Knoxville-Knox County Planning: Agricultural Should Not Be Rezoned to Rural Residential! (published 8-23-2026; article #572)

Source: Knoxville-Knox County Planning: Resources: news: 860: img-4500

Introduction

Does the above image imply that Knoxville-Knox County Planning's focus is to break up agricultural land so “McMansion” subdivisions can be built? A “McMansion” subdivision, by my definition, is a row of costly houses, built side by side, on postage-stamp-sized property. Next-door neighbors could shake hands through open side windows. The above image is found prominently at Knoxville-Knox County Planning: News: 7/30/2026: UDO Module D Articles and Second Draft Map Available.

Greetings, dear reader. This entry focuses on agricultural landowners in Knox County, Tennessee, and the recent behind-the-back rezoning proposal by Knoxville-Knox County Planning. Of course, I have a few questions. The conclusion includes links to my relevant articles from 2022 and indicates my further action.

To a wider audience, how would you like it if your property were proposed to be rezoned behind your back without notice? That's what was proposed recently in Knox County, Tennessee.

Fortunately, wisdom postponed the rezoning proposal until the new county mayor and county commission members take office on Tuesday, September 1. The postponement gives agricultural landowners greater opportunity to speak their minds about their concerns.

Agricultural Rezoning Behind Farmers' Backs

Around the middle of the month, local television news stations in Knox County began airing segments about Knoxville-Knox County Planning. A big change was that land originally zoned agricultural was proposed to be rezoned to rural residential. The proposal was arranged behind the backs of agricultural landowners.

Two of several sources are “Knox County zoning overhaul raises concerns among farmers: Proposed Advance Knox plan would reclassify agricultural land by default; farmers say they found out through social media.” WVLT News, by Caroline Mueller, 8/10/2026, and “Farmer raises concerns over proposed Knox County zoning changes.” WATE 6 On Your Side, by Drea Peebles, 8/11/2026.

Initially, zoned Agricultural (A) landowners would have to submit opt-in forms to retain their current zoning. Otherwise, their property would be rezoned to Rural Residential (RR) without any notice.

Behind-the-Back Rezoning Postponed

As the previously referenced news sources indicate, agricultural landowners caught wind of the behind-the-pack proposal. They started “making hay” by speaking out in opposition. As a result, the proposal was put on hold.

Advance Knox: Unified Development Ordinance (UDO): Work on Draft Map 2 Has Been Paused states (with my underlining added for emphasis):

Due to significant interest and feedback, work on this draft map will be paused until a later date. Property owners who currently have Agricultural (A) land do not need to fill out an opt-in form. Additional comments can be made by calling 865-215-3085, submitting a comment on the map, or emailing contact@advanceknox.org.

The “Draft Map” link on the previously mentioned web page opens ArcGIS: Apps: Dashboards: Knox County Unified Development Ordinance: Proposed Zoning Map — Draft 2. Clicking the link immediately opens a prominent pop-up box stating, “Work on Draft Map 2 Has Been Paused: Due to overwhelming feedback, work on this draft map will be paused until a later date. Property owners who currently have Agricultural (A) land do not need to fill out an opt-in form. Comments on the map will continue to be accepted.”

Clicking past the pop-up on the “Draft Map,” I selected the tab “Compare Proposed and Existing Zoning Maps.” If you do likewise, you will see, on the right, the “Existing Zoning Map” and, on the left, the “Proposed Zoning Map – Draft 2.”

Opening the legend for the “Existing Zoning Map” shows the light green properties that are currently zoned Agricultural. Those properties compose most of the rural land in the county.

Opening the legend for the “Proposed Zoning Map – Draft 2,” however, shows the proposal to rezone Agricultural land to Rural Residential (dark green). It would be a significant change.

A down-to-earth summation of this section is Knoxville-Knox County Planning got caught with their hands in the cookie jar! The "cookies" were the zoned Agricultural land, which Knoxville-Knox County Planning proposed to rezone to Rural Residential.

My Questions

A few questions come to mind. First, why did Knoxville-Knox County Planning (KKCP) want to rezone Agricultural land to Rural Residential? What was the motivation?

Additionally, why did KKCP not consult first with zoned Agricultural landowners before making the proposed rezoning? Did they want to rezone behind the backs of those landowners?

Further, why would a property owner of zoned Agricultural land, proposed to be rezoned to Rural Residential, have to opt back into zoned Agricultural land? Would it have been better to ask those landowners to opt in to change their land from zoned Agricultural to rezoned Rural Residential if they wanted to do so?

Finally, from the “I smell a rat" department, are property developers influencing KKCP? If all zoned Agricultural land were to be rezoned to Rural Residential, would property developers not swarm down on rural landowners like buzzards on freshly killed meat with their marketing efforts to buy the land? Will agricultural landowners begin hearing their doorbells ring as door-to-door property developers drop by to buy their land?

Conclusion

The acronym for “Unified Development Ordinance” is UDO. Odo, not Udo, was the changeling character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. When I hear UDO, I laugh and think about Odo, the changeling.

This article accuses the folks at Knoxville-Knox County Planning and their sidekicks at Advance Knox of being changelings. They have changed from upholding the best interests of landowners in Knox County to being influenced by pesky property developers who want to turn agricultural land into McMansion subdivisions for a huge profit. Farmers are being shafted. The roads and infrastructure will not support such changes.

