Tennessee more afraid of books than bullets in schools?

Feel free to use this!

Consider this!

Pulitzer Prize-winning novel banned:'Maus' sales soar after book is banned by Tennessee school board

On April 28, the Tennessee House and Senate passed legislation that gives Tennessee control over what books are offered in schools. This gives school boards the power to veto and alter curriculum decisions.

That was from USA Today about when libraries were fighting back against the school board banning books they didn't like.

Think about how much time they took to review the books they didn't want anyone else to read. Now think about how much time they didn't use to protect kids in schools from being shot to death!

It happened again today in Nashville Tennessee. This time it was an elementary school. Not just a school for little kids, but a private Christian school. The same people use their "moral values" to attack personal choices and then say the problem in schools today is God was kicked out of public schools can no longer use that as something to hide behind.

The fact that we are supposed to be free from any politician pushing their own faith over everyone else has no longer dawned on them they not only have no right to control the faith of anyone else, but God also gave all of us the free will to decide for ourselves.

When they are so afraid of words in books but not bullets in guns, they have no moral values!

Now consider this, Gun bill that allows for long gun carrying, lowers permit age to 18 passes House committee was reported on March 16, 2023 by WKRN News!

This week House Bill 1005 by Rep. Rusty Grills (R—Newbern) would allow Tennesseans with an enhanced or a concealed carry permit to carry long guns, including AR-15 rifles or shotguns. Currently, state law prohibits people with those permits from carrying anything more than handguns. The proposed bill would replace all instances of “handguns” in the code to “firearms.”

6 killed in Nashville Christian grade school shooting; police believe suspect was former student

WCBV
NASHVILLE, Tenn. —
A female shooter wielding two “assault-style” rifles and a pistol killed three students and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville on Monday in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.

Police said they believe the 28-year-old female shooter was a former student at The Covenant School, a Presbyterian school founded in 2001. Police shot and killed her. Investigators were searching her Nashville-area home.

The attack at The Covenant School — which has about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade, as well as roughly 50 staff members — comes as communities around the nation are reeling from a spate of school violence, including the massacre at elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last year; a first grader who shot his teacher in Virginia; and a shooting last week in Denver that wounded two administrators.
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Vietnam Vet Charles "Billy" Johnson laid to rest by "brothers"

Veteran with no family honored by Tennessee vets

WSMV 4 News
Posted on Apr 17, 2019

A funeral was scheduled Wednesday for a Vietnam Veteran in Nashville, knowing he had no living family or close friends that would attend.

So, the VA Hospital in Murfreesboro sent out an open invitation for anyone to come.

Family doesn't have to be blood relatives, the family here today was veterans.

No one deserves an unattended funeral.

Certainly not Vietnam Vet Charles "Billy" Johnson.

When local veterans heard about this April 17th service, Veterans Cemetery in West Nashville invited anyone who cared about those who served.

"Kind of warmed my heart a little bit to see all these people here to pay final respects."
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Nashville steps up for disabled homeless veteran after wheelchair was stolen

Homeless Nashville Marine sees outpouring of support, receives new wheelchair
FOX 17 News
Alex Apple
September 21, 2018

"It's the right thing to do. He didn't ask to be in this situation," Terry Mobley said. "Things happen and it's good that we still have good people around that look after one another."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A homeless Marine living in Nashville has seen an outpouring of support.

Edward Kendall, known as Too Tall, lost all of his toes to frost bite. On top of that, someone stole his wheelchair a few days ago.

Now, people in Nashville have stepped up to help him out.

Too Tall said the hardest part of living on the streets is finding a place to lay your head. He said he usually sleeps under a box. He struggles to walk after frost bite led to him losing half of his feet earlier this year.

A thief stole his wheelchair, so FOX 17 News did last night what he was too proud to do - ask for Nashville's help. And the people of Nashville responded.

