Salvation Army apologizes for support of Critical Race Theory. They are back on my donation list.

by Rod Williams, Dec. 4, 2021 -  The Salvation Army has back-tracked on its support for Critical
Race Theory and has removed the offensive publication advocating CRT,  so I am going to forgive the transgression and go ahead and make a donation. 

I do most of my charitable giving this time of the year.  The Salvation Army is one of the organizations I support.  This year, I had decided to not give to the Salvation Army, and increase instead my contribution to the Nashville Rescue Mission. I have already made most of my charitable giving for the year and was going to wrap up this task today.

The Salvation Army has issued a sort-of apology. I wish the apology would have been stronger, but I am feeling charitable and am going to forgive. Anyone can make a mistake.  Below is the official statement copied from the Salvation Army website:

UPDATE:

Elements of the recently issued “Let’s Talk About Racism” guide led some to believe we think they should apologize for the color of their skin, or that The Salvation Army may have abandoned its Biblical beliefs for another philosophy or ideology. That was never our intention, so the guide has been removed for appropriate review.

The holidays are a welcome reminder of the things we are grateful for—and for the power of service on behalf of those who are less fortunate. The Salvation Army mission statement clearly outlines the nature of our service:  to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human needs in His name without discrimination. The beliefs that motivate our service are based solely on the Bible, and that will never change.

But although we remain committed to serving everyone in need—regardless of their beliefs, backgrounds, or lifestyle—some individuals and groups have recently attempted to mislabel our organization to serve their own agendas. They have claimed that we believe our donors should apologize for their skin color, that The Salvation Army believes America is an inherently racist society, and that we have abandoned our Christian faith for one ideology or another.

Those claims are simply false, and they distort the very goal of our work.

The truth is that The Salvation Army believes that racism is fundamentally incompatible with Christianity, and that we are called by God to work toward a world where all people are loved, accepted, and valued. Our positional statement on racism makes this clear. These beliefs and goals are critically important because we know that racism exists, and we are determined to do everything the Bible asks of us to overcome it.

The Salvation Army occasionally publishes internal study guides on various complex topics to help foster positive conversations and grace-filled reflection among Salvationists. By openly discussing these issues, we always hope to encourage the development of a more thoughtful organization that is better positioned to support those in need. But no one is being told how to think. Period.

In this case, the guide “Let’s Talk About Racism,” was issued as a voluntary resource, but it has since become a focus of controversy. We have done our best to provide accurate information, but unfortunately, some have chosen to ignore those efforts. At the same time, International Headquarters realized that certain aspects of the guide may need to be clarified.

Consequently, for both reasons, the International Social Justice Commission has now withdrawn the guide for appropriate review.

We at The Salvation Army remain undeterred in our mission because we are confident in the power of the gospel, and because millions of vulnerable Americans need our help. And we remain deeply grateful for the support of a generous public—people from all walks of life and from all parts of the country—who help us meet human need wherever it exists. Our supporters know that ours is a message of love, even for those who disagree or attack us. That is the model set by Christ, and we strive to follow it every day.

May God bless you, and Merry Christmas.

 If you want to know more about this controversy, read National Review's, Salvation Army Peddles Critical Race Theory, Urges Members to Confront Their Racism. In the article, there is a link to the Salvation Army study guide that touts CRT dogma. 

Apparently, Salvation Army contributions were off considerably since this controversy emerged.  Whether the Salvation Army genuinely thinks they were wrong to promote CRT or whether their back-tracking it is a strategic move to salvage their donor campaign, I don't know.  However, I am going to continue to contribute, at least this year.  If this reemerges or if there are other signs The Salvation Army has become a front group for progressivism, then I will mark them off my list.  There are plenty of other deserving organizations, not tainted by support for causes I abhor. 

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CATO: Tennessee 4th freest state in the U.S.

The Center Square – Tennessee ranked fourth in the country in the CATO Institute’s recent 2021 Freedom in the States rankings.

The rankings use 230 policy variables to rank states on how their policies promote freedom in fiscal, regulatory and personal realms. The CATO Institute is a public policy think tank based on libertarian ideals to promote limited government, free markets and peace.

Tennessee ranked second in the nation in fiscal policy freedom and also was second in economic freedom. Florida was No. 1 in fiscal policy freedom, while Nevada was first in economic freedom.

