Thursday Morning Updates

Sorry guys I haven't been on as much lately, but I am in the process of moving so updates may be sporadic for another week or so. Expect July to be heavy with updates because I will be in my new home at that point.

Supreme Court ruled this morning in a 5-4 decision that Washington D.C's blanket handgun ban is unconstitutional. With the replacement of O'Connor replaced with the much more conservative Justice Alito expect more and more conservative decisions to be forthcoming now that the only moderate vote on the bench is Justice Kennedy. This is yet another reason why we can not sacrifice another 4 years to Bush light, and must elect a progressive candidate like Sen. Obama to the highest office in the U.S. We can not allow McCain to replace Ginsberg or one of the other 3 liberal justices.

The Music City star is in financial crisis and will not have the money to operate after October. This is not good news for those who desire mass transit in the city of Nashville. As much as I DO NOT like the choice for the original line, I hope that we can keep it afloat in order to bring light rail to Nashville. Honestly Nashville, does gas have to hit 9 dollars a gallon before you'll take a bus?

A recent Rasmussen poll in Tennessee shows that McCain's lead has been split in half from 30 pts to 15 pts. Is a wave election coming...oh wonderful wave please take Marsha Blackburn out with you!

-Zak

Eminent Domain and bad decisions

A music row landowner, Joy Ford, is fighting big business to keep her little piece of the pie near the Music Row roundabout, ya know where the big naked statue is that the right wing in the city became all flustered about a few years ago. Anyways I digress. So Joy's business, Country International Records, is the last holdout in a redevelopment by a Houston based developer and that developer is angrier than a baby throwing a temper tantrum. He wants the land, and she needs to sell, it's his darn it, or at least he feels that it should be his.

The fight is now playing out in a Nashville area courtroom, and could be disastrous for individual property owners if the courts rule against Joy Ford. This blog supports Joy Ford, and hopes this country doesn't become one in that the ruling elite can take anything they want, and we are simply taking care of it till they want it.

Just for fun...here's MUSICA!

Memphis Police Brutality *Warning Video Disturbing*

Welcome to the 21st century in Tennessee. Trans violence is still accepted. The Memphis Police Department, especially these two officers, should be fired from their positions.

This brings up a larger issue, and that is it is imperative that hate crimes legislation be passed immediately in the state of Tennessee, including both sexual orientation and gender identity.

This is truly disgusting in this day and age.

-zak

Ode to Budget Cuts...

In a time of rising gas prices, the Metro Council has proposed cutting bus routes throughout Nashville. Thank you so much Nashville for once again cutting an agency that we need more and more as gas prices climb higher and higher.

This must be the way we as a society deals with tough times, by cutting what we actually need. They will also raise fares for the MTA bus system. It will now cost 4.80 for an all day pass, as well as 1.60 for a single ticket. Insanity my dears, Insanity.

They will also cut the following routes completely.

1 Vine Hill
31X Harpeth Valley Express
13 Sylvan Park
37X Tusculum/McMurray Express
16 Madison/Old Hickory
45X Oak Hill Express
30 McFerrin
Night Owl service

-zak

A word of congratulations and an endorsement...

First of all I would like to congratulate Sen. Obama on his victory in securing the nomination for the Democratic Party. It is historic that in January of next year we may have the first African-American President in United States history. We may also have the first female vice-president in US History(wink wink nudge nudge).

In saying that, I fully endorse Sen. Barrack Obama for President of the United States. Sen. Obama would right many of the wrongs of the past 8 years. It is now time to put this long primary season behind us and unite together as Democrats. We can no longer allow the Republican Party to define who we are, what we stand for, and what we believe. Together we must stand as men and women, black and white, straight and gay, Christian and Atheist, because we all believe in the promise of America for all people. Not just for the elite few.

Sen. McCain, despite his promises of unity and independence, would be a threat to the very core beliefs that we hold so dear in our hearts. LGBT equality, reproductive freedom, workers rights, and a strong voice for each individual would be trampled during a McCain administration. We can not afford to allow the primaries to weigh heavy on our minds, we must work together to insure we elect Sen. Obama as president, and at the same time usher in stronger majorities in both the House and Senate.

It will take much mending of fences over the next few months to build a winning coalition, but I believe that Sen. Obama, and Sen. Clinton can bring this party back together. As Sen. Obama so often likes to say, Yes We Can, and we can. We can change this world for the better, and it all starts with November 2008.

-Zak

CNN Projects(for the last time of the primary season)

will carry South Dakota!



has secured enough delegates to be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

We're waiting on Montana. Either way it is nice to see Hillary take South Dakota, and leave on a positive note, although she has not yet given up.

-Zak

The State of the Gay Union

So I thought it would be interesting to note that 1/5 of US States now recognize gay marriage, civil unions, or some form of domestic partnership.

Gay Marriage
-California(6-17-08)
-Massachusetts

Civil Unions
-New Jersey
-Connecticut
-Vermont
-New Hampshire

Domestic Partnerships
-Washington
-Maine
-Hawaii
-Oregon
-California until marriage ruling takes effect
-District of Columbia

Issues of marriage equality will soon be debated or are currently being debated in either the court or legislature of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, and Iowa.

Issues of civil union recognition is being debated in New Mexico.

Tennessee is doing nothing, they've already banned it.

-Zak