Prayer & Breakfast

I went out to join the brethren at Forest Hill Baptist Church this past weekend for their Saturday early morning breakfast and was awakened with some coffee and a wonderful little prayer. Their minister reminded us of the "unseen guest" at every meal or meeting or gathering of any type. The biscuits and gravy and fellowship were extra good but I for one have kept coming back all week to visualize that unseen guest who watches over us as we meet each other: knowing each of us, loving us in spite of our failings, and smiling at our preoccupation with the things of this world.

Blount County Education Initiative

The Hilton hosted a gathering tonight for a combination of educators, business professionals and community leaders who were present to learn about the Blount County Education Initiative. Two things really sunk in for me. First, this group is dedicated to a forward thinking vision of the educational needs of the children of this community. Let's make sure we do whatever it takes to help our children become productive citizens in tomorrow's global economy. Second, the statistics we have been using to assure ourselves that our children are doing well in school may not be accurate. In fact, some of the statistics offered were down right scary. If over one third of high schoolers are dropping out, not only won't they have decent jobs but quite a few of them will end up in our criminal justice system.

League of Women Voters

This past week the Blount County League of Women Voters sponsored an informative program called "Selecting State and Local Judges: Election, Appointment, or Other Alternatives?" Former State Supreme Court Justice Penny White and Dr. Stephens led the presentation and discussion. When the question nearest and dearest to my heart was asked "How do intelligent voters make a decision about their choice between judicial candidates?" , I noted this reply from Professor White: "Look at the qualifications, the education and the trial experience and look at the character of the individual, their patience and work ethic." The moderators went on to say that comparing and campaigning on partisan politics was in their opinion wrong. "You do not want a Judge who is a Know-it-all; you want a Judge who will defer to the law and not their personal beliefs."

Veterans, Sacrifice and Perspective

Three recent events remind me of the sacrifice that others have made in service to our country and this community. First, I visited the Disabled American Veterans group and was much impressed with their optimism. They are looking forward to a better future for this country while forever joined by the memory of their past sacrifice. My father was a member of that greatest generation of Americans who fought in World War II and returned home to join their spouses in building this country into an economic giant. One of the DAV remembered my dad as a young lawyer in the 1940s. A second event, put me face to face with a man who in 1938 witnessed the deadly violence which accompanied the unionization of the Aluminium Company of America. He was a child and his father was a Union leader and the memories of dynamite bombings, the siege of the Union Hall and the neighborhood men sleeping on his porch to protect his family remain vivid. The pride over his father's bravery is still evident after sixty years. The third event occurred when I recently had the privilege of excusing a young Iraq War Veteran from jury duty for medical reasons. The young man approached the front of the jury pool room ready to serve but still visibly unsteady from the effects of the war. May God bless all of our fellow citizens who show up in service of their country and their beliefs.

The official Blount County Republican Party Website dramatically states that removing me from the Judgeship in which I am so diligently working to serve all of Blount County affects the future. In fact, about beating me, the website says: "Our future depends on it." I am not sure to whom the "our" refers, but I am certain that my working to be fair and impartial in every aspect of a judicial job does not jeopardize anyone's future. My opponent retains his Sessions Court Judgeship if he loses in the election. The County has a more balanced Government if I win and one more lawyer if I lose. Where's the beef? Each time I want to complain about the sacrifice which politics require, I vow to remember those others who have been asked and have given above and beyond the call of duty.

Daughters of the American Revolution

Sometimes we get preconceived notions about people and organizations from the slightest bit of misinformation and never know what we've been missing. Forty some years ago my mom told me that she had been unsuccessful in establishing our ancestral heritage to gain admittance to the DAR. If I remember correctly she traced her side of our family back to the side of the British in the Revolutionary War. In any event this slight bit of childhood information made me believe that the DAR was not the best of organizations. After all these years, I stand corrected.

The DAR is a "non-profit, non-political volunteer women's service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America's future through better education for children." I had the good fortune recently to see our local chapter in action giving awards to high school seniors and was much impressed with their mission and meeting. One of the major roles of the organization is to promote the guiding princiles upon which this country was founded. As far as I'm concerned we don't have enough understanding and appreciation for those ideas and any organization which is actively promoting them has to be commended. The beauty and brilliance of our jury system, our constitutional rights and our freedom in this country cannot be celebrated enough. Here's to the DAR and its volunteers for all you do!

Winter Heritage Festival

The Dancing Bear Lodge in Townsend hosted the kickoff reception for the Winter Heritage Festival. The event warmed up in the entrance hall to the majestic lodge with hor douerves that served more like a meal than a snack, and the mingling was followed by a presentation by Bill Landry the host of the Heartland Series. Landry, who seems like the best guy in the world on the tv series, is the same, even better, in-person. The real man has not only true stories to tell of this place and its past, but he also has more wisdom and wit than the television will allow. Plus, he and his wife, who is every bit as charming as her husband, have moved to Blount County. Talk about incentive for this community to move into the future while preserving our past. Heaven forbid Bill and his bride would have to move to Monroe County to find a decent place to live at the foot of the Smokies.

Appreciation

This past weekend I had the privilege of seeing some firstline police work and I came away with a better understanding of just what we ask our officers to do.

"Go out into the midst of trouble wherever and whenever it is found and sort it out! If someone needs to go to jail, you take them; if someone needs to go home, you tell them; if someone is going to get hurt in the process, it very well may be you, so watch out for yourself, your fellow officers and the public who for the most part won't even know you're there."

Thankfully the men and women who do this job like it and have the dedication, judgment and guts to make the rest of us a lot safer in our cars, our homes and our businesses.