“Tennessee has long been one of the economically freest states, largely because of its outstanding fiscal policies, but it also used to be one of the personally freest states in the South,” the report said. “That edge disappeared as it became a more stereotypical red state. As a result, Tennessee fell from third in overall freedom in 2001 to seventh in 2012.”

Tennessee does not have a state income tax. Both its state and local taxes are below the national average. Overall state-level taxes fell from 5.1% of adjusted personal income in Financial Year 2007 to 4.1% in FY 2020. The national average is 5.7%.

Local taxes average 2.5% in Tennessee, below the national average.

CATO suggests that states “separate spending and tax committees in the legislature, a reform shown to correspond to lower spending over time. Sales taxes are high and could be cut.”

Tennessee ranked much lower, 39th, in personal freedoms that include victimless crimes, guns, tobacco, and education.

You can read Tennessee’s specific rankings here.

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“Seeking Common Ground in U.S. and China Trade” with Dr. Ming Wang

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm (CST)

Richland Country Club, 1 Club Dr, Nashville, TN 37215

AIER’s Bastiat Society program in Nashville will host an event with Dr. Ming Wang, world-renowned laser eye surgeon, philanthropist and co-founder of Common Ground Network.

Join us for an in-person event with the Bastiat Society of Nashville

In this presentation, Dr. Wang will discuss what the two superpowers of the 21st century, U.S. and China, have in common, in history, culture, sport, people, customs, food, economy, religion, and other areas. He will analyze the mutually beneficial trade opportunities, including for Tennessee. Dr. Wang firmly believes that while ideological differences do exist between the world’s #1 and #2 powers, it is in the seeking common ground that we do share, particularly in trade and economic exchange, that will help improve living standards and quality of lives of people of these two great nations. The film “Sight” is based on Dr. Wang’s autobiography as an immigrant “From Darkness to Sight”, co-starring Greg Kinnear.

This event is open to the public. Eventbrite ticket required.

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Metro Health Department apologizes for inflammatory anit-Kyle Rittenhouse letter.

 From Facebook, posted Dec. 1, 2021:

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So far this year, 1,084 guns have been stolen from vehicles in Nashville. Am I the only one that sees this as a problem?

Metro Press release, November 17, 2021 - The MNPD strongly encourages Nashvillians to lock their
automobile doors, secure any valuables---especially guns, and REMOVE THE KEYS.

So far this year, 1,084 guns have been stolen from vehicles in Nashville. More than 70% of ALL guns reported stolen in 2021 (1,508) were taken from vehicles. Last week, 32 guns were stolen from cars and trucks.

Going hand in hand with vehicle burglaries is vehicle theft. A review of last week’s stolen vehicle reports in Nashville shows that 74% of the automobiles taken (46 of 62) were easy targets because the keys were left inside or made available to thieves. One of the 62 vehicles stolen was left running without the driver present.

Just like guns taken from vehicles, these stolen autos are also routinely involved in criminal activities, including carjackings and robberies.

Rod's Comment-  Think about 1084 stolen guns. They probably ended up in the hands of thugs, maybe juvenile thugs. I see this as a problem. I think it is undeniable that more guns in circulation make us less safe.  Especially, more stolen guns.  I think it would be reasonable to have a law requiring gun owners to take reasonable precautions to secure their weapons from theft. Perhaps, guns left in an unoccupied car should have to be stored in a gun safe mounted to the vehicle frame. If that is too severe, then reasonable people should be able to come up with some law that puts some responsibility on the gun owner to make it less likely that their guns are stolen.  Support for the second amendment should not mean that this obvious problem cannot be addressed.

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Metro Nashville Health Department Sends Letter Addressing the ‘Injustice’ of Kyle Rittenhouse’s ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict: Report

by Rod Williams - The Metro Health Department sent the following message in an email to members
of the department. 

On November 19th, 2021 Kyle Rittenhouse, a young white man who shot and killed two people and wounded one other during last year’s demonstration following the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha Police Department officer, received a not guilty verdict.

We recognize that these injustices can cause distress and harm for the BIPOC communities and exacerbate trauma instilled daily through acts of racism and the pervasiveness of white supremacy and oppression.

We recognize these injustices can cause distress and harm to the BIPOC community.

We recognize these injustices can cause distress and harm for BIPOC communities and exacerbate trauma instilled daily through acts of racism and the pervasiveness of white supremacy and oppression.

