No. 289: If It's Not Racist, It Should Be
⁂ Nashville's Alt-Daily ⁂ Free Gas · Local Goofballs · Debate · Hypehnated Americans · Much More!
Good morning, everyone.
For reasons that escape this writer, Tucker Carlson recently agreed to be interviewed by former Buzzfeed Editor-in-Chief, Ben Smith. The interview, if you can call it that, starts off with Smith immediately asking Carlson if he thinks white people are superior to all other races-- to which Carlson quickly quips, "This is why you’re considered a propagandist and not a journalist." Throughout the interview, Smith seems immune to and even encouraged by the rejoinders Carlson repeatedly offers up to his little gotcha questions.
It seems insane and out of touch to call one of the most popular cable news personalities a "white nationalist" for merely advocating for his position, but Smith is not alone here. NPR put up a big think recently with the headline, 'Has Tucker Carlson created the most racist show in the history of cable news?'
We see this kind of thing locally, too. State Representative Bob Freeman—whose father owns and operates the Nashville Post and Nashville Scene—recently commented on the recent fracas over bringing the RNC to town to the Tennessee Lookout. "I think we need to be more open and accepting," he said. "Maybe [hosting the RNC] turns the tide– maybe people see it and go ‘I think I’m a Republican but I’m not a white nationalist.'"
Consider the implication here. Is Freeman really stupid enough to suggest that all Republicans are "white nationalists," or is he just being provocative? These days it can be hard to tell, and in Freeman's case, even more so considering the dullness and laziness that characterizes his politics.
NPR—which one has little reason to respect, much less acknowledge at this point— benefits from some distance from its targets, launching vague tirades into the ether to stoke up listeners. The same can be said of the attacks used against Carlson, and even of Carlson's own rhetoric. But Freeman, a local representative pointing the finger directly at his Republican colleagues and citizens in town, has adopted the tactics of national media to affect Tennessee politics. Which is a great way to make conversations surrounding local issues as stupid as those surrounding national issues.
"You bad, me good," he beats his chest and cries as he ducks behind his desk for cover while the bad guys launch clumps of dirt at him. "Words will never destroy me, and neither will your clumps of dirt!"
There's no conversation to be had with a man who operates from this position.
Maybe ol' Bob just needs us to talk slowly and simply so he can keep up. Anything beyond an "it's racist" or "it's transphobic" register seems to fly over his head. Should we start handing out picture-book translations of legislation flying through the legislature too?
Onward.
Today, we take a look at tonight's TN-5 debate hosted by The Epoch Times, consider Teddy Roosevelt's comments on hyphenated Americans from 100 years ago, and show you how you might be able to get free gas.
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Thanks for reading.
NEW PODCAST EPISODE
❍ TONIGHT AT THE FORUM
Tonight, The Epoch Times is presenting a debate in downtown Nashville for the 5th district Republican U.S. Congressional candidates.
LONGEST BALLOT IN METRO HISTORY
The August 4th ballot is exorbitantly long for Davidson County. In fact, it's the longest in Metro history. Luckily, we've got you covered with an election guide coming out tomorrow. The ballot will include the four charter amendments proposed by Metro City Council, along with the nine Republican candidates running for the newly vacated 5th district U.S. Congressional seat. What’s more, the seat seems likely to flip from Democrat to Republican for the first time since 1875.
VOTER EDUCATION
How do you get to know the candidates when there are nine on the ballot, one running as a write-in, and no incumbent? It can be difficult for new candidates with little money or name recognition to make their mark. That's why the debate presented by The Epoch Times and hosted by the Nashville Republican Women (NRW) and the Middle Tennessee Young Republicans (YR) is a refreshing step in the right direction.
A NEW KIND OF DEBATE
Debates are usually held in a way where candidates compete for soundbites and moderators bleed their bias. Working together with local Republican clubs, The Epoch Times set out to tackle that issue and bring a new format to the table, one that cuts away bias and cuts through campaign platitudes.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Since the debate is late in the election season (we are 3 days out from early voting) tonight's format is limited to the top-performing Republican candidates making their rounds in the fifth district. Rather than the usual journalist moderator, the candidates will instead be questioned by a panel of six experts. Since this is an exclusively Republican debate, the expert panel is made up of nationally trusted, conservative experts in their respective policy areas. The new format will both allow for deeper follow-up questions and highlight the knowledge and leadership styles of each candidate. Not only does this helps constituents get better insight into the competence of each candidate, it also levels the playing field.
