations Cheri!

SCDP Happy Hours to begin this week!

From Antonias Hawkins at the SCDP:

The Shelby County Democratic Party is really excited to announce that we are starting a happy hour event twice a month around our great city of Memphis! Come join us as we discuss current issues, the election and of course what the SCDP is going to do to ensure a successful year! This is a great networking opportunity and we are looking forward to having more youth participation as it is on us to make our future a great one!

Our first happy hour event will be this Thursday (April 12) at Slider Inn from 5-7pm!! The address is 2117 Peabody Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104. Obama 2012 and Shelby County Democrats gear will be available!

Happy Easter!

From the greatest Easter movie of all time...

Here's your filing deadline roundup for Shelby County

The apparently final update from the Election Commission is in, and here we go:

A surprisingly crowded 4-person Republican Primary for Congress (TN-09) features returning nominee Charlotte Bergmann, who has to be an underdog to George Flinn, the doctor/media mogul who is running in an overwhelmingly Democratic district but will be spending a LOT of money.  Joining them are Ernest Lunati and Rollin Stooksberry.

As expected, Unified School Board member Tomeka Hart filed in the Democratic primary for TN-09 against Congressman Cohen, only to have Cohen's campaign announce shortly after noon that, like 2010, The President of The United States was endorsing him for re-election.  As I said when I read that, BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE.

The primary winners will face independents Gregory Joiner and Brian L. Saulsberry.

In state Senate Races, Senator Beverly Marrero will face off against Senator Jim Kyle in District 30.  While it still has her number, the district more resembles Kyle's old district, and it will be a tough battle for both of them, and it is likely to split the Democrats in the county in two.

Interestingly, GOP Senate Leader Mark Norris of Collierville has a primary battle coming up against Woody Degan, of whom I know nothing about.  We will see if he has any traction against the longtime Senator.

Now, to the House.  Escaping opposition and winning re-election by default were Reps Mark White (R-83), Joe Towns (D-84) who saw both of his potential opponents disqualified due to insufficient signatures.  This is a surprise, as the SCEC had listed Hendrell Remus as being qualified earlier in the day.

(UPDATE- Remus says on his Facebook page that he was certified on March 8 as having sufficient signatures and was not listed as being INSUFFICIENT until this afternoon and intends to fight this.  Towns may not be out of the woods just yet.)  FURTHER UPDATE ON SATURDAY: Remus IS qualified, thanks to Steve Tapp and Cherrie Holden for the information!

Joining these two in cruising to unopposed victory are Reps. Karen Camper (D-87), Lois Deberry (D-91), and Jim Coley (R-97).

Some had no primary opposition but face opponents in November.  Those include Barbara Cooper (D-86), who once again is up against the GOP's George Edwards, Larry Miller (D-88) versus Harry Barber (Miller's potential primary foe, Tammy Warren, was DQ'd for insufficient signatures), Curry Todd (R-95), who will face Democrat Robert Noziglia, and Antonio "2Shay" Parkinson, who gets independent Artie Smith in November.

The GOP House primary fights between incumbent Steve McManus (R-96) and Jim Harrell and Ron Lollar (R-99) and Thomas D. Stephens.  I won't pick here; whomever I pick I would hurt as the picked person would inevitably be accused of being a LIBERAL!

Last, but not least, are the Democratic House primaries, which look like barn-burners.  First, in a re-drawn District 90 that now includes Hein Park, Central Gardens, Chickasaw Gardens and Cooper-Young, incumbent John Deberry now finds himself up against redistricted Rep. Jeanne Richardson, who saw her House 89 sent to Knox County, and Ian Randolph, who has unsuccessfully sought legislative office in the past.  Richardson has been gathering support for this race, and will give the veteran Deberry a tough fight.

The other fight will be between 19-term veteran Mike Kernell and redistricted GA Hardaway in 93.  Hardaway's 92 is now in South Central Tennessee.  Though the district contains more of Kernell's former district (and parts that were with Hardaway in 92 until this year, but with Kernell in 93 in the 70s and 80s), there are new parts of the district that formerly were in 89 and 98.  Both men are hard workers; this summer will be very interesting to say the least.

I am donating this post to Steve Ross

As you are aware, my friend Steve Ross is seeking to fill the unexpired term of former County Commissioner Mike Carpenter.  He will be facing Steve Basar in the August general election.

I know little or nothing of Mr. Basar, but I'm not here to tell you why you shouldn't vote for him, I am here to tell you why you SHOULD vote for Steve Ross.  If you have read his posts at VIBINC over the years, you understand that no one researches issues like he does.  He truly understands the short and long-term issues facing Shelby County, and takes positions based on that research and what will best serve his potential constituency.  He's not someone who will swoon at a lobbyist who pushes a project for a benefactor, but he will listen to all parties before making a decision.

