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Posts Tagged ‘chamber of commerce’

Chamber conducts “private” meeting about Common Core, parents forced to stand outside and protest

In Uncategorized on November 19, 2013 at 6:15 PM

Chamber conducts “private” meeting about Common Core, parents forced to stand outside and protest

11/19/2013

A protest is planned this Friday as once again a closed meeting is being conducted inside a taxpayer funded (yes the COC is partially funded with taxpayer revenue) venue about Common Core away from the general public.

If this does not convince you that something sinister is happening you will never be convinced of it. This is the second time in as many weeks that “private” meetings are being held and the public is not being invited about Common Core.

It is obvious that this is a deliberate attempt to slide an agenda into place without parent or school board influence or input. Corporatism and Nationalism of our schools are one of the biggest mistakes that can be made that affects our children.

The subversive and covert actions by these sinister organizations with a hidden agenda is surely enough to convince you that something is up and you are not supposed to know about it.

Here is a support letter from the Chamber of Commerce as it relates to Common Core. 

Corporate America and Big expansive Government is now running the show and the direction of our schools. School board influence is dwindling and parents can no longer direct decision making. This is a very sad statement.

Click to access StatementK12USChamberofCommerce.pdf

A message from Karen Bracken of Tennessee Against Common Core, tnacc.net .

Friends,
 
On Friday, November 22, 2013 the Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce will be conducting a closed meeting for members only about Common Core with representatives from SCORE.  We plan to conduct an anti-Common Core rally outside the meeting.
 
We are speaking with Channel 12 and Times Free Press to cover the rally.  SO PLEASE grab your neighbors and join us on Friday, at 8:30am.   We suggest parking by Starbucks.  We will all gather there and then walk to the area where we will conduct our rally (the Chamber office is located in the same shopping center as Starbucks).   LETS SEND A HUGE LOUD message to the Chamber and to SCORE.
 
The Cleveland Starbucks is located at 653 West Inman St., Cleveland, TN.   Throw a coat on the kids and bring them with you.
 
Please share this information with neighbors, friends and relatives in the Bradley County area that might be interested in supporting our efforts.  Thanks.
 
Karen Bracken
http://www.tnacc.net
http://www.americadontforget.com
215-692-2147

Brymer Creek muddy, residents see clearly the impact of Sustainable Development on our environment.

In Uncategorized on July 7, 2013 at 9:58 AM

Brymer Creek muddy again as residents see clearly the impact of Sustainable Development on our environment.

Once again the creeks are muddy as rural development progresses and the City of Cleveland presses on to build another Industrial Park in rural Cleveland Tennessee. Bradley County Tennessee has been dealt another heavy blow to the quality of our life.

The Chamber of Commerce and it’s many elected representatives that are pushing sustainable development  in our community need to hear from you about the steps they are taking that is leading to the corrosion of our city. Big  money, cronyism and greed are driving this decline in our quality of life.

Muddy runoff from an Industrial park is once again destroying our beautiful landscape and endangering the citizens of Bradley County Tennessee.

Poor inspections, careless contractors, speedy destruction and excavation of hundreds of acres of wooded land is promoting the  pollution of Brymer Creek.

The citizens of Bradley County have seen enough! Big Government forced upon us by hapless unelected bureaucrats must stop. It is time they listen to the citizenry.

Help save Brymer Creek, help save Bradley County! Stop the destruction of our land and its infrastructure.

Contact your Cleveland City Councilman,  Bradley County Commissioners, Chamber of Commerce, State Representative Kevin Brooks and Eric Watson, Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, State Senator Mike Bell and Todd Gardenhire and Governor Bill Haslam.

TDEC has been contacted. Several elected officials are seeking information as we speak. More on this as the story unfolds.

Channel 12 News and the Cleveland Daily Banner have expressed a desire to cover this story soon.

Videos of the muddy creeks:

Contact your elected and non elected reps and demand something be done and NOW!

Huge Industrial Park funding vote set for Monday

In Uncategorized on December 1, 2012 at 2:36 PM

On Monday, December 3rd, 2012, 7pm at the Bradley County Courthouse in Cleveland Tennessee there will be a vote on a MOA, a Memorandum of Agreement for initial funding for the Spring Branch Industrial Park off exit 20.

The City, the County and Cleveland Utilities will be chipping in about 2 million dollars each up front just for the purchase of this property that was bought by a local businessman and a bargain price and selling it to the taxpayer at around a 600 percent profit.

Many things stink about the purchase of the property and that can be discussed in future blogs, but the message today is we cannot afford this vast industrial park and it’s many amenities and kickbacks to several involved.

Please plan to attend this meeting before the County Commission. We must hold our elected representatives to task when they waste and spend our hard earned tax dollars.

We cannot afford another drain on our economy. We as a county are broke. We cannot continue to spend and spend and expect to stay afloat.

Many have already committed to being there. Grab a friend and haul them down to the courthouse to participate in saving our local economy.

Call your commissioners, mayors and council men and women and tell them you do not want a huge industrial park in your community that will further drain your bank account.

http://www.bradleyco.net/ccomm_agendas.aspx

UN’s Millenium Development Goals: Ushering in the Antichrist and One World Religion?

In Uncategorized on September 12, 2012 at 9:06 AM

We are living in perilous times. The economy is bad, the future looks bleak, poor people are lined up around the block in every soup kitchen in the US, homeless are strewn all over our city streets, the housing market has imploded leaving many with their only hope of recovery is to reach out to God almighty and his appointed leaders for help.

The poor, the middle class and quite frankly the upper income earners are having to tighten their belts just to make ends meet in todays economy.

Families are looking for help. Three meals and a cot are your most basic needs and even those are difficult to attain.

Who can help us? Who can get us back on our feet? The government? The Church? The United Nations?

This overwhelming “global poverty” dilemma is sadly being approached by all three of the aforementioned entitities and in partnership with each other.

The vehicle is Agenda 21 and the United Nations Millenium Development Goals or MDG’s abbreviated.

What can be bad about assisting the poor? Churches and spiritual leaders have done it for centuries. Why do they need to associated with the UN to continue this mission quest? Did the system of helping your poor and afflicted all of a sudden break down and is no longer functional? Why are we seeing the UN now cry out to our elected and spiritual leaders for help in eradicating poverty? I believe the answer is simple. There is an alternative motive to our religious leaders linking up with the UN. Continue reading and my intent is to show you the untold story.

We are arguably seeing the end of our society as we know it come to an end. The culmination of these combined efforts to not only stamp out poverty but implement Agenda 21 into every community in the world is the catalyst.

I believe we are witnessing the development and genesis of a “One World Government”, a “New World Order” and a “One World Religion” under the complete control of the United Nations and they are relying on our gratitude and servitude to achieve their deviant plan.

