Month: March 2020

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Politics Politics Beat Blog

Biden’s Big Night, Joe Brown’s Surprise Win

It was a great night for Joe B. Who’d a’ thunk it?

Former Vice President Joe Biden

That sentiment applies not only to the results of the Democrats’ presidential primaries on Super Tuesday, in which former Vice President Joe Biden exceeded all expectations and took the lead away from Bernie Sanders. It also describes the out-of-nowhere victory of former city councilman Joe Brown in the Democratic Party primary for General Sessions Court clerk.

In both the national and the local case, the winner’s vote totals were out of all proportion to the campaigning done by the candidate. Biden famously won Massachusetts without spending a nickel there or having an office or any kind of gr

former Councilman Joe Brown

ound game. Joe Brown was conspicuously less visible than his major competitors in a highly populated race in which there were several other name candidates.

Meanwhile, former Probate Court clerk Paul Boyd won the four-way Republican primary for General Sessions clerk and will oppose Brown in a general election showdown in August.In his case, as in Brown’s, name identification played a large part in the outcome.

In the case of Biden, who handily won Tennessee (and Shelby County in the process), the astonishing revival of his previously moribund campaign in last weekend’s South Carolina primary, coupled with a wave of major endorsements from former primary opponents, propelled the ex-Veep into the enviable position that, only days ago, Sanders had been expected to achieve.

The final Shelby County totals:

In the Democratic presidential primary:

Michael Bennet 623
Joseph R. Biden 50,273
Michael R. Bloomberg 18,183
Cory Booker 311
Pete Buttigieg 1,747
Julián Castro 50
John K. Delaney 100
Tulsi Gabbard 229
Amy Klobuchar 1,123
Deval Patrick 54
Bernie Sanders 20,482
Tom Steyer 280
Elizabeth Warren 8,461
Marianne Williamson 28
Andrew Yang 127
Uncommitted 108

In the Democratic primary for General Sessions Court Clerk:

Gortria Banks 7,581
Rheunte E. Benson 1,239
Joe Brown 20,602
Tanya L. Cooper 6,139
A. Dailey-Evans 2,623
Deirdre V. Fisher 2,116
R. S. Ford Sr 3,852
Del Gill 940
Eddie Jones 10,627
Wanda Logan-Faulkner 8,568
Thomas Long 11,457
Reginald Milton 13,127
Tavia Tate 1,466
Write-In 45

In the Republican primary for clerk:

Paul C. Boyd 9,514
Michael Finney 2,949
George Summers 1,924
Lisa W. Wimberly 4,841
Write-In 80 MTK

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News News Blog

Bible Closer to Becoming State Book

The Christian Bible took one step closer to becoming the official state book of Tennessee Tuesday.

The House Naming, Designating, and Private Acts Committee may not sound exciting. But it has been a main battlefield of the Tennessee culture wars this legislative session, primarily with debates on what to do with the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust in the State Capitol building.

Rep. Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station) brought his Bible bill back to the legislature this year after it was defeated last year in a full House floor vote.

This time, though, Sexton added language to the bill to show it wasn’t just a Christian thing. The new bill says the Bible has had historical and economic impacts on the state and, therefore, should be its state book. He even said the folks at Liberty University have agreed to defend the move if it was contested in court.

Just before the dog pile of Christian Representatives smothered Sexton and his bill with righteous tones of their love of the book, one committee member disagreed with the idea.

“I have multiple churches in my district and multiple synagogues and mosques in my district,” said Rep. John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville). “If the state codified and recognizes the Bible as the state book, what does that say to [those who aren’t Christians] about their religion? How should they interpret that?”

Sexton said “it would not say anything to them, anymore than having Tennessee designated as the Volunteer State.”

Clemmons said the legislation is “exclusive in nature” and, in his opinion as an attorney, is unconstitutional as a violation of the establishment clause.

To that, Sexton said that “every time we make a vote here and almost everything we do, excludes someone and includes someone. Exclusions and inclusions…that goes on all the time. [This bill] does not exclude anyone. …. It doesn’t require anyone to go to church or buy a Bible or read it. It just recognizes it for historical purposes.”

