JAMES MADISON QUOTE - 1822

"A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives."

SCOTTSBORO WEATHER - SUN & MOON RISE

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Ten Commandment Display/Historical Documents Display - Agreement with the Liberty Institute for Legal Services Released - November 17, 2014 County Commission Work Session

Photo by G. Morgan of the Jackson County Commission immediately after swearing in of the new commissioners - Commissioners from left to Right - Commissioner Venable, Commissioner Ledwell, Chair of the Commission Matthew Hodges, Commissioner Guffey, Commissioner Miller

All articles on this blog regarding the County Commission Ten commandments Issue are listed at the end of this article.

Secrecy - Documents Released by County Commission Chair
The commission has participated in secret meetings to discuss the issue about the Ten Commandments. Reasonable members of the commission have stated this secrecy will not occur in the future. The commission held a secret meeting with the Liberty Institute to facilitate an agreement for legal representation. I requested verbally that the agreement between the commission and the Liberty Institute be released, the county attorney stated it was not a releasable document. I submitted an official public documents request earlier in the month, the agreement document was released by the Commission Chair last week. 

AGREEMENT FOR LEGAL SERVICES BETWEEN THE JACKSON COUNTY COMMISSION & THE LIBERTY INSTITUTE 
(click on image for an expanded view)
The document has been signed by both parties according to the Commission Chair.

Video in which Mr. Guffey made his statement that the Ten Commandments are one of the founding documents of our nation, He further states if the Commandments were removed our nation "would be a totally different country..." He says, "We have gotten away from what this country was founded on. If we want to return our country back to what made her great we must start at the local level. It is time for the majority to make a stand on what made this country great." 

PROBLEMS in Mr. Guffey's Ideology
Apparently Mr. Guffey does not realize we are not a Democracy, the majority do not rule; in a Republic we are a government of laws. A Democracy is a rabble of lawless individuals wishing to impose their wishes on the minority. Is it the intentions of Mr. Guffey and the Alabama Republican Party to return us to a time of Jim Crow?

 The Ten Commandments are not part of the founding documents of this nation and never have been. Members of our county commission were elected to represent the people and conduct the peoples BUSINESS of Jackson County on the County Commission and support the Constitution of the United States and the State of Alabama. Commissioners were not elected to determine what made our nation great or interject the political platform of the Alabama Republican Party. Relating to the Ten Commandments issue, it is a scheme and ruse of trickery to support hidden political agendas relating to National Health Care and Immigration Reform.

Republican Party purpose: Issue in the legislature - http://blog.al.com/wire/2014/02/things_i_learned_during_the_al.html  The issue did not pass in the 2014 Alabama Legislative session. Republican theocrats have resolved to bring the issue back up at the next session in 2015. More on the strategy - the maskirovka, why: Shrewd political strategy - for the promise of tax cuts for the rich is hardly an effective platform for rallying the Republican Party base in a midterm election year. The promise of the Ten Commandments, however, is how you get a person without healthcare to vote for the party whose platform is based on repealing the Affordable Care Act.  Read More at: http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/how-hyper-religious-political-stunts-republicans-keeps-their-voters-captive

 This right wing extremist theocratic ideology is a dangerous ideology which stands to diminish our county, state and nation.  I am offended that one of our county's elected officials thinks our nation needs to return to a time when we were great. What time does Mr. Guffey wish to return us to, a time of Jim Crow when  ignorance was perpetrated by racists and fascist like extremist in political power who murdered minority peoples and burned crosses as a sign of racial & religious purity as the psychopathic Ku Klux Klan leadership saw it; maybe Mr. Guffey wishes to return us to a time before our first Black President was elected?  

