Conspiracy nut-job Marjorie Taylor Green to be honored guest speaker at Wilson County Republican Party Trump Day Dinner.

by Rod Williams - This is unbelievable.  If I were a Republican in Wilson County, I would not be attending this event.  I would not contribute to the local party or attend any functions of the party.  The leadership of the party would have successfully driven me out.  I might protest the appearance of Green outside the venue.

She is a nut-job!  She is a Q-anon supporter.  She was a regular contributor to a conspiracy web site. She has supported almost every right-wing conspiracy theory circulating. She touts the Pizzagate theory, the Clinton Kill-list, mass shootings as a false flag theory, and 9-11 as an inside job theory.  She has advocated executing Democrat politicians.  She has equated the Democrat Party with Nazies. She continues to claim Trump won the election in a landslide and that the election was stolen.  Her Covid-19 theory is that Dr. Fauci is criminally liable for helping create the virus as a bio-weapon.

It is hard to think of a person more committed to crazy conspiracy theories than Marjorie Taylor Green.  I think Congress was right to deny her any committee assignments.  I think the Republican Party should have denied her the right to caucus as a Republican. She should be condemned and shunned; not honored. 

Is this what has happened to the Republican Party, that the honored guest speaker at an annual Republican banquet is someone like this?  Also, I am dismayed that what used to be called Lincoln Day Dinners and then Reagan Day Dinners are now called "Trump Day Dinners."  Even if the speaker was someone I respected and admired, I would not attend a "Trump Day Dinner."  Trump should be disgraced; not honored.  I wonder how many other annual Republican banquets are now called "Trump Day Dinners."  I hope not many.

I believe that the policies of the Democrat party will destroy our country.  Massive deficit spending is the biggest threat to our future.  That and policies such as the Green New Deal, Medicaid for all, open borders, imposed "equity" policies, defund the police, and others will cause a decline in America's standard of living and ability to be a world leader.  We will see greater unemployment as a permanent feature of our economy, inflation, less productivity, and a decline in upward mobility.  A continuation of cancel culture and an emphasis and race-based "equity" will lead to less freedom. With America in decline, there will be no other country able to step up to the plate and lead the world and democratic countries will decline and have to kowtow to China.  China, Russia, and Islamism will ascend as the US declines. I do not see the US having an apocalyptic event, but a steady decline in the standard of living, productivity, economic vitality, and the ability to lead the world.  In a few more years we may more closely resemble Portugal or Greece or some Eastern European country than the country we currently know.

So, I cannot become a Democrat and believe the Democrat Party must be defeated.  However, I do not want to be part of a party that hosts Marjorie Taylor Green as an honored speaker. I must feel the same as one felt on the eve of the Spanish Civil War.  Should one support the Communist-supported Republic or the Nazi-supported Fascist, or stay on the sidelines and let others decide the fate of one's country?

I still believe the Republican Party will come to its senses and again become the party of responsible conservatism.  If it does not, however, I cannot feel at home in a Donald Trump- Marjorie Taylor Green Party. 

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Drama at the Tennessee Republican Assembly. Michelle Foreman vs Dan Meredith for Chairman.

Dan Meredith

by Rod Williams-  There is a lot of drama going on at the Tennessee  Republican Assembly and on Saturday of this week there will be an election to choose new officers.  The office of Chairman (or maybe it is President) for the coming year is contested.  This in itself I think is rare.  Even the Davidson County Republic Party had no contested elections for officers.  In a small group like TRA one usually has to beg people to serve. There are probably no more than a dozen active members.  However, the election to choose the leader of TRA is going to be a real election.  Two candidates are seeking to lead the organization: Michelle Foreman, the current chairman, and challenger Dan Meredith. 

I know both of the candidates. Both are active Republicans and both ran but lost races for the Metro Council.  I, in fact, contributed to both of their campaigns when they ran and I like both of them.  Michelle Foreman took over as chirman after Sharon Ford, who ran the organization for many years, stepped down due to family and personal obligations and asked Michelle to take over.  Since then Michelle and Sharon have had a falling out, over what I am not exactly sure.  Dan Meredith is challenging Michelle Foreman and he has the support of Sharon Ford. 

