Very apt quotation. Sadly indeed, Democracy with a big D died today in overtly racist Tennessee. This legislature is baked in by gerrymandering and rural fascism and racism which will be very hard to overcome. Nashville and Memphis will survive politically and economically but the rural sectors will get hurt economically and they deserve it. We are going to start a statewide nonpartisan voter registration campaign among TN high schools and colleges. They shall overcome but it will take time. Let’s start NOW so please go to www.turnup.us to help it succeed and to participate financially with optimism and purpose! Thank you.
It didn't die - it was reborn anew today there. Those unreconstructed Confederate scum will live to regret today more than any other day in their worthless lives.
If you had the chance to watch Lawrence O’Donnell tonight, he was preaching! Said there was much they had planned on talking about but this was the only story that was making history and he went from there. A riveting first ten minutes and from there, high powere guests and dialogue. A stellar show.
Nicole Wallace spent her full two hours on what was happening in Tennessee. I believe without commercial breaks. Riveting viewing of the eloquent young men.
Agree. Aside from being glaringly unconstitutional, it was effing gross and dumb as an oyster stupid. The GOP goobers could play themselves in Netflix movie. Pretending it’s still 1850 does not make it so.
Why is it unfair gerrymandering, the electoral college and the filibuster can’t be deemed illegal? They are all flat out rigging to change the will of the voters. Right? Why aren’t they on a special ballot?
Then we wouldn’t always have to fight this hard uphill battle to overcome them. People would vote for the outcome they want. Majority rule. Oh, and dark money must be eliminated from campaigns too of course.
The Electoral College is in the Constitution. The Constitution can be amended, but it is a long, arduous process (which is why we still don't have an Equal Rights Amendment). The states have the right to draw their own electoral districts, but their decisions can be, and are being, challenged in court. The filibuster is part of the Senate's rules -- and if you look closely, you'll notice that very little about the Senate is democratic.
It's been waking up for some time now. Didn't you notice what's been going on in your state, and in neighboring Wisconsin? That's the result of years of organizing.
Be careful what you wish for . . . The right wing started waking up after the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the mid-'60s, and they went into high gear after Roe v. Wade. Most of the rest of us are playing catch-up, at least as far as electoral politics and the judiciary are concerned.
Donated and ready to assist. It is long past time that states like TN, ID, FL, TX are isolated and economically punished for their medieval policies against children, women, and people of color. When is the first national work stoppage coming like France, Israel?
Hey KAO and Ellen: we really appreciate your help; please go back to their website and see if they have changed the link to donate to a more userfriendly link as the earlier link was geared to major donors by mistake; we need your help as the job will be a really big one but Turnup is structured so that it doesn't waste resources on districts which are unchangeable either plus or minus! Focus is on competitive CDs and on 18-25s. Thanks!
I just looked and there is a 'blank' choice at the end of the high-end suggested donations. I can't imagine they would reject $25, $50 or $100. However, I agree to see suggestions of $1000 and up is very startling.
Unfortunately there has been an inadvertent error in attaching the wrong "link" for general donations to the DONATE page of the website; there is a more reasonable $$ link and they are trying to fix it as we speak so I think they will get it straightened out in a short while. Meanwhile, I believe folks have indicated that they were able to contribute more reasonable amounts by clicking on the top of that page? Stay with us please and thank you!
From Vaclev Havel’s 1978 essay, “The Power of the Powerless.” Different era, circumstances, but much of this sure sounds like certain states right now in the U.S.
“Between the aims of the post-totalitarian system and the aims of life there is a yawning abyss: while life, in its essence, moves toward plurality, diversity, independent self-constitution, and self organization, in short, toward the fulfillment of its own freedom, the post-totalitarian system demands conformity, uniformity, and discipline. While life ever strives to create new and improbable structures, the posttotalitarian system contrives to force life into its most probable states. The aims of the system reveal its most essential characteristic to be introversion, a movement toward being ever more completely and unreservedly itself, which means that the radius of its influence is continually widening as well. This system serves people only to the extent necessary to ensure that people will serve it. Anything beyond this, that is to say, anything which leads people to overstep their predetermined roles is regarded by the system as an attack upon itself. And in this respect it is correct: every instance of such transgression is a genuine denial of the system. It can be said, therefore, that the inner aim of the post-totalitarian system is not mere preservation of power in the hands of a ruling clique, as appears to be the case at first sight. Rather, the social phenomenon of self-preservation is subordinated to something higher, to a kind of blind automatism which drives the system. No matter what position individuals hold in the hierarchy of power, they are not considered by the system to be worth anything in themselves, but only as things intended to fuel and serve this automatism. For this reason, an individual’s desire for power is admissible only in so far as its direction coincides with the direction of the automatism of the system.