Most of all, he is one of US.  No, I'm not talking about being a blogger and a Democrat, both of which he is, I'm talking about the fact that he is a WORKING person.  He works for Nolan's Audio-visual while working on his degree at the U of M while campaigning for Commission.

We deeply need someone of his depth and intellect in this seat, someone who sees things not in terms of how (AND WHOM) an issue would benefit, but also its long-term ramifications.  In short, he's not like the Commissioners who allowed sprawl to injure the City of Memphis so a few developers could benefit.

He would work for ALL of us, and that is something Memphis and Shelby County desperately needs, so I am asking you to support in the August general election in District 1.  Please visit the website at www.votesteveross.com (you can donate to him there) and like his campaign on Facebook!

Thank You, Mr. Speaker

A giant, an icon of Tennessee politics, a servant of the public.

Jimmy Naifeh has been all of that and then some in his 38 years in the Tennessee House of Representatives, 18 of those years as the longest serving Speaker in state history.

 Naifeh, 72, of Covington, announced on the floor of the House that he will not seek re-election to his seat this fall, a seat that had been made difficult, if not impossible, to win due to GOP redistricting. It is a damn shame he is leaving, because he has been great for his state, his party, and ESPECIALLY Memphis and West Tennessee.

Yes, I understand I have not always been charitable towards the Speaker, but I have always respected his ability to get things done for our state, to make government work FOR the average citizen instead of against it, as the GOP is doing now. When Speaker Naifeh led the House, none of these idiotic gun bills or anti-Memphis/urban area bills ever saw the light of day, and we were better off for that.

 Much of what Memphis has received from Nashville (which was usually not as much as we GAVE to state government) we got due to Speaker Naifeh, who worked closely with the Shelby County delegation.

It is my opinion that his 38 years was spent trying to ensure that every Tennessean, whether they lived in Germantown or Boxtown, Farragut or Austin-East, Brentwood or Palmersville, had better opportunities to achieve what they wanted than his father had when he emigrated from Lebanon those many years ago.

 He was even nice enough to meet with a bunch of crazy leftie bloggers from all over the state on more than one occasion, which we all appreciated.

Mr. Speaker, you have served this state faithfully and left a shining legacy of service for others to follow, and one can only hope that they DO, or we are all in big trouble.

Thank you, Speaker Naifeh.

I really didn't see that coming

I have to admit that I was surprised by Ed Stanton Jr.'s victory yesterday in the Democratic primary for General Sessions Court Clerk.  As you know, I feared that Stanton would pull enough votes away from Sidney Chism to enable indicted Clerk Otis Jackson to win renomination and kill our chances of victory in August.

OOPS.

Stanton's effort, which received a boost with the endorsement of Congressman Steve Cohen, showed great work throughout the county in edging the veteran Chism.  Jackson, fortunately, turned out to be a non-factor, finishing a distant third, ahead of only newcomers Karen Woodward and Marion Brewer.

Now, the county ticket for August looks like this:

ASSESSOR - Cheyenne Johnson, who easily turned away Steve Webster yesterday by a 4-1 margin.

ATTORNEY GENERAL - Carol Chumney (unopposed yesterday)

GENERAL SESSIONS COURT CLERK - Ed Stanton, Jr.

COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT 1 - Steve Ross, who will face newcomer Steve Basar.  Basar upset culture warrior (and former office-holder) Marilyn Loeffel by a 51-49 margin.  It is a tough but not impossible road for Ross, whose thoughtful blog posts at VIBINC show the depth of research that he would bring to the issues that face the county.

Let's support this Democratic team as they prepare for battle in August!

Congratulations to Congressman Cohen!

Why? Because George Flinn has decided to challenge him for the 9th District.  Of course, the former Commissioner will be running as a Republican, which means Cohen will be able to raise more money, and might even get help from the DCCC!

What's that you say?  He still has a primary to win? Yes, he does; however, ask the average 9th District Democratic voter for whom they will vote, Cohen or Tomeka Hart, and see how many of them state, "Who's the other candidate?" or "She's running? I haven't seen or heard ANYTHING from her, isn't it a little late?"

Which, of course, is my point exactly.  Hart would need to raise at least million to be able to challenge Cohen, and there's no indication that she has raised anywhere close to that amount.  If you say that this is an African-American district and she's African-American, well, so were the last two challengers, and Steve pulled 75% of the African-American vote against THEM.

However, knowing the Congressman as I do, he will run against all of them like he is twenty points DOWN instead of twenty to thirty points ahead.  That's how you win every election but one since 1982 (1996, to Harold Ford, Junior).  Time to get cranked up NOW!!!!!

Once upon a time, such things didn't matter...

John DeBerry has represented District 90 since the late 1980s as a reliable vote for Democrats on economic issues, and until the 2010 elections, that's really all that mattered.

