John Kerry sat the Repub convention out last time but I noticed McCain is not sitting ours out. I thought that was the tradition. I think W sat ours out last time too.

The below is from NORML News about how up to one ounce of pot is legal for adults in Denver.

I bet Burchett or Hutchinson is not what Knox Petition/Accountability had in mind in their longing for a more powerful mayor. Though that would be kind of funny. I bet they'll find one of their own to run as well.

I was hoping for a photo and maybe an interview with Randy Owen in Sat's Sentinel about the benefit he did on Friday for the UU Church. WBIR ran a nice interview with him I didn't see. While the Sentinel has done good reporting on the tragedy, they slipped on this benefit. Running a piece saying the concert was $10 instead of $5, then running a correction, then running the wrong info again the day of the show. That's typical if there is a wknd. night event other than a football game, no Sat. morning article or photo.
Anyway, WATE showed that people were lined up to see Randy hours ahead of time. I attended the late-night metal acts at the Valarium and had a good time. The new Valarium is a nice venue. I would like to know how much these shows brought in. I thought Owen and the other bands and all those who donated were so nice in doing so.

If John Edwards will share cash and hair products, I might consider having his children.

From NORML:

July 30, 2008

Hello NORML Supporters, [we need your help!]

NORML has teamed up with ‘Artists in Action’ to make a commonsense
political statement aimed at both Washington, DC policymakers and the
media. The purpose of this event is to utilize the creative arts’
transcendent powers and ability to communicate ongoing social conflicts to
the masses.

A chance to make history!
NORML Foundation has reserved Freedom Plaza in Washington D.C. on
Saturday, October 25th 2008. With your help, along with a group of
artists, we are hoping to produce a major art and media event called “A
Celebration of Freedom.” We plan to construct a sculpture titled,
“America’s Largest Joint” on the plaza along with a Marijuana-inspired
mural.

All of the mainstream and art-centric media will be invited and there will
be live Internet coverage. NORML Foundation will provide entertainment,
information about marijuana prohibition and convene a preview press party.
We are anticipating a lot of media attention, and a large audience both on
Freedom Plaza, and on the Internet. This will be followed by a private
exhibition and silent auction of related works of art in a nearby venue.

NORML is concerned that the important policy issue of Congress adopting
alternatives to marijuana prohibition may not receive enough media
attention in the run-up to this historic presidential election and
therefore are hoping to accomplish this before November 4th. The purpose
of this social justice activism production in downtown Washington, DC is
to focus attention on the issue of reforming marijuana laws.

In order to ensure a successful venture, we must get commitments from
potential sponsors and volunteers by the first week in August.

If you would like to be one of the exhibited artists on display or would
like more information on being a sponsor, please contact
sabrina@norml.org.

p.s. Puff-puff…Pass this on!

I've heard JJ Jones and others mention lately the need for a new downtown jail because currently when someone is arrested they are first taken out to the Maloneyville facility to be processed and then brought back downtown.

I know for a fact as recently as 1997 the processing and release took place downtown and if you had to stay an extended period of time you were moved to Maloneyville. And everything was as slow as possible, probably to create the illusion of overcrowding.

I wonder when the processing at Maloneyville started and why. Did they need more room at the downtown building or is it all just a ploy. It would make sense to do it all at a Central location, maybe the same place, maybe St. Mary's. Wherever it is though, people won't want it, just like shelters etc, people want the problem fixed, but not by their house. I mostly just wonder why they need to do this running back and forth to Maloneyville in the first place.

Go to the metropulse.com and check out the tastless Ear. At best its silly gossip but at a painful time to publically put out stuff like this is gross. (joking about Sunshine Violations at TVUUC)

I was involved a bit in the 2001 Knox Recall effort. Some on here were involved more. The media seems to have forgotten Ed Shouse was one of the councilmen they were tryng to get recalled. I forget what role Shouse played in the Ashe backroom deals. Someone should elaborate.

Alot has been said latley about the Central St. Hookers, and I'd like them out of there as much as anybody, or more like it, the creepy men who troll the area looking for hookers. But seeing as its the oldest profession, I wonder if its solvable. Maybe we should turn one of the rehabbed buildings in the area into a brothel. Or better yet, perhaps house the hookers with the Knoxville Fellows and the fellows could help rehabilitate them, or vice versa.

