Community celebs jump rope for heart
Nolan Elementary thanks everyone who supported our school's Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser for the American Heart Association. The event was a great way to teach students about healthy habits and giving back to our community.
A number of "celebrity jumpers" came to support our students: Thanks to Tennessee State Senator Bo Watson, WDEF's Webb Wright, WRCB's Paul Shahen, Looie the Lookout, the Signal Mountain High School cheerleaders and three UTC coaches -- women's volleyball coach Travis Filar, men's tennis coach Carlos Garcia and football assistant coach Marcus West.
The five UTC student athletes who came to our school were particularly impressive: tennis player Gino Delavalle and football players Kenny Huitt, Kevin Niethammer, Terrell Robinson and Tolerance Shepherd. Not only did they jump rope with our students and encouraged them, they were so friendly and interested in our students.
One of our students was so in awe, she went home and told her mom, "We jumped rope today with the football players who played in the Super Bowl -- the Mocs!"
What a wonderful experience for our elementary students and what great ambassadors these student athletes are for UTC.
SCOTTIE GOODMAN SUMMERLIN, Nolan Elementary PTA president
NRA has strong hold on U.S. lawmakers
According to FBI statistics, Tennesseans are more likely to be victims of violent gun crime than in any other state in the nation. Many of our Republican representatives in Congress have received large campaign contributions from the NRA and have declared their unwillingness to do anything about this deplorable situation on Second Amendment grounds.
Is their Second Amendment claim valid or does it simply reflect views of the NRA?
There have been two landmark decisions on the Second Amendment. The first was United States vs Miller (1939) which prohibited shortened shotguns, because such weapons were not allowed in the militia, and declared that there should be no infringement on guns or the right to bear them in a well-organized militia. The decision of the court was unanimous.
The most recent decision expanded the right of weapons to all citizens in a deeply divided court, but Justice Scalia writing the majority made it clear that this decision applied to hand guns only.
President Reagan favored gun control for his entire public career, and not just from the time he was so seriously injured. Subsequently, Presidents George HW Bush and Clinton supported gun control, and it is safe to say all were in agreement with the Second Amendment as they understood its purpose and intentions.
JOHN BRATTON