Michelle Foreman

I don't know the truth of what is going on at TRA, but a lot of rumors are flying and charges are being made of malfeasance and abuse of office. I am not attesting to the accuracy of any of these charges, but am just repeating the rumors that I have heard from several sources. Here is some of what is being said:

• Sharon Ford would not pass on to Michelle Forman a list of members or former members or other records.
• After Sharon Ford was no longer chairman, she continued to write checks out of the TRA account.
• Michelle Foreman changed the organization's bank account to a new bank and made herself and the new treasure the authorized party to write checks.
• Michelle retained a lawyer to demand Sharron turn over records.
• When Sharon Ford at a meeting of TRA raised an issue as to what authority or authorization Michelle had to change banks, Michelle ruled her out of order and would not recognize her to raise the issue.
• TRA has for years been operating without the required number of dues-paying members necessary to maintain their status as a state auxiliary of the Republican Assembly.
• A faction is using the TRA logo and representing themselves as TRA when they are not. 

There is more, that I just don't feel comfortable repeating.  It is getting pretty nasty.

For those who are active in Republican circle, you probably know the players mentioned above and are probably familiar with TRA. Some of my readers may not be. The Tennessee Republican Assembly is a state auxiliary of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies.  Their motto is, "the Republican wing of the Republican Party."  While in the past there were Republican parties that were dominated by "liberal," or "Eisenhower" or chamber of commerce type Republicans, I don't think that exists anymore.  Certainly, not in Tennessee.  The Tennesee Republican Party is solidly conservative.  Maybe there was a need for the Republican Assembly back when Reagan was challenging the status quo in California, but I simply do not see the need for such an organization now.  Of course, some Republicans think of Lee, Haslam, and Corker as "liberal."  They want bombastic, angry, Republicans and I guess that is what TRA is seeking.  Now, I think they are all in for Trump, but then so are most Republicans.  I just do not see much that makes TRA different from what today is "mainstream," Republican. 

Even if one wants a more angry dogmatic Republican Party, I do not see how TRA helps achieve that goal.  They amount to no more than another Republican breakfast club, not that different from the Bellevue Breakfast Club or the Southeast Davidson County Conservative breakfast club, or any number of other such clubs that have existed over the years. In fact, they often have the same speakers as other Republican breakfast groups. They meet, hear from a speaker, socialize and leave.  They are not doing more than similar groups.

I will not be attending the meeting on Saturday.  I am not a member of TRA.  I was.  I joined when Owen Morrell was chairman. It must have been about 2010, or it could have been as early as 2008 or as late as 2012.  I just can't recall.  I was a member for several years.  However, when Glenn Hughes was chairman, (I think the last name was "Hughes," but I am not certain.) I was kicked out.  I was kicked out for one of my "liberal" positions. It may have been because I believed the first amendment applied to Muslims, or maybe because I believed Barrack Obama really was an American, or maybe something else. When I had my membership revoked, I told Glen, not to worry about it, I had been kicked out of better places.

If I were a member, I would vote for Michelle Foreman on Saturday. Not that my endorsement helps her; in fact, that may hurt her with that group.  Not that I have anything against Dan Meredith except he has the support of Sharron Ford.  I am just very impressed by Michelle Foreman.  She is solidly conservative without the chip-on-the-shoulder anger. 

What I do not understand is why Michelle would even want the position.  It is thankless. Michelle is a member of the Executive Committee of the Tennessee Republican Party.  Michelle made a decent showing in her run for council. She has great credentials for a run for higher office should the district boundaries and stars align to make that an option.  She is smart and articulate, personable and attractive.  Having served as Chair of the TRA is not likely to enhance her political prospects.  Plus, she works full-time as a registered nurse, serves on the Executive Committe of the Tennessee Republican Party, just graduated law school and I would assume needs to be studying for the bar, not trying to organized speakers and manage a contentious organization. My advice to Michelle is to let Sharon keep the TRA and put her energies elsewhere. 

Below are a few snippets of Facebook post that gives one a flavor of what is happening in the organization. Also, you may want to visit these links for more: link, link, link and link. 

