The Tennessee Vote

Justin Jones is giving a great speech right now:

So the assembly voted to end the debate and pretty much shut everyone up who wanted to speak.

And - they expelled Jones!  Unbelievable!

jamie said:

So the assembly voted to end the debate and pretty much shut everyone up who wanted to speak.

And - they expelled Jones!  Unbelievable!

Sadly, I have no problem believing that.

I’m very grateful this has been brought up for discussion. Perhaps I’ll be able to get my head around the more subtle points (if there are any).

(This must be quite a frightening time to be a citizen in Tennessee esp. if you don’t agree with the majority view on every single thing)

I think Gloria is safe - 60 votes were not enough to expel.

Justin Pearson is up next. 

F'n facists in the Tennessee legislature.  This is unbelievable.
Gerrymandering has allowed super majorities in several states, which allows the crap we are seeing in Tennessee.

There is talk that Republicans in Wisconsin may try to impeach the Democrat that was just elected to the state supreme court.

They will expel the two black men … these people are plain old racists. Their masks are off and their gloves are coming off too. These bastards are preparing for a race war in America, it’s camouflaged as a war against the “woke” .

Pearson is doing well- can’t believe they’re doing this to him after only 2 weeks in office !

And expelled!!!!!! Unreal 

Racism laid bare.

I think we should thank the GOP members of the Tennessee legislature.

They just shot a cannon ball through the arguments of all the people who are loudly "anti-woke", "anti-CRT", and claiming that racism isn't a problem in the United States in 2023.

Expel Tennessee (and the other states of the CSA).  Rip the band aid off quickly, don't let it become a bloody mess that goes on for decades.

joanne said:

I’m very grateful this has been brought up for discussion. Perhaps I’ll be able to get my head around the more subtle points (if there are any).

(This must be quite a frightening time to be a citizen in Tennessee esp. if you don’t agree with the majority view on every single thing)

Nothing subtle about it. Two black lawmakers were expelled and the white representative wasn't.  

Republicans fight harder for democracy overseas than they do at home.  

According to NPR this morning, the legislator who swung the vote NOT to expel Gloria Johnson says he heard from her lawyer about possible procedural problems concerning the expulsion, and that changed his vote.  The value of a letter (call, email) on lawyer paper....

All that and all the above said, and even regardless of the urgency of the gun cause, anyone running a meeting would have to find a solution for a member who brings and uses a bullhorn.  Hopefully way short of expulsion.

(Speaking of state legislatures, just a note from Wisconsin, where the legislature's new "veto-proof" R majority is floating impeaching the D governor, the D attorney general, and the new Supreme Court judge (who won by 11 percentage points), before they can get around to repealing our pre-Civil-War abortion prohibition and calling for more realistic redistricting.   Current districts confer that veto-proof majority on Rs, despite the fact that overall slightly more D votes than R were cast in the legislative election(s) .)

Is this saying what I think it does? 
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-11/tennessee-state-representative-justin-jones-ousting/102207508 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65216667 
This man is reinstated?? Despite last week’s nasty business?? Well, woohoo! Howzat! 

He was appointed to fill the vacancy created by his expulsion.  As I understand TN law, when a vacancy occurs, the governing body that covers the jurisdiction in which the vacancy exists appoints someone on an interim basis until the special election (which should be held between 80 and 107 days after the appointment) is held.

The other legislator who was expelled, Justin Person, was reinstated today by a 7-0 vote of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. 

I’m  excited to read this - is there hope that these events can topple the electoral racism? Or is it too deeply entrenched? (Am I being too Pollyanna-ish?)

cramer said:

The other legislator who was expelled, Justin Person, was reinstated today by a 7-0 vote of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. 

The Tennessee state legislature had quite a week.

https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-guns-signs-ban-8896b0964de6fffff51b4cc12b5f1121

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A judge ruled to let people bring signs back into the Tennessee House’s hearings on Wednesday, followed hours later by more disarray during a committee debate on allowing more guns into schools in a special session in reaction to a deadly Nashville school shooting in March.

When a bill that would let people with carry permits bring guns to public schools came up, a Republican tried to shut down debate. Some Democrats — including the once-expelled Rep. Justin Jones — were incredulous they didn’t first get called on to speak. After several chaotic minutes, lawmakers agreed during a split vote to keep debating.

Ultimately, the bill failed on a tie vote, prompting cheers from the audience.

“Don’t be cowards. Have this discussion,” Jones said after the motion to end debate.

The action came a day after state troopers removed three people who held small signs urging gun control at a hearing, prompting the lawsuit Wednesday over the new ban. Earlier this year, Republicans drew attention for expelling Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson, two young Black Democratic lawmakers who have since been reappointed and reelected, for breaking procedural rules during a gun control protest on the House floor.

This week’s removals came at the order of a GOP subcommittee chair, who later instructed troopers to kick the rest of the public out of the committee room after deeming the crowd too unruly. That included grieving parents closely connected to the school shooting, who broke down in tears at the decision.

More guns in schools. What could possibly go wrong?

what the hell is wrong with these people?

There are days when I hope for a peaceful secession. Let's skip the fear of civil war and just take a vote, who goes, who stays.  The problem is that half the states would not accept the results.