Ideology, in creating a bridge of excuses between the system and the individual, spans the abyss between the aims of the system and the aims of life. It pretends that the requirements of the system derive from the requirements of life. It is a world of appearances trying to pass for reality.
The post-totalitarian system touches people at every step, but it does so with its ideological gloves on. This is why life in the system is so thoroughly permeated with hypocrisy and lies: government by bureaucracy is called popular government; the working class is enslaved in the name of the working class; the complete degradation of the individual is presented as his ultimate liberation; depriving people of formation is called making it available; the use of power to manipulate is called the public control of power, and the arbitrary abuse of power is called observing the legal code; the repression of culture is called its development; the expansion of imperial influence is presented as support for the oppressed; the lack of free expression becomes the highest form of freedom; farcical elections become the highest form of democracy; banning independent thought becomes the most scientific of world views; military occupation becomes fraternal assistance. Because the regime is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It falsifies the past. It falsifies the present, and it falsifies the future. It falsifies statistics. It pretends not to possess an omnipotent and unprincipled police apparatus. It pretends to respect human rights. It pretends to persecute no one. It pretends to fear nothing. It pretends to pretend nothing.
Individuals need not believe all these mystifications, but they must behave as though they did, or they must at least tolerate them in silence, or get along well with those who work with them. For this reason, however, they must live within a lie. They need not accept the lie. It is enough for them to have accepted their life with it and in it. For by this very fact, individuals confirm the system, fulfill the system, make the system, are the system.”
Thank today - for weeks, really, - to the Tennessee Three, and all the citizen protestors – many youth – for not confirming.
I’ve been watching this in horror all day but two things give me hope. The ejected representatives are awesome and now have a national platform. I can’t wait to see what they do next. Also, the sea of protesters- a young and diverse group saw the racism and the depravity of the bigoted republicans. They will not forget this. The evil racists won this moment, but I think they wii rue this day.
We must hope so. Charles Darwin’s theory may still be the battle. Read today’s New Yorker on DNA and mtDNA. On Neanderthal researchers and us. Are we not related? The Monkey or The Scopes Trial, featuring Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan and a biology teacher in love with the preacher’s daughter, was thought the answer. We are all related.
The Tennesse preacher was a slow learner. Neanderthal blood is mixed, may be recessive. In Tennessee.
I watched this for hours as well and it made me so happy to see the strength of these brave new leaders (to be sure!). And thanks to the networks for uninterrupted coverage, also an indication that this is so much bigger than a dispute about decorum. I can’t wait to see the “old guard” voted out.
Agree. This puts this into the national spotlight where it needs to be. Other states and legislatures are trying the same sort of tactics to put minority rule in place. What happened in TN yesterday was an attack on democracy and racist. I watched it unfold on MSNBC's Deadline Whitehouse. These folks have been emboldened over the past 6 years and think they have the upper hand. Maybe, for now they do. But the majority of people need to get on their feet and continue shouting them down at ever possible opportunity.
Blatant racism , blatant ignorance. How very bold these Republicans have become. People like DJT and MTG have enabled these thugs to believe thug like behavior is acceptable . It is not .
They have ALWAYS been this way. The White Southern scum today are no different from the White Southern scum I knew in the Navy 60 years ago. Celebrating their ignorance publicly, reveling in their mendacity and malevolence.
Say it loud! If we remember that today's Republicans are the direct descendants of the white Southern Democrats of the pre-Voting Rights Act era, it's not all that surprising. Having grown up in Massachusetts, I remember Republicans who weren't like this at all -- but that was many decades ago.
