Pre-election trickery from the "smoke and mirrors" handbook

The announcement comes just two weeks ahead of the midterm elections. Health care ranks as one of Americans' top priorities, prompting candidates to attack each other on who would do more to reduce costs and protect those with pre-existing conditions.

Trump administration gives states new power to weaken Obamacare

Class-action lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accuses two of the largest e-scooter companies, Lime and Bird, as well as other e-scooter firms, of “gross negligence” and “aiding and abetting assault.”

The suit alleges that e-scooter companies knew their riders were injuring pedestrians and –– by failing to stop the collisions from occurring –– assisted and encouraged scooter riders as they committed “assaults.”
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The suit also states that both companies' scooters contain defective electronics and mechanical parts, as well inadequate safety instructions for riders and that they have “a wanton disregard for the safety of others.

The Knoxville City Council voted unanimously Tuesday [September 11, 2018] to pump the brakes on motorized scooter companies coming into the city. The move allows the city's law department time to develop regulations and policies for what the city assumes will be an attractive means of transportation.
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This spring, nearly 150 Bird scooters were confiscated in Nashville after the city issued a cease and desist letter giving the company two weeks to remove the scooters from sidewalks.
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[Nashville] police have reported problems with scooters driving on sidewalks in the busy downtown corridor — despite the fact that the ordinance bans the scooters on sidewalks in a "business district” — and with riders leaving scooters in the middle of sidewalks and outside businesses.

Pedestrians beware.

The president is spewing ridiculous (false?) ideas right before the November,2018 election to get voters riled up?

Please, go vote.

President Trump said Saturday he will pull the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty because Russia has violated the agreement. The president provided no details on the violations.

"I think that would be a huge mistake,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. said." “It’s a big, big mistake to flippantly get out of this historic agreement, said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

“We are looking at putting in a very major tax cut for middle income people. And if we do that it will be sometime just prior to November,” Trump told reporters in Elko, Nevada"

However, the House and the Senate won't be in session until after the November 6, 2018, election.

On the one had he is trying to scare people, then he turns around and tries to buy their votes with another (pseudo?) tax cut.

Nearly 1,800 pounds of ready-to-eat salad with chicken products (labeled for Whole Foods and Trader Joe's) are recalled because a corn ingredient may be contaminated with salmonella and listeria.

Salads with a "P-44056" USDA mark were shipped to Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

Michael McDonald, a University of Florida associate professor of political science, tracks state voter data and found that Gwinnett County tossed out 15% of absentee ballots submitted by Asian Americans, 11.4% of those submitted by African Americans and only 4% of those submitted by whites.

"It's not the fault of the voters. It's the fault of the elections officials for creating a confusing ballot," McDonald said.

Georgia county tosses out hundreds of minority absentee ballots

At least one major daily newspaper in this state understands its role as public advocate, and not simply a pass-through for advertising revenue.

Thank you, Jack McElroy.

Editorial endorsement: Phil Bredesen's fair-mindedness, independence and civility make him the right choice for the U.S. Senate. https://t.co/LFGWs3y4h8

— knoxnews (@knoxnews) October 18, 2018

Editorial: This is not a traditional endorsement because we know that while our readers want to be informed, they do not want to be told what and how to think. https://t.co/gGFUa8oUGS

— Tennessean (@Tennessean) October 19, 2018

The highly anticipated Greta Van Fleet album Anthem of the Peaceful Army is out today. Available from all the usual streaming, digital download and CD/LP outlets. Listening right now on Tidal HiFi. These young rockers, three brothers and a drummer out of Michigan, kick ass. Led Zeppelin and AC/DC Rush had a baby, and they called it Greta Van Fleet.

From the Washington Post via the Houston Chronicle, Why people don't vote.

They talked with people in Clarksville, (Montgomery County) TN. "This county often has one of the lowest voting rates in the state - in a state that often has one of the lowest rates in the country, and in a country that has one of the lowest rates in the world, trailing most developed nations."

Here's what the non-voters said:

"I had no reason to," "I just don't feel I can change politics. Or, if I could help change it, I'd just be voting for someone whose solutions I don't agree with."

"Others said they don't care about politics - often citing its nastiness - and don't want to pick a side. And still others said they just can't get excited about the candidates on the ballot."

And there's more...

I just don't get it. Is this a Tennessee thing? They see what is happening around them and they think no action is better than some action? Sheesh.

Warren's goal was to take the issue of her heritage off the table for nervous Democrats and to show that she was ready, willing and able to stand up to President Donald Trump if and when the time came that she was the party's nominee against him in 2020.
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There's still no certainty that Warren is, in any meaningful way, Native American.
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the estimates of just how much Native American blood Warren actually posses range from 1/64th to a whopping 1/1024th.

