August 29, 2026
Letters to the Editor
A Century of Stories
What can 100 years teach us about living well? Tennessee’s centenarians have plenty of answers: work hard, stay active, love your family, serve others, keep your faith and eat your vegetables.
Reflecting pool-type reflections
Reflecting pool-type reflections
It Can Be Done
The American version of fascism has always been around which covertly allowed minorities to control the majority. That was done with slavery, but the outrage grew and prevailed and the South lost the war. Then it converted itself in society allowing a race to rule with Jim Crow laws, and economically by allowing robber-barons of the gilded age free market reign. The gilded age implosion (The Great Depression) and the legislative stifling of Jim Crow prejudices heralded better equality. But, the cycle of attempted domination and control by hatred and greed has risen again in the form of Draco-II, the oligarchs of military might and technology and money, the sycophants who grab the coattails those in power, the racists who never openly agreed to equality, and the rest of us who put all of them in power: they appealed to our lesser nature and won.
Celebrating 250 Years with Gratitude
If you were born in the United States of America, you have already won the lottery of life.
You’ve done enough
Does anyone know U.S. history well enough to remember Joseph McCarthy? He was a Republican senator from Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. He is best known for his campaign against communism in America, alleging communists, Soviet spies and sympathizers had infiltrated many institutions within America, even claiming he had a list of 200 communist spies and sympathizers within the U.S. State Department. The McCarthyism era died when, in court, Boston lawyer Joseph Welch finally proclaimed “You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?” With that proclamation McCarthy’s career effectively ended and McCarthyism faded away. His claims were simply lies.
Don’t fall for Blackburn scare tactics
Dear MAGA, please don’t fall for the lame scare tactics by Marsha Blackburn and her billionaire backers. They’re flooding the zone with fear-mongering ads, attacking John Rose over “Communist China.” China is barely even communist anymore. True communists don’t even believe in private ownership, and communist countries are not capable of generating the kind of wealth and prosperity that China and the USA have. China’s economy is capitalist, just like ours. They have the second highest GDP next to ours, and the second highest number of billionaires next to ours. Chinese investors have been buying US real estate for decades, starting out west. If we suspect wrongdoing by foreigners, we can freeze and/or seize their assets at any time, including land and real estate, and transfer title to our government if need be. The “communist” propaganda is a distraction to keep us from seeing the truth: that US and OTHER foreign billionaires, like the ones supporting Blackburn through SuperPACs, THEY are the ones trying to take over Tennessee. They want free or cheap land with no property taxes so they can bring their business here, take advantage of our cheap non-Union labor, and get tax breaks and other favors from our state legislature. Meanwhile, We the People are paying more for gas and food while losing our health insurance, food assistance and social security benefits. If she truly cared about the people of Tennessee, she could buy farmland herself and use it to benefit the sick, hungry and struggling people of our state who otherwise have no voice.