I wonder if it occurred to Tennessee Republicans that their highest ranking officers in Washington have long since set the bar for behaving as if demented. The Democrats in Tennessee are small potatoes, comparatively.
I just now listened to Shelby Pearson respond to the bigoted TN legislature today as he was being expelled. It was passionate and sincere and made clear the injustice that prevailed. I was deeply moved and feel the levity of his words shaken and disgusted with the shameful way he was treated but we will be hearing a lot more from him I have no doubt.
He reminds me of some of the "names" from the movement in the 60s. Reviving the "natural" probably helps with that identification, but his words, his speaking manner, magnificent.
Depends on how you define civil. Civil can be passionate, even enraged, as long as it is true and honest.
No one gets to tell me what I need to feel or do to be effective. Death threats and exhaustion, both of which I've experienced, inform how I do what I do.
I don't get to tell you what to feel or do to be effective either. That would be oppression of you by me, and there would be potential there to undercut you in doing what you need to do.
We need all kinds right now, and we need to fight injustice, not put down one another.
Thank you, for the link. A powerful speech. Rep. Pearson was speaking to the spirits of the misguided Republicans. I pray they listened. Seeds were planted.
I’ve been feeling guilty about being a Civil Discourse freeloader. Your article today convinced me to start paying for membership. Learning about Julian Bond’s success in facing down the Georgia’s legislature raised me up from despair to hope over today’s debacle in the Tennessee legislature. Thank you.
Thank you. I love my free subscribers too, but I really appreciate the financial support which lets me devote more time to research, writing, and a good proofreader here.
My mother taught me to be a natural proofreader... it's incredible how many typos are found EVERYWHERE!! So glad you place importance on that skill. :-)
Ditto. I look forward to seeing Joyce on MSNBC, especially with Nicolle Wallace who I bet will be On Fire today. I can't imagine that she was ever a Republican but worked for Bush the younger. Thank God she's come to her senses and is on "our" side now!
Thanks for this post. Though I am appalled at the blatantly racist and absolute abuse of power by the TN legislature, I must say I am equally hopeful and exhilarated by the three legislators who stood up for their constituents. The two young men who were expelled, in particular, are simply superb! These young folks we are witnessing there and across the country are incredible and I believe will be the backbone to help turn the tide toward keeping (and improving) our democracy!
'Tennessee’s House expels 2 of 3 Democrats over guns protest'
And all Americans as well as people around the world got to see Tennessee's House exposed!
‘Thousands of people flocked to the Capitol to support Jones, Pearson and Johnson on Thursday, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber loudly enough to drown out the proceedings.’
‘The trio held hands as they walked onto the floor, and Pearson raised a fist during the Pledge of Allegiance.’
‘Offered a chance to defend himself before the vote, Jones said the GOP responded to the shooting with a different kind of attack.’
“We called for you all to ban assault weapons, and you respond with an assault on democracy,” he said.'
‘The two expelled lawmakers may not be gone for long. County commissions in their districts get to pick replacements to serve until a special election can be scheduled, and they could opt to choose Jones and Pearson. The two also would be eligible to run in those races.’
‘Under the Tennessee Constitution, lawmakers cannot be expelled for the same offense twice.’
‘Jones said he did not intend to assimilate in order to be accepted. “I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to make a change for my community,” he replied.’
“Rather than pass laws that will address red flags and banning assault weapons and universal background checks, they passed resolutions to expel their colleagues,” Jones said. “And they think that the issue is over. We’ll see you on Monday.”
It’s hard to believe they would dare be so obvious, blatant, and then presume to say, “who me? Racist?” Do they actually think they can escape general condemnation from the rest of us? I suppose it is the one benefit of the MAGA world, that they now say the quiet part out loud. We know who they are. And now we will defeat them. All the hypocrisies are open and visible. They will do down.
And the full almost-6-hour proceedings is memorialized on C-SPAN. Fortunately, there are links at right for selecting key moments such as opening and closing statements by Reps. Jones, Johnson & Pearson. All are worth the time to listen, they all are powerful speakers and don't pull any punches against what is being done to silence them. https://www.c-span.org/video/?527219-1/tennessee-general-assembly-votes-expel-democrats
I’ve been telling my friends outside TN that our state leadership - including our two U.S. Senators - is as bad as TX and Florida, but we never get the media attention that they have. That came to a very apparent and long overdue end today.