Ragsdale and his spokesman have been saying going to civil service for the county employees would cost 1 million dollars. I wonder how enforcing people are hired or fired with cause would cost that much, or anything extra at all? Also, if these new commissioners are sworn in early to prevent this or motions not so friendly to Ragsdale from taking place, it will be just as tacky as the folks being sworn in early back on 1-31-07.
One thing that turned me off on the charter change folks and their friends is sort of an underlying sentiment (shown alot in the KNS editorials) that if you are too harsh on Rags or question the petition drive too much you are obviously with Lumpy and Scoobie.

I noticed yesterday Versus, the new gaming place on Gay St. is packed up an gone. I wonder why, they seemed to be doing OK. This seems to be a bad time for start-ups anywhere in town. I noticed a few small businesses by Ftn. City Park have recently closed. But the other night the Old City was actually packed, for no special reason, maybe a sign our economy is not a total disaster.

I've heard a few people say they think should the charter petitions make it through that we will get to vote each one yes or no. The media has been saying, though not very loudly, that they will be voted on in two groups like the petitions.

If these will be voted on in groups the media needs to make it VERY CLEAR.

And, if that's the case, its an irrepsonsible way to make those kinds of changes and irresponsible for the paper to get involved in it as they have. A few have merits, but I don't think shrinking the commission does, and I'll vote no if they must be taken as groups.

It didn't take anytime since Obama got the nomination for the Repubs to start up with the "Mushroom Cloud" business again. You can tell they have their talking points, most pundits call him the "ultra liberal" or "most liberal senator," and the best is Thomas Sowell talking about Iran and the terrorists and how they'll "make 9-11 look like child's play" and neighborhoods will explode from "radioactive mushroom clouds." God help us if people fall for that again. I actually worry more what will happen with food and gas if we're not blown up in the next few years.

If you are around downtown or the mission district, watch out for a homeless man carrying a big pool-like stick. He was run off Market Square Sat. night after yelling racial slurs and threatening people with his stick. I nearly hit him on Broadway Sunday afternoon when he ran into traffic waving his stick. He has quite likely been picked up by now, but who knows for how long. He's probably the only homeless person I've ever found scary.

Colin Powell and Jenna Bush have both recently said on interviews that they didn't know who they were voting for for pres. Jenna may be a liberal, she was cooking with Rachel Ray recently and talked about her concern for the environment and that she doesn't eat red meat, weird for a Texan. Myabe she's just on a mission to soften daddy's image. I think Laura has had Botox. Anyway, a big wedding day shout out to Jenna and Henry.

I saw the Shopper so I know what next Monday's Sentinel will look like. While the size is OK for a weekly, I dread having that small of a daily, along with no longer getting a TV guide. I wonder if newspapers are really in such dire shape or if the shrinking is just about more profits at the top. I notice the 10lb magazine skirt! put out by Scripps seems to be doing well. I like skirt! but would rather have a big thick paper about real news.
If the situation for papers is dire it almost seems a self-fulfilling prophecy. Shrink the paper and turn the websistes into mini-cinemas and see which direction people go. Knoxville seems to have no shortage of varying weeklies and monthlies, that I assume do well. I just hope the day doesn't come that papers will eventually be microchips inserted into one's head that are re-activated every day. Websites are fine for headlines and comments but don't have the same fulfilling feeling as something hand-held, same goes for books.

Its a worst of the worst case scenario, but who thought we'd have W for a second term.....Would the people so interested in giving the mayor more power still be that interested in it if Tim Hutchinson or Tim Burchett became mayor? Do the people who keep on saying let the people vote, want the various anti-gay and anti-abortion ideas to go for a state vote? If you live in a district that has two commissioners people like, how do you decide who has to quit if the commission is cut in half?
I agree with a good nepotism policy but am unsure about the rest of the issues and think people shoulg give term limits a chance to make things work better. I'm fine with the Sentinel promoting the petition drive but I'm tired of their snarky editorials telling the people to accept them all.

I got my stimulus package in the first round in perfect timing to pay some bills. For the first time in my adult life, or maybe in 8 years, I'm proud of my government, at least until I saw W blame congress for everything today and put in silly plugs for McCain. But, I'm glad for the cash.