I am not alone in my opinion. For example, “UDO Draft 2 Map and RR Zone Changes,” Knox Community Planning Alliance, 8/8/2026, has a much more in-depth response to the proposed zoning change than this brief article does.

Four years ago, I focused on Advance Knox and the land use and transportation plan in a series of four articles. The first article from 5/1/2022 includes a subsection titled “Advance Knox Psychobabble.” I followed up with complete articles from 5/8/2022, 5/9/2022, 5/18/2022, and 5/21/2022. Unfortunately, I have returned my focus to this matter.

After publishing this article, I plan to link to it in emails I send to Knoxville-Knox County Planning (contact@knoxplanning.org), Advance Knox (contact@advanceknox.org), and incoming Mayor-Elect Betsy Henderson (info@betsyhenderson.com). Further, I plan to send a modified email to the recipients on Knox Community Planning Alliance's Take Action: UDO web page.

This concludes my 78th entry in the Poly-Ticks: Greek πολλά (many) and ticks (bloodsuckers) Topic Section. If we could get the many bloodsuckers out of politics, we might find a few true statesmen and stateswomen left standing.

President Trump's Marketing Letter: A 50-Cent Coin from AMAC! (published 7-27-2026; article #569)

Saturday, 7-25-2026: A photograph by M. Fearghail of a 50-cent coin, front and back, as included in the same-day letter from President Trump.

Introduction

Early last Saturday morning, the United States Postal Service (USPS) sent me their usual daily Informed Delivery by USPS email. Aside from the usual pieces, I was surprised to see that a letter from President Donald J. Trump would arrive later that day.

During the morning, I wondered, “Does the president wish to consult with me?” I even speculated, “He may have finally replied to the letter I sent him on 4/21/2026.” (The article from 4/20/2026 includes the letter.)

My sarcastic jaw dropped when the mail arrived around noon. What? Not another marketing letter from the president!

President Trump's Marketing Letter

President Trump—addressing me only by first name, as if we were close friends—wanted me to join the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). It was merely a marketing letter.

In his brash and exaggerated writing style, the president contrasted the smaller but conservative AMAC to unnamed and larger “senior groups,” which the president described as “those Leftists.”

I yawned while reading the letter. I thought, “Doesn't the president have enough problems? Why did he allow a ghostwriter to send me a marketing letter?”

President Trump may never overcome his pompous personality. His undeclared war with Iran continues to drag on. American service members are being killed and injured. His unconstitutional tariffs change every few days like paper carried by a breeze. His undeclared war and tariffs continue to fuel inflation.

On balance, however, Trump was the better choice in the last election. He has secured the border, arranged the deportation of criminal illegal aliens, stood up for the right to life of the unborn, and established two genders, male and female. Further, he doesn't condone so-called gay pride.

The president's style, however, will ensure that the next president will be a Democrat or, even worse, a Democrat Socialist. His first presidency gave us the disaster of President Biden's four years.

A 50-Cent Coin from AMAC!

President Trump's letter was the cover for a four-page marketing letter from Rebecca Weber, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). Before opening the envelope, I wondered why I felt a hard, round object inside it.

The object was a shiny new 50-cent coin, as depicted in the image above. At least I became 50 cents richer by opening the mailing.

Rebecca Weber and AMAC have “launched an Emergency Membership Drive” in every state to encourage all conservatives, aged 50 or older, to join AMAC's fight to save America. AMAC, apparently, stands against the “secular AARP” (American Association of Retired Persons).

From the letter, all I have to do to save America is pay $11 for an annual membership, instead of the usual $19. Will paying AMAC $11 for a yearlong membership help save America? I don't think so. Actually, the cost would be $10.50, since I have a 50-cent coin.

Conclusion

What will save America? Political solutions without a national spiritual revival are insufficient. America's decline is a result of spiritual weakness and the following of unbiblical worldviews. The solution lies in godly churches and Christians seeking humility before God and leading souls to Christ, following the biblical worldview. I am not advocating for so-called Christian nationalism. Instead, I pray for spiritual renewal.

The context of 2 Chronicles 7:14 is God's appearance to King Solomon after the temple was completed (verses 11-22). Verse 14, often quoted, is from a section of God's words to Solomon. It reads, “...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (NIV). Initially for the Israelites, the principle applies for all of God's people.

This is the 126th entry in the Humor Topic Section because it was funny that I should receive a 50-cent coin in a letter from the president. I may carry it around in my truck for a while to see if I can buy anything for 50 cents.

Further, this is the 77th article for the Poly-Ticks Topic Section because I touched on the subject briefly. To read more about my stance on the biblical worldview, please read through the 25 articles so far in the Worldviews in Conflict Topic Section.

Now, where am I going to find something that costs only 50 cents?

What did I do with the letter from President Trump? It is in the paper recycling bin.

The “Sunshine Protection Act of 2025”—A Follow-Up (published 7-25-2026; article #568)

“Brown-and-white clocks,” Unsplash, by Jon Tyson, 8/18/2018. Free to use under the Unsplash License.

