Free Republic

(Reuters) - A special legislative session in Tennessee called by the state's Republican governor in response to a deadly school shooting ended on Tuesday with no progress on gun safety laws, capped by a brief scuffle between opposing lawmakers. Governor Bill Lee, in the special session which opened on Aug. 21, asked lawmakers to consider a "red flag" law and a number of other public safety measures he pitched in the wake of the murder of three children and three staff members at The Covenant School in March in Nashville.

ASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's administration accused the National Rifle Association of wanting to use involuntary commitment laws “to round up mentally ill people and deprive them of other liberties,” according to documents drafted by the Republican's staffers as part of their initial attempt to pass a gun control proposal earlier this year. The memos, provided by Lee's office as part of a public records request, reveal a rare criticism of the powerful gun lobby made by the Republican governor. Lee has previously praised the NRA's efforts to protect the Second Amendment but has since faced opposition...

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee called Tuesday for state lawmakers to pass a law aimed at preventing guns from getting in the hands of people who are a danger to themselves or others. The Republican governor also said he will sign a new executive order later Tuesday aimed at strengthening background checks on firearm purchases.

New York magazine’s veteran art critic Jerry Saltz advised his social media followers to “shun” anybody who has voted for Republican political candidates — even if they are “friends and family.” “If you know anyone who voted Republican — including friends and family — you should shun them,” Saltz wrote on his Instagram page on Sunday. “No need to even tell them that you are no longer communicating with them or why,” Saltz wrote. “You own it [sic] yourself, to them, your country, and any idea of moral damage.” Saltz — who was responding to a post of an old...

Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee has called for an investigation of the Pediatric Transgender Clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) after shocking videos posted by Matt Walsh detailed a doctor’s promotion of “big money maker” transgender surgeries. The videos obtained by Walsh also show apparent threats made against medical professionals at VUMC if they objected to the procedures, even for religious reasons. “The ‘pediatric transgender clinic’ at Vanderbilt University Medical Center raises serious moral, ethical and legal concerns,” Lee said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “We should not allow permanent, life-altering decisions that hurt children or policies...

Matt Walsh on Vanderbilt University Gender Clinic I wasn't sure how to embed a YouTube video, so I put a link. It is worth your time watching this to understand just how pernicious the trans lobby has become.

After the Civil War, Southern politicians fearful of losing their grip on power decried the influx of “carpetbaggers” from the North. Tennessee lawmakers today seem to have similar fears.On April 13, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, returned SB 2616 to the legislature (meaning it became law despite his lack of signature). The bill requires any candidate running for Congress to have resided in the state for three years to run in primary elections. Given that the law is patently unconstitutional under Article I of the U.S. Constitution, you may wonder what suddenly inspired the Tennessee General Assembly to add...

The Tennessee Legislature’s plot to knock a Trumpy candidate off the ballot this year has failed. Morgan Ortagus, who worked in President Trump’s State Department, moved to Nashville last year and is running for an open House seat. A week before the April 7 filing deadline, the Legislature passed a bill to require three years of residency. This is possibly unconstitutional, but it also stinks like the swamp. A key sponsor of the bill supports one of Ms. Ortagus’s opponents, former state House Speaker Beth Harwell. What an exclusive little club. Gov. Bill Lee neither signed nor vetoed the residency...

Tennessee GOP Gov. Bill Lee has invited the private conservative Hillsdale college to open 50 charter schools in his state that will teach so-called "anti-woke" curriculums. The offer for Hillsdale, a liberal arts college with about 1,500 students in Michigan, to use public funds includes $32 million for charter facilities. Hillsdale developed the "1776 Curriculum," a direct response to the New York Times' "1619 Project" about so-called Critical Race Theory, which in suggests American is inherently racist. Hillsdale's version teaches students that America is "an exceptionally good country." Critics of the 1776 Curriculum say it has an overly positive take...

On Monday, the Tennessee legislature passed a bill that could make a candidate backed by Donald Trump ineligible to run for Congress this year. The legislation would require anyone seeking federal office in Tennessee to have lived in the state and district they wish to represent for at least three years. Morgan Ortagus, the Republican endorsed by Trump running in Tennessee's 5th district, just moved to the state last year. The bill now goes to Republican Governor Bill Lee's desk. Lee's office told Newsweek on Tuesday that they were reviewing the legislation.