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Partisan Democrat report overstates the estimated impact of ending the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefits.

By Jon Styf, The Center Square, Jun 9, 2021 – A new report from the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee says Tennessee will miss out on $486 million going into its local economy when Gov. Bill Lee ends the state’s participation in the federal unemployment pandemic relief program. 

The calculations, attributed to JEC Senate Democrats and federal unemployment statistics, indicate about $302 million in supplemental unemployment payments, in many cases $300 a week per unemployed Tennessean, is being rejected by the state. 

The funds lost to a local economy was calculated by using a study from Princeton economist Alan Blinder and Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, stating that every $1 paid in unemployment benefits ultimately results in $1.61 in local spending. 

"This report ignores the reality of economic incentives,” Beacon Center of Tennessee President and CEO Justin Owen said. “The fact is that businesses nationwide are struggling to find workers right now, and enhanced unemployment benefits mean that some people can make more by staying at home than they would going back to work. This not only hurts small businesses, but it hurts the economy at large."

Tennessee will stop participating in the federal program July 3 – nine weeks before it is set to end Sept. 5. The state is one of 24 that has elected to end involvement in the program early, a decision Lee said is meant to provide incentive for those unemployed to actively seek one of the 250,000 jobs posted on the state’s Jobs4TN.gov site. 

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment on the report, but Lee said “families, businesses and our economy thrive when we focus on meaningful employment and move on from short-term, federal fixes” when he announced the state would be ending its participation in the federal program. 

“This is a partisan Democrat report that overstates the estimated impact of ending the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefits because it cherry-picks data from when the unemployment rate was 9 percent and rising, instead of factoring in the success of Operation Warp Speed and that the unemployment has already fallen to 5.8 percent,” said Judd Deere, deputy chief of staff for communications for Tennessee U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty. “Senator Hagerty strongly believes that hardworking Tennesseans will do more for the economy than handouts from Washington.” Democratic leaders who wrote the JEC report disagree. 

“Despite UI’s measurable role in stabilizing consumption and supporting struggling households, some are claiming – without sufficient evidence – that UI benefits are suppressing reemployment,” the report reads. “Claims of worker scarcity are largely anecdotal and not supported by national data. If a widespread labor shortage were holding back job recovery, employment data would show large payroll gains and accelerating wage growth. This pattern is not showing up across sectors.” 

The report estimates that about $12.3 billion won’t go into local economies because of the 24 states exiting the federal program early. Of the 24 states, only Arizona plans to cut off involvement later than Tennessee. Twenty-two of the states will end participation in the federal program between June 12 and June 26. 

Tennessee had 164,312 unemployment claims when the data was created, accounting for 4.9% of the labor force age 16 and older, using numbers from May 13.

“These numbers, while rough estimates, nonetheless probably understate the extent of the economic loss caused by this decision,” the report reads. “By ending these programs early, states are refusing billions of already appropriated federal dollars that could be spent in local groceries, restaurants, and retail shops.”

Rod's comment: 

There was this growing company looking to add someone to their finance department and the CEO placed an ad for the new position and after receiving several resumes narrowed the choices to three candidates; a mathematician, an accountant, and an economist. The CEO arranged personal interviews with the three potential employees. 

 After the normal interview questions and discussions of each candidate's work history and qualifications, the CEO said to each of the candidates, "I have one more question for you. It is kind of an unusual question and fairly simple, but please tell me, what is two plus two?" 

The mathematician answered confidently and quickly and said, "That's simple; it's four." 

When he asked the accountant, he replied, "There is a plus or minus factor of .05 that there is a 99.3% probability that it is four." 

The economist was asked the same question. He looked at the CEO, looked to the left, looked to the right, leaned in close, and in a low voice said, "What do you want it to be?" 

 I am not surprised at all that the U.S. Senate Joint Economic CommitteeI would reach this conclusion. When a study reaches a certain conclusion you can predict the findings of the study by looking at who is funding the study.  

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Murder rate soars in Nashville and the nation. Why?

To read this local story follow this link. Stay tuned for more on this vital topic.  

