Sky King

Well needless to say, it was a "Gun Free Zone". 

This may sound old, too simple or general but every time something like this happens, my first thought about "why" goes way back to when I really believe we lost our moral compass.  We quit teaching our children responsibility and accountability.  We took morals out of our schools and instead of supporting our teachers ability to maintain civility and control in their classrooms, we started sueing them for looking at our kids sideways.   If I got spanked at school, I got spanked again when I got home.  No questions asked.      Our system of values went to "there is no absolute right and wrong".  We look for someone to blame for our woes.  It is no longer OUR OWN fault.   When I was young in the late 50's and 60's, my father had firearms in the house.  I was a small, skinny, nerdy kid who was bullied.  But I NEVER, EVER gave any thought of taking one of my fathers guns to school to "settle the score".   I know I am preaching to the choir here, but folks is isn't the guns.  My dad's guns were never locked up but I knew they were not toys and were not to be played with or touched. 

The House has already refused to pass the bill with the Yarbro amendment on it so now it is either up to the Senate to remove the amendment or have a Conferance Committee established to resolve the differance.  I am not going to speculate about what will happen.  The General Assembly is rushing to wrap up the session.  Anything that delays the progress of the bill is not good and likely what Haslam would like to see.  Like many of the gun bills during his administration, he has tried to see that the bills never make it to his desk so he can "keep his hands clean". 

I would not disagree

The amendment was by Yarbro.  It in itself is not bad.  I think we should be able to carry on the Capital grounds but it could be, as I mentioned before, a poison pill.  Haslam would use it as an excuse to veto the bill.

If it was Yarbro who added the amendment, it likely was intended to be a "poison pill"  He is a Democrat.  Not that the Repbulicans have done us many favors lately.

What I think is just as good, all these years and STILL no drunken shootouts, nobody shot because somebody looked and somebody's date or spilled my drink.  So now they are dusting off their tin foil hats for the "predictions" about what will happen in the parks. 

The  vote yesterday was in the SUB committee.  It now has to go to the FULL committee.  THEN it would normally go to the Calendar And Rules Committee whose job it is to schedule it for the floor.  HOWEVER, in a response I got from the sponsor, Reb Goins, yesterday following the sub-committee vote, he said it has four more committees to go through.  He did  not say what they were and I can not think of what they may be.  The FULL committee and the Calendar and Rules Committee are only TWO more committee meetings, so I don't know what the other two may be.   In any case, I agree with the post about Haslam.  He has come out publically that he opposes this bill.  A veto from him would not surprise me but as one has said, he may just let it become law without his signature so as not to pi$$ off the pro gun folks.    It think it is "amazing" (sic) how he cancelled his MAIG membership prior to his run for governor.  If Haslam is pro gun then I am Mother Teresa.

It did pass the sub committee.  No mention of an amendment to prohibit carry in parks with childrens playgrounds.  Needless to say the expected rebuttal were about "safety of children" and the question about why we want to tell local communities they can not decide what they want for their parks.

Well it is obvious to me at least that Mr. James Kaleda was on point and correct.  The problem with most anti-gun legislators is that when faced with facts, they have no rebuttal and in this case chose to just kick him out of the hearing.  What I can not determine, and it may be just me, is whether the people in the room are applauding Mr. Kaleda or the police.  It was pretty obvious that when the chairman was calling Mr. Kaleda out of order that the booing was in response to the chair so one could presume that the applause was for Mr. Kaleda.

Well if we all just adopted operating on the world standard, "Z", or Cordinated Universal Time, there would be no time shift. If you worked for a company that is global, like an airline like I do, you are already acustomed to that format. With "Z" time, there are no time zones or time shifts. For example, as I type this, it is 09:38 local time OR it is 15:38 (3:38 PM) Z time. When an airplane crosses the ocean or continents, it takes a given or fixed AMOUNT of time to make that flight. SO if it takes 6 hours to make the flight and it takes off at 12:00 Noon Z time, it will arrive at 18:00 (6:00 PM) Z. By looking at LOCAL times a flight that crosses multiple time zones STILL takes 6 hours to make the flight BUT the time shown on the clock on the wall will not reflect the 6 hours of travel time. If you are going east, the time on the clock will be as though it took LONGER than 6 hours and the reverse is true if going west.   By-the-way, in case anybody is interested and does not already know, you can get Coordinated Universal Time by calling 606-499-7111 or going the the "Official US Time" web site at http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Central/d/-6/java.