Everyone I know here in Nashville is mourning the brutal murder last week of the three children and the three adults at the Covenant School. And angry that we live in a state controlled by Republicans who have fought hard to ignore the reality that the 2nd Amendment is too widely viewed by horrible people as a license to kill. Our governor, Bill Lee, waited a day to put out the most insincere and meaningless statement he could in response to the murder of three young children. No mention of the assault weapon legally bought by the assailant. We won’t forget.
Time to take back our state from the racists who control it.
I just signed up as a paid subscriber because I am completely disgusted with today's events in Tennessee. I appreciate Joyce's discussion of the Bond case. Sounds to me like those 2 expelled lawmakers have a very good case for being reinstated, and I hope and pray that will happen. I'm also upset about the threat to impeach Janet Protasiewicz in Wisconsin. Hearing this just after we all were so thrilled about her stunning win..... I'm 67 years old. Roe vs Wade happened the year I graduated high school. I grew up in the era of Vietnam protests, and great accomplishments in civil rights. I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge on the very first Earth Day with thousands of others. I feel as if this nation is rolling back the major accomplishments of my lifetime, and it saddens me. I want to find a way to help. Right now, I just try to counter lies with facts whenever possible.
A commentator said that if the college and professional sports teams refuse to play in Tennessee, that corporate backing will get the attention of those Republicans in the legislature. It will be interesting to see if there is any corporate backlash. There are many black players on those teams who cannot be feeling too proud or loyal to that gerrymandered, power hungry, immature, white supremacist clump of Republican fascists in their state legislature.
We should also boycott Memphis based FedEx. Give your business to USPS. More better if the blue powerhouse states like CA, MA, NY, and IL declared that they would no longer do business with TN businesses.
“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” – Elie Wiesel
Yes. This reminds me that I want to reread his books this year.
Not easy reads by any means but essential ones.
Very apt quotation. Sadly indeed, Democracy with a big D died today in overtly racist Tennessee. This legislature is baked in by gerrymandering and rural fascism and racism which will be very hard to overcome. Nashville and Memphis will survive politically and economically but the rural sectors will get hurt economically and they deserve it. We are going to start a statewide nonpartisan voter registration campaign among TN high schools and colleges. They shall overcome but it will take time. Let’s start NOW so please go to www.turnup.us to help it succeed and to participate financially with optimism and purpose! Thank you.
It didn't die - it was reborn anew today there. Those unreconstructed Confederate scum will live to regret today more than any other day in their worthless lives.
If you had the chance to watch Lawrence O’Donnell tonight, he was preaching! Said there was much they had planned on talking about but this was the only story that was making history and he went from there. A riveting first ten minutes and from there, high powere guests and dialogue. A stellar show.
Yes, it was excellent - those who didn't see it should look it up on YouTube.
Nicole Wallace spent her full two hours on what was happening in Tennessee. I believe without commercial breaks. Riveting viewing of the eloquent young men.
Link to The Last Word, Thursday night 4/6. https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/lawrence-historic-ousting-of-black-tn-dems-demands-nation-s-full-attention-168335941562 The YouTube links are highlights only.
C-SPAN has the entire proceedings. It's almost 6 hours but there are links in the right margin to select key parts, specifically the opening and closing comments by Representatives Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson, and Justin Pearson (in that order). https://www.c-span.org/video/?527219-1/tennessee-general-assembly-votes-expel-democrats
I don’t believe Democracy is dying. Quite the opposite. We are seeing a civics lesson being taught in real time.
Correct. It's just being assaulted. Time to defend it with gusto.
Birth pangs.
Agree. Aside from being glaringly unconstitutional, it was effing gross and dumb as an oyster stupid. The GOP goobers could play themselves in Netflix movie. Pretending it’s still 1850 does not make it so.
Why is it unfair gerrymandering, the electoral college and the filibuster can’t be deemed illegal? They are all flat out rigging to change the will of the voters. Right? Why aren’t they on a special ballot?