Two good Samaritans brought Too Tall what he called "two Cadillacs" - one wheelchair to use and another ready to roll, with help from Ed Medical Supply.
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Iraq Veteran: Combat Wounded to Combat Medic

Veteran Injured In Iraq Became Medic, Nurse
News Channel 5 Nashville
Steve Hayslip
Nov 17, 2016

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - For Veterans Day, we met with and honored one veteran who nearly paid the ultimate price.

TriStar Southern Hills nurse Justin Laferty was injured in Iraq nearly 13 years ago when his Humvee flipped.

A medic saved his life, which also changed his life. Laferty became an Army medic to thank the medic who was there for him.
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Police Officer Gave Homeless Veteran Clothes, Food and Shelter

Franklin Sergeant helps homeless veteran who was exploited by thief
FOX 17 Nashville
BY KAYLIN SEARLES
TUESDAY, AUGUST 30TH

Richards not only made these accommodations for the homeless veteran, he brought him to the motel, went to Walmart and bought t-shirts, underwear, socks, shorts and non-perishable food and water. Richards also bought the veteran a new bag to carry it all in.

Franklin Officer Of The Month.PNG Chief Deborah Faulkner

Kris Krabill (Toyota, Cool Springs), Sgt. Charlie Richards

Leo Linkov (Franklin Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram) 

Photo: Franklin Police

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WZTV) — Franklin Police Sergeant Charlie Richards was named officer of the month for going above and beyond his duties to help a homeless veteran "who was exploited by a thief and left with nothing but the clothes on his back."
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Beaten and Left in Road, Family of Veteran Needs Help to Bring Him Home

Ex-soldier from Michigan dies after assault, family seeks help bringing him home
MLive
By Bob Johnson
March 10, 2016

NASHVILLE — A former U.S. Army soldier from Michigan has died after police said he was assaulted in Tennessee on Sunday, March 6.

Seth Brabant Seth Brabant (Courtesy | Sabrianna Espinoza)

Seth Brabant, 24, of Chesaning in Saginaw County, died on Thursday, according to officials at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.

Police said Brabant was discovered beaten on the side of a dirt road four days earlier. Stewart County Sheriff's Department has arrested a second man on attempted murder charges. Those charges are likely to change now that Brabant has died, an official at the sheriff's office said.

The man currently is being held on a $600,000 bond.

Brabant had only been "out of the Army for a couple of months," a family member told MLive.
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VA Contractor Not Taking New Patients

Gee this sounds really bad but what they don't tell you is that it looks like this is run by a contractor, not the VA really.

1. Contracting Activity: Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 09, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) - Nashville Campus, Network Contracting Office 9 (NCO 9).

2. Nature and/or Description of the Action Being Processed: Under the authority of Public Law 104-262, and Title 38 U.S.C. 8153, the Contractor shall provide continuous delivery of Contractor operated primary care services, including primary care mental health and preventive medical care services in accordance with the terms, conditions, and provisions stated herein, and to furnish services to eligible veteran beneficiaries enrolled with the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (hereafter called TVHS). The contract will be structured as a firm-fixed-price (FFP) Per Member Per Month (PMPM) Capitated Rate Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) using Interim Contract Authority (ICA) in accordance with VA Directive 1663 for a period not to exceed 180-days or 360-days if an exception is granted.

This interim contract authority is necessary to ensure minimum disruption of primary health care (PHC) services for eligible veterans as the sole-source with a Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) proceeds through the Medical Sharing Office (MSO) Contract Review Team (CRT) process for contract community-based outreach clinics

And that is the problem with most of the reporting being done. It took me 2 minutes to find that one. It has been going on for a very long time and not just in Nashville, but all over the country. The other problem is that when politicians decide to send men and women to war, they should plan for the survivors coming back. They didn't.

More Veterans Sent To Rural VA Clinics After Clarksville Stops Accepting New Patients
Nashville Public Radio
By EMILY SINER
November 16, 2015

The Stewart County Veterans Affairs Clinic is about 40 miles away

from the clinic in Clarksville, which isn't accepting new patients.

EMILY SINER / WPLN

The Veterans Affairs health care clinic in Clarksville has closed its doors to new patients, citing space constraints. Some veterans say this is putting more of a strain on other clinics in nearby rural counties.