The eight Millennium Development Goals that came out of the UN Millenium Summitt in 2000 and again in 2010 is one leg of a many legged beast that will eventually lead to World Dominance by the United Nations over every facet of our existence.

The MDG’s are a direct initiative of the UN from the international program known as Agenda 21, specifically Chapter 3 of the 40 chapter plan to completely morph our world into a Socialist, Marxist Communistic and Godless society run by elitist with no other goal than the elimination of a sovereign and free people.

Before you tune me out and decide that this will never happen take a look around you and see that even locally, in your community, many of the MDG and Agenda 21 goals have been implemented and many more are on the way and have already occurred. I have taken the liberty to step outside a narrow minded thought process to piece the whole puzzle together. Before you take offense to what I am saying consider my motivation. My goal and many know this, my children and their children and in fact your children will be living in this environment that is being created by our esteemed religious leaders. I can’t bare to leave this to my lineage. The attacks on me because of my stances are certain to come and will come from those involved and those that usually have something to hide or have come to the conclusion that what I am saying is unfounded without researching it themselves. I am really ok with this. I sleep very well at night knowing that I have at least drawn attention to a very sinister plight.

Agenda 21 via the MDG’ is insidious and admittedly clever. The actions of the UN are enticing, prolonged and consistent. Who doesn’t want to see poor people get a helping hand, a womans equal rights observed, a healthy baby delivered, a home built for a poor family, an improved educational system or the eradication of Tuberculosis and HIV from the surface of the Earth. Very few people would deny these needs to the afflicted. Sadly, this is not the whole story.

Our devoted and spiritual local church leaders have bought into this fix for the worlds problems and are being manipulated on the world stage for the gain of many that have not fully yet been recognized as being the catalyst to our demise. I personally doubt few have looked behind the organization that is driving these initiatives or goals.

Even our local Tn State Representative Kevin Brooks has been drafted into this UN agenda 21 approach to eradicate global poverty although just last year drafted a resolution in the Tennessee state house to rid ourselves of the insidious program called Agenda 21. This would appear as hypocritical but I honestly dont think he has taken the time to evaluate the complete package that he is incessantly pushing into our community using his church affiliated base for implementation. If he did, I think his approach would be different.

Our local Chamber of Commerce whose international organization has “Chief Consultative Status” with the United Nations is playing a huge part of the implementation of Agenda 21 in our community. The Chamber of Commerce is a willing and knowing partner in this endeavor and will go to any length to make sure if its success. Their partnership with the UN is undeniable at this point and their true motives are not hidden.

Local church leaders such as the honorable T.L Lowery who initiated the MDGs into our community and was wined and dined by Ban Ki Moon at the UN in New York to facilitate this into our lives.

My beloved pastor Mitch Maloney has been recruited for implementation of certain aspects of the MDGs and has even donated needed water/sewer lines in slums in Cambodia.

The World Church of God and North Cleveland Church of God has direct involvement.

Our own Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland and his seven city councilmen recently gave a notable horrendous dictator the key to our city in support of the MDGS.

People for Care and Learning, the UNs Habitat for Humanity, elected officials and spiritual leaders all over our community are being drafted into this evil empire that many have claimed is the direct path to the unveiling of the Antichrist and the facilitation of the end times.

Involvement of our community church leaders does not make them bad people. In fact, quite the opposite. These leaders have done more good for this old world in a day than many in a lifetime. Their continued association knowingly or unknowingly with a ruthless evil organization like the UN is where we separate and their ongoing support becomes questionable and would cast doubt to their credibility and intentions.

I believe our community leaders have been co opted by the United Nations to implement this scheme to eradicate global poverty via Agenda 21/MDGS.

Our leaders have failed to recognize the reality of joining hands with a very dangerous and powerful world power called the United Nations, that is gaining momentum with every assist from our leaders is a calculated risk that many seem to indulge despite numerous warnings.

Linking with the UN to implement these goals that go beyond eradicating poverty to implementing sustainabilty and environmental controls on our country, as demonstrated in goals 7 and 8 of the MDG’s is a very dangerous game to play with the lives of your congregations and constituents.

Take the time to acquaint your self with the information below and ask the question, who and what organizations are pushing this agenda and why. Simply expelling your involvement because you think it is impossible and is untrue, your naievete is no longer acceptable. The repercussions on the citizens of different communities are the ones that will suffer from your decisions and your continued participation.

The educated response and the knowledge you now attain through this blog and the information provided now puts you in the know. No longer can you be a participant in this deviant plan without the knowledge that you are doing the devils work through Agenda 21 and the MDG’s. No more excuses.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. The goals are:

eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,
achieving universal primary education,
promoting gender equality and empowering women
reducing child mortality rates,
improving maternal health,
combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,
ensuring environmental sustainability, and
developing a global partnership for development.

Each of the goals has specific stated targets and dates for achieving those targets.

Debate has surrounded adoption of the MDGs, focusing on lack of analysis and justification behind the chosen objectives, the difficulty or lack of measurements for some of the goals, and uneven progress towards reaching the goals, among other criticisms. Although developed countries’ aid for achieving the MDGs has been rising over recent years, more than half the aid is towards debt relief owed by poor countries, with remaining aid money going towards natural disaster relief and military aid which does not further development.

A UN conference in September 2010 reviewed progress to date and concluded with the adoption of a global action plan to achieve the eight anti-poverty goals by their 2015 target date. There were also new commitments on women’s and children’s health, and new initiatives in the worldwide battle against poverty, hunger and disease.

Government organizations assist in achieving those goals, among them are the United Nations Millennium Campaign, the Millennium Promise Alliance, Inc., the Global Poverty Project, the Micah Challenge, The Youth in Action EU Programme “Cartoons in Action” video project and the 8 Visions of Hope global art project.

The aim of the MDGs is to encourage development by improving social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries. They derive from earlier international development targets, and were officially established following the Millennium Summit in 2000, where all world leaders present adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration.

The MDGs originated from the Millennium Declaration produced by the United Nations. The Declaration asserts that every individual has the right to dignity, freedom, equality, a basic standard of living that includes freedom from hunger and violence, and encourages tolerance and solidarity. The MDGs were made to operationalize these ideas by setting targets and indicators for poverty reduction in order to achieve the rights set forth in the Declaration on a set fifteen-year timeline.

The MDGs were developed out of the eight chapters of the Millennium Declaration, signed in September 2000. There are eight goals with 21 targets, and a series of measurable indicators for each target.

Please look closely at these goals and you will quickly see where this is about more than eradicating global poverty.

