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Today’s Letter to Tim Burchett

I am a constituent of Mr. Burchett. On May 24, 2023 at 11:53am, Mr. Burchett tweeted:

“The Biden administration thinks that Americans don’t care about what happened on the ground during the Afghanistan withdrawal and have obstructed our efforts to conduct oversight. Someone needs to be held accountable and these families need vindication and closure.”

I now email Mr. Burchett instead of replying to his tweets. I encourage everyone to email their representatives. Stop giving elected officials dopamine by replying to the social media prompts. Put them to work by sending emails which they must give a reply.

My letter to Mr. Burchett:

I expect more professionalism from my elected officials. Mr. Burchett is attempting to stir up people instead of doing his job which is in part to inform his constituents. Being intentionally ambiguous is just an attempt to get people riled. Instead of saying “someone needs to be held accountable” list their names. If Mr. Burchett does not know, then find out before sending the message.

In this case, I can answer Mr. Burchett’s ambiguity. “Someone needs to be held accountable.” That someone is Mr. Trump and Mr. Pompeo.

Drop the sensationalism and provide us the information and represent us as you were elected to do. You are a representative not a Hollywood personality.

Thank you,
Doug McCaughan

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The Joy of English

This is one that has bothered me much of my life because in context I rarely know if someone is referring to a fortnight or not.

Biweekly and bimonthly can mean the same thing because of the prefix bi-, which here can mean “occurring every two” or “occurring twice in.” Therefore, biweekly can be “twice in a week” or “every other week.” Bimonthly can also mean “every other week” if it’s twice in a month, or it can mean “every other month.”

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/on-biweekly-and-bimonthly#:~:text=Biweekly%20and%20bimonthly%20can%20mean,mean%20%E2%80%9Cevery%20other%20month.%E2%80%9D

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Bare Those Boobies! But Not in Tennessee…

This popped up in Reddit today. It is legal for women to be topless where men are allowed to be topless in 34 states and territories in the United States. Surprisingly, it is illegal in the Virgin Islands. A little less surprisingly it is illegal in Puerto Rico. Not surprising at all…Tennessee…the most backwards state in the Union. What’s up with Indiana?

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topfreedom_in_the_United_States and https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/13qaanr/til_that_in_34_us_states_women_are_legally/

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Rocky Hill Elementary Senior Walk

KNOXVILLE: If you have a graduating senior who was a Rocky Hill Elementary Student, RHES is having a senior walk on Monday. The classes will line up in the halls while the seniors walk their old haunts. They are encouraged to wear their graduation robes.

We have selected a date for the RH Senior Walk. It will be Monday, May 22 at 1:00.

We are asking that seniors arrive at 1:00 and gather out front. We are also requesting that they carpool and park at the Rocky Hill Ballfields . Our parking will be limited at school due to other events and dismissal with bus and car lines.

Feel free to spread the word! We look forward to seeing our grads!!

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Today’s email to Tim Burchett

At 1:43pm on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, Mr. Burchett Tweeted:
“Steve Bannon asked me if I thought East Tennesseans would support cutting funding for some of these alphabet agencies that aren’t doing their jobs. I told him absolutely, because they’ve told me so.”

1) Nobody cares one iota about Steve Bannon. Why do you surround yourself with criminals?

2) Please be professional and speak with less ambiguity. Part of your job is to inform your constituents. I am a constituent. I do not want dog whistles and sensationalism from you. I want details and clear explanations. Do your job.

3) Please tell me which agencies you propose cutting funding.

4) You say they are not doing their job (funny coming from someone who does not do his job). Please cite specific examples for each of the agencies you mentioned in #3. I will be posting this email and your reply to several social media cites so please fact check and be thorough.

5) I am a constituent and kindly ask that Mr. Burchett stop misrepresenting me. You claim we have told you to cut funding (to what?) I have suggested we build one less aircraft carrier and fewer bombs to fund education and health care. Our country drastically overspends on defense while neglecting important services such as education and the health of its citizens. For example, give the Department of Education more funding and watch this country become great again. Support a universal single payer health system and watch our GDP rise as healthy people will be more productive members of society longer.

I look forward to your well thought out reply.