Democracy for Knoxville scheduled a house party showing of the movie Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary, intending to be in concert with the rest of the DFA Film Club project for June. The invitation went out and we had a great response, finally entertaining approximately 28 people from across Knox County.

However, our local source for the DVD ended up not receiving it in time, and a backup plan to have 2 copies mailed from California also fell victim to the phrase "the best laid plans of mice and men...etc." Luckily, we had all our bases covered and were able to spend a goodly portion of the evening hearing from several of the local candidates for county offices.

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Amy Broyles and Mark Harmon, of "Tennessee 12" fame, Colvin Idol, Steve McGill, Elaine Davis, Joan Wagner and Tom Salter, all candidates for County Commission, along with the campaign manager for Jim Andrews, candidate for Chancellor, reported on the progress of their campaigns and answered questions from those present. What a great group of candidates! The current situation in Knox County regarding term limits is still up in the air, but hopefully the public will respond positively to a "chance for change". Many of the guests contributed monetarily to the campaigns, took yard signs and signed up to work the polls. Several DFK members also serve as campaign managers for these candidates, including Paul Witt, Stephen Muehleisen, Lorraine Hart, Lizajean Holt, and Susan North.

Our fearless leader, Paul Witt, brought a substitute movie, "The History of Oil", to show to those who gathered in the living room still wanting more. It is recommended viewing for anyone who wants to read between the lines and look behind the curtain.

So while the original plan didn't work out, we made some great lemonade...

This report filed by Margaret Fontenot of Democracy for Knoxville.