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Target 1A: Halve the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day
Proportion of population below $1 per day (PPP values)
Poverty gap ratio [incidence x depth of poverty]
Share of poorest quintile in national consumption
Target 1B: Achieve Decent Employment for Women, Men, and Young People
GDP Growth per Employed Person
Employment Rate
Proportion of employed population below $1 per day (PPP values)
Proportion of family-based workers in employed population
Target 1C: Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
Prevalence of underweight children under five years of age
Proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption.

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

Target 2A: By 2015, all children can complete a full course of primary schooling, girls and boys
Enrollment in primary education
Completion of primary education
everyone will get into school
MDG Monitor:Goal 2

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

Target 3A: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015
Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education
Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament[13]
For girls in some regions, education remains elusive[14]
Poverty is a major barrier to education, especially among older girls.
In every developing region except the CIS, men outnumber women in paid employment
Women are largely relegated to more vulnerable forms of employment
Women are over-represented in informal employment, with its lack of benefits and security
Top-level jobs still go to men — to an overwhelming degree[14]
Women are slowly rising to political power, but mainly when boosted by quotas and other special measures

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality rates

Target 4A: Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate
Under-five mortality rate
Infant (under 1) mortality rate
Proportion of 1-year-old children immunized against measles[15]

Goal 5: Improve maternal health

Target 5A: Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio
Maternal mortality ratio
Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel
Target 5B: Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health
Contraceptive prevalence rate
Adolescent birth rate
Antenatal care coverage
Unmet need for family planning[16]

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

Target 6A: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
HIV prevalence among population aged 15–24 years
Condom use at last high-risk sex
Proportion of population aged 15–24 years with comprehensive correct knowledge of HIV/AIDS
Target 6B: Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it
Proportion of population with advanced HIV infection with access to antiretroviral drugs
Target 6C: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
Prevalence and death rates associated with malaria
Proportion of children under 5 sleeping under insecticide-treated bednets
Proportion of children under 5 with fever who are treated with appropriate anti-malarial drugs
Incidence, prevalence and death rates associated with tuberculosis
Proportion of tuberculosis cases detected and cured under DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Short Course)[17]

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

Target 7A: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs; reverse loss of environmental resources
Target 7B: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss
Proportion of land area covered by forest
CO2 emissions, total, per capita and per $1 GDP (PPP)
Consumption of ozone-depleting substances
Proportion of fish stocks within safe biological limits
Proportion of total water resources used
Proportion of terrestrial and marine areas protected
Proportion of species threatened with extinction
Target 7C: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation (for more information see the entry on water supply)
Proportion of population with sustainable access to an improved water source, urban and rural
Proportion of urban population with access to improved sanitation
Target 7D: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum-dwellers
Proportion of urban population living in slums[18]

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development

Target 8A: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system
Includes a commitment to good governance, development, and poverty reduction – both nationally and internationally
Target 8B: Address the Special Needs of the Least Developed Countries (LDC)
Includes: tariff and quota free access for LDC exports; enhanced programme of debt relief for HIPC and cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous ODA (Official Development Assistance) for countries committed to poverty reduction
Target 8C: Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small island developing States
Through the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and the outcome of the twenty-second special session of the General Assembly
Target 8D: Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term
Some of the indicators listed below are monitored separately for the least developed countries (LDCs), Africa, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.
Official development assistance (ODA):
Net ODA, total and to LDCs, as percentage of OECD/DAC donors’ GNI
Proportion of total sector-allocable ODA of OECD/DAC donors to basic social services (basic education, primary health care, nutrition, safe water and sanitation)
Proportion of bilateral ODA of OECD/DAC donors that is untied
ODA received in landlocked countries as proportion of their GNIs
ODA received in small island developing States as proportion of their GNIs
Market access:
Proportion of total developed country imports (by value and excluding arms) from developing countries and from LDCs, admitted free of duty
Average tariffs imposed by developed countries on agricultural products and textiles and clothing from developing countries
Agricultural support estimate for OECD countries as percentage of their GDP
Proportion of ODA provided to help build trade capacity
Debt sustainability:
Total number of countries that have reached their HIPC decision points and number that have reached their HIPC completion points (cumulative)
Debt relief committed under HIPC initiative, US$
Debt service as a percentage of exports of goods and services
Target 8E: In co-operation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable, essential drugs in developing countries
Proportion of population with access to affordable essential drugs on a sustainable basis
Target 8F: In co-operation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications.

Telephone lines and cellular subscribers per 100 population
Personal computers in use per 100 population
Internet users per 100 Population.

Challenges and what does it cost?

Although developed countries’ aid for the achievement of the MDGs have been rising over recent years, it has shown that more than half is towards debt relief owed by poor countries. As well, remaining aid money goes towards natural disaster relief and military aid which does not further the country into development. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2006), the 50 least developed countries only receive about one third of all aid that flows from developed countries, raising the issue of aid not moving from rich to poor depending on their development needs but rather from rich to their closest allies.

Many development experts question the MDGs model of transferring billions of dollars directly from the wealthy nation governments to the often bureaucratic or corrupt governments in developing countries. This form of aid has led to extensive cynicism by the general public in the wealthy nations, and hurts support for expanding badly needed aid.

Over the past 35 years, the members of the UN have repeatedly made a “commit[ment] 0.7% of rich-countries’ gross national income (GNI) to Official Development Assistance.” The commitment was first made in 1970 by the UN General Assembly.

The United Nations has requested that 0.7 percent of our GNI, Gross National Index, in the trillions and only second to Chinas to be donated in support of the UN and their goal to eradicate debt across the globe.

As mentioned very little of this “relief” gets to the nations that need it. A part of the agreement is to also “forgive” or “relieve” other nations debts. This is clearly redistribution of wealth that will eventually destroy our own economy and “equalize” us into just another third world country thus eliminating the “great Satan” of it’s wealth in the name of promoting social justice.

Each economically advanced country will progressively increase its official development assistance to the developing countries and will exert its best efforts to reach a minimum net amount of 0.7 percent of its gross national product at market prices by the middle of the decade.

The UN “believe[s] that donors should commit to reaching the long-standing target of 0.7 percent of GNI by 2015”.[46]

Many organizations are working to bring U.S. political attention to the Millennium Development Goals. In 2007, The Borgen Project worked with Sen. Barack Obama on the Global Poverty Act, a bill requiring the White House to develop a strategy for achieving the goals. As of 2009, the bill has not passed, but Barack Obama has since been elected President.

The United Nations Millennium Campaign is a UNDP campaign unit to increase support to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and seek a coalition of partners for action. The Millennium Campaign targets intergovernmental, government, civil society organizations and media at both global and regional levels.