Then we wouldn’t always have to fight this hard uphill battle to overcome them. People would vote for the outcome they want. Majority rule. Oh, and dark money must be eliminated from campaigns too of course.
The Electoral College is in the Constitution. The Constitution can be amended, but it is a long, arduous process (which is why we still don't have an Equal Rights Amendment). The states have the right to draw their own electoral districts, but their decisions can be, and are being, challenged in court. The filibuster is part of the Senate's rules -- and if you look closely, you'll notice that very little about the Senate is democratic.
We have to be more bold. This is so obviously wrong.
Simply, illegitimate acquisition of US Supreme Court seats by the radical GOP. McConnell is coming to rue the day for what they have wrought.
Agree -- the slumbering giant of Democrats is being rudely awakened from its hibernation ❣️
It's been waking up for some time now. Didn't you notice what's been going on in your state, and in neighboring Wisconsin? That's the result of years of organizing.
Yes, Michigan is at the tip of this arrow. I was referring to our mission-critical National awakening. We will be a BEAST when we ALL wake up!!
Be careful what you wish for . . . The right wing started waking up after the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the mid-'60s, and they went into high gear after Roe v. Wade. Most of the rest of us are playing catch-up, at least as far as electoral politics and the judiciary are concerned.
And, we don't have years to make a course correction. We have 2024 -- 18 months!!!
My feelings exactly, TC.
Donated and ready to assist. It is long past time that states like TN, ID, FL, TX are isolated and economically punished for their medieval policies against children, women, and people of color. When is the first national work stoppage coming like France, Israel?
Who did you donate to? I have been a little out of the loop. Wha can we in other states do?
turnup.us
it will support youth get-out-the-vote efforts, hopefully it's not too late for the youth to save us?
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) has set up an ActBlue account to support the two Justins' re-election bid: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/tn-leg-csm-tw
Hey KAO and Ellen: we really appreciate your help; please go back to their website and see if they have changed the link to donate to a more userfriendly link as the earlier link was geared to major donors by mistake; we need your help as the job will be a really big one but Turnup is structured so that it doesn't waste resources on districts which are unchangeable either plus or minus! Focus is on competitive CDs and on 18-25s. Thanks!
I just looked and there is a 'blank' choice at the end of the high-end suggested donations. I can't imagine they would reject $25, $50 or $100. However, I agree to see suggestions of $1000 and up is very startling.
Unfortunately there has been an inadvertent error in attaching the wrong "link" for general donations to the DONATE page of the website; there is a more reasonable $$ link and they are trying to fix it as we speak so I think they will get it straightened out in a short while. Meanwhile, I believe folks have indicated that they were able to contribute more reasonable amounts by clicking on the top of that page? Stay with us please and thank you!
From Vaclev Havel’s 1978 essay, “The Power of the Powerless.” Different era, circumstances, but much of this sure sounds like certain states right now in the U.S.
“Between the aims of the post-totalitarian system and the aims of life there is a yawning abyss: while life, in its essence, moves toward plurality, diversity, independent self-constitution, and self organization, in short, toward the fulfillment of its own freedom, the post-totalitarian system demands conformity, uniformity, and discipline. While life ever strives to create new and improbable structures, the posttotalitarian system contrives to force life into its most probable states. The aims of the system reveal its most essential characteristic to be introversion, a movement toward being ever more completely and unreservedly itself, which means that the radius of its influence is continually widening as well. This system serves people only to the extent necessary to ensure that people will serve it. Anything beyond this, that is to say, anything which leads people to overstep their predetermined roles is regarded by the system as an attack upon itself. And in this respect it is correct: every instance of such transgression is a genuine denial of the system. It can be said, therefore, that the inner aim of the post-totalitarian system is not mere preservation of power in the hands of a ruling clique, as appears to be the case at first sight. Rather, the social phenomenon of self-preservation is subordinated to something higher, to a kind of blind automatism which drives the system. No matter what position individuals hold in the hierarchy of power, they are not considered by the system to be worth anything in themselves, but only as things intended to fuel and serve this automatism. For this reason, an individual’s desire for power is admissible only in so far as its direction coincides with the direction of the automatism of the system.
