TresSugar

Nothing Goes Together Better Than Guns and Alcohol

TresSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:00:00 -0700

As of yesterday, patrons of alcohol serving establishments in Arizona and Tennessee can exercise their second amendment rights while downing a cold one. How . . . American.

The new laws allowing registered gun owners to carry concealed guns into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol are part of a trend of loosened gun control laws. Ironically, right after the election last November, gun shop owners reported record sales, suspecting that customers feared that a Democratic federal government could curtail the right to bear arms.

Complaints by Arizona and Tennessee's business owners that the new law would hurt business went unaddressed. (Hurt how you ask? You know, when "1 or 2% of would-be Dirty Harrys," as one restaurant owner plaintiff put it, decided to mete out vigilante justice.) As for critics who point to recent public shootings, proponents of the new laws say that the violence shows the need for private citizens to protect themselves with firearms.

The South Needs Some Serious Gas Relief After Hurricanes

LibertySugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Fallout from Hurricane Ike and Gustav has spiraled into massive gas shortages in the Southeast. Drivers in Nashville, TN, where the problem is the worst, wait in long lines and some follow tankers around in hopes of being the first to fill up before a station goes dry.

In western North Carolina local governments have been forced to cancel programs, since there's not much gas to travel to activities. One city canceled athletic events, and another county has limited all municipal travel to emergency vehicles for the past few weeks. Many workers in the region have been told to work four 10-hour days, or telecommute.

In Atlanta, one of the nation's largest commuter cities, many stations have run out of gas, and they have no idea when more will come. Once residents find a station with fuel, they often must dole out $5 a gallon, and wait in 40-car lines. What would you do if your city ran out of gas?

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Front Page: Suicide Blasts Rip Iraq, Olympics Sold Out, Arrest in Tennessee Church Shooting

CitizenSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 07:03:57 -0700

Suicide Blasts Rip Iraq:
Suicide Bombers struck twice in Iraq, leaving 47 dead and 240 injured. In Baghdad as Shia pilgrims paraded through on their way to a shrine, female bombers detonated leaving 25 dead. The pilgrimage will bring more than 1 million worshippers. In Kirkuk, a suicide bomber hit a crowd of Kurdish protesters, killing 22. Iraqi security forces have been deployed.

Olympics Sold Out:
Despite continuing problems with pollution, the events for the Olympics events in Beijing are all sold out. This could be the earliest the Games have reached capacity. Some tickets for events in other cities are still available. 6.8 million tickets have been sold so far - in Athens in 2004, only two-thirds of the tickets sold.

Arrest in Tennessee Church Shooting:
A man who opened fire with a shotgun in a Knoxville, TN, church during a children's performance of Annie, has been captured. The attack left two dead and seven wounded. Police have charged Jim Adkisson with first-degree murder. The performance had just begun when he opened fire. One witness said she thought, "oh, my God, that’s not part of the play."

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Can I See Some ID? Sex Offenders Get Tag on Their Licenses

CitizenSugar — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:15:17 -0700

Maybe more so than other crimes, a convicted sex offender's punishment does not end with jail time served; it follows him onto the National Sex Offender Registry, onto the Internet, and soon, in Tennessee, onto his driver's license.

Starting Sept. 1, all convicted sex offenders in Tennessee must hold a newly designed license. It will bear a mark to notify police of their sex-offender status.

While I don't envision kids at the playground asking candy pushers for ID anytime soon, it wouldn't matter if they did: ID checkers will not (or should not) be able to distinguish the license from any other Tennessean's, because the mark will only be viewable to the trained eye - like a big scarlet letter written in invisible ink.

Proponents say the new law will help ensure the safety of children. If a sexual offender is pulled over, the license will prompt police to watch for signs otherwise ignored in a routine traffic stop. To see the incident behind the law, read more.

Last December, a sex offender was pulled over for a traffic violation while, unbeknownst to the officer, he carried in his car four or five boys that he lured away from a sleepover. Considering this was the impetus for the law, it does not seem unwarranted. But new labels for old crimes are hardly confined to Tennessee.

Last week, Congress unanimously passed the KIDS Act, which will require sex offenders to register email addresses and IM screen names with a government-controlled database. Well sure! That sounds like an easily monitored plan!

Does it make a difference that only cops can see the mark? Should there be a limit to how many extra punishments we tack onto a criminal after jail time is served? Will this make would-be reoffenders think twice - or just drive the speed limit?

And what about civil liberties? Is there a limit to the number that can be taken away once a societal debt has been settled? Are some crimes heinous enough to make one bear the label forever?

