Guessing Marsha doesn't know of this.

COMMENTARY: "How fitting it was that (University of Tennessee professor) Tamar Shirinian landed on the happy side of a nearly $2 million legal settlement just as the country was celebrating its 250th." Columnist @brucebarry.bsky.social on freedom of speech and UT.

The cost to taxpayers of the University of Tennessee’s constitutional ignorance. My latest column up today @tennesseelookout.com. tennesseelookout.com/2026/07/13/s...

Dispatch from the Dept. of Takes One to Know One.

An impossibly dense premise in @thetennesean.bsky.social op-ed by Rep. Sabi Kumar. When they cracked Nashville into three rural-dominated districts we ended up not with three House members serving us but with three having no real ties here, none of whom could give a shit about the city.

After killing TN's only Dem congressional seat last month, GOP said it will seek next year to redraw state senate and house districts for partisan gain. Will they go for 33-0 and 99-0? Could they? My latest column up this week at @tennesseelookout.com. tennesseelookout.com/2026/06/16/w...

COMMENTARY: Tennessee Republicans used the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais to redraw the state’s congressional maps. What’s to stop them for redistricting the state House and Senate in attempt to cut all Democratic seats out? From columnist @brucebarry.bsky.social

Will Tennessee Republicans’ next move be to purge Democrats entirely? Why wouldn't they try it? My latest column up today at @tennesseelookout.com. tennesseelookout.com/2026/06/16/w...

Reports are TN GOP will next redistrict state leg because supermajority not enough. Could they draw maps to make House 99-0 and senate 33-0? Took me 30 minutes using online mapping tool to make this state senate map slicing and dicing Middle TN. Why wouldn't they try it? What would stop them?

Commentary of the week: "Starbucks is having difficulty making the case to some workers who may prefer to give up their jobs rather than face exile to the Volunteer State," writes columnist @brucebarry.bsky.social of the coffee giant's corporate relocation to Nashville.

Some handy facts about Tennessee for workers at Starbucks out in Seattle who are being asked to relocate. My column up this week @tennesseelookout.com. tennesseelookout.com/2026/05/26/r...

Allow me to offer some guidance for Starbucks HQ workers out in Seattle who are pondering relocation to Tennessee. My new column up today at @tennesseelookout.com. tennesseelookout.com/2026/05/26/r...

Moral of the story, and a good one: ignore the First Amendment, get sued, lose (or settle when your lawyers tell you you will lose), pay lots of money to the person whose rights you stupidly ignored. Hey Perry County voters - maybe choose less of a moron to be sheriff?

Agree with @jamellebouie.net. I offered an alternative take on his 'legacy' in my column in late 2020 on the occasion of Lamar's retirement from the Senate. tennesseelookout.com/2020/12/08/c...

Does NES (which is to say we rate payers) compensate their tree-butchering contractors by the hour? This 3-big-truck crew has been idling by my house for the last hour and a half doing nothing. Do we really need more ways to question NES competence than we already have?

The map shown on Senate Judiciary Committee agenda has a close-up of Davidson county. Here is my attempt to roughly translate it to actual county map to see approximate boundaries (inset is the proposed GOP close-up).

With enthusiasm for Nashville's direction souring and 2027 Metro elections looming it's a good time for Freddie O’Connell to decide what kind of mayor he wants to be and use Wednesday's State of Metro speech to share it. My new column at @tennesseelookout.com. tennesseelookout.com/2026/04/27/t...

With State of Metro speech upcoming this week, what is souring Nashvillians on the city’s trajectory and dampening enthusiasm for Mayor Freddie O'Connell's leadership? My latest column up today at @Tennesseelookout.com.

Sadly a shady maple that has lorded over our front yard for far longer than the quarter century we've lived here came down today. It has been in palliative care for the last few years and the ice storm of 2026 put it in hospice. Time to pull the plug. Fare thee well big tree.

Moving bills aimed at cramming Christianity down everyone’s throats remains a robust growth industry down at the Tennessee state legislature. My new column this week for @Tennesseelookout.com.

Commentary: Doing the people’s business through legislation that offends sanity, dignity and democracy, not to mention the U.S. Constitution, is pretty much business as usual for the chuckleheads who drive the trains up there at the Tennessee legislature, writes columnist @brucebarry.bsky.social.

Looking at the data, it appears we don’t actually have a Christian nationalist state; we have a Christian nationalist state government revealing itself yet again (as on guns, healthcare, and other issues) as seriously out of touch with Tennesseans. - @brucebarry.bsky.social @tennesseelookout.com

Is the Tennessee state legislature basically just an exercise in organized Christian nationalism? My latest column up today at @tennesseelookout.com.

"Silence is not neutrality; it is permission." Scalding argument in WaPo op-ed last week calling out appeasement masquerading as institutional neutrality by univ leaders like Diermeier at @Vanderbilt.edu.