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee on Sunday signed a new congressional map into law that carves up a Nashville-based Democratic district three ways in order to expand his party’s advantage. The new lines give Republicans a distinct advantage in eight of nine congressional districts, and they already forced Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper to retire after his Nashville seat moved from one that President Joe Biden won by 24 points to one that former President Donald Trump won by 11. “Despite my strength at the polls, I could not stop the General Assembly from dismembering Nashville,” Cooper said in a statement...

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) announced on Monday a state partnership with Michigan’s Hillsdale College to launch a number of K-12 charter schools. Lee announced the partnership during his state of the state address on Monday evening in front of a special joint session of the state Legislature. Hillsdale College is a liberal arts college in southern Michigan known for its refusal to accept federal funds. The college has launched an initiative to revitalize “public education through the launch and support of classical K-12 charter schools.” Lee and Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn are working together to build a system...

President Joe Biden's workplace vaccine and testing requirement was met with plenty of criticism on Twitter from conservatives and Republican politicians promising to push back on what they view as blatantly unconstitutional overreach. The administration's six-pronged "Path Out of the Pandemic" includes a controversial provision that would require private companies with over 100 employees to require them to submit to either a Covid-19 vaccine or weekly testing. The edict would be enforced by OSHA, the federal agency responsible for worker safety. "We are going to protect vaccinated workers from unvaccinated co-workers," Biden said Thursday. "This is not about freedom or...

Florida Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist, the former governor of Florida, is giving “serious consideration” to challenging current Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his old job in 2022. Crist, who switched from Republican to Independent in 2010 after he was about to lose a U.S. Senate primary race to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, then later became a self-described “Barack Obama Democrat,” told “CNN Newsroom’s” Pamela Brown on Saturday that he has not made a decision yet, but is “closer to it by the day.” “Of course it’s premature,” Crist said, criticizing gatherings in Miami and the lack of restrictions in...

Ainge gained national attention last year when he clashed with fellow commissioner, Bill Lee, over a potential mask mandate. More than 150 angry protesters showed up at the meeting. Ainge motioned to adjourn the meeting before it began because there were too many unmasked people in the meeting room. A Republican critic of former President Donald Trump, Ainge is seen as the most moderate member of the three-person commission with Lee and Tom Sakievich occupying the right wing. Those more conservative politicians now control the agenda and direction of the commission since Sakievich replaced the more moderate Nathan Ivie in...

Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued an executive order Tuesday stating that churches are strongly discouraged from worshiping in-person. Weddings and funerals should also be “postponed or attended only by close family members.” Even though Lee states religious services are essential and not banned, he makes it clear that virtual church services are the best option. If a church does decide to hold in-person services, he has created a lengthy and exhaustive list of guidelines for them to follow. While Lee deems church services dangerous, “school sponsored sporting events and activities” are specifically permitted in the order and there is...

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) is the latest state leader to urge residents to drastically limit their holiday gatherings by spending them only with members of the same household, signing an executive order limiting indoor public events to ten. In a Sunday evening address, the Republican governor identified Tennesee as “ground zero for a surge in sickness,” describing the ongoing pandemic as a “war.” Approximately 10,000 Tennesseans are getting sick daily, the governor said, largely attributing the spike to holiday gatherings — namely, the Thanksgiving gatherings

On Friday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed a controversial bill that enhances penalties for certain crimes related to political protests and makes it a felony to illegally camp on state property. In Tennessee, a felony conviction automatically revokes an individual’s right to vote. The law also increases penalties for assaulting a first responder, obstructing emergency vehicles, and rioting. The bill follows two months of anti-racism protests in Nashville, during which activists have camped outside the state capitol building in an effort to secure a meeting with Lee. According to the Associated Press, state legislators claimed the law was needed...

I don’t blame Tennessee’s Gov. Bill Lee for signing this bill into law. He increased punishments against those engaging in the type of mayhem seen in Portland, Seattle, and Chicago, some of which include the loss of voting rights. Yes, you can bet the liberal media, Democrats, and the American Civil Liberties Union is going to be immensely triggered by this law. Oh wait; the ACLU state chapter already responded saying, “We are very disappointed in Governor Lee’s decision to sign this bill, which chills free speech, undermines criminal justice reform and fails to address the very issues of racial...

Abortions are expected to be prohibited in Tennessee after an unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected under legislation passed early on Thursday. The bill, which passed the Senate 23-5 on a party line shortly after 12:30 a.m. Friday, according to the Tennessean, bans abortions after an unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected and prohibits abortions if the doctors know that the mother is seeking an abortion based on sex, race or a diagnosis of Down Syndrome. ... The American Civil Liberties Union has promised to take the law to court. “As promised, we will see them in court,” said executive...