The Millennium Promise Alliance, Inc., or Millennium Promise, is a U.S.-based non-profit organization dedicated to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and founded in 2005 by renown international economist and Special Advisor on the MDGs to the UN Secretary General, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, and Wall Street leader and philanthropist, Ray Chambers.

Millennium Promise coordinates a project, the Millennium Villages Project, in partnership with Columbia University’s Earth Institute and the UNDP that aims to demonstrate the feasibility of achieving the Goals through an integrated and community-led approach to holistic development. The Millennium Villages Project currently operates in 14 sites across 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Global Poverty Project is an international education and advocacy organisation using its multimedia presentation 1.4 Billion Reasons to educate people about the Millennium Development Goals and our capacity to end extreme poverty within a generation. They travel to workplaces, schools, universities, community groups and churches around Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States to equip people with the knowledge and resources they need to encourage the achievement of the MDGs.

The Micah Challenge is an international campaign that encourages Christians to support the Millennium Development Goals. Their aim is to “encourage our leaders to halve global poverty by 2015.”[60]

The Youth in Action EU Programme “Cartoons in Action” project created stop motion animation videos about MDGs, a video channel “8 gol x 8 Millennium Development Goals” and 21 Videos about 21 MDGs Targets using Arcade C64 videogames [61]

8 Visions of Hope is a global art project that explores and shows how art, culture, artists, musicians as positive change agents can help in the realization of the eight UN Millennium Development Goals.

The Development Education Unit of Future Worlds Center envisions, designs and implements development education awareness campaigns, trainings, conferences and resources since 2005. Leads a number of European-wide projects such as the Accessing Development Education and TeachMDGs.

You can see the enormity of this project on the world scene. If this were just about eradicating poverty this could be seen as a gratuitous project. It is about much more than just poverty eradication it’s about big money, sustainable development and world power through domination.

Sadly, our church and elected leaders are only seeing this as a mission field at which they can throw their effort and hard work into.

They are either complicit in this scheme, naive in their approach or are in denial that they are dealing with the devil and some may say ushering in a “One World Government” and facilitating the rise of the Antichrist.

You decide where you wanna be when that day happens. I know which side I want to be on.

Partial source of information:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Development_Goals#section_8

http://www.UN.org

“Thrive 2055” gets director for the Chattanooga region

In Uncategorized on September 9, 2012 at 9:49 AM

Thrive 2055 gets director for the Chattanooga region

Ron Harr talks about his vision for job growth in the region. Harr is to be the new CEO of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.

PLANNING PANEL

• Brian Anderson, Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce

• Steve Anglea, Georgia Power

• Becky Barnes, Hamilton County Health Department

• Dan Bowers, Allied Arts

• Diana Bullock, EPB

• Daniel Carter, University of the South

• Bruz Clark, Lyndhurst Foundation

• Eliza DeLaughter, Alliance Physical Therapy

• Steve Dillard, Dillard Construction

• Bob Doak, Chattanooga Convention & Visitors Bureau

• Chuck Dobbins, Shaw Industries

• Gary Farlow, Cleveland Bradley Chamber of Commerce

• Vicky Gregg, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

• Stacy Johnson, La Paz Chattanooga

• Jill Levine, Normal Park Museum Magnet School and Normal Park Museum Magnet Upper School

• Betsy McCright, Chattanooga Housing Authority

• James McKissic, Chattanooga Urban League

• Denny Mobbs, attorney

• Mike Moon, Don Moon Building and Developing

• Jeff Myers, Hamilton Health Care System Inc.

• Jeff Pruitt, Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments

• Honna Rogers, Signal Mountain

• Matt Ryerson, United Way of Bradley County

• Janet Spraker, UTC

• Jack Studer, Lamp Post Group

• Edna Varner, Public Education Foundation

• Connie Vaughan, McKee Foods

• Tom Edd Wilson, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce

Ex-officio staff representatives:

• John Bridger, Regional Planning Agency

• Beth Jones, Southeast Tennessee Development District

Source: Chattanooga Chamber

A first-ever 16-county planning effort for the Chattanooga region, dubbed Thrive 2055, is picking up speed with the hiring of a director and naming of a key oversight panel.

Aimed at creating a 40-year growth plan for the area over the next three years, Thrive 2055 has raised more than $2.5 million of a proposed $3 million budget, officials said.

“We’re definitely moving ahead,” said Ron Harr, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce’s incoming chief executive.

Newly hired project director Bridgett Massengill said it’s important to engage people in the wide area that includes counties in Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama.

A 28-member coordinating committee will gather regularly, she said. The group’s meetings will be open to the public, Massengill said, and it will aid in communicating with officials in the region.

Possibly starting later this year, working groups of people will convene, she said. They’ll discuss topics the plan is to examine such as transportation, workforce, education, economic development and environmental sustainability.

Massengill, 37, formerly was executive director of the Development Authority in Johnson City, Tenn., and headed her own consulting firm.

To aid Massengill and the new initiative, a Cincinnati-based consultant, McBride Dale Clarion, will help gather regional data and facilitate the working groups.

McBride also will handle social media outreach, which is seen as another way of spurring dialogue.

J.Ed. Marston, the Chamber’s vice president of marketing, said the final product will include an “action plan” for the 16-county area.

“It’s very much like a business plan for the region,” he said.

Chattanooga and Hamilton County each have committed $500,000 to the planning effort while local foundations are investing $1 million, officials said. The Chamber also has raised $540,000 from the private sector. Work continues to reach the initiative’s $3 million budget.

published Saturday, September 8th, 2012
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/sep/08/thrive-2055-gets-director-chattanooga-region/?local

Brymer Creek degradation, a result of talk, little action

In Uncategorized on September 6, 2012 at 8:05 AM

From the beginning the warning bells have sounded as many citizens spoke up about the economic and environmental impact of such a large construction project like the Spring Branch Industrial Park would have on our community.

I think Matt Bentley said it best almost a year ago as the vote to go forward with the park was being initiated.

“I want you to think long and hard about the pros and cons of this development,” community member Matt Bentley said.

Bentley said he and others in the community did not feel respected in the process thus far.

The above concerns by resident Matt Bentley and other concerned citizens, including members of the Tea Party of Bradley County now sound like an ominous warning that got neglected resulting in our elected leaders rendering the seriousness of this debate to an afterthought.

Repeated warnings of possible degradation to the environment around this sight and to the creek were voiced for almost a year prior to this most recent negative impact to the states fifth cleanest creek.

You can clearly see, a year ago, where the ball got dropped although two of Bentley’s concerns were addressed in a paragraph added before the original resolution, presented by 6th District Commissioner Robert Rominger as reported in the Cleveland Daily Banner.