One Representative in the room likened the move to naming the state flower or bird. Another read passages from the Declaration of Independence, which, he said, showed that the United States was established as a Christian nation. Another said if legislators “see fit“ to make the Bible the state book, then they’ll do what “we see fit.”

The bill was passed with only two audible “nays.” No roll call vote was taken. It moved on to another committee to be added to the House calendar for a floor vote.

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News News Blog

Lawmakers Want Chemical Castration for Some Parolees

State Capitol building

Despite massive clean-up efforts in Nashville following last night’s deadly tornadoes, state lawmakers still had more than an hour to debate chemical castration for some parolees.

Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris) told members of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee that he knew chemical castration sounded like “hard terminology.” Still, that’s just what he wants for sex offenders whose crimes involve children under the age of 12.

His bill, HB 1585, would require such offenders to voluntarily take Depo-Provera, a drug to reduce libido and sexual activity, as a condition of their parole. The parolee would have to pay for the monthly treatments and could not get out on parole without it. The treatments would continue until parole ends.

Griffey explained that similar legislation has been passed in 10 states, including California, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas, Alabama, and more.

“If these folks are going to be out there in the community, it’s only reasonable that folks who want parole would agree to this condition,” Griffey said. “We’re trying to implement measures to protect any children out there in the community and to protect from future attacks.”

Rep. Michael Curcio (R-Dickson) said the legislature passed a law protecting women from such conditions about two years ago. He worried Griffey’s bill would reverse that law or be in conflict with it.

Rep. Clay Doggett (R-Pulaski) said he feared such a condition could be overruled by a court as “cruel and unusual punishment.” That was a fear only because it could put Tennessee’s sex offender registry in jeopardy, Doggett said.

Griffey argued that his bill would not conflict with prior Tennessee legislation, nor would it jeopardize the sex offender registry. Several times he repeated that he “only wants to protect children.”

In a bit of seventh-grade, flip-side logic, Rep. Brandon Ogles (R-Franklin) argued for conditioning the drug.

“A large number of men already take drugs to enhance their libido,” Ogles argued. “If (the drug) only reduces it, it’s not cruel and unusual punishment since a large percentage of males takes similar drugs freely and that drug market is doing very well.”

Rep. G A Hardaway (R-Memphis) hoped Griffey would make an exception in the bill for children who have been tried as adults. (Nothing was agreed to, but it didn’t seem to gain much traction.) Rep. Antonio Parkinson (R-Memphis) asked the sponsor if the drug would “feminize a male.”

The bill was held for one week as committee members wanted to hear from state officials with the Tennessee Department of Health on how they would administer the drug.

A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (JAAPL) said castration has been used as a treatment option for sex-offending behavior since 1944.

That 1992 study “demonstrates the efficacy” of using Depo-Provera to reduce sex-offending behavior.” The drug did not work on all patients and “it does have significant side effects.”

“However, in the carefully selected, motivated, well-informed patient, (the drug) seems to be useful in reducing their sex-offending behavior and preventing further victimization,” reads the study.

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Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

True Stories, Zombi Child, and Teen Wolf This Week at The Movies

David Byrne and John Goodman hit the mall in True Stories.

Happy Super Tuesday. Hope you’re all out voting today. Once you’ve made that decision, it’s time to go to the movies.

Tomorrow night, Wednesday, March 3rd, Indie Memphis’ film series presents Zombi Child. Bertrand Bonello’s film takes the zombie myth back to its Caribbean roots. Before Night of the Living Dead, zombies were always associated with Hatian Vodou. Practitioners would prepare a powder containing pufferfish toxin that would paralyze the victim and make them appear dead. Then, once the funeral was over, they would revive the victim and enslave them. How often, or, even if, this ever happened is the source of much dispute, but Bonello uses the legend as a jumping-off point to tell a story of high school intrigue and body horror. This film has a look that reminds me of the hugely underrated Raw. The show starts at 7 p.m. at Malco Powerhouse.