The Senate version of the bill has passed.  HOWEVER, while the House bill as introduced by Representative Tilman Goins, HB 1407 is the same as the Senate version, House Speaker Harwell, wants a provision to exempt any park that has a childrens playground.    The bill, HB 1407 is scheduled to be heard in the House Civil Justice Sub-Committee on Wednesday, March 5th.  Any and all attempts to amend the bill to include an exemption for parks with a playground MUST BE STOPPED.  Such an exemption will create a back door path to allow cities and counties to continue to have their parks closed to permit holders.  All they have to do is spend a couple of hundred dollars at Home Depot for a swing set and instantly, their park has a playground and is AGAIN closed.    Also a MAJOR step backwards, such an exemption could close to permit holders, all state parks which were open.  How many state parks do any of you know that DOES NOT have a playground area?  WELL HELLO, by having such a provision in the bill, previously open state parks will now be closed because they have a playground.   PLEASE contact the members of the House Civil Justice Sub-Committee and urge passage of HB 1407 AS INTRODUCED with NO exclusions for parks with playground areas.  IF the bill proceeds with such an amendment then it MUST be killed.   The following is the email I sent to Representative Goins:   Representative Goins   First I would like to say I am in support of your bill, HB1407 to remove the local opt-out provision in the parks carry law. As you likely know, the companion bill in the Senate by Stacy Campfield has passed. I noted that your bill is set to be heard this Wednesday, March 5th in the Civil Justice Sub-Committee.   Media coverage has indicated that Speaker Harwell would like to see a provision in the bill to exempt parks that have childrens play areas. Any attempt to amend your bill to include any such provision MUST BE STOPPED. Such a provision could be used by any municipality as a back door means to make their parks off limits to permit holders. The simple purchase of a play set at the Home Depot and suddenly your park has a childrens play ground. Also, the law as it now stands did NOT provide for any "opt-out" for any state or federal parks. However I know of no state parks that do NOT have a playground area. Thus IF this bill is amended to include such a provision, all parks with a play ground area will now be prohibited.   Such an amendment would be a MAJOR step backwards and I believe could be the "poision pill" for this legislation. IF such an amendment were to be made to this bill, I would have to urge it's defeat.   Thank you for introducing this important legislation. Please do all you can to keep it intact.

For any of you who had the pleasure to attend a Tea Party sponsored event in Jackson Tennessee last night, Thursday, February 27th,  you will agree that it was an event that was TOTALLY worth the money and drive.  If you missed it, you really missed hearing some truely inspired presentations.    John Harris and Sheriff Mack were dead on target in their addresses.  If any of you have not had the opportunity to hear either of them speak, (I have heard Sheriff Mack twice and along with knowing John Harris personally have heard him speak publically twice) I can only suggest you do so at your next opportunity.    I would like to thank the 7th and 8th Districts of the Tennessee Tea Party and Richard Archie, moderator for bringing these two Constitutionally strong speakers together.

I read in the Memphis paper today that the Tennessee  Senate did pass the parks carry bill.  BUT the article made referances to what Beth Harwell indicated could be included in the House version.  It appears that the House version could include a provision to exclude any park that was used as a childrens playground.    The problem with that is two fold.  First, how is a person, especially a visitor to a given area supposed to know if a park has or is being used as a childrens playground.  I know of one park in Memphis that you can not see into the park from the entrance.  The entrance to Kennedy Park off Raleigh LaGrange Road has a hill and a curve which blocks any view of the park from the road.    Next, the law passed did not provide for any "opt out" for any STATE parks.  BUT if this provision is included, it could, depending on how it is written, immediately make any state park  with a playground in it, off limits.  Meeman Shelby Forest in Shelby County is huge and has several playgrounds in it.   We all need to be contacting our House representatives to oppose any such provision.

  Well such behavior is not uncommon when it comes to the General Assembly and personal ambition.  Remember Mike Faulk?  He was the prime sponsor of Safe Commute in the Senate two years ago,  Got it out of all the committees only to kill it in the very committee HE CHAIRED.  Now in hind sight we all know why.  In bowing to Ramsey and Haslam, he was rewarded with a judgeship upon leaving the General Assembly.    I guess the rewards are good for a person willing to totally submarine his own bill.