This added paragraph said steps would be taken to limit the impact on the community from the industrial park. The proposed steps include: “(1) sewer service to the proposed Spring Brach Road site will be provided from an existing 8-inch sewer line on APD 40, (2) buffers will surround building sites as shown on the concept drawing, (3) Spring Branch Road will be closed and will not be used for ingress or egress from the industrial park and (4) Harriman Road will serve as a secondary method of ingress and egress from the site and every effort will be made to prevent traffic use other than in an emergency.”

The resolution does not address the community’s concern about preserving Spring Branch, Brymer Creek and Candies Creek from storm water runoff as reported in the Cleveland Daily Banner 12 months ago.

Seventh District Commissioner Bill Winters said the Commission does in fact respect the community’s concerns. Winters said he shared concerns about protecting the area’s creeks.

“I don’t think any of us want an industrial park to negatively impact your community,” Winters said.

Mr Winters spoke of it, showed concern, went a step further to say he heard our concerns and was interested in protecting the area creeks and not negatively impact them, but it appears to be only talk. To my knowledge, no plan or oversight was planned beyond talking about it and acknowledging that the problem or potential exists.

We are always so quick to form a committee to study one thing or another, this would and could have been an excellent opportunity to say we are going to follow this through to make sure this didn’t happen to one of the cleanest creeks in the state.

Fast forward one year and we see Brymer creek and the surrounding area being inundated and degraded by muddy polluted stormwater runoff at the Spring Branch construction site.

During the Bradley County Commission voting session meeting Monday evening, Commissioner Ed Elkins said, “Last week I reported on a situation down in the McDonald area or Exit 20 area involving some stormwater runoff. Subsequent to the meeting last week, I did learn that it had been looked at by TDEC and the environmental engineers from the city of Cleveland and I was assured that corrective action was in place to correct that.” Mr. Elkins was referring to the stormwater runoff coming from road and industrial development projects near Spring Branch causing muddy water to flow into Brymer Creek as reported by the Chattanoogan.com.

Dan Rawls addressed the commission stating, “This situation out in McDonald is why the people of McDonald were opposed to this. I don’t know if anyone has seen the video of the degradation of that creek, but you were warned about it from the beginning. Who is accountable for this? The people who are affected by this are in the county. How can you allow that to happen to a waterway that’s that clean and that recognized? We were all told that would never happen. Who is accountable, the government, the people who did it or the contractors? What’s the answer here? What’s going on? We tried to warn you that this was going to happen. Why were the systems not put in place to have prevented this in the first place? I fought this thing for over a year and they’ve fought it longer than that. I think there needs to be some answers and some apologies to the people that live out there around that creek that warned you about this.”

Commissioner Elkins responded, “The permit for that project was issued to the city of Cleveland. They have responsibility for it. The contractor did not take the necessary precautions and that was unfortunate. Once TDEC was notified, they did get on it and got the city down there. It’s kind of like closing the barn door once the horse escaped, but I’m told they are taking precautions to do that now. Clearly someone dropped the ball.”

Commissioner Peak Jones said, “The city of Cleveland does have precautions in place for that process. Where it fell through, nobody knows.”

Commissioner Elkins commented, “The city annexed that area and they pulled the general permit for that project to do the road. So, Bradley County really has no jurisdiction over it. I guess we could file a complaint with the city because where the damage is being done is inside Bradley County. It falls under the city to explore it. I think it would be appropriate for us to file a complaint with them and ask them to do this.”

Commissioner Adam Lowe said, “We went to great lengths to have meetings with people in that community. I remember listening to a very healthy active discussion about the pros and cons and figuring out how to mitigate as much as we could. I’m having trouble recalling if anyone from the city was there but it was prior to the annexation. Right now, I’m a little shattered about going to such great lengths as a county commission to try to hear from the constituents in that area. It was such a high priority in my opinion. I feel like for some reason, somewhere it stopped being a high priority.”

May I add something here Commissioner Lowe, while it was evidently labeled a “high priority” that’s all it was, a label. It was all talk and little action. This is where we always seem to get bogged down in the political machine. We gladly offer talk because it can easily be quoted in a news article, so we can cut it out and put it in our scrap book. Getting our hands dirty and doing something on the other hand is a whole new realm we seldom like to explore because it takes a little more effort.

Commissioner Yarber suggested Commission Assistant Amy Moore provide more information regarding the matter and recommended further discussion at a future work session to come up with a thought process to put in place on how to handle the situation.

Chairman Alford said, “Me and Mrs. Moore will get in touch with people from the city regarding the matter tomorrow to try to get more information. That is, if they are willing to meet with us.”

With all due respect to the Commissioners, City Councilmen and women, both Mayors, the Industrial Development Board and Doug Berry of the Chamber of Commerce, one thing clearly stands out in the paragraphs above of the coverage of tbe meeting.

We love to give lip service to the general public and say what we think the people want to hear. We are all very quick to listen to concerned citizens and their gripes and complaints and then talk about plans to fix it. This debacle has left many scampering for someone to blame with hoardes of elected and non elected officials washing their hands of the responsibility of the pollution of Brymer Creek.

Instead of one person stepping up and committing to making sure not one more ounce of pollution flows into Brymer Creek, it seems the only viable and forseeable solution is let’s talk and talk and talk about it till we have talked enough then let’s talk some more.

But when all is said and done the end result is a once clean creek is now dirty and polluted and all we have done is talk about it to the point of nausea.

Talking without followup seems to have gotten us in this dilemma. Lip service without a plan is exactly that, lip service.

Who is to blame? Ultimately the voter will decide. They will mull over the previous four years of service and make an informed decision.

It would have been so simple to take our concerns, formulate a plan, follow up on plan, provide oversight of construction and make sure that when the first scoop of dirt was moved, no runoff was going to pollute Brymer creek.

The ball was dropped indeed. Many chose to talk and even more failed to execute.

Source of info:

Please visit this site frequently as it is chocked full of note worthy news articles that affect us daily. http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/9/5/233582/Stormwater-Runoff-Into-Brymer-Creek.

http://www.clevelandbanner.com/view/full_story/15419958/article-County-delays-industrial-park-funding-vote

These “esteemed” savages got the key to our city and we call them sister

In Uncategorized on August 24, 2012 at 11:17 AM

I am going to limit my words here to leave the emphasis on the obvious of what just happened in Cleveland Tennessee. Our Mayor Tom Rowland and our State Legislator Kevin Brooks and Governor Bill Haslam have welcomed one of the worst human rights offenders in the world to our city and we call them sister and give them the key to our city.