True Stories, Zombi Child, and Teen Wolf This Week at The Movies

On a completely different note, Malco’s Throwback Thursday at Studio on the Square brings us a horror-comedy from the 80s with some higher-than-average star power. Michael J. Fox cashed in on his newfound Back To The Future stardom with Teen Wolf. The not-really remake of I Was A Teenage Werewolf has its moments, but it’s no I Was A Zombie For The FBI.

True Stories, Zombi Child, and Teen Wolf This Week at The Movies (2)

Over at Crosstown Theater on Thursday, the Arthouse series serves up a cult classic. David Byrne burned down 30 Rock last weekend with his performance on Saturday Night Live. Let’s just take a moment to watch before proceeding.

True Stories, Zombi Child, and Teen Wolf This Week at The Movies (4)

Wow.

Anyway, in 1986, Byrne wrote and directed his only feature film, True Stories. It’s an unconventional and difficult movie to describe — kind of a set of interlocking character sketches of people Byrne read about in supermarket tabloids, kind of a travelogue of the middle America the consummate New York art-punk discovered while on tour, and kind of a cross between a music video and traditional musical based on the underrated (there’s that word again) Talking Heads album of the same name.

True Stories, Zombi Child, and Teen Wolf This Week at The Movies (5)

Byrne, who appears in the film as the narrator but doesn’t sing, elevated a little-known character actor named John Goodman to what passes for a leading role in this meandering mini-masterpiece.

True Stories, Zombi Child, and Teen Wolf This Week at The Movies (3)

See you at the movies! 

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News News Blog

Memphians Respond to Deadly Nashville Storm

CREDIT: Twitter/Shane Morris

Twitter/Shane Morris

Severe weather and tornadoes ripped through Middle Tennessee early Tuesday morning affecting Nashville and surrounding areas.

A total of 22 people were killed as a result, according to the most recent update by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).

Additionally, the storm caused damage to homes, businesses, power lines, and infrastructure. A state of emergency has been declared and TEMA has activated the Tennessee Emergency Management Plan.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper said Tuesday that the storms “devastated our community.” 

In response to the devastation in Nashville, many here turned to Twitter to express support for those affected by the storm.

Memphians Respond to Deadly Nashville Storm (4)

Memphians Respond to Deadly Nashville Storm (3)

Memphians Respond to Deadly Nashville Storm (2)

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Memphians Respond to Deadly Nashville Storm

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Memphians Respond to Deadly Nashville Storm (12)

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Memphians Respond to Deadly Nashville Storm (7)

And here are ways to help storm recovery efforts.

Memphians Respond to Deadly Nashville Storm (5)

Memphians Respond to Deadly Nashville Storm (14)

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News News Blog

TN House Adopts Resolution Challenging Refugee Resettlement

CREDIT: TIRRC/Facebook

TIRRC/Facebook

A recent TIRRC event supporting refugee resettlement

The Tennessee House of Representatives adopted a resolution late Monday condemning Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s decision to continue to welcome refugees in the state.

The resolution, HJR 0741, which is sponsored by Rep. Terri Weaver (R-Lancaster) and challenges Lee’s authority to authorize continued refugee resettlement, passed 75 to 25.

Representatives from Shelby County voting in favor of the resolution include Republicans Jim Coley, Tom Leatherwood, Kevin Vaughan, and Mark White.

Voting no from Shelby County were Democratic Representatives Karen Camper, Jesse Chism, Barbara Cooper, G.A. Hardaway, Larry Miller, Antonio Parkinson, Dwayne Thompson, and Joe Towns Jr.

Following President Donald Trump’s executive order in September that gave states the choice to opt in or out of continuing refugee resettlement, Lee announced the state’s consent to the program in December.

The resolution is “about Tennessee’s constitutional status as a sovereign state under the 10th Amendment on one hand and the separation of powers as established by our state constitution on the other hand,” Weaver said.

The resolution also seeks to advance Tennessee’s lawsuit against the federal government over refugee resettlement.

The lawsuit was filed in March 2017 against the United States Department of State on the grounds that refugee settlement in Tennessee violates the U.S. Constitution by requiring the state to pay for a program it did not consent to.