Introduction

The second article from 7/16/2026 focused on the so-titled “Sunshine Protection Act of 2025”—a bill to enforce daylight saving time year-round—and asked if history will repeat itself. The federal government cannot legislate the protection of sunshine nor the saving of daylight. If the bill becomes law, it would permanently keep the clock forward one hour.

This follow-up entry to my previous article centers on my correspondence with Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, who is currently running for governor, and Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett. Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty did not directly respond to my online message.

Exchange with Senator Blackburn

After publishing the second article from 7/16/2026, I sent online emails to Senators Blackburn (https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/email-me) and Hagerty (https://www.hagerty.senate.gov/email-me/). The subject line for both was “The 'Sunshine Protection Act of 2025.'” Addressing each senator by last name, I submitted the following to both:

Greetings. Your conservative positions in the Senate have my support.

Please do not vote in favor of the “Sunshine Protection Act of 2025,” recently passed in the House. My second article today, The “Sunshine Protection Act of 2025”—Will History Repeat Itself? (published 7-16-2026; article #567), Appalachian Irishman, explains why we don't want to make the same mistake that was made in 1974. The article references three previous articles about so-called daylight saving time.

Regards,

Marion William Ferrell

As stated previously, Senator Hagerty has not yet replied directly. On Friday, July 24, I received the following email response from Senator Blackburn:

     Subject: Responding to your message
     Date: 24 July 2026, 10:05:07 AM
     From: Office of U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn
          <donotreply@blackburn.senate.gov>
     To: Ferrell516@comcast.net

July 24, 2026

Dear Marion,

Thank you for contacting my office regarding daylight saving time. I always appreciate hearing from Tennesseans.

“Daylight saving” is the practice of advancing clocks to leverage the longer daylight available during summer, so that darkness falls at a later clock time. This practice became common during World War II and was codified into federal law in the United States in 1966.

While later sunsets are a pleasant and helpful feature of the summertime, I see no reason for that not to be the case year-round. That is why I am an original cosponsor of S.29, the Sunshine Protection Act, introduced by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL). This bill would make daylight saving time the new permanent standard time, while noting that states with areas exempt from daylight saving time may choose the standard time for those areas.

On July 14, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an identical version of the Sunshine Protection Act. President Trump proudly supports this legislation and has called daylight saving time a “ridiculous, twice-yearly production.”

Sincerely,

     Marsha Blackburn
     United States Senator

Later the same day, I replied to Senator Blackburn by postal mail as follows:

     Senator Marsha Blackburn
     357 Dirksen Senate Office Building
     Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Blackburn:

Thank you for your email response earlier today to my initial online email on July 16 concerning so-called daylight saving time.

Unfortunately, your response did not consider the mistake made in 1974, when permanent so-called daylight saving time was briefly in effect. Further, your response did not consider the medical sources, suggesting yearlong standard time would be better than annual daylight saving time. Finally, your reply did not account for the majority of Americans who prefer permanent standard time instead of year-round daylight saving time.

If so-called daylight saving time becomes permanent, let us see what happens during winter when children arrive at school in darkness and workers arrive at work in the dark. Another backlash, as in 1974, will be the case.

Finally, President Trump is simply wrong in advocating for permanent so-called daylight saving time. The House of Representatives was wrong on July 14 when it passed the so-called “Sunshine Protection Act of 2025.” Please, do not be wrong by voting in favor of the bill.

With regards,

Marion W. Ferrell

I actually watched the postal carrier take the mail from our mailbox. If Senator Blackburn replies to my postal letter, I plan to publish an article about it. If I don't publish another follow-up article, the senator did not respond.

Exchange with Representative Burchett

As the second article from 7/16/2026 mentioned, Representative Tim Burchett had already voted in favor of the bill. Consequently, I did not reach out to him after publishing the article.

On Monday afternoon, July 20, however, I received the following unsolicited email from Representative Burchett:

     Subject: UPDATE: Burchett Votes to Lock the Clock
    Date: Mon., 20 Jul 2026, 3:49:18 PM
     From: Rep. Burchett
          <repburchett@mail8.housecommunications.gov>
    Reply-To:
          repburchett+newsletter@mail8.housecommunications.gov
    To: Marion W. Ferrell <ferrell516@comcast.net>

      Salutation,

Knowing of our shared interest in ending the outdated practice of changing our clocks twice a year, I want to update you on my work in the U.S. House of Representatives to make daylight saving time permanent.

Like you, I believe Tennesseans should not have to disrupt their schedules every spring and fall simply because of an unnecessary clock change. Families, workers, schools, and businesses deserve greater consistency throughout the year.

On July 14, 2026, I voted in favor of H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation would make daylight saving time permanent and finally end the practice of “springing forward” and “falling back.”

Tennessee is ready to lock the clock. In 2019, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law supporting permanent daylight saving time once authorized by Congress. My vote brings Tennessee one step closer to making that change a reality.

Permanent daylight-saving time would provide more usable daylight in the evening, giving families more time together after work and school and allowing Tennesseans to enjoy more of our great state. It would also provide greater certainty for businesses and eliminate the disruption caused by changing the clocks twice each year.

H.R. 139 has been sent to the U.S. Senate for consideration. I am proud to have helped pass this commonsense legislation, and I urge the Senate to act so President Trump can sign it into law.

