Watch Rep. Mark Green use the memory of fallen soldiers to try to delay Rep. Underwood’s bill which would provide Electronic Medical Records at the border – as requested by border officials – to keep immigrant kids from dying in our care, which is happening for the first time in a decade.
A heated Leader Steny Hoyer points out Green’s MTR “does nothing for veterans”, and would simply be a delay tactic.
Grammy-nominated Mary Gauthier & Grammy-winner Emmylou Harris support James Mackler for Senate in 2020.
Rep. Andy Holt (R-Dresden) is hosting a “Hogfest and Turkey Shoot” campaign fundraiser at his home this Saturday, and has announced he will be giving away an AR-15 Assault Rifle – the weapon used in tragedy after tragedy in America – as a “door prize”… but is it legal?
That Holt would give away a weapon that even NASCAR won’t feature in ads anymore despite the message it sends to those concerned about the gun death crisis in America should come as no surprise – he is after all the sponsor of a recent bill to weaken our permitting system in Tennessee to make it possible for people to get a permit to carry virtually anywhere in our state without ever actually firing one on a range, simply by taking a quick online class.
But is his giveaway actually legal? It would appear the answer is no.
The Secretary of State’s website is very clear: Raffles like the one described in Holt’s event – where people pay to get in, and are entered to win a prize – are considered gambling in Tennessee. While it may not be exactly like slots or poker which casinos such as this is story offer, the base mechanics are the same. Paying in an amount of money for the chance to get something back. Residents of Tenessee can go out of state to gamble, but inside the state, gambling is not permitted by any organization that isn’t a charity and hasn’t been pre-approved. Again, residents can perhaps use a site like Paybyphonebillcasino.uk as it operates outside the state but people within the State can’t set up gambling or gambling-adjacent options without risking the brunt of the law.
From the Secretary of State’s site:
Raffles and games of chance are considered gambling, which is prohibited in Tennessee. However, certain charitable organizations are allowed to apply to have one raffle, reverse raffle, cakewalk or cakewheel each year if that event is conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Tennessee Charitable Gaming Implementation Law. This is why many people would look to the speedy casino cashouts hosted online for their gambling fix instead of set institutions.
Only a qualified 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) organization that has submitted an application to the Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming and that has been approved by the Tennessee General Assembly can hold a raffle.
When asked about this on Twitter, Holt responded that the AR-15 was a “doorprize”:
It’s a doorprize…😉
– Andy Holt (@AndyHolt4TN) September 13, 2019
But the SOS site makes no exception for such semantic arguments. What Holt describes in his event post is pretty clearly not allowed by law.
Again, from the SOS site:
No. An event is considered a raffle if someone must pay for a chance to win a prize and would be a violation of law. It does not matter that the payment is called a “donation.”
When asked if he had applied and been approved, Holt gave no answer.
You submitted your request under state law, right?
“Only a qualified 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) organization that has submitted an application to the Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming and that has been approved by the Tennessee General Assembly can hold a raffle.”
– Brook Jolley (@Brookjolley) September 14, 2019
There is even a question on the site itself about exceptions for political campaigns, to which the answer is very clearly also a resounding NO:
Are political candidates and campaigns allowed to conduct raffles or other games of chance?
No. The law only allows qualified 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(19) organizations to hold gaming events. Political candidates and campaigns for public office are not considered 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) tax exempt organizations… If someone is required to pay for a chance to win a prize, it is considered a raffle. Only qualified and approved 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(19) organizations may hold a raffle. It does not matter that the payment is called a “donation.”
As for the consequences, the site has this to say:
If the Division of Charitable Solicitations is notified of an unapproved event, the Division will notify the local district attorney general. Conducting an unapproved game of chance may be a violation of the criminal gaming statute, and local law enforcement has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute the individuals responsible for the event… Please contact the district attorney for the county in which you believe the game of chance is taking place or contact the Division of Charitable Solicitations at (615) 741-2555 and the Division will notify the appropriate authorities.
In this case, the District Attorney to holler at would be Tommy Thomas: (731) 364-5513
And here’s how to holler at the Division of Charitable Donations: (615) 741-2555 & [email protected]
“Today I’m gonna go to school and come back BIGGER & BETTER… don’t let anyone steal your joy.”
Nashville’s Promise Sawyers teaches the world EXACTLY how to deal with bullying. ??❤️❤️❤️
She and her beautiful afro will be on The Kelly Clarkson Show with Kelly Clarkson Friday.
“We appreciate the support. We’re in it for the long haul. We’re gonna fight the good fight.”
