People came anyway.

Speakers and performers had been told not to come. The ground at Centennial Park was too wet for the planned sound system. People, however, continually converged from all directions. The organizers put their heads together and the Nashville Hands Off! event organically grew like wet grass from the mud. It was a day of chants, song, drumming, dance and sharing words with bullhorns. The signs were amazing and the vibe was tangible. People needed this!

By the afternoon, the crowd of thousands spontaneously migrated to the sidewalks of West End Ave. and engaged the traffic which mostly honked with approval.

Knoxville, to the east, had glorious weather and a massive turnout for a march and sidewalk demonstration. The signs were creative and sometimes kitschy (east TN humor is the best).

At both events an innovative idea was born, a large helium balloon shaped like a ‘3’ to help Third Actors find each other. It also sparked conversations with others about Third Act.

We even had participation from TATN members on a visit to Honduras!

Some of the West TN events were postponed. Our weather comes from that direction and another round of storms was brewing.

It was thrilling to see the small town protests constantly being added in the days before. Promotional material was edited time and again to include these folks, showing up in town squares and in front of courthouses. So here’s a big shout out to Morristown, Winchester, Cookeville, Jackson, Johnson City, Maryville and Clarksville!!

Feeling some love for Tennessee!

Nonviolent leader Rev. James Lawson repeatedly referred to a brilliant bit of dialogue between Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) and Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) in Tombstone.

Wyatt: What makes a man like Ringo to do the things he does?
Doc: A man like Ringo has a great empty hole right through the middle of him. He can never kill enuf or steal enuf or inflict enuf pain to fill it.
Wyatt: what does he need?
Doc: Revenge
Wyatt: For what?
Doc: Being born

Rev. Lawson called this “the hole down the middle of the soul.” He sometimes said Ringo was angry that he was “born human.” I think maybe he meant that the desire for wholeness was lacking in Johnny Ringo.

When Rev. Lawson spoke about God, he sometimes used the term “the Creative Force of the Universe” or soul force. Creative force, soul force, wholeness. What does this have to do with old Johnny Ringo?

Last week was the 57th anniversary of the murder of Dr. King. A friend in our nonviolent group sent a King quotation to us all that day: “Nonviolence is absolute commitment to the way of love.”

On the day of his death, Dr. King was in Memphis supporting the sanitation workers who were seeking better working conditions and a better wage. They marched carrying signs or wearing placards that hung from cords around their necks proclaiming, “I Am a Man.” Photos of their march have always had a strong effect on me, they arouse my compassion and, at the same time, they almost make me shudder–that this should even need to be said.

Dr. King’s philosophy, developed in his doctoral work with philosopher Dr. Edgar Brightman at Boston U, was called “personalism.” He argued that a human personality in its unique constellation of features, an inner spirit and a presence in the world, was what he called “a Shining Present,” a manifestation of being, a phenomenon that shines forth Now.

Sometimes parents especially experience this with their children; a parent sees–what deep joy– the beautiful existence that this child brings into the room, into the world, this presence–it lights up the room and fills the parent’s heart.

But I am also a student of psychodynamic theory, I’m a Freud Fangirl. So I am all too aware of our psychic fractures, the inner splits among our various parts. Instincts and thoughts and beliefs that motivate us to act, sometimes not for the best. And relations with others, where all manner of vexation arises. Well, it’s a Fight Club, isn’t it?

There’s a type of meditation called Preksha that was developed from the Jain tradition– that’s the tradition of Gandhi’s mother, that’s THE Gandhi, the teacher of nonviolent resistance from whose work both Rev. Lawson and Dr. King learned.

This particular meditation has a lot of steps to it, and I don’t know how to practice all of them, but what I do try to practice is this one step, in which the meditator looks with an inward eye and notices, just notices, what emotions he/she is feeling at the moment. Looks at the emotions from the point of view of an observer.

Feelings are one part of heart-mind, and the observing eye is another part, and weirdly, somehow this interaction between the two in a meditative state helps to connect emotions and inner perception and this helps to reconcile fractured parts of the psychic state. I call it “slow mind” in my own self. Somehow it produces a sense of compassion, not sure how. Maybe it helps to create a sense of wholeness.

According to Doc Holliday, Johnny Ringo’s soul did not experience that wholeness, or in the words of Dr. King, maybe Ringo’s darkness lacked that Shining Present.

I can be like Johnny Ringo sometimes, sad to say. Maybe you can be like that, too.

My friend, songwriter Michael Kelsh, offers this:
“When I’m feeling low,
When there’s no place I can go
When my soul is dry and thirsty,
I draw water from the well of mercy.”

Let’s do better. Let’s heal the holes in the middle of our souls. Let’s make an absolute commitment to love. Let’s draw water from the well of mercy.
Or, as Doc Holliday would say, when he won the hand of poker, “Isn’t that a daisy?”

Here is my best guidance for action, rendered beautifully by the great John Lithgow. I first published these lessons more than eight years ago, in late 2016. They open the twenty chapters of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Millions of you, around the world, have put these lessons to good use; it has been humbling to learn how from courageous and creative dissenters, protestors, and oppositionists. I am delighted to have this special chance now to share the lessons again. I was honored when John, a wise advocate for civil discourse and civic engagement, volunteered to read them aloud.