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Should Barack Obama's Opponents "Lay Off" His Wife?

LibertySugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:00:08 -0700

Tennessee's Republican Party has put out a four minute video loop of infamous comments made by Barack Obama's wife. In February Michelle Obama said: "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country" - controversial comments she later clarified.

Yesterday on Good Morning America, Barack Obama responded to the new video.

The GOP, should I be the nominee, can say whatever they want to say about me, my track record. If they think that they're going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful because that I find unacceptable, the notion that you start attacking my wife or my family.

Obama said the Republican Tennessee-tactics - which also include a call for patriotic music to be played on local radio while Michelle is in town and referring to Obama using his middle name "Hussein" - are "low class" and unacceptable to most Americans.

Is Obama right to call out the GOP for distracting voters from important issues? Or does Michelle Obama's participation in the campaign make her fair game? If Michelle wants people to credit her for positive remarks, is it only fair to judge all of her comments? When does the negative attention go too far?

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Bibles in Class? Not Just for Sunday School Anymore

CitizenSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0700

The separation of church and state is a little less distinct at Hamilton County Schools in Tennessee. Funding from a special grant program means that students can elect to study Bible History in public schools.

While religion classes aren't uncommon in universities, topics of faith are muted in lower grades of public schools. For almost 90 years the program "Bible in the Schools" has provided up to $1,000,000 a year to cover Bible History courses.

One sophomore says, "It's not really based on religion. It's history, Bible history you're learning the history, it's just like another history class."

If learning the Bible is just another history class, Ben Stein's new movie might just count as science class?

Stein's movie Expelled hits screens today. We took a peek at the role of teaching evolution in education a while back, but now the Scientific American has an article that outlines "Six Things in Expelled That Ben Stein Doesn't Want You to Know...about intelligent design and evolution." I can't wait to see the movie, and this is the perfect companion read before you buy that tub of popcorn.

Privately funded Bible study in public schools? Is studying the Bible like learning history? Did you take a peek at the things Ben Stein doesn't want you to know?

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Convicted Rapist Gets Football Scholarship - Right Call?

TresSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:00:00 -0700

Star high school football player Daniel Hood had 27 scholarship offers, until the universities got wind of his 2003 convictions for kidnapping and raping his 14-year-old cousin when he was 13. His then 17-year-old accomplice is now serving a 10-year jail sentence.

Lucky for Hood, one scholarship remains. Every other school retracted their offers, but the University of Tennessee concluded that, "He's a very bright young man who wants to move past this incident and be a good representative for the team, the university and the community." UT also says that the victim wrote a letter on Hood's behalf, urging them to accept him.

While many may think it's outrageous that Hood will get a free education and the perks of playing college football, the University of Tennessee is prepared to give him a second chance.

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Headline: Teen Shot in Tennessee School

LibertySugar — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:18:03 -0800

A 17 year-old student was shot at a school in Memphis, Tennessee, this morning. The incident involved two students from Mitchell High School. The victim, a 12th grader, was shot in the school's cafeteria and is critically injured. The suspected shooter, an 11th grader at the school, is currently in custody.

The high school is not on lockdown. Parents are arriving to check on their children, but parents are being asked to be patient.

Front Page: US Unemployment Rate Jumps to 9.4%

TresSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:00:20 -0700

US unemployment has jumped to 9.4 percent, after 345,000 jobs were lost in May. Sorry, the recession's not over yet. - New York Times
President Obama is in Germany, where he visited a Nazi concentration camp in Buchenwald. - BBC News
Recovered debris found in Atlantic Ocean is in fact not from the missing Air France jet. - CNN
Tennessee lawmakers have approved a law that allows guns in bars. - AP
A nude photo of French first lady Carla Bruni has sold for $19,600 to an anonymous bidder. - AP

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Should Rape Suspects Always Be Charged As Adults?

TresSugar — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0700

It is hard to imagine how an adult could commit as disgusting a crime as rape, but when minors commit this act of violence, the law is challenged to confront it as well.

In Florida, four middle school kids accused of raping a 13-year-old boy in a school locker-room over a two-month period will be charged as adults. They each face up to 120 years in prison, if convicted of all counts.

The case of Daniel Hood, a star football player, and convicted rapist, headed to University of Tennessee on a full scholarship, recently inspired a debate over second chances for rapists. When he was 13, Hood was tried as a juvenile for the rape of his cousin. He received probation, and is now free to live the privileged life of a college athlete.

While trying these boys as adults sends the message that rape is a serious crime, do you think they should still be afforded a second chance considering their ages?

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