Tuesday, members of the 106th General Assembly convened for a special session on education and were introduced to Gov. Phil Bredesen’s plan for reform.

Urging representatives to “seize the day,” Bredesen discussed in great detail plans he hopes will turn around under-performing schools, utilize achievement data during teacher evaluations and ultimately produce more high school and college graduates and a better educated workforce.

And passing this legislation – the Tennessee Education Innovation Plan (TEIP) – will make the state more competitive for educational funding through the Race to the Top Fund, which is funded through the Recovery Act.

Race to the Top – a competition Bredesen calls “bold, bipartisan and transformational” – is a competitive grant program designed to encourage and reward states that are implementing ambitious plans in education reform.

Bredesen is hoping for $435 million in Race to the Top funds.

“The stars have aligned this year to create opportunities to make significant improvements in public education in Tennessee. When that happens, we’re obligated as public officials to seize the moment,” Bredesen said. “That moment is now.” (more…)

I was a new mother when the shootings started.

The majority of them took place in Maryland, then they started going south. Northern Virginia. Ashland, Virginia. It was in my state and a little too close to home.

If you were in Virginia in October 2002, perhaps you were a little paranoid. As evidenced by a post I wrote back then, I was:

So should I talk about the sniper? I know that it’s all over the news and you’re probably tired of hearing about it, but I need to get it out. First of all, these killings – this is just SICK! I thought I was safe living down near (North Carolina), but I guess not. The Ashland, VA shooting was 65 miles from my house. It’s pretty scary stuff!! Then I thought about what’s been going on and guess what? My workplace is behind an Exxon, next to a wooded area, next to the interstate, and across the street from a couple of tall buildings. I’m a little freaked out by all of this, but who isn’t? And I love Chief Moose! He is so funny – he’s quick to tell someone off! He really cracks me up!

(Oh Chief Moose, I forgot all about you.)

Back then I was a little dramatic, but I was terrified. I don’t think I’m alone in that.

And tonight – right now, actually – D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind behind the shooting of 15 people around the Beltway and beyond, will die by lethal injection. (And, oh there you are, Charles Moose. On Larry King Live.)

In the wake of another massacre, those of troops at Ft. Hood, this shows that justice will be served. Justice for those who died, those who were injured seven years ago. And, in a way, justice for those who lost their lives last week at the hands of a man who swore to protect and defend this nation.

“We live in a nation of laws,” Chief Moose said. “The people of Virginia made their decision based on the evidence. It’s good to see the system works, and the people’s will is going to be carried out.”

By the time I’m finished with this post, Muhammad will likely be dead. I should be happy about this, but thinking about Muhammed and Lee Boyd Malvo again, after all of this time, makes me uneasy. The Christian in me feels guilt and shame for reveling in another man’s death, but the liberal in me feels that finally, and perhaps a little too late, justice has finally come. And, though it will never bring back those who lost their lives seven years ago, this country will have one less terrorist.

As a commissioner said, “Soon he’ll be shaking hands with Satan.” Three minutes ago, at 9:11 p.m. EST, died.

May the victims – James Martin, James Buchanan, Premkumar Walekar, Sarah Ramos, Lori Ann-Lewis Rivera, Pascal Charlot, Dean Harold Meyers, Kenneth Bridges, Linda Franklin, Conrad Johnson, Caroline Seawell, Iran Brown and Jeffrey Hopper – and their families finally be at peace.

My heart is breaking tonight.

I saw the first tweet about the senseless tragedy in Ft. Hood this afternoon and I was in disbelief. As the afternoon turned to evening, my disbelief grew to sadness and anger. I’m like I sponge sometimes in that I feel what other people feel; I soak in emotions that have left me solemn and somber.

And I’m also angry.

For most of my life, I was a military dependent. Generations of my family have served in the military and have defended our basic freedoms. I’m very proud of this. I grew up, married a soldier and was a proud Army wife. And I was always, always proud of those men and women in uniform I came to know while we were stationed at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina.

Since 2001, I have been part (and, for a few years, owned) an online community for military spouses. These women were my friends, my sounding board, my solace when no one else was around. I’ve built friendships that have lasted longer and are stronger than many others in my life.

I know firsthand the struggles these families face day in and day out and something as heinous as this, which has left dozens of people dead or injured, should not be one of them. I don’t know why this happened, but what I do know is that this man and his alleged accomplices were not true soldiers.

With soldiers, there is a brotherhood. It does not have to be earned, it is given. A soldier does not violate this trust. Real soldiers don’t forget Army values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honesty, integrity & personal courage.