We were swept away with the pomp and circumstance as our Mayor bowed to a ruthless dictator while slipping him the key to our city. Where is the humanity in this? Where are the church leaders in our town that should be speaking up for these children and their parents being taken in and forced into slave labor, child prostitution and human trafficking? Why do we choose to turn a blind eye to the reality of our associations? How can Rowland, Brooks and Haslam not see this delegation for what they truly are? Why doesnt the rule of you are known by your associations apply here? How can we build these people up while ignoring their devilish and satanic actions?

I will tell you simply. We have once again sighted our vision in the almighty dollar instead of the humanity that suffers because of our actions. We can forget the action if it profits me!

We listen to others influential in all things business like the Chamber of Commerce. We instead ignore Gods voice of conviction that must lay heavy on these leaders hearts.

We have lost touch with the sense that while helping a few become wealthy while making a few spiritual leaders feel warm and fuzzy all over. The intended message has been eternally lost. Gods message to love thy neighbor and assist them when troubled has been watered down by an opportunity to outsource a mattress factory and spread the wealth. A child slaving over a mattress has become more important than giving that same kid a place to rest his head at night.

The assumed numerous children of Pol Pot living in Phnom Penh who have lived to tell the story of horrendous crimes and powerful regimes are now being further exploited by our elected leaders who would rather turn a blind eye to the iniquities of many for the promotion of self.

God bless our city and the misdirection it has received, bless our leaders as this regime is lifted to royalty. Please let’s take a look at the real people that we are gloating about and let’s put value on his excellency for what they really are……ruthless thugs with enough power to influence many to participate in the degregation of a generation of children and people and further chaining their feet to a communist/socialist regime that is being empowered by the elite a thousand miles away from them.

Please take the time to get to know these Cambodian delegates and sisterS of our city that have been given the key to our city by seemingly likeminded politicians who seem oblivious to the influence our support has on the futures of a generation where 50 percent of it’s population is under the age of 21. What a great opportunity missed to reach millions squandered on greed and pride.

Pleas take a few minutes to read from a news source inside Cambodia and Phnom Penh who see the light because it is shinin on them brightly.

I encourage you not to read the posted website if your stomach is easily upset or vivid images stick in your head for a long time that may produce PTSD side effects. What I read literally made me wash my hands with soap and water to remove the filth when I shook their hands! While you may choose to read with great hesitancy remember the greatest tragedy is how we have lifted this “delegation” up as the example of what our city needs to be.

http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Cambodia.htm

Never forget these are my opinions only and are mine only. These thoughts reflect my interpretation of some very sad events that are happening in Cleveland Tennessee that are not being reported by mainstream media. I would be remiss and negligent to observe these atrocities and not report them. Please read and come to your own conclusions about our elected and non elected leaders. Let the shame fall where it may.

Essence of evil permeates Chamber of Commerce as a host of City Leaders bow to Cambodian “dignitaries”

In Uncategorized on August 22, 2012 at 11:18 PM

I want to mention that Kep Chuktema has forcefully evicted over 3000 urban poor families from the center of Phnom Penh during his tenure.  He has been quoted in the national papers as saying that the urban poor “pollute our city’s beauty”.  Most recently he evicted roughly 1,500 urban poor to a location without any basic services:  No running water, bathrooms, health clinics, schools, etc.  Literally dropped off over a thousand families into a barren ricefield during the rainy season.  The UN Special Rapporteur on Housing (Miloon Kothari) has described the trends occurring in Phnom Penh as approaching that of an ‘apartheid city’.  He has employed police and soldiers to carry out evictions, armed with electric batons, guns, gas masks, and riot gear.  The last eviction he used roughly 1,000 such ‘security’ forces, carried out the eviction at four in the morning, and refused to allow UN monitors, NGO human rights monitors, or the media from observing the evictions.
http://www.worldmayor.com/comments06/phnompenh_comment06.html

The above passage was written by a Cambodian begging for someone to hear his or her plight. It is the cry of the Cambodian people! Save me!

The Cambodians reaching out because of these and other atrocities by them at the hands of Kep Chuk Tema. Memories of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge still exists and the remnants of that horrible regime have made their way to America, specifically Cleveland Tennessee.

Rape, child rape, sex crimes and trade that are only echoed in horror chambers, drugs, abuse of women, evictions, bribery, murder and mass corruption these are there cries!

The cry of a child prostitute offering her self for “one dollar”, “one dollar” speaks of darkness that only a few know.

I am dumbfounded by the level of acceptance by our church leaders, elected officials, NGOs, the Chamber of Commerce, the Mayor Tom Rowland and any others that may wish to participate in this endeavor.

I find it interesting, we criminalize patriots for questioning land policy in Cleveland, yet embrace a delegation that has evicted, raped and pillaged hundreds of thousands in phnom penh and we give them the key to the city who are known Socialists/Marxist/Leninist with close ties to the Khmer Rouge, go figure!

The worst of human rights abuses are on the record and they were committed by the man and his government that we accept in Cleveland Tennessee with open arms. The atrocities that Mr Garmon and Mr George were the work of the man they are parading around in our town as a hero to his people. In Phnom Penh it is quite different.

The United Nations, yes it’s hard for me to say that, but their human rights board is investigating his Khmer Rouge/Apartheid type activity all in the name of sustainable economic development.

Why is he here in my opinion? The World Bank has cut off all his money for land development because of his human rights violations. So he accepts the offer from God fearing, freedom loving Americans that are more than willing to save the world. So, Mr Chuktema by building little cities, with the cooperation of the US of course shows some good will and is able to get his World Bank financing back. At the same time the Chamber of Commerce, the Mayor and Planners might get a business out of it!

This is truly the saddest part of this all. Our Church leaders and elected leaders that we trust to protect our sovereignty and freedoms end up giving them to a Buddhist/Socialist/Marxist/Leninist regime.

The people we are entrusting to lead us out of the economic downfall are the very ones that are doing the most to prevent a free market and capitalism to work. Let’s share the wealth! That is the game. Have you seen pictures of Phnom Penh lately? Do you think there is a shortage of cash in this area that needs or can get a step ahead by the generous tithing of a few hundred church faithful? 2.2 million to hand to a dictator that has the equivalency of a King and his court? To build 800 or so homes for a tyrannical leader that does not see the bad in evicting 200, 000 poor people from his kingdom? Why has he done this? It is to secure a sustainable future! Where if you offer enough money I will gladly displace thousands if your dream is to build a strip mall or a high rise apartment for the poor you just dumped in a rice paddy in the middle of nowhere. How can our churches and elected leaders participate in this apartheid! I thought we were about helping the poor, not benefitting from their demise.

Read the many excerpts below! Many from first hand reports from Cambodians who have suffered greatly from the entourage that has invaded Cleveland Tennessee recently. The poor in these countries need real representation, not a gaggle of yes men who only see evil in those that try to keep America and our county free. I was told by one of these high ranking church officials that these were only homeless people who live in cardboard boxes on the street near the airport. Wow! God bless America! We have seen what the mighty dollar can do to corrupt a city like Cleveland Tennessee, see what greed and seeking power can and has done to Cambodia!