JULY 12 DEBATE INFO
The event, held at the Landmark Auditorium downtown, was planned with accessibility to all 5th district constituents in mind. An abundance of free general admission tickets are available. The Epoch Times will also live-stream the debate on Epoch TV for those unable to attend the event in person.
The topics covered tonight will include economics, foreign policy, immigration, election integrity, border control, public health, medical freedom, and education.
Tickets are still available, and walk-ins for free general admission are welcome until the seats are filled.
- When Tuesday, July 12, 2022
- Time Doors open at 6 p.m., the program starts at 7:15 p.m.
- Where Landmark Auditorium, 100 7th Ave N #4, Nashville, TN 37203
- General Admission FREE
- Preferred Seating $50
- VIP (includes post-debate reception hosted by the NRW): $100
Guaranteed parking is just down the street in the library parking lot fot $10. (Get Tickets)
The event will be live-streamed starting at 7:30 PM CST (Livestream)
HEADLINES
- 📊 Tennessee’s New Education Funding Formula: What’s in Law and What’s Left to Decide? (Sycamore Institute) The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) is now law and officially replaces the Basic Education Program (BEP) beginning with the 2023-2024 school year.
- The Center Square again files First Amendment motion to open Tennessee judicial decision-making meetings (Center Square) The new motion, filed by the Liberty Justice Center on behalf of The Center Square Executive Editor Dan McCaleb, was filed after McCaleb learned that the advisory commission would be meeting to recommend rules of practice and procedure in state courts. The commission is appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
- Why Williamson County parents are suing school district, state education commissioner (Tennessean) Parent Choice Tennessee, a local parent advocacy group, filed a lawsuit on July 8 claiming Williamson County Schools' adoption, implementation and enforcement of the Wit & Wisdom curriculum violates Tennessee law.
POLITICS
- Obscure Metro board wants a key role in Nashville's expansion (Tennessean) The Industrial Development Board is one of 80 Metro Nashville authorities, boards, commissions, committees, and councils staffed by unpaid volunteers who advise elected officials and county staff on just about every neighborhood issue under the sun. Its nine members are appointed by Metro Council to six-year terms.
- Jim Gingrich Splashes Into Mayoral Arena With Titans Takedown (Scene) The former COO of AllianceBernstein made a splash this week with a lengthy analysis of John Cooper’s handling of the Titans stadium deal.
- Tennessee Education Association Encourages Crossover Raiding By Democrat Voters Supporting Incumbent Senator Briggs (TCN) The mailer, sent out to Democratic voters in Briggs’ district, states: “State law says you can vote in the GOP Primary. Low turnout means your vote has a Huge Impact. To win the big fights we need to win this election! Stand up for our schools and ourselves: Vote!”
DEVELOPMENT
- 4,217+ Units of Trail-Oriented Development Connecting Downtown Nashville (Now Next)
- Nolensville declines to steer property owner toward future commercial development (Homepage)
- Residential project eyed for site near river (Post)
- Building home to 1930-founded retail business listed for sale (Post)
- Global real estate giant buys West Nashville property (Post)
- Melrose emissions testing center site sells for $2.95M (Post)
- MDHA to vote on mixed-use building targeted for Dickerson-area site (Post)
- Mixed-use project eyed for North Davidson County (Post)
✦ WHO'S AMERICAN, REALLY?
On Columbus Day 1915, Former President Teddy Roosevelt had it out for so-called "hyphenated Americans":
There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all.... The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the American Republic... There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.
Naturalization is the process by which schools and various cultural institutions inculcate an American identity in recent immigrants. In today's terminology, this would be lambasted as "colonialism" or "white supremacy"—the point of contention being that naturalization of this variety expresses a belief that the American way of life is the superior way of life. I don't need to address that directly because we are in the United States of America and none of us are here against our will.
America used to offer immigrants a place for a fresh start, shorn of the rigid social structures of the Old World (Europe), enterprising citizens found in America a place where they could make a robust, free life for themselves. This was the American Dream. The Land of Opportunity.
Roosevelt's observations still apply. We don't have hyphenated Americans anymore—that nomenclature swapped out for the more fuzzy and imprecise groupings of Black, Brown, White, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, etc.—but the elevation of identity is much the same. The next epoch of American greatness will have to witness the emergence of an American identity that can subsume these fractious racial divisions.