George Gordon goes to a primary care doctor at the Stewart County VA Clinic, a small brick building in Dover, Tenn., about 40 miles west of Clarksville. Gordon says he hasn't had good experiences there.

“The service in the Dover clinic — I’ve just been treated badly," he says. He had to wait too long for an appointment, his doctor was unfriendly, the clinic never gave him results from a recent blood test.

More than a year ago, Gordon requested to switch to a doctor in Clarksville. He's still waiting, he says.
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Iraq Veteran Body Slams Purse Thief

Iraq War veteran stops alleged purse thief 
WSMV Nashville
Reported by Cody Engdahl
Nov 13, 2015

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - An alleged purse snatcher didn’t realize a veteran of the Iraq War was standing nearby.

Brittany Dugger is an executive chef who has been busy trying to open a restaurant. She stepped outside for a breath of fresh air. “I look over and there’s a guy coming around and he has something tucked underneath his shirt,” Dugger said.

Dugger said the man was carrying a purse that wasn’t his. She said she wasn’t going to let him have it. “He didn’t notice me, so I used my whole 110 pound to slam him up against the wall and separate him from the purse,” Dugger said. read more here

Auto Dealer Fined for Targeting Military Members

Auto dealer fined $50,000 for ad targeting military 
The Leaf-Chronicle
April 20, 2015

NASHVILLE – Middle Tennessee auto dealer, Wholesale Inc., has agreed to immediately change its advertising practices and pay the State of Tennessee $50,000, Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III announced Monday.

A Davidson County Court approved the settlement between Wholesale Inc., the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, and the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs.

The agreement centers around two advertising mailers sent to would be customers. One of the mailers specifically targeted service members living near Fort Campbell. Wholesale Inc. operates used car sales lots in downtown Nashville, the Rivergate area and in Mount Juliet.

After reviewing a service member’s complaint filed at Fort Campbell, the state alleged that the defendant made numerous false representations in violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.

According to the state, a fictitious lender called “CreditAble Auto Funding” claimed to be “by military, for military” and was offering a limited amount of loans to military personnel.
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Soldier Comes Home From Afghanistan Gift Wrapped for Mom

The heart-melting moment a soldier surprises his family by jumping out of a gift box after nine months in Afghanistan
Patrick Conwell, of Nashville, Tennessee, made his creative entrance at a party where his parents and sister were expecting to learn the gender of his brother's baby
Daily Mail
By ERIN CLEMENTS FOR MAILONLINE
24 December 2014

A soldier who recently returned home from Afghanistan has given his family a heartwarming holiday surprise by jumping out of a gift-wrapped box.

Patrick Conwell, 31, enlisted the help of his brother Matthew, who told their mother, father and sister that he and his expectant wife would be hosting a party to reveal the gender of their baby - and that the giant box next to their Christmas tree contained either a pink or blue balloon that would signify whether they were having a boy or girl.

Instead, Patrick, who had been in Afghanistan for the past nine months before returning home to Nashville, Tennessee, was waiting in the package, clad in fatigues and bearing a green balloon.
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Dec 23, 2014
Coming home from Afghanistan and surprising my family under the guise of a 'reveal party' for my brother's new baby, December 2014.

Retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus Praising Hiring Veterans

David Petraeus: Veterans are 'precious resources'
The Tennessean
Adam Tamburin
November 18, 2014

Retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus attends the “Vets@Work” job fair Tuesday in the Music City Center. Petraeus a military pedigree made veterans an enviable hire.
(Photo: Samuel M. Simpkins / The Tennessean )

Retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus was in Nashville on Tuesday to encourage local businesses to hire veterans, who he said were among "our nation's most precious resources."

Speaking before a job fair for veterans and their spouses, Petraeus, who also served as CIA director, said a military pedigree made veterans an enviable hire. In particular, Petraeus praised the 2.5 million veterans who have served in the Middle East since 9/11, whom he called "the new Greatest Generation."