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The lawsuit was dismissed in March 2018 by a federal judge who ruled there was a lack of standing by the legislature to sue on its own behalf and that the state failed to show that refugee resettlement in Tennessee violates the Constitution.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision in August, also stating that the General Assembly had not established its standing.

In September, attorneys with the Thomas Moore Law Center (TMLC), who are representing the state in the suit, filed a petition asking the appellate court to rehear the case, on the grounds that the court’s decision was “painfully at odds” with Supreme Court precedent. The court denied that request. Now, attorneys with TMLC are petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.

Weaver

Weaver, who was the House sponsor of the 2016 resolution that initiated the litigation, said the purpose of the resolution is to help the lawsuit move to the Supreme Court.

Lisa Sherman-Nikolaus, policy director for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), spoke out against the resolution, calling it “election year politics at its worst.”

“Representative Weaver’s resolution does nothing to alter or strengthen the resettlement program. Instead, it increases skepticism about refugees and re-hashes arguments that have already been settled by the courts and by the General Assembly,” Sherman-Nikolaus said. “There are many things legislators could do to support refugees and invest in the success of all families who call Tennessee home.

“This resolution accomplishes nothing except to spread misinformation, divide our communities, and make refugee families feel unwelcome. Representative Weaver should spend her time trying to pass legislation that meaningfully improves the lives of her constituents instead of scapegoating refugees.”

Wednesday (tomorrow) TIRRC is organizing a refugee “Day on the Hill” to oppose all anti-refugee legislation. More than 60 refugees from across the state are slated to gather at the TN Capitol building to meet with legislators and speak about their experiences as refugees and the importance of resettlement.

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News News Blog

Memphis Flyer Seeks Editor

Bruce VanWyngarden, editor of the Memphis Flyer, has announced that he will be retiring as editor of the paper. VanWyngarden plans to stay with the Flyer and with Contemporary Media, but will be stepping away from what he calls “the editor’s weekly treadmill.” We are therefore conducting a search for the next editor of the paper – someone to guide Memphis’ alternative newsweekly into its next era.

The editor of the Memphis Flyer is responsible for guiding the paper’s content and quality across its various media, including both print and digital editions. He/she reports to the CEO of Contemporary Media, Inc., parent company of the Flyer. The editor-in-chief will have the responsibility to maintain the paper’s 30-year tradition of progressive, feisty, excellent journalism, while continuing to reimagine what the Flyer can be and do in its next chapters.

The editor will work with the staff of the paper to create editorial calendars, while also staying abreast of developing local news stories and responding to them in a timely manner. The editor will assign stories to the staff and freelancers who are associated presently with the Flyer, while always working to locate and cultivate dynamic new talent.

In collaboration with CMI leadership as a whole as well as the Flyer staff, the editor will chart a course for the paper’s journalism and work to ensure that course is followed with excellence.

The person chosen for this position needs to possess a vision for the publication – a sense not only of how to maintain all that is good about the Flyer, but also how to grow new capacities. This person must also be extremely attentive to detail and skilled in editing others’ work according to AP and the Flyer’s style guidelines. He or she should also be able to manage a steady churn of work.

The ideal candidate should have prior hands-on experience as a publication editor, have a voice and a vision of his or her own, contributing to the paper’s pages on a weekly basis with an editor’s letter and also contributing feature stories when appropriate. He or she needs to be a first-rate writer and thinker.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. People of color, women, LGBTQ candidates, and others from groups underrepresented in the publishing community are strongly encouraged to apply.

To apply, please send a letter of introduction, resume, portfolio, and 2-3 references to hr@contemporary-media.com. No phone calls, please. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2020.

Anna Traverse Fogle | CEO
Contemporary Media, Inc.

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

Late Punching in the Clerk’s Race

It would not be a Shelby County election without false-flag charges being hurled by one candidate against another, or in one late-breaking case, with a non-candidate doing the accusing. 

Thomas Long

Here, not only in the 11th hour but in the 59th minute, metaphorically, is an excerpt from an election-eve Facebook post by  Javier Bailey concerning former City Court clerk Thomas Long, now running for General Sessions Court clerk with 12 other Democrats in Tuesday’s party primary.

