In Tennessee, go to (link...) to look up your voting location.

-- OneTahiti

There is a new website, CrowdPac.com ((link...)). It lets you enter your interests and issues and lists political candidates to match, with lots of extra information. Definitely recommended.

-- OneTahiti

Please join us at the East Tennessee Labor Day Picnic.

Theme: Don’t Let Millionaires Buy Elections. Drop Everything and Vote!

When: Monday Sept. 1, Noon – 3 PM
(Mary Headrick will be there starting at 11 AM in case folks want to chat.)

Where: Roane County Park, Shelter 2, 3515 Hwy 70, Harriman, TN

Come enjoy the food, music (Joey Price Project, JOLT), door prizes, and fun!

Tickets $10 each, Children under 12 free. Tickets may be purchased in advance (call 865-466-0418) or at the check-in table.

Keynote Speaker: Mary Headrick, Democratic Candidate 3rd District Congress
Speaker: Terry Adams

Sponsored by Roane County Democratic Party.

See the flyer: (link...).

-- OneTahiti

Politico (via Daily Kos) has an excellent article about our economy and what to do about it: (link...).

-- OneTahiti

Nicholas Kristof writes in the NY Times on "five public welfare programs that are wasteful and turning us into a nation of 'takers.'" Definitely recommended: (link...).

-- OneTahiti

Corruption by Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited is one of my favorites. -- OneTahiti

"Tennessee ranks last in the nation for spending on schools, and only about half of that money makes it into actual classrooms. Those are the findings of two studies, issued by two very different organizations." See: (link...) (Nashville Public Radio) and (link...) (Tom Humphrey).

Roane County ranks 51st among counties in Tennessee: (link...).

We can change this, if we have the will.

-- OneTahiti

Turner Surface Mine, Catoosa and Mineral Extraction on Public Lands

WHEN
Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 5:00p.m. CDT 6:00 p.m. EDT

WHERE
O‘Brien Room 101
Roane State Community College
276 Patton Lane in Harriman, Tennessee

WHAT
The Office of Surface Mining (OSM) will hold and informal conference with a public comment session on the Turner surface mine. During this time there will be an opportunity to comments on the record about the issue of potential mining at Catoosa and the renewal of the Turner permit.

WHY?
Catoosa Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is about 82,000 acres of protected public land in northern Cumberland County. The Obed Wild & Scenic River, an Outstanding National Resource Water that provides critical habitat to two endangered species, flows through the Catoosa. Catoosa is set aside for recreation including hunting, fishing, kayaking and hiking, although the primary use is hunting. In April 2013 an investigative report by News Channel 5 in Nashville reveled that the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) was in talks with Hillsborough Resources Ltd., the parent corporation of Crossville Coal, to lease mineral rights under the Catoosa to allow for underground mining in land that has been set aside for recreation and conservation.
Currently one of the permits that Crossville Coal needs to operate is up for renewal and the public has an opportunity to comment on the renewal and address concerns about how the mine may impact the surrounding area. The Turner Surface Mine has a history of acid mine drainage (AMD), the remediation of which must be addressed in any permit renewal. Additionally, this location would also be used for the proposed underground mine below Catoosa, adding to the significance of this public comment opportunity.

Contact:
Tennessee Clean Water Network Stephanie Matheny, 865 244-5121stephanie@tcwn.org
SOCM, Parker Laubach, 865 249-7488, parker@socm.org
TN Chapter Sierra Club, Scott Banbury, 901 619-8567, smbanbury@gmail.com

Yet another bittersweet Labor Day is upon us: sweet because many of us have lived to see another Labor Day, bitter because too many of us are unemployed, too many underemployed, too many underpaid, too many exploited, too many hungry.

It's a good day to enjoy some quotes from Eugene V. Debs, the labor hero. He was amazing: (link...).

We need more like him.

For further Labor Day enjoyment, here is a union song sung by Pete Seeger: (link...).

-- OneTahiti

National Geographic has the article: (link...)

-- OneTahiti

DelanceyPlace.com has a one-page excerpt from the new book Money: The Unauthorized Biography by Felix Martin. Highly recommended. See: (link...)

OneTahiti

This short, funny, and thought-provoking TED talk on Lesterland and reclaiming the Republic is worth watching: (link...)

-- OneTahiti

"GOPer Who Got Millions in Farm Subsidies Thinks the Poor Should Starve Rather Than Get Food Stamps." Read the story at: (link...)

-- OneTahiti

Kristin Rawls has a piece in Alternet that is well worth the read, especially for us in Tennessee: (link...)

-- OneTahiti

WATE has the story: (link...)

-- OneTahiti

This is sponsored by the AFL-CIO: (link...).

-- OneTahiti

Dicky was tricky even when not in office, before he became president. Read the story (from BBC via Slashdot) at: (link...).

-- OneTahiti

The Memphis blogger "vibinc" writes on our economy and the looming budget cuts: (link...).

-- OneTahiti

The following is from the National Organization for Women. Note that you can't sign in to WhiteHouse.gov using Firefox. IE works.

A petition for Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ratification is currently collecting signatures through the We the People petition process on the White House website.

The ERA petition has over 18,000 signatures. If the petition has 25,000 signatures by 11:59pm on February 9,

Truth-out.org reprints a thoughtful piece from Australian Options magazine: (link...).

-- OneTahiti

Michael Moore writes on "Celebrating the Prince of Peace in the Land of Guns."

-- OneTahiti

Well, Jack lost the race. But I hope he won't stay away from future races.

On a personal level I agree with Jack on some things and I disagree with him on some things. But he ran a totally clean race. He ran an informative race - we all knew pretty clearly what Jack stands for and what we could expect out of him. He's a stable person who is a real servant - and this can be seen in the way he's lived his life, not just in what he says. I beleve he DOES care about people the way he says he does, and that's because actions speak louder than words; he's been directly involved in things that SHOW he cares.

Worth a look: Mother Jones has a chart of "Almost Every Obama Conspiracy Theory Ever:" (link...)

-- OneTahiti

The comic XKCD.com has a very good detailed graphic today on Congress through time ((link...)). The text is too small to read, so once there be sure to click to zoom, or just start here: (link...).

-- OneTahiiti

See the excellent chart at Upworthy.com (via Knoxviews.com): (link...)

-- OneTahiti

I have rarely, if ever, initiated a post here that dealt purely with politics. But here goes.

This pisses me off. No other way to say it.
(link...)

Sorry of most of it is behind the RCN's paywall. But Beth Harwell is talking about legislation that will keep people from being able to vote their choices.

State Rep. Jim Cobb (R), District 31, has been arrested for assault stemming from an election day incident. The Chattanooga Times Free Press has the current story ((link...)) and the more detailed background ((link...)).

-- OneTahiti

David has an interesting lesson on public discourse. You can't write IN PUBLIC on PUBLIC FORA and expect people to not comment or not quote you. Of course, the one with the screwy expectations is pretty screwy himself. From KNS: (link...)

RB

Today we got a free copy of Roane County News in our mailbox, who knows why. We were delighted to find an excellent Kevin Siers cartoon inside. It was originally published in the Charlotte Observer: (link...)

-- OneTahiti

WATE has the story: (link...)

-- OneTahiti