Petraeus oversaw military action in Iraq and Afghanistan for years after 9/11. He also commanded the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell from July 2002 to May 2004.

"If companies are looking for individuals who have leadership experience, who exemplify selfless service, who understand the importance of teamwork and who know what it takes to achieve results under tough conditions, then American veterans are what those companies need," he said. "Their sense of duty, their courage, their loyalty and their professional experience have not departed when they've taken off that uniform for the last time."

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin L. Hill, who served at Fort Campbell and in combat alongside Petraeus, acknowledged that some returning veterans face a litany of challenges, including post-traumatic stress disorder. But he stressed that those challenges shouldn't be seen as career enders.
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Nashville Double Amputee Rolling in Boston Marathon

Wounded Nashville vet in today's Boston Marathon
The Tennessean
Heidi Hall
April 21, 2014

(Photo: Photos by John Partipilo / The Tennessean )

What Marine-turned-marathoner Benjamin Maenza calls his arrogance, other people might call his valor. Or tenacity.

Or insanity.

Because Maenza finished his first marathon in 2011, only a year after an IED in Afghanistan efficiently shredded both his legs to above the knee. He used a handcycle to churn out those 26.2 miles without a day's training, and he was hooked.

At 9:22 a.m. today in Boston, the Lipscomb University student will start his seventh marathon. But this one will be like none he's finished before.

He will meet people who lost their limbs — not defending their nation overseas as he did, but because they simply wanted the exhilaration of running in the world's most famous marathon. Three people died and more than 250 were injured when a bomb exploded at the Boston Marathon finish line on April 15, 2013. Some survivors are expected back, some of them in handcycles such as Maenza's.
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Tracy Lawrence is playing a free show at Fort Hood Stadium

Country star to perform free show
Fort Hood Herald
Rose L. Thayer
Herald Staff
March 12, 2014

Country music star Tracy Lawrence is playing a free show at Hood Stadium on Thursday night as part of the Ben Hogan Foundation’s two-day appreciation event for military families.

The multiplatinum, award-winning recording artist has had 22 songs on the Billboard top 10 charts, 18 No. 1 singles and sold more than 13 million albums. Lawrence is best known for songs “Paint Me A Birmingham,” “Time Marches On,” “Alibis,” and “Find Out Who Your Friends Are.”

“I love the positive feel I get from military folks,” Lawrence said during a phone interview from his home in Nashville, Tenn. “They sacrifice a whole lot for us and it’s important for us to show we appreciate what they do and the sacrifice they make. I’m gone for weeks at a time periodically and that’s nothing compared to these folks who are gone for a year or two ... and to be in harm’s way at the same time. I have a lot of respect for them.”

This will be the first outside entertainer to host a show at the new venue.
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VA "center for innovation" officials resign after sex scandal

Veterans Affairs officials resign after promoting employee who used tax dollars for 'female companions,' sexted on VA computers
Washington Examiner
BY LOGAN PORTER
MARCH 10, 2014

Two senior executives at the Department of Veterans Affairs resigned in recent months after a high-level employee who was improperly hired admitted to having "sexted" on government-issued mobile devices and spent tax dollars to wine and dine "female companions" at bars, according to a newly released inspector general's report.

Jonah Czerwinski, former director of the VA Center for Innovation, failed to detail and supervise the senior-level position he had created for the benefit of the single unnamed employee, the inspector general found. He resigned last September to work for a private consulting firm.

Meanwhile, James Alan Bozeman, former program director for the Veterans Benefits Administration, stepped down in January. Bozeman had requested the unnamed employee, then working for the VA in Nashville, Tenn., be part of a VA technology initiative and introduced the employee to Czerwinski in May 2011, the Office of Inspector General said.

The “program analyst” position the man was given was never posted publicly, and a private link to the job application website was sent only to him.

That employee had previously worked on disability claims related to exposure to Agent Orange as a veteran services representative in Nashville prior to his promotion to the new position in July 2013.