Ideology, in creating a bridge of excuses between the system and the individual, spans the abyss between the aims of the system and the aims of life. It pretends that the requirements of the system derive from the requirements of life. It is a world of appearances trying to pass for reality.
The post-totalitarian system touches people at every step, but it does so with its ideological gloves on. This is why life in the system is so thoroughly permeated with hypocrisy and lies: government by bureaucracy is called popular government; the working class is enslaved in the name of the working class; the complete degradation of the individual is presented as his ultimate liberation; depriving people of formation is called making it available; the use of power to manipulate is called the public control of power, and the arbitrary abuse of power is called observing the legal code; the repression of culture is called its development; the expansion of imperial influence is presented as support for the oppressed; the lack of free expression becomes the highest form of freedom; farcical elections become the highest form of democracy; banning independent thought becomes the most scientific of world views; military occupation becomes fraternal assistance. Because the regime is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It falsifies the past. It falsifies the present, and it falsifies the future. It falsifies statistics. It pretends not to possess an omnipotent and unprincipled police apparatus. It pretends to respect human rights. It pretends to persecute no one. It pretends to fear nothing. It pretends to pretend nothing.
Individuals need not believe all these mystifications, but they must behave as though they did, or they must at least tolerate them in silence, or get along well with those who work with them. For this reason, however, they must live within a lie. They need not accept the lie. It is enough for them to have accepted their life with it and in it. For by this very fact, individuals confirm the system, fulfill the system, make the system, are the system.”
Thank today - for weeks, really, - to the Tennessee Three, and all the citizen protestors – many youth – for not confirming.
I object. Emile Zola.
I’ve been watching this in horror all day but two things give me hope. The ejected representatives are awesome and now have a national platform. I can’t wait to see what they do next. Also, the sea of protesters- a young and diverse group saw the racism and the depravity of the bigoted republicans. They will not forget this. The evil racists won this moment, but I think they wii rue this day.
I think you're right. People who do things like this are activating the next generation of civil rights activists.
While watching what was happening last night I was remembering the 1960s. And you are correct, Joyce, a
new generation of civil rights activists may have been created.
We must hope so. Charles Darwin’s theory may still be the battle. Read today’s New Yorker on DNA and mtDNA. On Neanderthal researchers and us. Are we not related? The Monkey or The Scopes Trial, featuring Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan and a biology teacher in love with the preacher’s daughter, was thought the answer. We are all related.
The Tennesse preacher was a slow learner. Neanderthal blood is mixed, may be recessive. In Tennessee.
It spread to Arkansas.
I watched this for hours as well and it made me so happy to see the strength of these brave new leaders (to be sure!). And thanks to the networks for uninterrupted coverage, also an indication that this is so much bigger than a dispute about decorum. I can’t wait to see the “old guard” voted out.
Agree. This puts this into the national spotlight where it needs to be. Other states and legislatures are trying the same sort of tactics to put minority rule in place. What happened in TN yesterday was an attack on democracy and racist. I watched it unfold on MSNBC's Deadline Whitehouse. These folks have been emboldened over the past 6 years and think they have the upper hand. Maybe, for now they do. But the majority of people need to get on their feet and continue shouting them down at ever possible opportunity.
My thoughts exactly. I couldn't stop watching. I think the Tennessee assembly has awakened a sleeping giant.
Blatant racism , blatant ignorance. How very bold these Republicans have become. People like DJT and MTG have enabled these thugs to believe thug like behavior is acceptable . It is not .
They have ALWAYS been this way. The White Southern scum today are no different from the White Southern scum I knew in the Navy 60 years ago. Celebrating their ignorance publicly, reveling in their mendacity and malevolence.
Say it loud! If we remember that today's Republicans are the direct descendants of the white Southern Democrats of the pre-Voting Rights Act era, it's not all that surprising. Having grown up in Massachusetts, I remember Republicans who weren't like this at all -- but that was many decades ago.
I wonder if it occurred to Tennessee Republicans that their highest ranking officers in Washington have long since set the bar for behaving as if demented. The Democrats in Tennessee are small potatoes, comparatively.
Thugs only make noise to hide the truth.
Patricia Lane... “.. become..? I wish. But we’ve been essentially the same since when...