We must move forward collectively to disrupt systemic racism and reaffirm our shared values of equity and inclusion publicly and through practice. MPHD is committed to providing a space for healing for anyone struggling to process, experiencing distress, and or needs additional resources to support their colleagues.

If you are feeling impacted by these events, please do not hesitate to reach out to the director, Dr. Gill Wright III; Deputy Director Dr. Melva Black; or the Bureau of Health Equity  Dr. Stephanie Kang. 

This is an outrage.  Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty. Justice was served.  The top management of the Health Department should be fired!

The above letter is excerpted from a report in The Tennesee Star, to read the full story follow this link. 

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1st Annual Conservative Collaborative Christmas Party

A classy and fun Christmas party with some of middle Tennessee’s best conservative groups!

About this event

Join several of Middle Tennessee’s best conservative groups for a collaborative Christmas Party! Featuring guest speaker Congressman Dr. Mark Green, Christmas music by DJ Josh Edwards, festive lighting by Tobi Maier, and a collaborative planning effort from these incredible conservative groups:

Davidson County Republican Party 

Americans For Prosperity 

Nashville Sentinels

917 Society

Nashville Republican Women 

Tennessee Republican Assembly 

Davidson County Patriots

Biblically Conservative 

Latinos for Tennessee

Tennessee American Chinese Chamber of Commerce 

Tennessee Immigrant and Minority Business Group 

Tickets include 2 drinks & light appetizers. Tickets are limited and will sell out fast! The event will kick off at 5:30pm with drinks and food. The formal program will begin promptly at 6pm. The remainder of the evening will be a long anticipated and highly coveted opportunity to meet, mingle, and network with all the members of these diverse conservative communities!

For tickets, follow this link.

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Most crime in America is Black-on-Black crime

 

The source of the above is the Federal Bureau of Investigation Crime Data Explorer.

If you assume, that America's crime problem is a problem of the dysfunctionality of the African-American community, that would be a valid assumption.  Most crime in America is Black-on-Black crime.  African Americans make up 13.4% of the population. 

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6 family members shot, 2 fatally, in shooting at apartment in West Nashville. But were they Black?

by Rod Williams-  This story of a murder in West Nashville is all over the news.  I have read it from several sources.  We know the names of the parties involved, we know their ages, we know the gender, we know where it occurred,  and we know the motive was most likely robbery. We can see a picture of the apartment where the shooting occurred. We know one of the dead is one of the intruders who was a convicted robber. What we do not know is the race or ethnicity of the parties involved.  

They do not have Spanish surnames. First names are "Christian Akail," "Zacquez," and "Tavarius."  That sounds sort of Black. 

Maybe it would even help solve the crime if people knew the race of the people involved. Am I the only one who would like to know that fact?  

I assume race or ethnicity is not reported, because of political correctness.  We do not want to stigmatize minorities.  We do not seem to mind stigmatizing men.  Why is gender freely reported but not race or ethnicity? If the motive for not reporting race is to cause people to not think of minorities as more criminally inclined than the majority, it is not working.  When I see a story like this, my default assumption is that it is an incident of Black on Black crime.  I wonder how many other people make the same assumption. Lack of knowing the race of the parties involved may cause people to assume more crime is committed by Blacks than there is in reality. 

To read more about this tragic shooting, see link, link, link. 

Below is the Metro press release.

Investigation Continuing into Friday Night's Fatal Gunfire Inside Torbett Street Home

November 27, 2021, - Homicide Unit detectives are continuing in their efforts to establish the motive behind Friday’s 9:45 p.m. gunfire inside 2815-B Torbett Street that left six members of the same family shot, two of them fatally. A 29-year-old man believed to be one of the two suspects who entered the home was also shot to death.

The two brothers killed are identified as Zacquez Sherrell, 18, and Tavarius Sherrell, 15. Wounded were their 40-year-old mother, two of their sisters, ages 16 & 20, and their 13-year-old brother. They are all expected to recover.

The 29-year-old deceased suspect is identified as Christian Akail Johnson of Nashville, a convicted robber. According to the victims, Johnson and another individual entered the residence armed. Robbery is among the motives being considered for the gunfire. Three guns were recovered from inside the residence. It appears the suspects gained entry after knocking on the front door. The series of events following their entry remains under investigation.

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