Dollar Store Finds

It's amazing to me the products you can find in a dollar store. Don't hear me wrong however, I have one next door to my Jackson office and that is my vending machine. Nothing there is over a dollar and you can actually find some pretty good stuff.

Be sure to enlarge the picture if you are unable to see the product names.

JAMMA Commercial Of Mixed Martial Arts

Here is a commercial I recently finished for the upcoming JAMMA event for the night after Christmas. So, is MMA considered a "sport"?

Close To Home: Skinheads Plan To Kill Obama

Two white supremacists allegedly plotted to go on a national killing spree, shooting and decapitating black people and ultimately targeting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, federal authorities said Monday.
In all, the two men whom officials described as neo-Nazi skinheads planned to kill 88 people - 14 by beheading, according to documents unsealed in U.S. District Court in Jackson, Tenn. The numbers 88 and 14 are symbolic in the white supremacist community.
The spree, which initially targeted an unidentified predominantly African-American school, was to end with the two men driving toward Obama, "shooting at him from the windows," the documents show.
"Both individuals stated they would dress in all-white tuxedos and wear top hats during the assassination attempt," the court complaint states. "Both individuals further stated they knew they would and were willing to die during this attempt."

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-If you had to guess is the stereotypical black culture what these men really hate or is it the person himself?
-What would bring a person to hate someone so much due to the color of their skin?
-Is it possible to separate color from culture?

Steven Curtis Chapman Video With Daughter Maria

In case you did not hear, Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter Maria Chapman died two nights ago when her brother accidentally ran her over in their driveway. She was 5 years old. I can't even begin to imagine what the brother must be going through. May God grant him (and his family) much grace!

Here is the video.

Some questions:
-What would you say to the brother who has to live with this for the rest of his life?
-If you were his family, how would you minister to him while still grieving the death of Maria?
-How does Satan use guilt in circumstances such as these?

Assumptions About Homelessness

I was driving back home from the office yesterday afternoon and while sitting at a stop light there was a guy standing at one of the off ramps across the intersection. He was holding a card board sign I could not read and had several items stacked up lying on the ground. I am unsure of how long he had been out there but any length of time would have chilled him due to the wind and cold. As I watched, a lady in a white SUV, about 3 cars back in line, rolled down her window and held her arm out the window. I thought she was going to give him something and he started walking over closer to her vehicle. That is when I realized she was scolding him. She laid into him and if the vicious hand movements were any sign of the severe toungue lashing he was recieving, well, I feel sorry for the guy. At that point, my light turned green and distance filled the gap between myself and that situation, but I was still thinking about what I just witnessed.

A white, middle-class lady (assumed middle-class) felt so much anger towards this guy that she pursued an opportunity to chew him out for what? Did she even know his circumstance; did she make a judgement call based on his current situation? How did she have the right to judge this man before even hearing him out? I can't for the life of me even comprehend confronting someone for their lot in life when I have no prior knowledge about the circumstances that led them there. How does this lady have the audacity to act upon her assumptions of this man?

A while back I learned that I am not to allow my assumptions to turn into implied truth. It is unfair and a sin (James). I am not to treat anyone better than anyone else because I feel that I have something to gain from them and not the other. It just floors me to think that we can make assumptions about a person that lead us to chew them out for their place in life. That is ridiculous. Now, if the man had been acting crassly or harassing the people in their vehicles, that would be a different story. He was not. I wish I would have been able to drive up the exit ramp and pull up next to the lady and ask her what she was thinking. Although, I doubt that a satisfactory answer would have been gained.

I also think that those who are homeless have to be careful not to make assumptions about those who are not. Often times bitterness can swell up within while those without many possessions long for the things of those with them. Either side can fall into sin quickly if they let there assumptions take root. James gives us a great warning in the book that bears his name.

Some time ago I lived homeless. Not because I had to, but because I felt led to do so. I was becoming prideful concerning my lot in life and all the things I had acquired. I was praying and looking for ways to humble myself before the Lord. Through a series of events and several discussions with the Lord, I felt that if I wanted to gain an appreciation for the life I have and the things the Lord has blessed me with, I need to live without them. Now, during this time all I had was the clothes on my back, a blanket and 5 dollars that was to be used for one meal. The only rule was that money was not to be accepted and work was to be done in exchange for food alone. I will spare you all the details here, but that was the most growthful time in my spiritual life and really made a way for me to see things differently and appreciate what I had been given as well as give me a desire to see better days for the Church.