State campaign finance disclosure filed last week shows Dem @jerrigreen4tn.bsky.social in her gub bid raised $125K spent $91K and has a paltry $34K on hand. Green deserves kudos for stepping into the arena when no one else has but c'mon @tndems.bsky.social this won't cut it.

TN-7 Congressman Chucklehead Van Epps is "proud to announce" that his choice of district office locations willfully ignores the county with the largest number of constituents - because why even bother pretending you rep Nashville or give the slightest shit about it?

The @nashvilledot.bsky.social residential storm-related debris collection op hit our street this morning and it is impressive in scale. Well done NDOT and thanks.

icymi My take on NES ice storm response in latest column at @tennesseelookout.com. tennesseelookout.com/2026/02/04/t...

Commentary: Columnist @brucebarry.bsky.social on the Nashville Electric Service power outages and communication (or lack thereof) from the agency as hundreds of thousands were left without power following Winter Storm Fern.

I was wondering what the 2 week temperatures were after the 1994 Nashville ice storm and wow!

To what extent should we fault NES for ice storm recovery mayhem? My latest column for @tennesseelookout.com up today. tennesseelookout.com/2026/02/04/t...

Dispatch from the Dept. of Some Things Never Change.

There's a chart at the NES homepage showing when power is expected back by zip code. Doesn't say when use of a spellchecker will be back.

It's curious that @aftynbehn.bsky.social's announcement today that she won't run again in TN-7 tells of plans for the "less than $200K in remaining funds" when her FEC disclosure earlier this month showed her campaign account with $465K cash on hand and zero debts or obligations left.

Takeaways for 2026 from that December special election in the 5th Congressional District: my latest column up today at @tennesseelookout.com. tennesseelookout.com/2026/01/12/w...

It's old hat to call the @thetennesean.bsky.social feckless but they have outdone themselves with a story two months ahead that it's "almost time" to move clocks ahead.

My take on that little special election we had here in Tennessee yesterday, up this afternoon at @ms.now. www.ms.now/opinion/tenn...

I can see what he's getting at. The Ad looked like it was cooked up by tourists who have an idea of the south in their heads. Cause growing up here, I've never been in a venue with a mechanical bull.

TN7 special election ad watch: Matt Van Epps on TV w/ 30-sec ad, a $48K buy for 101 airings this week and next on ch 5. (Assume similar buys at 2, 4, 17 but gov't shutdown has FCC filings offline; have to get them directly from stations, and I'm in touch only w/ 5.) [1/3]

icymi My take on Democrat Aftyn Behn's @aftynfortn prospects for turning Tennessee's markedly red 7th Congressional District blue in the upcoming Dec. 2 special election. Latest column at @tennesseelookout.com. tennesseelookout.com/2025/10/30/c...

Commentary: Columnist Bruce Barry analyzes the Democratic prospects for a win in the upcoming special election for Congressional District 7: Democratic nominee, Rep. Aftyn Behn, appears to be making a close race in a GOP district--but can she close the gap?

Can Democrats flip Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District? Analysis in my new column up today at @tennesseelookout.com. tennesseelookout.com/2025/10/30/c...

Oct 15 means 3rd quarter FEC disclosures (updating from Sept. pre-primary numbers). In TN7 special the Dem. nominee @aftynbehn.bsky.social reports total cycle raise $188K and total spend $167K, so as of 9/30 cash on hand heading into the general of just over $20K. Yikes?

Enjoyed being on the show today. Watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykAv...

Workers should not lose jobs merely because in off hours they have controversial things to say on social media or in other public settings, and elected officials should not be egging on this witch hunt. My latest column up today at @tennesseelookout.com. tennesseelookout.com/2025/09/23/t... .

Fun as always doing Nashville in Focus with host Scott Couch and panel. For the few who weren't up Sunday at 6:30 am to watch it live stream here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Xc...

CD 7 Adwatch: FCC filings show first Dem up on TV is Darden Copeland on Ch 2, 4, 5. A modest buy: ~$30K total through 9/22, $14K of it a one-shot splurge on 30 seconds during Titans Colts on Sunday. Meanwhile Vincent Dixie hits radio with spots on 92Q.

With some public universities and agencies letting themselves be pressured into firing staff for political expression, worth having a look at this very good @volokhc.bsky.social summary of the state of the law on free speech and employment in the public sector. reason.com/volokh/2025/...

CD7 Adwatch: @nashvillebanner.bsky.social reports today that Vincent Dixie "is the first Democrat to launch on TV" but no FCC filings (yet) for a buy by Dixie or any other Dem. With early voting for primary days away appears Dems mostly avoiding TV, unlike Repubs who are all over it.

Tell me this line of Matt Van Epps's TV spot, "I know what to do to terrorists, so these woke wannabes in Washington better take cover," is not a call for violence against political foes. (Or does he believe that one debates policy with terrorists?) Jarring cluelessness especially after yesterday.