Thank you as always. When I read your posts I feel heartened to keep trying. Onward together, civilly in discourse!
Sometimes the discourse needs to be a lot less civil. Go listen to State Representative Justin Pearson. That's the discourse we need now.
I just now listened to Shelby Pearson respond to the bigoted TN legislature today as he was being expelled. It was passionate and sincere and made clear the injustice that prevailed. I was deeply moved and feel the levity of his words shaken and disgusted with the shameful way he was treated but we will be hearing a lot more from him I have no doubt.
He reminds me of some of the "names" from the movement in the 60s. Reviving the "natural" probably helps with that identification, but his words, his speaking manner, magnificent.
We are all Spirits, we need a body to learn on Earth. We are all the same inside, but like cars that are different colors, sizes, makes and models.
Correction: Justin Pearson.
One to watch, for sure!
Depends on how you define civil. Civil can be passionate, even enraged, as long as it is true and honest.
No one gets to tell me what I need to feel or do to be effective. Death threats and exhaustion, both of which I've experienced, inform how I do what I do.
I don't get to tell you what to feel or do to be effective either. That would be oppression of you by me, and there would be potential there to undercut you in doing what you need to do.
We need all kinds right now, and we need to fight injustice, not put down one another.
I wasn't putting you down. I was advocating for the kind of "civil" you describe here.
Justin Pearson's 22 minute speech. Time well-spent listening.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5065455/user-clip-rep-justin-j-pearson
Amen!!!
Thank you, for the link. A powerful speech. Rep. Pearson was speaking to the spirits of the misguided Republicans. I pray they listened. Seeds were planted.
Our job is to plant, the Lord's job is to grow.
The $%# Republicans clearly did not listen. But they need to feel the impact of their racist votes in a real way.
I’ve been feeling guilty about being a Civil Discourse freeloader. Your article today convinced me to start paying for membership. Learning about Julian Bond’s success in facing down the Georgia’s legislature raised me up from despair to hope over today’s debacle in the Tennessee legislature. Thank you.
Thank you. I love my free subscribers too, but I really appreciate the financial support which lets me devote more time to research, writing, and a good proofreader here.
Your articles are gold. Thank you, Attorney Vance.
My mother taught me to be a natural proofreader... it's incredible how many typos are found EVERYWHERE!! So glad you place importance on that skill. :-)
Don’t you know that’s true 🤷♂️
Ha! Me too, now a paid subscriber, inspired by today's article.
You will not be disappointed!!! This forum is absolutely fantastic ❣️❣️❣️
Ditto. I look forward to seeing Joyce on MSNBC, especially with Nicolle Wallace who I bet will be On Fire today. I can't imagine that she was ever a Republican but worked for Bush the younger. Thank God she's come to her senses and is on "our" side now!
Thanks for this post. Though I am appalled at the blatantly racist and absolute abuse of power by the TN legislature, I must say I am equally hopeful and exhilarated by the three legislators who stood up for their constituents. The two young men who were expelled, in particular, are simply superb! These young folks we are witnessing there and across the country are incredible and I believe will be the backbone to help turn the tide toward keeping (and improving) our democracy!
I'm horrified this happened to them, but perhaps the silver lining is they now have a national platform and they are brilliant!
Their speaking style and cadence is so reminiscent of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr and Malcolm X - ancestors.
They absolutely will.
This is full-on fascism versus democracy. Democracy must not fail. Time to use civil discourse while practicing civil disobedience.
'Tennessee’s House expels 2 of 3 Democrats over guns protest'
And all Americans as well as people around the world got to see Tennessee's House exposed!
‘Thousands of people flocked to the Capitol to support Jones, Pearson and Johnson on Thursday, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber loudly enough to drown out the proceedings.’
‘The trio held hands as they walked onto the floor, and Pearson raised a fist during the Pledge of Allegiance.’
‘Offered a chance to defend himself before the vote, Jones said the GOP responded to the shooting with a different kind of attack.’
“We called for you all to ban assault weapons, and you respond with an assault on democracy,” he said.'
‘The two expelled lawmakers may not be gone for long. County commissions in their districts get to pick replacements to serve until a special election can be scheduled, and they could opt to choose Jones and Pearson. The two also would be eligible to run in those races.’
