And then there's this:

"If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God."

Leviticus 25:35-38:

Corker and Alexander want 634,000 non elderly Tennesseans to lose healthcare. 395,000 to lose medicaid and 295,000 to lose their insurance from private companies. "It's a good thing" Alexander said.

We tried all day to call Corker and his line was busy every time. Was it that busy or did they just take it off the hook?

A doctor friend said it best, "What ever the insurance company lobbyists want...They should Not do that!"

"Let's not mince words. This bill will close hospitals. It will hammer rural hospitals, it will close nursing homes. It will lead to disabled children not getting services. . . . People will die."

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We will pay more at the pump for gasoline, as of July 1. Part of it will actually go toward roads and bridges but remember that you and I will have a tax increase to pay for a tax decrease for Fed Ex and Bill Haslam.

Don't you just feel good about that?

I'm reprinting this from the Sierra Club News Letter in order that we may be more knowledgeable.

Comments on TVA's Small Nuclear Reactors Plan.
TVA Board Meeting, May 11, 2017

by Don Safer,

Know Nuclear Committee Chair for the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club

"I am Don Safer, from Nashville. I serve on the Board of the Tennessee Environmental Council and as Know Nuclear Committee Chair for the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club. Thank you for this opportunity to speak to you.

"I urge TVA to abandon its unnecessary small modular reactor project immediately. Nuclear power is neither clean nor green. Stop Squandering Money and Resources on this latest false hope of the DOE and the nuclear industry. The current early site permit application process will likely prove to be an exercise in futility as renewable energy generation growth will make SMRs unnecessary long before any are built.

So we have several stories regarding Roane County Schools in the Moday edition of the RCN. Guess which one was on the front page?

A bright young third grade student finished 1st in the Nation in a mathematics competition.

Excellent new principals have been named at two elementary schools.

Two principals have resolved their marital issues and returned to work.

There is a link to the Roane County News over in the right hand column.

As Chairman of the TN Conservation Commission I had the honor of thanking outgoing TDEC Commissioner Jim Fyke for his massive contributions to the Parks and Environment of Tennessee. After the devastation of our parks and the bottomed out morale level of the employees under the Sundquist administration, Fyke came in as Phil Bredesen's appointee and turned our park system from a huge hole in the Tennessee experience to the absolute best park system in the United States of America. As I finished reading the very long list of accomplishments and awards I looked at incoming commissioner Bob Martineau and said, "Commissioner Martineau, you have a very tough act to follow!" I have never seen a more deer in the headlights expression on the face of any human, than that on Martineau at that moment.

I hope everyone will take a moment and think about Jim Fyke and the monumental good things that an honest and dedicated public servant can do when he serves his people.

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With so much bull being put out about Trumpcare, we thought it would be a good idea to share this interactive map on how it will affect Tennessee and Roane County. While the details are concealed by Lamar Alexander and Mitch McConnell (Corker doesn't even know what is in the plan) the basics that have leaked out have been analyzed and put into an interactive map. It's ugly for Tennessee and Roane County!

The working map is here: (link...)

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The Roane County Sheriff’s Department responded to the majority of the calls with 1,292 followed by Harriman Police with 712, Rockwood Police with 671 and Kingston Police with 312 calls.

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In June in Tennessee days are 15 seconds longer than 24 hours. The earliest sunrise of the year is tomorrow morning, 7 days before the summer solstice.

But you knew that, didn't you?

This thing never looked like anything except a ploy for tax subsidies. A lot of Westel and Crab Orchard folks will be glad it's off the table for now.

Senator Alexander (who hates wind power, doesn't love solar, loves nukes):

“Apex’s decision to suspend a proposed project in Cumberland County is welcome news for Tennesseans who opposed littering the landscape with giant wind turbines over two times as tall as the skyboxes at the University of Tennessee’s football stadium. And the turbines are unnecessary for Tennesseans because TVA has said it doesn’t need new power for the foreseeable future.”

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“The report suggests that donors may have been misled, the event may have been used as a pass through to convert charitable donations to the Donald J. Trump Foundation into revenue for Donald Trump’s private businesses, and the event may have been used as a vehicle to profit Donald Trump’s private businesses,” Cohen said. “I urge you to investigate to determine whether federal laws have been violated.”

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The Roane County News actually has a pleasant front page today that shows a little bit of what a great place to live Roane County is. Crime was banished all the way back to page 5. Nice!

We'll see how long this lasts.

Next Saturday at the Princess Theatre a play, "How To Succeed In High School Without Really Trying"! Performed by area high school students in a grand collaboration. It's a dream come true folks; get out and support them!

The interesting thing is that Corker and Alexander made pretty bland statements that, when examined, don't support Trump. Diane Black attacked Democrats, of course.

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TRACTOR-TRAILER RIG CARRYING VODKA CRASHES ON I-40 IN ROANE COUNTY

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You get no better bang for your buck than tonight at the Princess.Jason Eskridge is not just one of the finest vocalists in Nashville, but a man who is dedicated to giving back to his community. Be a part of this!