It is an honor to serve you in Congress. Please know I will continue working on practical solutions that make everyday life simpler for Tennesseans. If you’d like to stay updated on this and other issues, sign up for my newsletter at https://burchett.house.gov/contact/newsletter.

Sincerely,

     Tim Burchett
     Member of Congress
     burchett.house.gov
     
     Washington, DC: 1122 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC
          20515; 202-225-5435
     Knoxville: 800 Market Street, Suite 110, Knoxville, TN 37902;
          865-523-3772
     Maryville: 331 Court Street, Maryville, TN 37804;
          865-984-5464

Later that afternoon, I replied online at https://burchett.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact/email-me as follows:

Dear Representative Burchett:

We share an interest in not changing clocks biannually. Our interests, however, part on the choice of permanent standard time or daylight saving time.

Standard time, not daylight saving time, should become permanent. We do not need to repeat the history from 1974.

I encourage you to read my most recent article, The “Sunshine Protection Act of 2025”—Will History Repeat Itself? (published 7-16-2026; article #567), Appalachian Irishman. The conclusion references and directs to three previous articles on the topic.

Before voting in favor, I wish you had studied the history of the unpopular change to yearlong so-called daylight saving time in 1974.

Regards,

Marion W. Ferrell (M. Fearghail, pen name, on my website)

On Friday, July 24, Representative Burchett emailed a reply to my above response to his unsolicited email. In it, he understood my position and cordially suggested that I share my opinion with the senators from Tennessee, which I had already done.

Conclusion

Fortunately, this 76th entry in the Poly-Ticks Topic Section is being put to bed. It simply shares my follow-up to the previously mentioned second article from 7/16/2026.

A permanent switch to so-called daylight saving time is of little concern to my wife and me since we are both retired. We will accustom ourselves to the sun rising an hour later in winter. I wonder how parents of school-aged children and working adults will react once they realize they will be at school or work before sunrise.

Will the events of 1974 repeat themselves? We will see.

The “Sunshine Protection Act of 2025”—Will History Repeat Itself? (published 7-16-2026; article #567)

“Brown-and-white clocks,” Unsplash, by Jon Tyson, 8/18/2018. Free to use under the Unsplash License.

Introduction

It's like déjà vu all over again, dear reader, with an apology to "John Fogerty—Déjà vu (All Over Again)," YouTube, by John Fogerty, 11/4/2025. Welcome, unfortunately once again, to another entry, the 75th, in the Poly-Ticks Topic Section. Please remember that “poly-ticks” is from the Greek “poly,” meaning “many,” plus “ticks,” blood suckers.

The US House of Representatives started it this latest time. Will history repeat itself? We will see.

The “Sunshine Protection Act of 2025”

On Tuesday evening, I first heard the truly “breaking news” story on a local news television station. Bouncing around several 24-7, 365 news channels, I learned “the rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey would say.

The next morning, I found the information online. The US House of Representatives passed a nonpartisan bill to allow so-called daylight saving time to continue year-round.

From Congress.gov: House Bill: H.R.139 - Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, 119th Congress (2025-2026), I learned that the bill was introduced in the House on 1/3/2025. The House passed it on Tuesday, 7/14/2026, at 5:18 PM. The bill would make so-called daylight saving time permanent.

Similar information is found at the US House: Clerk: Votes: Roll Call Votes: July 14, 2026, 5:17 PM; 119th Congress, 2nd Session; Roll Call Number: 238; Bill Number: H. R. 139; Bill Title & Description: Sunshine Protection Act. The bill passed with 308 (193 Republicans, 114 Democrats) votes in favor and 117 (22 Republicans, 95 Democrats) votes against, with six members (three Republicans and three Democrats) not voting. All nine representatives from Tennessee (eight Republicans, one Democrat) voted in favor, including our representative, Tim Burchett.

Will History Repeat Itself?

Did you know that making so-called daylight saving time permanent had been tried before? It happened in my teenage years in the 1970s.

The context was the Arab oil embargo in 1973. In December 1973, Congress passed and President Richard Nixon signed into law that the so-called daylight saving time would be year-round for about two years. Most of the country went on year-round daylight saving time on January 6, 1974. The switch was flipped.

By October 1974, however, Congress voted to end permanent daylight saving time and go back to standard time during the fall and winter months. President Gerald Ford signed the bill into law. The switch was flipped back.

Back then, public opinion shifted from being in favor of permanent daylight saving time to disliking the notion. What caused the shift? Children were arriving at school in darkness. Day-shift workers were also at work before sunrise.

One source from October 2025 is “America once made daylight saving time permanent. Here’s what went wrong.” National Geographic, by Jordan Friedman, 10/30/2025. The byline reads, “In 1974, the U.S. tried staying on daylight saving time all year. The result was darker mornings and public panic.” The article mentions, with the sun rising at 8:30 AM or later in winter, children walked or rode to school in predawn darkness in 1974. Back then, a few children walking to school were hit or killed by drivers who didn't see them. Near the conclusion, the entry indicated at the time, just over eight months ago, that recent Gallup polling suggested adults preferred keeping the country on standard time year round.

