Steve Gill's Legacy

* Although Steve Gill hosted a talk-radio show for about 15 years and was a leader of the anti-Tennessee-income-tax protest early in that tenure, I first heard his voice about four years ago, after Obama's election victory. I was shocked that someone could despise our new president so viciously before any new policy had been enacted. As I recall, he characterized Obama as vile and despicable or vile and contemptible. That pretty well snuffed my inaugural buzz, my dream of national reconciliation.
* Since then, I've tuned in to Gill's radio show two or three times per month, because he awakened my curiosity about the role of tribalism (hate, contempt, self-righteousness, etc) in a society. Clearly there is an appetite for it. Is there a need for it? Unconstrained it can lead to retribution or genocide.
* Gill lays all economic ills at Obama's feet, though they antedated Obama's administration. For example, Reagan's tax and spending programs increased government debt 300%; Obama's will increase it about 80%. Reagan granted amnesty to all undocumented aliens; Obama is contemplating comprehensive immigration reform. Gill occasionally used dialect to belittle black people, providing succor for white supremacists.
* Gill is brilliant at recalling names and events for his narratives, which are laced with sarcasm, irony and exaggeration to the point of dishonesty. I don't understand why someone as talented, intelligent and fortunate as Steve Gill would grovel in gratuitous hate. He has spent the last 1/4 of his life persuading successful people to resent unsuccessful people. Is that a legacy to be proud of?

Nonprofits & PayPal

* I call on anyone associated with a worthy nonprofit to encourage provision of the convenience that I now insist on.
* Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, I attempt to support almost 60 nonprofits, those working to preserve and enhance aspects of civilization that I care about. In earlier years, I could do it with checks in envelopes. Now, I need the convenience of email and PayPal. Many of my target nonprofits don't provide this convenience, so they don't get my contribution. Instead, they get the note below sent to their CONTACT addresses.
* My Donation-Policy Note:
* In my senility (cataracts, arthritis), I no longer write checks to nonprofits, and I don't use a credit card on line.
* I respond to emails from organizations devoted to family planning and population restraint, provided they don't solicit via regular mail and provided their email solicitations have PayPal buttons. With these same provisions, consideration is also given to organizations that support local culture, help the needy, extend justice or those to which I have an obligation.
* In summary, I use only PayPal to contribute.
* Please, send no solicitations lacking a PayPal button.
* Please, no post-office mailings.
* I try to support more than 50 nonprofits, so I don't have time for paper or for typing my data.
* This year I supported about 23 nonprofits. The following are those that I attempted to support and would have supported if they had the PayPal button: American Indian College Fund, CEDPA, Common Cause, Cumberland River Compact, Davidson College, Engender Health, Fisk University, Friends of Radnor Lake, Friends of UNFPA, Friends of Warner Parks, Girls Inc, Guide Dog Foundation, Heard Library, International Bluegrass Music Museum, Legal Momentum, NARAL, NOW, Nashville Humane Assoc, Nashville Public Television, Nashville Opera, Nashville Rescue Mission, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Zoo, National Women's Law Center, PCI-Media Impact, Pathfinder International, Peabody College, Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee, Population Action International, Population Connection, The Population Council, The Population Institute, Room in the Inn, Second Harvest Food Bank, The Seeing Eye, Tennesseans for Fair Taxation, United Way, Vanderbilt University, W.O. Smith Music School

Remembering Charlie Howell

* Our community lost a friend on Oct 27. I've known Charlie Howell most of my adult life, witnessing from a distance his involvement in public policy at the local, state and national levels. Throughout those years and beyond, Charlie held to an ethic grounded in faith, the law and examples of great leaders. He had a clearer grasp of social, economic and political issues than did most of us; and he came up with imaginative proposals.
* For the past two decades, I've been in Charlie's vortex. It began with a conference he organized titled: Loving our neighbors across time. It seemed to me compelling to extend a New Testament commandment about relations among contemporaries to the asymmetrical relation among generations. Continuing that commitment, Charlie established a foundation, Trust for the future, and created Descendants' Day, June 30, to remind us of our responsibility to leave future generations a healthy planet and decent people with whom to share it.
* During those decades, Charlie contributed many thoughtful letters to the Tennessean editor and several Nashville Eye articles addressing issues of the times. When I got the news of his passing, I looked to my right where on top of a stack of papers was a copy of a year-old letter from Charlie to Gov Haslam with detailed recommendations about state and local taxes.
* In my last conversation with Charlie, more than a month ago, we discussed what course our society might take were it possible to incentivize truth telling in the national conversation. It seems like yesterday.