Violent crime has been steadily decreasing for decades. Many people perceived crime as increasing when it really was decreasing.  One horrendous incident of a mass shooting or terrible murder could distort perception.  Statistics proved, however, that violent crime was on the decline overall.  That it until this past year.  What are the stats?  Why is it happening?  I will be exploring this topic in future posts.

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Democratic Gov. Ray Blanton helped fund a contract murder of a key federal witness, "proof-positive" evidence shows.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A former Tennessee governor's administration helped fund a contract murder of a key federal witness decades ago while embroiled in the state's largest political scandal, law enforcement officials announced Wednesday. 

The new details revealed for the first time Wednesday have elements that ring of a movie: a trusted ally of union boss Jimmy Hoffa gunned down after testifying about a corrupt governor selling prison pardons and a gunman who donned a wig and blackface to throw authorities off the scent. 

Investigators in Hamilton County, which encompasses Chattanooga, have been chipping away at the 42-year-old cold case of Samuel Pettyjohn since they renewed their investigation in 2015. No new charges will be filed because all of the major players involved are now dead, but authorities say closing the case provides closure to one aspect of a complicated piece of Tennessee history. 

Pettyjohn, a Chattanooga businessman and close friend of Hoffa, was fatally shot in 1979 in downtown Chattanooga after testifying before a federal grand jury during the early phases of Tennessee's notorious “cash-for-clemency” scandal. 

“Essentially, Mr. Pettyjohn cooperated with authorities and knew too much about what was going on locally, as well as the state level, and individuals didn’t like that and so individuals hired someone to murder him,” Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston said. (read more)

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TRA convention for the election of officers

Details 

Saturday, June 12, 10AM.

Event by Tennessee Republican Assembly 

Bold Patriot Brewing Company 

Price: Free

This is the biennial (every two years) convention to elect officers is described in the bylaws. The doors are open at 9:30 am. We need all members to come. This organization is directed by the bylaws to elect delegates who will then elect the officers who have been vetted by the nominating committee. Please view the posts in the TRA group on Facebook for posts concerning the description of the process and where to submit your name as a potential delegate.

For more information, follow this link. 

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New study measures nonprofits' impact on Nashville economy, but I am taking the findings of this study with a grain of salt.

by Rod Williams- There was this growing company looking to add someone to their finance department and the CEO placed an ad for the new position and after receiving several resumes narrowed the choices to three candidates; a mathematician, an accountant, and an economist. The CEO arranged personal interviews with the three potential employees.

After the normal interview questions and discussions of each candidate's work history and qualifications, the CEO said to each of the candidates, "I have one more question for you.  It is kind of an unusual question and fairly simple, but please tell me, what is two plus two?"

The mathematician answered confidently and quickly and said, "That's simple; it's four."

When he asked the accountant, he replied, "There is a plus or minus factor of .05 that there is a 99.3% probability that it is four."

The economist was asked the same question. He looked at the CEO, looked to the left, looked to the right, leaned in close, and in a low voice said, "What do you want it to be?"

I have seen study after study like the one reported below.  Whether asking about the contribution of public transportation, greenways, libraries, food stamps, or any enterprise or government service, the study will always report that the endeavor produces an enormous benefit.  Consultants always seem to reach a conclusion that will please the person commissioning the study.

The studies do not consider the people involved in the endeavor would be producing value by doing something else if not doing what they were doing. In fact, they may have been producing more value doing something else.  The studies do not consider that the income to produce the good or service would be spent creating other economic activity and producing value elsewhere.  That is called opportunity cost.

I contribute to causes myself and spent most of my working career working for a non-profit and I value the contribution of non-profit organizations and volunteers.  However, I am taking the findings of this study with a grain of salt.

New study measures nonprofits' impact on Nashville economy

By Jon Styf,The Center Square – The more than 1,100 nonprofit organizations in the 13-county Nashville region contributed $14.4 billion to the regional gross domestic product, according to an economic impact study by the Center for Nonprofit Management. The group, in conjunction with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, recently completed the study since the nonprofit sector had not been analyzed since 2013 by the Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) at Middle Tennessee State University, CNM said. 

In 2020, 78% of nonprofit organizations reported an increase in demand for services related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey that was part of the study. For comparison, 57% said an increase in demand during the economic downturn of 2009. 