Striking UAW Local 1853 workers in Spring Hill, TN say the middle class is disappearing, it’s the haves and have-nots… and GM wants to keep it that way.
Yesterday some were arrested on the picket lines for “disorderly conduct”, including UAW president Tim Stannard. They are out of jail, but the DA says he will be pressing charges.
Meanwhile GM has CUT OFF the health benefits of the striking workers, another reminder that health care should be a RIGHT in this country, not a privilege bestowed upon us by the wealthy who can dangle our lives in front of us.
Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles was out there saying he wants their health coverage restored, but it’s worth remembering Ogles was a leader of Americans for Prosperity, the Koch-backed organization that helped block Medicaid expansion in Tennessee, keeping 300,000 without coverage. Suddenly he cares about folks being able to see doctors?
About Maury mayor @AndyOgles — he’s the former state director for Americans For Prosperity, Koch-backed org that helped block Medicaid expansion: https://t.co/oYiL2EHon1
We’re #1 in medical bankruptcies & rural hospital closures. He suddenly cares if folks have health coverage? https://t.co/Qw6Grrb8OU
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) September 18, 2019
#UnionStrong #StandWithUAW
A member of the Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee and elected official in East Tennessee has resigned after a hate speech-filled video of he and his wife aired on YouTube. (Warning: This video contains obscenities.)
Bill Fannon, mayor of Tazewell in East Tennessee, resigned from his District 8 seat following posting of the video which showed him evicting tenants from an apartment owned by the Fannons. The video is filled with obscene language and features Fannon and his wife, Kat, insulting and threatening teenage renters and their mother.
“Wait till the cops get here and I’m going to let him know about you and then I’m going to knock your teeth into the back of your g–damn head,” Fannon says to one of his tenants, a 17-year-old boy.
His wife, Kat Fannon, calls the boy a “queer” and says “I wouldn’t touch you: I might get something,” while calling a young woman shown in the video a “whore” and “poor trash.”
In the two minute video, the Fannons say the teens didn’t pay rent, while the renters in turn say the couple didn’t make necessary repairs to the property.
Usually, in the circumstance that a tenant hasn’t paid their rent, they are issued a Late Rent Notice (see a template at https://www.american-apartment-owners-association.org/property-management/landlord-forms/notice-to-pay-rent-or-quit/) which advises them that they are in violation of the rental agreement. This means the tenant has two choices; either pay the past due amount of rent by a specific date or vacate the premises and surrender possession of the rental.
Another TNDP Executive Committeenmember, Robin Smith, former mayor of Decherd and committee member from District 16, resigned after being indicted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on charges he allegedly stole money from misdemeanor probationers under his supervision and used it for his own use.
Members of the TNDP Executive Committee said they were notified about both Smith’s and Fannon’s resignations via e-mail Sept. 9.
The resignations bring the total number of vacancies on the TNDP Executive Committee to eight.
Robin Smith, former Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee Member and former mayor of Decherd was indicted by the TBI.
(Editor’s note: Tennessee Holler co-founder, Holly McCall, ran against Mary Mancini for chair in January 2019.)
Federal court just BLOCKED Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s “SCHEME” to criminalize voter registration after the Tennessee Black Voter Project registered 90,000. Tequila Johnson of The Equity Alliance tells us they were told to turn in every form, and she wasn’t allowed to testify.
“This was about holding onto power.”
Check out the full PODCAST INTERVIEW on ITUNES.
There were some great results in the Metro Council runoff elections last week, but maybe none as welcome a sight as watching Ginny Welsch take down Tony Tenpenny, who had been sending out homophobic and racial fear mongering mail pieces.
Tenpenny got thumped, and thumped good.
Apparently that didn’t sit well with him, so he and his wife have now taken to social media to threaten constituents with voter fraud and call them all sorts of names.
Here he is threatening people with unfounded allegations of voter fraud:
Here he is calling someone a “PANSY A**” and challenging someone to meet him in person… while his wife calls someone “chicken shit” and a “scared MF”.
Class acts!
Looks like District 16 made the right call. We’re excited for Ginny, and are confident she will serve Nashville well. Bullet dodged.
Watch Zulfat Suara react to her history-making win, saying she’s proud of her diverse support-base which she takes as a mandate for the council to help create a “NASHVILLE FOR ALL”.
Watch Columbia State student Grant Marsh respond to Senator Kerry Roberts, who called for higher education to be removed to “save America” in a rage last week in response to testimony he didn’t like at the Tennessee abortion ban hearings.
He has since told NBC News he was “joking”, but Marsh says that doesn’t matter – his words carry weight, and he also says Roberts is wrong, and invites him to spend the day with him to prove it.