Friday, May 25, 2012
Sports The Hippodrome: But They'll See The Big Board!
Posted by J.R. Lind on Fri, May 25, 2012 at 7:53 AM
This Week In The 'Drome: Crazy Russian petro-gazillionaire stealing our precious bodily fluids, Vandy and The Beav, the veracity of Sylvia and more...
Opening Face-Off
American Values v. Dirty Russian Scoundrels: Congratulations to the Harpeth Youth Soccer Association, which is set to ink a development deal with English Premier League team and Champions of All Europe Chelsea FC, which is, of course, located in the London Borough of Chelsea Hammersmith & Fulham.
The opportunities afforded to the kids of HYSA — which includes the progeny of a number of SouthComm employees — by such a partnership are endless.
But there are some dangers here. Chelsea is owned by kookybat Russian petro-oligarch Roman Abramovich, who has so many alleged crimes and wrongdoings, his Wikipedia page has an extensive "Alleged Crimes and Wrongdoing" section (as well as a "Private Army" section). Abramovich is so shady, he was accused of antitrust violations in Russia, the equivalent of being picked up for pandering in Amsterdam.
But give him credit: His potentially ill-gotten petrorubles have taken Chelsea to the pinnacle of soccer — and even managed to encourage the narrative they are somehow underdogs — and it's that level of skill and commitment to the beautiful game this new partnership will bring to the banks of the Harpeth. Although given Chelsea's record of geographic inaccuracy, Abramovich may insist HYSA bill itself as being located in Belle Meade.
I can hardly wait to see all the young Connors and Jacksons flopping around in mimicry of Didier Drogba and, possibly, a tasered smallmouth bass. And will our young Bieber lookalikes take their sportsmanship lessons and tips on getting along with teammates from John Terry?
So, congratulations, parents and players of HYSA, you've done something no other Tennessee club has ever done. Just keep an eye on your mining rights.
Law and Order A Banner Week Continues: CCA Hit With Wrongful Death Suit
Posted by Steven Hale on Fri, May 25, 2012 at 5:01 AM
Nashville-based prison profiteers Corrections Corporation of America have found a way to attract more negative attention to themselves. Not that they seem to mind.
Just last Sunday, a prison guard died in a riot at a CCA prison in Mississippi.
Now, the family of a Hawaiian prisoner murdered at a private prison in Arizona filed a lawsuit yesterday against CCA and the state of Hawaii. A similar suit was filed three months ago, when another Hawaiian prisoner was murdered at the same Arizona facility.
The new complaint cites CCA's "pattern of greed-driven corner-cutting and short-staffing" as a contributing factor in the death of 23-year-old Clifford Medina, a Hawaiian who was transferred to the CCA-operated facility in Eloy, Arizona. The complaint also contends that the state of Hawaii contributed to Medina's death "by abdicating responsibility to inmates in its charge" as part of a practice whereby the state sends prisoners to private, for-profit prisons on the mainland.
The full text of a press release announcing the suit, from the Human Rights Defense Center, Rosen Bien & Galvan and the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii — who are all representing the Medina family — appears after the jump.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Politics / Legislature Haslam Signs Bill to Implement Suspicion-Based Drug-Testing for Welfare Applicants
Posted by Steven Hale on Thu, May 24, 2012 at 1:15 PM
The governor talks drug-testing, courtesy of TNReport
Gov. Bill Haslam has signed the bill providing for the implementation of a suspicion-based drug-testing program for Tennessee welfare applicants. The state's Department of Human Services is now tasked with working out the particulars of the program, which must then be approved by the attorney general.
As seen in the video above — where Haslam responds to several questions from a Scene reporter with a particularly charming stammer — the governor said granting the DHS the ability to make the rules for the policy and requiring approval from the AG allayed his previous concerns about the bill. Originally, it would have required drug-testing for all applicants, and at one point even included testing for some current recipients based on unspecified suspicions.
Obituary In Memory of Seven Tennessee Soldiers
Posted by Steven Hale on Thu, May 24, 2012 at 11:41 AM
In a moving ceremony this morning on the steps of the War Memorial Building, Gov. Bill Haslam paid tribute to seven Tennesseans killed in action, including two soldiers who had been missing in action for several decades, but were finally laid to rest this year.
Family members of the fallen came forward, as the story of each soldier was read, to receive the state's memorial presentation from the governor and the first lady, Crissy Haslam.
"I get to do a lot of meaningful things as governor," Gov. Haslam told reporters after the service. "But I think today is the most, because you get to recognize families that have made such a big sacrifice."
Their names and stories, as they appeared in the memorial program, are after the jump.
Phillips The Head of the Group Investigating Richard Land Resigns
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Thu, May 24, 2012 at 7:43 AM
Channel 5 is reporting that retired minister Steve Faith has stepped down as head of the trustee board investigating Richard Land, the highly visible leader of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Land, as you'll recall, is under fire for comments he made about the Trayvon Martin case as well as possibly plagiarized remarks he made on his radio show disparaging Obama and Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
Rev. Faith (oh, Lord, that name is enough to make you believe in predestination) is resigning from the board in order to spend more time with his fami... oh, wait, no... he's doing the pastoral equivalent—
The former ERLC trustee chairman, Steve Faith, a retired pastor and director of missions from New Albany, Ind., resigned from the trustee board, citing “his desire to commit more of his time and energy toward the local church where he is a member as they are currently without a pastor”
Yes, how convenient that 10 days before his report is due, the man chairing the investigation into the SBC's ranking ethicist decides his church needs him right this second.