You can read my homeless account here.

Some questions:
-What are your thoughts on the above situation?
-Do you think the lady was right in her actions?
-What do you think should have happened?
-How do we deal with homelessness?
-Did anything impact you from this post?

2 Cartons Of Cigarettes Equal 6 Months in Jail & Vehicular Seizure

Yep. When you bring 2 cartons of cigarettes across the state line into Tennessee the law states you could be penalized with a Class B Misdemeanor resulting in 6 months jail time and/or a $500 dollar fine. Oh, your vehicle becomes seized as well as they are considered contraband. If you bring 25 + cartons over the boarder you could be penalized with a Class E Felony resulting in a 1 year minimum sentence up to 6 years, a $3,000 dollar fine and you still get your vehicle seized.

These laws have been on the books for a while, so why bring them up? They are going to be enforced. Tennessee Department of Revenue has already been scoping out neighboring state's "hot" areas where Tennesseans have been going to buy cigarettes to avoid the .62 cent tax that TN has imposed on tobacco products.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Are state paid workers allowed to travel out of state, steak out a tobacco shop/gas station and call an officer back on the TN side of the border to alert him that a TN tagged car is coming with x amount of cigarette cartons?
-What are your thoughts about this law? Should this law be enforced? Who has the right to decide?
-Does this law affect your tobacco habits?
-What is the purpose of this law being enforced? Would there be a better way of achieving that same purpose?

O'Charley's Restaurant Closed Due To Roaches.

The local O'Charley's was closed after failing health inspections over a two week span for the same violations. "There were some critical violations," Bell said. "When we inspected there was a presence of roaches, a problem that had not been fixed when we did a follow up." When the restaurant was called by the Jackson Sun to inquire about the report, the only comment given was that the restaurant was closed for remodeling and construction.

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-Why does the Health Department allow restaraunts to remain open when such violations occur?

-Would you eat at a restaraunt knowing that roaches were present in the cooking/prep. area?

-Two weeks went by before reinspection and the problem still existed; do you think the public should have been notified before the second inspection?

-If you live locally, does this affect you eating at O'Charley's?

County Commmission Vs NewsTalk In Dodgeball

I have the event online for viewing now. The Madison County Commission took a bit of a beating but George B from WNWS 101.5 fm took 90 seconds of unhampered pounding. Gary Deaton of Deaton's Carpet One took a pie to the face and all this in the name of charity.

If you haven't come out to any of the games and you live in the Jackson area, you need to come out to at least one of the games. The gate is $5 per person and children are free. The $5 entry fee goes to the challenger's charity of choice. The tourament comes to a head on the 28th of August where a double-elimination bracket will be played out in one evening. All games are at Tigrett Middle School and the schedule can be found here.

Download DivX and watch the game in high quality, full screen.

A question:
-Do you consider Dodgeball a sport?

Public Records Not So Public

Here in the Jackson-Madison County School System in Tennessee, there have been at least two schools that failed to meet the AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress). Due to the lawsuit that we are under that prevents our school system from governing itself, the federal government has stepped in and mandated certain regulations concerning bussing and a balanced system (equal number of blacks and whites in each school), thus doing away with neighborhood schools.

The two schools that have failed to meet AYP have not been disclosed to the public even though the administrators know which two schools they are. It would seem only fair to allow the public in on these public records so as to give ample time for the families affected to find alternate arrangements for schooling. This would be allowed as no lawsuit will enforce the above mentioned regulations if the school fails to meet AYP.

Some questions:

-What benefit would the administrators gain from holding on to the public records and keeping them from the public?
-If the schools that have failed to meet AYP are revealed and your child is affected, will you remove your child from that school?
-What actions can you as a parent take against the school system for withholding records?
-When a school system refuses to release public records, what action can the affected community take?