In the old days when Jimmy Naifeh was Speaker of the House (I miss his presence in that chair now more than ever), right-wing wedge issue bills like Don't Say Gay were crushed in committee or even sub-committee.  These bills never saw the light of day, so it never mattered that, on social issues, John, being a minister of a conservative church, would have supported these bills.

(Full disclosure: I have known John for several years and think highly of him, I just don't agree with him on these issues.)

Well, of course, with the 2010 elections came sweeping change, and none of it for the good.  Even the supposedly "moderate" Speaker Beth Harwell looked away as the craziest of bills got through and even passed, such as the defunding of Planned Parenthood.

Also, the biggest change of all was the redistricting, of which the GOP had control for the first time in 140 years, and they used it to their advantage, just as we had when the Democrats were in control.  In the old days, even if the bills had gotten through and John had voted for them, he had few white liberals in his district and it would not have been major to his district.  Well, at least there would not have been an organized effort.

However, John now represents Hein Park, part of Cooper-Young, Central Gardens, Vollintine-Evergreen, Annesdale-Snowden and Chickasaw Gardens in addition to his old neighborhood, in addition to parts of Frayser.  Putting Frayser aside for the moment, those are neighborhoods of white liberals and moderates, most of whom are affluent, and many of them are part of the GLBT community of Memphis.

To say that they were steamed (as I was, frankly) that John supported Don't Say Gay is an understatement.  Jonathan Cole, head of the Tennessee Equality Project, acted as a resident of District 90 when he sent out a letter (and posted it to Facebook) calling for a Democratic opponent to John DeBerry.  He also called for these folks, if possible, to raise at least $1000 each for such an opponent.

First, that's how democracy works (if we can keep the GOP from KILLING it) in this country.  While it pains me that I won't be supporting John, this is necessary.  Since the GOP took control, the Democrats HAVE to be seen as the supporter of human rights and the middle-class and working poor; the GOP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the 1%.  Human rights means GLBT rights and it means women's rights as well.  Did I mention that Cole found that John had also voted to support the defunding of Planned Parenthood?

Of course, there will be many in the Democratic community saying this is a wild-goose chase as the district is overwhelmingly African-American.  Not so fast, my friend, as Lee Corso would say.  Yes, the district is only about 36% white, but these are high-information voters who rarely miss an election.

The truth is that African-Americans rarely turn out in high numbers for August primaries; since they are held in conjunction with County GENERAL elections, this puts Democrats at a DIS-advantage in County races, but I digress.  I don't know if it's that the community doesn't like to pick between Democrats, but this fact suddenly puts the re-nomination of DeBerry in major difficulty; the Democrat who is nominated will win the general in November.

At this time, we don't know who will step up, but it will be very interesting to see who runs against John, of whom I can only say, this isn't personal, this is just business.

The PEOPLE'S business, that is.

So REALLY: Why are we in Afghanistan? Iran? Iraq?

What: Public lecture by former CIA analyst Ray McGovern
When: Thursday February 23, 7:30 PM 
Where: First Congregational Church, 1000 S. Cooper St, Memphis
Free admission 

Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst turned anti-war activist, will speak in Memphis on current US policy on Iran and other Middle Eastern countries.

McGovern served his country as a CIA analyst under seven presidents. Upon retirement, he was awarded the Intelligence Commendation Medal (which he later returned).

McGovern's loyalty is to his country, not its leaders, and in 2002 he publically criticized George W. Bush’s use of government intelligence in the run-up to the war in Iraq. In 2003, he co-founded the group Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. In January 2006, McGovern began to speak out on behalf of the anti-war group Not in Our Name. Today he leads the “Speaking Truth to Power” section of Tell the Word, an expression of the ecumenical Church of the Savior in inner-city Washington,and he teaches at its Servant Leadership School.

In February 2011 McGovern was arrested for a silent protest of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech at George Washington University. (Go to YouTube.com, enter “McGovern Clinton.”) Later that year he joined a group of activists who prepared to set sail to Gaza to challenge the blockade of Palestine.

McGovern has made several media appearances, including interviews in NBC, MSNBC, and CNN, and in “The Daily Show.” His essays have appeared in the Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, truthdig.org, and commondreams.org.

The event is sponsored by the Memphis chapter of Veterans for Peace, and is co-sponsored by the First Congregational Church, Caritas Village, Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, Pax Christi Memphis, and the Memphis School of Servant Leadership. In addition to his talk at the First Congo church, McGovern will also speak to students at Christian Brothers University (Feb. 22) and Rhodes College (Feb. 23).

Thanks to Les Smith for putting me on FOX 13 tonight

Your Humble Cracker on FOX13 regarding the Norris-Todd 2 Bill and annexation

To Annex or Not to Annex: MyFoxMEMPHIS.com