𝓧 INTERESTING IDEAS: FREE GAS
A bill floating through the North Carolina legislature (H.B. 1049) would ban free electric vehicle chargers unless accompanied by a free gas and diesel pump in the same space. Failure to do so would result in the charger being removed. Additionally, the bill would require business owners to disclose how much power was used by charging stations that they installed and bill the customer for that power usage.
Source: A North Carolina Bill Would Ban Free Public EV Chargers Unless They Offer Free Gas Too
The Drive, 10 July 2022, Read Online
ⱺ GRAPH OF THE DAY: WHEN WE GET MARRIED
⚔ MISSIVES ⚔
- 🪙 Taxpayers paid $4 for every $1 in wages and benefits received by workers in jobs saved by the federal government’s pandemic Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), according to a new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
- 📈 Climbing housing costs are set to keep inflation elevated this year, creating another challenge for Federal Reserve officials who want to see signs that price pressures are easing before slowing their interest-rate increases.
- 🤡 Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has embarked on an international lobbying blitz for a proposal she says will stave off a global recession, working to address technical and diplomatic challenges to her plan to cap the price of Russian oil.
- 🏛 Three GOP representatives joined forces with the Patriot Freedom Project and family members of Jan. 6 prisoners to call out the injustice and denial of due process rights for those incarcerated. According to Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), the “violations of American rights” is “mind-blowing.”
- 🇺🇦 The Biden administration said Friday that it will send another $400 million in military equipment to Ukraine, including four more advanced rocket systems. The weapons, said a senior defense official, will bolster Ukrainian efforts to strike deeper behind Russian frontlines in the eastern Donbas region.
- 💥 President Joe Biden delivered remarks Monday about the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, casting the recently passed bill as a mere starting point on the way to advancing Democrats’ broader gun-control agenda.
- 🚑 The US government will once again extend the Covid-19 public health emergency, continuing measures that have given millions of Americans special access to health insurance and telehealth services.
- 🏔 The Aspen Institute is holding an invitation-only event, the “Aspen ESG Summit,” at a time when rising energy prices, novel climate mandates, and growing global instability have made environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) a subject of controversy.
- 💸 The euro hovered close to a 20-year low near parity to the dollar on Tuesday amid concerns that an energy crisis could tip Europe into recession, while the U.S. Federal Reserve continues to aggressively tighten policy to curb inflation.
- 🇮🇷 The Iranian government is preparing to send “several hundred” drones, including some equipped with weapons, to Russia at some point in July, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday.
THINGS TO DO
You can view our full calendar here.
🍺 The Pamphleteer hosts Bar Hours on the third Thursday of every month (July 21st) at Lucky's 3 Star Bar from 6-8 PM. The first ten guests get drinks on the company tab.
🎪 Check out our favorite driving distance festivals this summer.
👨🏻🌾 The Pamphleteer farmer's market guide.
⚔️ Knights in Armor at the Frist starting July 1st: European arms and armor from the renowned collection of the Museo Stibbert in Florence, Italy.
🎼 Listen to the Pamphleteer's Picks, our playlist of bands playing in Nashville each week.
🍔 Burger week in Nashville. $7 burgers at participating restaurants all week. Vote for your favorite at the end of the week.
TONIGHT
🎅🏽 Christmas in July @ Dino's Bar & Grill, 5p, Free, Info
🏛 5th Congressional District Republican Debate @ Landmark Auditorium 6p, $55, Info
+ Presented by The Epoch Times
🎸 Honky Tonk Tuesday @ American Legion Post 82, 5p, Free, Info
+ Two step lessons @ 7p, The Cowpokes @ 8p
🎺 Todd Day Wait @ The Underdog, 11:30p, Free, Info
+ Honky Tonk Tuesday afterparty, down the street
ON THE RADAR
🏜 Hiatus Kaiyote @ Marathon Music Works, (8/14), $35+, Info
🐂 Professional Bull Riding @ Bridgestone, (8/19-21), $20+ Info
🐖 Roger Waters @ Bridgestone, (8/27), $39, Info
🎹 Stereolab @ Marathon Music Works, (9/6), $35, Info
🎸 My Morning Jacket @ Ascend Amphitheater, (9/23), $22.88, Info
⚔️ HELMET @ Marathon Music Works, (9/24), $35, Info
🎻 Gustav Holst's The Planets @ Schermerhorn (9/29-10/2), Info
🎸 Smashing Pumpkins @ Bridgestone Arena, (10/10), $133+, Info
🎸 The Doobie Brothers @ Bridgestone Arena, (10/12), $43+, Info
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Words of Wisdom
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