Tickets $12 Online...$15 at the door.

Technically it's a dead heat but this is stunning given that Corker is an incumbent Senator! As he gets closer to Trump, he gets further from Tennesseans.

A poll of likely Tennessee Republican primary voters indicates U.S. Sen. Bob Corker’s reelection in 2018 is supported by 41.1 percent of those surveyed while 41.6 percent would rather “give someone else a chance,” according to Tennessee Star.

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Gone from being the only R Congressman in Michael Moore's movie to have a seriously moral stance on the Iraq war to a Trump attack mutt, Jimmy Duncan defies logic in going after a journalist.

From the Washington Post:

“A traditional president would have reacted carefully to the London Bridge terrorist attack by instilling calm, being judicious about facts and appealing to the country’s better angels,” Rucker wrote.

“But Donald Trump is no traditional president. He reacted impulsively to Saturday night’s carnage by stoking panic and fear, being indiscreet with details of the event and capitalizing on it to advocate for one of his more polarizing policies and to advance a personal feud.”

Pretty fair assessment actually and one that is pretty much universal everywhere but in Duncan's mind...Duncan on the floor of Congress:

“Apparently Mr. Rucker is so blinded by hatred for the president he cannot see straight and has written one of the most unfair, one-sided articles I have ever read.”

I guess if it isn't his side it's one sided.

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I wonder if Loudon and Blount County Realtors pay the Roane County News to put horrible news on the front page?

There are several good news stories in the RCN that would have looked great on the front page.

The Mayors of Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville support planet Earth.

Trump sides with Syria.

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de·re·cho

dāˈrāˌCHō/

nounUS

a line of intense, widespread, and fast-moving windstorms and sometimes thunderstorms that moves across a great distance and is characterized by damaging winds.

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I'm a Ron Woody fan but I have to question whether this is appropriate at this juncture. I appreciate Randy Boyd and personally think he's one of the good guys. But I also question whether he can stand up to the unmitigated crazy running loose int he TN legislature. Haslam certainly hasn't been able to. If someone else wins, will Roane County be punished? I just don't know. Let's hope this works out for us.

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I have long called for a public audit of the comprehensive economics of our industrial parks. It's my outsider's opinion that they suck the life out of communities when done badly. If I had the power, I would outlaw tax breaks of every sort for corporations all across America and therby level the playing field for business recruitment. Every tax penny given to corporations is one less for schools and public works. I hope folks will read the entire article but here's an interesting snip:

It is often assumed that taking farmland and turning it into an industrial park is a net economic benefit to a county. But usually the industrial park tenants get tax breaks and the county tax base relies on sales tax revenue and the property tax revenue that private property pays.

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In these bizarre times the man, who couldn't remember the name of the Energy Dept. on national TV during the GOP presidential debate, is now Secretary of that department. What this means is that our senators and congressmen need to suck up to Rick Perry bigly. They did a great job of that. Lamar first told a huge whopper, saying that Perry is a fast learner (No!). But then Lamar demonstrated that he is a very brave man by riding around in a printed car while Rick Perry drove. We should be proud of our elected officials. They are so smart that they knew better than to try to show Rick Perry the amazing science that is being done at ORNL and took him straight over to play with the toys.

We are thinking that Lamar, who is actually smart, told Rick Perry that the reason the toys weren't shiny is that the ORNL budget is too low and that Perry should get right to work on getting them more money in the federal budget...like maybe after Trump finishes destroying the EPA they have some extra to send our way.

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It's that time of year so I'm reposting this:

CONCLUSIONS:
Accurate identification of the pit viper species involved in snakebites is essential. Although envenomation by a rattlesnake (Crotalus species) may require antivenom and uncommonly surgery, a bite by a copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) rarely requires any intervention other than observation.

The unnecessary use of antivenom should be discouraged.

Got that? Do NOTHING aggressive whatsoever for first aid for a copperhead bite! Loosen clothing, remove jewelry, and transport the victim to get medical attention while reassuring them, while it hurts a lot, they are going to be fine.

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First aid for snake bites:

Should you be bitten by a snake, it’s essential to get emergency treatment as quickly as possible. However, there are some tips that you should also keep in mind:

Call 911 immediately.
Note the time of the bite.
Keep calm and still as movement can cause the venom to travel more quickly through the body.
Remove constricting clothing or jewelry because the area surrounding the bite will likely swell.
Don’t allow the victim to walk. Carry or transport them by vehicle.
Do not kill or handle the snake. Take a picture if you can but don’t waste time hunting it down.

First aid myths

There are also several outdated first aid techniques that are now believed to be unhelpful or even harmful:

Do not use a tourniquet.
Do not cut into the snake bite.
Do not use a cold compress on the bite.
Do not give the person any medications unless directed by a doctor.
Do not raise the area of the bite above the victim’s heart.
Do not attempt to suck the venom out by mouth.
Do not use a pump suction device. These devices were formerly recommended for pumping out snake venom, but it's now believed that they are more likely to do harm than good.