By Steve Hunley
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, perhaps the most outspoken anti-Semite in Congress and erstwhile member of the Democrat “Squad”, has issued a new jeremiad calling for “no more” policing.  Tlaib declared policing in the United States is “inherently and intentionally racist.”  This coming from a rabid anti-Semite.  Pot, meet kettle.  Tlaib called the shooting of Daunte Wright no accident and announced, “I am done with those who condone government funded murder.”  When asked if Old Joe Biden “disavows” Congresswoman Tlaib’s position, all press spokesperson Jen Psaki could muster was a meek and mild disclaimer Biden doesn’t share the congresswoman’s position.  As far as disavowals go, it was like the shadow of a crow that starved to death at night.  “No more policing, incarceration, and militarization,” Tlaib bellowed.  “It can’t be reformed.”

Now the self-proclaimed prophets of understanding who claim they alone understand the nuances of city politics all opine the City of Knoxville is Democratic.  Well, the challengers to City Council incumbents would be wise to ask just what kind of Democrats are the incumbent Council members.  Keep in mind, as a member of the United States Senate Joe Biden was second to none in his support for the police.   Unfortunately, I don’t believe that Joe Biden is still alive inside the shell of what remains of our Chief Executive.  Still, none of the Council incumbents shouldn’t have any trouble whatever enunciating just what kind of Democrat they are.  Congressman Jim Clyburn, who is, incidentally, Black, has issued a statement telling Rashida we have to have police.  The Biden disavowal is no disavowal at all.  If the “mainstream” Democrats are afraid to differ from the socialists and Marxists who have taken over their party, what is the difference?  There are two declared socialists sitting on the Knoxville City Council at the moment; Amelia Parker and Seems Singh.  Singh’s district voted about evenly between Old Joe Biden and President Trump, yet they have a socialist as a councilwoman?  If folks start paying attention to what is going on inside the city, some of these folks wouldn’t be in office any longer.  The question is: do these “moderates” vote any different than the extremists like Amelia Parker and David Hayes?  If not, does it really matter which of them is elected?

The latest events at Austin–East underscore the need for better policing.

Mayor Indya Kincannon had approached superintendent of Knox County Schools Bob Thomas several months ago about withdrawing the Knoxville Police Department officers who work security in the school system.  Kincannon quietly asked if Thomas had any objection to the idea.  Thomas did indeed have an objection, citing his promise to do all he could to make schools as safe as possible.  The more folks who find out Indya was trying to take those officers out of the school, the less likely they are to be impressed.  Have the members of the city council objected to that, or for that matter, anything else Indya has or has not done?  Of course not.  We need to know how a student smuggled a gun into the high school and school officials are going to have some explaining to do.

Indya and the city council members have allocated $1 million to address “gun violence” in Knoxville. $75,000 of that has gone to Andre Canty of Cities United.  Canty tweeted, “Re Austin-East today: Hug your kids, use self-care, limit social media, know you don’t have to have the right answers.”  Canty’s statement sums up how a great many folks feel.

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Some of the council incumbents are beginning to kick off their campaigns and Lauren Rider has complained about mailers sent to some residents about her record.  Of course Lauren is taking credit for every single job that has occurred, including those from Amazon, when she was responsible for cutting that project back.  Before the election is over, doubtless Rider will claim credit for having invented the COVID-19 vaccine and acknowledge she and Al Gore created the Internet together.

There is plenty to criticize in the records of the council incumbents and the council and mayor have been treated rather gently by most local news media outlets, especially as compared to county officials.  A great deal of attention has been paid to the “great masking debate” surrounding the Knox County Board of Health and Dr. Martha Buchanan, especially by the Knoxville News-Sentinel.  Yet it was also the News-Sentinel who published a gallery of startling photographs of UT students enjoying the city’s vibrant nightlife during the worst of the COVID crisis when Knox County was one of the Corona virus hot spots in the country.  Yet the Kincannon administration and the members of the Knoxville City Council largely escaped scrutiny by the News-Sentinel and local TV stations, who seem to not realize what is or isn’t a story without the guidance of the News-Sentinel.  For all the squalling and hand-wringing and crying by the folks insisting everyone be masked like a mummy – – – most of whom oddly seemed to live inside the City of Knoxville – – – who pointed fingers trembling with indignation and horror at County Commissioner Kyle Ward – – – they hypocritically failed to pay the slightest attention to what was or was not occurring inside the City.  They ignored that the good Dr. Buchanan uttered not a word of recrimination about the City government’s failure to do a blessed thing about enforcing social distancing or wearing masks.  Gyms were closed while the city allows students to roam their favorite night spots unmolested.  Nor did the august members of the Knox County Board of Health, some of whom thought the board ought to try and expand its authority beyond the borders of Knox County.

Once again, where exactly was the hottest COVID-19 spot in Knox County when the county was one of the reddest coronavirus hot spots in the country?  Why, the University of Tennessee, of course!  Right smack dab in the center of the City of Knoxville, yet neither Dr. Buchanan, nor the Board of Health uttered so much as a peep to warn or urge city officials to enforce social distancing and wearing masks as students gathered at night spots without doing either.  Oh, the City eventually made some half-hearted efforts to chastise some smaller businesses, but the fact is the nightlife largely continued, the liquor flowed while restaurants languished under the smaller capacity.

One restaurant owner hasn’t taken that lying down and Jim Klonaris is off to a good start in his campaign for the Knoxville City Council.  Klonaris has raised a hefty $45,000 so far and promises to give Lauren Rider a run for her money.  She’ll have to invent a few more things to take credit for before the campaign is over.

The great masking debate seems to have played itself out as the Knox County Board of Education has voted unanimously, 9 – 0, to sunset the masking policy in August of this year if things remain the same.  The board can always revisit the policy should things change.  More and more people are receiving their vaccinations.