Secret meeting between the Commission and Liberty Institute


All articles on this blog about the Ten Commandments issue before the Jackson County Commission:  http://arklite.blogspot.com/search/label/Ten%20Commandment%20Displays


November 17, 2014 County Commission Work Session

VIDEO

Friday, November 7, 2014

TVA Quarterly Board of Directors Meeting at Nashville, Tn., Citizen Comments - Tree Cutting Issue Continues, TVA Intimidation? - November 6, 2014



Thursday, November 6, 2014 was the regular quarterly Board of Directors Meeting. This board meeting was held at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville. Board of Directors page, meeting video archives, future meeting schedule and bios on TVA's Board of Directors may be found at  http://www.tva.com/abouttva/board/index.htm

                                        NEWS ARTICLES
Chattanooga Times Free Press article - TVA CEO Bill Johnson gets raise. "TVA directors today voted to boost the pay of CEO Bill Johnson, already the highest paid federal employee in America, up by $1 million in salary and performance payments. TVA Chairman Joe Ritch said Bill Johnson, who was paid a total compensation package in fiscal 2013 valued at $5.9 million in cash and retirement benefits, is still underpaid for his performance."  http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2014/nov/06/tva-directors-giving-ceo-bill-johnson-1-million-ra/?breakingnews
TVA's  CEO is highest paid federal employee: http://timesfreepress.com/news/2014/nov/07/tva-boosts-ceo-payjohnson-already-highest-paid/?breakingnews
                                       

                                         MEETING AGENDA

VIDEOS 
  
LISTENING SESSION - CITIZEN PRESENTATIONS TO THE BOARD

Tree Cutting Issue - Citizens have been complaining about TVA's heavy handed tactics concerning tree cutting for many years.  Citizen Testimony reveals allegations in which the TVA or their contractors may be violating law or TVA policy as described -  intimidation by Right of Way Management; cutting of trees outside of line boundary; improper use of herbicides; poisoning of water sources; destruction of environment resulting in erosion and destruction of private property: contractors use of untrained and/or illegal labor for application of herbicides; cutting trees which fell on power lines.




Renewable - Sustainable Energy and Energy Efficiency vs Coal and Nuclear Power
TVA continues to insist that nuclear power is clean energy. This is a dangerous false mantra due to  deadly, highly radioactive used nuclear fuel which must be safely and securely stored for centuries. Nuclear power is an expensive, high risk energy alternative. 



EXCERPTS FROM THE DIRECTORS MEETING

CEO Statement

CFO Statement



Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Jackson County Commission Work Session - November 3, 2014

Jackson County Courthouse, south side (photo by G. Morgan)

Jackson County Commission meeting schedule change for November 10, 17 and December 1, 2014 - meeting times moved to 3:00PM on each date. Citizen Comment on 10 Commandments, Holiday Schedule, Disaster Mitigation Grant, Road Closure Policy due to inclement weather among other issue discussions.

AGENDA

VIDEO

November 4, 2014 Election Results - Courtesy WAFF

State Senate District 8
100% OF PRECINCTS REPORTING
>Steve Livingston (R)24,27272%
Horace Clemmons (D)9,31028%


State House District 23
100% OF PRECINCTS REPORTING
>Tommy Hanes (R)5,47357%
John Robinson (D / Inc.)4,13243%


Jackson Co. Rev. Commissioner
95% OF PRECINCTS REPORTING
Jeff Arnold (D)6,42456%
Kathy Thompson (R)4,97244%
OTHER RESULTS COURTESY OF WAFF:  http://www.waff.com/category/244854/election-results

Scottsboro City Council Organizational Meeting and Work Session November 3, 2014


Monday, November 3, 2014 was an Organizational Meeting of the Scottsboro City Council after the newly elected officials, see agenda below,  were sworn into office. Immediately following the organizational meeting a work session took place. The agendas are posted below. Please note the 3 important work session topics discussed: 1) New Pawn Shop Ordinances; 2) Dog Park (see photos and diagram below) There was no discussion as to costs. 3) Brownwood School American Heritage Day.

AGENDA of ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING

VIDEO


AGENDA of WORK SESSION


VIDEO OF WORK SESSION



DOG PARK INFO

Proposed Rules

Dog Park Diagram at area near Bynum Park