Said Bailey:

“…Thomas Long is now and has always been a Republican. He supported most of the Republican ticket in 2018, 2016, and prior thereto. He is now running as a Democrat . This is an infiltration of the Democratic Party ranks and he is a Republican plant. I have no idea why the party is 

Jay Bailey

 not acting to remove him from the ballot. I spent close to 30 years either on the State or County Democratic Party Executive Committees. I always stood up and spoke out against candidates running as Democrats but voting as Republicans. Two years ago I led the charge against Reginald Tate for the very same reasons. So here we go again. Thomas Long should be removed and replaced as the nominee if he wins.”

At the moment, Bailey has no official party connection, but he is a former chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party’s primary board and also served on the state Democratic executive committee. To buttress his charges against Long, he cited a 2018 sample ballot that Long co-sponsored with Sidney Chism, which includes a mixed assortment of Democrats and Republicans, two of the latter being the GOP’s candidates for Sheriff and County Mayor, Dale Lane and David Lenoir, respectively. Lane would lose to Democrat Floyd Bonner Jr., and Lenoir was defeated by Democrat Lee Harris.

Long reacted energetically to Bailey’s charge, calling it “dirty politics” and claiming that his voting record in favor of Democratic candidates was perfect. He said that, after Bailey’s Facebook post appeared on Monday, he received supportive telephone calls from other candidates on the lengthy Democratic primary list for the clerk’s position.

In a later Facebook post, Bailey would endorse another candidate for General Sessions clerk, County Commissioner Reginald Milton, who has received numerous endorsements from other Democrats and, like Long, is one of the favorites in the race.

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We Recommend We Saw You

Mardi Gras in Memphis

CREDIT: Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue

I didn’t realize the Mardi Gras-colored Hernando de Soto Bridge and its reflection created a ‘guitar’ design until I looked at this photo I took on Fat Tuesday. How Memphis can you get? I love when things work out like that.

Calvary Episcopal Church let the good times roll at its annual Krewe of Calvary Gumbo Cook-off.

Mardi Gras was the theme with eight gumbo teams. Lots of King Cake, feathery masks, and beads were on hand. The only thing missing were floats, unless rice floating in savory broth counts.

“We were raising money for our Youth Ministries at Calvary,” says Youth Ministries director Gabbie Munn. “It allows us to alleviate costs for our summer service trips. This summer our middle schoolers will be doing a week here in Memphis and our high schoolers will be doing a week in New Orleans.”

In addition to gumbo, the event included pancakes and sausage. “Some people brought chili and Creole lagniappe as substitutions for their gumbo. But the teams got pretty creative with what they classify as their own gumbo.”

Michael Donahue

Krewe of Calvary Gumbo Cook-off

Michael Donahue

Franklin G. Barton IV and his son, Franklin Bradley Barton, manned a gumbo booth at the Krewe of Calvary Gumbo Cook-off, which was held on Fat Tuesday.

Michael Donahue

Ruth McClain and Gabbie Munn at Krewe of Calvary Gumbo Cook-off.

Michael Donahue

Matthew Tetreault and Mary Thompson at the Krewe of Calvary Gumbo Cook-off.

MIchael Donahue

Nino Shipp wore a pair of earrngs shaped like King Cake babies at the Krewe of Calvary Gumbo Cook-off..

Michael Donahue

Ninth Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) Gumbo Contest.


About 15 teams participated in the ninth annual Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) Gumbo Contest, which was held February 16th in the Pipkin Building at the Fairgrounds.

“We raised approximately $13,000,” says Ginger Leonard, state wide TEP board chair and president. “And this goes to the Tennessee Equality Project Foundation, which is our educational arm of the Tennessee Equality Project.”

This year’s winners were Roux’d Awakening, which came in first place; Mystic Krewe of Pegasus, which came in second place; and Mom’s Demand Action, which came in third.

Michael Donahue

Ninth Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) Gumbo Contest.

Michael Donahue

Ninth Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) Gumbo Contest.

Michael Donahue

Ninth Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) Gumbo Contest.

