Stuffing your social calendar

Good afternoon, everyone.

I wanted to take a minute today to talk about three big events we have coming up later this month. These were scheduled deliberately during the Bitcoin Conference to offer attendees something non-Bitcoin related, and additionally, for our loyal readers here in Nashville.

During the evening on Wednesday, July 24th, we’ll be hosting Erik Prince, former NAVY Seal and founder of Blackwater. We’re holding the event in collaboration with IM–1776, a conservative culture and politics magazine. If you’re unfamiliar with Prince and his work, IM published this excellent interview with him at the end of last year. The discussion will cover everything from American foreign policy to the unique challenges that face us within the country. Prince’s perspective is compelling because he speaks plainly about issues we often see softened by the media. The event is only available to subscribers of The Pamphleteer or IM–1776. So if you are interested in attending, subscribe and RSVP on the event page.

The next afternoon on Thursday, July 25th at noon, we’ll be hosting Ryan Lucas Henderson for a reading of his new collection of short stories, West from the Fallen Wall. Henderson served as a photojournalist in the army and has spent the past decade chronicling his observations of American military life in peacetime Europe.

Contra what you would expect from military writing, Henderson details the tensions inherent in America’s occupation of the European mainland long after the end of World War II during the age of NATO, and how those tensions manifest in relations between troops of different armies. I had the fortune of hearing him read from the book in Austin this past weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. We’ll be hosting it at the legendary Elder’s Bookstore. RSVP on the event page.

And finally, on the evening of Friday, July 26th, editor at Steve Bannon’s War Room and author of the book Dark Aeon will talk about transhumanism and the threat it poses. I’ve heard Joe speak several times, and every time I walk away with more questions than I went in with. The last talk of his I attended surveyed the ideologies and personalities of leading men in tech, and revealed  lots about their goals. The title of th

is talk is ‘The Revolt Against the Anti-Human: Ai & The Omega Point.’ We’ll be hosting Joe at the City Club. You can RSVP on the event page.

In other news, everyone wrote about the Nashville Airport's new BNA PASSport, which allows up to 75 non-ticketed guests to wander around the terminal or accompany friends and family to the gate. I don't know why you would ever go to an airport by choice, but here's your chance if you’re so inclined.

Onward.

⚖️ New Laws on the Books Great news, Tennessee! It is no longer legal to marry your first cousin. (“How it took this long to prohibit that I’ll never know,” quipped House Leader Lamberth. “Yeesh.”) This was one of many overdue laws that went into effect on July 1st.

Jillian’s Law, introduced by Lamberth and named for Jillian Ludwig, a Belmont student who was tragically killed by Shaquille Taylor this November, allows a person deemed too incompetent to stand trial to be involuntarily committed to a mental institution. We’ve written extensively about the loophole Ludwig’s death exposed within the judicial system, and we’re happy to see it closed. 

Also enacted yesterday was a law allowing fifteen-year-olds to be tried as adults if they’re accused of retail theft, firearm theft, or attempting to do either of those crimes. With the uptick in retail crime at the Tanger Outlets, paired with the constant media and MNPD reminders to lock up your guns, this law may play a significant role in addressing juvenile recidivism in Nashville.  

Lastly, not only has Tennessee authorized the death penalty as a punishment for child rape, the legislature extended the statute of limitations for victims of child sexual abuse and trafficking. Now, victims can file a civil lawsuit up to fifteen years after turning 18. 

These are just a few of the new laws implemented yesterday, and a complete list of all the enacted laws can be found here. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

🗳️ What Else Will Be On The Ballot? We all know we’re likely to vote on a transit referendum in November, but what else does the Metro Council have in store for us this fall?  Over the last few months, Metro Charter Revision Committee members have been wrestling over a few ideas that  have the potential to change the make-up of both the Metro Council and the Nashville Fire Department. Tonight, the council will vote on a resolution that may put the following Charter Amendments on the ballot.

Charter Amendment One would designate the metropolitan treasurer to perform the duties of the director of finance in his or her absence, or if the position becomes vacant.

Charter Amendment Two would allow non-US citizens to work for the Nashville Fire Department by completely removing the term “United States citizen” from the recruitment requirements. 

Charter Amendment Three would lower the minimum age to run for Metro Council from 25 to 18. Though lowering the age was a widely accepted notion among committee members, 18 seemed a bit too young for some. "You've got, like, a God complex whenever you're younger,” said Councilmember Jeff Preptit. “You're not necessarily always fully able to grasp the long-term implications of certain decisions.” 

Additionally, Councilmember Kyonzté Toombs is proposing another Charter Amendment that would make it so no regular council meetings would be held in the month of September (presumably to curb confusion during council elections) and Councilmember Sheri Weiner put forward a revision to Charter Amendment One allowing “an eligible officer” to temporarily replace the finance director. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

DEVELOPMENT

• Halls Chophouse owner's second Nashville restaurant to open this year (NBJ)
• Take a peek inside Philippe Chow; Parisian bar opening in L&L Market (NBJ)
• Arizona firm pays record price for Lower Broadway parking lot (NBJ)
• Reinvented Beer Sellar set for August opening (Post)
• Commercial building in The Nations sells for $2.58M (Post)
• Global Mall redevelopment to see movement this month (Post)

✹ THIS WEEK IN STREAMING (July 4th Edition)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Prime): We may have talked about this movie before in The Pamphleteer’s early days, but Frank Capra’s 1939 treatise on political machines and clear-eyed populism remains the best movie ever made about American politics and one of America’s greatest movies in general.

The Brink (Tubi): Between Biden’s harrowing debate performance and Trump’s SCOTUS-endorsed immunity, Steve Bannon went to jail. In an era of mind-boggling justice system abuses from the people who always warn us about the death of democracy, the podcast host and Trump 2016 architect’s incarceration for contempt of Congress is a Mao-level abuse of central authority that’s more about his potential role in 2024 than any tangible wrongdoing. When documentarian Alison Klayman followed Bannon around in 2018, the result was supposed to be an unveiling of America’s second-greatest supervillain geared to Blue Coast shakers and movers. Instead, Bannon took control of the narrative, coming across as both the smartest guy in any room and an unrelenting badass. An accidental new classic. 

Uncle Sam (AMC+ and Prime): When a Gulf War soldier’s body arrives in his hometown right before the Fourth of July, it rises from the dead to wreak havoc on hollow patriotism and those that perpetrate it. This 1997 collaboration between 70s schlock heroes Larry Cohen (It’s Alive) and William Lustig (Maniac Cop) went direct to video and cult status thanks to its supporting turns from Isaac Hayes and a post-Jackie Brown Robert Forster. However, it’s also an impressive interrogation of the disconnect between combat and the homeland. Sometimes the best way to show that freedom isn’t free is impalement by flag pole.

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.

TONIGHT

🪕 Oh Me Oh My @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
+ featuring David Long, Scott Simontacchi, Shad Cobb, Robert Trapp, and Mike Bub

🎻 Natalie Merchant with the Nashville Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $60+, Info

🎸 Whitten @ The Underdog, 7p, $10, Info
+ pedal steel forward instrumental music

🎺 Todd Day Wait @ The Underdog, 11:00p, Free, Info‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌
+ Honky Tonk Tuesday afterparty, down the street

🎸 Honky Tonk Tuesday @ American Legion Post 82, 8p, Free, Info‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌
+ two-step lessons @ 7p, The Cowpokes @ 8p