"We want this to be quiet. This is a funeral procession." On the upcoming joint effort of many funeral home workers and Knoxville Right to Life for a funeral procession through downtown, as reported in Sat's Sentinel. I'm sure 30 hearses aren't going to attract any attention.

You can get a great view of the South Knox water tower near the Broadway and Central area, I can't imagine how it is to live right by it. I noticed its been painted a bluish color now. I think it should be turned over to the public art committee and changed with the seasons, a lovely dogwood scene would be appropriate right now.

Unless you were there or caught it on WBIR, you may have missed the downtown library's assinine, short-lived, random (aka homeless)metal detector and pocket search. They called it a "pilot program" for that one library, because metal detectors are a "way of life." It lasted about one more day after WBIR reported it. Nobody seems to know whose idea it was. I suggest if they go that way again to make Lumpy Lambert really earn his county money and have him toting a machine gun at the front door. Or maybe Campfield can get the librarians armed.
As a frequent library user, for the most part they seemed to have quelled the homeless and pervert problem when they required library cards for computer use a few years ago. I have no idea what brought this on. I have seen more of a perv problem at the small Edgewood library than downtown.

I'm excited that Sundown is back soon, but one thing, I wish they would do away with the yellow shirt cops. I don't mind to have a guy look through my purse to get on a plane, but for a concert that went on for 9 years without incident without them, I find it violating, and frustrating that I can't bring a bottle of water. I also wish the Wailers were coming this year, they're my favorite Sundown band, but Tedeschi puts on a great show. If you haven't seen tomorrow's MP yet the list is there.

I see the school board didn't pick Bingelli. I'd just like to know how to pronounce his name, depending on the talking head, its either Bin-jelly or Bing-ul-ee. Also, I'd like to hear why McIntyre wants to leave Boston to come here.

I think its overkill to take the art bears off the street. They should grandfather in current art and send any new art through the "art committee." While the bears aren't First Friday elite art, I find them cute and amusing and have never been offended by or tripped over one. Don't larger cities like Chicago have bigger and more successful animal art shows?
The sidewalk "obstruction" reasoning to take them up is like the creative "blight" rulings to get people tifs. I don't have faith the city council will do anything but accept the committee decision. I don't know if this group has ever questioned each other or Haslam. At least with this current ornery commission, you at least know people will question things. I'm glad city council feels the love, but too much isn't good.
If we must get rid of all things that obstruct, start with the water tower or the Sunsphere.

Obama Montana
Barack Ray Cyrus
Obamorgasm
Obamarama
Obamallama
Obamomentum
Barack H. Kennedy

The Sentinel's editorial yesterday was supposed to be about letting the public vote on appointing the fee officers or not. What it sounded like was a kid kicking and screaming, "we must appoint those offices now you stupid people, now, now, now, now ,now," either that or somebody had waay too much coffee. There are pluses and minuses to appointing or electing.

But, every time I really get a good feeling about the Sentinel's and the "good government group's" quest for voting and openness though, it seems more like what they really want is to assert themselves and their power base into the process. That doesn't sit any better with me than Scoobie wanting to do the same.

I don't feel so good about giving up my right to vote or two commissioners per district just because some do-gooders had some meetings. Everybody has an agenda, no matter how pure they try to come across.

I thought the most amusing part of one of Stacey Campfield's recent proposals was that university faculty and staff should be able to go armed if the head of their instutions requests that they do so. I wonder if Peterson would ask the UT faculty senate to go armed? Maybe Mark Harmon and Lumpy Lambert will both be carriers.

There is a concert in town through tomorrow targetting kids that includes country music, a magician and Army exhibits. It was supposed to go to some schools but I think that since they closed kids can go to Sat's show free. It seems to be more or less a military recruiting tool called something like the "my real life tour." Between this and the Graham hype its getting to be a bit much. Knoxville has enough Hummers and mega churches as it is. I am glad to see the Knoxville Jazz Fest will be here the same wknd in April as Graham, something to take the edge off.

Roughly what Bush said about Fidel and Raul this morning: "They need to have a free and fair election, and I mean free and fair and not one of those staged elections that the Catro brothers hoist upon us."

Gore on George and Jeb in 2000 "Your brother is not the final authority on this."