Read below with an open mind and ask your self why would our spiritual leaders be supporting such an awful regime? I am afraid our leaders have chosen to look beyond the human plight and found a few dollars to replace the sins of many!

These below are the same ones that our City Mayor, State Legislator Kevin Brooks, the Chamber of Commerce, select church leaders gave the key to the city to.

Read below and look at the magnitude of this tragedy.
220, 000 poor have been evicted from their property by Governor.
http://saveboeungkak.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/city-residents-present-petition-against-eviction/

60,000 evicted from Phnom Penh by Governor Kep Chuktema
http://www.opendevelopmentcambodia.net/tag/kep-chuktema/

City protests against eviction, falls on deaf ears.
http://saveboeungkak.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/city-residents-present-petition-against-eviction/

Benivides Raneses and Kep Chuk Tema gather local poor citizens for protesting this government from taking their farms
http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2012/08/activist-in-hiding-denies-claims.html?m=1

Kit Sopha- Another delegate evicts 100 poor families without compensation from homes near airport.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012072757659/National-news/airport-dwellers-displaced-from-anarchic-houses.html

Koeut Chhea- another delegate member- Holds and imprisons 24 women and 6 children after being evicted from homes. Both the United Nations and HRW have documented suspicious deaths, rape, torture and beatings there.
http://signalfire.org/?p=16909

4,000 families evicted to make way for Chinese company.
http://www.khmerpropertynews.com/?inc=content.php&id=3349

Eat Dog meat poor people! “Chuktema also said dog meat should be sold openly in the markets because there is a demand among poor people who eat it. “They don’t have [nice] wine, but poor people can enjoy their dog meat with palm juice wine,” Chuktema said.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2003/09/12/2003067545

2500 garment slave workers march to phnom penh government and are turned back by armed police and forced back to work. Because they were being sexually harassed.
http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2012/08/factory-workers-allege-sexual.html?m=1

On August 20th, while touring Cleveland Chuk Temas government sends volunteers into village asking for deeds as proof they own the land they occupy then keep them and give them to other people. 60 families lose their property.
http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2012/08/people-accused-hun-sens-volunteers-of.html?m=1

UN inquiring about Kep Chuktemas human rights abuses.
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.culture.cambodia/2009-06/msg00512.html

Horrific bridge dedication presided over by Kep Chuktema. one theory of what went wrong causing the injury to 700 plus and the death of 353 was the government police electrocuted the crowd and shot with water cannons. The bridge is family owned by Prime Minister Hun Sin.
http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2011/11/lessons-learnt-from-cambodias-bridge.html?m=1

US State Department report on horrendous abuses by Kep Chuktema and Prime minister Hun Sen controlled governments. Charges to include children sex trade, drugs, police beatings and evictions and numerous other human rights issues.

Click to access 186476.pdf

Another eviction notice by Kep Chuktema. I hope that by giving him the key to the city our elected officials don’t use his atrocious human rights tactics at home.
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Soc/soc.culture.cambodia/2009-04/msg00452.html

Governor sells Khmer Rouge killing fields for development, you know sustainable development.
http://khmerrougetrial.blogspot.com/2005/10/in-killing-field-khmer-memories-for.html?m=1

The “boss” of Governor Kep Chuktema, Prime minister Hun Sen was a battalion commander for the Khmer Rouge regime.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hun_Sen#section_5

God bless our county and our country if we have leaders like this making our decisions for us. Someone please question the lack of judgement in our city and county. How can we support such wickedness while acting so faithful to God. God please forgive these men who have been blinded by Satan and are playing games with the devil at the cost of many lives inside Cleveland Tennessee. Please lift the blinders from them and have them ask for forgiveness and to truly see the light.

Cleveland mayor, Bradley County tea party chief defend roles in flier dispute

In Uncategorized on August 15, 2012 at 7:18 AM

published Wednesday, August 15th, 2012
Cleveland mayor, Bradley County tea party chief defend roles in flier dispute
By Randall Higgins
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/aug/15/mayor-tea-party-chief-defend-roles-in-flier/?local

CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Mayor Tom Rowland says the city has no reason to apologize for asking for a police investigation into who was distributing fliers to south Cleveland homes in June.

The fliers, which stated the city was planning to use eminent domain to take more than 300 homes in the name of development, were untrue, Rowland said Monday.

It is the Tea Party of Bradley County that needs to apologize for upsetting families, some of whom have lived in their homes for two generations or more, he said.

“They were in tears,” Rowland said.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, a lively, but civil, debate took place between council members and members of the Tea Party of Bradley County. In the end, the only common ground was that no one will apologize.

Donny Harwood, president of the Tea Party of Bradley County, said his organization has no reason to apologize, either. At the time they were distributed, the fliers were true, according to the latest public information, he said. It is the city that needs to apologize for intimidating the group’s members and seeking to deny them their right to free speech, he said.

The call for an investigation aimed to “essentially hunt down, arrest and expose members of our tea party group as we made efforts to inform the community of horrendous plans for their community,” Harwood said.

“This flier contained truthful information based on the last known public meeting,” Harwood said. The “white paper” on which the flier was based later was changed, he said.

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“We haven’t stopped your free speech,” Rowland told Harwood.

“Have you passed any leaflets out to apologize to the 300 homeowners that this was not true?” he asked Harwood.

Rowland said the investigation was only to determine if laws were violated, and since none were the point is moot.

“If you are man enough, you will go down there and apologize,” he told Harwood.

“There is nothing for us to apologize about,” Harwood responded.

The group, he said, held a town hall meeting to seek explanations but only one councilman, Bill Estes, attended. Other council members, and Rowland, said they got the invitation after the meeting was held.

Tea party member Dan Rawls said that isn’t true because he sent the registered letters.

Councilman George Poe said he got a late invitation to a meeting to discuss something he had no intention of doing anyway.

“We couldn’t afford to buy 300 houses in the first place,” he said. “We have never talked about what we are accused of.”

If Harwood’s group was so alarmed, Poe said, they should have come to the council first with questions.

Rowland and Poe said they have not read the “white paper” from contracted consultants on which the flier was based. Harwood said the paper was handed out during a three-day public planning meeting at Bradley Square Mall.

Councilman Richard Banks, who said he has read the white paper, told tea party leaders they took the “300 homes” statement out of context. The original question was what would happen in the community if Whirlpool stayed in its old location, he said.

Consultants said that up to 300 homes might have to be seized through eminent domain to accommodate the company’s expansion there. But Whirlpool moved to its new Benton Pike site.