They did not bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. constitution, the Army or to other soldiers. They were not loyal to the nation and its heritage. They did not fulfill their obligations to defend this nation and its allies. They did not find opportunities to improve themselves for the good of the group. They did not show respect or rely upon the golden rule. They did not put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and their subordinates before their own.

They did not live up to all the Army values or do what is right, legally and morally.

And, it seems, Hasan may have had a little bit of a problem with the Warrior Ethos. According to media reports, his unit was standing ready to deploy. But, against creed, he did not stand ready to deploy or engage in the battle that awaited him overseas.

How we consider others reflects upon each of us, both personally and as a professional organization.

What happened today is, unfortunately, a poor reflection upon the Army and its soldiers. But I want to say that these men, even though at least one of them was an officer, do not exemplify what a true soldier really is. A soldier doesn’t abandon his unit or turn on his brothers.

This man, quite simply, is a coward.

Tonight my love and sympathy goes out to all of the families who’ve lost a loved one due to one man’s apparent performance anxiety. May you find strength, comfort and peace. And may you once again have faith in humanity, an understandably difficult feat in the wake of today’s tragedy.

Anyone else getting burnt out on Michael Jackson? Because I really, really am.

I’m sad for his family and his children, but I’m sick of the tributes already. I’m tired of Michael Jackson on the radio constantly. I’m annoyed with the celebrities speaking out (thanks, we already knew he was a musical genius/icon/legend and we already knew who has modeled their style after him (looking at you, Justin Timberlake)). And I’m also really struggling with the glorification of this human being, simply because he died unexpectedly and made great contributions to the world of music.

When people die, we tend to sanctify them. We remember the good times and quietly sweep the bad times, the bad habits, under the rug for another time. This is exactly what most of the world is doing with Michael Jackson, with Farrah Fawcett, with Ed McMahon and with Billy Mays.

The fact is, musical genius as he may have been, Michael Jackson was also a suspected sex offender.

Last night NBC aired a special called Living With Michael Jackson, which was a series of interviews conducted by British journalist Martin Brashear. I enjoyed it because Brashear asked the difficult questions, the ones he knew Michael wouldn’t likely answer (or answer truthfully), on topics ranging from the paternity (and maternity) of his children to having severe dermatological issues as a teenager to the ever-changing physical features.

As I watched it, I watched Michael lie about not having had plastic surgery (please!). I listened to him talk about his children, insisting he was their biological father (though apparently that’s not true, judging by the reports on this today) and insisting to Brashear that he would not mind if his children spent the night at someone’s house and slept in a bed with an adult (this was in response to the sexual abuse allegations); yet, earlier, Michael and the children took a trip to the zoo and he told Brashear that he refused to let anyone else take his children anywhere, because if something happened he wanted to be the one responsible for it (“I’d rather it be my fault,” is pretty close to what he said). Like, you know, dangling an infant over a balcony railing.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved the man’s music (always stop when I come to a song on the radio or iPod, even before he passed away), but these are exactly the reasons we need to bring the pandemonium down a notch or two. Icon that he may be, he also had some serious flaws that were not necessarily kept private. We, the public, need to keep this in mind.

When I die, please know I do not wish to be canonized.

While I do hope to be remembered for my good points, I’m honest enough with myself and others to recognize the fact that I am a deeply flawed person.

I’m messy and disorganized. I don’t often think things through. I hate math and I’m no good with financial matters. I’ve worked hard to be a good mother, but I’m not the best or perfect parent; I lose my temper too easily and I have little patience. I lack discipline. I talk too much. Sometimes I don’t know the right thing to say and end up putting my foot in my mouth. I don’t know when to keep my comments to myself sometimes, like when we were at the airport checking our suitcase and I pointed out that it weighed 52 pounds (you have to pay for anything over 50). I’m picky and opinionated. I hate doing laundry. I am deeply sentimental and thus a packrat. I have [unintentionally] broken TSA rules and carried a knife in my purse on a plane (funny story is, they stopped Shanee because she had baby food in her diaper bag and here I was with a 4-5 inch knife in my purse).

Sometimes I brag too much, but I’m proud of myself, my family and our collective accomplishments. I’m not good at keeping in touch with people, except on Facebook. I’m irritating. I talk on the phone too much. My opinions are not always mainstream. I’ve had a lot of automobile accidents. I got pregnant before I was married. I stayed with an abusive husband when I knew I should have moved on. Need I continue? (I’m sure my brothers could point out tons more.)

While no one wants to be remembered simply for their flaws, my bad traits are as much a part of me as my good traits. I’m far from joining the ranks of Mary, Matthew, Luke and John.

I’m a human, not a saint.

This is also what we need to remember about celebrities. Remember their achievements, but don’t forget what made them real.

For the children of the ’80s and ’90s, today is a day we will not soon forget.