Is there dissension in the ranks? The man who is replacing Faith, Rev. Richard D. Piles, tells The Tennessean's Bob Smietana "no," then says something bound to worry anyone hoping to see evidence that the investigation has been impartial and not weighed in Land's favor:
“I am a fan of Dr. Land,” he said. “I am in his corner through this process and want to see him succeed and hope that he can continue in his ministry.”
Oh, well, how convenient that Rev. Faith was so needed at home, then. And how lucky for Land that Rev. Piles, who wants to see him continue in his ministry, has taken leadership of the only thing standing in his way.
Phillips Having Babies Because You're Poor
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Thu, May 24, 2012 at 5:39 AM
But both sides of this argument have a lot of common ground. Everyone agrees that teen pregnancy is bad, because having a baby makes it harder for young girls to escape the cycle of poverty, and being raised in that poverty is hard on a child.
It turns out that we're wrong about this — both sides.
Teen moms aren't poor because they have babies. They have babies because they're poor.
Around Town Pete's Pick of the Week: Willie
Posted by Steve Haruch on Thu, May 24, 2012 at 5:00 AM
He was lost and now found. Willie, the wandering gypsy. Part Lab, part human, it’s amazing how well-trained and willing to please Willie could be. Rescued down Franklin way and vetted entirely with love via Williamson Animal Control, Willie is now ready to quit roaming the hills looking for a permanent home. Whoever had this wide-eye near-human pooch took great care. Handsome, strong, he seemingly took direction for his photo session. “Willie, would you mind hopping up on the bench? Look into the camera, wet your lips, and smile.” P.S. Willie does smile. We thought it was a snarl, but yes — he smiles.
See Willie now at Williamson Animal Control, behind Franklin High. Call: 790-5590.
Portrait by PeterNashDogs.com.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Presidential Politics Reports of Obama's Southern Comfort Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Posted by Steven Hale on Wed, May 23, 2012 at 11:51 AM
Actually, we haven't heard any such reports — except for this one — and given how the incumbent President Barack Obama has faired in several Southern primaries, we're not expecting any.
After losing 10 West Virginia counties and at least one convention delegate to the gloriously mulleted and incarcerated felon Keith Judd, the sitting president faced two more close contests last night. In Arkansas, he edged out Tennessee attorney John Wolfe, who scored 41 percent of the vote. In Kentucky, he lost over half of the state's counties and 42 percent of the vote to the political juggernaut known only as "Uncommitted."
These margins would be unremarkable in a primary between actual politicians. But when the opponents are a prisoner, an unknown attorney from a neighboring state and "anyone but you," they leave something to be desired. Still, it would be a mistake to take an apparent disconnect between the president and former members of the confederacy — excluding West Virginia, which was actually formed when it seceded from confederate Virginia — as a harbinger of the election's outcome in November. The Obama campaign has essentially forfeited these states, choosing instead to put time and money into states where they actually have a chance.
Law and Order Guard Dies in Riot at CCA Prison in Mississippi
Posted by Jack Silverman on Wed, May 23, 2012 at 7:46 AM
- Lauren Wood/The Natchez Democrat, via Associated Press
- The Adams County Correctional Center on Sunday
According to The New York Times, the eight-hour-long riot at the Adams County Correctional Center grew out of a gang fight, and inmates took more than 20 people hostage and started a fire in the prison yard. Catlin Carithers, a 24-year-old prison guard, died of blunt head trauma, an official said. The prison was still on lockdown yesterday, when the Times story ran.
The prison's population is made up entirely of immigrants serving time for felonies before being deported, according to CCA spokesman Steve Owen. He also said the inmates were classified as low risk, which should raise a few eyebrows. One Mississippi congressman has already expressed concern:
Representative Bennie G. Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi, on Tuesday called for an investigation into the company, saying the riot “brings into question the effectiveness of privately owned and operated prison facilities.”
Read the whole story here.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Politics Paul Stanley, Public Spokesperson for the Unfaithful Politician
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Tue, May 22, 2012 at 5:37 AM
There's only one juicy bit of gossip in Stanley's part — where he seems to confirm rumors that he couldn't keep it in his pants, and that he slipped up more than once: "My affairs were purely sexual. There was no emotion in them." Note the plurals.
Otherwise, it's an interesting read just from a philosophical perspective. Stanley has a lot of advice on how to get forgiven:
You need to be honest with yourself. You know what you’ve done. You know what happened. Go to the ones you love… and tell the truth. When you do that, tell the entire truth. Don’t parcel it out, just tell it and ask for their forgiveness. When it becomes public, you’ve got to repent to God first. And then you need to genuinely say you’re sorry. Let me emphasize the word genuine. People will smoke you out in a heartbeat if your apology is superficial. They’re probably going to be disappointed in you, which they should, but the vast majority of them will forgive you.
And yet, his own words undermine him.