Stop it. Just, stop it. Nobody cares but you and the current president. You're just making it worse. Know when to walk away.

There are so many important issues that need to be addressed. Pick one.

Democratic TV Host LaKenya Middlebrook interviews Democratic Candidates Gloria Johnson (TN House District 13) and Edward Nelson (TN House District 19) on the Community TV Channel on Friday, October 19 at 7:30 PM. Early voting has begun so tune in and meet two of the Knox County Democratic Candidates for the Tennessee House of Representatives.

DTV airs on the Community Television Channel which streams live (here!)
or tune in to one of these cable TV channels:

Comcast Channel 12
Charter Channel 193
Wow! Channel 6
ATT U-verse Channel 99

Don't be surprised if the surge in voter registration and early voting is due to Trump supporters coming out to reward his bad behavior, because 'Murca!

Democrats: Get out and vote!

Previously...

Obama takes on '7 excuses not to vote'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says the national debt should be blamed on the "three big entitlement programs that are very popular: Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid."

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected that the GOP tax cuts would add $1.9 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. The loss of government revenue from the cuts has been a larger proportional loss than what was caused by the Great Recession, according to the New York Times.

What is wrong with the man and his cohorts? Why do they continue to lie to the American people?

h/t RoaneViews

The persistence of fluoride conspiracy theories — which emerged in the 1950s with claims that fluoridation was a communist plot to dumb down Americans...

Some argue that the government uses fluoride as a form of mind control; others believe it's designed to boost the sugar lobby by enabling people to eat more sweets without getting cavities; and still others believe that health officials are afraid to reverse course on fluoride after promoting it for decades.

Science says fluoride in water is good for kids. So why are these towns banning it?

Early voting starts today for the Nov. 6th mid-term elections.

Here are the Knox Co. times and locations.

Here are the Blount Co. times and locations.

Here is the Knox Co. sample ballot.

Here is the Blount Co. sample ballot.

Remember to bring an approved, government issued photo ID. Here are the acceptable forms of photo ID.

Oct. 30th is the last day to request an absentee ballot. Note that anyone age 60 or over can vote absentee, no other reason needed. Here's the Knox Co. absentee ballot request form. Here's the Blount Co. absentee ballot request form.

Here are your local Democrats running for office:

Gloria Johnson is runnning for State House District 13. (Facebook, website, donate)

Justin Davis is running for State House District 14. (Facebook, website, donate)

Rick Staples is running unopposed for State House District 15. (Facebook, website, donate)

Kate Trudell is running for State House District 16. (Facebook, website, donate)

Greg Mackay is running for State House District 18. (Facebook, website, donate)

Edward Nelson is running for State House District 19. (Facebook, website, donate)

Coleen Martinez is running for State House District 89. (Facebook, website, donate)

Jay Clark is running for State House District 8. (Facebook, website, donate)

Susan Sneed is running for State House District 20. (Facebook, website, donate)

Stuart Starr is running for State Senate District 5. (Facebook, website, donate)

Jamie Ballinger is running for State Senate District 7. (Facebook, website, donate)

Renee Hoyos is running for U.S. House of Representatives District 2. (Facebook, website, donate)

Karl Dean is running for governor. (Facebook, website, donate)

Phil Bredesen is running for U.S. Senate. (Facebook, website, donate)

October 15, 2018

Dear Michael,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. One of the best parts of our democracy is the ability of its citizens to freely express their opinions to their elected representatives, and I take your views and comments very seriously.

Knoxville SOUP is an exciting community-focused project and is open to all of Knoxville. It’s a project Celebrating and Supporting Creative Projects in Knoxville.

Prior to dinner, we showcase proposals highlighting projects that are going on in our city. During dinner, attendees discuss the projects and cast their vote for the project they would like to fund with the proceeds from the door.

Proposals can be for anything that will benefit the community or society in general. Past winning projects have improved greenways and nature trails, provided exercise equipment for seniors, funded back to school drives, supported other charitable endeavors and even launched a small business with a social focus. There are no hard and fast rules to what a proposal should be, only that someone envisions it, asks for it and the diners vote for it.

Read about the proposals to be presented at our October dinner after the jump...

Come support one of these worthy projects - $5 gets you soup, salad AND a vote!

Reminds me of a van with a shag rug ...

This is an actual painting on display in President Trump's White House

Microsoft co-founder dies at the age of 65. He was a pretty remarkable guy.

Coach Pruitt at today's presser: Against Alabama, I'm not sure how much we need to be working on our punt return unit. We probably need to be working more on our punt unit.