“Where would we have been without them all this past year when the EF-3 tornado did a horrific tap dance across the city, you all were there,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said during a Zoom call presenting the findings. “When the global pandemic arrived in Nashville and people were hurting and in need, you responded. When a violent blast hit Second Avenue on Christmas Day, you all said ‘How can we help?’ 

”The study found 71,779 people are directly employed by nonprofits in the region, which paid $4 billion in wages and led to an employment-based economic impact of $24.6 billion, which accounts for the creation of 100,000 additional jobs within the economy based upon those wages. That number is computed by looking at the total amount of accumulated change in employment, labor income and GDP based on the existence of those businesses. 

“Very significant numbers for a very important component of our economy,” said Ralph Schulz, president and CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. The study also showed the significance of volunteerism in the Nashville area, which accounted for 346,900 volunteers in 2015 and 42.5 million hours of service.  That’s the equivalent of 1-in-4 people volunteering more than three weeks of time. In 2017, Nashville was ranked 16th in the country in volunteerism, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service. 

That work is the equivalent of 20,432 full-time employees worth $1.1 billion in wages. 

“You remind us all about what we stand for,” Cooper said to the nonprofit leaders and volunteers. “We stand for caring … being good neighbors and goodwill. Every day, you remind us of what’s important in building a community and what’s important in serving a community.” 

One challenge for nonprofits is that capital expenses rose 200% – or $1 million, on average – between 2015 and 2019. In-kind contributions over that period, however, rose 97% – or about $244,600 per organization. 

“50.4% of all residents make charitable contributions of $25 or more, and among those who volunteer, 82.3% donate (double the rate of non-volunteers),” the study said. “... This growth in volunteering matters. … Growing the volunteer base increases not only the work a nonprofit is able to undertake, but also grows a nonprofit’s donor base.”

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4 Good Government Ad

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Save Nashville Now begins television ads opposing Metro referendum

... Save Nashville Now, the coalition of business groups, left-leaning grassroots organizations and labor unions, will launch its television ad campaign beginning Monday. 

The group is launching two 30-second ads warning of the negative impacts the charter amendment proposals would have on Metro government’s operations. (follow this link to read more and see the ad)

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Understanding the complicated three-pronged legal battle to block the tax roll-back referendum.

By Nate Rau, Tennessee Lookout, June 7, 2021- .... a complicated three-pronged legal battle is underway. Metro and the Nashville Business Coalition have filed separate lawsuits seeking to block the Davidson County Election Commission from holding the referendum. 

In response to a proposed charter amendment from the Metro Council, the election commission has filed a motion for declaratory judgment seeking to clarify if the council’s amendment passes legal muster. 

Much of the behind-the-scenes legal wrangling has focused on which Davidson County chancellor will hear the case. The lawsuits were originally assigned to Chancellor Russell Perkins. The expectation was that if Jim Roberts, the attorney and chief organizer for 4 Good Government, sought to intervene in the case that Perkins would recuse himself. 

Roberts did file a motion to intervene, which he subsequently withdrew.  Perkins has not combined the Metro and Nashville Business Coalition lawsuits, which for the time being remain separate cases with different hearing dates. The election commission’s preemptive lawsuit related to the Metro Council’s proposed charter amendment, which was filed with the intent of blunting the 4 Good Government charter changes should they pass, is also on a separate track. 

On Friday, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce filed a brief ... (read more)

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Deficiencies identified, new procedures implemented following Christmas bombing study.

Metro Nashville Press release, 6/2/2021-  Chief John Drake today announced that the MNPD is

implementing recommendations contained in an after-action report submitted to him last Friday afternoon by a special five-member committee that examined the department’s August 2019 response to allegations concerning Christmas Day 2020 bomber Anthony Warner. 

The committee, formed by Chief Drake on January 7, 2021, and chaired by Nashville attorney and former United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Ed Yarbrough, was tasked with focusing on August 2019 events to determine whether any gaps existed from which the department can learn moving forward. Joining Yarbrough were Metro Council Member Jennifer Gamble, chair of the Public Safety Committee, Community Oversight Board Executive Director Jill Fitcheard, MNPD Deputy Chief Dwayne Greene, and attorney/MNPD Professional Standards Division head Kathy Morante. 

