I wholeheartedly agree, despite the fact that this Tennessee History for Kids page is written in English only:

Tolerate.

Tennessee and the United States are both based on the idea of tolerance. Not everyone here looks the same, talks the same, thinks the same, or believes the same. That’s OK. In fact, that’s great. A great American once said that “I don’t agree with you, but I will defend to my death your right to say it.” This would be a good rule for all of us to follow.

This page is full of good advice, especially about how to be a good citizen:

Do you know why your school is there in the first place? Back when people in this country were talking about the idea of public schools, the main reason they were created was to create good citizens.

But what does it mean to be “a good citizen?”

To be a good citizen means to help others. It means to get out there and do something good for the community. It means to do what our system of government expects you to do and needs you to do. And if asked, it means to help preserve our system of government and our way of life.

Not everyone is a good citizen. But we can thank the people who are good citizens for the freedoms we cherish.

Maybe Robert Fulghum was right. We could all stand to reacquaint ourselves with the information on this page.

Why should you vote? If you know Robert Fulghum’s famous book All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, here’s similar inspiration for supporting democracy from Tennessee History for Kids:

Vote. When you turn 18, you will be allowed to vote. There are many countries where people are not allowed to vote. The people in those countries have no say as to how their government runs or who their elected officials are. Where would you rather live – a place like that, or a place like the United States

If you vote for no other reason today, you’ve done enough. Please take the time to head to the polls this afternoon. (The polls close at 7 p.m., and Nashville.gov will show you were you can cast a ballot.)

Thanks to David Freeman (above), Chase Cole, Boots Del Biaggio and the rest of the local ownership group that signed a binding letter of intent to purchase the Predators from owner Craig Leipold (also above, at left) yesterday, Nashville has what Freeman described as a “second chance” yesterday to support NHL hockey. I’m grateful to Freeman and his team for boldly pursuing this offer and doing more than their share to keep the Preds here in Nashville where they belong. I hope other local businesses and others who have been on the sidelines in supporting the team will do whatever they can–whether it be signing up for season tickets, sponsoring the franchise, buying single-game tickets, supporting businesses that support the Preds or inviting friends to games this season–to help the cause.

Not every city that has a professional sports franchise at risk receives a second chance to show its support. In my opinion, the Preds are a great community member, an excellent entertainment option and a source of pride for the city. Let’s make sure that their home address is an answer, rather than a question, from this point on.

Did Nashville avoid a tragedy similar to yesterday’s Minneapolis bridge collapse by rebuilding the Demonbreun Street Bridge? Though the scale would have been smaller, I’m very glad that the city (perhaps belatedly) condemned the bridge and had it demolished and replaced. It may have been an inconvenience and a hassle, but I’m grateful that Nashvillians didn’t have to experience what Minnesotans are going through today. My thoughts and my sympathies go out to those involved.

Is there a structure in the metro area at risk? TV stations in particular love to trot out this kind of story when a disaster such as this comes along, but it is a question worth asking. As has been mentioned in regard to Minneapolis, Nashville only has a few routes across its river, and a similar bridge collapse during heavy traffic periods would cause many casualties and lead to major traffic emergencies. In particular, I believe that the north side of the city is underserved in terms of routes in and out of the downtown area, and I’m not really sure how to address that without building more bridges. I’m sure that TDOT and other appropriate agencies already monitor our bridges and roadways for safety issues, and I hope they’ll pay increased attention to structures such as the Woodland Street Bridge, the Jefferson Street Bridge and the I-65 North bridge that connects Metrocenter to Trinity Lane in the weeks ahead.

Today’s weather forecast (above by the hour) is right out of Election Commission Administrator Ray Barrett’s dreams: sunny with a very low chance of rain. That means that the will of the electorate (at least one-third of it) and GOTV efforts by the individual campaigns should be well served today.

Whom does the weather benefit most? I’ve read plenty of theories about this over the years. The ones that stand out in my memory are that minority populations and casual/undecided voters may be more likely to vote when the weather is accommodating. That could benefit Howard Gentry and Karl Dean, who have both gained momentum of late. As Roger Abramson observed yesterday, late momentum tends to draw the attention of voters who are not as immersed in the day-to-day happenings of the race. Supporters of David Briley have maintained for weeks that Briley’s strong grassroots efforts will pay dividends in a strong and perhaps surprising turnout in his favor today, so the good forecast may benefit him as well. This is debatable, but I’ve also heard it said that lower turnouts in this race might benefit candidates such as Buck Dozier, who has a solid but modest base of Church of Christ voters. A higher turnout may hurt or help Bob Clement depending on whether name recognition is more or less significant when more voters head to the polls. I can see reasonable arguments in both directions.

The best news is that we all can stop speculating, at least until tomorrow, for an hour or two tonight once the results come in. If you haven’t made it to the polls yet, stop procrastinating and cast your ballot.