A more recent source is “The US Tried Permanent Daylight Saving in 1974 and People Hated It,” Newsweek, by Alice Gibbs, 7/15/2026. The author states, in 1974, children and commuters traveled to school or work before dawn. She further states, “Reports of schoolchildren carrying flashlights and parents accompanying children to bus stops before sunrise became a recurring feature of news coverage. Several traffic accidents involving children received widespread attention, further intensifying public concern.” The article concludes by stating, “For supporters and opponents alike, the events of 1974 remain the closest real-world example of what permanent daylight saving time could look like in practice.”

Conclusion

“Déjà vu” is a French adjective, which literally means “already seen.” I have been down the same road before in my stance against “guvrmint” time, as Papaw Ferrell (4/13/1880–11/21/1970) called it. Papaw despised so-called daylight saving time. So do I. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

For example, the article from 3/12/2023 was my rant against “guvrmint” time just over three years ago. The entry includes links to my previous articles on the subject from 3/19/2022 and 11/7/2021.

So, here we go again! Will the US Senate pass the bill that the US House passed? The president has already said that he would sign into law a bill making so-called daylight saving time permanent.

Must we relearn the lessons learned in 1974? Our nation's leaders need an education in history. As George Santayana (1863—1952) wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (The Life of Reason: Reason in Common Sense. Scribner’s, 1905: 284). (Source: https://iep.utm.edu/santayan/.)

Open Letter to President Trump: Your Profane Easter Message and My Encouragement to Saving Faith (published 4-20-2026; updated 4-21-2026; article #553)

2/10/2025 Image of Philippians 1:27-2:4 by Brett Jordan on Unsplash. Free to use under the Unsplash License.

 

Addendum: Today, 4/21/2026, I submitted my open letter to President Trump, included in this article, to https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/. Lord willing, if I receive a noteworthy response, I plan to update this article again.

Introduction

Oh, please! Not another entry, the 74th, on Poly-Ticks (Greek “poly,” meaning “many,” plus “ticks,” blood suckers)! Yes, dear reader, and with an apology, I must get this one off my chest. It has been stewing since Resurrection (Easter) Sunday, 4/5/2026.

As an introductory aside, a brief explanation of the word “poly-ticks” is in order. Our elected representatives were once known as statesmen or stateswomen. Sadly, a majority of them seem to have devolved into many parasites. They infest government at all levels, local, state, and national. These once-noble public servants are now serving themselves with the blood of the citizens, whom they were elected to serve. Fattened by their insatiable appetites, their hosts, we, the people, cannot seem to dislodge them. Their “polytickal” droppings are found everywhere. This is my opinion. You are free to make it yours. A minority of true statesmen and stateswomen are in office.

Professor Harold Black’s Webpage is one of three websites listed under my Folks to Whom I Subscribe section, located down on the right side of this website. A scholar and a gentleman, Dr. Black is a professor emeritus at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Early each morning, he publishes daily articles, except on Sundays, with rare variation. I read every article.

I was unaware of President Donald Trump's crass vitriol on Resurrection Sunday until I read Dr. Black's article three days afterward: “Trump throws a hissy. GOP endorses socialism.” Professor Harold Black’s Webpage, by Dr. Harold Black, 4/8/2026. After the surprise from reading his article, I discovered other online sources, three of which are as follows: “Trump rants against Iran in profanity-laced Easter message,” Baptist News Global, by Mark Wingfield, 4/5/2026; “Trump’s Easter Post Condemned as ‘Utter Disdain for Religion,’” Newsweek, by Jesus Mesa, 4/6/2026; and “Donald Trump’s Easter clash of hell and holiness,” Religion News Service, by Bob Smietana and Fiona Murphy, 4/6/2026.

Warning! The references cited above include vulgarity. The following is my open letter to President Donald Trump. I hope it finds its way to him.

Open Letter to President Trump

Dear President Trump:

Mr. President, I bid you greetings in the name of Christ. Your presidency is better than it would have been under the other option on election day. Your commendable actions include securing the borders, upholding the biological reality that only two genders exist, male and female, and protecting the right to life of unborn children.

Your verbal and written demeanor, however, often make me grit my teeth. A recent example was your profanity-laced message on Resurrection (Easter) Sunday to Iran on your Truth Social platform. I was shocked to learn of it three days later.

At least you did not proclaim Resurrection (Easter) Sunday to be Transgender Day of Visibility, as your predecessor did two years ago. (Please reference my article from 4/12/2024.) An appropriate message would have honored the vicarious death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah.

Dear Mr. President, during your first term in office, you called yourself “a non-denominational Christian.” (Source: “President Trump’s Q&A with Religion News Service,” Trump White House: Archives, 10/26/2020.) I, too, am a Christian only, non-denominational.

Knowing that it is God who will judge us, and with respect to your office, the tone of your verbal and written words concerns me. In humility, as a sinner saved by grace, may I encourage you to repentance and truly saving faith?

A Christian strives by faith to be Christ-like in thought, word, and deed. As a Christian, I fail to do so daily. In daily repentance, however, I strive for the high and heavenward calling in Christ Jesus (cf. Philippians 3:13-14).