As of this writing, ten Hands Off! events are planned in TN:  Knoxville, Chattanooga, Cookeville, Jackson, Nashville, and Kingsport!  Registration links for all events are below.  Register today for the event of your choice and mark your calendar to attend. Registering is easy, helps event organizers, and ensures you receive any last minute logistical communications.

Our job as Third Actors is to SHOW UP on April 5 and between now and then SPREAD THE WORD!  Make a list of everyone you know and urge them to join us in the streets on April 5.  If you put the word out on social media, use #EldersResist.  If you can make a sign, create one that speaks to your heart and what you are passionate about. You can elevate Third Act’s presence by adding the Third Act name as a tagline on your sign. Come out to bring the power and wisdom of elders to this movement and help make sure our voices are heard loud and clear.

REGISTER FOR KNOXVILLE HANDS OFF!

REGISTER FOR NASHVILLE HANDS OFF!

REGISTER FOR CHATTANOOGA HANDS OFF!

REGISTER FOR COOKEVILLE HANDS OFF!

REGISTER FOR JACKSON HANDS OFF!

REGISTER FOR KINGSPORT HANDS OFF!

The coalition is CleanUpTVA. Coalition members include: Appalachian Voices, Center for Biological Diversity, Energy Alabama, Knoxville Democratic Socialists of America, Memphis Community Against Pollution, Memphis NAACP, Mississippi Rising Coalition, One Knox Legacy Coalition, One Voice, Preserve Cheatham County, Protect Our Aquifer, Sierra Club, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Sowing Justice, Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment, Sunrise Movement Knoxville, Sunrise Movement Nashville, Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light, The Climate Reality Project, Third Act Tennessee, and Young Gifted & Green.

The event is The Rally for the Valley which will take place this Saturday, Sept. 21, at the bandshell in Nashville’s Centennial Park. The event will consist of knowledgeable speakers and live music, with the intention of shining a bright spotlight on a problem that has been growing in the dark for too long.

The problem is the lack of oversight and transparency with the Tennessee Valley Authority, specifically in regard to it’s current plans for a massive expansion of methane gas plants across the region.

The TVA is a federally owned electric utility corporation with a service area that reaches seven states and 10 million customers. The CEO, Jeff Lyash, is the highest paid federal employee, raking in $10.5 million a year. That’s 25 times the President’s salary. While in a position to be a leader in the  transition to clean energy, TVA has instead made plans for eight gas plant projects, the largest fossil gas expansion of any utility in the nation this decade. The TVA demonstrates a total lack of regard for the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. While much of the nation is making strides toward renewable energy sources, the TVA is headed in the wrong direction.

What should we know about “natural gas?” It’s a fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane gas. It’s branded “natural gas” to make it sound safe and clean. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, leaks into the atmosphere when the gas is extracted. The extraction process, called “fracking,” results in a large amount of toxic wastewater. The gas is then moved through pipelines to gas plants which emit nitrogen oxides, which are linked to childhood asthma. Building new gas plants locks us into this source of energy for decades.

What can be done?

#1 Learn as much as you can. It doesn’t require an advanced degree in chemistry to learn the basics on energy sources and their consequences. However it does require the ability to assess the sources of information. A lot of effort is put into forwarding the interests of those who acquire wealth from avoiding the transition from fossil fuels. Here’s one example:

On April 12, 2023, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a bill into law that redefines natural gas as one of 17 sources of “clean energy.” The bill forces municipalities, government entities, and other political subdivisions that have clean energy requirements to consider natural gas alongside wind, solar, hydroelectric, and other sources of power.

An informed citizen would find this outrageous.

#2 Plug into an organization. Speaking truth to power is most effective when our voices rise in unison. Individuals find power in groups and groups find power in coalitions. The list of organizations that have created the CleanUpTVA coalition is a good place to start.

#3 Take action. Here’s a quick one. Sign an electronic letter to the Senate EPW (Environment and Public Works) Committee and call for them to vet and approve clean energy champions to the TVA’s Board. You can do that here.

#4 Attend the Rally for the Valley.  Saturday, Sept. 21 from 1-5pm CT at Centennial Park in Nashville. This event is perfect for all of the above. The Rally is a place to learn more, to witness a movement, and possibly find a place there. In so doing, an individual’s actions are amplified. Additionally, the larger the Rally, the brighter the spotlight on the TVA, so please be a part of that.

Third Act Tennessee sending a clear message to the Tennessee Valley Authority

Representative Johnson is running for the U.S. Senate because she knows it is time to shift the power back where it belongs: with working middle class families. Her opponent, Marsha Blackburn, an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, has taken millions from pharmaceutical companies, the NRA and the insurance industry. Blackburn has voted against lowering our drug costs, against reasonable gun reform and in favor of  denying coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Blackburn opposes bipartisan, common sense gun laws, opposes a woman’s right to choose, and soundly rejects the scientific consensus on climate change.

Gloria Johnson believes in the protection of abortion rights and the accessibility of birth control and fertility treatments. She will fight for bipartisan, common sense gun safety laws. She will work to lower the rising costs of housing, groceries, and education. She wants to expand quality, affordable health care in rural areas and to lower drug costs. She stands in favor of increasing funds for public schools, thereby investing in our teachers and students.

In short, Gloria Johnson is the common sense choice for Tennesseans and America.

TVA board still has no Memphis members