Lemme get this straight...

Tennessee lawmakers are often espousing "freedom" (like the freedom from having to wear a helmet while driving a motorcycle), and making Tennessee friendly to business. Big, bad government is the new Red Scare from the Tea Party, which has a comfy home here in our state.

But when it comes to allowing businesses like Kroger and Food City to carry wine, Tennessee lawmakers have consistently voted on the side of Big Government Intervention policies. It goes to show you the difference between actual principles and the kind of lip service politicians give those principles when faced with the harsh reality of economics in their home districts.

Keep in mind this law would merely allow the referendums -- it will still be up to every city or municipality to enact it individually -- so that'll clearly save us all taxpayer dollars.

And yes, this will disrupt liquor stores' business. If you are truly in favor of a free market, you will allow those businesses to adapt to the competitive pressure.

Unless you're some big government Socialist, of course.

The definition of unbelievable: Whatever Burchett and McIntyre say

It appears some people aren't buying the mere words dribbling out of Jim McIntyre's mouth. In fact, some people who happen to know better want to actually know the facts! That's refreshing. Jamie Satterfield for the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports that some leaders of the Public Building Authority are warning that what McIntyre has said about security at local schools may be downright untrue.

I mean, it's hard to imagine that mere days after Newtown all of our schools were audited, examined, prioritized, fixed (up to an unknown standard that doesn't exist)... and then parents got an email or phone call telling them everything is just fine.

This is a classic story of the Emperor telling his people he is wearing clothes of the finest order when he is, in fact, completely nude in public.

This is all so stupid. I can't remember if McIntyre lived here when a nutjob sauntered in to the Unitarian church on Kingston Pike and shot the place up and murdered several innocent people and scarred for life dozens more... but is that the kind of tragedy in a school that it will take for him and the local authorities to actually take this seriously? It's really sad that people work this way.

I thought this was a man of science and reason, but it appears he's just as political and desirous of a culture of "cover your ass" like every politician. It's enough to make me consider homeschooling at this point. Our local schools are NOT secure, there is NO clear standard baseline for security and the administration seems more intent on lying to the public than actually fixing things.

Please note that I am *not* indicating a desire to see a school shooting if it makes things safer. I am lamenting the fact that people seem to only get worried when bad things happen -- and yet a bad thing happened and no one here seems honestly intent on making necessary changes that have been requested for years. Not Burchett, not McIntyre... only parents, PTA and now the building authority. This is madness.

A quick review of Knox Mason

I happened to be on the 100 block of Gay Street the other night, saw Knox Mason only about a third full and decided to try my luck. I sat at the bar and was quickly served a delicious local beer. Mason's menu is an interesting one...

I started with deviled eggs, a Southern staple. They were light on the rooster sauce (aka sriracha), but the relish on top was quite evenly balanced with the milder egg filling -- that's not easy to do. I should have not had the eggs, because I filled up quickly.

The entree was absolutely divine, and one of the best dishes I've ever had, ever (this includes extensive eating in France, New York and San Francisco). I ordered the pork confit entree and added some macaroni and cheese as an extra side.

A generous helping of sweet potato puree lay under three perfectly prepared slices of pork confit. This is not easy, as the pork had actual meat in it, and wasn't just fat. The pork itself was simply some of the best pork I've had, let alone confit.

Atop the pork were some wedges of apple, prepared much like fried apples but with less sugar, allowing some of the tartness of the apples to shine through. I probably should have asked what type of apples they were, but I was too busy allowing the pork confit to melt in my mouth...

The mac and cheese was good, and I like how it came in an iron pan, searing parts and lending them that distinctive savory richness you get from iron baking. That said, they were good but paled in comparison to the entree.

The sweet potatoes were almost perfect, frankly. The pork was impeccably prepared. The apples were anticlimactic but only due to the other components of the meal being so outstanding. I thought I could eat no more by the end, especially after finishing my mac and cheese, but then I tried something I rarely do: I trusted the staff to choose something for me.

As I had sat at the bar, the bartender was serving me. I asked if one of their cocktails would match up with the banana pudding, and he said he'd make something that did. I think it was basically a mudslide, but it was quite excellent and definitely went with the sweet marshmallow-heavy banana pudding.

The pudding itself was pretty normal (for some reason I'm fond of the gloppy cafeteria style pudding), but the marshmallow topping was a little magical. It was just the right consistency, and a cook's torch had lightly toasted it around the top.

All of this plus tip (and I tip well) cost less than $60. That's a beer, a cocktail, appetizer, meal and dessert for one. Given the quality of the food, which is on par with any major metropolitan area, I think that's a pretty good value.

"There are some things the school system can't provide"

That's a quote from school board member Indya Kincannon (who happens to be the rep for my kids' school district) in the News-Sentinel... and she is being asked about security issues.

So is she saying that Knox County can't provide door locks for schools? Hey, why provide a school, even? Why not make kids sit in the middle of the interstate huddled next to piles of burning, banned books and learn that way?

If the County isn't supposed to be providing locks on the doors of the facilities our kids go to school in, exactly what else are they NOT supposed to be providing? Because I see a slippery slope to just ditching public education here.

After all, if there are no school there's no security problem!

Wake up, Knoxville parents

Apparently there's a large group of parents around here who wish to put their collective heads in the sand and pretend our schools are not "soft targets." I'm guessing they only know this term from NCIS or other cop shows on TV or cable news networks, neither of which provide a great definition.

It's a pretty simple definition for "soft target," however:
A person or thing that is relatively unprotected or vulnerable, esp. to military or terrorist attack.

There's also this handy post on a blog sponsored by Insure.com which discusses a number of measures for "hardening" a "soft target" and it is directly talking about a school. Which, without proper security IS A SOFT TARGET.

So parents can go right ahead pretending all is well with the world, but that won't challenge the people who claim to be our leaders, who eagerly take our tax money for their payment, to HARDEN SECURITY at all of our schools, not just the newest or those in the most affluent districts.

Knox County doesn't actually care about school security after all

Despite this quote from Knox County mayor Tim Burchett (on Channel 8's site):
"Kids safety is paramount. It's the number one thing that we have to be concerned about"

Dr. McIntyre said that all security systems are functioning. Of course, what he neglected to say was that for schools with NO security system, the county will not be installing one.

[School redacted] Elementary has no security system. When the school asked the county for one, the funding was denied. When the school asked if the county would match fundraising dollars, this too was denied.

So is the safety of my children paramount? I guess not. 

Luckily we're in the middle of a fundraiser, and instead of that money going to other needs the school's parents and teachers are left to pick up the tab.

Because politicians lie, administrators look the other way and parents have to fend for themselves.

I plan to give as much as I can, because even though my kids won't be there much longer, it is in the best interests of my community to provide a security system for the elementary school.

I wish our so-called "leaders" felt the same.

Can Knox Mason survive?

Recently Ashley Capps tried to eat there, was told they didn't take reservations but was also told it'd be easy to get a table after 9. He shows up at 9:30 and the kitchen is closed.

The restaurant states it is open until 11pm.

If only Knoxville restaurants had a clue, they might stay in business more than 2 years.

(Of course we have restaurants that are wildly successful but time and time again I see restaurants with great ambitions fail at the most basic things. Like staying open.)