Brother Trump, may I encourage you to humble yourself, as I try to do daily, before the Lord, and he will lift you up (cf. James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6)? As an aside, my saintly mother used to say, “Self-braggers are half scoundrels.” Further, may I suggest that you, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6, NIV)?

As a Christian, I want everyone, believers and non-believers, to see Jesus living in me. As the inspired apostle Paul wrote so eloquently, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, NIV).

Please, Mr. President and brother in Christ, live, speak, and write so that everyone will see Jesus living in you. Humility is not weakness. Bold humility is accomplished through Christ.

With respect and in Christian love,

Marion William Ferrell (pseudonym M. Fearghail, the Appalachian Irishman)

Conclusion

Finally, this article on “poly-ticks” is off my chest. My prayer for President Trump is that he will humble himself before God so that God may lift him up. Further, I pray for wisdom in his words and deeds. Finally and prayerfully, I hope that he centers himself by following the Constitution of the United States and the biblical values upon which it is based.

Thank you, dear reader, for tolerating another article on “poly-ticks.” I dislike writing them. I had to write this one.

Saturday, 6-21-2025: My Sister-in-Law's Birthday, a New Fly-Killing Record, and the USA Bombed Iran (published 6-23-2025; article #530)

6/22/2025, 1:59 PM, photograph by M. Fearghail of our Willert Home Products: Enoz Flyswatter (made in the Philippines)

Introduction

Greetings, dear reader. Last weekend's events were certainly interesting. Do you want to know more? I thought so!

As the 135th entry in the Family topic section, I begin with my wife's sister's birthday party on Saturday. Shifting gears to the 121st entry in the Humor topic section, I share our fly-killing war that started after the party and continued until early this morning. Finally, moving to the 73rd article in the Poly-ticks section, I mention the USA's bombing of Iran that happened late last Saturday evening.

My Wife's Sister's Birthday on Saturday

Last Saturday morning, I awakened at the unusual time of 5 AM, instead of just after 6 AM. Wondering why I was awake an hour early, I knew that my wife's sister's 61st birthday was that day. Before falling back to sleep, I said to myself, “Sabrina must have just now gone to bed.” Retired, she goes to bed about the time that my wife, even on summer break, wakes up. My wife hits the hay about 9 PM.

The birthday celebration started at 2:30 PM last Saturday. Seven family members and three guests, a mother and her two sons, legal immigrants from Guatemala, were in attendance. The boys, about ages five and six, provided ample entertainment. The three household cats found hiding places.

After the delicious home-cooked meal, my sister-in-law blew out seven candles on her choice birthday chocolate and peanut butter pie while we sang happy birthday to her. Seven years old was a stretch of the imagination! My wife's sister is not seven. I wished her a happy 41st birthday. Well, she looks to be about 41 years young. That means that her 37-year-old daughter is about 18.

Now, before I get into trouble, my wife looks to be about a year older than her sister, whose birthday was last Saturday. I hope that last sentence keeps me out of the doghouse!

New Fly-Killing Record!

Our fly-killing war lasted two full days, from last Saturday through yesterday, Sunday. It ended early this morning. The following is a record of each day. On Saturday, I broke my longstanding single-day record of total flies killed!

Saturday, June 21

Twenty-one flies killed in one day had been my record. Until last Saturday, that record stood for about 43 years. I set the record when I was roughly 22 and my youngest brother was around nine. At the homeplace on a warm summer day, we were in a fly-killing competition. I killed 21 flies. Close behind me, my brother killed a total in the upper teens.

Leaving for my sister-in-law's birthday party last Saturday, I saw four or five flies in the kitchen windows. I decided to kill them once I was back home. Arriving home about 30 minutes before my wife, I killed 15 flies! When she got back, my wife killed one. Before night fell, I found and killed 15 more pesky flies! My new record, set on Saturday, June 21, 2025, my sister-in-law's birthday, was 30 flies killed in a single day! That shattered my old record of 21. The total number of flies killed last Saturday was 31.

Sunday, June 22

Sunday, the next day, the fly-killing war continued. It started early in the morning and lasted until sunset, with breaks for worship, phone calls, and such.

As an aside, a dear friend, Dorothy, Jay's wife, turned another year older on Sunday. I won't give out her age, but I do understand that you can “get your kicks at age 66,” with an apology to the legacy of jazz musician Robert William Troup Jr., who composed the Route 66 song in 1946.

Focusing back on the flies, from where these flies come and how they get in, I do not know. Each window is down, sealed, and locked tightly. We quickly open and close entry doors. Recently, I inspected every air vent. On Sunday afternoon, I reinspected the ones in the kitchen, dining room, and entry hall. These flies usually congregate around the kitchen windows. We, however, have found them near the windows in the living room and dining room.

On Sunday, the number of flies killed totaled 50. My “long-suffering” wife killed 22, and I sent 28 to the grave (i.e., the trash can below the kitchen sink). That was a two-day total of 81 flies killed. I missed tying my record, set the previous day, of 30 flies killed in a single day by two flies.

Today, Monday, June 23

Early this morning, about 5:30 AM, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman found and killed two more flies that were hanging out on the television screen. Once I awakened just after 6 AM, she informed me. Until the publication of this article today, we have kept our eyes out for more flies, but we haven't seen any. Our fly-killing war is officially declared to be over! The grand total of flies killed was 83, 25 by my wife and 58 by me.

