Getting the shaft

Paying the bills and actually took a moment to read the "Power Notes" included with the Nashville Electric Service bill.  It's no surprise to me that TVA and NES want to raise rates. It's no surprise that NES want to start using 'smart metering' and 'time of use' rates. What was a surprise was their assertion that it costs more (or less) to produce power at some times of the year. When did it get more expensive to mine coal in the summer and winter? Did they start heating and cooling those shafts? Are they paying miners more so they'll not take vacations and be available  during peak AC and heating times to keep that ore flowing through power plants? Are they having to compete with Ocoee river rafters for use of water for hydro-electric power? Wonder if those TVA and NES offices are conserving all they can and set at 78 and 68 degrees.

This was telling also: "TVA hopes to avoid or delay construction of costly new power plants." Yeah, let's delay providing customers more of what they want and need. Let's make sure they never see any clean and cheap nuclear facilities. Ignore those French power plants. Never mind we need to create jobs and power industries that will do the hiring. No more power plants for Tennesseans.

Seems like the depression is what fueled TVA's inception. Seems like someone forgot, in this current depression that fuel is essential for job building and family finances.

During his 1980 Labor Day speech at New Jersey's Liberty State Park, Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan listed the economic failures of his opponent, President Jimmy Carter. With the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop, Reagan used the moment to respond to Carter, who had accused Reagan of misusing the term "depression" to describe a recession that began in January of that year. "Let it show on the record that when the American people cried out for economic help, Jimmy Carter took refuge behind a dictionary. Well, if it's a definition he wants, I'll give him one. A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter  loses his." Newsweek

Here's another family trying to hold on through the Obama, Pelosi and Reid administration.  We lost a job, half our retirement and now we can look forward to higher electric rates.  Here's another Reagan quote...slightly altered:

Are you better off than you were 2 years ago? Absolutely NOT!

Looking forward to recovery starting in November when voters start kicking out Dems and RINOS and Barak Obama loses his job. It can't come soon enough for us. 

Dancing votes, I guess.

WRKN...the word is ballot. It's about voting not dancing.  Dr. Shelley clearly said "ballot".  In this day and age of jobs being hard to come by...seems like this proofreader needs to be more careful. In the meantime...

I'm glad to see some churches taking on this ruling. When a candidate clearly violates a Biblical position, I'm all for pastors informing their congregations of such violations. This whole dance of creating 'non-partisan' educational documents to be handed out to congregations in lieu of plainly speaking the truth is a huge waste of effort. And, frankly, lots of folks are tired of this 'Johnson Amendment' being unfairly applied like recent testimony from Christopher Coates revealed regarding Department of Justice decisions not to pursue voter intimidation cases. If any church preaches that one party is holier than another, they're walking in plenty of error as it is, but pointing out where individual politicians, individual legislation and specific actions of our government violate Biblical standards is part of the mandate of The Church to speak the truth and protect the innocent and the poor.

We have a Constitution that makes no mention of any right being a one way street. It's past time to make that case and take back this part of our freedom of religion.

Dogs in restaurants

I believe I now know how the folks who were/are adamantly against guns in restaurants feel.  Nashville Council Lady Karen Bennett has offered a bill to allow dogs in the outdoor dining areas of restaurants. The City Paper has some of the details here. Here's the actual bill BL2010-761. I'm going to be as wary of those restaurants as some people are about entering one that allows guns. And like them, I won't be dining there. 

It does no good for anyone to tell me that little "Fifi" won't bite...I don't trust your dog, don't want to be around your dog and don't believe in 'fur kids'. Dogs are unpredictable. They cannot be controlled absolutely.  Allowing them in close public quarters where the unexpected happens is asking for trouble. The only dogs I trust half-way are guide dogs who are specifically trained to handle, appropriately, the unexpected.

Frankly, I'll feel safer with gun carriers than dogs. No gun is going to get startled by the clattering of a dropped tray, or take offense at some small child innocently tugging on its tail. It'll stay in its holster, it won't be petted by the server who then brings me my food, it won't smell bad or drool.  And based on my own experience, someone is going to need to leave the dog at the table and head into the restaurant for some reason: use the rest room, refill their salad plate, take a moment to say high to a friend and the dog will be unattended. Actually, I'm betting that if the dog is small enough, they'll carry it in with them and be highly offended if you dare to give them the hairy eye-ball for doing so.

And I fully expect cries of discrimination coming from cat, parakeet and iguana owners across the county. 

No, this bill is not a good idea. But if Metro Council insists on passing this bill, make sure I can see the "Dogs are Welcome" sign from the street so I can move right on by.

The Falling Man

On this day, if your heart can handle it, I strongly suggest viewing the hour plus documentary "The Falling Man". On that morning, as I made the bed and casually watched Good Morning America, I literally dropped to my knees when I saw these people falling. I don't want to remember the horror I felt, let alone be reminded of the unspeakable, unknowable fear I could only imagine they were experiencing. It was terrifying. It was an act of war. It is why they must must never be allowed to build a rabat anywhere near that land-- in this land. It was evil. It still is evil. We cannot make nice with it. Understand it. Accommodate it. It must die or we will.



Hat tip: Thanks to Kelsey Grammer's new http://RightNetwork.com for introducing me to this.

Never gonna stand for this

Another TEA Party song from Nashville. On this Labor Day a reminder to politicians to listen to" the man living by the plow". Really like the recitation of Declaration snips. Catchy tune too.  Sorry, you'll have 11 seconds of Janeane Garofalo schooling us on what we do and do not know and who we are. That'll get yer engine started.

GMA adds fuel to the mosque fire

Good Morning America lied to America this morning. No surprise to some of you, I'm sure. 

Their report just after 7:00 am this morning on the Murfreesboro mosque construction site shamefully contained misinformation that will only fuel more dangerous ill will. While the talking head stated the fire was determined by officials to be arson the video showed a picture of a firefighter in full gear among building rubble and showed a white building block building with smoke stains around a window with the word "Mosque" on the building. This is a severe misrepresentation of the actual event which occurred in a cleared lot with no buildings at all let alone rubble. I expect showing a burned dump truck isn't as exciting as they needed so someone decided to enhance the story. The problem is those visuals were a lie that will be remembered. Unfortunately, I'm unable to find the video at the ABC News or GMA site or I'd embed it here for you all to view and judge for yourselves.

It's one thing for some idiot to torch a dump truck and another for what used to be a trusted news source to add fuel to a serious situation that locals are trying to work out in a civilized manner.

It's reporting like this that explains why I hardly turn on the networks anymore.