"Valley View Pastor Justin Pratt says from the ridge behind the church, the cross could be seen for miles."
Link...

This is right down the street from me. I'd rather not see anything man-made sticking up on that ridge. I enjoy the natural skyscape. Are large crossses considered signs?

(Link... to Hornback for those who want to be warned)

Brian phone interviews Commissioners to find out who is willing to take on the role. Not surprisingly, a lot of "no"s.

Now THIS is funny.
Mean, but bipartisan -- Hey, it came from HuffPo

Link...

Open thread for everyone to argue about tonights election results :)

A Memphis blogger apparently received inside information from the police which he published on his blog. Is he entitled to a journalist's shield? Should Randy watch this case with interest?

Link...

Knox County Commission's first T-shirt!
(Who knows,there may be more to come)

Front side: Proud to be a University Twit
Back side: I'd rather be a "University Twit" than a "Lumpy"

Royal Blue with white print, 100% cotton
As of 2/12/08 price is $9.00 per shirt (my cost)
Photo pending (once the shirts actually come in I will photograph and figure out how to upload)

See the KnoxViews classified under miscellaneous for order information.

State Rep. Frank Buck, D, Dowelltown, is retiring from office.

Frank, an ornery cuss, is one of my all-time favorite legislators. He is a true maverick and and represents the best of the old-time Southern Democrats. He will almost certainly be replaced by a Republican, further narrowing the balance of power in the last Democratic bastion.

When I worked the legislature, I beat him up pretty bad on women's issues, but over time, I came to admire him and we became friends.

Damn, I'll miss him.

Link...

KNS: Lawsuit comes up at forum

Bob Wolfenbarger, a 2nd District resident actively involved in neighborhood issues, is one of a group of 16 residents suing Commissioners Scott Moore and Paul Pinkston for allegedly perjuring themselves during last fall's Open Meetings Act lawsuit...

Wolfenbarger is seeking an appointment. The article quotes Pinkston as say he would have no trouble serving with Wolfenbarger and that he doesn't hold grudges. There are other highlights from the forum, including Lumpy saying he will lean towards the top vote getters in the primary.

KNS: More apply for vacant positions

Candidates continued to surface Monday for 12 vacant offices to be filled by Knox County Commission appointment on Feb. 20 - despite a publicized application period that ended Friday.

The total stood at 41 applicants by day's end, including six whose information was received by the commission office after business hours Friday.

The article lists the new applicants, and quotes Law Director John Owings as saying that any deadline is "artificial".

According to the KNS, Steve Buttry withdrew because he hasn't lived in the 6th District for a full year, and Caroline Hindman withdrew from the 8th in support of Dave Wright.

By now it's quite apparent that Hillary is setting up Ohio and Texas as a firewall against Obama's momentum. The Giuliani analogy aside, take a look at how precarious this strategy really is. Texas has a combined primary-caucus system that doubly screws the Clinton campaign. First, she's proven herself completely unable to organize for caucuses. And 1/3 of all delegates are chosen at caucuses, which can only be attended by those who voted in the primary earlier in the day. Yes, you vote twice!

But then there's the delegate apportionment system for the primary component (2/3 of delegates). The statewide primary is utterly meaningless. All that matters is how you do in State Senate districts. But the delegate apportionment in each district is determined by how high Democratic turnout was in 2004. Thanks to Tom DeLay, a few heavily black and liberal districts will get a much greater say in delegate apportionment than the more scattered Latino majority districts in the Rio Grande Valley.

Here is a great analysis of the Texas race, district by district. Short answer: if Hillary thinks the demographic advantages of Texas will give her a big delegate victory, she is sorely mistaken.

Texas analysis

This is a fabulous political web site with something for just about everybody:

Link...

Check out the polling date:

Link...

And the new videos and other funny stuff:

Link...

Link...

Winston Churchill said that Russian politics are akin to watching dogs fight under a carpet. This interview makes me wish that American politics were waged under that same carpet. Rush Limbaugh once said that Katie Couric was the Eva Braun of the American Left. I have always wondered what the hell that meant. It's bad enough to go Godwin, but to mix metaphors and violate Godwin's law at the same time demonstrates that the guy isn't so sharp. Anyhow, it is impossible to come up with some slap-down analogy for Couric at this late date. It speaks for itself.

First part of the interview:

The National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces Initiative and the Tennessee Arts Commission present the Fisk Jubilee Singers: Singing Our Song at the Tennessee Theatre on Friday, February 15, at 8:00 p.m.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is the local host of the concert which also features rousing performances by The Carpetbag Theatre and Praise, Honour and Glory.

The American Masterpieces project was developed to introduce Americans to the best of their cultural and artistic legacy. The goal of the project is to remind the citizens of Tennessee of their extraordinary musical heritage, as the Fisk Jubilee Singers, an institution for over 135 years, perform slave spirituals and choral music. The African American spirituals are masterpieces in every sense, artistically profound and enormously influential. Some of the songs that Fisk Jubilee Singers will perform include "Ain't That Good News", "My Lord, What a Morning," and "There is a Balm in Gilead".

There is a daytime performance for school children at 10:50 a.m. on February 15, which includes about 45 minutes of music and a Question and Answer session with the singers. A teacher study guide is available on the Alliance's website by visiting: Link....

For more details visit the Emporium Center page (section at the bottom of the page) on Art Museum Touring.com (Link....)

Sherrie