Our weapon of choice, in the above image, was our Willert Home Products: Enoz Flyswatter (made in the Philippines). The image below shows our handwritten tally of kills by date.

My new one-day record of flies killed does not come close to the online records of fly-killing professionals! Check out the following about a record from 1912: “The Canadian girl who killed over 500,000 flies,” Things That Talk, From the thing, Fly Swatter (undated). It states that in 1912 Beatrice White, a teenager, was Toronto’s champion flyswatter. She swatted and killed over a half-million flies in a citywide contest to stop the spread of disease. Further, a record from 1934 is found at “The Sultan of Swat,” Virginia Living, by Bland Crowder, 722/2009. It states, “Young E.T. Collier didn’t make Guinness [World Records], but he did make the papers in June 1934 when the Virginia Department of Health highlighted his impressive fly-swatting record in a news release designed to warn people about the hazards looming with summer housefly season.” Finally, I found, “There are no flies on her! Chinese pensioner who has spent eight hours a day, seven days a week for the past 14 years swatting bugs... and kills up to 1,000 a day.” Daily Mail, by Lizzie Edmonds, 4/27/2014. It tells about an 80-year-old Chinese woman who swatted and killed flies every day for 14 years.

My new one-day fly-killing record is 30. Can you imagine killing a thousand flies in a day?

As a political aside, a nation, to be a nation, must have secure borders. Otherwise, it is not a nation. Our house is secured against the elements and critters, both crawling and flying. We put down the recent fly invasion. Our house is secured again. Do you understand the political analogy?

The USA Bombed Iran Last Saturday Evening

It was Saturday evening, our time (EDST). In Tehran, Iran, it was after midnight on Sunday. The time zone difference is 7.5 hours. After last Saturday's birthday celebration for my sister-in-law and the fly killings, my worn-out wife sacked out at about 9 PM.

While channel surfing about thirty minutes later, I was surprised to find that President Trump had ordered an airstrike on targets in Iran. I listened to his brief televised statement at 10 PM. One of several sources is “US inserts itself into Israel’s war with Iran, striking 3 Iranian nuclear sites.” The Associated Press (AP), by Sam Mednick, Aamer Madhani, and David Rising, 6/22/2025.

The conclusion to my article last Friday includes the following:

The root to current national disunity and global conflicts is found in the great dragon, Satan. Nationally and globally, if everyone would turn to the Lord and follow the biblical worldview, the great dragon could no longer lead the world astray as he does now.

Then, I had no way of knowing what would happen the next evening. I have heard that a majority of the Iranian people disavow their national leadership. My sympathy extends to those people. I pray for peace between Israel and Iran, for peace in the Middle East, and for worldwide peace through the Prince of Peace.

Conclusion

Last Saturday, was it happenstance that my sister-in-law's birthday coincided with the beginning of our fly-killing war and the USA's bombing of Iran? I reckon so. It will be a birthday to remember.

Last weekend's events were indeed interesting. Thanks, dear reader, for dropping by to read about them.

By the way, as of the publication time today, we have not seen any more flies, except the two that my wife killed early this morning! Well, one fly did get in through the door to the garage when one of us opened it. That, however, counted as a routine fly killing, not part of the fly-killing war that ended early this morning.

Could Smokin' in an Outhouse Cause a Fire? (published 9-27-2024; article #492)

The dilapidated two-seater outhouse is still on House Mountain, near where the fire tower once was. Photograph by M. Fearghail on 12/31/2013, during his 100th hike on House Mountain. The hike and the photograph are included in the 1/1/2014 article.

Introduction

Why do inspirations for new articles often come to me while showering? This article is one example.

Early last Sunday morning, while taking a shower, one of the three radios in my bathroom played Mötley Crüe's cover of the original Brownsville Station song, “Smokin' in the Boys' Room.” Brownsville Station debuted the song in 1973, “Smokin' in the Boys' Room,” Brownsville Station—Topic (YouTube), 3/6/2015. In 1985, Mötley Crüe covered the song, “Mötley Crüe—Smokin' In The Boys' Room,” Mötley Crüe (YouTube), 11/12/2010. I like both versions. Back in high school (1974–1978), a visit to the boys' room frequently brought the aroma of cigarette smoke to my nostrils. Smokers typically tossed cigarette butts out the glazed windows. The grass below the windows could look like a light dusting of snow had fallen.

Singing along in the shower, I started to improvise a parody, “Smokin' in the Outhouse.” The complete parody is still a work in progress. I began to wonder. Has anyone ever set fire to an outhouse by smoking, while “sittin' thar thinkin'” on a wooden toilet seat?

This 116th article in the humor topic section finds the answer to that question. Switching genre, not gender, the article becomes the 72nd entry in the poly-ticks topic section. The conclusion flushes the false notion of gender fluidity down the toilet.

Smokin' in an Outhouse Could Cause a Fire!

Have you, dear reader, heard that someone caught an outhouse on fire by smoking in it? Please comment if you have! I haven't caught wind of it happening in northeast Tennessee.

Searching online, I found a couple of news items, which confirm that it has happened! Smoking in an outhouse could catch it on fire! The first news story is “No smoking in the outhouse, please,” United Press International (UPI), 7/14/2004.