“While the committee concluded that there is no way to know for sure whether the Christmas Day bombing could have been prevented, and that patrol officers followed protocols and procedures during the August 2019 call, deficiencies were identified in the follow-up investigative process,” Chief Drake said. “It is of paramount importance to all of us that any deficiencies are corrected.” 

“A significant issue was the lack of documentation of investigative actions taken by the Hazardous Devices Unit. That has been fixed and a number of other safeguards have been implemented,” Chief Drake said. 

The department accepts the committee’s recommendations that precinct-based detectives join with the Hazardous Devices Unit (HDU) in investigating bomb-related incidents; that the MNPD have a dedicated representative on the Joint Terrorism Task Force; that there be separate criminal and counterterrorism intelligence components in the Specialized Investigations Division; and that the MNPD’s Executive Staff be updated immediately concerning any major cases involving viable threats or terrorism. 

The committee further recommended: 

1. Require that all efforts to follow-up with any individual regarding an HDU investigation be documented, even if the efforts do not result in progress or contact. Such actions should include, but are not limited to, attempts to call, attempts to contact, number of times knocked on a suspect’s door, computer checks, database checks, etc.—RECOMMENDATION BEING IMPLEMENTED THROUGH HDU COMPONENT POLICY 
2. Conduct random quarterly audits of Hazardous Devices Unit case files to ensure that the best investigative practices are being used and all documentation is being properly completed—RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENTED 
3. Establish a monthly explosive summit attended by MNPD Hazardous Devices Unit technicians, MNPD Specialized Investigations Division representatives, FBI representatives, ATF representatives, and Tennessee Department of Homeland Security representatives. During the summit, representatives discuss investigations and what casework should take place to further those investigations—RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENTED; FBI, ATF & TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AGREE TO THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MONTHLY SUMMIT.
4. Following each Explosive Summit meeting, the captain of the Special Operations Division or his/her designee will distribute an email to the precinct commander whose geographical area is affected by an investigation in order to keep that commander updated on situations that could impact precinct-based officers/detectives—RECOMMENDATION TO BE IMPLEMENTED 
5. Initiate a four-part confirmative closure prior to officially marking a case inactive, so as to ensure the original information has not changed. 
1. A reasonable attempt shall be made to follow-up with the reporting person, complainant, or those who have information related to the allegation/incident; 
2. Federal database checks shall be conducted through the FBI, ATF, DEA, DHS and other applicable agencies; 
3. State and local database checks shall be conducted through the MNPD, State of Tennessee, Joint Terrorism Task Force, and other applicable components; 
4. The Specialized Investigations Division shall be contacted for a final database and online check, and if an investigation is halted due to lack of probable cause or other legal reason, the MNPD’s Case Preparation component, legal advisor, and/or the District Attorney’s Office should be contacted to discuss the full scope of options.—RECOMMENDATION TO BE IMPLEMENTED 
6. Remind all MNPD officers, through roll call training, of the legal resources available to assist them in determining whether sufficient probable cause exists to seek a search warrant. The roll call training should emphasize that the greater the potential danger to the community and its citizens, the more likely it should be to seek legal consultation.—RECOMMENDATION ACCEPTED; DEVELOPMENT IN PROGRESS 
7. Submit a State of Tennessee “Suspicious Activity Report” (SAR) on all Hazardous Devices Unit calls where the totality of the circumstances would lead an investigator to reasonably believe that more investigative efforts would be needed, or if the HDU technician believes the information could assist with other investigative efforts. The SAR report is designed to distribute information regarding suspicious activity throughout an established distribution network that includes the Joint Terrorism Task Force, Tennessee Fusion Center, and other state & federal partners. All acquired information is then analyzed and compared with other information from around the country to determine if the respective data—when correlated with additional data via integrative analysis—can assist in finding and defining larger criminal frameworks.—RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENTED 

“The after-action analysis produced by the five-member special committee contains important recommendations that will significantly strengthen this police department’s bomb-related investigations,” Chief Drake said. “I am extremely grateful to Ed Yarbrough, Jennifer Gamble, Jill Fitcheard, Dwayne Greene and Kathy Morante for their diligent and focused work over the past several months.” 