‘Under the Tennessee Constitution, lawmakers cannot be expelled for the same offense twice.’
‘Jones said he did not intend to assimilate in order to be accepted. “I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to make a change for my community,” he replied.’
“Rather than pass laws that will address red flags and banning assault weapons and universal background checks, they passed resolutions to expel their colleagues,” Jones said. “And they think that the issue is over. We’ll see you on Monday.”
https://www.manisteenews.com/news/politics/article/gop-lawmakers-consider-expelling-democrats-over-17882052.php
As we used to say, right on.
Tennessee, the world is watching. 👀
It’s hard to believe they would dare be so obvious, blatant, and then presume to say, “who me? Racist?” Do they actually think they can escape general condemnation from the rest of us? I suppose it is the one benefit of the MAGA world, that they now say the quiet part out loud. We know who they are. And now we will defeat them. All the hypocrisies are open and visible. They will do down.
They're no different from their Confederte Traitor ancestors, of whom my ancestors killed too few when we had the chance to clean their swamp.
And the full almost-6-hour proceedings is memorialized on C-SPAN. Fortunately, there are links at right for selecting key moments such as opening and closing statements by Reps. Jones, Johnson & Pearson. All are worth the time to listen, they all are powerful speakers and don't pull any punches against what is being done to silence them. https://www.c-span.org/video/?527219-1/tennessee-general-assembly-votes-expel-democrats
I doubt the legislators had any idea, at the time, that they would be fully exposed on national TV as well as on C-SPAN. Too bad for them! https://www.c-span.org/video/?527219-1/tennessee-general-assembly-votes-expel-democrats Good links at right for selecting "the good parts", i.e. opening and closing remarks by the 3 Representatives.
Thank you for this. My heart hurts for what America could become if those of us who know better allow it. None of us can stand on the sidelines.
All hands on deck!!!!!
I’ve been telling my friends outside TN that our state leadership - including our two U.S. Senators - is as bad as TX and Florida, but we never get the media attention that they have. That came to a very apparent and long overdue end today.
Everyone I know here in Nashville is mourning the brutal murder last week of the three children and the three adults at the Covenant School. And angry that we live in a state controlled by Republicans who have fought hard to ignore the reality that the 2nd Amendment is too widely viewed by horrible people as a license to kill. Our governor, Bill Lee, waited a day to put out the most insincere and meaningless statement he could in response to the murder of three young children. No mention of the assault weapon legally bought by the assailant. We won’t forget.
Time to take back our state from the racists who control it.
I just signed up as a paid subscriber because I am completely disgusted with today's events in Tennessee. I appreciate Joyce's discussion of the Bond case. Sounds to me like those 2 expelled lawmakers have a very good case for being reinstated, and I hope and pray that will happen. I'm also upset about the threat to impeach Janet Protasiewicz in Wisconsin. Hearing this just after we all were so thrilled about her stunning win..... I'm 67 years old. Roe vs Wade happened the year I graduated high school. I grew up in the era of Vietnam protests, and great accomplishments in civil rights. I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge on the very first Earth Day with thousands of others. I feel as if this nation is rolling back the major accomplishments of my lifetime, and it saddens me. I want to find a way to help. Right now, I just try to counter lies with facts whenever possible.
Good for you! We rise or we fall together. Bless you!
It felt like a terrible gut punch today by Tennessee. Full on racism.
Not just Tennessee, every state needs to stand up & protest for it self & for Tennessee.
This is not Democracy. This is not America. We must stand united & stop this now.
A commentator said that if the college and professional sports teams refuse to play in Tennessee, that corporate backing will get the attention of those Republicans in the legislature. It will be interesting to see if there is any corporate backlash. There are many black players on those teams who cannot be feeling too proud or loyal to that gerrymandered, power hungry, immature, white supremacist clump of Republican fascists in their state legislature.
We should also boycott Memphis based FedEx. Give your business to USPS. More better if the blue powerhouse states like CA, MA, NY, and IL declared that they would no longer do business with TN businesses.
HOPE is a memory of the future!! THANK YOU Joyce - you are AMAZING!!
Hope is now. It is all of us here.