Newly Ordained Deacon Charged With Taking Nude Photos & Videos of Underaged Girl

57-year-old Ralph Coffelt was appointed a deacon at 1st Baptist Church in Jasper, TN where he was to serve and meet the needs of those in the church. Today he is in jail with a $100,000 bond for especially aggravated exploitation of a minor. Allegedly, a young girl (possibly his own) told another member of the church about the photos and videos during a church camp the previous week.

You can read more here.

***UPDATE: The young girl is his 17 year old adopted daughter.***

Some questions:
-What punishment should this man incur if the charges against him hold?
-How should 1st. Baptist Church of Jasper respond to this?
-How should the broader Church respond?
-If you are not a Christian, how does this strike you?
-How should Churches safeguard against such things as this?

First for Fridays

First Poster sets the topic.

If you are looking for something to start with, why not the Supreme Court's ruling that skin color does not make for diversity and if you are local, you should know how much this ruling will effect our school system and our lawsuit between the NAACP and the School Board and the budgetary fighting going on between the County Commissioners and the School Board.

Enjoy the weekend!

Scandal in the NAACP: Allegations Against Richard Fields

I will not repeat the story, but apparently another blogger, Thaddeus Matthews, has come across some pretty damning information concerning a local Jackson and Memphis, TN NAACP lawyer Richard Fields. If the allegations prove true, it could very well lead to some big headlines nationally concerning both the NAACP and Richard Fields himself dealing with seduction, setups and corruption.

You can read about it here exclusively.

-Some questions:

-If what is stated on Thaddeus' blog is true, how do you think this will effect the black community? The white?
-How do you think it will affect the NAACP?
-What are your thoughts concerning the allegations?
-Do you think that Thaddeus has a vendetta against Mr. Fields?

UPDATE: I just listened to Thaddeus Matthews doing a local radio interview and he went so far as to call Richard Fields a racist and a rapist.
Also as a little background, Thaddeus is a self-proclaimed shock-jock and based out of Memphis, TN who is no stranger to controversy. He stated that if anyone has any questions or needs information on Richard Fields, feel free to contact him through his blog.

Dodgeball Charity Tournament

Dodgeball is alive and well in Jackson, TN. Our local NewsTalk Radio station has challenged several different organizations to a game of dodgeball that will lead to a double elimination tournament in August. Some of the teams they are playing are the Sheriff's Department (which they beat), the Police Department, the Madison County Commission, the Jackson City Council, WBBJ TV, the Diamond Jaxx Staff among others.

The event has been set up to raise charity funds for the opposing team's charity of choice. The first game against the sheriff's department resulted in a $600 purse that was given to Greensburg, KS as a way to help in the tornado relief efforts. Tonight's game against the police department will result in all proceeds going to the "Make a Wish Foundation". Several radio callers called in to the WNWS radio station yesterday pledging money for the cause. One caller said he would make up the difference up to $1,000 and another caller said he would match all gate proceeds dollar for dollar.

This event appears to be a great way to raise funds as well as a great way to see some of your local leaders and talk show hosts in action. Dodgeball is a great spectator sport believe it or not. So, if you are around Jackson, TN come out and watch the game, it is $5.00 at the door to get in or if you cannot, it will be live on WNWS.com at 7pm or you can buy a DVD of the game(s).

You can see the schedule here.

Some questions:

-How do you feel about elected officials getting out and playing in Dodgeball?
-Would you ever cheer on the County Commission or the City Council?
-Do you think that more events like this would be good for the community in that it builds community?
-Are you comming to any of the games?

Mary Winkler Set Free After "Man Slaughtering" Her Husband

Today was the sentencing trial for Mary Winkler. She was given 3 years but only has to serve 210 days of that behind bars. Even with that, she may not spend a day locked up due to her already spending 5 months under lockdown before the criminal trial. On the other hand, she has been ordered to submit to 60 days in a proper mental facility to address her psychiatric needs. Those 60 days can count towards her 210 day sentence for "man slaughtering" her husband.