In the months before the promotion, the employee was under investigation by the Office of Inspector General for misusing approximately $31,000 in travel funds and a contractor charge card.
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Criminal investigation a red flag for Fort Campbell suicides

Criminal investigation a red flag for Fort Campbell suicides
In an honor-driven environment, even the perception of wrongdoing can become a deadly scenario
The Leaf Chronicle
Phillip Grey
Jul. 15, 2013

CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — A review of 17 Fort Campbell suicide investigation reports showed no simple solution, no single factor that ties the cases together. However, there are clusters of incident triggers – a significant one being suspicion of criminal wrongdoing.

Several of Fort Campbell’s suicides were predominantly the result of a soldier being under investigation, either by military or civil authorities, for alleged criminal behavior, according to an analysis of the reports by The Leaf-Chronicle and news partner WSMV-TV, Channel 4 in Nashville.

Despite that the military knows how dangerous that situation is as a trigger for suicide, commanders and units of the soldiers were unable to prevent their deaths. In at least one case, they took no action despite being warned of the danger by the commanding general of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command.

In all three cases, the deaths were determined to be in the line of duty, due to the assessment that they acted impulsively under duress while not of sound mind.

This is not based solely on the opinion of investigators but a principle that applies in nearly every investigation of Army suicide.

AR 600-8-4, B-10, Rule 10 reads, “The law presumes that a mentally sound person will not commit suicide (or make a bona fide attempt to commit suicide). This presumption prevails until overcome by substantial evidence and a great weight of the evidence that supports any different conclusion.”

The final crash of a solid career came in July 2011 when the soldier was brought into an Orlando, Fla., hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Having been listed DFR, his death was one of the few not determined to be “line of duty.”
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Iraq veteran gets shock at CMA Music Festival

Home, finally
Lake Norman Citizen
Written by Lori Helms
26 June 2013

Iraqi war veteran's family receives mortgage-free home from local builder just in the nick of time.

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. -- Please don't cry on national television, please don't cry on national television ...

Ashley Wiley says that was the lone thought running on a silent loop in her brain one very surreal afternoon a few weeks ago.

She was really trying to hold it together, as the realization of what had just happened slowly dawned on her.

There she was, on stage at a CMA Music Festival concert in Nashville with country music star Kix Brooks, who had just announced she and her husband, retired Army Sgt. Ron Wiley, would receive a custom-built home through the nonprofit organization Operation FINALLY HOME in partnership with local builder Classica Homes. The home will be built in Huntersville in the Treasure Cove community.

"And then I cried on national television," she says.

Considering the sudden and monumental turn of events in the lives of her family that Sunday in early June, her tears of joy and relief — even on national television — are quite understandable, because to say things hadn't been easy the past few years would be an incredible understatement.

A 17-year Army veteran, her husband was injured during his second tour in Iraq in 2009. The Humvee he was driving struck an improvised explosive device, and as a result of the concussion from the blast, Sgt. Wiley suffered traumatic brain injury in addition to injuries to his spine. As if the extreme physical damage and resulting limitations were not enough, he also struggles with severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
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Next Stage Inc "founder" pleads guilty to grant theft meant for homeless veterans

Nashville woman who ran homeless veteran nonprofit pleads guilty to theft of VA grant money
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 02, 2013

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — A Nashville woman has pleaded guilty in federal court to making false claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs and diverting more than $360,000 in homeless veteran grants to her own personal use.

Birdie Anderson operated Next Stage Inc., a nonprofit that claimed to provide outreach and housing for homeless veterans.
read more here

The report from last year is still active.

Local Charity Accused Of Misusing Federal Grant Money
Posted: May 16, 2012
By Ben Hall
Investigative Reporter

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Nearly a third of homeless people in Nashville are veterans.

That's one reason the federal government gave a local charity hundreds of thousands of dollars to open a shelter for veterans.

But an exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation reveals the money is gone and no shelter is operating.

Federal agents raided a home on Kendall Park Drive in Antioch in February.

They were hoping to find out what happened to hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money that was supposed to help homeless veterans.