Michael Donahue

Harbinger of Spring II: King Cake. This is one from Gambino’s bakery in New Orleans.

Michael Donahue

Harbinger of Spring III: The Waffle Shop at Calvary Episcopal Church. The luncheon and speaker series runs Tuesdays through Fridays from now until April 3rd. This is my favorite: the Calvary Salad Plate.

Categories
News News Blog

Lawmakers to Consider Slew of Anti-Abortion Bills Tuesday

Pro-choice advocates rally to keep abortion legal

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee wants to make it a Class C felony to perform an abortion in the state. State lawmakers will consider this and three other pieces of anti-abortion legislation Tuesday.

The governor’s proposal is an amendment to SB 2196. That bill is intended to delay the trial of a physician accused of performing a “partial-birth” abortion in order for the state medical board to determine if the abortion was necessary to save the life of the mother.

The amendment to the bill has not yet been posted to the Tennessee General Assembly website, but was obtained Friday by Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi (PPTNM).

Ashley Coffield, CEO of PPTNM, said the governor is proposing “one of the most extreme abortion bans in the country.”

“This is nothing short of a total assault on women,” Coffield said. “This is a fight for our lives, and we will put everything we have into defeating this legislation.”

The 31-page amendment repeatedly states that Tennessee “has a legitimate, substantial, and compelling interest in protecting the rights of all human beings, including the fundamental and absolute right of unborn human beings to life, liberty, and all rights protected by the (14th) and (9th) Amendments.”


Specifically, the legislation would make it unlawful to perform an abortion on a woman where a fetal heartbeat is detected, which usually occurs around the sixth week of pregnancy. The bill also includes bans at several stages throughout the pregnancy from six weeks to 24 weeks if the heartbeat provision is struck down in court.

Violation of the law for physicians would result in a Class C Felony, which according to Tennessee Code Annotated, could result in a three-to-five-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $10,000. The law would not punish women who seek abortions. 

“Politicians are putting the health and lives of Tennessee women at risk,” Coffield said. “These bans on safe, legal abortion will have real costs — expensive legal costs and human costs for the women and families who need reproductive health care. Banning abortion does not eliminate abortion. It makes it illegal and unsafe.”

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The legislation would also ban abortions based on the race, sex, or potential disability of the child. The bill also includes a provision that would require physicians to show women their ultrasound, give a description of the fetus, and play the fetal heartbeat before a women can choose to have an abortion.

“The unique nature of abortion and its potential physical and mental health risks, as well as the ultimate result of the death of an unborn child, necessitates that this state ensure every woman considering an abortion is provided with adequate comprehensive information before deciding to obtain an abortion,” reads the amendment.

The Tennessee Senate Judiciary committee is slated to discuss this legislation and three other pieces of anti-abortion legislation Tuesday, March 3rd beginning at 3 p.m.

The committee will also discuss SB1236, which like the aforementioned legislation, prohibits abortion from the time a fetal heartbeat is detected, unless there is a medical emergency warranting the abortion. It will also hear SB1780, referred to as the Rule of Life Act. This act essentially seeks to group the rights of unborn children under the 9th Amendment, and “recognize the balance of priorities between the life of unborn persons and abortion set forth in the State’s Constitution.”

The act states that life begins at conception at the time the egg is fertilized and that a pregnancy is viable at the time a heartbeat can be detected.

Also on Tuesday at 9 a.m., in the the House Health committee, legislators will discuss HB 2568, which would require clinics that performed more than 50 abortions in the past year to inform patients that chemical abortion is reversible after the first dose of the two-dose treatment.

A PPTNM petition to lawmakers calls this bill dangerous and worries it will force physicians to provide patients with “medically inaccurate, misleading” information that could harm a patient’s health.

“Lawmakers like you should focus on expanding healthcare access in the state, not denying it,” the petition reads. “Women’s health and lives should not be used as political pawns for anti-choice politicians to cater to anti-choice interest groups. Given Tennessee’s high rates of infant mortality, unintended pregnancy and teen births, it is time to focus on legislation that would increase access to preventive care, not ban access to critical healthcare.”