Many thanks to all the public school teachers.

Bump and update with Newscoma's photos:

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Check this one out:

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Among Nashville-area media outlets, I notice that The Tennessean placed TEA attendance at "more than 3,000" and their ABC affiliate said "about 5,000." Their NBC affiliate offered the only specific estimate I've yet seen as to attendance by Tea Party members at the counter-demonstration (350, they say).

Nashville-area readers/viewers will therefore understand that TEA supporters outpaced Tea Party opposition by 10 to 1--or more.

Readers/viewers OUTSIDE the Nashville area, though, will likely rely on the same AP story appearing in this morning's KNS. It says that "more than 1,000" TEA supporters faced off against "hundreds" of opposing Tea Party members.

Readers/viewers OUTSIDE the Nashville area, then, will mistakenly imagine that TEA supporters outpaced Tea Party opposition by as little as just 2 to 1.

Local chapters of TEA operating outside Nashville therefore have a task in the coming days and weeks to let on-lookers know just how strong a showing TEA made in Nashville on Saturday.

Meanwhile, heartiest congratulations to them!

One particularly compelling comparison I documented (twice) at the KNS site last night was this one:

Per the 2010 State Report Card, which cites stats applicable to the 2009-2010 school year, fully 59% of Knox County's teachers now hold masters, masters +45, or doctorate credentials. I confess even I was surprised to learn it.

Sadly, though, the average TN teacher salary in 2009 was still just $45,926.

If TEA is to foster greater understanding among the general population as to just how underpaid the state's teachers really are, these seem to be some hard numbers they might circulate more widely--and we can certainly help with the task.

...making Tennesseans dumber and poorer one bill at a time.

It isn't helpful, either, that law enforcement agencies nationwide have ceased to offer to media their own "headcounts" at gatherings of this sort.

At any gathering of 5,000 or less, though, it really isn't that difficult for a diligent reporter to simply count for himself the number of protestors gathered in a single spot, or else all marching in the same direction.

I've done it previously--with a "helper" simultaneously compiling his own independent tally--to pretty reliable result.