There is talk around West Tennessee as to her ability to keep her parental rights. A lot say they should be revoked, some say that she should be able to keep them as her charge was not one in which the relinquishing of custody is mandated. A local radio personality who goes by George B sides with those who would say she should be able to keep her parental rights. You can listen to his opinions between the 3 and 6 o'clock hours during the work-week on WNWS FM online.

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-Do you think 210 days is justice served?
-How do you feel about the sentencing? In light of the accusations made by Mary Winkler against her Church of Christ pastor husband?
-Do you think that there is such a thing as 1st degree murder anymore?
-Given what you know about this situation, what are your thoughts on child custody?
-Placing yourself in the children's shoes, do you think you would want to live with your mother?

Sportsplex: Longer Than Expected Profitability

Several years ago there was a motion to build a sportsplex that could be used by the locals during the week and reserved on weekends for the travel ball teams that would fill the sportsplex and bring much revenue to this city and local business such as the hotels and restaraunts. Well, this is the first year in and the date of profitability has been pushed back by several years while the taxpayers continue to pay the bill. There are those who fall on the side of "give it more time and you will see what an asset this will be to our community" and then there are the nay-sayers who say, "Winvested in Pringles Park and look at it. We invested in the Ned and look at it. Now we are invested in the sportsplex and look at it... when will we learn our lesson".

The city has accrued debt, $9.1 million to be exact, to build this sportsplex. They were initially looking at two years before it started paying for itself, now that two has turned to 4. When asked why, it was stated that the city was too optimistic in their projections and neglected to look at such scenarios as rainouts and holidays.

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-What are your views on the West Tennessee Healthcare Sportsplex?
-Do you think it to be a good investment eventhough the current year's projection is suffering? If so, why?
-Should we always compare new projects to old ones such as Pringles Park, etc.?
-If the city was not responsible with the taxpayer's money by not doing the proper research on this project before signing off on it, what recourse do we as citizens have to gain back our $9.1 million folly?
-If we had it to do over again, knowing what you know now, should we build it?
-Are the local taxpayers really able to use it as promised during the week?

Dodgeball!

Next Monday night our local newstalk radio station, WNWS, will be playing the Madison County Sheriff's Department in a competitive game of Dodgeball. The time: 7pm, the place: Tigrett Middle School Gym (on Westwood), Admission: $5.00 at the door which will be donated to the winner's charity of choice.

The Dodgeball Tournament will continue on into August before the final game is played. Those who are in the line-up are the Sheriff's Dept., Police Dept., WBBJ TV, Sportsplex Staff, Seniors on the Liberty Basketball Team, Diamond Jaxx Staff, Madison County Commissioners, Jackson City Council, Madison Academic Decathalon Team, The Palace Staff, and then on August 28th the double elimination tournament will take place.

You can read more here or here.

Some questions:

-What are your thoughts about this tournament?
-If you are local, do you plan on attending it?
-Is $5.00 too much for a 15 minute game of dodgeball?
-What do you think about WNWS' logo? (I designed it)
-If they did this again next year, would you get a team together to participate?
-Do you think this is a good thing to bring together our community?

Closed Meetings: Private Meetings Concerning Public Schools

I posted on this topic a few weeks back. They are now holding another meeting that is to be closed to the public (Wednesday at 1.30pm). This time, GeorgeB, a local radio personality and self-proclaimed "Guardian and Protector of Civil Liberties" is holding a protest on the school board lawn starting an hour before the closed meeting is to be held. During that time, he has encouraged the local public to attend the protest and show their disgust by picketing, driving by and blowing their horn as well as attending a seminar that will cover the 1st amendment rights of citizens.

You can read more on it here.

Some questions:

-What are your thoughts on a publicly funded, public service, holding private meetings that affect parents and children who attend the public schools?
-In regards to the Sunshine Law, the only legal consequence is that whatever comes out of the meeting has no weight. This means that the meeting has to be held again and the only way the items discussed can be implemented is if the meeting is made public. Do you think the Sunshine Law is effective?
-Do you think this is a big enough of a deal that you will attend the protest?
-Do you think a protest is uncalled for and unneccessary?
-Why do you think this meeting is being closed to the public?