As the article states, just over 20 years ago, a man in Blacksville, Monongalia County, West Virginia, lit up a smoke while “sittin' thar thinkin'” in an outhouse. With no pun intended, that sparked an explosion of methane gas.

Singed with only minor injuries, the “em-barr-assed” (slight pun intended) man was treated at a local clinic, and then treated and released from a local hospital. The article probably states Blacksburg, Tennessee, in error, since there is no town with that name in Tennessee.

The other news is from “Outhouse Catches on Fire,” Capper’s Farmer, by Staff, 3/27/2013. The setting could have been several decades ago. This apparently true story was about someone's father. He knocked smoldering tobacco ashes from his pipe down the outhouse toilet hole. The outhouse caught fire and burned to the ground! Thankfully, the pipe smoker wasn't inside. He had already finished his business and gone to the barn.

The lyrics to the parody “Smokin' in the Outhouse” are still in the works. Please comment if you would like to suggest wording! The parody could catch fire!

Outhouse Inspection: You Must Be Joking?

While searching online for stories about smoking in an outhouse causing a fire, I happened to find the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) in Boulder, Colorado. Their undated column, “Outhouse Inspection,” InterNACHI, by Nick Gromicko, CMI, explains what an inspector does when inspecting an outhouse! Tips for outhouse owners are also provided.

Unfortunately, the column does not explain when and how to use a Sears and Roebuck catalog or a corncob in the outhouse. As a child in the 1960s, I recall that Granny and Papaw Ferrell kept a few corncobs and a Sears and Roebuck catalog in their outhouse. Several pages were always missing. Thankfully, a few rolls of toilet paper were also readily available. I had a few movements in their two-seater outhouse.

The lyrics to the parody “Smokin' in the Outhouse” are moving along. What wording do you suggest?

What about “Smokin' in the Unisex Room” and Other Parody Titles?

In 1973, when the song debuted, and even in 1985, when the song was covered, politically correct feathers were not ruffled. Why has some politically correct group not protested to ban “Smokin' in the Boys' Room” from playing on classic rock radio stations? “Boys' room” is not inclusive. I hope that this article doesn't give such a group the idea! This once great nation does need any more socialist-fronted protest groups.

In jest, this article proposes that anyone brainwashed by politically correct propaganda should start a protest to change “Smokin' in the Boys' Room” to some other title with matching (pun intended) lyrics. For example, what about the following suggestions: “Smokin' in the Cisgender Room,” “Smokin' in the Gender-Fluid Room,” “Smokin' in the Transgendered Room,” or “Smokin' in the Transsexual Room”?

Folks with terminal degrees after their names do not intimidate me. I admire and respect those, who were educated properly. Others, however, whose terminal degrees influence them to promote unbiblical concepts, are like gnats that should be swatted out an outhouse door!

For example, a doctor of medicine (MD) wrote the following article, and another MD reviewed it: “What Are the 72 Other Genders?” MedicineNet, by Shaziya Allarakha, MD, reviewed by Pallavi Suyog Uttekar, MD, medically reviewed on 2/9/2024. These two “learned” doctors, of course, are mistaken. There are not 72 other genders! Only two, male and female, exist.

Another well-known medical website describes 68 gender identities. The following article was written by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and another person: “68 Terms That Describe Gender Identity and Expression,” Healthline, by Mere Abrams, LCSW, and Sian Ferguson, reviewed by Francis Kuehnle, MSN, RN-BC, updated 1/26/2024. The reviewer has a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and is a Registered Nurse, Board Certified (RN-BC). There are only two genders, not 72 other genders; therefore, there cannot be 68 gender identities.

I happened to find a website that propagates unbiblical notions. It includes the following article: “How Many Genders Are There? 2024 Gender Identity List,” sexualdiversity.org, published 12/7/2022, updated 4/10/2024. Shockingly, the article claims that, in 2024, there are “107 gender identities,” which are “subject to change at any time.” I had to laugh at the illogic of it all!

News media like to cite so-called and often unnamed experts, as in “experts say. . . .” Media often do this without stating the criteria that validate their sources as experts. Parroting falsehoods by citing so-called experts should be ignored. Experts regularly (slight pun intended) disagree.

The work-in-progress lyrics to the parody “Smokin' in the Outhouse” won't face threats from the politically correct crowd. The title replaces “Boys' Room” with “Outhouse.”

Conclusion

I don't know why inspirations for new articles occasionally pop into my head while showering. They just do. Shampooing my hair may stimulate thought.

Smoking in an outhouse could set the outhouse on fire. I found at least two stories about it happening.

I hope that, years or decades from now, fresh or refreshed minds will reflect on this time, when the false notion that there are more than two genders is propagandized, and realize the utter silliness of this time. The clearly false notion of gender fluidity is flushed down the toilet.

Disclaimer: This article should not be interpreted to mean that I accept or promote smoking cigarettes, tobacco, or any substance. This article does not encourage juvenile delinquency. Furthermore, this article should not be construed as so-called “hate speech” against anyone who accepts the false notion that more than two genders exist. In loving kindness, this article promotes the biblical worldview, which affirms only two genders.