Last week NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked a man who answered the door at the home, "Do you know what happened to the grant money?"

"Nope," the man replied through a cracked door.

Minutes later he closed the door and refused to answer any more questions.

Birdie Anderson operated her charity, Next Stage, out of the home.

Anderson received nearly $400,000 in federal grant money from the Department of Veteran's Affairs to help homeless women veterans.

But now that money is gone, and there is no shelter.
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Marine Dad stands watch over Nashville Elementary School

UPDATE Accused Marine faker ‘deeply sorry’ for copying Pritchard.

Marine father stands watch at Nashville elementary school
KCTV.com
Posted: Dec 18, 2012
Reported by Jeremy Finley
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV)

In the wake of the Newtown, CT, shooting, many parents are wondering what they can do to keep their children safe at school.

That is why one Nashville father decided that if anyone was going to keep watch of his kids and their teachers, it would be him.

With no armed police and no metal detectors at Gower Elementary, there is just Staff Sgt. Jordan Pritchard.

"I feel like this is something I had to do," he said.

Like so many parents, Pritchard asked himself 'what can I do?' after 26 people - including 20 children - were shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

His answer was to take his kids to school at Gower, then just stand out front, in full Marine uniform, and watch for any suspicious activity.

Calling him a guard is a bit of a stretch. He's not official security and he has no weapon.

"What this uniform represents, the hope it brings, is larger than any weapon that I would ever need," Pritchard said.

The sight, alone, of a Marine standing in the front of the school, watching everyone who comes in, is providing a sense of security for many in the community.

"I said, 'Boy, you don't know how much better I feel having you standing here,'" said school parent Billy Hester.

"It's awfully sad that we're at this state - that you no longer can feel safe about your children walking into a building. But that's where we are now," said Gower Principal Barbara Frazier.

Pritchard, who is the father of two Gower students, said he will stand watch at least until the holiday break.

He said he would like to see other veterans come to their children's schools in uniform just to provide an extra sense of security.
read more here and watch video report

Double amputee Afghanistan veteran "marathon man"

Marine Who Lost Legs at War Finds Success at Marathons
ABC News
By Matthew Jaffe
Oct 8, 2012
When more than 38,000 competitors set off Sunday at the Chicago marathon, few of them likely had a more incredible journey to the start line than Ben Maenza.

Maenza, a Marine lance corporal, lost both his legs two years ago when they were blown off by a bomb in Afghanistan, weeks after his deployment there had begun.

To find out how you can “stand up for heroes,” visit our special section.

But instead of losing his competitive nature, Maenza was fueled by his injuries. Using a hand bike, he has now competed in multiple marathons and even ridden across the country from Florida to California.

“People think you can’t do stuff like that without your legs, so being out there and proving that you can and making it happen, it’s really gratifying,” Maenza, 24, said in a phone interview from his hometown of Nashville, Tenn.

That motivation to succeed on his bike came at a crucial time for Maenza.

After leaving Afghanistan, he spent a year and a half in rehabilitation at the Walter Reed Medical Center outside of Washington, D.C. It was there that he started talking to Achilles International, a group that helps athletes with disabilities.
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Stephen Cochran, wounded veteran, sings Pieces for others with PTSD

Stephen Cochran's new song helps PTSD sufferers
Posted: May 28, 2012
Reported By Roxanna Haynes, Reporter
NASHVILLE, Tenn.

U.S. Marine turned country singer Stephen Cochran nearly took his own life after returning home from war four years ago.

Through the message in his new song, "Pieces", Cochran hopes to help other veterans going through the same thing.

The lyrics of the song demonstrate the struggles veterans' face with post traumatic stress disorder.

"We hope to touch the people out there and save some lives. If we save two or three people, that's two or three people that wouldn't be here before this message," said Cochran, who left his music career to fight overseas but got injured in Afghanistan.

"I was paralyzed from the waist down," he continued. "They told me I've never walk again I thought this dream that I had would never happen."

When he returned home, Cochran suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder and was on the brink of suicide.
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