Drug Court

The local drug court program has made the front page of the Jackson Sun today. It has been in operation since 2003 with 54 graduates from the program in a 4 year span. Although there have been only 54 graduates in 4 years, they boast a 74% success rate in that they have helped keep those who were on drugs, off.
The drug court here has only 2 paid staff and the biggest out-of-pocket cost is the drug testing kits. The court employs both sanctions and rewards for those going through the program. They offer gift certificates among other things as rewards and such things as write-offs for sanctions (where you would write such things as "I will not forget to call in" 200 times).

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-What are your thoughts on the drug court?
-Have you ever been involved with one?
-What are your thoughts on tax dollars going for incentives such as gift certificates?
-Knowing drug issues are a big problem in our community, what do you think about the numbers who have graduated from the program?

The Local Scene: Election Tuesday, Little Show Interest

Today here in Jackson, TN is election day. On the ballot we have a seat for city mayor as well as several city council seats up for grabs, but if you ask most any of the locals around here, most would not know who is who. Our city has had the same city mayor since 1989, Charles Farmer. He has chosen not to run for re election this time around. The front runners appear to be Gerry Neese and Jerry Gist. There are several issues that each candidate sees as needing addressed and can be found here: Jerry Gist, Gerry Neese, Charlie Motton, John Bannister, Shelia Godwin, and W. Lee Bell II. They all hit on crime but have different ways of dealing with it. One thing I find this election season devoid of is the mudslinging. I find this refreshing and I find that it encourages discussion about the issues as opposed to what the other candidate has done or won't do. I also find that this focusing on the issues appears to have caused less voter interest... or has it?

Here is a compilation of election information for our city. What is more, the election results will be covered live here starting at 7pm CST.

UPDATE: Jerry Gist is city mayor elect.

Some questions:
-Why do our local elections suffer in voter turnout?
-The absence of mudslinging, is it a plus or minus?
-What do you look for in a candidate for city mayor?
-Do you know what the last city mayor has done that makes him stand out among the past mayors?
-What do you want the new mayor to accomplish that only they can accomplish by being mayor?
-Who are you voting for?
-If you are not voting why not?
-Should we have a cap on the number of years someone can be mayor?

Unitary Status & A Closed Meeting Involving the Justice Dept. Illegal?

Background: Locally here in Jackson, TN our city/county schools are under a federal court order which forces local authorities to abdicate their governing authority concerning certain school related issues. This has been going on for over 40 years. Here is more on the background of this lawsuit as well as expressed opinion on the matter by Wesley Cornelious McClure, President of Lane College.

Currently, there is a motion to bring about unitary status and to remove the lawsuit by way of the county commission filing a lawsuit against the school board for the breach of an agreement that was to bring about unitary status. This was to be done after the County Commission funded certain projects that the schoolboard requested: this was never followed through with.

Yesterday a meeting was held in private which consisted of the NAACP, the Justice Department and a representative of the schoolboard who is also a member of the NAACP.

Due to this meeting being closed to the public and issues being discussed that effect every citizen of this county that has children, an issue has come up with this meeting being in violation of the Sunshine Law (see #2. Purpose).

Frank Gibson of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government had this to say about the matter as reported in the Jackson Sun. I don't think a court would find this a violation of the Sunshine Law since they are not deliberating on a decision that is on an upcoming agenda," Gibson said. "It's not good that the federal government is making this demand. For the Department of Justice to insist on these conditions, which is a matter of great public interest to parents and voters in Madison County, is outrageous.

With the above background provided, let's ask some questions. I will ask them in two sets; 1. pertaining to the unitary status issue and 2. pertaining to the closed door meeting.

1.
-What is really at the heart of this issue concerning obtaining unitary status?
-Is it a racially motivated to seek unitary status as implied by Wesley Cornelious McClure?
-What good should come from unitary status?
-What detriment could unitary status do to our county?

2.
-Was holding the private meeting a breach of the sunshine law?
-Was having a member of the schoolboard who is also a member of the NAACP attend the meeting as a voting member a conflict of interest?
-What benefit was it to the Justice Department to demand this meeting be closed?
-What power do we, as citizens, have to ensure public matters stay public?

Here is an Overview of the Unitary Status situation as provided by our local school system.