“Members of Hazardous Devices Units, or bomb squads, are dedicated, highly trained individuals, this police department’s HDU included,” Chief Drake said. “The after-action recommendations being implemented will make their work even better for our city and the Middle Tennessee region.”

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And now the farm report: Farmer Rod reaps big garlic harvest.

by Rod Williams - I got fresh garlic out of my garden a few days ago. Look how big they are and look behind me at the flowering garlic that stands about six feet tall. I had never used raw young garlic before. It is much milder than dried garlic, has almost none of the sting of onions, and is slightly sweet. It tastes more like young green onions than mature garlic.  At this stage, it has not formed cloves.  I added it to a fried rice receipt and I added it to a salad.  Other produce from my garden so far is leaf lettuce, green onions, Swiss chard, curly kale, cilantro, and basil. 

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Trump and the Trumpinistas are simply delusional, and dangerous.

by Rod Williams- I wonder how many Trump loyalists believe that in August of this year Trump will be reinstated as President? Anyone?  Show of hands? Have most Trump fans regained touch with reality or are they still off in fantasy land? 

Months before the election when I would mention that the election might be close or that Trump might even lose, I met assurances that I was wrong. Reports of his unpopularity were simply "fake news,'' polls could not be trusted, and after all look at the number of "Trump" yard signs and the size of his crowds at Trump rallies, I was told.

As the election drew closer, the assertions that there was no way Trump could lose grew louder. I didn't know if it was typical political wishful thinking, posturing, and keeping up a good front or if people really believed it. It is quite common in politics for people to express assurances that they are going to win, even when indications are they are going to lose  By doing so, the faithful will go vote, and maybe something will happen at the last minute to damage the opposition and your team really will win. And, if you lose it will not be an embarrassing loss.  So, I expect a little bravado bluster, but this seemed different. 

After Trump's loss on election night, I was told, "wait until the recounts" and "wait until the courts rule."  When that did not change the outcome, it was, "wait until the electoral college meets."  That did not produce a Trump victory either. 

Then it was, "wait until Jan. 6."  They were sure Congress would block accepting the electorial college results and sent it back to the states.  That didn't happen. 

True die-hard Trumpinistas don't give up, however. On Facebook, the day of the inauguration I had people telling me that Trump would instead be inaugurated. That what we were seeing was some ruse and theater and that something was happening behind the scenes. 

Now, the true believers and apparently Trump himself they believe that after “audits” of the 2020 elections in Arizona, Georgia, and a handful of other states have been completed that the results of the election will be reversed and Trump will be declared winner and take office. 

So, how many people believe this? If many people really do, that is dangerous. It is dangerous to our democracy when a large number of people are delusional and follow a delusional leader. 

A book I read a long time ago which is on my list of top twenty books every conservative should read is a book called "The True Believers," by Eric Hoffer. In this work, Hoffer examines how people can be caught up in a movement and suspend critical thinking. He talks about how at the end of world war two Japanese hold-outs would not accept and believe that Japan actually lost the war.  He writes about how western communist sympathizers refused to believe the stories of Bolshevic atrocities and the gulag of prison camps and totalitarian terror of the Soviet Union despite widespread reports by victims, defectors, and reliable observers. He says there is a certain commonality to mass movements whether politically of the left or the right and whether political or religious.  I need to read the book again. I think it explains the Trump phenomenon. 

In a recent article in National Review,  Charles C. Cooke writes of the Trump delusion and has this to say:

The scale of Trump’s delusion is quite startling. This is not merely an eccentric interpretation of the facts or an interesting foible, nor is it an irrelevant example of anguished post-presidency chatter. It is a rejection of reality, a rejection of law, and, ultimately, a rejection of the entire system of American government. There is no Reinstatement Clause within the United States Constitution. Hell, there is nothing even approximating a Reinstatement Clause within the United States Constitution. The election has been certified, Joe Biden is the president, and, until 2024, that is all there is to it. 

That sums it up.  He is right.  

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