I don't know where to start...

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This is an outrage! TVA has rebuilt this landfill three times that I know of and it's failed all three times, including a large gypsum spill into the Clinch that I'm just now finding out about. Haven't we the people of Roane County suffered enough at the hands of TVA and TDEC?

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There seems to be a concerted effort to NOT cover Mary Headrick's Congressional campaign against Chuck Fleishmann. Since Chuck has so much outside money to spend, it seems stupid not to t least give some attention to Headrick in the hopes of getting Chuck to buy ads. Mary Headrick is being well received in other media outlets and it is surprising that the KNS would ignore an entire political party in the Congressional election.

The Senate today approved legislation barring automatic teller machines (ATMs) in or near businesses that provide bail bonds, tattoos and body piercing from dispensing cash to people with welfare benefit cards.

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No companies submitted proposals by Friday’s deadline to drill for natural gas on University of Tennessee land as part of a fracking research proposal in the Cumberland Forest

I'm wondering if it's that no fracking company wants that many people looking over their shoulder while they do such a sketchy thing as frack? If this is really a study to see if water supplies are harmed by fracking and they frack and water supplies are harmed there will be a smoking gun as to who did it and who is liable.

Humphrey has it

Can't say it wasn't expected but it sure is sad...

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I hear a buzz going to push President Obama to re-nominate Dr. Marilyn Brown. The TFP says Corker and Alexander are afraid of her. Whoa!

Corker and Alexander simply want to keep Sansom as chairman, and they don't want another smart woman on the board to take over the chairmanship. (link...)

and even more in your face...

Is it because Brown, with two years of board experience, is now becoming a too-strong member of the board, suggesting a vision Alexander and Sansom aren't comfortable with. (link...)

This clarifies the problem with the "Evolution" Bill for me:

And if the assignment is to write about the way plate tectonics have shaped our planet, and the kid writes about the creation story in Genesis, how exactly is that supposed to be graded?

What if the science teacher gives that student an A? How will that teacher be assessed under the new creationist protection law?

Nashville Scene...

Politifact labels the TNGOP assertion that the current redistricting process was "the most open in history" as "false", even though it was done completely behind closed doors and so secretively it was rushed through the Legislature so fast that nobody had the chance to notice they forgot to include all the counties in TN.

Contrast that with Politifacts branding of TNDEM's statement Congressman DesJarlais's January schedule as having only six workdays as "liar, liar, pant's on fire", beacuse they took the word of a DesJarlais staffer who claimed the Congressman was working hard and only took one personal day. Politifact posted this statement from the staffer: "One of the things the congressman has been very good at is maintaining an open dialogue with his constituents about what goes on up here in Congress." If anything should be labelled "Pants On Fire" it would be that statement. DesJarlais has never held an open meeting in my county since he was elected.

Since there is no way to comment on the Politifacts post the question is, "Who is going to fact check Politifact?"

Uh..."dykes"?

Matthew D. Williams said that from 2005 until the ash spill disaster on Dec. 22, 2008, he headed a team charged with recording data from monitoring devices placed in the ash holding cells and the dykes supporting the cells, which are on site at the Kingston plant.

OK, disregarding Ed Marcum's fox paw, TVA's defense appears to boil down to "We were either ignorant, incompetent, or both so we can't be held responsible for trashing Roane County."

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Rick Perry is a bigger lying sociopath than George W Bush ever thought about being but I needed proof. So, after TN Lt Governor Ron Ramsey drank the tea and swore allegiance to Perry via the TN State Taxpayer paid for email(Oops, sorry for doing that, I know it's illegal, Hey, it's just a tiny mistake, and all that), I figure we had to go straight to the source of all truth, Texans themselves.

Hmmm..They seem to be pissed at Mr. Perry and willing to do all sorts of Op-research on their Governor. There's too much to paste here, so...

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(And, Hey...If Juanita isn't one of your regular reads, you are missing the best smart mouthed Texas female "Honey, those aren't baby teeth incisors I'm smiling at you with those are Texas barbecue powered FANGS" Snark on the internet tubes)

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I was really disappointed and angry when I heard WUOT this morning. It's like Jessel was handed the script from Karl Rove:

"Thousands of rally-ers from both sides" were in Nashville Saturday.

First check out ALEC and the subject of the conference they went to... (link...)

Then find your Rep and see what they spent your money on in 2010 before they even sat down in the House... (link...)

Just to let you know why I'm all up about this, check Representative Hurley's per diem to ALEC.

Complete with bong cup holders?

New VW Microbus

Kleinheider to be Ramsey's Mouthpiece.

The TWRA committee has unanimously recommended a two year moratorium on a vote to allow hunting of sandhill cranes in TN. The full Commission votes today.

TWRA's own poll shows Tennesseans about evenly split on this issue with opposed having a slight majority. Other polls show heavy opposition. Surprisingly, when people with hunting licenses are polled they had about a third opposed to a hunt. That is very surprising that that high a number of hunters don't want it. I would have thought the number would be 4% or 8%. I'll be in meetings today and will post more later.

Also, I chatted with the new TDEC Commissioner, Bob Martineau, and think we may not be as bad off as I first assumed. I remain cautiously optimistic.

Go Vote

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The TWRA will meet and decide on Thursday and Friday this week whether to allow this... (link...)

Tennesee looks to be missing out on the next big thing if HSR ends at Chattanooga. The Times Free Press has an overview.