Most of us learned the news unexpectedly, surprised to learn the King of Pop had died at age 50. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I was checking Twitter on my phone while driving when I saw the first message: “MJ dead. dang“. I wondered aloud if Ro meant Michael Jackson or someone else. I scrolled down and was shocked to see that she did, indeed, mean Michael Jackson.

This was just before 5 p.m. CST and was approximately 45 minutes after the reports said Michael Jackson was pronounced dead (at 2:15 pm PST).

For about an hour, I sense most of the world was in a state of confusion: was he dead or just in a coma? Was this a hoax (or was Perez Hilton the only one who asked that)? And, finally, even mainstream media was reporting the story that TMZ.com broke, confirming the death of the King of Pop.

Unlike Elvis’ death 32 years ago when CBS didn’t even lead with the story on the evening newscast, word of Michael Jackson’s death spread quickly through the use of social networking and social media sites. Once the word was out, the tributes began. On Facebook and messageboards we discussed our favorite MJ songs and videos and expressed our ongoing shock at his unexpected death.

For us, Michael Jackson was an icon during our childhood. I was a preschooler when he danced the epic first moonwalk on “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever.” As I got older, Michael’s legendary status grew. When I was a kid, he was still The Gloved One and had not yet made the transition to being Wacko Jacko.

Allegations and physical transformations aside, he was and is a legend. My children are growing up with their own legends, but tonight I couldn’t help but take the time tonight to show them a few of the videos I grew up watching on MTV (yeah, remember they used to show videos?). Dirty Diana. The Way You Make Me Feel. Parts of Thriller. They were a little confused because they saw him evolve from younger Mike to older Mike, where we didn’t really resemble himself, and they asked questions I couldn’t answer.

I still remember where I was when I found out Princess Diana had died (the driveway at our old house in Virginia; I had just arrived home from a long day at work at Busch Gardens). And, of course, I still remember where I was when the world stopped turning. Here’s to yet another “where were you when … ?” that maybe my children will be interested in in the future, but for now I’m exhausted with the amped up coverage that is just beginning.

Yesterday my good buddy and partner at WMC-TV 5 in Memphis, Justin Hanson (who’s Emily’s cousin), interviewed me as a representative for my newspaper for a story he did on our Top Ten Most Wanted weekly feature which is published in conjunction with our sheriff’s office.

Here’s the story: www.wmctv.com/global/story.asp?s=8279858

And in doing the interview, I know why I’m in print journalism rather than in broadcast: I suck on camera! lol. Justin edited out my retardness for the most part, but you can still see me slouching and, if you pay attention, can still hear and see me swiveling in my chair. Ha. (This was at my desk, by the way.) I seriously bombed that interview. He’d ask a question and I’d stutter, then turn to Gwen for coaching. lol. I’m just not a good on-the-spot person and because I work with him just about every day, I know Justin interviews like I do: we don’t come prepared with questions, we wing it.

The Most Wanted program, which was started in late October 2007, has a 43 percent success rate thus far. That means that four out of every ten offenders featured is captured in some way – whether they are apprehended by the police or turn themselves in. It’s been a great benefit for our county.

Also featured in the video are Sgt. Billy Daugherty (and his LIPS! Ha!) and Deputy Chief Donna Turner of the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office. I work with these two quite a bit and they are wonderful. I’ve come to them with everything from keeping an eye on the house when we’re away to filing complaint after complaint about my apparent stalker to programming my police scanner and they are always, always there to help. I’ve found that with most – if not all – of the members of our local law enforcement agencies: they are always willing to help out, no matter how great or small the problem. Gotta love the po-lice (the sheriff teases me for saying it the yankee way lol).

Back to the video – yes, that is our ugly paneled office that used to be a bowling alley. And yes, I’ve watched it like a million times to criticize myself and to laugh hysterically at Billy’s lips! lol. What on earth possessed him to put in that shot of Billy’s lips I’ll never know, but I still think it’s hilarious. Can’t wait to call him up and tease him about it!

Ryne & Kelly can’t go home tonight. Apparently there is a shooter on the loose in Virginia Beach, and they have closed down his apartment complex. Lovely.

From what he said, it’s a sniper and there are apparently two victims and four other shots fired so far. Their dogs (a boxer and a shih tzu) are home alone. Kelly is 33 weeks pregnant. Ryne has an advancement test tomorrow. Loveliness, right? They won’t be allowed home tonight so they are having to check into Visitor’s Quarters at a nearby base.

Anyhoo. Kinda scary.

An updated news story: http://www.wavy.com/global/story.asp?s=8044336. There are also videos you can watch if you have a high-speed connection (or a lot of patience if you’re on dial-up).