Patients with disabilities are 11 times more likely to die from Covid-19 than their able-bodied peers. That’s a sobering statistic. And it’s why public health officials have prioritized these vulnerable patients for vaccinations. Unfortunately, when it comes to non-Covid matters, society doesn’t always show the same concern. In fact, many states and private insurers are pushing for a “reform” that could deprive Americans living with multiple sclerosis (MS), cerebral palsy, and other disabilities of life-saving medicines. The reform relies on a metric known as a “quality-adjusted life year.” These QALYs supposedly quantify the “cost effectiveness” of drugs by…
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As David Neiwert just discussed here, the right is in full-on freak out mode about the Pentagon’s anti-extremist initiative, where they’re trying to root out right-wing extremists and the white supremacists in their ranks, and to no one’s surprise, this had Tucker Carlson’s head ready to explode over on Fox “news.” Carlson attacked the move as a “political purge of the military” and ranted that they should instead label Black Lives Matter an extremist group, before bringing on wingnut Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz to whine about “cancel culture” and “wokeness” at the Department of Defense. To no one’s surprise, Carlson’s White Power…
By Stephen Elliott (Nashville, TN) TN Tribune–Odessa Kelly is greeted like a celebrity at the Napier Community Center. The kids playing basketball in the gym call out to “Miss Odessa” and run over to give her fist bumps. Adult supervisors offer hugs. It’s been more than a year since the 39-year-old left her job at this Metro facility to serve as the full-time executive director of Stand Up Nashville, a community engagement and social justice nonprofit organization she co-founded. But “Miss Odessa” is still a familiar face at the community center, and she says the kids who use that nickname are…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is kicking off Second Chance Month by hosting a roundtable conversation on criminal justice policy with conservative thought leaders, including former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, former Governor Rick Perry, Pat Nolan, Brooke Rollins and Josh Smith. “Criminal justice reform is still somewhat of a conservative frontier, and with our strong proposals, we can reduce recidivism, save taxpayer dollars and make Tennessee communities safer,” said Gov. Lee. “I look forward to a thoughtful discussion on how Tennessee can lead the nation in balancing the notion of justice with…
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Nashville, TN (TN Tribune)-There is no secret that golf is a sport with a racist past. It wasn’t until 1961 that nonwhite players were even allowed to play in the PGA. And it took another 14 years for the first Black player to play in the Masters Tournament. That player was Lee Elder in 1975, 28 years after Jackie Robinson integrated baseball. It took a while for the powers that be to get with the program and provide opportunities to Black players. Elder’s excellence will be celebrated next week as he will be lauded as a pioneering figure, serving as an honorary starter…
Owners representing the 32 NFL teams are meeting virtually this week to discuss the state of the league, which appears to be in good hands with the recent signing of broadcast rights contracts worth more than $110 billion. That’s a hefty number to share among the owners — only two of whom are people of color, and none of whom are Black. But as they divide their lucrative pie, there’s an African American sports group in Oakland, California, hoping to get their community a slice. That group, the African American Sports & Entertainment Group (AASEG), is hoping to ride the wave of…
(TN Tribune) – Attorney and entrepreneur Yusef Jackson is joining the executive team at Aventiv Technologies, according to a company announcement. Jackson is the son of Rainbow/PUSH founder Jesse Jackson and has been a longtime advocate for civil rights alongside his family. Jackson’s role is being described as helping to facilitate external partnerships with the civic, educational, and corporate communities and ensuring a more diverse workforce at the company. Aventiv is the parent company to Securus Technologies, which is best known for providing telecommunication services to prisons and jails around the U.S., including phones and digital tablets. The company, along with others…