Conservative TN Organizations Respond To Call For Special Session

Image Credit: Tennessee Stands

The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

In response to Senator Janice Bowling’s plea to fellow Tennessee Senators to request a Special Session of the Tennessee General Assembly to be called to address mandates, executive orders, and dangerous edicts coming from the Federal Government, several Conservative organizations in Tennessee are taking action and letting their voices be heard. 

Glenda Pappu from Tennessee Neighbors for Liberty says, “We’ve been encouraging our members to contact their representatives and senators for the last three weeks to call a special session and we will absolutely support this. We will be there tomorrow, September 16, at the capital at 11am to let them know that we mean business and that we demand a special session.” 

Sherri Garrett from Empowered Knox (a Tennessee Stands Coalition) says, “We at Empowered Knox believe a Special Session of our legislature needs to be called immediately. The federal government is attempting a massive overreach with this last executive order to mandate the Covid 19 vaccine. We believe the freedom that we so enjoy in Tennessee is in danger and it is up to our legislators to uphold the Tennessee Constitution, the US Constitution and protect our individual rights as they were vote in office to do. They didn’t do it in the last legislative session and we do not have the luxury of waiting until January for the Tennessee General Assembly to act.” 

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The Steward County GOP voted on Tuesday night to “support the call for a special session to reign in the Governor, restore parental rights in schools, and the basic liberties of free citizens. Furthermore, we expect our General Assembly to resist on our behalf the unconstitutional mandate from the President mandating vaccines. Lt Governor McNally along with our state Senator Bill Powers, are essentially complicit in the abuse of power by our Governor and the President by their refusal thus far to support a special session. We want action from them on these issues,” said Chair Jan Black and Executive Committee Member Dave Vance. 

The Tennessee Coalition of Counties – Humphreys County Chairman, Wayne Miller sent the following email to its members along with a letter for members to sign and then send to Lt. Gov. Randy McNally.

“My fellow conservatives,  

We have come to a point in our state that the overreach of our current Governor is apparent and the time for action is now.  The letter attached is a request for the Lt. Governor to support a Special Session in order to reign in the Governor’s overreach of his constitutional authority. 

It is my intention to forward this to every County GOP Committee for support.  Please share this letter with your fellow GOP Members who may not be part of the Coalition of Counties but believe in our ability to show strength in unity for our Constitutional Rights as American Citizens and as Citizens of the Great State of Tennessee.   

If you wish for your names to be added to the Coalition of Counties Letter, please send a response.  May God guide us through this time of indecision and chaos and bless our great country. “

At time of publication, the letter has been signed by Wayne Miller, Humphreys County Chair; William Hargrove, Houston County Chair; Matt Jones, Benton County Chair; Jan Black, Stewart County Chair; Tess Robbins, Henry County Chair; Chris Morris, Giles County Chair; Andy Ogles, Maury County Mayor; Richard Brooks, Coffee County Chair; Bob Ousley, Perry County Chair and Dusty Jordon, Hickman County Chair.

The Tennessee Liberty Network also demands the Tennessee General Assembly convene a Special Session and seeks these remonstrances and remedies:

1. Discontinue and remove all federal Covid relief funds from Tennessee that are tied to requirements to universally mask citizens (of all ages, and particularly in schools) and force vaccinations as a condition of employment at all Tennessee-located businesses and attendance at all Tennessee-located schools. 

2. Discontinue and remove all federal Covid relief and Medicare funds from Tennessee that are tied to the use of Remdesivir-to-ventilator protocols (per CDC, NIH, and Dr. Anthony Fauci) in Tennessee hospitals. 

3. Pass new laws and strengthen existing Right to Try laws allowing patients and their families to employ any and all FDA-approved and EUA remedies they choose for the treatment of Covid-related symptoms and illnesses. 

4. Remove all Governor Lee’s EOs relating to “emergencies.” This is especially true for the governor’s continual extension of states of emergency on which he bases his EO’s. An emergency implies there is a sense of urgency, so if these emergencies exist then our legislature cannot be recessed until after the new year. If our legislature avoids reconvening because they do not feel we are in a true state of emergency, lawmakers owe it to Tennesseans to remove Governor Lee’s EO’s related to states of emergency.

5. Make a formal and public statement on whether our legislature supports Tennessee’s state rights or if they support allowing the federal government to take full control of Tennessee. Governor Lee “declared” that Tennessee will not succumb to Biden’s overreaching mandates without taking legal action, similar to Arizona. Our legislature owes clarity on this controversy to Tennesseans. 

The Tennessee Freedom Force issued this statement: 

“On September 9, 2021, Joe Biden issued a mandate stating that all federal employees must be vaccinated for Covid to retain their employment. Biden is also using OSHA to force businesses with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccinations. Where does this end? These mandates are far outside the President’s Constitutionally limited and enumerated powers, and this governmental overreach must be stopped NOW. 

We the People of Tennessee have given you, our elected officials, more leeway than we should have, all in an effort to “flatten the curve” and end this plandemic. We willingly gave you 14 days, then less willingly we gave you 18+ months…months that we will never get back. Meanwhile, small businesses closed, and tragically many never re-opened. We masked, social distanced, met via Zoom, did curbside pickup, and rather than buying from local stores, we ordered necessities from Amazon as a way to “protect others.” 

Our children were schooled online, and when they were allowed to return to in-person learning, they and their teachers were masked. Children who started Kindergarten during this mess have never seen their teacher, librarian, or even their bus driver smile. RSV is rampant among youngsters because they wear masks for the better part of every day of their young lives. Colleges have mandated that students be vaccinated in order to attend classes, and we have all seen the video of the young man being removed from class in Chattanooga by police for not wearing a mask. I’m certain that well-meaning but order following police officer took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, but he probably has never read it. We learned during the Nuremberg trials that “I was just following orders” is not a valid defense. Our individual God-given rights are being trampled daily. This must end, and it must end NOW. 

We the People have rights, given to us by our Creator, NOT handed to us by government. These rights are granted to individuals, and because our Founders bestowed upon us a nation that is a Constitutional Republic, and thankfully not a democracy, the rights of the many do not supersede the rights of the individual. Nowhere in the Constitution are the rights of businesses mentioned; therefore, businesses, including hospitals, need to be restricted from making medical decisions for their patrons, and their employees. Unemployment is already bad…where will we be when the unvaccinated lose their jobs in this climate? 

The Constitution does not give government the right to “protect my health,” but it does state that the government exists to protect my RIGHTS. The President of the United States does not have the authority to overrule the will of the States, the actions of a Governor, nor the will of the people. It is the job and responsibility of our elected officials, meaning you, to stand up to Biden’s tyrannical and divisive mandates and protect the rights of the people who elected you.  

All I am asking is that you do the job we elected you to do. Call a Special Session of the General Assembly and make a LAW that forbids these tyrannical mandates. Protect the people you represent and using the power of the 10^th Amendment, NULLIFY every bit of pretended legislation coming out of DC. Stop allowing the people of Tennessee to be ruled by Executive Order rather than actual law. Stop ALL mandates. Stop businesses from bullying their employees into choosing between an undesired medical decision or the ability to put food on their family’s table. Stop allowing colleges to force their vaccine mandates on students who are simply trying to get an education. 

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, ‘Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.’” 

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com