Image: Commissioner Rhonda Lee brings resolution in honor of Charlie Kirk Image Credit: Knoxville Community Media/ YouTube
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
A resolution to honor the life of Charlie Kirk proposed by a Christian conservative Knox County Commissioner is seeing pushback from Democrats and some Republicans who claim it is too contentious and divisive.
Sponsored by Commissioner Rhonda Lee, the resolution names Kirk as a “devoted Christian who boldly lived out his faith with conviction, courage, and compassion” who exemplified “the virtues of faith, fidelity, and fatherhood,” and was “a fierce defender of the American founding and its timeless principles of life liberty, limited government, and individual responsibility.”
It further extolls Kirk’s numerous other accomplishments and virtues, including his founding of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) at 18 years old and his “commitment to civil discussion and debate [which] stood as a model for young Americans across the political spectrum” as he “worked tirelessly to promote unity without compromising on conviction.”
Ultimately, the resolution seeks to condemn Kirk’s assassination and all other political violence, offer condolences to his widow, Erika, and their young children, honor his life, leadership, and legacy built upon Biblical truth, and calls upon all Americans to “recommit to respectful debate, uphold American values, and respect one another.”
But during a commission agenda hearing on Monday evening, things became heated when not just Democrats, but also Republican commissioners argued against the resolution, indicating they will vote against it next Monday despite Lee’s advocacy that Kirk had a resounding impact on both Tennessee and Knox County.
“Charlie Kirk was at UT in March of this year. Turning Point USA is a large chapter at University of Tennessee, and there was over 3,000 people who attended his memorial service, so I think he does have a big impact in Knox County. So, I support the resolution as it is.” Lee championed.
Republican Commissioner Terry Hill appeared reluctant to vote for the resolution in its current form, advocating for “unity” and saying she would prefer if the body were to pass something unanimously, suggesting Lee re-work the text since it, “clearly hit a nerve with more than one of our county commissioners”.
At-large Commissioner Larsen Jay, a Republican also running for County Mayor, concurred with Democrats in their earlier comments against the resolution over semantics, saying resolutions should never be “contentious, they should just receive unanimous votes.”
He further echoed the Democrats’ reasoning that historically, honorary resolutions are only used to acknowledge Knox County citizens or businesses, despite an earlier reading of the rule which does not specify the recipient must be of Knox County.
He also agreed that should Commissioner Lee pursue her course, she would be opening a political “Pandora’s box”, leading others to bring resolutions honoring those like “George Floyd because he was a part of an organization that has an impact on somebody in Tennessee, and you will be asked to vote for it. And the next month after that there will be a resolution condemning Israel or Palestine or Hamas because of some impact it’s had on a group here, and next month it’ll be something else.”
Two Democrats and Republican Jay suggested Lee instead consider a proclamation as it is only an individual statement, maintaining that if the body allowed “split-vote and contentious” honorary resolutions, the “value” of an honorary resolution would be diminished.
“I would caution opening up this precedence because it doesn’t do anything other than divide us. There was a time three or four years ago that a member pushed a similar type of thing, directly related to the Middle East conflict and it ignited this community and did nothing but put a thousand people in this room that yelled and screamed at each other, and that’s not what we’ve done here in Knox County,” Jay contended.
He concluded by asking Lee to “find an opportunity to celebrate the life and legacy of Mr. Kirk in a way that is more suiting to the way we’ve set up our rules.”
Commissioner Lee was “appalled” by the comments in opposition to the resolution, particularly from other Republicans. “I am totally shocked that there would be any pushback on this because this resolution is to say that there should be no violence in our community for taking a stand for First Amendment rights. So I’m totally shocked and appalled,” she said.
Larsen Jay then doubled down on his comments, saying that if this were a resolution solely condemning political violence, he doubted a single person on the board would object, but instead restated his argument that “the difference is that honorary resolutions are about a person that is a Knox County resident or Knox County business, and this is not. It’s not about the person. If you want a resolution that condemns political violence, by God, we will all join you hand-in-hand, but that’s not what this is.”
Lee has invited members of the TPUSA chapters from Knoxville and Chattanooga to be present at the commission’s next meeting on Monday when the vote on the resolution will be taken, though she believes “these liberal commissioners may vote against.”
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
3 Responses
Many investigations by seasoned investigators from all over America have proven that the Charlie Kirk shooting was a psyop on the American people. Representatives of our government should pray for discernment.
Yup, lucifer’s accursed RINOs, promoting unity with evil.
If I was on the commission, I would vote against the resolution – and ALL resolutions. This is NOT a statement against Charlie Kirk in any way, shape, or form, whose assassination was horrific. I simply don’t want politicians passing resolutions, which are used by them to grandstand while they continue to pass bad bills.
We don’t need moral leadership from politicians, who are some of the most corrupt people on earth, thank you very much. We need them to shut up and repeal bad laws or pass new ones that shrink government’s size, spending, taxation, and authority.