It was only a “what-if” discussion, Rowland said.

“There is nothing for us to explain, because there was nothing to it,” he said.

Contact staff writer Randall Higgins at rhiggins@timesfree press.com or 423-314-1029.

Tea Party confronts Cleveland City Council on first amendment

In Government on August 14, 2012 at 8:52 AM

Press release
Delivered to Cleveland Tennessee City Council
August 13, 2012

Tea Party of Bradley County
Cleveland, Tennessee

Mayor Tom Rowland and City Council,

On June 18th, 2012 I witnessed first hand the Cleveland City Council and it’s Mayor Tom Rowland display behavior uncharacteristic of a free Republic bound to the US, the State Constitution and the Cleveland Charter.

With this most recent breech, it is safe to say that our 1st Amendment rights are in peril in Bradley County, Tennessee. There is still an egregious resolution on the books that has yet to be reversed that limits our freedom of speech.

Cleveland, Tennessee City Mayor Tom Rowland, with a unanimous resolution vote of 7 to 0 by his council, ordered an investigation using police force to hunt down, arrest and expose members of my group as we made efforts to inform the community of horrendous plans for their community, thus criminalizing free speech. Thankfully the local Sherrif and the 10th judicial District Attorney saw this as what it was, an expression of free speech, thus curtailing a manhunt, further public humiliation and a possible federal prison sentence.

The Mayor and Council took offense to a flyer that was passed out to the community surrounding the old Whirlpool site warning of the demolition and redevelopment of 300 plus homes in south Cleveland. This flyer contained truthful and accurate information based on the last known public meeting where that information was provided. The White paper draft plan is the last known information that has been made available to the public in a public setting. Since much public outcry and protest of these proposed actions a revised edition of that plan has been revealed in what can be best construed as a change made in private setting.

Only after approximately 7 days of public humiliation was this latest information provided. The latest information was reportedly released after strong community concern and protest and the white paper was supposedly changed. This change then reflected the negation of the previous proposed draft that called for demolition and redevelopment of 300 plus homes in the downtown area. The latest adoption of this plan has not been made known to the public except when the press inquired about the original draft plan.

Since this time, the Tea Party of Bradley County held a town hall meeting. The Mayor and 7 council members were invited by certified mail. Only one councilman Bill Estes and one County Planner bothered to show up to confront approximately 150 civilians, a great portion residents from the Southside of Cleveland concerned about their livelihood and the security of their private property.

This would have afforded a great opportunity for this Mayor and his council to address their concerns and put them at ease. Instead with the exception of one city councilman, this governing body missed a fantastic opportunity to answer the citizens question they represent. This missed opportunity tells of the disconnect this body has with the people they represent.

I am convinced that this initial offering of information was only a shot across the bow of what is coming to our community, specifically the downtown area. Since this time we have heard further debate of eminent domain, demolition and development at the Ocoee/25th street exchange and on highway 60 around and through the Georgetown community, where many acres of private property will be taken by proposed growth plans. The exact action where just a few weeks prior this body condemned, reprimanded and investigated citizens of this county for informing the community about. With this doublespeak and deception I am convinced eminent domain will be a major implementation tool to revamp the downtown area and the county as the BCC 2035 Joint Strategic plan is further implemented. The Chambers Doug Berry has said it is a given, I draw from this comment that eminent domain will be used to develop our city and county. With this most recent resolution the Mayor and his council have successfully criminalized free speech in Bradley County.

This move by Mayor Tom Rowland created much fear and caused several to hide in fear of retaliation. Since the Mayors press conference basically calling this action illegal, mean spirited and untruthful has caused a great pummeling by the local media, the Chamber of Commerce, locally elected officials and planners on many citizens of Cleveland Tennessee. While siding with Mayor Rowland this group has relentlessy worked to discredit and tarnish the reputations of many within our group with lies and falsehoods further adding to the endless attacks upon it’s citizens and criminalizing our actions.

The Mayor and his Council with one swift vote has caused great harm to the citizens of this community. This action should embarrass this administration as efforts were made vigorously to squelch our first amendment rights. The attacks have been consistent and have even led to further allegations of potential wrong doing on the part of the Tea Party.

The damage and embarrassment this administration has done to this community can probably never be undone but this Mayor and City council by rescinding this resolution and replacing it with a new confirmation may start the healing process. I am asking that this governing body make the needed changes within the next 2 weeks of this date calling for a revision and replacement of the aforementioned resolution and a confirmation that our free speech rights will remain intact in perpetuity.

We must not let this action go unchecked because of the seriousness of it’s content for it’s citizens. No Mayor or representative of government at any level should have the power to stifle and quash free speech and plant fear into the hearts of its citizens at his will simply for exercising their God given constitutional rights to assemble, speak and redress our government.

Let me remind you that this is no game and you cannot simply throw your constituency to the wolves as a sacrificial lamb for your own selfish reasons. The lives you intend to destroy from this pulpit are not willing to continue to take your repeated lashing at their integrity. Playing with people’s lives at the risk of political expediency is a dangerous game and leaves many potentially hurt within the path of tyrannical behavior.

Our forefathers wrote the constitution to prevent the actions that the Mayor and his council have taken. No form of government should be so mighty and powerful to think it does not have to answer to the people or to the constitution that protects us all. No Mayor or his council should ever appear from behind our constitutional cover and lash out toward the people you represent while swinging a swath of destruction that has no boundaries.

We are asking Mayor Rowland and his council to publicly apologize and strike down his freedom eliminating resolution and replace it with another resolution proclaiming that our liberties and freedoms are restored and respected by a government that is clearly out of touch with it’s citizens.

Our actions to retain an attorney was decided upon after a thorough evaluation of the seriousness of the charges that were levied against Cleveland and Bradley County Citizens. The continuous attacks by our government and others have had a temporary and long lasting effect on the movement of our Tea Party and has caused many to “hide” from fear of misaligned exposure and criminalization. According to recent information provided this is not the first action by this council to squelch free speech, a pattern of abuse of power is now presenting itself.

We must shed light on this runaway government and end it’s frightening tactics. We must end the tyranny today, for those that may choose to live in Bradley County tomorrow.

Liberty must outlast tyranny, the attacks of a few should never be accepted as the political norm and the law of the land, placing the Constitution as an afterthought. It’s people must continue to fight regardless of the attempts to take away those rights and on occasion must stand to reclaim those rights given to us by God almighty.

Sincerely,
Donny Harwood
President 
Tea Party of Bradley County

Here is an article by the Chattanoogan that refers to the hiring of our attorney Stuart James to fight this resolution or vote.

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/8/6/231744/Bradley-County-Tea-Party-Employs-Stuart.aspx